‘Planet Reimagined,’ hosted by AJR’s Adam Met, fights the doom and gloom of the climate crisis
There’s a lot of gloom and doom surrounding the future of the Earth. It’s called the climate crisis not the climate good fortunes and blessings. Anyway, here to dispel the ever-growing panic thrust upon us Earthly beings comes none other than Adam Met (a.k.a., the A of the band AJR). Not only is he a multi-talented musician, but he recently earned his PhD in International Human Rights Law and serves as the Executive Director of his nonprofit, Sustainable Partners, Inc. And in relation to all of that, he hosts his very own podcast: “Planet Reimagined with Adam Met.”
Launching in September of 2020, “Planet Reimagined” has been interviewing inventors, innovators, and activists working to protect the planet and all of its people. They are reimagining the way we can do things now, so our future can be even greener. Over two seasons and 23 episodes, the podcast has continued to explore the idea that sustainability is much more than just the Earth’s climate. Each episode ranges from 30 to 40 minutes in length.
Constitutions and crickets
“Planet Reimaged” has covered a wide range of industries, innovations, and expertises, from the people creating new insect-based foods, to economists and United Nations who have written constitutions and reorganized economies in the name of all things green.
Adam has spoken with musicians Adam Gardner and Lauren Sullivan, spouses and REVERB co-founders, on what they are doing to make the music industry more sustainable. With his band, Adam has been working to offset the carbon emissions from all of the flying they do for tours and performances by not using single-use plastics and forging partnerships with companies doing good for the environment. While it’s within big acts’ monetary abilities, like Billie Eilish and Maroon 5, sustainability is not always simple for smaller artists and house shows, which is what REVERB works towards by partnering with venues and festivals to “green” their mission.
Adam has sat down with people like politician Andrew Yang about dragging the world into a more sustainable future through political action. He’s chatted with chemist Keiana Cave, who has created an oil spill dispersant molecule, raising over a million dollars from Chevron to fund her work. Adam has met with Allbirds CEO Joey Zwillinger about the environmental effects of the fashion industry, corporate responsibility with sustainability, and how he has incorporated those factors into his company. He’s spoken with athletes about sustainability in sports, Leroy Mwasaru about turning human waste into energy, UN climate leaders about the climate movement, and so many more.
The politics of climate change
The last episode of his second season is especially poignant, as he speaks with professor, climate activist, and author Naomi Oreskes. She is the co-author of Merchants of Doubt, which was later made into a documentary of the same name, analyzing the misinformation campaigns being led against climate change. She says it is much like the misinformation campaign led by tobacco companies, which convinced millions of people that smoking was actually good for you and specifically targeted minority communities.
She points out that that fossil-fuel companies are now using those same tactics, only they have become even more weaved into American politics as these companies continue to donate millions of dollars to politicians to keep their company afloat. The two talk about the companies doing this, the universities who have divested from fossil fuels, and the scientists raising public awareness. Oreskes also answers Met’s question about what in this world scares her most, and it’s all about the politics of climate change.
Besides Adam being an incredible interviewer, obviously well-researched and extremely knowledgeable on what his guests are up to, “Planet Reinvented” also plants a tree for every person who subscribes to the podcast. Truly, what’s not to love?
It’s a forward-looking, positivity-focused, excited-about-the-future podcast that is fixating on the people doing the most for our planet. Be sure to check out this amazing podcast for that sigh of relief (and maybe even inspiration to help out with any of these sustainability projects) we’re all looking for.
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