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Gulf Streams

KPFT Houston and Rice University’s Center for Environmental Studies

Environmental and Climate News out of Houston Texas. Gulf Streams is your source for environmental and climate news. Covering a range of topics around Houston, the Gulf Coast, and the world, Gulf Streams brings you the best in conversations with community leaders and advocates, academic experts, and national thought leaders. Join us as we sit down every Monday at noon (central) to dive into the most pressing environmental challenges, solutions, and ideas. A co-production of Rice University’s

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All Episodes

57:55

Ep. 89 Gulf Screams: Halloween Special

Gulf Streams ·

2025/10/27

Today's episode takes a deep dive into three spooky stories: Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Giant Wisteria. Dr. Chaney Hill (Rice University) walks our researchers Antara and Sarah through how these 19th century Gothic authors turned to the environment to set mood and create haunting backdrops in three of the best known American short stories of the era.

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56:00

Ep. 88 Update from the Policy World

Gulf Streams ·

2025/10/23

Today we speak with two policy experts, Jennifer Walker (National Wildlife Federation) and Luke Metzger (Environment Texas) about upcoming policy decisions with immediate impact on Houston. First, Jennifer walks up through Proposition 4, which is on ballots in November and would guarantee funds for future water projects throughout the state. Second, Luke explains what the Roadless Rule is and how its repeal might impact forests in Texas and across the US. At the end of the episode is an update from

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55:47

Ep. 87 Regenerative Agriculture

Gulf Streams ·

2025/10/06

How are local farmers working to make agriculture more sustainable? On today's show we sit down with August Stubler, the head farmer at SkyFarm at POST Houston to talk about the innovative work being done to create newer, more ecologically friendly, agricultural systems.

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58:30

Ep. 86 How Conservation Works

Gulf Streams ·

2025/09/29

Today we sit down with Mary Anne Piacentini, Executive Director and CEO of Coastal Prairie Conservancy, to discuss the role of conservation organizations in building better environments all around us. Beyond the work of habitat creation and maintenance, conservation is a complex mix of science, law, education, and outreach that creates spaces that plants, humans, and animals can enjoy. Piacentini discusses the work of Coastal Prairie Conservancy throughout Southeast Texas, and how they are helping

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53:19

Ep. 85 Houston's New Homes are Often in Flood Zones

Gulf Streams ·

2025/09/22

Today we're sitting down with Yilun Cheng (Houston Chronicle) to talk about her recent series of stories focused on where and how we're building new homes in the Houston metro area. Through her reporting, the Chronicle has learned that nearly 1 in 5 new homes built in the area are in FEMA designated floodplains. We talk through what this means for flood risk throughout Houston, and what can be done about it. Later in the hour our researcher Nomin discusses how new parks are built in unlikely places,

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53:45

Ep. 84 Hurricane Katrina at 20

Gulf Streams ·

2025/09/08

With Hurricane Katrina's 20th anniversary landing in August, we sit down with Dr. Andy Horowitz (University of Connecticut) to discuss his book Katrina: A History, 1915-2015. Together we discuss the longterm impacts of the disaster, how the conditions in New Orleans were primed for disaster, and what recovery means -- and what we can learn -- in an age of more frequent extreme weather.

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54:29

Ep. 83 Brandon Ballengée on Ecology and Art at the...

Gulf Streams ·

2025/07/14

Today we sit down with Brandon Ballengée, a biologist and artist, who researches and makes art that explores the unique ecosystems of the Gulf Coast. Reflecting on the fifteenth anniversary of the capping of the capping of the oil leak caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Dr. Ballengée helps us understand the ongoing harm caused by the spill and the ways we can remember the devastation and continue to understand its relevance.

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54:07

Ep. 82 EcoTourism

Gulf Streams ·

2025/06/23

A thriving economy exists around our natural resources: tourists flock to take in beautiful destinations. But maintaining and leveraging these sites takes work. So today we're talking about EcoTourism, both how nature can attract tourists (and their dollars), and the ways that tourists are increasingly thinking about how they can "travel green." Our guests are Sasha Francis (Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council) and Dr. Bryan Schmidt (William and Mary).

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58:03

Ep. 81 What We Eat

Gulf Streams ·

2025/06/02

On today's show our researcher Jadyn turns the tables to sit down with Weston Twardowski (Rice University) to talk all about the environmental consequences of the agricultural system how what we choose to eat impacts the world around us.

