Advertise on podcast: Better Tomorrow Speaker Series

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is a member of parliament representing Te Tai Hauāuru on Aotearoa’s North Island, and she is co-leader of Te Pāti Māori, or the Māori Party. As an activist, executive, and elected official, Ms. Ngarewa-Packer has devoted her career to advancing public health, protecting the environment, and upholding Māori rights under the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the Treaty of Waitangi. Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua is an award-winning author and professor of Indigenous politics at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She is a trustee at Kamehameha Schools. At UH, she leads Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao.    The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

What if a revolution can’t be stopped? The Trump administration has declared war on wind, solar, and even efficient appliances, but as our guest today makes clear, clean energy is cheap energy--and it’s advancing at a breakneck pace, climate deniers be damned. At the center of the action is David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission. David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission, joins Cindy Kan of Collective Energy for a wide-ranging conversation on the clean energy transition, from California’s rapid growth in renewables, battery storage, electrification, and microgrids to the challenges of affordability, reliability, permitting, and equitable implementation. They also explore Hawai‘i’s energy future, the role of state and community leadership, workforce transition, and the personal sources of hope, resilience, and connection that sustain long-term climate work. David Hochschild is chair of the California Energy Commission, an $9 billion agency that directs energy policy for the world’s fourth largest economy. Trained at Swarthmore and the Kennedy School, Hochschild has over 20 years of experience in energy transformation. He has been awarded the Sierra Club’s Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association’s Clean Air Hero Award, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. In 2024, he was named the American Energy Society’s Person of the Year. Cindy Kan is the Director of Projects and Special Projects at Collective Energy. The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

In this episode we explore an awkward marriage between a sustainability paradise and a petrostate: Norway.    If we were to conjure images of a modern green utopia – innovative cities coexisting with natural landscapes, visionary architecture topped with green rooftops and solar panels, ecological sustainability fused with techno futurism – we’d most likely be imagining a place that already exists: Norway.  A country known for its breathtaking fjords, generous social services, and recent world cup fame, Norway is also internationally renowned for its ambitious climate adaptation and mitigation policies. More than 90% of the electricity in the country is generated by renewable sources, and Norway is a global leader in zero-emission vehicles. What remain aspirational carbon-neutral targets in most countries, Norway has already achieved.  But here is the glaring contradiction: Norway’s green transition is substantially funded by oil and gas.  Norway is the largest oil exporter in western Europe and a global super power in natural gas production. The fossil fuel industry accounts for roughly a fifth of the country’s GDP and its proceeds cover roughly a quarter of government expenditures. And while the rest of the world faces oil supply crises following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and President Trump’s war in Iran, Norway profits from increasing international demand for fossil fuels.  In today’s episode, we are joined by climate journalist Ingerid Salvesen to break down this Norwegian Paradox. In addition to highlighting Norway’s environmental virtues and contradictions, we discussed the challenges facing climate journalists everywhere. How does one communicate the seriousness of the climate crisis without creating cynicism and overshadowing small victories? And how can journalists remain impartial while still advocating for scientific solutions? Join us to discuss this highly particular and paradoxical climate case study with Dr. Ingerid Salvesen in her hometown of Oslo, Norway.    Ingerid Salvesen is a journalist and researcher based in Oslo, with a long career in writing and environmental policy. She earned her Master’s from the Centre for Development and Environment at the University of Oslo, and has studied at Oslo University College, the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She is currently a scholar in climate journalism at Oslo Met University and a journalist at the Sunstone Institute.  Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.  Production assistance: Oslo Metropolitan University, University of Hawai'i Center for Language & Technology. The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

In this fascinating conversation, ocean physicist Helen Czerski explores the ocean not as an empty void, but as a dynamic “blue machine” that powers Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and even human civilization. Speaking from Hawaiʻi — a place where the ocean shapes culture, identity, and daily life — Czerski explains the hidden physics behind waves, currents, salt, sound, bubbles, and ocean circulation. The discussion moves from Greenland sharks and whale communication to phytoplankton, concrete, climate change, and the astonishing complexity of marine ecosystems. Along the way, Czerski reflects on Hawaiian voyaging traditions, Hokuleʻa, and the relationship between scientific knowledge and Indigenous navigation. Blending science, storytelling, curiosity, and wonder, this episode reveals why understanding the ocean is essential not only for confronting climate change, but for appreciating the living systems that make our world possible. Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski is a professor of mechanical engineering at University College London, a science presenter for BBC documentaries, and co-host of Rare Earth on BBC Radio. She is the author of The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World. Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. His book, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, won the John Kenneth Galbraith Award.  Producer: Willow Hutchison  Sound Engineer: Leandro Nuckols The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The common belief that cities must compete for corporate investment is deeply flawed, Schragger contends. Instead of chasing stadiums and corporate HQs with tax breaks and giveaways, cities are most effective when they invest in people, infrastructure, and essential services. Rich Schragger is a legal scholar and author of City Power. A Harvard Law graduate and former Harvard Law Review editor, he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals and has taught at leading institutions including Columbia, NYU, and the University of Chicago.  Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. His book, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, won the John Kenneth Galbraith Award. Production: Willow Hutchison Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

