The Sound Defense Alliance Podcast

Sep 01 2022

The Sound Defense Alliance Podcast artwork

Birds singing over snow-capped mountains, waves crashing over sea glass and stone, the pitter-patter of rain falling over moss covered forests - these are the sounds you’d expect from Northwest Washington. They’re also the sounds being relentlessly disrupted by the roaring of Navy EA-18G Growler jets. Join Sound Defense Alliance Media Coordinator Terra Huey and Media Activist Caitlin Epstein as they guide you through this 12-episode series about the military’s harmful impacts on health, children’s learning, climate, animals, and more. Learn what’s happening around this issue and how YOU can help protect the sounds of wind, birds, and waves.

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Episode 1: Introducing the Sound Defense Alliance and the Growler Jet Noise Issue with Anne Harvey and Mark Lundsten

Sep 01 2022 29 mins

The Navy’s Boing EA-18G Growlers: The loudest planes in the world and they’re flown over protected, environmentally sensitive, and irreplaceable areas across the greater region of Northwest Washington. These jets have astounding impacts on human health, the environment, and so much more. In this introduction episode, we will ease you into the Growler jet noise issue and how the

Episode 2: Legal Efforts in the Fight Against the Growler Jets with Paula Spina

Sep 01 2022 26 mins

It’s difficult to take on the United States Navy, but if anyone’s up for it it’s Paula Spina and the Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve (COER). In this episode, retired attorney Paula Spina (she/her) breaks down the legal action being taken against the Navy regarding the impacts of the Growler jets across Northwest Washington, including the State of Washington and COER’s National

Episode 3: Growler Jet Noise Impacts on Hearing Health with Marianne Brabanski and Dr. Edmund Seto

Sep 01 2022 20 mins

It’s hard to put the experience of Growler jet noise into words. It’s just that loud. Often heard on the ground at sounds reaching between 70 and 120 decibels, Growler jet noise has a significant impact on hearing health. In this episode, audiologist Marianne Brabanski (she/her) and Associate Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Dr. Edmund Seto (he/him)

Episode 4: The Population Health Crisis of the Growler Jets with Chris Hurley and Dr. Edmund Seto

Sep 01 2022 20 mins

The noise emitted by Growler jets has profound impacts on human health and all of the ways that they damage health aren’t even known yet. They are a population health crisis. In this episode, community-oriented public health leader and advocate Chris Hurley (she/her) and Associate Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Dr. Edmund Seto (he/him) share the num

Episode 5: Military Presence and Its Impact on Communities with Zoltán Grossman

Sep 01 2022 41 mins

Do you know what military bases are near you and what purpose they serve? Guest Zoltán Grossman (he/him), a professor of Geography and Native Studies at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, recognized that the public does not have a true understanding of the role of the United States military and its bases, not just in Northwest Washington, but around the world. In this epi

Episode 6: The Economic Impacts of Naval Presence and the Growler Jet Program on Whidbey Island with Michael Shuman

Sep 01 2022 26 mins

How true is the slogan, “Jets = Jobs?” Well, jets do create jobs, but so do most development initiatives. What’s less understood are the negative economic effects of the Naval installations on Whidbey Island, Washington. Economist Michael Shuman (he/him) joins the podcast to share the true economic impacts of these naval installations, both positive and negative. Listen for a

Episode 7: How the Growlers Are Polluting Our Air and Local Communities with Chris Greacen and Rick Abraham

Sep 01 2022 30 mins

Do you have 13 friends you could gather for a cross-country road trip from Seattle to New York and back? Not to give things away, but you’d have to make that trip in 14 Priuses in order to produce the amount of CO2 that one Growler jet produces in a single hour of flight. Not only that, but the firefighting foam used during military training contains dangerous chemicals that have

Episode 8: The Impacts of Naval Activities on Animals with Bob Wilbur

Sep 01 2022 18 mins

Free Willy. SeaWorld and Blackfish. Whale watching tours. People simply love orca whales. Unfortunately, this beloved species and many more are being harmed by the Navy’s Growler jet program and Naval activities in the waters of Northwest Washington. Guest Bob Wilbur (he/him), the president of the Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve (COER), tells us about how animals are impacted by the

Episode 9: The Threat of the Growler Jets to Public Lands with Rob Smith

Sep 01 2022 18 mins

U.S. National Parks are set aside as spaces where visitors from all over the country and the world can go for recreation and relaxation and experience natural beauty, peace, and quiet. The Olympic National Park is one of those spaces and has even been home to one of the quietest places on earth, but its peace and quiet is greatly disrupted by Growler jets flying overhead. In this e

Episode 10: The Impacts of the Growler Jets on Children

Sep 01 2022 12 mins

Children are some of the most vulnerable members of the communities of Northwest Washington, and they face many of the most severe effects of the Growler jets. In this episode, we’ll hear from several guests - parents, a population health professor, an audiologist, an environmental advocate, and a former school board member - about the many, many impacts on children. They face he