Blue Earth

Today Dan Distel comes on to discuss the Underwater Cypress Forest, an impressive new discovery that could lead to new medicines and scientific  discoveries. Distel is a researcher and scientist that works with Shipworms, another topic we discuss heavily. Listen in to see what Dan has to say!

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You can find Dan's current project, the Ocean Genome Legacy, at https://www.northeastern.edu/ogl. 

In this episode we're joined with Fabien Cousteau, a researcher and explorer who has explored the ocean for his entire life. Fabien has been working hard to get funding for Proteus, which he claims will be the "ISS of the Ocean". He is working on a long-term living facility that would put scientists and divers under the waves for months at a time. We discuss the project as well as his other explorations under the sea.

Fabien's website: https://www.fabiencousteauolc.org

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Peter Solomon joins us today to discuss the Sound School, a specialized high school that focuses on providing young people with a unique and quality education to prepare them for the world of water. The students learn about what it means to work in an aquatic environment and are prepared for a host of careers, from scientific research to the technology behind aquaculture. Peter has been with the Sound School for his entire teaching career and has helped to grow multiple programs into what they are today. Join us to discover what the future of education could be.

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Find the Sound School at http://sound.school.

Today's episode features Dr. Stephanie Wear, a marine ecologist and spokesperson for the Nature Conservancy. She has spent her career researching and developing new strategies to reduce threats to coral reefs and ocean ecosystems and paying special attention to how the fates of reefs and people are intertwined. She has worked to make a difference in many communities and strives to bring attention to how our waste impacts our water, and on our impact to the world's coral reefs. 

You can find us on Twitter @BlueEarthPod.

Brian Helmuth joins us today to discuss the impact of humankind on the creatures and habitats of our ocean. Brian is a professor at Northeastern University and a researcher that focuses on exactly how climate change is affecting those who live in and around the water. Today's topics cover everything from weather forecasting to the Underwater Cyprus Forest and a whole lot more. You can find Brian on Twitter @Aquanaut1967 and at his website: https://helmuthlab.cos.northeastern.edu.

Find us on Twitter @blueearthpod!

Jonathan Waters and his daughter, Emilie Waters Harris are renowned Oyster Farmers from the Thimble Islands in Connecticut.  Hear the story of how they both moved away for a period of time, but were both drawn back to the beauty of the Sound.

Peter Neill is an author and an editor on environmental and ocean issues, and the founding Director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place for education and information exchange on the health of the ocean. Hear Peter’s commitment to building an expansive global community of Citizens of the Ocean to promote and conserve marine resources for the future of all mankind.

Find us on Social Media @FutureFrogmen or www.futureforgmen.org

What does it take for individuals, communities and systems to adapt to change? Hear Dr. Matthias Kokorsch’s community resilience framework that lays out six key parameters for community and social resilience.

Find us on social media @FutureFrogmen or on our website www.futurefrogmen.org

Hannah Bacon is walking over 2,000 miles from California to Virginia Beach because she was terrified after reading, The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells.  After evaluating her own carbon footprint, Hannah is on a mission to raise awareness about climate change and to support the Sunrise Movement for immediate climate action.

Brendan De Grim, Dive Safety Officer for The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut was fascinated by diving at an early age.  Learn about his journey when he decided to follow his heart and turned his passion for diving into his occupation.

Brothers Dan and Greg Martino are on a mission to grow the best oysters in the most eco-friendly, sustainable way.  Come hear their story and why their work growing Cottage City Oysters is a labor of love.

Dr. Syma Ebbin explains why it is important to build Ocean Literacy and why we should bring science and the humanities together so we can embrace different perspectives in order to make progress in our fight against climate change.

Who volunteers at Future Frogmen? Students like Halle Berger who was chosen this year for Sea Grant’s John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program. Having received her Master’s in Oceanography from UCONN she is now going for her Ph.D.  Come hear her story and how Future Frogmen fosters future leaders to protect our ocean.

Dr. Molly Jacobs from Project Oceanology talks about how pivoting activities to adapt to Covid-19 has helped her organization reframe how to nurture student and public interest for marine sciences while capitalizing on new opportunities for outreach.

Today we speak with Jonathan McGee, who created New England Sea Farms after a tv show sparked his interest in growing kelp. Jonathan talks about his kelp farming business and background, as well as why Kelp production is so important.

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This episode follows Dr. Emma Cross, a marine scientist who grew up in the United Kingdom and has traveled the world researching the impacts of climate change on marine organisms. Her story is one that demonstrates how the paths we take in life can lead to our purpose. Hear how she is exploring innovative ways to mitigate climate change in a sustainable way that can also sustainably feed humanity.

You can find us on social media @FutureFrogmen or at our website www.futurefrogmen.org

We finally return with a new episode of the Blue Earth Podcast, which will be airing every week starting with this episode!

We have a new host, Dr. Colleen Bielitz, and today we'll be interviewing a recent college graduate as part of our once-a-month episode that focuses on students: the next generation of conservationists, researchers, and activists. 

What are the next generation of ocean stewards doing to protect our Blue Earth? Join us as we find out by speaking to Lauren Brideau, a recent graduate of Southern Connecticut State University. Lauren started as an undeclared major but soon found her calling, now she is part of a research team conserving life below water.  She is a prime example that if you want to defend our oceans and the creatures that depend on the sea to survive, now is the time to become part of the solution.

You can find us on all social media @FutureFrogmen, and on our website www.futurefrogmen.org

This episode is a conversation with John St. Augustine, one of America’s top talk radio hosts with over 14,000 episodes and 5,000 guests. He’s an accomplished author, public speaker and environmentalist.

Today John’s work includes the Life 2.0 podcast, which can be found on Podbean and wherever you listen.

Richard and John had a mutual friend in the deceased gifted songwriter and singer John Denver.

John shares stories about Living an Uncommon Life, the title of one of his books. They also discuss “Earth Matters”, including ocean acidification and plastic.

The Blue Earth podcast can be found at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you like to listen. For more information check out futurefrogmen.org and @futurefrogmen on social media.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with Souta Calling Last,

The Executive Director of Indigenous Vision and an environmental justice advocate,  Souta is a Native American, of the Blackfeet and Blood tribes.

She shares amazing influential stories from when she was a child and how they shaped her commitment to environmental stewardship.

Souta has extensive experience in groundwater monitoring, watershed health, and community participatory-based research, and has extensive knowledge about water quality, water treatment and mining contamination clean-up.

She believes that land and Indigenous people are inextricably linked, and that sustainable land management must include Indigenous perspectives.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth wherever you get your podcasts.  For information about Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org. We're also on most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

That’s how Breezy Grenier describes herself.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with Breezy. She’s on the go but we caught up with her just after she got her new 200 ton Captain’s license, and before the Downeast Challenge sailing race from Marblehead, Massachusetts to Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Breezy is a multidisciplinary ocean scientist by education, and also an accomplished mariner, educator and business entrepreneur. A modern day explorer with the ocean being her home, workplace and playground.

She shares stories about being at sea, including both the Arctic and the Antarctic, and what it was like aboard NOAA’s Okeanus Explorer. She said that unfortunately she sees plastic most everywhere she goes, even in the middle of the ocean.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen. For information about Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org. We're also on most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with Father Andrea Vicini, S.J. of Boston College. He is Professor of Moral Theology and Professor of Bioethics. He holds numerous degrees including an M.D. from the University of Bologna and a Ph.D. from Boston College. His research interests include moral theology, bioethics, genetics and environmental issues. 

Future Frogmen’s President, Richard Hyman, first met Father at Fairfield University, where he lectured on “Saving the Earth: Ethics, Health Care, and the Common Good". Richard was impressed by Father Vicini’s ability to relate to the common man, and his concern for the earth and environmental sustainability.

Given today’s humanitarian crisis, and forced migrations as a result of sea level rise and other impacts, we thought it was important to repurpose our 2019 video conversation with Father Vicini, and share it with you on Blue Earth.

Our guest host for this episode is Donald M. Kerwin Jr., the Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies of New York. Mr. Kerwin writes and speaks extensively on immigration policy, refugee protection, access to justice, national security, and other issues.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen. For information about Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org. We're also on most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth features a Southern Connecticut State University Masters student, who pitches a technology-based service that helps kelp farmers.

Kelp grows in underwater forests, in shallow oceans, including in this case, Long Island Sound.

Future Frogmen hosted this Shark Tank-like event In celebration of 2020’s World Oceans Week.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen, e.g. Apple, Google, Spotify and more.

For info on Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org, and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth features two Southern Connecticut State University students, who each pitch an early stage business idea for a product that uses kelp. Kelp grows in underwater forests, in shallow oceans, including in this case, Long Island Sound.

Today's ideas include an all-inclusive Kelp Festival and a Kelp Kombucha drink. 

Future Frogmen hosted this Shark Tank-like event In celebration of 2020’s World Oceans Week.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen, e.g. Apple, Google, Spotify and more.

For info on Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org, and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of "Blue Earth" features two Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) students, who each pitch an early stage business idea for a product that uses kelp. This is the first of three episodes being released this week that all focus on blue ways to make some green.

This episode focuses on two very different items that create a lot of waste. The proposed products, both use kelp, which grows in underwater forests, in this case, in the Long Island Sound.

Future Frogmen hosted this Shark Tank-like event In celebration of 2020’s World Oceans Week.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen, e.g. Apple, Google, Spotify and more.

For info on Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org, and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with John Scott, Senior Chemist at the University of Illinois’, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. He is focused on emerging contaminants such as microplastics, and is member of the Center’s Applied Research on Industrial and Environmental Systems (ARIES).

John speaks about his research on microplastics, including sizes, shapes, and materials, plus chemical composition and absorption, field studies, how much we have yet to learn, and COVID-related PPE waste.

John was on a panel that Richard moderated at the 2019 MIT Water Summit. They along with representatives of the EPA and NOAA discussed the Health and Ecological Impacts of Plastic.

Look for more episodes of Blue Earth at https://anchor.fm/blueearth or wherever you listen. For info on Future Frogmen check out www.futurefrogmen.org, and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with David Helvarg, an author, journalist, and environmental activist. He is also the founder and president of the Blue Frontier Campaign. 

David shares positive constructive thoughts and ideas about topics including “50 Ways To Save The Ocean”, the Ocean Climate Action Plan, why your individual vote does matter, and the relationship between the environment and racial justice.

David is a friend of Future Frogmen. Richard organized Connecticut’s delegation at David’s last Blue Vision Summit held in Washington D.C., which included most state’s delegations meeting with their Congresspeople on day two, “Hill Day”. Future Frogmen will definitely be involved in the next Summit in D.C.

Look for more episodes and information about us at www.futurefrogmen.org and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a Q&A between Demi Fox, the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Northeast Regional Coordinator, and an 11 th grade science class at The Grauer School in Encinitas, CA.

Topics include the sources of marine debris, zero waste initiatives, recycling, the value of taking small steps and changing mindsets.

Demi is a friend of Future Frogmen. Her previous conversation with Richard can be viewed here. She received her B.S. in biological science from Florida State and Master of Environmental Management degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

You can find more episodes and information about us at www.futurefrogmen.org and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation with Steve Gephard, a Supervising Fisheries Biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Fisheries Division. He manages:

1.) The Diadromous Fish Program: Promoting conservation and restoration of fish that migrate between the ocean and freshwater, such as salmon, shad and eels.

2.) The Habitat Conservation and Enhancement Program: Protecting fish habitat through permit reviews and actively seeking to restore habitat, including providing landowners with technical assistance on matter such as dam removal.

Check out our website at www.futurefrogmen.org and find us on social media @futurefrogmen. 

This episode of the Blue Earth Podcast is a conversation with Ms. Dianna Cohen, the Co-Founder and CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a nonprofit organization. 

Dianna is also a visual artist, who primarily uses plastic bags as material. She has spoken at the United Nations and numerous international conferences, including the MIT Water Summit, where we met Dianna last year. Dianna studied Biology, Art, and Film at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and holds a BA in Fine Arts.

You can find us at www.futurefrogmen.org and most social platforms @futurefrogmen.

This episode of Blue Earth is a conversation about Ecological Restoration in the Long Island Sound region. The Sound is a 120-mile long tidal estuary between Long Island, NY to the south and Connecticut to the north. It’s fed by both fresh water tributaries and saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean.

Gwen MacDonald and Alex Krofta, both from Save The Sound discuss ecological restoration and share insights into water monitoring, fishways (ladders), green infrastructure, rain gardens, urban restoration, dam removal and more.

You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Linkedin @FutureFrogmen, or visit our website futurefrogmen.org to see blog posts, stay up to date on events, and listen to more podcasts!