Episode 4 – Blibber Blubber & Big Balloon

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This week was rough because of *gestures broadly* but we’re still here to burst your bubble! But really though. We cover the juicy secrets of the “gum base” in your chewing gum and the truth behind “biodegradable” balloons. Then we find ways to still have a fun party and how to use design to change the way we consume plastics.

Olivia mentioned Leena Norms’ A Guide to Positive Panic series as a good way to process climate anxiety and the climate crisis. Elise has been liking the climate podcast Drilled and how it connects the unusual ways Big Oil is present in our lives.

Story #1 (Elise) : Chewing Gum

Sources:

History Channel, Aug 22, 2018, Chew On This History of Gum
Smithsonian Magazine, June 16, 2009, A Brief History of Chewing Gum
Science Focus, What Is Chewing Gum
Deccan Chronicle, June 1 2017, Here’s The Unusual Ingredient In Gum You Didn’t Know About
Wikipedia, Chewing Gum
BBC, March 6, 2018, World Hacks: A Surprising New Afterlife for Chewing Gum

Plastic Free Gum Alternatives:
Simply Gum
Glee Gum

Want to shop products made from used chewing gum or get involved in the recycling process? Check out Gum Drop LTD here.

Story #2 (Olivia) : Balloons

Sources:

Detroit Free Press, Global helium shortage is a growing threat to graduation parties and scientific research
CNBC, The worldwide helium shortage affects everything from MRIs to rockets 
Science World’s resource on Balloons
Balloon Debris research by Lara O’Brien
BalloonsBlow.org, especially  their Backyard Biodegradability Test 
The Atlantic’s video The Doomed Cleveland Balloonfest of 1986 
The Conversation, We Composted Biodegradable Balloons. Here’s what we found.
Physics Today, Helium shortage has ended, at least for now

We love this wholesome video of a non-disastrous Guinness World Record attempt for most giant bubbles ever made.

There were some fun, environmentally-friendly balloon alternatives on Balloon Debris.org and Balloons Blow. We especially liked the idea of DIY Bubbles or Floating Wishes, but there are a lot of suggestions for different types of events!

The Dump

We’ve been watching a lot of good TV this week: Great News, Undone, Border, and The Wedding Planner. We hope you’re hanging in there and that this episode made you feel better, especially if you’re feeling bogged down by the US news cycle like us.

Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.

If you enjoyed this episode, considering reviewing us on Apple Podcasts and downloading/subscribing/following wherever you like to do those things. It helps us immensely.

Thanks for listening!

Ep. 82 – Cheese Caves and Banana Republics – World Is Burning

We’re digging into America’s deepest darkest secrets — when it comes to food, that is. Elise tells us how one president’s cheese became the next president’s problem, which might lead you to Google “American government 1.4 billion pounds of cheese in caves.” We explore how the cheese caves of yesteryear became the weird milk ads of our present. Then Olivia gives us a brief history of bananas, which involves quite a lot of railroad tycoons, bare minimum union demands, and good old American capitalism. Plus, our theory as to why slipping on banana peels was more common a century ago, and our next book club pick. Subscribe/follow/press the button to keep up with new episodes every Wednesday! You can also follow us @worldisburnin on Instagram and Twitter, and check out our website worldisburning.com for extended show notes including sources and photos. World Is Burning is hosted by Olivia Hamilton and Elise Nye. Our theme music is by Kaycie Satterfield, and our logo was made by Sonja Katanic.

1. Ep. 82 – Cheese Caves and Banana Republics 01:10:23
2. Ep. 81 – Navigating Anger & Disinformation in Times of Conflict 01:16:42
3. Ep. 80 – Something in the Water – Hurricane Sandy & Flint Michigan 01:12:13
4. Ep. 79 – Disability & Climate: Greyhound fights the ADA and Lyme Disease 01:26:05
5. Ep. 78 – Labor & Leisure – The First Strike & A Depression-Era Prediction 01:29:24