Recently, we got a question from one of our listeners. Matt from Providence wants to know - can we harness electricity from electric eels? We were intrigued! So we had Possibly reporters Iman Khanbhai and Janek Schaller look into this question.

Last summer, our reporter Charlie Adams spent ten weeks working in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It’s a slice of northwest Montana that’s over one million acres! He's from the East Coast, so the word “wilderness” used to make him think of pristine landscapes free of humans. Now that he's experienced it firsthand, he thinks that’s not exactly right. It made him wonder- what do we mean when we say “wilderness”?

Growing, harvesting, and making food creates greenhouse gas emissions. But some foods are responsible for more emissions than others. Red Meat is at the top of the list. Lots of people want to reduce their emissions by eating more plants, but changing your eating habits can be hard. So today, we’re taking a closer look at one idea of how we can drastically reduce the environmental impact of the meat we eat without actually changing our diets.

I’ve learned so many great sustainability tips during my time at Possibly! But often I find it hard to convince my friends to change their habits, and even I sometimes end up forgetting to unplug my electronics or leaving my reusable grocery bags at home. So I was wondering, are there research-based ways to boost sustainable behaviors?

What happens when a car racing fan and the host of Possibly try to find an event that appeals to both of them? Enter Formula E.

In another episode, we talked about a state agency that can play a big role in helping us get more of our energy from renewable sources. Here in Rhode Island, it’s called the Public Utilities Commission. But how do everyday people influence how these commissions work?

Today, we’re talking about how the green spaces along our roadsides could be used to help pollinators. Meg Talikoff and Will Malloy are here to explain.

Everybody is talking about ChatGPT, the new machine-learning tool for answering questions. These giant computer models need a whole lot of computing power to run, so we were curious about just how much energy they use.

In the last few weeks, we’ve talked about towns that are creating plans to prepare for rising waters. Today, we’re taking a look at an example of what can happen when that planning is too slow. What should cities do when people want to leave because of climate-related disasters?

There are a lot of ways to make your morning coffee. You could use a French press, a drip machine, a machine with coffee pods…the list goes on and on. But which way creates the fewest greenhouse gas emissions?

Today we’re taking on a question from listener Megan Heinz. She often picks up her son at his school in the car pickup line. And she's wondering if it’s better for her to turn the car on and off again as the line moves forward, or if she should let the car idle.

You’ve probably heard of fungi, whether it’s mold in your bathroom or mushrooms on your favorite hiking trail, but recently, I’ve been hearing that fungi also play an underappreciated role in our climate. What’s that about?

Today, we have a question from one of our reporters, Kolya Shields. They're an artist, and they want to know- can art help fight climate change?

Normally when we talk about emissions, we’re talking about carbon dioxide. But recently there’s been more focus on another greenhouse gas, methane. We had Juliana Merullo and Harrison Katz from our Possibly team look into what’s being done to reduce these emissions.

Last year, Kolya from our Possibly team I worked with the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center. Their job was to track flooding across the city. Which made them wonder- why are we seeing more of these floods? And what is Providence doing to prevent them?

Today, we have a question from a listener named Susan. She wants to know about gift wrapping: “Is it better for the environment to wrap Christmas gifts in fabric you can use over again rather than paper?”

When I was growing up, I remember hearing about a hole in the ozone layer. It was a big deal. But I don’t really hear about that issue anymore. Is the ozone layer still in danger, and what happened to the hole?

When a loved one passes away, we often just have two choices- burial or cremation. But there’s a new option in some states that claims to use less energy and resources.

Nowadays, many athletic fields have been converted from natural grass to artificial turf. Which made us wonder- which option is better for the environment?

Do you ever go to recycle your takeout container or water bottle, see all those different categories, and get so confused you just end up throwing everything in the regular trash bin? Knowing how to get rid of waste is trickier than it may seem. But one small town in Japan may have figured out the key to eliminating waste altogether.

