The Many Shades of Green – Providing ideas to help make the world a better place for this and future generations

Will AI Inherit the Earth? With Charlotte Ghiorse

The opening song is this weeks podcast is “The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth” by I Fight Dragons. The song is an anthem celebrating the triumph of outcasts, intelligence, and passion over popularity. It asserts that those who are ignored for being “different” are destined to inherit the world and succeed later in life. The common phrase “the geeks shall inherit the earth,” reflects a cultural shift where intellectual and technological skills are valued over social conformity. The song highlights that the social hierarchies of early years are temporary, and the people ridiculed for being “nerds” or “geeks” often become the leaders and innovators of the real world. The question now is, will AI created by geeks inherit the earth?

One can bet that Artificial Intelligence was developed by the nerds and geeks of the world, but how did it get started? People like Alan Turing, who first asked whether machines could think, laid the philosophical groundwork. Later, researchers like Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, and Yoshua Bengio pushed forward neural networks—the technology behind modern AI. These weren’t celebrities. They were researchers, often working in labs, driven by curiosity more than profit. Yes, these brilliant scientist are considered the geeks who started the research into Artificial intelligence. AI seems to be everywhere and it is one of the most transformative forces shaping our world today. It is in our phones, our computers, our schools, our workplaces, social media and is part of our daily lives. So what does it really mean for society? Artificial intelligence/AI refers to machines designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence—things like learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and in some cases, even creativity. Recommendation algorithms decide what you watch, how your GPS apps predict traffic, and how chatbots answer questions in seconds. As computing power exploded and data became abundant, the ideas of the creators of AI, the “geeks” created something that worked very well. What started as niche research turned into the backbone of trillion-dollar industries. While many of the “geeks” of the past are no longer at the center of AI, it is now in the hands of the most powerful companies in the world, which are being led by major tech organizations, venture capital firms, and governments. There are pros and cons to AI, and one of the cons is that AI Data Centers are sucking electricity and water from the communities where these centers are located. Data centers are renowned for their intensive energy consumption and many are facing challenges sourcing reliable electricity supplies for campuses that need to be up and running 24/7. With grids already under pressure from electrification strategies, the industry must deal with many projects which include plans to build their own power generators and fund connections to the grid. Communities are opposing the building of these centers and some have been successful in stopping them. On this episode of TMSOG we talk with our resident artist, comedian, writer, astrologist and super mom Charlotte Ghiorse. We touch on Artificial Intelligence and the problem with AI Data Centers, as well as the innovative inventions which have come out of NASA and the space program (hail Apollo and Artemis ll), as well as what’s being done to clean up plastic pollution, good things about banana trunks and of course, astrology. For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com

For more information on civic action go to https://civ.works/ To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/ Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

The Fools on “The Hill” with George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

Opening Song: The Fool on the Hill by The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney but attributed to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo, appearing in their 1967 album, Magical Mystery Tour. The song has different interpretations, but for me, it describes a person who sees what he wants to see, and lives in a bubble, as he differentiates himself from the world at large, and stays within his own circle.

Day after Day, alone on a hill.

The man with a foolish grin is keeping perfectly still.

But nobody wants to know him.

They can see that he’s just a fool,

And he doesn’t give an answer!

But the Fool on the hill sees the sun going down,

and the eyes in his head see the world spinning round!

The fool on the hill could be a single person or perhaps there are many fools on the hill. It is interesting to note that the term “The Hill” is used as a nickname for Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. where the U.S. Congress meets. Getting Congress to do its job has not been an easy task, as the current Speaker of the House has constantly put Congress in recess and nothing of substance seems to be getting done. The institution was designed to debate, compromise, and pass laws that address the nation’s problems. But increasingly, Americans are watching something else unfold. The House of Representatives through October 2025 had only met and voted on 87 days. They broke for holidays in November and December, which led to little being accomplished. There are fools on The Hill, and the song is quite apropos, as to the current workings of our representatives in the House and Senate, as they are not doing their jobs. There is a growing frustration with what many Americans are calling a “do-nothing Congress” which is now comprised of fools, as the members seem to be detached from reality. In these difficult times it is hard not to think about the song when looking at what is happening on The Hill-Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
While the country faces real challenges, war, rising costs, climate disasters, political division, infrastructure needs, pedophiles and global instability, the people elected to govern often appear locked in a different game entirely. A game of messaging, fundraising, and partisan theater. Citizens of the U.S. do not want war. What happened to the President’s promise of no wars and affordability so that we can all live a decent life? We want action on climate resilience, action on healthcare costs, action on housing shortages, action on immigration reform and the return of decency, empathy and morality.
On this episode of TMSOG we talk with George Polisner. George is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and is the founder of Civ.works. He gives us information regarding what’s happening or not happening on The Hill. We delve into how increased renewable energy could have staved off the dependence of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. We will also talk about Cuba, the lifting of Russian sanctions and more. For additional information go to https://civ.works/defend

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Are We Living In A Cartoon?

