The environmental and counterculture movements of the 60s have been inextricably linked since day one. The hippies decried war on materialism while promoting love, kindness and care for the planet. And one of through-lines of this movement was music. This week on Sea Change Radio, we take some time to remember the life of the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, who recently died at the age of 78. For many of us, across several generations, the Grateful Dead has been more than a band – it’s a movement that’s all about expanding your community and your mind. We dig into the archives to hear from Weir’s longtime bandmate, Bill Kreutzmann, and listen to excerpts of two interviews we did with Bobby’s late songwriting partner, John Perry Barlow.

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that each year a staggering 20 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes – that’s the equivalent of about 2,000 garbage trucks dumped into the globe’s waterways every day. This week on Sea Change Radio we are speaking with Judith Enck, former EPA administrator and current professor at Bennington College. We discuss her recent book, “The Problem with Plastics: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.” We examine some of the alarming stats associated with what seems to be a never-ending rise in plastics production and consumption, talk about how relatively little plastic is actually recycled, and delve into some policies and practices that can help stem the plastic tide.

In recent years Americans have suddenly begun paying attention to what Korea has to offer culturally: from K-Pop to television dramas, to mouth-watering Korean barbeque. But how many people know about Korea’s climate innovations and policy? This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to Hansae Song who works with the South Korean-based nonprofit, Solutions For Our Climate. We get a summary of Korea’s involvement in fighting climate change, look at the country’s energy grid, and discuss South Korea’s recent decision to stop subsidies for biomass fuel. Then, we dig into the archives to learn a little bit more about biomass, also known as wood pellets, from Mongabay contributor Justin Catanoso.