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
In this episode, we welcome the internationally acclaimed educator and writer, Didi Pershouse [https://didipershouse.substack.com/], as she discusses the urgent need for rehydrating California. With her expertise from the Land and Leadership initiative and the Wisdom Underground podcast, Didi shares actionable insights on restoring the hydrological cycle and soil health. Join us as we explore the interconnectedness of water, climate, and biodiversity, and discover how local actions can lead to significant environmental change.
We have much to learn about how to respect, honor and reciprocate life to water in our daily lives and in our times. While water is abundant, we have in a short amount of time created scarcity. We can change that. It starts with us, our behaviors, our thoughts & intentions, our actions. Can We Rehydrate CA is a multi-stakeholder initiative tapping into the ingenuity of human and natural communities with the goal of creating conditions in which the soil sponge regenerates, a fully functional water cycle is restored, and more people are involved in asking (and answering) questions about water. Rehydration would reduce wildfires, raise the water table, improve water (and air) quality, lengthen the green growing season, moderate air temperatures and restore biodiversity.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Our early 2025 interview with Didi: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/beyond-the-financialization-of-nature-an-ecology-of-care
Our 2022 Interview with Didi: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/solving-the-climate-crisis-through-global-soil-health-with-didi-pershouse/
RESOURCES
"The Wisdom Underground" podcast, and Didi's articles on Substack- https://didipershouse.substack.com/
Courses, Community, and Resources: The Land & Leadership Initiative - http://www.landandleadership.org/
Free Downloadable Manual: Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function - https://www.didipershouse.com/understanding-soil-health-and-watershed-function.html
Book: The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities - https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Care-Agriculture-Microbial-Communities/dp/069261303X
Didi Pershouse is the founder of the Land and Leadership Initiative and the Author of two books. The first is The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities. Her second is Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function. An internationally known writer and teacher, her focus is on the foundational role of soil structure and function--or the Soil Sponge – as the best way to provide abundant water and food for all life, while establishing resilience to flooding, drought, heatwaves, and wildfires. She also teaches how we can work with land management to regulate the climate through both the water cycle and carbon cycle, collaborating with the biological workforce of plants, animals, insects, fungi, and microbes.
You can find her writing and interviews on The Wisdom Underground on Substack [https://didipershouse.substack.com/].
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
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 Intro: Jack Eidt
Hosted by Carry Kim
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 267
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