Climate to Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast


In this episode of Climate to Action, host Molly Saruwatari welcomes Dr. Roni Kay O’Dell, professor of political science at California State University San Marcos, for a conversation about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and their importance for climate action. Dr. O’Dell explains what the SDGs are, how they were developed through the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and why they matter as ...

In this episode of Climate To Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast, hosts Joce and Saturn speak with Scarlett, co-president of the Environmental Stewards Association (ESA), about building sustainability and climate action at CSUSM. Scarlett shares her environmental passions, explains ESA’s mission, and discusses how the club helps care for campus spaces like the pollinator garden. The conversation also explores how ESA shapes student ex...

In this episode of Climate to Action, host Molly Saruwatari kicks off a new series spotlighting CSUSM students who are actively taking climate action—starting with guest Tyler Weinstock, an Environmental Studies major and intern at Plastic Beach, a local North County nonprofit.

CREDITS  

Guest: Tyler Weinstock

Host: Molly Saruwatari

Editor: Elden Cadena 

Social Media Content: Molly Saruwatari 

Music: Marios Panousos 

Faculty Advisor: Anne...

In this episode, we dive into environmental literature and climate fiction (Cli-Fi) with Professor Dylan Winchock. We discuss what counts as ‘environmental lit,’ how stories can change how we think and act, and how Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake helps students grapple with the ethics of technology and climate justice. We unpack how literature differs from news and social media disaster narratives and explore how good stories can ...

CSUSM’s own Dr. Elizabeth Ridder joins us to talk about what first drew her to geography and conservation work and why the Mediterranean basin is such a vital—and vulnerable—hotspot for biodiversity and climate resilience. We explore what makes this region unique, the climate pressures it’s facing, and how her fieldwork connects to the bigger picture of global environmental change.

From U.S. national parks to protected areas around ...

Erika Rodriguez joins us to share the moment a Category 4 storm in Fiji pulled her into climate action—and how that experience helped spark San Diego Climate Week. We dig into what it takes to build a city-wide movement, how she measures success beyond a single week, and why her long-term hope is that someday, we won’t need a “Climate Week” at all! Tune in to hear why.

Recorded live in the barn at Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas dur...

In this powerful episode, guests Amanda Subbish and Ivan Sam share Indigenous perspectives on climate resilience, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and environmental leadership in the San Diego region. From stories of adaptation to wildfire and drought, to reflections on cultural ceremony, language, and land stewardship, this conversation invites listeners to rethink what it means to live in respectful relationship with the E...

CREDITS

Guest: Ashleigh Skarshaug

Hosts: Saturn Salama

Producers: Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Elden Cadena

Research: Saturn Salama

Script: Daphne Nguyen

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate to Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is an initiative of the CSUSM Climate Action and

Sustainability Center. The podcast is advised by faculty from the Environmental Studies

Program and the Philosophy Department in the College of Humanities, Arts, Beha...

In this bonus episode of Climate to Action, host Alex talks with CSUSM chemistry professor Dr. Haleh Keshtkar about the principles and promise of green chemistry. They explore how this innovative approach rethinks chemical design to reduce harm to people and the planet. From biodegradable materials to safer solvents, Dr. Keshtkar explains how green chemistry can drive climate solutions—and shares an inspiring message for students r...

In this episode, hosts Molly and Alex talk with Rebecca Lewis, Scotland and Northern Ireland Manager for Buglife UK, about the power of citizen science in the fight against climate change. Rebecca shares how climate change is impacting invertebrates and the ecosystems they support, and how everyday people can take action through hands-on conservation. Listeners will learn about Buglife’s work, the role of insects in ecosystem resil...

In this inspiring episode, hosts Molly and Alex talk with Ali Mariko Dressel—climate justice advocate, performer, and marine conservationist—about the powerful role of art in the fight against climate change. Ali shares how performance, storytelling, and Indigenous knowledge can transform climate anxiety into connection, action, and healing. Tune in to hear how immersive theatre builds emotional resilience, why millennials are a ke...

In this episode, Climate to Action host Alex talks with CSUSM chemistry professor Dr. Haleh Keshtkar about the basics of climate change. They cover key terms like global warming, greenhouse gases, and green chemistry, and explore how we can respond through mitigation and adaptation. Dr. Keshtkar also shares a hopeful call to action for students and listeners to make a difference.

CREDITS 

Guest: Dr. Haleh Keshtkar

Host: Alex Sandoval...

Guest: MacKenzie Elmer, Voice of San Diego, and Kori Suzuki, KPBS

Hosts: Saturn Salama and Alex Sandoval

Producers: Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Elden Cadena

Research: Aritzel Melchor and Alondra Mendoza

Script: Daphne Nguyen

Social Media Content Creators: Yulissa Hernandez Aquino, Gabriella Peña

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate to Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is an initiative of the CSUSM Climate Action and Sustainabili...

CREDITS

Guest: MacKenzie Elmer, Voice of San Diego, and Kori Suzuki, KPBS

Hosts: Saturn Salama and Alex Sandoval

Producers: Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Elden Cadena

Research: Aritzel Melchor and Alondra Mendoza

Script: Daphne Nguyen

Social Media Content Creators: Yulissa Hernandez Aquino, Gabriella Peña

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate to Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is an initiative of the CSUSM Climate Action and Sustainabil...

CREDITS

Introduction by: Saturn Salama

Hosts: Katie Brienen and Buchanan Kidd

Producers: Katie Brienen, Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Cristian Alvizo, Katie Brienen and Elden Cadena

Social Media Content Creators: Elden Cadena

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate to Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is an initiative of the CSUSM Climate Action and Sustainability Center. The podcast is advised by faculty from the Environmental Studies Prog...

CREDITS

Guest: Adrienne Fusek, Director of In Good Company

Hosts: Kaiden Luna De La Fuente and Molly Saruwatari

Producers: Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Elden Cadena

Research: Kaden Campbell

Script: Briel Delaney, Mark Germundson, and Molly Saruwatari

Social Media Content Creators: Briel Delaney, Gabriella Peña, and Saturn Salama

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate To Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is an initiative of the CSUSM Clim...

CREDITS

Guest: CSUSM History Professor Ibrahim Al-Marashi

Host: Alex Sandoval

Producers: Elden Cadena and Saturn Salama

Editor: Elden Cadena

Script: Maira Lis Mendez and Daphne Nguyen

Social Media Content Creators: Ene Angon, Marina Duran-Perez, Yulissa Hernandez Aquino, Natalie Mendez-Greenwood, Sage Minor, Gabriella Peña, Alex Sandoval, and Abigail Velasquez-Gonzalez

Research: Abdul Majid Abdul Majid

Music: Marios Panousos

Climate To Acti...

Climate To Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is a new climate crisis podcast dedicated to climate action, Indigenous knowledge, and climate justice.

LISTEN wherever you get your podcasts, follow us on IG and X, @ClimateToAction, and contact us at ClimateToAction@csusm.edu.

We're excited to contribute to important climate discussions and action opportunities.

Credits

Hosts: Mayra Ramos, J.J. Sanchez, and Darby Sward

Guest: CSUSM Professor ...

Climate To Action: A CSUSM Student Podcast is a new climate crisis podcast dedicated to climate action, Indigenous knowledge, and climate justice.

In episode 2, we visit with Rowdy Keelor, of New Roots Institute, to discuss the effects of factory farming on the environment, factory farmed animals, and global warming.

LISTEN wherever you get your podcasts—and follow us on IG and X @ClimateToAction.

We're excited to contribute to import...