Here at Possibly, we try to make climate change feel more manageable and less overwhelming. But there’s no avoiding that this problem is terrifying. It makes a lot of us feel… anxious. So to help us face our fears, I decided to talk with Kate Schapira. She teaches non-fiction writing at Brown University and has spent nearly a decade listening to people’s climate anxieties.

Today, we’re taking a look at how renewable energy, like wind or solar, is stored so it can be used when the sun’s not shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

Imagine if you didn’t have a recycling bin anymore- You just put everything in the trash, but somehow the reusable stuff still got recycled? Some places offer this service, but does it really work? Is it too good to be true?

With the effects of climate change all around us, there's a push to power more of our lives with renewable electricity, including things that used to burn fossil fuels, like home heating and cars. But can our electricity grid handle a big ramp-up in demand?

These days, we can buy almost anything we want online—fancy food, designer clothes, new computers, the works. But is all this online shopping creating more greenhouse gas emissions compared to shopping in person?

Today we’re answering a question from Cori Myers- she’s the sister-in-law of our founder Stephen Porder. She wants to know if the laundry detergent sheets that she saw online are better than traditional liquid laundry detergent, which comes in a plastic jug.

It’s cold outside, so you might be reaching for a warm cup of tea more often. That has us here at Possibly wondering: are some teas more environmentally-friendly than others?

When I was a kid, acid rain was a hot topic. Now, I never hear about it. So we wondered, why doesn’t acid rain make the headlines anymore?

When you think of a plate of food, what’s normally right smack dab in the middle? A big hunk of meat? What if our first instinct was to say fish or shrimp? Would eating more seafood cut down on our greenhouse gas emissions?

Today, we have a question from a listener. Margret Bulmer wonders whether solar panels still work in the winter when they’re covered with snow.

Today, we’ll be talking about food waste. Many of us know that guilty feeling that comes with throwing away rotten bananas or stale bread. So, we wondered, what is the impact of all that waste?

Listener Anne Cohen wants to know- is it better to keep my 2015 car with a traditional combustion engine, which gets close to 40 MPG, has about 50,000 miles on it, and is in great condition, or trade it for an electric vehicle?

Today, we have a question from listener Rachael Corr. She's expecting her first child wants to know- what is the most environmentally-friendly option for diapers?

Today, we’re going to talk about eating. How will climate change affect our food?

For the past few weeks or so, my eyes have been scratchy and I’ve had a runny nose. And I’m not alone. A lot of people are feeling the effects of spring allergies and they seem even more intense this year. That made us wonder, does climate change have anything to do with this? 

Today, we have a question from Keith Munslow, a musician from Providence. He and his wife drink a lot of seltzer. They recently switched to making his own seltzer at home with a soda maker — a machine that makes sparkling water. He wants to know if using it is more energy-efficient than buying seltzer by the can.

When we talk about climate change, we often think about the big issues- sea levels rising, extreme weather, melting polar ice caps. But climate change has small, intimate consequences too. It turns out, our warming planet is even affecting the flavor of our wine. 

Today, we have a question from listener Todd Penoyer. He does maintenance for retail shopping centers in southeastern Massachusetts and he uses a lot of power tools to do his job. About half of his tools are electric, and the other half are gas-powered. He wonders whether it’s worth replacing the gas ones with electric versions.

On our show, we tell stories to make climate change seem less overwhelming. We know that our episodes are no replacement for massive policy changes, but we hope that they help to shift your perspective or at least make the path forward seem a little clearer.  Today, we’re going to talk to an artist who also tries to unpack climate change, but using a very different medium.

Today, we have a question from listener Tom Chun. Recently, his water heater stopped working. Tom didn’t have time to spare, so he just went with the water heater his plumber recommended. But now, he’s wondering if he should have bought something else. Are there more efficient water heaters out there that are worth the price?

If you follow the news about climate change, you’ve probably heard the phrase “net zero.” But what does “net zero” really mean?

Taking into account the energy that goes into making a whole new car, is it more energy-efficient to keep the gas car you already have, or to get a new hybrid car?