Author: Divas@72

I fancy a bit of mint in my ice tea. Many people enjoy parsley, sage rosemary and thyme (thanks Mr. Simon and Mr. Garfunkel). Variety is the spice of life, and although spices and herbs have been used since ancient times, they are playing a new and important role in modern food preparation. They not only add unique flavors to our food, but contribute color and variety as well. Certain spices and herbs used alone, or in blends, can replace or reduce salt and sugar in foods. Growing herbs at home is a great way to get your hands dirty, save some money and enjoy the delicious flavors. Their fragrance will also attract bees and butterflies into your outdoor garden.  You don’t need too much space or a lot of soil, as there is plenty of time to grow herbs, indoors or out, which is ideal for a novice or young gardener.  It is a great hobby which makes cooking fun, healthy and tasty. Courtney gives us great tips, tricks and recipes for preserving, growing and using herbs.

To get more info, follow Courtney on her Facebook page Courtney on Health, on Instagram @clgwellnes and visit her website: courtneygravenese.com. For more shows go to malcolmpresents.com and themanyshadesofgreen.com. 

Courtney on Health: Smart, Sound Nutrition. Strong, Safe Fitness!

“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.”  Doug Tallamy

In this episode friend of TMSOG, Victoria Alzapiedi, Co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards talks about ways to turn your lawn/garden into a Home Grown National Park, and be an environmentalist.  A good place to start is to stop using toxic pesticides and create pollinator pathways, so that we can help reverse air and water pollution, and stop the decline in the bird and insect populations. We are all part of the climate crisis, but we can be the solution, we can all be environmentalists, and help revitalize and clean up this beautiful planet. Mother Nature needs us, and we need each other to fix the problems that have been created over time. It is up to YOU! For more info check out New Castle Healthy Yards Facebook page, Doug Tallamy (homegrownnationalpark.com), Pollinator Pathways: pollinatorpathways.org, National Wildlife Federation: nwf.org, healthyyards.org, malcolmpresents.com and hudsonriverradio.com. A shout out to thegreendivas.com !

Listen to “Victoria Alzapiedi, Co-Founder of New Castle Healty Yards” on Spreaker.

Extreme heat, raging fires, massive floods, Cat 5 hurricanes, rising sea levels, and pandemics are part of the “new” normal. The climate tipping point is already here. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee, while there is still coffee to smell. There are solutions at hand, and scientists and environmentalists are working to put those solutions in place to avoid future catastrophic events. Are we too late? The answer is complicated, but there are organizations and many dedicated individuals working to avert the global climate crisis, by using research and techniques already available to reduce global warming. One such individual is Keith Voos, who the co-founder of Drawdown NYC . Keith gives us some solutions and actions that we can take to reduce the effects of climate change. His dedication to getting the message out about sustainability and environmental justice is exemplary, and he is truly a protector of Mother Earth.  For more info go to Drawdown.org. Be sure to check out Drawdown NYC’s Climate Week event in September: Together We Rise: The Power of Female Leadership to Help Solve the Climate Crisis. For past shows go to malcolmpresents.com, hudsonriverradio.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast, ask Alexa or Siri to play The Many Shades of Green podcast.

Listen to “Keith Voos, Co-Founder of Drawdown NYC” on Spreaker.

Do you have gluteal amnesia? Do you sit on your keester way too much? Well, our back ends are bearing the brunt of our sedentary lives. According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you have an office job where you sit hunched over a desk, clicking away at a computer most of the day, you need to take steps – literally – to reduce your sedentary habits. Our bodies are built to move, so sitting for hours at a time is bad news for your health (hello dead butt syndrome). This is becoming a problem, and as COVID is changing the workplace atmosphere, we really need to rethink how we sit while we work, whether it’s remote or at the office. We need to get off our butts, or as I like to say derriere, because it sounds nicer.  As stated in the Miriam Webster Dictionary: derriere is a euphemistic term for a person’s buttocks. Synonyms for derriere include the following: backside, behind, booty (also bootie), bottom, breech, bum, buns, caboose, can cheeks, duff, fanny, fundament, hams, rump, rear end, tail and tush.

