The Story

Ken Campbell begins a trip next week to catalogue the debris from the Japanese tsunami.

Sandra Steingraber is a mother, a poet, a cancer survivor, ecologist and environmental activist living in Ithaca, New York.  She was arrested on Earth Day, and spent 15 days in jail, for protesting against hydraulic fracturing (fracking).  After many years in laboratories, and speaking at panels, she felt the time had come to use her body in a direct-action protest. She physically blocked the entrance to a drilling company called Inergy as a way of protesting the industrialization of the Finger Lakes in Central New York State.  

In recent years, the writing of one woman has helped bring scientists and opinion leaders a bit closer to understanding changes in the oceans. But Deborah Cramer doesn't come to this issue from a science background. In fact, she disliked science as a kid. But when she grew up, she moved to a home on the edge of a salt marsh, and soon she was captivated by what was happening in her own backyard. Also in the show: Starting a Christmas tradition

Matthew Moore grew up farming outside of Phoenix, Arizona. One summer when he came home from art school, he noticed developers had chopped down an old grove of citrus trees that had been there for as long as he could remember. The trees had blocked his view of the city. Suddenly, Matt could see hundreds of new neighbors. The suburbs were much closer than he had realized.

Since then, Matt has taken over the farm full time to learn as much as he can before it's sold. And he continues to make art. For his most well-known piece, Rotations: Moore Estates, Matt planted crops that would grow to make an exact replica of the suburbs being constructed next door.