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Creating wealth and health in the Bronx

Fri, Dec 4 Listen

Community activist Majora Carter has helped bring environmentalism to New York City. She talks with Living on Earth about the social challenges of making the South Bronx sustainable.

Containers to clinics

Fri, Nov 27 Listen

A recent WHO report found that in 2007, 9 million children died before their fifth birthday. Elizabeth Sheehan is trying to prevent some of those deaths by turning used shipping containers into health clinics in developing countries. From Here and Now.

MIT research: Can molten metal be used to store renewable energy?

Fri, Nov 20 Listen

Living on Earth's Jeff Young visits the lab of a MIT scientist who got support to develop batteries made from molten metals. If it works, it could allow for massive storage of renewable energy for times when there's not enough sun or wind.

Samasource: 'Microwork' for the developing world

Fri, Nov 13 Listen

Samasource is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that matches businesses in the U.S. with people in the developing world who are looking for work in information technology. From PRI's The World.

Tracking food from the farm to the grocery store

Fri, Nov 6 Listen

The food industry and Congress are looking for ways to electronically track food. We talk to Elliott Grant, founder of YottaMark, who works with suppliers to track food from the farm to the grocery store. From Here and Now.

EpiCollect: Google Android app for scientists

Fri, Oct 30 Listen

A team from Imperial College in London has created an open source smartphone app that can collect data, including geo-coordinates, and sync to the main lab database once a mobile connection is restored. From The World's Technology podcast.

Slow money: investing in local communities

Fri, Oct 23 Listen

Former venture capitalist Woody Tasch reacted to Wall Street culture by calling for a new way of investing. He founded a group called Slow Money, where investors can watch their money grow at a slower pace in small, local companies. From Here and Now.

Bringing change to Malawi

Fri, Oct 16 Listen

In 2002, teenaged William Kamkwamba had a vision in the very poor African nation of Malawi: a little bicycle generator that powers a light, if connected to a windmill, could allow him to read his schoolbooks at night. From The Takeaway.

Truck farms could bring more fresh produce to urban areas

Fri, Oct 9 Listen

Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, the filmmakers behind the documentary, 'King Corn,' are at it again. This time they've planted rows of vegetables in the back of a Dodge pickup to show that food can be grown just about anywhere. On Living on Earth.

Nonprofit develops low-cost incubators

Fri, Oct 2 Listen

The Embrace is a low-cost incubator made from phase change materials. The idea is to create a kind of sleeping bag for a low-birth-weight or premature baby. The World talks with Linus Liang, one of the co-founders of the nonprofit that makes the Embrace.

Storing CO2 underground

Fri, Sep 25 Listen

There are two ways to reduce carbon dioxide. Emit less or remove it from the atmosphere by sequestering it below the earth's surface. As Ashley Ahearn reports, some of the most promising research in this field is happening in Iceland. On PRI's The World.

Norman Borlaug's life and legacy

Fri, Sep 18 Listen

PRI's The World speaks with Lester Brown, head of the Earth Policy Institute, about the life and career of Norman Borlaug, a scientist whose work developing high-yield crops earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. He died this past weekend.

Program provides training to immigrants interested in organic farming

Fri, Aug 28 Listen

Pumpkin greens are a staple in Zimbabwe. But they're hard to find in the US. Until now. Producer Chris Burrell brings us the story of Tufts University's New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. The program provides new immigrants in the U.S. with land, equipment and training to get a head start on taking up organic farming.

Growing trees to fight climate change in Burkina Faso

Fri, Aug 21 Listen

The Sahel region of West Africa is being hit hard by climate change. But from the country of Burkina Faso, Mark Hertsgaard spotlights a small green miracle that's helping farmers fight the warming trend. The secret, he says, is trees. On PRI's The World.

Tuition-free online university due to open this fall

Fri, Aug 14 Listen

'The University of the People' is the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneur Shai Reshef. Its doors open this fall. Reshef says the school is tuition-free and aims to bring classes to students who might not otherwise have access to education. On Here and Now.