South Park Theme Song (Opens the program)

I’m goin’ down to South Park, gonna have myself a time.

Friendly faces everywhere, humble folks without temptation.

Goin’ down to South Park, gonna leave my woes behind.

Ample parking day or night, people spouting: “Howdy, neighbor!”

Headin’ on up to South Park gonna see if I can’t unwind.

Has any series ever had a more fitting theme song than “South Park”? The “South Park Theme” by funk metal group Primus, later reworked by projects led by Les Claypool, is a twanging, frenetic jingle that quite deliberately fails to convince the viewer that its monotone lyrics about the titular small town’s idyllic nature hit their mark. It’s a perfect way to set the stage for the absurdities that invariably follow. The whole thing was carefully planned out and arranged, but as “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone said back in 2010, “the whole thing took just one incredibly lucky cold call to pull off. “

So the question is, are we living in a cartoon?

In a cartoon, characters exaggerate everything: emotions, reactions, conflicts. Sometimes I feel that we are living in an episode of South Park which just keeps rotating day in and day out, sort of like the plot in the movie Groundhog Day. If you’ve ever watched South Park, you know the formula. Something ridiculous happens in the news. The characters react in completely over-the-top ways. Everyone argues, chaos spreads, hypocrisy gets exposed, and by the end of the episode you’re laughing… but also slightly uncomfortable because the satire feels a little too real. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, built their reputation on one simple idea: take the most outrageous thing happening in society and push it just a little further until the absurdity becomes obvious. At its core, animation is a form of storytelling, and stories are an essential part of the human experience. From the earliest days of human history, people have used stories to make sense of the world around them, pass on knowledge and wisdom, and connect with others.

Animation takes this storytelling to a new level, using visuals and sound to create a rich and immersive experience that can transport us to new places and introduce us to new characters.

In a cartoon, a character falls off a cliff and pops back up unharmed, in real life, when systems break, people get hurt. In the current moment in the United States, sometimes reality seems to be moving faster than the satire. It feels like we are living in an alternate universe and we are being governed by what resembles a reality show. Even if politics feels like a cartoon, the consequences are very real. Policies affect healthcare, schools, immigration, climate policy, and civil rights. Trust in elections are declining, environmental protections are being dismantled and economic inequality is widening. We are now at war with Iran, and we have not received a credible explanation as to why. Every day there is chaos and people are suffering and are stressed. Prices for oil, gas, food, rent and more are rising daily, and we the people are not being heard. When will the madness end? It’s no wonder that Americans are moving to Europe and other places globally, but we need to stay and we must continue to fight, protest, and bring our collective will together to fix this mess. Actions speak louder than words, and we need to take action, so in the words of Bob Marley, “Get up stand up, stand Up For Your Rights!“

On this episode of TMSOG podcast, Charlotte Ghiorse joins me as we delve into the question: are we living in a cartoon? Charlotte is our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet. We talk about the environmentally conscious ten your old fashion designer Max Alexander, and what he is doing to reduce fashion waste. We also touch on politics, astrology, eco and social issues and more. For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Feng Shui in the Fire Horse Year with Anjie Cho

I’m just here to mess with your feng shui

Rearrange the room in a new way

Get you back to feelin’ like yourself

Again, again, again

We start off the podcast with Philadelphia artist John Faye’s song Feng Shui, which uses the ancient Chinese philosophy of space and energy as metaphor of rearranging home energy to find emotional balance. The track is a standout single from his 2024 album, The Long Game, and is often celebrated as an anthem for resilience and personal renewal.

On this episode of The Many Shades of Green, we explore something ancient that feels surprisingly urgent-how feng shui connects to sustainability and environmental responsibility, as well as personal balance. Feng Shui is rooted in Taoism and Chinese philosophy, which teaches us that humans are inseparable from the natural world. The goal is balance between light and dark, activity and rest, people and planet. That’s also the foundation of sustainability. Imagine if environmental responsibility began with the energy in our bedrooms, kitchens, and gardens. Imagine if climate action wasn’t just about policy, but about how we arrange our living rooms. Maybe sustainability isn’t only about sacrifice, but about aligning your space with nature’s rhythms. We need to be intentional about what we bring into our homes. In feng shui, clutter blocks energy, as it creates stagnation. In environmental terms, clutter often represents overconsumption as we tend to buy fast furniture and disposable decor. Sustainability asks us to buy less, choose well, and keep things longer. Minimalism, when done thoughtfully, aligns with feng shui’s emphasis on intentional placement and meaningful objects. Instead of filling space, we curate it. It’s important to look at the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) through a sustainability lens, wind, energy, water and flow. Our homes can be sanctuaries, not just for us, but for the planet. Decluttering allows energy to flow and feng shui encourages natural materials, indoor plants, and connection to sunlight. It is important to align your space with nature’s rhythms and being intentional about what you bring into your home and your office. Organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council promotes LEED-certified buildings that optimize sunlight, airflow, and water efficiency — principles that mirror feng shui’s ancient guidelines. Feng Shui connects us to being more sustainable, as it helps us design spaces that heal us and the planet.

Our guest on this episode of TMSOG is Anjie Cho, who helps us understand how feng shui can give us balance, and how it helps us consume with intention. We touch on the importance of the Five Elements, as well as the current Lunar Year of the Fire Horse. Anjie is a feng shui guru, and is a New York-based architect, author, certified feng shui consultant, and teacher of mindful, holistic design. As the owner of Anjie Cho Architect PLLC and co-founder of the Mindful Design Feng Shui School, she focuses on creating nourishing environments through feng shui, ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), and sustainable design. Anjie hosts the Holistic Spaces podcast, runs a blog at HolisticSpaces.com, and has written books including Holistic Spaces and Mindful Homes.

We are living in a world that needs balance and needs us to take action to reduce chaos and create peace through understanding. To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Help Birds and Wildlife Snuggle and Survive the Winter with Victoria Alzapiedi Co-Founder of New Castle Healthy Yards

We start the podcast with the song Little Bird by Annie Lennox.

Annie Lennox released Little Bird as part of her debut solo album Diva, it might be one of the best songs ever to reference birds and it quickly became one of her signature songs. The track reached number three on the UK charts and became a number one hit on the U.S. dance charts. At its heart, though, the song is about Annie watching a bird in flight and longing for that same freedom, finally declaring: “this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now, so I’ve just got to put these wings to test.” For anyone who has ever wished they could spread their wings and take flight, this song remains a reminder that sometimes you just have to test those wings and soar. (The Birding Life-songs about birds)

It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter and we all want Spring to come, as there is only so much cabin fever one can take. After the recent blizzard which dumped over 20 inches of snow on my property, I kept looking out my window and did not see birds or other animals for a couple of days. Where did they all go? How do they survive? When a blizzard hits, most of us hunker down inside, dress in layers, turn up the heat, and drink hot chocolate, and keep that cup of coffee or shot of whiskey within reach. But outside, in the howling wind and blowing snow, birds and other critters are doing something extraordinary, they are surviving. While we cancel plans and complain about snow, tiny birds, each weighing less than a deck of cards are enduring the same storm with no walls, no heaters, no guarantees. Small birds will often roost alone or in groups, minimizing exposure to wind. The key enemy in a blizzard isn’t cold—it’s wind and wetness. Birds survive winter storms largely because of feathers, which are remarkably engineered insulation. Before a storm, birds fluff up, trapping pockets of warm air close to their bodies. Cold is survivable, but starvation is the real threat. Birds respond by gorging before storms, building fat reserves—sometimes increasing body weight by up to 10% in a single day. After the storm, it’s a race against time. A small songbird may only survive one winter night without food. This is why backyard feeders matter most during and immediately after storms, not just on calm winter days. Animals survive blizzards by finding shelter to escape wind and cold, such as tree cavities, thickets, underground burrows, or under structures like sheds,according to wildlife reports. They often hunker down and snuggle curling into balls to conserve body heat, or, in the case of small mammals like mice, burrow into insulating snowdrifts. In a way, birds and other wildlife surviving blizzards are reminding us resilience is about adaptation.
On this episode we have Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru who discusses wildlife surviving in winter. We talk about how birds (and other species) endure brutal winter storms—blizzards, ice, white-out conditions—and what their survival can teach us about resilience, adaptation, and even how we can help. We also discuss the importance of planting trees to provide resources for wildlife. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards and Chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board. In addition she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations (mynativegardenoasis.com). For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook. Check out the Audubon Society @ https://act.audubon.org and https://www.nwf.org/ National Wildlife Federation.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Keep Hope Alive, We Are NOT Afraid with George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works

This week’s TMSOG podcast opens with a beautiful rendition of We Shall Overcome performed by the Morehouse College Glee Club

We Shall Overcome and other protest songs provided the soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement. The period saw the U.S. confront one of the most complex and controversial issues in its history-race relations. The origins of the song are unclear, as it was thought to have descended from “I’ll Overcome Some Day,” a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley, while the modern version of the song was first said to have been sung by tobacco workers led by Lucille Simmons during the 1945-1946 Charleston Cigar Factory Strike in Charleston, South Carolina. The most famous version is the Pete Seeger rendition. In August 1963, 22-year old folksinger Joan Baez, led thousands of people in singing “We Shall Overcome” at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, where the famous “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend Jesse Jackson was part of the inner circle of Dr. King and was in attendance. Reverend Jackson recently passed away at the age of 84, and he always stood up for social justice and was a powerful voice for civil rights, voting rights, labor protections, anti-poverty initiatives, and peace. His speeches, organizing strategies, and coalition-building fundamentally shaped modern progressive politics.

Reverend Jackson said: “Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.”

I grew up in the 1960s and 70s and lived through and felt the pain of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, the Civil Rights riots and uprisings between 1964 and 1969 in New York, Newark, LA, Detroit, Chicago and other cities across the US. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated two months apart in 1968. Protestors filled the streets in opposition to the Vietnam War. Police brutality, systematic racism and inequality impacted American life, and citizens were on edge, as chaos reigned throughout the nation. While there were peaceful demonstrations, there was also intense civil unrest. During the “Long, Hot Summer of 1967,” more than 150 race riots erupted in cities across the country — fueled by deep frustration over police brutality, segregation, poverty, and systemic inequality. Flash forward to this current moment in history and we are again in perilous times, as democracy is being dismantled from within. In early 2026, Minnesota became a focal point for protests tied to federal immigration enforcement actions undertaken by Operation Metro Surge, where a significant number of federal agents by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been deployed. Outrage grew especially after fatal shootings and the use of force on immigrants and US citizens. These actions ignited statewide demonstrations, general strikes, and large public mobilizations calling for ICE to leave Minnesota and for accountability. In Minneapolis, tens of thousands of people participated in protests and a coordinated “shutdown” to oppose aggressive immigration raids and demand policy changes. People have the power and are standing up and are becoming leaders, as actual leaders seem to be MIA. Past leaders like the Reverend Jesse Jackson, as well as John Lewis, who spoke of the need to cause good trouble, have left a void which has not been filled. There is a leadership vacuum, and as our young nation enters its 250th year, we are underestimating the danger of the current administration’s autocratic behavior. What can we do to get the nation back on course? Will we overcome some day?

George Polisner joins us on this episode of TMSOG podcast. George is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and is the founder of Civ.works. He gives us information regarding the EPA eliminating core climate protection, Reverend Jesse Jackson’s passing, CBS and the FCC pressuring Stephen Colbert regarding the Equal Time Rule, plus the death of The Washington Post, the Orwellian “Board of Peace” and more. For more information go to https://civ.works/defend

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Longtermism, Monks Walk for Peace, plus Astrology with Charlotte Ghiorse, Founder of House of Choclet

We start off The Many Shades of Green podcast with IMAGINE by John Lennon, which was written in 1971 as a utopian anthem calling for world peace. It asks listeners to envision a society free from the divisions of nationalism and material possessions. Co-written with Yoko Ono, the song promotes unity, secular humanism, and living in the moment. It acts as a hopeful, anti-establishment, and anti-war plea for a brotherhood of man.

The Buddhist Monks are living the themes of Imagine, as their walk for peace finally reached its destination after walking 2300 miles from Texas to Washington DC. Many of the people lining the various routes had been following the monks for months on social media, hooked by their seemingly simple message about blocking out the noise of a messy world and finding tranquillity. People from all races, colors, creeds, diverse religions and even those in the law enforcement who were keeping them secure felt a calling for peace and mindfulness. The Monks were helping us get through these most difficult times, times that I never imagined I would see in my lifetime. We live in an age of urgency, chaos, breaking news, breaking systems and breaking nerves. We have to believe in a better future even though we cannot predict or know what that future will bring. Which is why we need both longtermism and optimism. We can question what is happening now, but what will matter decades and centuries from now? Longtermism asks us to value the long-term future, not just the next election or quarterly profit, but the generations that will live 50, 100, even 500 years from now. Philosophers associated with this idea argue that future people will have real moral worth, be more empathetic, and live a happier more content life. The choices we make now could have enormous ethical weight. There are real indications that longterm thinking in environmental policy is urgently needed.

The 2025 policies of the current the EPA rolled back many environmental regulations, exempting hundreds of plants from pollution limits — a decision with immediate effects and long-term consequences for air quality and public health. Just this week on February 12, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration officially announced the revocation of the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a landmark decision that declared greenhouse gases a threat to human health and welfare. This action, described by Trump as “the single largest deregulatory action in American history,” removes the legal foundation for most federal regulations targeting greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas facilities. The political decisions show how short-term interests can collide with long-term climate and health outcomes, and why we must work on future-focused policy matters more than ever. In terms of AI, experts have estimated substantial risks around misaligned AI, including the possibility of systems that could profoundly disrupt or threaten human autonomy if not governed carefully. We need to push for policies that ensure AI development benefits humanity, and that is does not undermine it. We need to move forward, be active, keep optimism in our sight and work to make sure that we will be good ancestors to the Seventh Generation to come. So on this episode of TMSOG podcast we discuss longtermism, the increasing popularity of second hand and reusable clothes, furniture, tech items and more. We also touch Astrology, and other eco and social issues with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet, Charlotte Ghiorse. https://www.houseofchoclet.com/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

The Winter Irruption of the Red-breasted Nuthatch and Helping Wildlife Survive in the Cold with Environmental Guru Victoria Alzapiedi

We start the podcast with the song “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” by Frank Zappa, which is the opening track of a surreal, satirical suite about an Eskimo named Nanook dreaming of a journey where his mother warns him to avoid yellow, husky-contaminated snow. The track is from his fifth solo album Apostrophe (‘) released in (1974), and was inspired by a conversation about Eskimo language. The song serves as a whimsical, cautionary tale against eating polluted snow.

Winter is now upon on in full force. We recently had a historic snow storm in the northeast and other parts of the country. We have to think about what a difficult time it is for the birds, insects, and small animals around us. Winter is a season of survival. So what do we need to do to prepare our yards and landscapes to become true winter habitats? Life-saving ecosystem are crucial in making survival of wildlife possible and the way we landscape our yards plays a big role in that process. For decades, we’ve been taught that a “good yard” is neat, tidy, trimmed, and clean. But nature doesn’t work that way. In fact, many of the things we are encouraged to remove in fall — leaves, seed heads, fallen branches, dead stems — are exactly what wildlife depends on to survive winter.

When we build landscapes that support life, even in the coldest months, we are choosing connection over control, care over convenience and stewardship over aesthetics, which is crucial in the colder seasons. Good gardening is key to survival of wildlife. We must assist Mother Nature in helping creatures live through the harder winter months. Winters today are more unpredictable than they used to be as freeze-thaw cycles, sudden deep freezes, and erratic storms are becoming more common with climate change, which makes resilient landscaping more important than ever. Diverse plantings, native species, layered habitats — trees, shrubs, perennials, ground cover — all work together to create stability.
We are joined on this episode by Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru who gives us great info about putting a winter plan in place to support habitat in freezing weather, snow and ice. We talk about birds and small mammals, especially the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a member of Friends of Buttonhook, which is working to save a 20.3 acre forrest in the Town of New Castle. In addition, she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 5300 members. So again, in the words of Frank Zappa, don’t eat the yellow snow. Only your doggies know what’s in there. For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook. Check out the Audubon Society @ https://act.audubon.org and https://www.nwf.org/ National Wildlife Federation.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

What Say the EPA About What Your Life is Worth, plus Green Day says “Know Your Enemy” with George Polisner Founder of Civ.works

The song Know Your Enemy by Green Day which was released in 2009, is about questioning authority, societal control, self-destructive tendencies, and encouraging listeners to identify the real sources of oppression, whether external (government, elites) or internal (personal beliefs, bad habits).
Green Day has many successful titles including American Idiot, and they will be the opening act for Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show. I cannot wait to see what Green Day has in store for us. It’s going to be an epic ride!

Do we know who the enemy is now? The state of Minnesota, which has far less immigrants than Texas and Florida now seems to be the enemy of the current administration, and Federal troops might be sent to the state to quell the current protests which are peaceful. ICE is using tactics to intimidate the populace of Minneapolis and St.Paul, two cities with peaceful residents trying not to be dragged out of their cars, homes, and taken from their schools. Many of those taken into custody are American citizens with no criminal records and who are legal citizens. We are now told by ICE via the Department of Homeland Security to “carry” our papers. Check out the history of Germany in the 1930s and you will see the similarities to today’s USA. This isn’t dysfunction, it’s political choice, and it’s a nightmare. ICE continues operating with enormous budgets, limited oversight, minimal accountability, and devastating human consequences. Where is Congress, where is the Supreme Court, where is the Press, and where are the checks and balances? Who is going to uphold the Constitution to stop the madness? On this episode of TMSOG our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, George Polisner, founder of Civ.works, joins us and gives us some insight into the why checks and balances are not working, as well as why the EPA is rolling back regulations and has determined that the value of a life is zero. Why has Congress not stopped the current administration from dismantling democracy? The powers that be are truly intent on destroying life as we know it, using violence while they disregard the law. Who is really is the enemy and who is really in charge? Who is pulling the puppet strings?

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Hail Sweden’s Second Hand Mall, plus good environmental news about the Amazon Rainforest, and some Astrology with Charlotte Ghiorse, Founder of House of Choclet

I’m wearing second-hand hats
Second-hand clothes
That’s why the call me Second Hand Rose
Even our piano in the parlor
Father bought for ten cents on the dollar
Second-hand pearls
I’m wearing second-hand curls
I never get a single thing that’s new

The aforementioned lyrics are from the song Second Hand Rose as performed by Barbara Streisand. The song is apropos to the topic we discuss in this week’s TMSOG podcast, which is about the need to reduce waste by recycling, reusing clothes and other items.
I used to shop with my mom, QOFE Ruthie at second hand and antique stores in Brooklyn and NYC, especially Greenwich Village. I loved wandering around checking out cool hats, clothes, costume jewelry, dishes from England and sometimes vinyl records, 33s, 45s, and 78s mostly from the 40s,50s and early 60’s. People would sometimes look down upon those of us who shopped at stores with gently used items, but secondhand stores are no longer a stigma. We can make smarter choices, take action on the climate and show creative expression. People are selling and buying secondhand for so many reasons. Many folks want to save money, reduce waste, avoid fast fashion, find unique, one-of-a-kind pieces and make extra income from selling items they no longer use. Resale apps like Depop, Vinted, ThredUp, Poshmark, and eBay have made it easy. But Sweden took the idea even further — and turned secondhand into an actual mall experience. In Eskilstuna, Sweden, there’s something called ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, often known as the world’s first secondhand mall. It’s a full shopping mall where everything sold is reused, repaired, upcycled, or secondhand. We are a throw away society, so maybe it’s time to consider selling old clothes, and swapping them for other items, donating them, and to reimagine what you can do with older items to reduce waste. It is highly possible that somewhere out there, someone else might need exactly what you no longer use. So this week we discuss the second hand mall in Sweden, a Swedish billionaire who is helping to save the Amazon Rainforest, Octlantis where Octopuses thrive, plus Astrology, and other eco and social issues with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet, Charlotte Ghiorse- https://www.houseofchoclet.com/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Courage and High Hopes with Yolanda Nava, Tina Flores and George Polisner

This week’s podcast started with the song “High Hopes” sung by Frank Sinatra, which is an anthem about optimism, perseverance, and overcoming impossible odds by believing in yourself. The song ends with the phrase “Oops, there goes another problem, ker-plop.” It became a signature tune for its uplifting message, and was even adopted by John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. Some of the lyrics are about overcoming obstacles which represent challenges that seem insurmountable but are overcome with “high hopes”. The tune encourages listeners to not give up when things seem impossible and for people to have a positive “can-do” attitude.

