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Underreported: Conservation, Big and Small

Which is more effective: large-scale conservation practices or smaller, more localized organizations? Large international NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund have contributed a lot to global conservation efforts. But some scientists and policymakers worry that conservation is being corporatized, at the expense of local programs and leadership. On the first part of this week’s Underreported, Leonard speaks with Dr. Mary Pearl, President of Wildlife Trust, and Jon Paul Rodríguez of the Center for Ecology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations. They're co-authors of a recent article in Science magazine, which you can download here from wildlifetrust.org.

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Underreported: The Darker Side of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs are catching on as stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot encourage their customers to make the switch. But inside each bulb is about 5 milligrams of toxic mercury. On the second part of Underreported, Leonard will be speaking with Lisa Rainwater, policy director at Riverkeeper, to find out whether that mercury offsets the environmental benefits of using the bulbs, and what lawmakers and retailers are doing to help customers safely dispose of their used compact fluorescents.

New Yorkers can drop off their used compact fluorescents at special drop-off sites around the city. For more information, go to NYCWasteLe$$ website. IKEA is also accepting used CFBs for recycling.

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Martha Plimpton Does Shakespeare in the Park

Martha Plimpton has just finished a Tony-nominated turn in Tom Stoppard’s “Coast of Utopia.” She now joins Leonard to talk about her new role in the Shakespeare in the Park production of a “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Performances of Shakespeare in the Park will be Tuesday through Sunday at 8pm. Tickets are FREE. For additional information, call (212) 539-8750 or visit the Public Theater website

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Adults-Only Acrobatics

There’s a circus on the New York City pier of South Street Seaport, but it’s not for kids. The adults-only variety show, called “Absinthe,” bills itself as acro-burlesque. The biggest draw is the acrobatic rollerskating pair, Jean-Pierre and Wanda Poisenette, also known as the Skating Willers. Ross Mollison, the director and producer of “Absinthe,” joins the Skating Willers to talk about acro-burlesque.

Buy tickets to Absinthe

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Faust in Copenhagen

1932 was a miracle year for physics. It saw the discovery of the neutron and the first artificially induced nuclear transmutation. At the same time, Europe was moving closer toward totalitarianism and war. This was the backdrop for the historic gathering of forty of the world’s leading physicists in Copenhagen in 1932. Physicist Gino Segrè captures this moment, when physics and the world was about to lose its innocence, in Faust in Copenhagen.

Faust in Copenhagen is available for purchase at amazon.com

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