Topic: Energy, Environment

Dr. Moria Gunn tracks down author and unlikely environmentalist, Brenda Peterson, who takes her through her book of memoirs, I Want To Be Left Behind.

Dr. Moira Gunn talks with Executive Vice President, Thomas Nagy about the positive environmental impacts which occur when manufactures choose to engineer more natural products.

Promoting environmental sustainability is the responsibility of every world citizen, says Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore in this audio lecture. Speaking at the 2009 Tech Awards, he urges his audience to consider how they may make changes and press for policies that will address global warming. He asks Westerners, in particular, to consider how the consequences of their own actions may be causing suffering for millions displaced by climate change.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with author, Jeremy Rifkin, about his research on economics, technology, progress and sustainability, published in his new book, The Empathic Civilization - The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis.

Howard Eglowstein, a principal engineer with Climate Energy, LLC -- and former BYTE colleague of host Jon Udell -- has always worked at the intersection of hardware and software hacking. In this conversation he discusses freewatt, a micro-CHP (combined heat and power) system. He also reflects on the eclipse and renewal of interest in the hybrid skillset celebrated by the "maker" movement.

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company exemplifies how an organization may go from good to great through a focus on innovation. In this audio lecture, CEO Abdallah Jum'ah shares with an audience of Stanford MBA students how he has harnessed the brainpower of his people to come up with breakthrough solutions in areas such as technology, tools, processes, and organizational management. His talk demonstrates how living the values of innovation, insight, and principle can transform an organization and change the world.

Peter Maass speaks with Moira about his book on the global state of oil, and how technology plays a role. Oil is central to our world, but what role does it play in violent conflicts and the divide between rich and poor?

Let there be light! That's Sam Goldman's motto, and he's taking it around the world. The founder of d.light design talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how he is bringing affordable, ecologically sustainable electricity and lighting to billions who are now operating in the dark. In this audio interview, he details aspects of the design, function, marketing, and distribution of the organization's products, as well as the kind of impact the social enterprise is having in some of the most remote, poor areas.

Like Russia, China has been a huge and inefficient user of energy for decades. Now, however, the country is cleaning up its act. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Mark Levine, Lawrence Berkeley Lab energy group director, dispels common American myths about China's energy and environmental practices, demonstrating that the country is becoming surprisingly progressive. He touches on areas such as subsidies, pricing, and emissions policies.

Dr. Moira Gunn discusses corn ethanol with Lars Hansen, President & CEO of Novozymes North America. He reviews how corn ethanol can affect the overall price of food.