David Myers and Hussein Ibish discuss the savagery of the Gaza war, the destabilization and realignment in the larger region, prospects (however dim) for lasting peace, political polarization in the United States, as well as their own personal journeys toward mutual understanding.  Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is a weekly columnist for The National (UAE) and Now Media, and a monthly contributing writer for The International New York Times.  David N. Myers is Distinguished Professor of History and holds the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA.   Production: Willow Hutchison Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer   The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

Pitt Professor Annette Vee discusses how AI is reshaping writing pedagogy in higher education, moving beyond dystopian fears to focus on what faculty can actually do in the classroom. Drawing on her work in rhetoric and literacy, Vee examines where AI can support student learning—particularly in research and revision—and where it risks undermining intellectual development, especially when introduced too early in the writing process. The conversation addresses practical concerns such as assignment design, AI-resistant pedagogy, student perceptions of fairness, and the importance of cultivating critical AI literacy, while also engaging larger questions about authorship, expertise, and the social purpose of writing. Ultimately, Vee suggests that AI forces educators to confront foundational issues: how students learn to think, how they develop voice, and whether writing remains central to human connection in an age when machines can generate fluent prose. Dr. Annette Vee (University of Pittsburgh) is an expert in computer and programming literacies in the field of rhetoric and composition, and has published on the history of the Basic programming language; how blockchain technology affects rhetorics of trust; and how computational algorithms that write and read are affecting human writers and relationships. Her current work investigates how computers write for humans, especially through generative AI.  Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and Director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.    Production: Willow Hutchison Editing: Amika Matteson Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer Original Music: Will Watson The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

Taxes often make people’s eyes glaze over—but they shape nearly every aspect of our lives.  In this episode, we unpack how tax policy influences inequality, public services, and the future of Hawai‘i. Featuring insights from advocates, economists, and lawmakers, the conversation explores everything from minimum wage and tax credits to wealth taxes and housing affordability.  We dig into who really benefits from current tax systems, why the wealthy often pay less proportionally, and what reforms could create a more equitable, livable, resilient society. Along the way, we wrestle with the challenges of policy design, as well as enforcement and evasion, where good intentions sometimes collide with reality. Despite the challenges, our guests urge us to think of taxes as a reflection of our values and to think more about what they can do to make the world better. Tina Grandinetti was born and raised on Oʻahu and serves in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives for District 20. DW Gibson is an author of several books, including the award-winning The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification. Will White serves as the executive director of Hawaii Appleseed. Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.           Production: Willow Hutchison Editing: Amika Matteson Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer Original Music: Will Watson The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The Trump administration is a torrent of provocations, policy changes, budget cuts, culture wars, and now, real wars. But how do you separate what really matters from all the noise?  In this episode DW Gibson and Robert Perkinson sit down with political scientist Colin Moore to discuss immigration, foreign policy, higher education, and the state of American democracy.  In reviewing the first year of Trump’s second term, they try to map out a path through the next three years.   Political scientist Colin Moore is a political scientist with the University of Hawaii Economic and Research Organization (UHERO) and a political commentator for KITV. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard and previously held fellowships at Yale and UC Berkeley. DW Gibson is an award-winning author and journalist, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Harper's Magazine. He’s now executive producer of podcasts and multimedia at Hawaii Public Radio. Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.    Production Assistance: Willow Hutchison Sound Engineering: Adeel Meer     The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The conversation dives into topics like climate change, feminism, and political resistance, emphasizing that the biggest barriers to progress are often cultural and narrative—not technical.  Writer and historian Rebecca Solnit is the author of 25+ books on feminism, history, and hope, including Men Explain Things to Me. A Guggenheim Fellow and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, she writes for Harper’s and The Guardian and is the Fall 2025 Dai Ho Chun Chair in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters. Interviewer Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.  Videography and Audio Recording Greeneye Productions Production Assistance: Willow Hutchison Sound Engineering: Adeel Meer The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

