Air Pollution – The Many Shades of Green

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/

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.

People Have the Power with Reverend Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith

We started this episode of TMSOG with the song “People Have the Power” by Patti Smith, which is a song about collective empowerment and the potential for positive change through unified action. It emphasizes the idea that ordinary people, when acting together, possess the ability to shape their world and achieve their dreams. The song was written by Patti Smith and her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith as a call to action, inspired by the spirit of the 1960s protest movements and aiming to inspire a similar sense of agency in the late 1980s and beyond. It is an anthem about the collective power of individuals to create change. It encourages listeners to recognize their own agency and work together to realize their dreams and address societal issues. The song emphasizes that meaningful transformation comes from the unified efforts of people rather than relying on external forces or authority.

People have the power to do great things, but at times it seems that humans have a propensity to mess things up, especially when it comes to the environment. There are those who are working to make things better and to help reduce the pollution of the land, air and water. We need to build community to protect the Earth. So on this week’s podcast we talk about a powerful ally in the climate movement: religious institutions. From churches to mosques, synagogues to temples, faith communities are stepping up and making a tremendous effort to protect the planet. According to our guest Reverend Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith, the United States stands at a crossroads, as within months, decades of climate progress have been undone. So what can we do to get the pendulum to swing back and get us on a path to creating a healthier planet for current and future generations?

For centuries, faith traditions have urged people to care for the Earth. People more likely trust their spiritual leaders more than politicians or corporations. When a pastor, rabbi, imam, or monk speaks about climate change, it can resonate in a deeply personal way. The climate crisis is causing real harm right now and Faith based groups are helping to fill a gap in climate activism by connecting the global crisis to local needs—providing disaster relief, protecting vulnerable communities, and ensuring that climate justice includes racial and economic equity. The message is clear: caring for the planet isn’t just environmental—it’s spiritual and moral. Our guest Rev. Fletcher Harper gives us his thoughts, as well as important information on how GreenFaith is working to inform faith based communities on ways to be proactive on environmental issues. Reverend Fletcher is a pioneer of the global religious environmental movement, and he helped spearhead the faith-based fossil fuel divestment movement. He organizes faith turnouts at major climate mobilizations, and a mobilization is coming up next month as the Faiths 4 Climate Justice Sun Day will take place from September 19th though the 21st, please go to greenfaith.org for more info. Rev Harper is also the founder of Shine, an international campaign that supports women and community-led renewable energy access initiatives in Africa and India. He is the author of GreenFaith: Mobilizing God’s People to Protect the Earth. You can email Rev. Amy Brooks at amy@greenfaith.org for more info on the Sun Day events.

To find out how to take actions to heighten your civic duty go to https://civ.works/

Also please go to the following organizations to get info and if you can, donate to https://www.ucs.org/ (Union of Concerned Scientists which helps scientists continue their valuable work). If you want to help protect the environment please donate to https://earthjustice.org/ and World Wildlife Fund: WWF

You can also donate to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.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.

Crazy Train, Censorship, Cancel Culture and Good Lawyers

Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

Crazy, but that’s how it goes, millions of people living as foes

Maybe it’s not too late

To learn how to love and forget how to hate

Mental wounds not healing, life’s a bitter shame

I’m going off the rails on a crazy train

I’ve listened to preachers, I’ve listened to fools

I’ve watched all the dropouts, who make their own rules

One person conditioned to rule and control,

the media sells it and you live the role

The lyrics of Crazy Train are quite apropos as to what is going on in this truly mad world. Ozzy was spot on, as society at large and more specifically, the US of A, is going off the rails. In a recent article in the Mens Journal, Ozzy Osbourne stated that this world scares the sh*t out of me. We’re all living on the tinderbox.” He continued, stating that “there’s some maniac somewhere trying to devise a new means of destruction. It always amazes me that mankind always goes to find the biggest, powerful-est means of destruction before they find anything good. It’s always the negative things they find first.” Osbourne also said that since he had children, he wondered what is being left for them and “what a future we’ve got for mankind.“ Rest in power Ozzy!

The question arises, what are we leaving our kids and their kids, when the current regime in Washington is taking us back a hundred years, and we are on the eve of destroying the environment, as rules and regulations to reduce climate change and fossil fuel pollution are being removed. The Environmental Protection Agency—or EPA— which was founded in 1970 at the behest of President Nixon, was made a department to safeguard our air, water, and land. But today, the very agency created to protect us is rolling back the rules designed to do exactly that. What happens when protections for clean air, clean water, and public lands are weakened? And who really benefits?

Clearly big oil and the coal industry are the benefactors and are dancing in the streets, as the black soot and dangerous particulate matter infuses the air with pollutants. Can people NOT SEE what’s going on? Are we in our bubble so deep that we continue to NOT SEE that our health will be affected for generations, as the regulations in place to protect us are stripped away? On this episode of TMSOG, Malcolm and Neil chime in on cancel culture and how comedians on the front line are standing up and telling it like it is (Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, South Park writers and producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone). We also talk about small law firms and solo practitioners banding together to give their time to help immigrants and government workers get the proper legal help they need at these difficult times. So, what is it going to take for citizens to take action? In the words of my brother Mitch, “you got the power, I’ve seen you use it, they say you don’t have it, that’s how you lose it.” Take back your power and do something!

Please go to the following organizations to get info and if you can, donate to https://www.ucs.org/ (Union of Concerned Scientists which helps scientists continue their valuable work). If you want to help protect the environment please donate to https://earthjustice.org/ World Wildlife Fund: WWF You can also donate to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://www.democracydefendersfund.org/ and https://civ.works

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

Smoke jumpin’ piano thumpin’ and Rock n’ Rollin’ with Loren Korevec

When you fly cross country on a daytime flight from NY to LA and the skies are clear, you see beautiful topography with no boundaries, no divisions, no anger. One can view the Atlantic Ocean, a variety of cities, crop circles, the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the LA sprawl and finally the Pacific Ocean. The lyrics from the song America the Beautiful say it best, “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.” So what’s left that is good in todays America and how can we come together as a nation to highlight the good, while the domestic evildoers, and I am shouting out to President Bush 2, as he coined the phrase evildoers, seek to disrupt our way of life? I don’t have the answers, but I know that we must unite and be proactive. There are good, kind, educated citizens who work tirelessly everyday to protect, defend, create, innovate and stand up for what is right. Yes, times are tough, but as my son told me years ago, the lawyers, the innovators, and yes, the hackers, will get us through. Joining us on this episode of TMSOG is Loren Korevec, a musician, writer and a friend of my family for decades. Loren was in the U.S. Army with my brother Mitch Margo and played in a group called the Green Apple Nasties, along with Ray Templeton (Disney musician), and actor Joel Higgins (TV Show Silver Spoons). He performed, and took to the stage and the studio with my Token bros Phil and Mitch. He was in The Token spinoff group Cross Country, worked with Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert and he also worked on game show Musical Chairs. He is a talented song writer and keyboard player, piano tuner extraordinaire, and is currently a member of the group The Band Band. We talk about Loren’s time in the Army, and on the environmental side we discuss ocean wind turbine technology. We chat about his smokejumping days in the Forest Service, as well as climate change and how the outburst of fires are making our skies smoky and polluted, which is greatly affecting our air quality. In addition, we get into music and how it reflects and helps us survive these uncertain times. Loren chimes in about The Band Band and much more. You can follow The Band Band on Facebook and online at https://thethebandband.com/tour/

Please go to the following organizations to get info and if you can, donate to https://www.ucs.org/ (Union of Concerned Scientists which helps scientists continue their valuable work). If you want to help protect the environment please donate to https://earthjustice.org/ You can also donate to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org and https://www.brennancenter.org/ The Brennan Center helps protect voting rights. Also check out civ.works/defend

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

Plastic Rain, Acid Rain, Purple Rain and the Dismantling of the EPA, NOAA, FEMA, with Eco-activist/artist Charlotte Ghiorse

First there was acid rain, then Prince brought us Purple Rain, and now we have plastic rain. In simple terms, acid rain refers to precipitation—rain, snow, sleet, or fog—that has high levels of acidic components, like sulfuric and nitric acid. It occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air from burning fossil fuels. These pollutants react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere to form acidic compounds, which then fall to the earth’s surface as precipitation. It also disrupts aquatic ecosystems by making lakes and streams too acidic for fish and other wildlife to survive. Now we have plastic rain, which refers to the phenomenon where microplastic particles, tiny pieces of plastic, less than 5 millimeters long, are deposited from the sky in rain through atmospheric deposition.
The presence of microplastics in rain raises concerns about their potential impact on ecosystems and human health, as they can contaminate water sources, food chains, and even penetrate deep-sea habitats. Studies have shown that microplastics can be found in rainwater and even in remote areas like national parks and Antarctica. A study published in Science found that over 1,000 metric tons of microplastic particles fall into protected areas in the western USA each year. Microplastics get into the food we eat, the water we drink, the land we walk on and it is in our brains, lungs, bloodstream and more. Microplastics come from from synthetic fibers, industrial waste, and the breakdown of plastic products. Plastic pollution has become very pervasive and unless solutions are in place to stop plastic production, the problem will persist. To add to these problems, we now have a government which has slashed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with many health agencies and organizations which do research and put policies into place to protect the land, air, water and citizens of the US and the globe. How can we dodge the DOGE? Our resident eco-activist, artist and astrologer Charlotte Ghiorse joins us on this episode to talk about plastic rain, the dismantling of the US government agencies which were put in place to protect us, and she gives us an astrology update. Prince, as usual, was ahead of himself with Purple Rain, now if we can turn the clock back to 1999, that would be a good thing, as we would all sleep much better. For info on Charlotte go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ @sexyastrologer on Facebook and Youtube Donate to Union of Concerned Scientists https://www.ucs.org/ and ACLU https://www.aclu.org/

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

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

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts.

Manly Men, Climate Change and Spermageddon with Mark W. Sutton

The Oligarchy is already entrenched in the US, and the billionaire man boys are touting the man culture, because hey, men need help. Recently, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who turned to the MAGA side said that more “masculine energy” is needed in the American workplace, because the current high levels of male dominance in the corporate world is not enough! There seems to be a tech-bros-know-how-to-be-macho movement which is being splashed across the news cycles as Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg et al, spread their testosterone far and wide, especially Musk, who is on a mission to populate the world almost by himself, as he has fathered 12 children by various women. In addition, misogyny and predatory behavior once a roadblock to being a government representative, is now being brushed aside, as the GOP turns the other cheek when a prospective cabinet member is accused of sexual assault or is a blackout drunk! Amazingly they stopped Matt Gaetz, but he will rise again, pun intended! Men have ruled the world for centuries, and look where it’s gotten us!! How are we going to reach regular good guys and the men who need help and need guidance to get through these tough times. Who is looking after them? Certainly not the Tech/MAGA bros.
So what do we do in this new year to protect the planet and protect ourselves from the incoming blitzkrieg? Are there men who will stand along side women to resist, and fight and take action to heal the earth? The world is topsy turvy now, and there is much work to be done to preserve the rights of Earthlings and resist the madmen!
On the climate side of things, we need to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for their role in causing global warming, which is leading to extreme weather events. On this week’s episode of TMSOG, Mark W. Sutton joins us and he gives us some insight into how best to reach out to men. We discuss how chemicals in the environment are harming children and lowering mens sperm counts (Spermageddon), plus we talk about the LA fires and the hell storm in the White House. Mark is the author of the very timely book How Democrats Can Win Back Men. He has produced radio content for NPR, Air America and The Mother Jones Radio Show. He appeared as a gender expert on MSNBC, CBS Radio and as a guest host for the TV show Men’s Net. He is passionate about social justice, economic justice, the environment and much more. For more info go to https://www.mark-sutton.com/

To donate to those affected by the LA Wildfires go to: https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/california-wildfires/ and https://spcala.com/programs-services/dart/?bbFormId=178a1dfb-5482-4675-ba9e-4b315097f86f

If you need a laugh, and I think we all do, check out Spermageddon, a Norwegian Animated film of that name — here is the trailer.

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

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

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts.

Oligarchs Fanning the Flames of Climate Change with George Polisner founder of Civ.works

“The thing about climate change is that it really doesn’t care if you believe in it or not.” unknown

“In the decades to come, we will look back and wonder what biblical levels of greed prevented us from taking the necessary actions to prevent climate change.” Finneas, songwriter, actor, and musician who is the brother of Billie Eilish

Outgoing US President Joe Biden warned of the dangers of an oligarchy gaining power as he delivered his farewell address and brought a decades-long career in politics to an end. He said “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom,” He also used his final speech from the White House to issue warnings about climate change and social media disinformation. On climate change, he said “powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis to serve their own interests for power and profit.”As the oligarchs push their oil and gas agenda, the “drill, baby drill” mantra gives the CEOs of the fossil fuel industry and the tech barons a giant boner. AI and bitcoins use massive amounts of energy, and there is little consideration as to what the after effects will be. Has any one tech oligarch pledged any money to the devastating wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles County? If Musk is Iron Man, how is he helping the communities engulfed by multiple wildfires, which has led to unprecedented destruction and loss? He seems to add more flames to the fire with his rhetoric and conspiracy theories about water, and DEI practices of the LA Fire Department. While he sent some Tesla Cybertrucks to set-up Starlinks in some locations to help with internet connections, as the world’s richest man, he should be doing much more. The damage and destruction of the most significant blazes—the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, and the Hurst Fire—have collectively scorched close to 40,000 acres, and it is on track to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. On this TMSOG podcast episode, we talk about the LA fires and how climate change is exacerbating their severity, as well as how the US is teetering on the verge of a kleptocracy as the oligarchs have infiltrated our government. We delve into political and environmental topics with our monthly contributor, commentator, curmudgeon and founder of Civ.works, George Polisner. For the latest official updates and resources, please visit the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) website at https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents. Check out Civ.works, and please donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation and to World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/california-fires-jan25

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts.

LA Fires and the Plastic Within, with monthly commentator Charlotte Ghiorse

“It Looks Like Hell! “It’s like you’re on a different planet.” quotes from LA residents in reaction to the fires.

“What we saw here in the last 24 hours is unprecedented,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

On January 8th, 2025 roughly 2,500 firefighters assigned to the Eaton and Palisades blazes in Los Angeles, faced unprecedented/historic fires which they continue to endure daily. The fires fueled by extreme winds, bone-dry brush and low humidity have turned thousands of homes into ashes. As the large fires rage, plumes of smoke dot the sky, as embers get pushed by strong Santa Ana winds, engulfing homes seemingly at random. A stretch of New York Drive, a main thoroughfare in Pasadena, was left untouched while homes burned less than two blocks away. There is not enough fire personnel in L.A. County between all the departments to handle the fires. It has been a climate whiplash, as evidence continues to point to climate change as making wildfires more destructive, larger and more severe. Fifteen of the state’s 20 most destructive fires on record have occurred in the past 10 years, according to CAL Fire. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, said on NASA‘s Earth Observatory website that “California’s fires have become more deadly because of warming temperatures.” Heat essentially turns the atmosphere into a giant sponge that draws moisture from plants and makes it possible for fires to burn hotter and longer. It must also be noted that there is so much plastic in homes, offices, and other areas that when it burns it emits toxins into the air. We also have to be concerned about pets and wildlife in the fire zones. Shelters are full and many animals have burns and they need medical attention. It is hard to determine the impact on the thousands of species living in trees and forest areas, it’s not just humans which are affected. So on this episode of TMSOG we talk about fires, as well as plastics within our environment, as tiny bits of plastic are now being found in humans. You should think twice before buying that single plastic bottle of water as it is hazardous to your health and the environment. We will uncover some facts about microplastics and why we must reduce consumption of products made of plastic and wrapped in plastic. We rundown those topics as well as January Astrology with our monthly resident commentator Charlotte Ghiorse, who is an artist, eco-activist and Sexy Astrologer. For more info go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ To donate to help those affected by the fires in LA go to World Central Kitchen https://donate.wck.org/give/499865/#!/donation/checkout and The Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts.

Welcome to the Plastic Generation with resident eco-activist, artist and astrologer Charlotte Ghiorse

Yup, we are the plastic generation! Plastic is in our bloodstream and is a geological entity inside rocks. At present, the world creates over 350 million metric tons of plastic waste a year. According to a recent article in Anthropocene Magazine, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) have shown that there are policies that could eliminate 91 percent of the world’s plastic waste and almost a third of the related carbon emissions by 2050. It’s hard to fathom that 68 million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in our soils, waters, and air, and around 10 million tons of the waste finds its way into the oceans, where it can harm marine life in many ways. UCSB researchers outline four policies in their paper published in the journal Science that could help reduce plastic pollution. These policies include: capping plastic production at 2020 levels; requiring that new products be made with 40 percent post consumer recycled plastic; implementing a small fee on plastic packaging; and investing significantly in waste management, especially in lower-income parts of the world. Without any policies in place, researchers have calculated the mismanaged plastic waste will be out of control. In 2021 alone, humankind mismanaged 68 million metric tons of plastic waste, or the equivalent of 380,000 747 airplanes. By continuing with a business-as-usual approach, the world would generate enough litter by 2050 to cover Manhattan in a pile of plastic 10 times the height of the Empire State Building. It is hard to get treaties signed and to get polluting corporations to cooperate. An example of this is that Coca-Cola quietly dropped its commitment to deliver 25% of its products in reusable packaging by 2030. It has abandoned its critical plastic reduction pledge even though its refillable glass project in El Paso Texas is reducing waste and saving money. It is a hit with customers and businesses, yet things don’t seem to go better with Coke, as the company is downplaying its success. WHY? Can we all shout CORPORATE GREED! Doing the right thing seems to be looked down upon while being a douche is rewarded.

