In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
All content for EcoJustice Radio is the property of SoCal 350 Media and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
Migrant Ecosystems: Art and the Journey Beyond Borders
EcoJustice Radio
1 hour 3 minutes 10 seconds
2 months ago
Migrant Ecosystems: Art and the Journey Beyond Borders
In this episode, we engage with artist Salomé Restrepo as she shares her insights on migration, cultural identity, and the role of art in addressing social issues. Through her powerful experiences in Colombia and Chile, Salomé explores how art can serve as a vehicle for dialogue and change, shedding light on the complexities of displacement and human resilience. Join us for an inspiring discussion that challenges perceptions and highlights the importance of empathy in understanding the migrant experience.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Salomé showed her work at the SACO Contemporary Art Bienal [https://bienalsaco.com/ecosistemas-oscuros-dark-ecosystems/] with her piece Migrant Ecosystems, thematically connected to the Dark Ecosystems title of the show. Taking place in the world's driest desert, the exhibition emphasized the connection between art and science, seeking to showcase contemporary artworks in spaces all over the city of Antofagasta. The show, presented in a region whose economy is dedicated almost exclusively to mining of rare earth minerals like copper and lithium, celebrates what they call the "dark biosphere," which may include subsurface microorganisms that defy any theory about what life can endure. Yet this Dark Biosphere can be interpreted as the multitude of ways that people and communities can survive and thrive in this most inhospitable desert.
The Bienal SACO featured artists from all over Latin America, Europe, North America, and Asia.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Salomé Restrepo [https://salomerestrepo10.wixsite.com/portafolio/en] from Bogotá, Colombia has a Master of Fine Arts and Master of Peace Education from the District University of Bogotá. Her work addresses gender, migration, and memory, with projects such as The Body as a Territory for Peace. She has taught at the Surcolombian University and INCCA University, in addition to co-directing the cultural platform Culture in Route. She was the education coordinator at the Sala de Arte Bancolombia and has developed educational projects for trainers in museums and cultural spaces. Her work has been exhibited in Colombia, Chile, and soon in the United States. She is featured in the 2025 SACO Contemporary Art Bienal with her piece Migratory Ecosystems.
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 265
EcoJustice Radio
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
