First hour: Scientist Bruce Reisch on how can growers withstand climate change
Second hour: Is there a viable plan for a green energy transition?
How can growers withstand climate change? We go inside the mind of a scientist who has spent decades combining nature with his lab skills to create new agricultural products. Bruce Reisch is a master grape breeder whose newest creation is a wine grape called Aravelle. In the Finger Lakes, riesling is the most successful grape variety. Reisch wanted to give the industry something with riesling's quality, but more durability during our climate changed-winters. His perspective on climate change is one that extends beyond vineyards to everyone who tries to grow anything on an annual basis. Reisch joins us to share his secrets. Our guest:
- Bruce Reisch, professor of grapevine breeding and genetics at Cornell AgriTech, who has appointments in both the Section of Horticulture and the Section of Plant Breeding within the School of Integrative Plant Science, a unit of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Then in our second hour, Republican candidate for Monroe County Executive, Mark Assini, recently said on Connections that we can't rush too quickly into a green energy future. That's because, Assini said, there is no plan to scale up energies that serve as cleaner options than fossil fuels. His remarks caught the attention of legislators and industry leaders, who address whether there is a viable plan for an energy transition. Our guests:
- Kevin Schulte, CEO of GreenSpark Solar
- Sue Hughes-Smith, Monroe County Legislator in District 14, and adjunct professor in environmental policy at local colleges
