Category: Activism

What is Pluralistic Ignorance and why we need recognize it as a problem? More Civic Engagement can help and Civics Activism Expert George Polisner tells us why.

The world is facing a climate crisis, and we still are not paying enough attention, especially here in America. It is hard to understand why a large share of the populace in the US doesn’t seem to believe that climate change is a serious problem. A study published by nature.com  dated August 23, 2022, entitled: Americans Experience a False Social Reality by Underestimating Popular Climate Policy Support by Nearly Half, states that a collective action problem like climate change requires individuals to recognize the problem as a threat, and should engage in coordinated actions that result in raising environmental consciousness and social change.  Pluralistic ignorance is a shared misperception of how others think or behave, and poses a challenge to collective action, especially with a problem like climate change, which requires individuals to engage in coordinated actions that result in the development of solutions, behavioral adaptation and resilience. Collective action problems pose a difficult challenge as individuals are less likely to act when others standby and do nothing—and this outcome is only more common when the problem at hand is not clearly perceived to be a threat. Pluralistic ignorance is described as a false social reality: a near universal perception of public opinion that is the opposite of true public sentiment. Supporters of climate policies outnumber opponents two to one, while Americans falsely perceive nearly the opposite to be true. Further, Americans in every state and every assessed demographic underestimate support across all polices tested.  We need to shed light on this conundrum and my monthly civics and political analyst, George Polisner helps me delve into this and other topics that affect how we act, how we vote, and what is needed to push the needle to create positive change. George is the founder of Civ.works, who works to bring civic engagement, activism, citizen participation and political communication to the forefront. For more information go to Civ.Works

You can subscribe to all TMSOG podcasts on your favorite podcast apps, and listen to this and past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow The Many Shades of Green on Facebook and Instagram @tmshdesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Sustainable Westchester: The Grid Rewards Program and more with Lauren Brois and Dan Welsh

Local environmental organizations play a key role in creating programs to build sustainable communities, and they truly make a difference in helping to create a cleaner, greener planet Earth. Sustainable Westchester is an organization which works to integrate policies, environmental campaigns and outreach to educate the citizens of Westchester County about issues of sustainability, and how they can take action to be adaptive and resilient, in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Some of Sustainable Westchester campaigns include: GRID Rewards, Solar and Geothermal incentives and deductions, Westchester Power and more. Lauren Brois and Dan Welsh work to help activate people to reduce their carbon footprint, and are dedicated to creating a more sustainable planet through local programs in Westchester County and beyond. For more information go to sustainablewestchester.org, check out the Grid Rewards Program via your smartphone app or on your computer at gridrewards.com.

Please subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. For more shows go to hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com

Cornell Cooperative Regional Clean Energy Hub in the Hudson Valley

We all have to care, we all have to do our part to protect Mother Earth. With the recent IPCC report from the UN, which stated that we will pierce the 2 degree threshold for global warming within a decade, it is more important than ever that we take actions now on both local and global levels to reduce the impact of climate change and carbon emissions. Our local and state officials must lead the way to create programs that help communities, especially in underserved areas, to be proactive in reducing green house gas emissions and more. This includes making renewable energy more available and affordable, creating green jobs and educating the public on what must be done to get people involved in working to curtail the use of fossil fuels while encouraging the use of clean energy. On December 9, 2022 Governor Hochul announced $52 Million Dollars in Awards for Regional Clean Energy Hubs to Connect New York Communities with Clean Energy Resources. 12 Regional Clean Energy Hubs were created to serve as centers of outreach, awareness, and education in regions across New York State to help foster residents’ participation, especially those in underserved or otherwise disadvantaged communities, with respect to New York’s clean energy transition. The announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act which is in place to deliver at least 35-40 percent of the benefits from clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities, and help advance an equitable clean energy transition for all New Yorkers.  My guests on this episode are Frankie Lede and Amanda Catale who are working to put these important sustainability  programs into effect and are both stewards of Mother Earth.  Frankie and Amanda are Energy Resource Educators/Advisors with Cornell Cooperative Extension, who are working with the Energy Hub located in the Mid-Hudson Valley. For more info go to: https://midhudsonenergychoices.org/ SustainableWestchester: https://sustainablewestchester.org/energysmarthomes/Mid-Hudson Regional Energy Hub Workforce Development – New Yorkers for Clean Power: https://nyforcleanpower.org/

A Blue print for Spring to protect Mother Nature.

Spring is upon us and we need to form a blue print to protect Mother Nature. It’s time to plant native, reduce your lawn by growing a meadow, and take steps to get away from the mow, blow and spraying harmful chemicals mindset. We need to live in balance with our wildlife, and like the Lorax, we must protect the trees, as each tree is an ecosystem unto itself.

 All flora and fauna need space to thrive and grow. Humans must work in a symbiotic relationship with all living organisms. Let’s start to change our ways a bit, and let nature take its course. Our resident wildlife and habitat guru, Victoria Alzapiedi guides us and gives some great info about how to work within your landscape to become more adaptive to the needs of the wildlife, insects, trees and shrubs, so that we can all be more resilient. Victoria is the co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and she started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 4000 members. Follow NCHY on Facebook and please subscribe to TMSOG on your favorite podcast app. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness and help save a Forest: go to preservebuttonhook.org

The Democracy Doomsday Clock is Ticking

We are now in very trying times and the need for putting together the collective will of the people who want clean air, healthcare, gun reform, affordable housing and democratic values is becoming more difficult due to the spreading of misinformation and outright lies. The citizenry must vote for leaders who have the ability to provide policies, and are educated and versed in making government work. Time in not on our side, and my guest on this episode, George Polisner, says that the democracy doomsday clock is quickly ticking away. George is a monthly commentator and friend of the podcast, who is working to educate citizens about civic responsibility to increase participation to promote the civic good. He is working to engage the populous to be more active and take action to protect our democratic values. George is a Behavioral Economist and Technologist with a passion for civic engagement and works to create a growing and fair economy, safe and well-funded schools and environmental protection. He is active in policy, addressing wealth and income inequality, participatory democracy and he has significant experience in corporate social responsibility. George is the Founder of Civ Works, a non-profit technology platform for civic engagement, constituent engagement, participatory democracy and participatory budgeting. For more info go to Civ.works. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on your favorite podcast app, and for past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

The Environment, Astrology and solutions to waste in the fashion industry/culture with Charlotte Ghiorse

So let’s talk Astrology… Uranus in Taurus impacts the Environment. Taurus is an earth sign, so it’s associated with nature, the land, and farming, and it’s represented by the symbol of the bull and will stick around through the end of 2026. (Uranus’ transit through Taurus has also aligned with radical changes in the way we think about the environment). The conversation around climate change has become even more critical since Uranus entered Taurus, spurred in part by Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg’s powerful speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit in 2019. (Her first ever TED Talk was in 2018, just months after Uranus entered Taurus). There is so much waste produced by humans on planet Earth. Waste in the form of overproduction, lack of proper recycling and overuse of fossil fuel. One industry that has a high waste factor is the fashion industry, and Charlotte and I delve into that topic as well as how Neptune in Pisces with Saturn is working out for President Biden. Charlotte Ghiorse is TMSOG’s resident Sexy Astrologist and environmental contributor. In addition to her expertise in astrology and how it affects life on planet Earth, Charlotte is a painter, video and performance artist, and a mom of three, who has vision and a sense of depth that takes on life one day, hour, minute at a time. Visit Charlotte on her Sexy Astrology You Tube and Facebook pages and at www.houseofchoclet.com. Listen to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps and please subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart and more. For past shows go to hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Follow us on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

The Rewilding School with Founder Eric Stone

We are living in stressful times, and connecting with nature is a way to become calmer and more centered. Being in a forest, on a beach or any open space adds to ones sense of well being, and provides a needed respite from the day to day grind of life. While being locked up during covid was horrific on so many levels, it brought more people outdoors, as walks in the woods or any open space provided exercise and benefits to your psyche. Children especially needed to connect to the outdoors and play in a park, make a snowman, build a sand castle, climb a tree, spot fireflies or listen to the songs of the birds. In our busy work-a-day lives, it’s good to know that there are people who help us connect with nature, and with each other. In this episode we talk to Eric Stone, who is a true nature connector. Eric is the founder of The Rewilding School, an outdoor education organization he runs with his partner Megan, which is dedicated to building connections between people and the traditional lands of the Wappinger and Lenape that we now call The Lower Hudson Valley. The Rewilding School runs preschool programs, hands-on summer programs, parent child classes, and workshops for school-age kids. For more info go to rewildingschool.com and @rewildingschool

To listen to current and past shows go to hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Follow TMSOG on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to our podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Coalition to Prevent Westchester Airport Expansion with Peter Schlactus

If you are living near a large or small airport, please know that you are being exposed to ultrafine particles of air pollution. Emissions from aviation are a significant contributor to climate change. If unmitigated, aviation emissions are expected to double or triple by 2050. Adverse environmental impacts affect communities that are near airports, especially those near watersheds areas which affect stormwater runoff and drinking water. Westchester Airport is a local airport in a suburb of NYC and there are major concerns about water and air pollution, as well as noise and increased usage by private jets. The skies are not very friendly in the surrounding communities, and my guest this week, Peter Schlactus, is tirelessly working to reduce the expansion of Westchester Airport, to help reduce environmental impacts to area residents, as the airport borders the Kensico watershed. Peter is a member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition to Prevent Westchester Airport Expansion, a non-profit watchdog group of community and environmental organizations, as well as many hundreds of unaffiliated residents that together represent thousands of constituents united in seeking a vibrant but limited and environmentally responsible County airport, with no expansion of airport operations. For more information go to CTPWAE.org or https://www.coalition-to-prevent-westchester-airport-expansion.org/

To file a noise complaint go to https://www.coalition-to-prevent-westchester-airport-expansion.org/noise-complaints

Please subscribe to The Many Shades of Green Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Spreaker.com, iHeart, Amazon and more. Check out past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Follow us on FaceBook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Civic Engagement with George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works

“Every so often, in the midst of chaos, you come across an amazing, inexplicable instance of civic responsibility. Maybe the last shred of faith people have is in their firemen.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

According to the American Psychological Association, one useful definition of civic engagement is the following: individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual voluntarism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. An engaged citizen should have the ability, agency and opportunity to move comfortably among these various types of civic acts. In this episode of TMSOG we talk to George Polisner, who is the Founder of Civ.Works, which is a non-profit technology platform for civic engagement, constituent engagement, participatory democracy and participatory budgeting. George is working to educate the citizenry about civic responsibility, to increase participation to promote the civic good, and to engage the populous to be more active and take action to protect our democratic values. We touch on the State of the Union, Climate Change, why certain conservative think tanks deny that climate change exists, and more. Check out Civ.Works for more info. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to our podcast which is on all major podcast apps (Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon, Spreaker.com and more). Follow us on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Guest Greg Vizzi, naturalist and co-author of THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE: THE ANCIENT CULTURE AND WISDOM OF THE LENNI-LENAPE PEOPLE talks about the Indigenous world view and the philosophy of co-author Chief Quiet Thunder

How is the world view of Chief Quiet Thunder relevant to todays modern world? Guest Greg Vizzi talks about how the Indigenous world view has been lost to modern man, and why it is important to collect the oral histories and tell the stories of Native Americans. The traditions of the Lenni-Lenape, teaches “the sacred obligation to protect the Earth.” We should all be protectors of the earth and do our part to prevent further damage to the planet caused by fossil fuel pollution, which is having a damaging effect on the land, the air and the water. Greg is an American naturalist and writer, and he gives us some answers and background on the need to understand and appreciate the culture of the Original People. For more information go to https://www.natures-wisdom.com/ Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps (Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon, Spreaker.com and more). Follow us on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on the web at themanyshadesofgreen.com, HudsonRiverRadio.com and malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness #BEEGREEN

Extreme Weather, Climate Change, Adaptation and Resilience

There is so much beauty on this earth, which is why it is so crucial at this time to be proactive in protecting Mother Earth. We see changes in the flora and fauna, as the planet is warming, and the weather is becoming more extreme. Climate scientist Illissa Ocko stated that “Scientists have no doubt that humans are causing global warming.” It is very evident that hotter heat waves, drier droughts, bigger storm surges and greater snowfall are occurring as the planet continues to warm. Extreme weather is on the rise. A dramatic decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and increases in carbon dioxide capture is needed to keep below a 2oC rise. We need more biodiversity, and often times solutions are right in our own backyard. Shrink your lawn and add native plants and perhaps a meadow. We need to be more resilient, more adaptable and work to reduce our carbon footprint. We discuss these issues with our resident nature expert and friend of the podcast Victoria Alzapiedi, who is the co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is a Member of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as the 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 with Native American complex ceremonial stones, hundreds of mature trees, and is a carbon sink and a wildlife habitat in the town of New Castle NY. Follow New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook. Help Save a Forest: savebuttonhook.org. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on your favorite podcast app and on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. Check out past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Teach Your Children Well about Climate Change with Guest Harriet Shugarman-Founder of Climate Mama

We are all anxious about world events and particularly to the degradation of the environment. The term eco-anxiety, includes “worry, fear, anger, grief, despair, guilt, and shame, as well as hope. A recent BBC Newsround survey found that 70% of 8- to 16-year-olds report feeling worried about the state of the planet. So how do parents, caregivers and teachers talk to kids about climate change? What can we tell them that will ease their tension about the climate crisis? We discuss these issues with our guest and friend of the podcast Harriet Shugarman, an incredible woman who is working to put children’s minds at ease. Harriet wrote the book, How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change:Turning Angst into Action, which provides tools and strategies for parents to explain the climate emergency to their children and galvanize positive action. Check out these websites for more info:

Our Kids Climate https://ourkidsclimate.org/

Parents for Future Global  https://parentsforfuture.org/

How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change, Turning Angst into Action. https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Your-About-Climate-Change/dp/0865719365/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=anthropocene&qid=1570739365&s=books&sr=1-2

Global Warming Six Americas, Yale Climate Communications https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-warmings-six-americas/

You can find The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps (Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon and more) Also check out HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness