Providing ideas to help make the world a better place for this and future generations
It’s that time of year again, when consumerism and family collide into what we call the holiday season. To help you incorporate sustainable choices into your gift giving, decorations and food, we’ve invited Elissa Olin from Green in BKLYN, Ashley Spivak from Clean Plates and Eva Radke of Film Biz Recycling to share their tips and ideas. greeninbklyn.com, cleanplates.com & filmbizrecycling.org
Hunger is a quiet crisis that demands our attention. My guest this week is Andra Tomsa, Founder of Spare, an organization working to help fight hunger via an app and website that rounds up your restaurant or bar tab, and tracks your donation in real time. Spare has partnered with the Food Bank of NYC and City Harvest to get meals to those who rely on food kitchens and shelters for assistance. For more information please go to sparenyc.org.
Water is the source of all life, there is a world water crisis, and millions of people on the planet do not have potable, clean, drinking water. My guest this week, Paul Lazarus, director, writer and producer of film, television and theater has directed a wonderful documentary entitled, Slingshot. The film focuses on the the current global water crisis, and the path that inventor/engineer extraordinaire, Dean Kamen takes to bring his water purification system to the world market. The documentary has won film festival awards, and is a must see movie. For more information, go to www.slingshotdoc.com
Restoring and converting a Landmark 100+ year old home in Boulder, CO to a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum home, is just one example of the amazing things that this week’s guest, Bob Carmichael does to bring positive flow to the planet. He is an Emmy Award winning producer for the the documentary film “Football in America,” and an Academy Award nominee for his short, “Fall Line” a film about extreme skiing. Bob is a wonderful photographer and videographer, and he specializes in nature shoots, as well as music shoots. He loves the great outdoors, and works to be a leader on issues of sustainability. He truly is a protector of the planet. His video about the conversion of his Boulder home to a LEED certified home, can be viewed on YouTube under Boulder Landmark Meets LEED Platinum: http://youtu.be/
Hal David and Burt Bacharach got it right when they wrote the lyrics “what the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” My guest, Michael Charles Tobias and I discuss the need for society to put more emphasis on compassion, by promoting and teaching non-violence, which we hope will lead to more ethical, nurturing and loving cultures. Michael gets the word out about the problems and possible solutions to violence, extinction, climate change and more, through his most recent book, Hope on Earth-A Conversation, which he co-wrote with Dr. Paul Ehrlich. He also addresses issues of biodiversity, animal protection and conservation via his work as president of the Dancing Star Foundation. Last but not least, we discuss recent findings of the lost civilizations in Northern Mexico, and what clues the petroglyphs left about the tribal life centuries ago, and how those etchings could affect both current and future inhabitants of Earth. For more info on Michael Charles Tobias go to: michaeltobias.org and dancingstarfoundation.org.
Join me and my guest Matt Goodman, as we discuss his role as the manager of the sustainable consulting practice at NYC ITAC, a non-profit consulting firm focused on growing NYC manufacturing. Matt is also a member of the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) a group that advises the Manhattan Borough President on solid waste management programs. He is a fine example of how the millennials are stepping up to help keep the planet clean and green. For info on NYC ITAC go to www.itac.org
My co-producer Abba Carmichael steps in to host TMSOG, and chats with Tony Sirna co-founder of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a highly sustainable community, which encourages members to live off the land, off the grid and reduce consumption. They are a stellar example of being one with nature and being mindful of Mother Earth. Tune in to find out more about how Dancing Rabbit Eco Village is a model for eco awareness and preservation of the planet. Go to www.dancingrabbit.org for more info.
Muralistas, green education and community all come together to create a more sustainable Williamsburg, and a more sustainable planet. This week’s guest, Anusha Venkataraman, is the Acting Director of El Puente’s Green Light District intiative. Anusha gives us insight into the programs and initiatives of El Puente, which moves to build community involvement and awareness of culture and the environment.
Features Amanda Gentile, Director of Development and Communication of GROW NYC, a hands-on non-profit working to build sustainable communities through farming, education and community action.
Features Thelma Thomas, Artistic Director of Pearls of Wisdom, a program of Elders Share the Arts, based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. She is also a founding member of the African Folks Heritage Circle and an extraordinary storyteller.
Features Ben Shuldiner, an educator, social activist, and founder and Principal of The Highschool for Public Service in Wingate, Brooklyn. The school serves as a flagship model for how sustainable practices interconnect with education in public school, and boasts a 10,000 sq. ft.vegetable farm on the front lawn in partnership with Green Guerillas and BK Farmyards.
Features Marilyn Elie, co-founder of the Westchester Citizens Awareness Network and an original member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.
