Climate change has become far less debatable since Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast – and multiple giant
storms and tornadoes in the Midwest this year just put the exclamation point on what scientists have been saying for a long time – the weather is becoming more extreme and it's time to take action to reduce our own impact on the climate.
Author MaryPipher's new book, The Green Boat, takes the same clear-eyed approach to dealing with the world's problems that her previous bestseller, Reviving Ophelia, used to highlight the issues faced by today's girls and young women.
Pipher got involved in the fight against the Keystone oil pipeline route – which has since been rerouted. What she learned as an activist are lessons she thinks are important for all of us to remember with every issue, from an economic meltdown to the survival of the planet.
Coming up, we'll have more with Mary Pipher, and a profile of one woman who challenged an entire society.
It's a complicated world and the tangle of issues we face can seem insurmountable. A generation of young graduates with crushing student debt, seniors who can't afford to retire, food that isn't nutritious and isn't even safe – plus a world's worth of social and economic issues eclipsed by the frightening acceleration of severe weather outbreaks – it's not an easy reality to face. But author Mary Pipher, best known for her groundbreaking book on young women called Reviving Ophelia, believes we must have hope – and we must act.
And finally, a perfect example of a woman who refused to believe that she couldn't change the world. GillesMalkine profiles Sojourner Truth.
Gilles Malkine is a writer, actor and musician. He lives in New York's Catskill mountains.
That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Katie Britton for production assistance. Our theme music is by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock.