Governor Newsom is known for his quick actions and decisions in alleviating the many distressing conditions faced by the people of California. In August 2020, California was struggling to contain huge wildfires burning large swathes of the state’s forests and homes. Governor Newsom immediately declared a state of emergency in five counties and placed a plea for assistance from Australia and Canada

On today’s program, we’ll continue to visit cities using innovative ways to become more sustainable. Copenhagen, Denmark, widely considered one of the world’s greenest cities, plans to be the planet’s first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025. One of the main ways Copenhagen has become greener is by encouraging its citizens to use bicycles instead of cars. To reduce its carbon footprint even furth

Sustainable cities carefully consider their environmental impact, diligently working to use resources efficiently, reduce water usage, maximize renewable energy, reduce and recycle waste, improve air quality, and provide ample green spaces, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for the city’s inhabitants. In addition, sustainable cities seek ways to be more resilient in the face of th

A recent change in Australia’s national anthem honors the indigenous community’s great contributions to this magnificently diverse country. In the original version, the first two lines went as follows: “Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free.” Peter Vickery, founder and chair of the Representation in Anthem Project (RAP), worked with many other indigenous leaders and singers to

Even as a young boy, Mr. Louis Ng was concerned about animal welfare and environmental protection. On today’s program, he begins by telling us more about his early life. “With environmental/animal issues, somehow, it just stuck with me since I was young. My parents always asked ‘Why’ and (I) don't know, just somehow it clicked in me when I was young. I knew that there was something that I should d

The Honorable Louis Ng Kok Kwang is a Member of Parliament for Singapore’s People’s Action Party. Since 2015 he has served as an MP, representing the Nee Soon Group Representative Constituency. Mr. Louis Ng is also the founder and Chief Executive of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), an animal protection organization, whose mission is to create a caring and socially responsibl

Ms. Cartwright is not only passionate about protecting animals, but also about protecting our Earth. On her Facebook page, she states, “Maybe the best way that we can prevent disasters and devastating weather events like forest fires and hurricanes, is to eat less meat and dairy. And it’s better for your health.” She further explains the devastation caused by meat consumption. “Well, it’s w

When Canada’s humane societies were founded, they had a broad mandate to protect both animals and all those who were considered vulnerable. Many countries, including France, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, and Tanzania now recognize animals as sentient beings. In these countries, animals are no longer considered as “property.” Humane Canada hopes that Canada will soon fo

Ms. Cartwright is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Humane Canada, a national federation of SPCAs and humane societies, whose mission is to promote respect for and humane treatment of animals. For her exemplary work, Barbara was awarded the highly prestigious Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal. She has been recognized as one of Canada’s top five “WOW Women” by Best Health Magazine, is a mem

Many experts concur that COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, a virus originating in animals and then transferred to humans. Mark, a Shining World Leadership Award for Compassion laureate believes that to prevent future pandemics, all forms of animal abuse, including the raising of billions of animals each year for slaughter, must stop. Mr. Pearson sees coronavirus as a “wake-up call” for humans to cha

On today’s program, Audrey begins by explaining how creative people can help to protect our planet. “I think there is a lot of room for designers, for artists, for people who are creative to find new and interesting ways to attract people to the idea that you need to take care of the planet and the people, in order to make a profit. So, the people on the planet before the profit, and it only becom

Mark believes that, ultimately, there is only one way to truly protect the lives of animals: the widespread adoption of a vegan lifestyle. In addition to improving animal welfare, this shift would have many other benefits for our planet. “If we move towards a plant-based diet, obviously that is going to bring enormous harmony and peace and compassion. It will just allow our society to become less

“So, one of the winners for this year's social innovation Hackathon is the Circuit Plus, which in Mandarin is called ‘Feng Cha.’ ‘Feng Cha’ or ‘Tea Serving’ is a very venerated tradition in Taiwan (Formosa) where the shops put a very large pot of tea outside of their door for people who are thirsty to refill their cups. It’s like a self-serving water station.” “So, this is a game, based on not usi

The Honorable Mark Pearson is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, representing the Animal Justice Party and a Shining World Leadership Award for Compassion laureate. On today’s show, Mr. Pearson shares the fascinating story of how he first became involved with animal rights. "And that was when I was 22. And then before I was going on holiday, I thought, 'I'll take a couple of book

On today’s program we’ll meet Minister Audrey Tang. Appointed as a Digital Minister without portfolio in President Tsai Ing-wen’s cabinet at the age of 35, Audrey is the youngest person to ever serve in the President’s administration. At the age of 16, Audrey started her first IT company and has since established several others. In 2019 she made Foreign Policy magazine’s list of “Top Global Thinke

This remarkable change occurred thanks to the wise Taiwanese (Formosan) government. To improve water quality, the government passed legislation, forbidding farmers to raise livestock animals in water conservation areas. First, we’ll speak with Mr Lee Huan-Sheng, a former tobacco farmer, who now makes his living growing delicious white-water snowflake. “Later I quit growing tobacco because the gove

A renowned Hakka cultural area, Meinong is located in northeast of Kaohsiung City and north of the Pingtung Plain. With 4,000 hectares of fertile land, it plays an important agricultural role in Taiwan (Formosa). In the early 1990’s, thousands of hogs were being raised annually in this densely populated area. Consequently, the water supply in the District became severely polluted, and the foul sme

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time. It concerns every one of us. Already now we use far more resources and produce far more greenhouse gases than it can handle. The increased production of greenhouse gases that has changed the Earth’s climate and the atmosphere is of great concern to scientists, politicians, and citizens around the world. To ensure that the rights and need

On today’s show, we’ll explore how European Union members are using legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus avoid climate change’s unfortunate consequences. Enacting both local and international climate laws is essential to the process of minimizing or neutralizing the impact of climate change as proposed by the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a worldwide effort to keep the