Environment
Archived Posts from this Category
Friday 06 Nov 2009
Episode 81: Light
Let there be light! Whether it comes from the sky or a bulb, we’d be lost without it. In this episode of Distillations, we first examine new developments in solar power. Next, we explore how light can be used to treat those with Seasonal Affective Disorder. And finally, producer Jim Burress takes us through a guided history of lightbulbs, starting in Louisville, Kentucky, with Thomas Edison’s most illuminating invention. Chemical Agent: Organic Solar Cells.
Listen now (streaming file)
Download (11.2 MB MP3 file)
Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:01 Chemical Agent: Organic Solar Cells
03:54 Mystery Solved! Seasonal Affective Disorder
06:42 Feature: The History of Lightbulbs
11:21 Closing Credits
Credits
This show was written and researched by Hilary Domush, Michal Meyer, and Erica Stefanovich.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music includes “Bacon Wine,” by Jim Tyrrell, ”Madam, Madame!,” by Firefox AK, and ”Snows No Fun At All,” by Danny Daughtridge Trio.
Image courtesy NASA/GSFC via Flickr.
0 comments jdionisio | Environment, History, Medicine, Technology
Friday 23 Oct 2009
Episode 80: Autumn
Autumn is a time of beauty and bounty. Leaves turn rich browns, reds, and yellows; fruit ripens on the trees and grains on the stalk. In this episode of Distillations, we take a look at the chemical processes behind leaf changes. Then we look at some time-honored practices in the growing of beans, squash, and corn, traditionally known as the three sisters. And lastly, come with us on a visit to an apple orchard, where heritage apples are fermented into cider. Chemical Agent: Senescence.
Listen now (streaming file)
Download (10.7 MB MP3 file)
Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:07 Chemical Agent: Senescence
03:43 Tools of the Trade: The Three Sisters
06:27 Feature: Apple Cider
10:52 Closing Credits
Credits
This show was written and researched by Hilary Domush and Erica Stefanovich.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music includes “MorningStar Rise,” by Joseph FireCrow, “Cockroaches..Ready…Set..Lights On!,” by Ricky Hana, and “Work,” by Naughty Jack.
Image courtesy Micha L. Reiser.
Friday 03 Jul 2009
Episode 72: Space and Place
Location, location, location! In this week’s episode we talk about why and how certain spaces are chosen and used. First we go back in time to the late 1800s and find out why Herbert Dow chose Midland, Michigan, as the site of his company. Next, learn about brownfields and how they are being remediated to become habitable again. Finally, CHF’s Jody Roberts speaks to Professor Jim Hutchison, from the University of Oregon, about changing laboratory facilities in order to make them a better space and place for students, faculty, and others to work. Chemical Agent: Bromine.
Listen now (streaming file)
Download (10.9 MB MP3 file)
Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:07 Chemical Agent: Bromine
03:13 Mystery Solved! Brownfields
06:31 Conversation with Jim Hutchison
11:16 Closing Credits
Credits
This show was written and researched by Hilary Domush, Jennifer Dionisio, and Jody Roberts.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music includes “Pumpkin,” by Jack Erdie and “In A Different Place,” by PAT ZELENKA.
This week’s image is of the Evans Flour Mill in Midland, Michigan. The tower in the photo housed the brine well — which provided the raw material for Dow to produce bromine. From the Dow Historical Collection, CHF Archives.
Friday 10 Apr 2009
Episode 66: Cleaning Green
It is officially spring — time to open the windows, let the fresh air in, and sweep those winter blues away! In this episode we learn about acetic acid and its cleaning power — a natural and fairly cheap option to clean your house. Then find out how hard water can make cleaning more difficult, and what you can do about it. And finally, producer Rene Gutel explores the new trend in green dry cleaning. Chemical Agent: Acetic Acid.
Listen now (streaming file)
Download (10.9 MB MP3 file)
Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
00:59 Chemical Agent: Acetic Acid
03:05 Mystery Solved! Hard Water
06:05 Feature: Green Dry Cleaning
11:12 Closing Credits
Credits
This show was written and researched by Eleanor Goldberg.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network and archive.org. Additional music includes ”Water In Our Hands – Tiny Mile Remix,” by Dive Index (PodSafe), “House Cleaning Blues,” by Johnny Nicholas (PodSafe), and “Who Cares,” by Eddie Elkins Orchestra (archive.org).
This week’s image is of the outdoor sculpture Big Sweep at the Denver Art Museum.