Zambian company sells bamboo bicycles

Fri, Aug 7 Listen

A company in Zambia is assembling bicycle frames made of sustainable bamboo for sale in the United States. Reporter Jo Fidgen has the story. On PRI's The World.

Harnessing Africa's Solar Power

Fri, Jul 31 Listen

A group of European businesses is hoping to launch what would be the world's most ambitious solar energy project centered in North Africa. It's a big vision ... with big obstacles. Gerry Hadden reports for PRI's The World.

Developing a Standard for Green Neighborhood Design

Fri, Jul 24 Listen

Sophie Lambert (U.S. Green Building Council) discusses the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system. It could change how developers and local governments can work together to create environmentally-sound neighborhoods. On Living on Earth.

Developing an Environmentally Sustainable Economic Model

Fri, Jul 17 Listen

Economist Jeffrey Sachs runs the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He's also a special advisor to the U.N. He tells To the Best of Our Knowledge why we need a new economic model rooted in an environmentally sustainable future.

Ken Banks on Doing What You Love and Changing the World

Fri, Jul 10 Listen

The World's Clark Boyd interviews Ken Banks of Kiwanja and FrontlineSMS. They discuss what motivates him and what challenges him. You'll also hear some great advice for landing your own tech dream job (or in Ken's case, creating it yourself).

Paul Hawken on the Global Activism Movement

Fri, Jul 3 Listen

Paul Hawken is the author of 'Blessed Unrest.' He talks with Anne Strainchamps about the quantity and variety of people and organizations involved in the global activism movement. On To the Best of Our Knowledge.

Environmental Sensors in Cell Phones

Fri, Jun 26 Listen

Imagine if cell phones could measure air pollution or pollen levels? We speak with Eric Paulos, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University about his research into tiny environmental sensors he hopes to implant in cell phones soon. On Here and Now.

Going Green in India

Fri, Jun 19 Listen

Journalist George Black recently traveled through India. What he found was a growth in local 'green' entrepreneurship which joins traditional and modern methods to satisfy India's growing demand for water, electricity, and automobiles. On Here and Now.

Growing Hope in New Orleans

Fri, Jun 12 Listen

Will Bradshaw of Green Coast Enterprises tells Living on Earth about Project Sprout, a test plot of sunflowers in New Orleans. The sunflowers will remove heavy metals from contaminated soils while the sunflower seeds will be pressed to make biofuels.

Kids Speak Out About Climate Change

Fri, Jun 5 Listen

From banning plastic bags to raising awareness about rising sea levels, kids are proving that they can be a powerful force in the battle against climate change. Living on Earth looks at several young leaders who are taking a stand to protect the planet.

Designing a Green World

Fri, May 29 Listen

The World's Alex Gallafent reports on a new exhibition in New York that explores the relationship between product design and sustainability.

Women's Cooperative in Mexico Tackles E-Waste

Fri, May 22 Listen

At a clean, safe, e-waste recycling shop in northern Mexico a group of women is beating the odds by running their own business. Living on Earth reports.

Wireless Innovations for Social Good

Fri, May 15 Listen

The World's Clark Boyd reports on three projects using new wireless technologies for social good across the globe.

Closing the Health Food Gap in Low-Income Neighborhoods

Fri, May 8 Listen

Many low-income neighborhoods in the United States lack access to fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables. In New York City, a number of programs are working to close the food gap by bringing healthy foods close to home. On Living on Earth.

Micro-Lender ACLEDA Now Cambodia's Largest Bank

Fri, May 1 Listen

ACLEDA bank began as a micro-lender, loaning tiny sums to allow Cambodians to open small businesses. Now it's become the country's largest bank. Critics think it's lost its focus by becoming too big and charging too much interest. On The World.

PRI Social Entrepreneurship Podcast (Entrepreneur)