California currently has over 1.4 million small-scale rooftop solar systems installed, and California leads the nation in the number of households that have solar panels. Key to California’s relatively swift rise to being a leader in solar energy production is a solar incentive program called net-energy metering, which credits homes, businesses, all types of buildings … Continued


Terra Verde

California Climate Policy Incentivizes Factory Farm Manure Gold Rush

One of the greatest climate challenges for Californians is coming to grips with the perverse outcomes of the states markets-based mechanisms for managing emissions. Public interest attorney Brent Newell joins Terra Verde to describe efforts to address the harms from factory farm pollution and the environmental injustice embedded in the false climate solution of biogas … Continued


Terra Verde

Tackling Overwork and Inequity at Environmental NGOs

Burnout has been getting a lot of attention lately, and for good reason. As the pandemic drags on, many people continue to face evolving workplaces,  navigate uncertainty around childcare and school schedules, and confront difficult choices about acceptable risk in practically everything they do. It’s no wonder that so many are feeling stressed and exhausted. … Continued


What if one of California’s most highly celebrated pathways for achieving ‘decarbonization’ could actually increase pressure on increasingly rare tropical forests? To look into this contradiction Terra Verde welcomes Dr Chris Malins, the founder of the private consultancy Cerulogy. In the interview we learn of his research on the global land use impacts resulting from … Continued


Gas appliances (like stoves and heaters) produce over 50 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in California annually. In this episode, Berkeley Vice Mayor Kate Harrison and Matt Gough join Terra Verde host Fiona McLeod to discuss California’s progress towards building electrification. Berkeley was the first city in the US to pass legislation to move new buildings … Continued