{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Pacific Time: West Coast What-Ifs","title":"Leave America and Discover Ecotopia?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1293,"description":"Can the West Coast outgrow America? Greg explores Ecotopia, sovereignty, and the future of freedom—solo.\n\nIn this episode of Pacific Time, host Greg Amrofell trades guests for green tea, a dog-eared novel, and a mic, inviting listeners on a hike through political despair, ecological design, and West Coast sovereignty. The guidebook? A 1975 cult classic: Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach.\n\nThis isn’t just a book review. It’s a reframing of what independence really means. Greg weaves personal reflection with insights from past guests—exploring the paradox of building a region that’s both more self-directed and more interconnected.\n\nIs Ecotopia just a retro fantasy? Or a prophetic prototype for a West Coast that’s already halfway out the door?\n🔍 Episode Highlights\n\n\n✅ Why Ecotopia still resonates 50 years later\n✅ The difference between freedom and isolation\n✅ A fictional interview between Greg and William Weston\n✅ Callbacks to insights from recent guests\n✅ What West Coast sovereignty might actually look like\n✅ Independence and interdependence: Why we need both\n✅ What we can learn from fiction—and how to turn it into policy\n✅ A closing invitation: What if we stopped asking permission from DC?\n📚 Related Resources\nEcotopia by Ernest Callenbach\n“What Is Bioregionalism?” – Cascadia Dept. of Bioregion\nCalExit Campaign\n\n\n🎧 Related Episodes\n02: What If the West Coast Designed Itself? (with Mickey McManus)\n03: What If We Took Back the Budget? (with Julie Dingley)\n04: What If California Was Already a Nation? (with Marcus Ruiz Evans)\n05: What If We Drew the Map Differently? (with Yogi Uriah)\n06 If American Healthcare is Broken, What Can the West Coast Do? (with Mike Hanlon)\n07: What If the World Doesn’t Need Us Anymore? (with John Zysman) \n\n👤 About the Host\n\nGreg Amrofell is the host of Pacific Time, a podcast exploring the big 'what if' questions about the future of the West Coast. Greg is also an entrepreneur, writer and untrained thespian who believes we can challenge the...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/RiJTUotxJlYklbKzDgyTqwzVKHgRkNcPUSmnYW5aI_8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wMGJh/ZTI4OTU4ODAzN2I4/NjRmNjBjNDJlY2I3/MmI5Yy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}