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51:20

Ep. 80 Drought

Gulf Streams ·

2025/05/20

In today's episode, we talk with Dr. Chris Funk (Director of the Climate Hazards Center at UCSB) and Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas State Climatologist) about the growing impact of drought across Texas and how global climate patterns are shaping local conditions. They break down the science behind water scarcity, what to expect in the coming years, and what communities can do to prepare. Then, we learn a bit more about local animals and fauna from our student researcher, Sophia. This episode is

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56:53

Ep. 79 Memorials to Changing Landscapes

Gulf Streams ·

2025/05/12

As our environments change, whether from natural disaster or man-made forces, part of adapting to our new reality is processing the loss of what was as we accept what is. On today's show, Dr. Chaney Hill (Rice University) sits down with our usual host Dr. Weston Twardowski (Rice University), Dr. Jennifer Ladino (University of Idaho), and Dr. Nick Koenig (University of Idaho) to talk about the ways that we process environmental change. Later in the hour our research Sophia has another Critter Corner

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54:13

Ep. 78 Expanding Buffalo Bayou Park

Gulf Streams ·

2025/05/05

We sit down with Ian Rosenberg (Senior Vice President of Projects & Planning) and Karen Faber (Vice President of External Affairs) at Buffalo Bayou Partnership to talk about the expansion of Buffalo Bayou East and the coming projects that will remake one of the most iconic parks in Houston over the next few years. Later in the hour our researcher Nomin has a piece on the surprising environmental differences between common products, and our researcher Sophia chats animals and local fauna.

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57:30

Ep. 77 Environmentalism Under the Trump Administration

Gulf Streams ·

2025/04/28

Today we sit down with Matthew Tejada (Natural Resources Defense Council), the Deputy Director of Environmental Justice at the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama, President Trump, and President Biden. Tejada, a longtime Houston environmentalist, is now working diligently with the NRDC to advocate for cleaner, safer environments. We have a direct conversation about the changes the new presidential administration has meant for the EPA and environmental research, and what the future

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58:00

Ep. 76 What's Biodiversity?

Gulf Streams ·

2025/04/21

On today's episode we sit down with Dr. Korey Evans (Rice University) and Dr. Scott Egan (Rice University) who recently hosted a symposium all about biodiversity and what it means to the Houston region. Later in the hour our researcher Sophia kicks off a new series all about green spaces around Houston.

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58:19

Ep. 75 The Columbia Tap Trail

Gulf Streams ·

2025/04/14

The Columbia Tap Trail, a historic train line in Houston, is a four-mile path where residents have practiced tactical urbanism for decades. Now, with new support from the city and funders, the trail is becoming more of a community resource for the thousands who live nearby. Edward D. Pettitt, doctoral candidate the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, joins us to discuss his work with the Friends of Columbia Tap, a group of residents working to bring this new vision to life.

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56:10

Ep. 74 Deepwater Horizon at Fifteen

Gulf Streams ·

2025/04/06

On today's show we sit down with Leigh Fondakowski, the playwright behind the documentary theatre show SPILL. SPILL recounts the events leading up to, and following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Moody Center for the Arts, at Rice University, will be mounting a production of the show April 11th and 12. We revisit that moment and discuss how the world has changed in the wake of the largest oil spill in global history. Later in the hour, our researcher

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50:13

Ep. 73 Nature Based Solutions

Gulf Streams ·

2025/03/31

Often when we think of environmental hazards and climate change, it feels as though nature is fighting us. What if we reimagined nature as our partner, our ally, in the fight against climate change? Today we sit down with Jim Blackburn (Rice University) and Dr. Carrie Masiello (Rice University) to talk all about Nature Based Solutions.

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56:46

Ep. 72 The Future of Nuclear Energy

Gulf Streams ·

2025/03/24

Is nuclear energy the future? Or is it doomed to be a decreasingly important energy source in a rapidly changing landscape. On today's show we sit down with two different thinkers on opposite ends of the debate around the future of nuclear: Dr. MV Ramana (University of British Columbia), and Paris Ortiz-Wines (Mothers for Nuclear). This episode is guest hosted by our researcher Nomin Rentsendorj.

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58:37

Ep. 71 CERA Week 2025

Gulf Streams ·

2025/03/17

On today's show we're joined by Dr. Casey Williams (Environmental Studies Lecturer at Rice University) as co-host, Dr. Randal Hall (Environmental Historian at Rice University), and Dr. Gökçe Gunel (Anthropologist at Rice University) discussing this year's major energy conference in Houston, CERA Week. Later in the episode two Rice Anthropologists, Dr. Dominic Boyer and Dr. Cymene Howe, discuss their work on glaciers.

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58:31

Ep. 70 New Solar Power and the EV Market Forming

Gulf Streams ·

2025/03/13

On today's episode we sit down with Dan Gearino of Inside Climate News to talk about the growing solar industry in Texas. Later in the hour we're joined by the Electric Vehicle Association of Houston to talk about how EV's have never been more popular in the area.

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