I started the New Year with high hopes, only to have those hopes dashed by the current regime starting a war with Venezuela, thus continuing the chaos of 2025. Hope seems elusive now, but it is crucial that we continue to fight and resist. I don’t have high apple pie in the sky hopes, as the song lyric says, but again, we cannot give up, as there are more of us. So where can we find hope? Is it something that is achievable in these difficult times? There are good things happening, but it is mostly under the radar, as mainstream media has been reduced to regurgitating the lies and misinformation being planted in the press daily. On the environmental front, 2025 marked the first year in which renewable energy generated more electricity than coal. Regarding social justice issues, people are mobilizing and taking to the streets to protest the demise of democracy and to protect their civil rights.

People are mobilizing by staying informed, by showing up to local meetings, school boards and town halls. We must support independent journalists, organizers, and watchdog groups and call our representatives—and not just during election season. Our right to protest must be protected. Democracy must remain participatory—or it disappears. We must unite and use our power as citizens. So it’s good to see that millions of people are taking to the streets to protest war, ICE and the rise of fascism. We must continue to raise our voices, protect one another and fight for truth, justice and our fundamental rights under the Constitution. We need to continue to find space for hope, as we cannot let fear overtake us. Yolanda Nava, Tina Flores and George Polisner give us great information, stories, life experience and wisdom on social justice, environmental issues and more.

For more information go to https://civ.works/ To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ and https://malcolmpresents.com Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

2025 It’s A Wrap, Hellooo 2026

We start off the 2025 Wrap Up with the song by Yusuf/Cat Stevens “Peace Train” which is a hopeful anthem from 1971 calling for global unity, understanding, and an end to conflict, using the metaphor of a communal journey where everyone boards a train towards peace, leaving hate behind for a better world where love and compassion prevail. Written during the Vietnam War era, it is a call for people to join together, get on the “Peace Train,” and move towards a blissful, unified existence, a message that remains relevant for global hope and relief efforts.

So here we are 54 years after the song was written, and Buddhist monks are on a cross-country ‘Walk for Peace” from Texas to Washington DC expressing the same sentiment of Peace Train. Their mission is to promote peace, loving kindness and compassion through quiet presence, mindfulness and simplicity. They are encouraging people to find inner peace, to create a more unified world. Their aim is to foster unity and inspire hope. The monks from the Huong Dao Vispassana Bhavana Center began their 2,300 mile walk on Oct. 26 from Fort Worth, Texas. Their dog Aloka, who started following them on a Peace Walk in India and has been with them ever since, is accompanying them. The group has been walking for more than 60 days and still have nearly two months remaining before reaching Washington, D.C. The goal of the journey is to encourage individuals and communities to cultivate peace within themselves as a step toward peace in the wider world. What do we all want in the coming year? We want peace, stability, and an end to the chaos that is engulfing our nation.

2025 was not an easy year, political tension shaped nearly every conversation—from climate and public health to food systems and education. Everything is political: the environment is political, health is political, and justice is political. There were many heroes and villains, as tensions were constantly on the rise and the chaos never stopped. People are numb, but millions have stood up to the violence and abuse of power. There were numerous No Kings rallies in all 50 states, individual citizens continue to stand up to ICE, and communities have banded together by using whistles and apps to help their immigrant neighbors stay out of harms way from masked Federal agents who rip them from their homes, jobs, and workplace without due process. A vast majority of clergy members are standing up and protecting their congregants and those seeking refuge. I give a big shout out to the Frogs, Chickens, Pandas and Unicorns who stood on the front lines to stop the unimaginable violence. Various organizations stood up and fought back via legal actions and education, particularly the ACLU, Earthjustice, Union of Concerned Scientists, Democracy Docket, Civ.works and so many more. There are many heroes who have come forward, and we all know who the villains are. If 2025 taught us anything, it’s this: policy without enforcement isn’t enough, local action matters, science and public awareness are finally aligning and hope isn’t passive—it must be practiced. In a divided year, community—both offline and through shared culture—became a quiet form of resistance. Heroes rose from unexpected places, and we all became a band of brothers and sisters, and the Monks marching for peace are giving us hope that maybe goodness will prevail in 2026. So as 2025 comes to a close lets all ride the peace train and continue to act and resist! Future generations depend on what we do in this moment. So it was my pleasure to have The Many Shades of Green team on the 2025 wrap show to talk about this chaotic year and what our hopes are for 2026. George Polisner, Charlotte Ghiorse https://www.houseofchoclet.com/, Rusti/Paula Wolintz, Malcolm Burman and Neil Richter gave us great info and opinions about 2025 and what we can expect in 2026.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.