 |
|
| QUEST Radio: Explore Audio Field Trips |
QUEST Radio will explore urban environmental challenges such as pollution, toxics and threats to our food supply. New technologies, emerging trends in science and the impact of public policy on our natural resources also will be investigated.
Jo Anne Wallace, vice president for radio at KQED and KQEI, says the radio staff is "enthusiastic about QUEST. We're looking forward to taking listeners on revealing audio field trips about environment, nature and science issues throughout Northern California."
Listen for February features on new research aimed at curbing urban pollution from heat build-up in cities and the latest on alternative fuels told from the front seat of a biodiesel road trip.
Curbing Pollution by Keeping Cities Cooler
The typical urban landscape is full of buildings with black tar roofs, concrete parking lots and industrial plants. The lack of trees, open space and lighter surfaces can create what's known as an urban heat island. Temperatures in cities can often climb 20 degrees higher than surrounding rural areas. All this increased heat requires more energy to run appliances such as fans and air conditioners. Creating the electricity to run them increases smog and global warming emissions. Architects, community groups and scientists are coming up with new ways to keep cities cooler including depaving projects, roof top garden programs and new kinds of high-tech roof tile technology. QUEST Radio scales rooftops to examine the connection between urban pollution and the physics of light.
Test Driving Biodiesel
Concern over global warming and oil consumption recently has increased attention on biodiesel and other alternative fuels. But how does it all work? What's the difference between regular diesel, biodiesel and veggie oil? Can converting to 'experimental' fuel hurt your car or negate your warranty? There are a myriad of alternative pump stations in the Bay Area, and with so many restaurants, there's plenty of discarded veggie oil to go around. But what if you decide to embark on a road trip? Can you actually make it to Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe or Big Sur without running out of fuel? The QUEST Team sets off to explore the answers to those questions in a converted biodiesel van on a drive to southern California and back. In the process, they find out a lot about alternative fuels and discover that it's not always so easy to be green.
QUEST Radio airs Fridays at 6:30am and repeats at 8:30am on KQED FM 88.5 and
KQEI FM 89.3 Sacramento
QUEST Radio Launches Friday, Feburary 2, 2007 at 6:30am.
|
|
|
