Category: Animals

Climate Scientist and Organic Chemist Stacy Morgan talks about Climate Change, Mothers Out Front, Renewable Heat Now, and Buttonhook Forest

I used to say, when I was talking about climate change, that climate change is serious, certain, and soon. But this is no longer accurate. Now it is very serious, very certain, and now.”(Posted August 9, 2021 Sci-Line (sciline.org) Linda O. Mearns, Ph.D. Senior scientist, Research Applications Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research 

 We need to listen to the scientists, and take heed before it’s too late. So on this episode we talk to scientist Stacy Morgan, who gives us some important information and her thoughts on the climate crisis and how organizations  like Mothers Out Front and Renewable Heat Now are putting solutions into place that can help reduce CO2 emissions. Community involvement on a local level is crucial to getting things done. Stacy is an organic chemist, and she became interested in climate science while working at the National Physical Laboratory in London. She lives in Northern Westchester with her family and is a core member of Friends of Buttonhook Forest, which is group of community residents who are trying to preserve a magnificent 20.3 acres of land, which contains over 1000 trees, is a wildlife habitat and contains Native American Sacred Ceremonial Stones.  Stacy is working hard to save this diverse and important carbon sink and she continues to educate and engage the community in protecting this amazing land. To contact Stacy go to Instagram @savebuttonhook and follow Save Buttonhook on Facebook. Also go to mothersoutfront.org and renewableheatnow.org. For past shows go to HudsonRiverradio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow us on Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to the TMSOG podcast on Amazon, Apple, Spotify, iHeart and more. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Farm Aid 2023, Support Local Farms, Help Our Farmers with Allison Turcan Founder of DIG Farm and host of the podcast Getting Dirty

“Family farmers have the solutions to some of our toughest challenges. As we face a changing climate, farmers in Indiana, across the Midwest and all over the country are farming in ways that create more resilient farms to build healthy soils and protect our water.” — Willie Nelson Farm Aid

The development of agricultural took place about 12,000 years ago and changed the way humans lived. The nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle switched to permanent settlements and farming. The earliest farmers lived in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East (near what is now Turkey) and grew crops like peas, lentils and barley. As humans learned to control their sources of food, they no longer had to be nomads, as they could settle in one place.  Forward to 2023, and there are 2 million farms in America, 98% of which are operated by families, family partnerships or family corporations. Farmers are the backbone of America, as they provide food for the citizens of the US and the globe. But more than 9,000 farms were lost between 2021 and 2022.  Data from USDA’s Economic Research Service indicates that Michigan led the list with 1,700 fewer farms, Texas lost a thousand, and Kansas fell 900. California, Kentucky, and New Mexico each lost 600 farms, and there were 500 fewer farms in Nebraska. Farmers play an integral role in feeding the populous, and many need economic assistance to keep afloat. Small farms are an important part of the agricultural system, as they promote locally grown food which brings communities together. Our guest on this episode is Allison Turcan, a Farmer and the Founder of DIG Farm, a local farm in North Salem, NY. Allison recently attended the Farm Aid event in Noblesville, Indiana and met with farmers, organizers and some legendary music artists. She is the host and producer of the podcast Getting Dirty on HRR, and she works with Westchester Land Trust as the farmer for their food bank garden. I am proud to call her my friend:) For more info go to farmaid.org, Digfarm.org, Homegrown.org. For more shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. TMSOG is available on all major podcast apps (Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more). Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

It’s Autumn so it’s time to Leave Leaves Alone and use more sustainable practices to prep your lawn. Victoria Alzapiedi Co-Founder of New Castle Healthy Yards gives great info as to why fake Halloween Spider Webs are not environmetally friendly and how window decals can help migratory birds.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

It’s that time of year when the air cools and you start feeling that autumn vibe. Feeling the chill on your face brings relief from the hot days of summer, (2023), which by the way, was the hottest summer ever recorded. So with the arrival of Fall, Squirrels and Chipmunks start darting around to gather acorns for their survival of the winter months. Birds get ready to migrate south to warmer climates, and Bears get ready to peace out a bit and hibernate. The trees put on a show of magical colors and leaves pile up to become rich compost in the spring and summer. Us humans need to be proactive in this autumn dance and take steps to help wildlife and take care of our landscape so that we can work in balance with nature. We can be proactive to help birds along their migratory path by keeping lights off and putting decals on windows to prevent them from crashing into window panes. We can leave leaves alone and let them nourish the earth to settle into compost. Halloween in almost upon us and we should be cognizant of using decorations which could hurt wildlife, particularly fake webs which can entangle birds, insects and other animals. Our resident wildlife, garden and habitat guru, Victoria Alzapiedi, co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards gives us helpful info and tips about best practices for being one with the beauty of Autumn. For more info follow New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook, check out the National Wildlife Federation at nwf.org, the Audubon Society at act.audubon.org and leaveleavesalone.org. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast platforms. Follow us on FB and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

“The Birds” We have to do more than watch the birds, we need to Protect them! Victoria Alzapiedi co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards gives us some important information how we can help safeguard the dwindling bird population.

“We are seeing a meltdown of bird populations” says Ariel Brunner, director of BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, a conservation NGO. Loss of habitats, the rising use of pesticides on farms, and, yes, climate change—these are among the factors to blame. Even if you are not a birdwatcher, the loss of birds impacts you. Birds regulate ecosystems by preying on insects, pollinating plants, and spreading seeds. We rely on healthy ecosystems for breathable air, the food we eat, and a regulated climate.” That quote by Ariel Brunner is from an on-line article by Chris Baraniuk (June 28, 2023) in Wired Magazine, which further goes on to say that fewer birds are around today than half a century ago. The numbers are startling. There are  73 million fewer birds in Great Britain alone than there were in 1970. Europe has been losing around 20 million every year, says Vasilis Dakos, an ecologist at the University of Montpellier in France—a loss of 800 million birds since 1980. And in the US, just shy of 3 billion individual birds have disappeared in only 50 years with 389 species of birds on the brink of extinction. This is a crisis, and not enough is being done to get this information out. People need to get out of their bubble and start paying attention to what is happening to Earth’s species which are vanishing. The disappearance of birds is staggering! Our resident wildlife, garden and habitat guru, Victoria Alzapiedi, co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, gives us some great info about our need to protect birds. For more info go to audubon.org and follow New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook. Check out past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

A Big Green Office Plant, plus Rotational Grazing, Regenerative Farming and some Sexy Astrology with Charlotte Ghiorse

From office plants to meadows to farming, we must work to be resilient and sustainable and help things grow in a more environmentally friendly manner. There is a newer method of farming called Regenerative farming, which is an approach to agriculture that focuses on restoring and improving the health of the soil, enhancing biodiversity, and promoting long-term sustainability. It is often considered a holistic and ecological approach to farming. The movie Biggest Little Farm and GrassRoots Farmers Co-op give insight into the practice of regenerative farming as a more sustainable way to grow produce, raise animals and be better stewards of the land. Regenerative farming involves agricultural methods that are more sustainable and work to heal the land and soil. Farmers and ranchers grow a diversity of plants and trees, establish cover crops and use no-till methods for planting, and incorporate grazing animals that naturally produce compost. We talk with our resident artist, eco-activist, Sexy astrologist Charlotte Ghiorse about the rotational and regenerative farming and agriculture practices that are used on some farms and ranches to bring more sustainability to the land. We also chat about a famous office green plant and play Mitch Margo’s tune ‘Green Plant’ (#TheTokens) plus July’s astrology chart and Charlotte’s upcoming art projects/shows. For more info go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ and check out Charlotte’s Facebook and Youtube pages Sexy Astrology. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow TMSOG on Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

The Dangers of Lawn Pesticides

“A Who’s Who of pesticides is therefore of concern to us all. If we are going to live so intimately with these chemicals eating and drinking them, taking them into the very marrow of our bones — we had better know something about their nature and their power.” Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson is known as the woman who challenged the notion that humans could obtain mastery over nature by using chemicals. Her sensational book Silent Spring (1962) warned of the dangers to all natural systems from the misuse of chemical pesticides such as DDT, and questioned the scope and direction of modern science, which would lead to the initiation of the contemporary environmental movement. I don’t think that Rachel would be happy with today’s overuse of pesticide chemicals in lawn treatment, which threaten native flowers and grasses by harming beneficial pollinating insects as well as wildlife, our dogs and cats and yes, us humans. Of 40 most commonly used lawn pesticides, 26 are linked with cancer or carcinogenicity, 12 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 32 with liver or kidney damage, 24 with neurotoxicity, and 24 with disruption of the endocrine (hormonal) system. Of those same 40 lawn pesticides, 21 are detected in groundwater, 24 have the ability to leach into drinking water sources, 39 are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms vital to our ecosystem, 33 are toxic to bees, 18 are toxic to mammals, and 28 are toxic to birds. With numbers like this, the only logical question becomes: is this really necessary and what can we do to stop or prevent this kind of contamination, and what are the alternatives? Our resident wildlife, garden and habitat guru, Victoria Alzapiedi, co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, gives us some great info about pesticides and why we need to talk more about the risks of chemical use on our property. For more info go to beyondpesticides.org and follow New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Slime Molds, the Spotted Lanternfly, Fungi, Trees and preserving Nature with Taro Ietaka: Recreation Supervisor and Conservationist Westchester County, NY

Mother Nature is in need of help. It is imperative that we all work to keep the air, land and water clean, as well as do whatever we can to be active participants to achieve reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. We rely on experts to help us in this process, especially those who are conservationists. Nature conservationists are responsible for the practical management of the countryside. They help develop policies to preserve and protect areas such as woodlands, fields, rivers, mountains, forests or coastal areas, to develop awareness and understanding and to encourage people to be proactive in taking care of the environment. In Westchester County New York, there are terrific people who work to preserve the natural environment through a host of initiatives designed to protect thousands of acres of open space and the hundreds of species of plants and wildlife that thrive in the county. The conservation division plays a vital role in working on a variety of programs and services. We talk to Taro Ietaka who is a Recreation and Conservation Supervisor with Westchester County PRC (Parks, Recreation & Conservation). Taro coordinates the County’s biodiversity program to assess and protect the flora and fauna, and he oversees the six County-operated nature centers. We discuss the importance of science and nature programs for kids. We touch on, but don’t want to touch, the infamous slime mold, and we discuss what might help eradicate the invasive Spotted Lantern Fly (aside from squashing them, vacuuming might be a solution). We also talk about the importance of fungi being an integral part of forests and landscape. Taro is a certified arborist, and past president of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association. He plays a vital role in maintaining and improving Westchester’s unique and beautiful natural environment for current and future generations to come. For more info go to parks.westchestergov.com.

Check out past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps. Follow us on FB and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYour EcoConsciousness

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

Biodiversity, Birds, Tree Layers, Big Night for Amphibians, Wile E Coyote/The Roadrunner… BEEP! BEEP!

Listen to the birds, listen to their sounds. Watch birds in flight and take heed of their gliding in the breeze or building a nest in a tree. We can spot  the majestic eagle or a Northern Cardinal and delight in their beauty. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which recently took place, brought birders together from around the world to count birds. GBBC was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. In 2013, it became a global project when the data was entered into eBird.org, the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science (community science) project. Biodiversity is a key element in creating a healthy environment for all earthlings. We can observe and even talk to the animals, but who talks for them? We all laugh at the old Looney Tunes cartoon about a bird and a coyote, in particular, Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. Why does Wile E chase such a very fast bird, and is that even a thing? As it turns it is a thing, because the creator of the cartoon, Chuck Jones, based it on a book by Mark Twain called Roughing It, in which Twain noted that coyotes are starving and hungry and would chase a roadrunner for food. Wile E has to survive in the wilderness and a Roadrunner dinner will fill his hungry heart. So how do birds, coyotes, frogs and insects coexist with other species and interact with different ecosystems? What roles do trees play in habitats, and what can humans do to help wildlife have an easier time in their quest to live and survive? Our resident wildlife and habitat guru Victoria Alzapiedi, who is the co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, guides us and gives us some great info about biodiverse habitats, the importance of birds, tree layers, Big Night for amphibians and why coyotes are not the bad guys they are always depicted to be.  For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook and ebirds.org For past shows, go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow TMSOG on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Facebook. Please subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more. #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

New Castle Healthy Yards Native Plants with Rene Artale and Karen Bazik

 Our guests this week  Rene Artale, Karen Bazik  Leadership Team Members at NC Healthy Yards on Native Plants are forging the movement for more gardens, meadows, native plants and trees, and less lawn.  We talk about the importance of native plants, one of which is poison ivy, which is beneficial to the ecosystem, but not to humans… think rash. There are other wonderful native plants that can make your land both beautiful and eco friendly (Summersweet; highbush blueberry, packera auera, coral honeysuckle   Leucothoe – provides 4 season appeal, Fringe Tree, and Oak trees to name a few. Other tips, don’t use leaf blowers or pesticides and plant original species that keep your land sustainable. Gardens and Meadows are beautiful and are more beneficial to Earth’s creatures and they create pollinator pathways. For more info follow New Castle Healthy Yards on FaceBook and email them at [email protected]. For past shows go to hudsonriverradio.com, malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green Podcast and tune in on Spotify, Apple, Google Play Spreaker, and ask Siri or Alexa to play our podcast. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Listen to “Rene Artale and Karen Bazik, Leadership Team Members at New Castle Healthy Yards” on Spreaker.

Are we all EcoSexuals? Guests Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens give us insight into the field of Ecosexolgy

In this episode, we will explore the Ecosexuality movement, a relatively new sexual identity which connects environmental activism based around nature, and promotes the idea of the earth as a lover. It invites people to treat the earth with love rather than see it as an infinite resource to exploit. It was founded by our guests, Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle, who describe themselves as “two ecosexual artists-in-love”, whose manifesto is to make environmental activism “more sexy, fun, and diverse”. Their new book, is titled, Assuming the Ecosexual Position: The Earth as Lover. Annie and Beth give us insight about how they came together to collaborate on this latest work, how they took a stand against homophobia, xenophobia, and how this union led to the miraculous conception of the Love Art Laboratory.

Check out their new book Assuming the Ecosexual Position:The Earth As Lover
https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/collections/arts-humanities-2021  and go to sprinklestephens.org to get more about the EcoSexual movement and films Water Makes Us Wet and Goodbye Gauley Mountain. For past shows go to hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Follow us on FaceBook and Instagram, tweet us @tmshadesofgreen. A shout out to my Green Diva Sistas at thegreendivas.com

Listen to “Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens and The Eco Sexual Movement” on Spreaker.