We as a society in the US and many other parts of the world are wasteful. We waste food, clothing and over consume. We are addicted to social media in hopes of finding the next TikTok influencers who are constantly telling us what to eat, what to wear, and who to date, which is leading to a populous that can only focus on 30 second to two minute soundbites. We are an impatient species within a throwaway world. So on this podcast episode we focus on what we wear and how we can kick the fast fashion habit. Maybe we can use aluminum foil and potato chip bags to create a dress and look sassy, who knows? According to an article in BBC.com about waste in fashion industry, it was stated that the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions. Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. We all want a bargain when it comes to buying clothes, but what is the real price of buying cheap clothes and what is the environmental impact of fast fashion? Producing clothes uses a lot of natural resources and creates greenhouse gas emissions which are responsible for climate change. There are some designers who are producing more sustainable clothes lines, which is a positive movement. Eco-activist, Artist and Sexy Astrologer Charlotte Ghiorse gives us some thoughts on fast fashion, and we talk about what a Zodiac Signature is. For more info go to houseofchoclet.com and visit Sexy Astrology on YouTube. Also check out past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com, MalcolmPresents.com and themanyshadesofgreen.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Spreaker and more). Follow us on Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
Category: Community
We The World, 11 Days of Global Unity with Rick Ulfik and Jana Larsen
I see trees of green, Red roses too, I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself…What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue, And clouds of white
The bright blessed day, The dark sacred night
And I think to myself…What a wonderful world
Those are the opening lyrics of the song “What a Wonderful World” sung by Louis Armstrong. Yes, the world is filled with beautiful things and with wonderful people, yet humanity is struggling. Countries are still fighting wars, people are still going hungry, climate change is affecting the global landscape, and a sense of helplessness pervades society. We must appreciate the beauty of red roses, blue skies, beautiful landscapes and people who work to do good and act as change agents to make the world a better place. I have the privilege of having two amazing people on this episode, Rick Ulfik and Jana Larsen of We, The World, who are working tirelessly to create a world that works for all Earthlings. They are currently working on the 11 Days of Global Unity program (which runs from September 11th through September 21st) as well as the Campaigns For Change, both of which are designed to build a Movement of Movements with millions of Change Agents. 11 Days of Global Unity brings together voices from around the globe to achieve a cultural shift towards “WE” and away from ME! Rick Ulfik, a friend for many years, is the Founder of WE, The World and the WE Campaign. He is the Co-Creator of the annual 11 Days of Global Unity program whose participants and supporters have included: Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, Bill McKibben, Hazel Henderson, Arun Gandhi and many others. For over 30 years Rick has been a member of hundreds of creative teams producing network television shows, feature films, national commercials, hit records and other media. Jana Larsen, is the Human Resource and Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator at We The World, as well as the Coordinator of Economic Justice. We discuss how the WE Campaign unites and amplifies the efforts of people, organizations and global movements working for the common good. To register for 11 Days of Global Unity and to get more information on We the World and the World Peace Concert go to We.net. Past shows are available on HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Follow TMSOG on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Listen to The Many Shades of Green Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
Kitchen Table Democracy, A Win in Montana and Will Bikini Beach Clean-up Ever Be a Thing?
Julia Olson, the chief legal counsel and executive director for Our Children’s Trust, the group behind a climate lawsuit in Montana, called the recent decision by Judge Seeley a precedent and “a sweeping win” for Montana, the youth plaintiffs, and the climate, and said more court victories would be coming. “For the first time in U.S. history, a court ruled on the merits of a case that the government violated the constitutional rights of children through laws and actions that promote fossil fuels, ignore climate change laws, and disproportionately imperil young people,” Olson said. Around the globe, youth is rising as Gen Zs are starting to make their presence known in both the legal and political arenas. Claire Vlases was 17 years old when she became a plaintiff in the Montana case. Now 20 and working as a ski instructor, she said “climate change hangs over every aspect of her life.“
On this episode George Polisner, founder of Civ.Works, who is our resident political, eco and social justice expert gives us some insight into political, environmental, social issues and current events. How can we better speak to each other over the kitchen table? We also jokingly banter back and forth (as I also did with Charlotte Ghiorse in a previous podcast), about whether starting a ‘Bikini Beach Clean-Up’ would entice more people to help clean beaches while getting the message out about climate change. It does sound like a silly idea, but could it work??
For more info go to Civ.Works, and for past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Follow TMSOG on FB and on Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
The Wonderful Work of The Red Cross is Highlighted with guests Andrew Sindell and Rick Stein
“per humanitatem ad pacem” through humanity to peace. Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, universality and the alleviation of human suffering are at the very root of the mission of the Red Cross, which is is one of the oldest and established humanitarian organizations on the planet. It is a movement with 16 million volunteers worldwide. It was established in 1863, and the organization has been graced with three Nobel Peace prizes which honored their work in World Wars l and ll (1917 and 1944), and also recognized their 100 year Anniversary in 1963. Helping people prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters has been at the heart of the Red Cross. The organization has recently recognized climate change as a serious and devastating threat for the 21st century. Climate change is a humanitarian crisis. In a statement released on April 21,2021, the Red Cross stated that “there is clear scientific evidence that climate change is occurring. These changes — caused in part by human behavior — are already resulting in more frequent and intense weather events. If left unabated, this will place an unprecedented burden on families and on the resilience of communities recovering from disasters.” On this episode I have the privilege of talking to two wonderful gentlemen who have been working with the Red Cross for many years. Andrew Sindell and Rick Stein’s hard work and dedication knows no bounds. Andrew Sindell is a Volunteer Recruitment Manager for the American Red Cross Greater NY Region, and he is a leading humanitarian leader in the Non-Profit Sector in NY state for over 15 years. He has extensive experience in volunteer management during large disasters throughout the country including Hurricanes Katrina, Florence, and Sandy. Rick Stein has been a volunteer for the Red Cross for over 26 years and is a Shelter manager. Other roles include recruitment, community liaison and blood drive volunteer. Rick managed the Red Cross shelter in Chappaqua during Super Storm Sandy. For more information go to RedCross.org (you can donate money, sign up to volunteer, give blood and so much more). Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. For past shows go to hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. #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
The importance of diversity and inclusion in media with Mariana Santos of Chicas Poderosas and George Polisner Founder of Civ.works
It is extremely important for a free and diverse press to be able to report on news and events and do their job to be a check on government and society. Local reporting is more important than ever, and I am honored to have Mariana Santos on the podcast. Mariana started Chicas Poderosas 10 years ago to create a more inclusive and diverse media where all voices are heard. She is a digital journalist, Ashoka fellow, and social innovator. We also have George Polisner on the program who is our resident political and civic activism expert. He gives us some insight into issues affecting diversity in journalism and touches on the current record breaking heat affecting the globe, all of which was predicted by Climate Scientists Michael Mann and James Hansen decades ago. For more information go to chicaspoderosas.org and civ.works. You can find past podcasts on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to the program on all major podcast apps (Spreaker, Spotify, Apple, iHeart and more). Follow TMSOG on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
SaveOurWaterSheds.org
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, watersheds and watershed conditions are important to everyone and everything that uses and needs water. Healthy watersheds provide critical services such as clean drinking water, productive fisheries, outdoor recreation that support our economies, environment and quality of life. It is imperative that we protect vital watersheds and drinking water, which is why it is so important to garner support for local community action when those watersheds are at risk of polluted runoff from construction sites. Our guest on this episode is Leslie Hughes who is working to protect a watershed area in Westchester County NY. She is the organizer of SaveOurWaterSheds.org which is working to prevent a water filtration plant from being built near the Kensico Reservoir on the edge of Westchester County Airport by Westchester Joint Waterworks. Please go to the saveourwatersheds.org website for more info and become an active citizen in protecting our water. Find past shows on malcolmpresents.com and hudsonriverradio.com. Subscribe to our podcast on all major podcast apps and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. #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
Fires, Goats and Indictments with our monthly commentator on civics, politics, the environment and more… George Polisner
The world is burning literally and figuratively. But in the literal definition, people around the globe are struggling and fighting to put out wildfires on a daily basis. The burning fires are creating high levels of pollution, causing destruction and damage to flora and fauna. The East coast of the US recently got a dose of what it’s like to live on the West coast, as the apocalyptic orange skies and smoke filled air obliterated the skylines of NYC and other cities in the Mid-Atlantic states. Wildfires are getting bigger and more destructive. One of the main forces driving this trend is climate change, which has intensified summertime droughts thus reducing the mountaintop snowpack, making fire seasons longer. There is an increase in lightening strikes that can trigger big fires in tinder-dry forests. Fire seasons are longer and since the 1980s, researchers say, climate change has roughly doubled the area of wildfires in the west. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Biden discussed the need to “work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change.” Chuck Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor that “the climate crisis is real and it is here to stay. We must take action against the climate crisis, both short-term and long-term.” But what are our elected officials really doing about it? What is the politics of wild fires, and how can we work to reduce these fires? On a different note we will also touch on the latest indictment of a former president, which is a first in US history. We are lucky to have George Polisner our resident political expert on this episode to give us some insight into issues of climate change, fires, and politics. George is the founder of Civ.works, who works to bring civic engagement, activism, citizen participation and political communication to the forefront. For more info go to Civ.Works, check out past shows on malcolmpresents.com, HudsonRiverRadio.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Burning Forests, Food Waste, June Astrology and more with Charlotte Ghiorse
Do we ever think how far our food has traveled to be on our plate, and what it took to grow? Our mom’s used to yell at us “ don’t waste your food and clean your plate, there are kids who go hungry!” Mom of course, was right, and today, hunger is more widespread than ever, and more food is wasted which could be used to feed those in need. Food waste already accounts for roughly 8 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. According to a UCLA study, 26% percent of the United States’ total greenhouse gas emissions comes from food production and consumption. Therefore, the choices we make when deciding what to eat really can have an impact. If all of the 80% of Americans who eat the standard American diet shifted their habits to eat fewer animal products, even if just a few times a week, the difference could be significant. On this episode our resident artist, filmmaker, astrologist, mother of three awesome kiddos, and Earth activist Charlotte Ghiorse joins us to discuss the problems and solutions of food waste, forests burning in Canada causing hazardous air quality, as well as how the astrological connections of the planets in June affect us. For more info go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ You can find Sexy Astrology on YouTube and Facebook. Subscribe to TMSOG on all major podcast apps, on Instagram @tmshadesofgren and on HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness SaveButtonhookForest.org
Gulf Coast Love Story with Dayna Reggero, Founder of The Climate Listening Project
“While oil & gas executives are planning massive expansions, we’re gathering to share stories of environmental injustice & continued hope.” Dayna Reggero
According to Earth Justice, pipeline spills can cause irreversible environmental destruction. Since 2001, there have been almost 700 reported incidents of serious pipeline failures. Over 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipelines crisscross the country. Pipelines run through lakes, rivers, aquifers, and waterways, endangering the ecosystems and communities in their paths and fueling the climate crisis. Communities have the right to clean air, safe drinking water, and unspoiled lands, and they are being denied those rights by the harmful excesses of the fossil fuel industry. Our guest on this episode is Dayna Reggero who is an environmentalist, award winning documentarian, art activist and a guardian of Mother Earth. Her latest film project is called Gulf Coast Love Story, a collaborative Climate Listening Project which takes place in the Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida). Dayna has collaborated with artist activist Roishetta Ozane, photographer Rev. Michael Malcom, poet Ebony Stewart, and many Gulf Coast artists to produce a collaborative artistic endeavor visioning a better future grounded in the Gulf Coast Love. Artists involved with GulfCoastMurals.com take part in the project. It is a movement comprised of artists taking action to stop LNG exports, who envision a better future for the Gulf Coast. For more info go to DaynaReggero.com, https://gulfcoastlovestory.com/ For past shows on TMSOG go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Subscribe to our podcast on all major podcast apps.
Teaching Kids to Garden with Karen Bazik Super Gardener and Educator
There was an animated TV show in 1991 called Captain Planet, which brought the need to protect planet Earth to the forefront. Gaia, the spirit of the planet, assembled a diverse team of “Planeteers” who were able to combine their powers to summon the appearance of superhero Captain Planet, who worked with the Planeteers to defend Earth from pollution caused by villains. It is a series that should be revived and perhaps tweaked a bit for 2023, to help children understand the need to protect the Earth. The program led to the formation of the Captain Planet Foundation, which gives grants to youth gardens and youth climate education. According to kidsgardening.org the youth garden movement has grown steadily in the past decade as more educators, caregivers, and families get excited about garden-based learning opportunities for kids. With that, the number of national and state grants available for youth gardens has increased. Teaching kids to be stewards of the earth is essential in creating new generations who are aware of the need to be proactive in protecting Mother Nature. Our guest on this episode is Karen Bazik who is working to educate kids about nature and gardening. She does wonderful innovative and impactful work with kids and young people as a native plant nature educator and mentor in her role as the leader of the Chappaqua Garden Club’s “Junior Garden Club” program. Karen is doing incredible native planting work with kids at the Chappaqua Library and will be hosting the “Great Pollinator Planting Event” taking place June 2nd 3-5 at the Chappaqua Public Library. https://www.chappaqualibrary.org/special-programs. Also visit New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook.
For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness