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

Squirrels are Super + Tips to Prepare Your Yard for Fall with Victoria Alzapiedi Co-Founder of New Castle Healthy Yards and Environmental Consultant at My Native Garden Oasis

The podcast starts off with the Squirrel Song (a parody of the Beastie Boys’ song “Girls” often featured on The Dr. Demento Show). It was written and performed by the comedy group The Beastly Boys (Ron Friedman, Chip Craig, and Steve Bencich) using the instrumental music of the Beastie Boys. The song lyrics find Squirrels complaining about cars, fur coats, hunting, and being cute and harmless. The novelty song first debuted and became a regular favorite on The Dr. Demento Show in 1987, though it was not officially released on a compilation CD (Dr. Demento’s Basement Tapes No. 5) until 1996.

Squirrels are amazing animals, and are kinda cute. The squirrel family is one of the most widespread creatures on Earth. There are almost 300 species of squirrels that can glide through the air, outwit rattlesnakes, and survive the coldest temperatures of any mammal. As we approach Fall, they are very busy gathering acorns and winterizing their homes. They store food, build insulated nests and eat extra food to build body fat. When we cut trees, replace native habitat with lawns and and put up parking lots we reduce their ability to survive. Humans have built neighborhoods across wildlife corridors and fragmented the places where animals once moved freely. It’s important to think before we destroy areas where wildlife live and survive. Squirrels. chipmunks and mice can sometimes cause problems, especially when they decide to chew through electric wires, but we have to live alongside them and adapt. We have to remember that we share the landscape with animals that were here long before our roads, houses and fences were built. Sometimes coexistence begins with seeing the world from their side. If we secure our trash, create wildlife-friendly landscaping and keep food indoors we can protect our homes and prevent conflicts without harming the animals. Here is an interesting squirrel fact. Squirrels are so agile that they are being used as a model organism to understand the biological limits of balance and agility. Former UC Berkeley doctoral student Nathaniel Hunt, now an assistant professor of biomechanics at the University of Nebraska stated that “I would argue that squirrels are second to none. If we try to understand how squirrels do this, then we may discover general principles of high performance locomotion in the canopy and other complex terrains that apply to the movements of other animals and robots.” In essence, Squirrels are amazing creatures. They help create forests and now they are helping scientists learn more about mobility.

As Fall arrives, we need to be more proactive while preparing our yards for the Fall and we can start by skipping pesticides and herbicides and by leaving leaves alone to protect the pollinators, squirrels and other wildlife. It is beneficial to us and wildlife to work in harmony. So on this episode of TMSOG podcast, our resident gardener, conservationist and environmental activist Victoria Alzapiedi joins us to talk about preparing our yards for the Fall, what native plants are best for planting, how to keep our property safe for wildlife and migrating birds, leaving leaves alone, and skipping pesticides. 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 Forest which is working to save a 20.3 acre forest 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 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly recommendations https://www.mynativegardenoasis.com/

For more information on ways t0 protect wildlife go to National Wildlife Federation

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

Please make sure you are registered to vote check out https://civ.works/defend and https://www.rockthevote.org/about-rock-the-vote/

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 big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

What are the Environmental Costs of 99 Red Balloons? Charlotte Ghiorse founder of House of Choclet joins us to discuss the hazards of releasing balloons into the atmosphere. We also talk about how California is working to reduce textile waste, plus astrology and more…

99 Red Balloons by the group Nena is our featured song on this week’s podcast. Did you know that the song is a protest song which touches on the cold war?

Ninety-nine red balloons, foating in the summer sky

Panic bells, it’s red alert

There’s something here from somewhere else

The war machine springs to life, opens up one eager eye

Focusing it on the sky, where ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine Decision Street, ninety-nine ministers meet

To worry, worry, super scurry, call the troops out in a hurry

This is what we’ve waited for, this is it, boys, this is war

The president is on the line, as ninety-nine red balloons go by

While we love balloons, if we see 99 red balloons in the sky, there could be trouble ahead for the environment. Balloons are fun and whimsical, but there is a problem which most people don’t think about or understand. While we delight at balloons rising into the sky, we don’t think about the fact that they don’t disappear when we let them go. They come back down, and when they do, they can be detrimental to many creatures. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) considers balloons a form of marine debris. NOAA has documented balloon debris affecting wildlife, waterways and even deep-ocean habitats. One of the most disturbing problems is what happens when animals encounter balloon debris. A sea turtle may mistake a deflated balloon for a jellyfish. A bird may pick up a piece of balloon or ribbon, and a marine mammal may ingest it.

Once inside an animal, balloon material can cause serious digestive problems, obstruction, injury, starvation and even death. The NOAA has documented the dangers of balloons and balloon ribbons to marine animals. While we see the beautiful moment when a balloon rises into the sky it is actually the beginning of a much longer environmental story. On this episode of The Many Shades of Green podcast Charlotte Ghiorse our resident eco-activist, artist, writer, comedian and super mom joins us. We focus on the environmental cost of balloons, how we can educate people about alternatives so that we can celebrate without turning a moment of joy into an environmental hazard. We talk about California’s proposal to become the first state to make fashion brands, manufacturers and retailers pick up the tab for textile waste, some good environmental stories, the floating single red heart balloon floating above Grand Central Station, astrology and more.

For more information go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/

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

Please make sure you are registered to vote! For more info go to https://civ.works/

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Green My Power with Tom Watson Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester

The Joni Mitchell’s tune “Big Yellow Taxi” is a 1970 folk-pop protest song in which Joni warns against environmental destruction and taking nature for granted. The inspiration came to Joni Mitchell after taking her first trip to Hawaii, where she looked out her hotel window and saw a gorgeous mountain view ruined by a massive, sprawling parking lot. The lyric “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” critiques unchecked urban development and the replacement of green spaces with concrete. The song calls out the commercialization of nature, referencing a “tree museum” where people pay to see trees, and criticizes industrial agriculture by asking a farmer to put away the pesticide DDT. The lyrics are as apropos today as they were in 1970.

Pave paradise and put up a parking lot. While we don’t want to pave paradise, we can do something to make parking lots more sustainable. There is a push in Westchester to put solar canopies in parking areas, and there is already a solar canopy system in place at the Metro North train station in Croton Harmon. One of the most powerful things we can do is make climate action visible. When people see that municipalities are taking action, the idea of change becomes less intimidating, and eventually, it becomes part of the culture of a community. Sustainable Westchester’s current 2026 solar and clean-energy initiatives, include Community Solar, Green My Power, Solarize, Grid Rewards, MOVE systems, Workforce Development and the organization’s newly announced solar expansion strategy to put solar solutions front and center. Sustainable Westchester’s multiple Solarize campaigns have resulted in 601 solar installations across more than 20 municipalities, totaling 5.7 MW, and it is now pursuing a strategy to triple rooftop solar and increase parking-lot solar canopies tenfold. Climate change is not a hoax, as we are seeing more extreme weather, rising temperatures, more intense storms, and wildfires. Mother Earth is trying to tell us something, and we have to start listening. We have to take action and be open to solutions to prevent carbon emissions by using renewable energy, and taking simple actions like switching to LED lighting, recycling, composting and more.

How do we accomplish being more sustainable? Tom Watson, the Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester joins us on this episode of TMSOG to talk about what programs are available to help us reduce our carbon footprint and reduce CO2 emissions by following the sun. Tom worked as a journalist for LoHud, Hudson Valley magazine, The New York Times, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Wired and many other publications. He was an early dot-com digital entrepreneur before co-founding a major nonprofit consulting firm, and later creating his own practice CauseWired, named for his best-selling book about the rise of digital activism. Tom serves on the Board of the Westchester Human Rights Commission, and is a professor in the Nonprofit Management masters program at Columbia University. He is a deeply committed native plant gardener who loves a good compost pile. He is also the guitar player for the Westchester band Retro-North.

For more information about Sustainable Westchester go to https://sustainablewestchester.org/ for questions about Solar and other programs email: hello@sustainablewestchester.org

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Election Protection: Rock the Vote!

We started off the podcast with Dolly Parton’s song “9 to 5” which is an anthem about the daily grind, economic frustration, and the exploitation of working-class employees by wealthy bosses. The tune was written as the theme song for the 1980 movie 9 to 5 (starring Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin). The song specifically highlights the struggles of working women facing sexual harassment, gender inequality, disrespect, and unequal pay compared to men. The lyrics criticize corporate systems where workers give everything (“it’s all taking and no giving”) while rich bosses get richer off the backs of the poor (“they just use your mind and they never give you credit”). Dolly was an advocate for women’s rights, gay rights and personal freedom. She advocated for equal pay for women in the workplace and better working conditions.
Dolly was an amazing woman, writer, musician, actor and philanthropist who donated a million dollars to help develop the Covid vaccine, and gave away millions of books to children through her Imagination Library foundation. She was a talent, a mensch and a beautiful soul. She will be sorely missed.

Women’s rights have experienced a major setback as Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, and women’s health and rights have been greatly affected. The decision erased nearly 50 years of legal precedent, returning authority entirely to individual states to restrict or ban abortion. It seems that SCOTUS has become a bastion of extreme right wing rulings as they bow to the President and his DOJ. Women need to go to the polls in numbers that are of epic proportions so that their rights can be restored. SCOTUS has recently gone rogue again, as the Court decided to give the President a chance to rig the elections from the inside. The lower court injunction that blocked the Executive order of DJT to restrict mail in ballots was lifted by the Roberts court ruling (6-3), in an unsigned opinion.

The majority said the states challenging the order had brought their lawsuit too early. The order directed federal agencies to develop systems identifying eligible voters and instructed the U.S. Postal Service to establish rules concerning the delivery of mail-in ballots. The administration argues that these measures are about election security and ensuring that only eligible voters receive ballots. But critics, including states, voting-rights organizations and election officials, argue that the president is attempting to exert federal control over an area traditionally administered by the states. It greatly affects older voters, people with disabilities, people who work long hours, military and overseas voters, rural residents and people who may have difficulty getting to a polling place on Election Day.

For many Americans, voting by mail isn’t simply a convenience. It is the way they are able to participate in democracy. The ruling was not final, as the majority concluded that the states had challenged the federal government’s actions before the relevant rules had been finalized. In other words, the Court essentially said: Come back when there is a final rule that can actually be challenged. Voting is not just a procedure. It is a form of civic participation and it is a form of empowerment. And ultimately, it is one of the ways we determine what kind of society we want to live in.

So as usual, there was so much to cover with George Polisner, founder of Civ.works who joined us on the podcast. He is our curmudgeon in chief, political analyst, and environmental activist. We delved into Election Subversion, as SCOTUS strikes again, this time regarding restricting mail-in voting. We also talked about Liberal tears, fires affecting Reno, Nevada, wild horses being dragged away from land where they roam free, and much more.

For more information go to: https://civ.works/ and https://civixthread.com/

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/

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

We Can’t Back Down & We Won’t Back Down, plus Maxine’s Birthday Astrology Chart Reading by Charlotte Ghiorse

I have Mars in Sagittarius, can I get rid of clutter? Why did I ask for a reading? Should I have a Tarot reading next?

On this episode of TMSOG we start off with the Tom Petty song I Won’t Back Down. The song was released in 1989 on Petty’s solo album Full Moon Fever. The artist told interviewers that people would come up to him all the time, or would write to him, sharing stories of how this song, with its plainspoken message of resilience and empowerment helped steer them through difficult times.

So we must stand our ground on many issues. When environmental and political challenges seem overwhelming, it helps to remember that we are not the first generation to face seemingly impossible obstacles. Environmental leaders have spent their lives reminding us that hope isn’t passive. Hope is something we put into action. The same holds true in the political arena. Activism is key on issues affecting the environment, social justice, democracy, being a responsible citizen and not backing down.

There are moments when standing up for what is right can feel exhausting. Many times people are told that their voice doesn’t matter and that change is impossible. You may be pressured to compromise but don’t give up, as the principle you are fighting for is more than worth your attention.. So, what does not backing down look like in everyday life? It means refusing to yield, quit, or surrender when you face pressure, fear, opposition, or hard times. It is about holding your ground for your personal values, goals, or rights instead of running away. Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, and her quiet steadfast defiance sparked the Montgomery bus boycott which was a defining moment in the American Civil Rights movement. John Lewis continually got into good trouble, but got his head cracked open when peacefully protesting for civil rights while walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama. In 2025 into 2026, the citizens of Minneapolis and other towns in Minnesota did not back down when ICE invaded their cities and harassed and shot immigrants and activists. E.Jean Carroll did not back down when she stood up to DJT and sued him for sexual assault and won. ABC recently decided to sue the FCC over First Amendment rights to keep their TV licenses. People are standing up to stop AI data centers from destroying land and polluting the air and water in the areas where they live and work. Millions of people did not back down and showed unity during the No Kings rallies.

Despite pushback and reductions in funding, scientists and engineers are still working on ways to improve life in areas of medicine, and we recently learned that there could be a cure for certain cancers using the mRNA messenger vaccine, which would indeed be a miracle. We need millions of voices to rise up and not back down. I believe that the good people out number the bad, and we must take to the streets daily. We must vote in the midterm elections in numbers never seen before. We must call and write elected officials and tell them what’s on our minds. We must make sure people are registered to vote. We must be proactive to conserve the land and be good stewards of the Earth. But most of all, we need to listen to each other, be kind to each other and respect each other. On this week’s podcast we discuss the need to stand up and not back down, and we talk about environmental innovations, my birthday astrology chart and more with friend of the podcast, Charlotte Ghiorse, who is our resident eco activist, artist, writer, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of ChoCLet. For more info go to: https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ and Sexy Astrology on Facebook. Also check out Bad Music for Bad People ACT 1 and ACT 2

ACT 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pYwoj01lfA&t=923s

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

The Spirit of Doves with Poet, Artist Attorney and Renaissance Woman Susan L. Pollet

We start off the TMSOG podcast with the song When Doves Cry, which was written by Prince for the film Purple Rain in 1984 and it was his first Billboard number 1 single. Prince used doves as a metaphor in that a dove in distress or crying represents the violent shattering of peace. Doves are a universal symbol of peace and Prince’s lyrics refer to his parents differences and not getting along. He states:

Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold

Maybe you’re just like my mother

She’s never satisfied

Why do we scream at each other

This is what it sounds like when doves cry

By using doves as a symbol, was Prince hoping that his parents could work things out?

We need connectedness and peace more than ever, as we live in a world which is teetering on the brink of moral and ethical collapse. Wars continue to be fought between countries and the environment is being decimated by human behavior. While I truly believe that most people want to do good things, it seems like the evil empire is holding us hostage, and we need to fight the powers that be who are bent on destroying the earth so they can rule the world. We don’t want war, we want peace, clean air, clean water, untainted food, good medical care, a living wage and a better life for our children. We need to take a stand and fight for our rights, and so we bring out our symbols to try to counter the madness. While those who resist and protest dress up as frogs or unicorns, the ultimate symbol of peace are doves. Doves are gentle, quiet, and non-aggressive. The nature of doves makes them a natural visual metaphor for harmony. Ancient Mediterranean cultures used harvested olive branches as an offering to signal peaceful intent to end hostilities. The white dove carrying an olive branch is a universal symbol of peace and renewal, deeply rooted in ancient traditions, biblical stories and modern art popularized by Pablo Picasso. With the world in dire need of peace, we are lucky to have poets, artists and musicians to help us get through tough times, and fill our need for joy. I am delighted to have Susan Pollet on this episode to talk about the relationship between poetry and art and how these two forms of creativity speak to each other, inspire each other, and connect in many ways. Susan is a poet, an artist, published author and an attorney. Her poetry and artwork have been featured in many publications, and she created the cover art for her latest poetry collection, Deep Diving. Other recent collections are Managerie of Musings, Palpable Ponderings and Susiku And More which was her first collection of poetry. In addition to writing poetry, Susan is an attorney who has practiced law for for over 40 years, primarily in the area of family law. She has published over 60 articles on a variety of legal topics. Susan is a published author, poet and artist, and truly is a Renaissance woman. So let’s read some poems and explore the mindset of my friend Susan Pollet. Check out her poem The Spirit of Doves and others by going to https://susanpollet.com/ and https://susanpollet.substack.com/

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org / www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and learn more about civics at https://civ.works/

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 big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Fireflies, Lightening Bugs, Glow Worms with Victoria Alzapiedi

The song for this episode is Glow Worm by The Mills Brothers. “The Glow-Worm” is a lighthearted, romantic metaphor about love and guidance in the dark. Rather than a deep philosophical statement, the lyrics use the glowing bug as a friendly lantern that helps lovers find their path when the night is dark and “love’s sweet voice is calling.” The Glow-Worm is a song from Paul Lincke’s 1902 operetta Lysistrata, with German lyrics by Heinz Bolten-Backers. It was originally translated into English by Lilla Cayley Robinson, in the early 20th century, and was used in the 1907 Broadway musical The Girl Behind The Counter.

I remember as a kid, having shear delight in chasing fireflies. My childlike wonder rose up when they lit up near the trees in the early evening and the absolute joy that it brought. My friends and I would try to catch them and put them in jars, which in hindsight was not the best way to treat fireflies. In keeping with that childlike wonder, I look at my lawn and forest today and I do not see fireflies in the numbers I used to see them. Their population is dwindling, and I can’t help feeling saddened and mortified that we are killing off this amazing species. More people are using pesticides, which is a major factor in the dwindling population. Fireflies are beetles, not flies, and pesticides are designed to kill beetles and other insects. These pesticides can harm fireflies over time, or kill them outright. The chemicals are targeted towards snails, slugs, and worms which are all favored food sources of hungry baby fireflies. If you want to keep fireflies around, you’ll need to learn to live with their prey populations and eliminate use of herbicides which can damage fireflies, slugs, and snail habitat by killing the plants they use for shelter. Also, as I previously mentioned, I want to reiterate that while kids and adults playfully catch fireflies and put them in jars, that is actually detrimental to their wellbeing. If you see them, try to video them, and watch them skirt around the lawn and forest areas, and take joy in their bioluminescence. On this episode of TMSOG we talk about fireflies and ways to be more sustainable and proactive in growing your garden. Our resident gardener, conservationist, and activist Victoria Alzapiedi joins us and gives us great info on fireflies and other helpful tips as the summer winds down and we head to Fall. 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 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations .https://www.mynativegardenoasis.com/. For more info go to https://action.nrdc.org/ https://www.xerces.org/ Check out Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook.

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Who Can Sleep When the World is on Fire? With Yolanda Nava, Golda Valez, Jim Driscoll and George Polisner

Some People Sleep, by The Tokens

Sweet harmony amidst the chaos. Some people sleep to the sound of the waves on the shore, some people sleep to the sound of the falling bombs, and some people don’t sleep at all. A beautiful song written by my Token bro Mitch has a message that reverberates today as much as it did in the late 1960’s, when turmoil kept us awake. But within the turmoil there was harmony.

Some people sleep, some people don’t. Some people remain in their bubbles, others are proactive. Some people believe in lies, others want the truth. Some people believe in science, history, climate change and fair elections. Others prefer to believe in cult leaders and get joy out of other people’s suffering. Some people prefer to take coverage in the Trojan horse, while others take to the streets to protest and make good trouble. I believe that more of us want to do what’s right. We want to have clean air, clean water and clean land, and we want our children and grand children to live in a safe and beautiful world.

So the question arises, why can’t we sleep ? I think the answer is that we are hit by chaos in the news without stop, and the world is on fire. We are living in unprecedented times, and we seem more divided than ever. Yet the US along with Canada and Mexico, hosted the World Cup, and even as bombs dropped in wars around the planet, visitors from around the world experienced some joy. Our global visitors enjoyed the good nature of the majority of Americans being helpful and welcoming. Some even became NY Knick fans. People from around the world were expecting the worst, as they cited news reports of the USA being a total hellhole. I cannot dispute that we are living in uncertain and difficult times, but it seems that when the world leaders were mostly absent from the picture, the globe united for a few weeks. So on this episode of TMSOG podcast we talk about the divisions, past history, and what we need to do to take action to save our democracy. We must continue to protest, and perhaps strike. We must all come to the realization that climate change is not a hoax and renewable energy is more important than ever. There are things we can we learn from history of decades past, especially the 60s and 70s? We discuss these topics and more with friends of the show, Yolanda Nava, George Polisner, Golda Valez, and special guest Jim Driscoll. Jim is a decorated, combat Vietnam veteran with degrees from Harvard and Cornell, who taught at MIT. He is an activist who helped put together the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign and the American Peace Test. Jim worked to Stop the Gulf War, and reached out to veterans to start Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Against the War, now named About Face. From 2012-2020 he focused on climate change, winning the first local resolution declaring a climate emergency in Montgomery County (MOCO). His accomplishments and resume is too long to list here, and I am honored to have had him on the podcast. For more info go to (NIPSPeerSupport.org), https://civ.works/ https://workers.vc/ and https://www.yolandanava.com/

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Stop Political Hobbyism: Use Civic Tech with Elisabeth Ashley, Founder of the civic engagement platform CivixThread and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works

This week’s podcast opens with the Patti Smith tune People Have the Power which is a rock anthem about collective agency, human unity, and the power of ordinary people to create massive social and political change. Patti Smith Co-wrote the song with her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith, and it serves as a timeless rallying cry for activism, hope, and justice. The central message is that true power rests not with governments or leaders, but in the hands of united citizens. The song urges people to overcome apathy, stand against war and injustice, and use their collective voice and collective will to reshape society.

People have the power, and we need that power more than ever to effect change and right wrongs. We must have conversations about what affects every issue we cover on The Many Shades of Green podcast—from climate change and clean energy to public health, education, politics and our local communities. We need to focus on what we must do to stop the current dismantling of democracy. We can start by being proactive, participating and doing our civic duty to get those in power to defend and uphold the constitution. Democracy isn’t just something that happens every two or four years at the ballot box, and we need to participate daily. It’s built on informed citizens, thoughtful conversations, and being proactive. Democracy doesn’t thrive on its own, as it must be cultivated, cared for, and continually renewed. On this episode of TMSOG we explore why educating, informing, and engaging society is essential if democracy is to remain meaningful and resilient. The power to take action is within us all, and we must use it, or we will lose it. Also be sure to check your voter registration and have a plan to vote!

To get some insight into the need to engage society into being more civic minded, we have two amazing guests on the program who give us great information. Elisabeth Ashley is the founder of CivixThread, a civic engagement platform focused on verified participation. Elisabeth holds a B.S. in Computer Science and is currently enrolled in Columbia University’s Al Engineering Executive Program. She has a full-stack background, with experience as an Application Developer, Database Developer, and is now a Software Engineer. We also have George Polisner on the program. George is the founder of Civ.works and he is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and favorite curmudgeon.

We delve into how we can work to create a more meaningful democracy, and we talk about the importance of civic responsibility and education. In addition we discuss the normalization of what is going on in plain sight. We are becoming numb to news of fires, floods, tariffs, war, ICE, the Epstein files and more, as we deal with chaos each day. The most recent health related chaos is lettuce tainted with cyclospora, and the news explaining how it can cause “explosive diarrhea.” That word usage is far from normal. So what we can do to be proactive in making good trouble? A meaningful democracy isn’t someone else’s responsibility, it belongs to all of us. For more information go to: https://civixthread.com/ and https://civ.works/

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Heat Domes in Virgo, Smoke Gets in Our Eyes, Let Us Not Eat Lettuce, July Astrology and more with Charlotte Ghiorse, Founder of House of ChoCLeT

We start off the episode with the tune Heat Wave which is a 1933 jazz standard written by Irving Berlin. The song uses scorching summer weather as a playful metaphor for intense, passionate desire. I am not sure if today’s heat domes bring out the same passion, and while heat waves are not new to summer months, heat has become more extreme, and so perhaps a new song needs to be written titled What’s It All About-Heat Domes. Because of its show-stopping, rhythmic nature, Heat Wave has been covered by numerous icons, including Ethel Waters (who debuted it), Ella Fitzgerald, and Marilyn Monroe in the film There’s No Business Like Show Business.

This summer, millions of people across the United States, Europe and globally are experiencing something that has become increasingly familiar: relentless, dangerous heat. Cities are breaking temperature records. Emergency rooms are seeing increases in heat-related illnesses. Energy systems are being pushed to their limits, as people turn to air conditioning for relief. Are these extreme heat events the new normal, and how much are they connected to climate change? Climate change exacerbates droughts and warms the atmosphere, both of which intensify heat waves and heat domes. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) warns that while high-pressure heat domes are a natural atmospheric phenomena, fossil fuel-driven climate change is supercharging them. Warmer oceans and atmospheres trap heat more effectively, making these systems more stagnant, prolonged, and intense, directly amplifying extreme summer temperatures across North America. Warming temperatures can also lead to forest fires, which leads to dangerous smoke in the air. Climate Scientists note that a fundamentally warmed planet means heat domes trap much more heat and humidity, which would be virtually impossible without decades of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Heat domes are dangerous for humans and animals. Not only can they create record-high temperatures during the day, but they also warm temperatures during the night. Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are most affected by the heat. Heat domes are not just a weather story. They are a reminder that the climate we live in today is changing, and extreme heat is becoming one of the defining challenges of our era. The science is clear: a warmer atmosphere increases the likelihood of more intense and prolonged heat events. The choices we make in our communities, our energy systems, and our policies will influence how much hotter the planet becomes and how prepared we are to face it.

So on this episode of TMSOG we talk about heat domes and how a warming climate is making extreme heat events more intense, longer-lasting, and more dangerous. We discuss the cyclospora parasite which is affecting what fruits and vegetables we can eat, plus a story about artist Victor “Marka27″ Quiñonez, who was banned from exhibiting his work called I.C.E. Scream,” at University of North Texas. In addition, we cover positive eco news about a young lady, Rebecca Young in Glasgow, Scotland, who invented a solar blanket that fits in a backpack to help keep homeless people warm in colder weather. We hit on these topics as well as July astrology and more with our resident artist, activist, astrologist, comedian, writer, and marvelous mom, Charlotte Ghiorse, Founder of House of ChoCLeT. For more info go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ and check out Charlotte’s new show “Bad Music for Bad People” at the Nocturnal Cafe in Ithaca, NY July 19, 20, 23, 26,27 and August 1st.

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about civic action, voting and more.

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities with Reverend Carol Devine, Director of Blessed Tomorrow and Dayna Reggero, Founder of Climate Listening Project

This episode of TMSOG starts with the song What A Wonderful World sung by Louis Armstrong. The song was written in the turbulent late 1960s. The lyrics counter societal strife by celebrating the beauty of nature and human connection, encouraging listeners to pause, appreciate their surroundings, and find hope amidst adversity.

It is a wonderful world, yet many people don’t spend time to stop and smell the roses, or walk around in nature. Beauty surrounds us, but we all get stuck in our life bubbles and we don’t pay attention to what is most important. We are going through a difficult moment in time, but people are coming together to try and make things better. We have to protect the planet so that future generations will have clean air, land and water, and the message about climate needs to be prioritized. Climate change is a global environmental challenge that has profound ramifications for both human and non-human life across the planet. It is a crisis that raises deep questions of what constitutes responsible stewardship of the earth, and justice for all of its inhabitants. On this episode we discuss an important but sometimes overlooked part of the climate conversation—the role of faith communities. We delve into how congregations are responding to climate change, what motivates people of faith to become environmental leaders, and how communities can work together despite political differences. For millions of Americans, faith provides not only spiritual guidance, but also a framework for caring for one another and for the world we share. Many religious traditions teach stewardship, compassion, and responsibility for future generations—values that align naturally with environmental protection. Faith communities across the country are on the frontlines of climate action, leading with hope, compassion, and courage.

Our guests this TMSOG podcast are Dayna Reggero and Reverend Carol Devine. Reverend Devine is the Director of Blessed Tomorrow, a coalition of faith leaders working through EcoAmerica to inspire climate action grounded in shared values of hope and compassion. She is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and founded the creation care program, Green Chalice, for the denomination. Reverend Devine has pastored congregations in Kentucky, has been part of Disciples’ regional staff, and was Director of Admissions at Lexington Theological Seminary, where she earned her MDiv. Reverend Devin works with faith leaders and congregations across the country to help them engage thoughtfully and compassionately on climate change. Dayna Reggero, is a friend of the podcast and is the founder of the Climate Listening Project. Her documentaries focus on community conversations and personal storytelling. Dayna has helped people across the country share their experiences with climate change to help foster understanding rather than division.

For more information go to https://blessedtomorrow.org/get-the-film-series/ and blessedtomorrow.org and https://climatelisteningproject.org/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about civic action, voting and more.

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

What Can WE Do? A Conversation with Dr. Kevin Danaher, Co-founder of Global Exchange and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

The song of the week is California Reggae Debate-What Can I Do? By Mitch Margo

Brother Mitch wrote this in response to the endless wars, and the never changing bad news that continues to permeate society. But he saw hope, in that people have the power to make things better if they use their collective will and spirit. The chorus of the song is “You’ve got the power, I’ve seen you use it, you think you don’t have it, that’s how you lose it.“

We all need to use our power and contribute to society, and that means raising your voice, being civic minded, and yes, not putting up with the current dismantling of democracy. According to the Collins Dictionary, being civic-minded means having an active concern for the well-being and affairs of your community. It describes someone who prioritizes the common good and takes personal responsibility for improving society often demonstrated through active citizenship, volunteering, and public service. People have the power to use their public spirit to rise up when things go south, and they must twist and shout to help people in need. When we collectively consider the importance of social responsibility and participate in community engagement, we are impacting not only our local communities, but also the wider world. Democracy must focus on the WE, not just the Me, Me, Me! It is important to vote in all elections, from school boards to the presidency. Volunteering is also a very important component of social responsibility. We have the power, we just have to use it. We as humans can take action to change things and make life better. It has been quite the challenge of late, as right now, in the USA, we are seeing the downward spiraling of democracy before our eyes. I am constantly mortified by a mainstream media which is capitulating to what is being done on a daily basis to reduce our rights, freedoms and power. But there are moments when I think we can overcome the current chaos, as people are coming together in communities all over the country (No Kings rallies) on a local and national level to fight back. We have the power, and we must use it for good, as right now we have to raise our voices to counter the current attack on our civil rights. We need to move forward and educate the populace about civic responsibility and duty, as the choice is clear that the power is within us. In the infamous words of Civil Rights Leader and Congressman John Lewis, we need to make “good trouble!” If we don’t use our power, we will lose it.

Our guests on this episode of TMSOG are Dr. Kevin Danaher and George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works. Dr. Danaher is a co-founder of Global Exchange (1988), co-founder of Fair Trade USA (1997), founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals (2001-2013), founder of the Green Guardians, and is a lifelong educator. His 1983 PhD in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz was based on his dissertation, “The Political Economy of U.S. Policy Toward South Africa.” He was very active in the anti-apartheid movement. Dr. Danaher has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books, including: The Green Festival Reader: Fresh Ideas from Agents of Change; and Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots. He has also done many TED Talks and his most recent book, The Two Globalizations, is a free PDF download at https://www.kevindanaher.org/ He has an article, “On Becoming Solutionaries,” in the May 2020 issue of The Solutions Journal. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/becoming-solutionaries-first-global-revolution/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about Civ.works.

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

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!