The Golden State has staked much of its reputation on its green credentials, with state 

leaders touting its role on the leading edge of global and national climate progress. And California is a huge force. As the fifth largest economy in the world, it sets the tone for a lot of national U.S. policies. California’s influence is especially apparent when other states adopt its pollution standards. 

The state has been bullish on renewable energy, and its initiatives are starting to pay off. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently bragged that the state was running on 100% renewable energy for parts of 40 out of the last 48 days. California now has more than 10 gigawatts of battery storage on the grid. That means that renewable electricity can be banked for use when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. And ten gigawatts is roughly equal to ten nuclear power plants – and all that capacity was built in just six years. 

In spite of the doubts voiced by the fossil fuel industry and conservative leaders about whether California can meet its ambitious climate goals without wrecking the economy, the state continues to grow while reducing carbon emissions. 

“You can have a progressive government that has progressive taxation and protects workers in the environment and still thrive and in fact, that sometimes can help you thrive,” says California State Sen. Scott Wiener.

Still, revamping a huge economy built on fossil fuels is hard and complex, particularly given the state’s current budget shortfall. But climate adaptation and mitigation remain a top priority for state officials.  

“This is not a transition that's going to happen overnight. It's really about the trends and those trends aren't necessarily linear,” says Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board. 

The conversations in this episode were recorded in front of a live audience as part of San Francisco Climate Week. Climate One Co-host Greg Dalton led a series of events with state leaders exploring how California is trying to make good on its climate goals and address environmental injustice. 

Related Links:

California Environmental Justice Alliance

California Air Resources Board

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas.  In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region.

This week, a special road trip episode.  OHR visits Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series featuring singer-songwriters Will Gunselman & Ashtyn Barbaree recorded live at Butterfield Stage in Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers.  Also, an interview with Ozark original Will Gunselman.

Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series began in 2021.  Held on the city’s Butterfield Stage next to Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers, it features live concerts every weekend throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall.  All of the Railyard Live events are either free to the public or at very low cost of admission.  The concert series features a wide array of musical styles and interests designed to appeal to the diverse population of Rogers and invite them to experience the newly revitalized Railyard Entertainment District.  The Ozark Folk Center State Park and the City of Rogers, Arkansas partnered to bring Ozark Highlands Radio to capture a little slice of this modern Ozark culture.

Will Gunselman is a singer-songwriter from Bella Vista, Arkansas.  Will’s vivid writer’s voice along with his unique style invents an honest and authentic Ozark story.  Honing his art through decades of live performance, Will has crafted a simple sound that is modern and relatable but reveals a rich patina of life lived.  Although plaintive, his music, rooted in folk, country and blues, dwells on the positive nature of experience and seeking joy in the everyday.  Like traversing the river Will ardently describes in his song Buffalo River Run, sitting with a set of his music is a journey bent with scenic vistas of the soul.

Ashtyn Barbaree is an internationally touring gritty Americana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Sweet, soulful, charming and relatable, her lyrics have found their way into the hearts of folks from all walks of life.  She has a smokey, yet silky voice accompanied with harmonies, guitar, tenor 8-string ukulele, upright bass, pedal steel, drums and piano.
https://www.ashtynbarbaree.com/about

In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1981 archival recording of bluegrasser Lenny Wallace performing the tune “Take Your Shoes Off Moses,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

In this week’s guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater explores the theme of riddles and trick questions in traditional folk music.

A decades-old lunar mystery gets an update in this week's Planetary Radio. Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's surprising findings about the granite formation that might lie beneath Compton-Belkovich, a thorium-rich hot spot on the far side of the Moon. Then Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, shares What's Up in the night sky.

Deep dive: The hidden toll of roadkill.

ClassicalWorks (Episode 182)

The key battle taking place in this American crisis year of 2024 is happening in our heads, according to the master historian Richard Slotkin. He’s here to tell us all that we’re in a 40-year culture war and an identity crisis by now. It’s all about drawing on legendary figures like Daniel Boone and Frederick Douglass, Betsy Ross and Rosa Parks, Robert E. Lee and G.I. Joe for a composite self-portrait of the country.

Richard Slotkin says we’re in a contest of origin stories, in search of a common national myth. His book is A Great Disorder: National Myth and the Battle for America. It is the Trump-Biden fight, of course, but with centuries of history bubbling under it. 

This week, Katie Marie and Joe explore beyond the boundaries of Pure Drop trad music and wade through the waters of backup and accompaniment. Frequently belittled by the proponents of straight-ahead, dance music that feature the familiar melody instruments, backup players can make or break a session, even if they don't get the spotlight. We'll look at guitar, electric guitar(!), bouzouki, piano, and bodhran.

The players this week: John Doyle, Daoiri Farrell, Deaf Shepherd, Beth Patterson, Frankie Gavin & Alec Finn with Briain Bourke, Artisan Row, Guichen, James Morrison, Zonk, Becky Tracy, Neill Lyons, Liam Kelly, and The Maguires.

Our FairPlé score this week: 36