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PODCAST

The Young Ike Project

Upwing Media, Griffith Pugh

Building a new environmental majority through honest conversation. A podcast and participatory dialogue initiative exploring the defining environmental challenges and tradeoffs shaping our shared future.

science nature

All Episodes

49:29

AI, Hype, and the History of Tech Bubbles: What Past...

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/03/17

Andrew Odlyzko is a mathematician, technology historian, and professor at the University of Minnesota who has spent decades studying the relationship between innovation, finance, and technological manias. His research spans everything from the railway booms of the 19th century to the dot-com bubble—and what those earlier episodes can teach us about the AI buildout happening today.In this episode, we zoom out from the day-to-day politics of data centers to ask a bigger historical question: what

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55:21

A “Small City” of Water Demand: Why Data Centers Are...

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/03/02

Carrie Jennings is the Research and Policy Director at the Freshwater Society and a geologist by training. She’s one of Minnesota’s leading voices on groundwater and water policy. A past guest from last season, we’re thrilled to have her back on the podcast.In this episode, we talk about the rise of hyperscale data centers and what they could mean for water in Minnesota and across the Great Lakes region. Jennings explains why groundwater is often misunderstood as “infinite,” how data centers can

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45:33

Who Decides What Gets Built? Data Centers, Democracy,...

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/02/08

Kathryn Hoffman is the CEO of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), where she leads legal and policy efforts to protect Minnesota’s water, air, and natural resources.In this episode, we talk about the rapid expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure — and the growing tension between economic development, environmental protection, and democratic transparency. Hoffman explains how data centers are currently reviewed and approved in Minnesota, why MCEA is challenging opaque

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34:53

One Year In: The Boundary Waters under Trump 2.0 ft....

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/02/01

This episode is a special break from our current season on data centers and the environmental trade-offs of the AI infrastructure buildout. Instead, we return to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for a clear-eyed, one-year-in assessment of what has actually changed under the second Trump administration. When I first spoke with Becky Rom just before the 2024 election, much of the conversation was shaped by uncertainty. A year later, a lot has changed. Or has it?Recorded on January 21st—the

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44:55

The Politics of Data Centers—and Whether Minnesota’s...

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/01/22

Minnesota State Senator Nick Frentz chairs the Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee and authored Minnesota’s landmark 2023 law requiring 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. He represents Senate District 18 in the Mankato area.In this episode, we talk about the rapid growth of data centers and AI infrastructure — and the real tension between economic development and environmental limits. Frentz walks through what Minnesota’s data center law actually does (including water-use

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7:14

Introducing: Data Centers, AI, and the Environment

The Young Ike Project ·

2026/01/19

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we live, work, and communicate—but the digital world runs on physical infrastructure. This season of The Young Ike explores the rapid expansion of data centers across the United States and the environmental, economic, and civic trade-offs that come with them.As demand for AI and cloud computing explodes, data centers are popping up in communities large and small, reshaping local energy grids, water systems, and land use plans. They bring investment, tax

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38:56

Carrie Jennings: From Glaciers to Farm Fields—the...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/08/08

Carrie Jennings has spent her career piecing together how our landscapes came to be—and what’s happening to them now. A geologist by training and now Research and Policy Director at Freshwater, she’s spent decades mapping Minnesota’s glacial past, teaching at the University of Minnesota, and turning science into action to protect our rivers and groundwater. In this episode, Carrie takes us deep into the story of the Minnesota River Basin. We start with the glaciers that carved it out thousands of

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44:42

Kathy Zeman: Building the Local Foodshed and...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/08/06

Kathy Zeman has seen agriculture from every angle: growing up on a dairy farm, working in animal genetics and feed, and now running Simple Harvest Farm, her 20-acre certified organic, direct-to-consumer farm in Minnesota. Today, she also leads the Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association, representing more than 10,000 local food vendors across the state.In this episode, Kathy helps us unravel the tangled web of industrial farming, policy, and local food. We talk about how agricultural policy—from crop

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33:14

Will Harris: Taking on Big Ag and Rebuilding Food...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/08/04

Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman from Bluffton, Georgia, and the force behind White Oak Pastures—a farm his family has run since 1866. For decades, Will managed it under the conventional industrial model. But in the mid-90s, he made a radical pivot, transforming White Oak into one of the nation’s most respected regenerative farms. His work is about far more than food—it’s about healing land, water, and rural communities through farming that works with nature instead of against it.In this

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35:26

Becky Rom: The Battle Over Mining & the Fight to Save...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/03/11

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is one of the most pristine natural landscapes in the United States—but its future is at risk. Becky Rom, national chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, joins The Young IKE to discuss the fight against mining near the Boundary Waters, the legal and political battles over Minnesota’s mineral resources, and why conservation is more urgent now than ever.Rom shares insights on how conservation efforts have evolved, the push-and-pull between

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30:59

Aimee Boulanger: The Future of Responsible Mining &...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/03/11

As demand for lithium, cobalt, and other rare earth minerals skyrockets, the question isn’t if we mine—it’s how. Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), joins The Young IKE to explore the challenges of responsible mining, the global supply chain, and why communities must be involved in decision-making.We discuss the feasibility of ethical mining, how standards like IRMA’s certification system can create accountability, and whether true

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27:24

Ernest Scheyder: The War Below & the Global Battle...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/03/11

In order to transition to green energy, we need to build infrastructure—but to build that infrastructure, we must mine for critical minerals. Journalist and author Ernest Scheyder, a senior correspondent for Reuters, joins The Young IKE to discuss his National Book Award-longlisted book, The War Below, and the hidden costs of the modern mining boom.We explore the economic, political, and environmental trade-offs behind mining, why rare earths are the oil of the 21st century, and how we can

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20:49

Roopali Phadke: The Green Metals Dilemma & the...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/03/11

The push for green energy requires a massive increase in rare earth minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel—but sourcing these materials comes with environmental and ethical challenges. Dr. Roopali Phadke, a political scientist and climate policy expert at Macalester College, joins The Young IKE to discuss the ‘green metals dilemma’—a framework for balancing resource needs, energy justice, and sustainability.We explore whether responsible mining is possible, the role of policy and public

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00:15:37

Q1 2025: Mining, Critical Minerals, and the Quest for...

The Young Ike Project ·

2025/02/10

🎤 TYI Live Event in March 2025! The Young IKE is bringing these conversations into the real world with live quarterly community dialogues. Stay tuned… Follow us on Instagram: @theyoungikeVisit our website: www.theyoungike.orgThank You to the Minnesota Valley Chapter of IWLA. Learn more at: iwlamnvalley.org

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14 results

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