EcoRight Speaks

One of the obstacles to electric vehicle adoption is the availability of charging (not to mention ease, reliability and affordability). This is where PowerUp America comes in. After buying an EV truck and taking it on a road trip, 
Josh Turner quickly learned that EV charging stations provided less than an optimal user experience. Long lines. No overhead coverage from the weather. And cumbersome apps and memberships that complicate transactions. And he set out to change the course. Fast forward to today, PowerUp has charging stations throughout the U.S. (in rural and urban settings) that more resemble the trip to the gas station that many Americans are familiar with. We talk about his efforts to bring EV charging stations to a community near you—and more!

For the third year in a row, republicEn.org was honored to participate in the Volo Foundation’s Florida Climate Week. FCW is a free, annual statewide week of climate activities where advocates and stakeholders host events (both virtual and in-person) to discuss the climate issues impacting the Sunshine State. 
This year, we were joined by two of the state’s preeminent water quality experts, Nicole Kirchhoff and Brandon Shuler, who describe the significant challenges that climate change poses to water quality, from economic to environmental. Check out this awesome conversation with two outstanding climate leaders in Florida!

Our favorite and most prolific writer is coming back into the fold. After two years on the editorial board of the Miami Herald, EcoRight favorite Mary Anna Mancuso (victim of a massive downsizing, like so many journalists today) will be picking her opinion-writing pen back up. 
In this episode, we talk about what Mary Anna learned over the last two years, what’s going on in the state of Florida, and what she plans to do next. Don't miss Mary Anna's return to the podcast on this week's episode!

George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication Postdoctoral Fellow Doran Tucker knows a thing or two about communicating climate risk. An undergraduate degree in international affairs at Penn State sparked his interest in how investments in military infrastructure (for example, remote sensing) can become tools we use in everyday life (GPS). 
From this inquiry, Tucker went on to explore in his masters and doctoral work the nexus of identity, policy and the environment with a particular emphasis on effective climate change communication in Appalachian and military contexts. Host Chelsea Henderson talks with the Mason 4C Postdoctoral Fellow about the effectiveness of communicating climate risk through a national security lens, including a very personal example from his family.

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) made a historic investment in protecting and maintaining popular federal lands in part by establishing the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address billions of dollars in overdue maintenance needs. From 2021-2025, the LRF provided more than $9 billion to tackle priority repairs in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, BLM areas and more. Unfortunately, the fund expired in August 2025, and the combined deferred maintenance backlog across federal land agencies is now estimated at over $35 billion. 
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, lawmakers have an opportunity to renew the fund and support continued repair of our most beloved landscapes and historic places. During its five-year lifespan, the Legacy Restoration Fund supported more than 1,500 Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service projects across all 50 states and D.C., reaching every corner of the country. Pew Charitable Trusts' Rebecca Knuffke joins us this week to discuss the importance of renewing the LRF, if we want to protect America’s greatest idea.