In this episode, historian and international relations scholar Neta Crawford examines the deep and largely hidden ties between U.S. military power, fossil fuel dependence, and the climate crisis. Tracing a history that runs from 19th-century coal stations to today’s global network of more than 700 U.S. military bases, Crawford explains how war-fighting doctrine, energy consumption, and emissions became structurally intertwined—and why the U.S. military may be doing more to endanger us than protect us.     Neta Crawford is the author of four books and dozens of journal articles, including The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War. She is a professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the co-founder of the Costs of War Project at Brown. She has been elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the British Academy.     Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.                     The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The U.S. has built the largest global network of military bases in history—and Hawaiʻi has long stood at its center. In this conversation, David Vine traces the hidden costs of empire and why they matter as Hawaiʻi weighs the future of its lands and security. In this episode, anthropologist and author David Vine discusses the global reach of the U.S. military and the history of near-continuous American warfare. Drawing on decades of research, Vine argues that foreign military bases have often enabled conflict, imposed heavy environmental and social costs, and displaced Indigenous communities, while doing little to enhance real security. The conversation focuses in particular on Hawaiʻi’s role in this system, from land seizures and contamination to the state’s ongoing negotiations over base leases, and explores how historical perspective can inform debates about security, sovereignty, and the future use of land in the islands. David Vine anthropologist, author of The United States of War, Base Nation, and Island of Shame. Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. Sound Engineering: Adeel Meer Center for Language & Technology Production Assistance: Amika Matteson, Christine Ahn, Sydney Son, and Willow Hutchison     The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

We talk about the climate crisis all the time, but when was the last time you sat down for a refresher on the basic science? Join geologist and coastal systems expert Chip Fletcher for a primer on the physics behind rising temperatures, rising seas, jet stream deviations, extreme weather, and more. Understanding the mechanisms of warming and its cascading effects better equips us to evaluate proposals to mitigate and adapt.      Dr. Fletcher has written three textbooks and over 100 peer-reviewed articles. He is the Dean of the University of Hawaiʻi’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), and he is the governor’s top climate advisor.  Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Mānoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.  The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

What drives us to achieve—and at what cost? In today’s episode, author and entrepreneur Jane Chen shares the story of founding Embrace, an innovative nonprofit that created low-cost incubators to save babies’ lives in conflict zones around the world. She poured everything into the project, overcoming impossible challenges and earning recognition from leaders like Beyoncé and President Obama—until the work began to unravel, and so did she. In her new memoir, Like a Wave We Break, Jane chronicles the collapse and her fight to rebuild, grappling with intergenerational trauma, family violence, and the demons that pushed her forward. Ultimately, she discovers that real healing—and meaningful impact—depend not on relentless striving, but on learning to lead, love, and live with compassion.   Author and entrepreneur Jane Chen is the co-founder of Embrace Global, which developed a groundbreaking infant incubator that has helped save the lives of nearly a million babies. Trained at Stanford and Harvard, Chen has been recognized as a Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum and was a recipient of the Economist Innovation Award. She is the author of Like a Wave We Break: A Memoir of Falling Apart and Finding Myself. Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the Director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.    The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

Explore the dynamic crossroads of law, indigeneity, and climate justice with two extraordinary voices: Julian Aguon, the founder of Blue Ocean Law, and our host for this profound dialogue, Professor Kapua Sproat from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In this episode, you'll hear Julian and Kapua explore the critical need for community and solidarity in the face of the climate crisis, especially as it impacts vulnerable Pacific communities. They discuss the vital role of storytelling and the arts in igniting social movements and reminding us of our shared humanity and potential. Julian shares compelling insights into the landmark, though ultimately unsuccessful, case of Davis v. Guam, shedding light on the complexities of self-determination and the limitations of current legal frameworks when grappling with the legacy of colonization. The conversation also beautifully navigates the profound connection between indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands, highlighting the deep grief and injustice of displacement while underscoring the fundamental human longing for freedom and belonging. Despite acknowledging the constraints of the legal system, Julian articulates a hopeful vision for law as a tool to protect indigenous rights and empower communities to be at the forefront of solving the planetary crisis. Prepare to be moved and inspired as Julian and Kapua weave together personal reflections, legal analysis, and powerful calls to action. You’ll hear about the political significance of grief, the essential roles of both anger and love in driving social change, and ultimately, a message of hope for the future, especially for young indigenous leaders. The episode culminates in a moving reading of Julian’s poem, "gaali," leaving us with a lingering sense of connection and purpose. So, tune in as we embark on this vital conversation with Julian Aguon and Kapua Sproat, recorded right here in Honolulu, a testament to the ongoing work and resilience of Pacific communities in the face of unprecedented challenges. Let's listen and learn together.     A prolific essayist, Julian Aguon is the author of No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies (2022), which Junot Díaz calls “a breathtaking book . . . alive with passion, wisdom, and heart.” Aguon is the founder of Blue Ocean Law, a progressive firm that works at the intersection of Indigenous rights and environmental justice, and he serves on the Global Advisory Council of Progressive International. Kapuaʻala Sproat (Moderator) is the director of the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law at the University of Hawaiʻi.   The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation. BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss