Peter O'Dowd

2 months ago | wbur.org | Peter O'Dowd

Those of you who’ve listened to this show over the years may remember the misadventures of my dog, Bisbee. She was a chihuahua who loved to run. She must have had some Italian greyhound in her blood because her little stick legs could beat me in a footrace.

Feb 7, 2025 | wbur.org | Peter O'Dowd

Produce importers ‘panicking’ over tariff threat at the borderInside a warehouse at the Sykes Produce Company in Nogales, Ariz. This time of year, squash grown in Mexico is shipped to Nogales and then distributed around the country. (Peter O'Dowd/Here & Now)Mexican farms provide 63% of the vegetables imported into the United States. And thanks to decades of free trade between the two neighboring countries, those products cross the border without any tariffs.

Jan 31, 2025 | wbur.org | Chris Bentley |Peter O'Dowd

Chris Bentley Producer, Here & NowChris Bentley is a producer for Here & Now, where he has produced daily news and features since 2015. Chris came to the show from Chicago. Peter O'Dowd Senior Editor, Here & NowPeter O’Dowd has a hand in most parts of Here & Now — producing and overseeing segments, reporting stories and occasionally filling in as host. He came to Boston from KJZZ in Phoenix. Reporters' notebook: How can we be less wasteful?

Jan 29, 2025 | wbur.org | Peter O'Dowd

Tearing down a building is a dirty job. The construction industry creates about 600 million tons of trash each year, more than twice the amount of everyday garbage that people in cities and towns throw away. That means mountains of used bricks, shingles, window frames and even perfectly good appliances are tossed into landfills when a building is demolished to make way for a new one. But cities across the country are starting to recognize the problem.

Jan 27, 2025 | wbur.org | Peter O'Dowd |Chris Bentley

A mechanical dog unleashed at a California landfill can scamper over mountains of trash in hot pursuit of methane leaks. The four-legged robot is part of a pilot project that Orange County Waste & Recycling has been testing to help it find the planet-warming gas leaks that are common at landfills worldwide. “This is some of the best available technology that we're trying out today in order to protect public health and the environment,” landfill director Tom Koutroulis said.