Individuals need to see the light and take action to reduce plastic use. Craig Leeson, award-winning journalist and director of A Plastic Ocean said “I realized that plastic had become such a part of my life that it had become invisible to me. I just did not see it until it was pointed out to me, and I was told it was causing specific problems. And then I saw it everywhere. I saw it between my toes when I was on the beach. I saw it in the seaweed. I saw it floating between my legs while I was surfing. Once you see it, when you start to look at the problems it causes; when you investigate the human health consequences, you cannot unsee it.“ We discuss the plastic conundrum and more with our resident eco-activist, artist and sexy astrologer Charlotte Ghiorse. We talk about plastic pollution, social and environmental innovations via Enactus Canada and Erthos, December astrology, Charlotte’s latest art show and more. For more info go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ and visit Sexy Astrology on Facebook. Also check out https://enactus.org/ https://www.planeterthos.com/ https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-plastic-documentary-film/ The Coca Cola video on the refillable bottles pilot program in El Paso TX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR_E5dKcVFw and https://www.beyondplastics.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow The Many Shades of Green on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

TMSOG is on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts to follow in 2024 and beyond!

“Climate Change: it’s not too late!” With Dr. Astrid Caldas, Senior Climate Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists (ucsusa.org)

“The Earth is not a platform for human life. It’s a living being. We’re not on it, but part of it. Its health is our health.” Thomas Moore

“We need states and cities and business and organizations to step up just as we did in 2017,” said Gina McCarthy, who oversaw the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama and is now the co-chair of the climate coalition America is All In. “We cannot and will not let anyone stand in the way of giving our kids and grandkids the freedom to grow up in safer and healthier communities.”

The earth is currently heating approximately 10 times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report states that it is extremely likely that more than 50% of the observed warming since 1951 is anthropogenic, which means that the emissions causing pollution and environmental change is originating in human activity.
Climate change is real and we need to make a concerted effort to take action to reduce our carbon footprint. There are many people and organizations fighting to keep Mother Earth well. It’s clear that extreme weather isn’t just a scientific challenge—it’s a human one. Climate scientists are trying to inform a public that needs factual information despite the blowback they get from those who don’t believe that climate change is happening, and wreaking havoc on the planet. We need to wake up and smell the coffee, because if climate change continues at this rapid pace, the coffee beans that are used to make that much needed cup of java will disappear. On this podcast episode we have Dr. Astrid Caldas, Senior Climate Scientist for Community Resilience with the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Her work focuses on community resilience, science communication, environmental justice, and equitable climate-related policies with practical implications for nature and society. Dr. Caldas was a Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a climate change and wildlife science fellow at the nonprofit conservation group Defenders of Wildlife, and a research scientist at the University of Maryland. Dr. Caldas has advised or consulted on projects with organizations including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. She has a lifelong passion for butterflies and moths, which she has studied for many years and likes to use as models to raise awareness of climate and land use changes. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future. For more info go to ucsusa.org

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow The Many Shades of Green on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky at tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

TMSOG is on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts to follow in 2024!

Hurricanes, Plastic Pollution, Microplastics and Composting- plus Charlotte Ghiorse’s new art show “American Things”!

John Morales a meteorologist for NBC News in Miami said this on the air about Hurricane Milton: “It is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, where you can imagine the seas are just so incredibly, incredibly hot, record hot, as you might imagine. You know what’s driving that. I don’t need to tell you — global warming, climate change leading to this. Fossil-fuel-driven climate change is causing the world’s oceans to rapidly warm. Warm water acts as jet fuel for tropical storms, allowing them to quickly gain strength.” Morales further said “It’s just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane,” and he started choking up, getting teary eyed, as he described the storm’s catastrophic drop in pressure over a 10-hour period. “I apologize. This is just — horrific.”

A recent NYT Opinion piece by Margaret Renki stated that there is no such thing as a climate haven anymore. We all live in Florida now. Americans who still dismiss climate change outright must surely know this. They simply choose to parrot the talking points of the right-wing media figures who are paid by Big Oil — or Big Construction — to lie to vulnerable Americans and leave them ever more vulnerable. There’s no denying that we would be in much better shape today if utility companies and the fossil-fuel industry had not launched a new disinformation campaign to cover up the truth of climate change decades ago. One needs to question why GOP officials vote against measures that increase climate resilience and tell outrageous lies about the federal governments disaster response. Just keep on drillin’.

Drilling, fracking, plastic and chemical production are all adding to global warming and GHG emissions. Fossil fuel emissions are wreaking havoc on the climate, which in large part is being sponsored by big oil and gas. So where does this all lead us and how can we take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Here’s an answer, educate yourself, be part of the solution not the problem. Believe in facts and science, and become involved in your community. Take your local, state and national representatives to task about climate change and environmental issues. Join an environmental group, and work to create policies that can put adaptation and resiliency into place. Lobby for less development, more open space, protect pollinators, stop using pesticides, and single use plastic. Become a steward of Mother Earth! Our resident eco-activist, artist and sexy astrologist Charlotte Ghiorse chimes in on what we can do about reducing plastic pollution and microplastics, as well as reducing food waste by composting. We also talk about fabricating wood and October Astrology. For more info go to houseofchoclet.com, bigreuse.org and NOAAClimate.gov. To help those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton go to:https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief.html, https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/hurricane-helene/ and World Central Kitchen https://donate.wck.org/give/628338/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow The Many Shades of Green on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts to follow in 2024: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/environmental_podcasts/

Mothers Out Front, Reduce Plastic, The “Upon Request” Law and more with Emily MacKenzie

The website Beyond Plastics (beyondplastics.org) put out the statistic that half of all plastic in Earth’s history was produced in the last 20 years — the plastic we’re seeing now in our air, water, food, and bodies didn’t even exist before the year 2000. Plastic is being measured everywhere, and microplastics are entering our soil, food, water, and air. Scientists estimate people consume, on average, hundreds of thousands of microplastics per year, and these particles have been found in human placenta, heart, arteries, breast mik, blood, lungs, and testicles.

These statistics are horrifying, and mothers are rightly worried that the continued production of plastic will greatly affect the health and well being of their children. Mothers are the key protectors of their off spring and have become a growing force in the climate movement. They have taken on a big role in forming groups and organizations to tackle the hazards of climate change. Many groups have popped up over the last decade to highlight the need to protect their children and humanity at large from the dangers of pollution from fossil fuels, which is in good part responsible for a warming climate which is causing extreme storms, fires, destruction of forests, increased air and water pollution and much more. Plastic pollution is a major concern and the organization Mothers Out Front (MOF) is working on getting bills passed to reduce plastic packaging and phase out harmful chemicals in their production. Other organizations with moms at the helm are Clean Air Moms which has over 1.5 million members who are on a mission to protect kids from air pollution and climate change. Another group, Science Moms is composed of Climate Scientists who are moms who create tip sheets about climate and resources to take action. Climate Mama which was founded by my friend Harriet Shugarman, wrote the book How To Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Action which gives parents tips about what to say to your kids about Global Warming. Emily MacKensie, a member of Mothers Out Front gives us info about the group, which is a national organization that focuses on climate positive grassroots efforts spearheaded by moms. She has two children, lives in the Hudson Valley and became involved with the organization after running into the local chapter leader on a walk and striking up a conversation that turned into a discussion about local air quality, which is being negatively impacted by the incineration of plastic waste. Emily gives us some good insight and information on the initiatives and outreach being worked on by Mothers Out Front to educate the public about plastics and other environmental issues of importance. Please note that as per Emily one does not have to be a mother to be a part of the effort, as the earth is a mother to us all! For more info go to mothersoutfront.org, beyondplastics.org and not to be left out go to @climatedads for their perspective.

TMSOG is proud to be on Feedspot’s list of the 50 Best Environmental Podcasts to follow in 2024: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/environmental_podcasts/