There are even songs written about the booty: Bubba Sparxxx, “Ms. New Booty,  KC and the Sunshine Band, “Shake Your Booty” and Trace Adkins, “Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk.” In this episode Courtney gives us information on DBS, no it’s not a boy band, it means Dead Butt Syndrome. We all need to shake our booties a lot more and dance our way through the day . To get more info, follow Courtney on her Facebook page Courtney on Health, on Instagram @clgwellnes and visit her website: courtneygravenese.com. For more shows go to malcolmpresents.com and themanyshadesofgreen.com

Jacques Cousteau said “For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” 

We need protectors of the Earth, and our guest on this episode, Kevin Carter, works to help keep this beautiful planet clean and green. Kevin has served as Teatown Lake Reservation’s Executive Director for the last 9 years. Teatown is a 1,000 acre preserve (the largest community supported preserve in Westchester County).  During his tenure at Teatown, Kevin led the Board and staff through a strategic planning process, from which the organization emerged with a new mission which is, “To inspire its community to life-long environmental stewardship.” Teatown has beautiful trails, has an education center and science programs, as well as a summer camp and many programs for children. For more information go to teatown.org. For more shows go to malcolmpresents.com and hudsonriverradio.com. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Listen to “Kevin Carter, Executive Director of Teatown Lake Reservation” on Spreaker.

There are many myths about food. Two items often bashed are eggs and potatoes. I would often hear people say “Don’t eat too many eggs especially the yolks, stay away from potatoes, as they are too starchy, have too many carbs and calories.” Those are myths, and a myth is defined as a widely held but false belief or idea. In this episode, Courtney will dispel some of the myths about nutrition. There are certain foods which people might think are bad, but are actually packed with vitamins and minerals which are healthy. La Rochefoucald said “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” Courtney demystifies some of the foods that get a bad rap, and puts nutritional facts on center stage. There is an art to eating, so let’s find out how to create a healthy food pallet. For more information follow Courtney on Facebook and Instagram @clgwellness, visit her on the web at courtneygravenese.com. To view past shows go to malcolmpresents.com.

Chemicals are in everything, the food we eat, the toothpaste we brush our teeth with and the shampoo we use to wash our hair with. Major corporations and lobbyists push the toxicity on a daily basis. Our guest on this episode, Carey Gillan, has a good handle on what can be done and what is being done. She is the author of The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice. Gillam is also the author of the 2017 release  Whitewashed -The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science. Carey is an Award winning journalist who has decades of experience covering agri-business, and Monsanto in particular.  Her latest book The Monsanto Papers, is the inside story of Lee Johnson’s landmark lawsuit against Monsanto. Carey is an investigative reporter extraordinaire, who focuses on legal cases involving toxic chemicals and cancer. She is truly the Rachel Carson of the 21st Century.  Carey is currently the Research Director for the non-profit consumer group U.S. Right to Know. For more info go to careygillam.com, follow her on twitter @careygillam. For past shows visit hudsonriverradio.com, malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Spreaker, iHeart Radio and more. A shout out to the Green Divas! #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Listen to “Carey Gillam, Author of The Monsanto Papers” on Spreaker.

Now this from climate.nasa.gov/evidence: The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and other human activities. Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the seven most recent years being the warmest. The years 2016 and 2020 are tied for the warmest year on record. 2021 is shaping up to top those years. Why is climate change happening and what are the causes? Check out this latest episode as Malcolm and I discuss climate change and how it is directly effecting us. 116 degrees in Portland Oregon and in Lytton, British Columbia the 121.3F temperature broke Canada’s record for the hottest temp ever recorded in the country. Droughts and extreme storms are getting worse, and humans have a large role in this scenario. Follow the science…. For more info go to climateaccess.org, globalchange.gov, climatecentral.org Check out past shows on malcolmpresents.com, hudsonriverradio.com. A shout out to thegreendivas.com. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast.

Listen to “Maxine and Malcolm Discuss Climate Change” on Spreaker.

The weather is getting warmer, the days longer, and summer is here. As you get ready to fuel up the barbecue and dust off your favorite bathing suit, it’s time to think of summer time foods and recipes that will get you through the hot days and summer nights. Juicy burgers, hot dogs, fresh watermelon, corn, tomatoes, drippy ice cream cones, fireworks and fireflies, are all apart of the summer experience. Courtney gives us the perfect summer food ideas to make this season fun and tasty. She also gives us a recipe for a wonderful summer cocktail. So let’s enjoy the long days, and the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Follow Courtney on Facebook and on Instagram @clgwellness. Find her on the web at courtneygravenese.com. For past shows go to malcolmpresents.com and tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen

According to an online article from the Farmers Almanac, bugs are beneficial insects, and like all living creatures, they have a basic need for water, food, and shelter. By providing these things, your garden will become an inviting home for them. Insects pollinate 1/3 of the worlds’s crops and 90% of flowers. A diversity of plants will attract a wide range of insects. In her book Green Thoughts, Eleanor Perenyi writes, “Every insect has a mortal enemy. Cultivate that enemy and he will do your work for you.”  In this episode we talk with our good friend at NC Healthy Yards, Rene Artale. Rene gave us some great info about bugs, and how they benefit your yard.  She has spent countless hours volunteering for various community organizations over the years.  Ten years ago, Rene bought a home with extensive gardens, and that began her gardening journey.  She has never used chemicals in her yard and started focusing on native plants 4 years ago.  Rene is a member of the Chappaqua Garden Club and joined the New Castle Healthy Yards leadership team in 2019. For more info go to HealthyYards.org, permaculturenews.org, saveinsects.com. Go to malcolmpresents.com for more shows. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Listen to “Rene Artale, Leadership Team Member at New Castle Healthy Yards” on Spreaker.

Lightness of being, health, steadiness, improvement in the complexion of the body, perfection in the voice, sweetness of the body odor, slight excretions are said to be the first results of the progress of yoga.

There are many famous Yogis in the world and here are some of the quotes we mention in this episode:

1. I’m so Smart it hurts (Yogi Bear)
2. The yoga pose you avoid the most you need the most (an anonymous practicing yogi)
3. You Can observe a lot by just watching (Yogi Berra)
4. Change only happens in the present moment. The past is already done. The future is just energy and intention.” ― Kino MacGregor (Seattle Yoga News)

Yogi Marissa Long gives insight into the benefits of yoga and the importance of choosing the right yoga instructor. There are different levels of practice, depending on your abilities, if you are injured, and what your mindset is, and yes, Goat Yoga is a thing. For more info follow Courtney on Instagram @clgwellness, on FaceBook and at courtneygravanese.com. For past shows go to malcolmpresents.com.

What does it take to get a deep healthful sleep? I remember an advertisement for the sleep aid Sominex. The tagline was: Take Sominex tonight and sleep…Safe and restful sleep, sleep, sleep. … When I heard that commercial growing up, I didn’t realize that people had problems falling asleep. After all, I was a kid and slept like a log. I was used to hearing the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and thought the lion set a good example for getting sleep, especially in the jungle. In today’s topsy turvy world many people are sleep deprived. The amount of the populace experiencing strange dreams and lack of sleep is quite commonplace today, especially in COVID times. So what is going on, and how do we get a better nights sleep without Ambien, Unisom, Lunesta, Xanax, Hemp Oil Extract, and the popular melatonin?  Courtney gives info and tips on getting a good nights sleep, so watch this episode and start having pleasant dreams. For more info go to courtneygravenese.com, malcolmpresents.com. Follow Courtney on Health on Facebook and @clgwellness on Instagram. Tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen