Category: Community

Civic Engagement with George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works

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

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

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

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

Our Kids Climate https://ourkidsclimate.org/

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

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

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

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

Sexy Astrology 2023 Outlook and Uranus Neptune and Pluto Go Direct

The New Year is upon us, and predictions are made in many areas of life, particularly financial, social and relationships. Millions of people check their Horoscope on a daily basis as a guide or forecast to their day. Astrology stems from around the 3rd Millennium BC with the central premise that the placement of the stars and planets on the day of your birth (i.e. your “star sign”) impacts your character and behavior.  It suggests that the continuing movement of celestial bodies affects events on earth. You might have heard, that some people blame their run of bad luck on Mercury being in retrograde… and that you should run for the hills (or not) during times of retrograde. On this episode of TMSOG we talk to artist Charlotte Ghiorse, who knows a thing or two about astrology. Charlotte is a painter, video and performance artist and a mom who has vision and a sense of depth which gives purpose to her art and life. Charlotte is the founder of Sexy Astrology and has a show on YouTube which gives astrological advice and forecasting, as well as horoscopes. We talk about Perfectionism/Irritability, Mars in Gemini, the OUTER PLANETS Uranus Neptune and Pluto (yes, Pluto) going direct, the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, Mercury in Retrograde, Gen Z’s rising interest in the Zodiac (maybe that is what the Z stands for) and more. Some phenomena in our world might never be explained, human nature moves us to explore the possibilities and the connections between humans and celestial bodies and how we are all quantum entangled. Check out Sexy Astrology on YouTube and the House of ChoCLeT (houseofchoclet.com). For more shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

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.

Courtney on Health: Eating Well on a Budget

There are many layers within the global food system. In a world in which so many people struggle, especially during these pandemic times, it is important to stay healthy, and good nutrition is a big part of health. Not everyone can afford organic produce or farm to table food. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization within the UN, healthy diets are unaffordable for more than 3 billion people, which is approximately 26% of the global population. There is a growing class of food insecurity, and Covid has affected both lower and middle income level families. There are lines at food banks that stretch for miles. So how can we eat healthy on a budget?  Courtney will explain how to maintain good nutrition without breaking the bank. Follow Courtney on FaceBook and Instagram @clgwellness. For more shows go to malcolmpresents.com. Tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen

Sustainable Swag with Gia Machlin founder of EcoPlum

Swag is a slang word that generally means to have or do something that is “cool”.  This term is often used to describe a person, but S.W.A.G also stands for Stuff We All Get, and generally describes give-aways such as samples or promotional items provided by companies at conventions or events. The ultimate SWAG is most likely the gift bag presented at the Oscars, which in 2018 exceeded $100,000. So let’s figure that we need to change the opulence of some swag, and provide companies who want to promote themselves or their products, with environmentally sourced, and eco-friendly manufactured products. Enter our guest this week, Gia Machlin, who started the company EcoPlum, which is paving the way to sustainable swag, and sells eco friendly promotional products to companies, universities and organizations. Gia  also started a non-profit called Sustainable Sisters, which connects women business owners with projects that help women and girls affected by climate change. For more info check out ecoplum.com. Tweet us @tmshadesofgreen, and check out more shows on hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com, as well as thegreendivas.com.

How to Teach Your Kids about Climate Change with guest Harriet Shugarman

Our guest this week, Harriet Shugarman, wrote the book, How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change:Turning Angst into Action, which provides tools and strategies for parents to explain the climate emergency to their children and galvanize positive action. Harriet is the Executive Director of ClimateMama, a professor of Climate Change and Society and World Sustainability, and Chair of the Climate Reality Project, NYC Metro Chapter. She is a nationally recognized influencer, connector, and trusted messenger for parents on solutions to our climate crisis. Harriet is a recipient of the prestigious Climate Reality Green Ring Award, and has been praised by Al Gore as “an outstanding Climate Reality Leader, who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to her role as a climate communicator and activist.” For more info go to ClimateMama.com, climaterealityproject.org, malcolmpresents.com and HudsonRiverradio.com. Tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Listen to “Harriet Shugarman – the Climate Mama” on Spreaker.

Which of these world leaders Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, called our guest Lianne Sorkin a Goddess? The Answer is in the listening.

Lianne Sorkin has traveled the world and has taken action to create solutions to climate change, social justice and violence against women. She has over 40 years experience as a live and virtual event executive producer, meeting facilitator and international project manager for the United Nations. She has lived in Japan, and is fluent in Japanese, and was the UN’s liaison for the Secretary General of the 4th World Women’s Conference in Beijing to the First Ladies, including Hillary Clinton. Lianne works with Project Drawdown, Pachamama Alliance, and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. For more info go to drawdown.org, pachamama.org, 350NYC.org and HudsonRiverRadio.com

Listen to “The Many Shades of Green” on Spreaker.

TMSOG with Guest Maya van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper and initiator of The Green Amendment Movement

Our guest is Maya van Rossum who has dedicated her life to being the “voice of the Delaware River.” She has taken on industry, government, and even the U.S. Army, preventing harm to the River, communities, and environments she so bravely champions. Maya is currently working to empower individuals across the nation to stand up for their environmental rights by pioneering the Green Amendment Movement. She has written a book called The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment.  In 2013, Maya and her organization achieved a major victory in the landmark case, Robinson Township, Delaware Riverkeeper Network,  v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The case, decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, revived the state’s long-ignored Constitutional Environmental Rights Amendment, empowering it to protect the people’s right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment.  Maya has also inspired some musicians, and a group called The Donuts wrote a song in her name, titled “Maya van Rossum’s Blues,”  which is about an oil spill that spewed 165,000 gallons of heavy crude into the Delaware. For more information go to forthegenerations.org, delawareriverkeeper.org, to hear more shows go to malclompresents.com and tweet us your thoughts @tmshadesofgreen

The Many Shades of Green first episode of 2021 with guest Syd Mandelbaum, founder of Rock and Wrap it Up

As we face the fall out from a pandemic with increased unemployment leading to more food insecurity, we rely on organizations to get us through these challenging times. Our guest this week is Syd Mandelbaum, who has been on the forefront in helping those in need for for nearly three decades. Syd is the founder of Rock and Wrap it Up, and award winning poverty think tank established to honor his parents, who were holocaust survivors. Since 1991, Rock and Wrap it Up has fed over 1 billion people who deal with hunger. Other projects within RWU include Hannah’s Project, which helps provide feminine hygiene products to woman and girls in need, and Feed the Veterans Database, to help men and women who served our country. For more information go to rockandwrapitup.org. Check out more shows about the environment and social justice by visiting malcolmpresents.com, thegreendivas.com (50Shades of Green Divas), HudsonRiverRadio.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

TMSOG welcomes Don Raskopf, we talk about the Clearwater organization, Pete Seeger, and what it was like to be a poll worker in the 2020 election

Our guest Don Raskopf is a long time member of the organization Clearwater, which was co-founded in 1966 by legendary singer and activist Pete Seeger. Don talks about the work that Clearwater is doing to help clean up the Hudson River, via the Clearwater sloop, and his relationship with Pete Seeger. We talk about how Clearwater has helped educate thousands of children on environmental issues and why it is so important to promote youth education and outreach. Don is also a member of the Beacon Sloop Club, which fits in with his experience as a carpenter and boat builder. He is active in Beacon4BlackLives, and was a first time poll worker in the last election. We discussed his experience with first time voters, and he had a wonderful story about the passion of those voters. For more information go to clearwater.org. Check out malcolmpresents.com for more shows, and go to thegreendivas.com for info on all things “green”.