Democracy is on the run and we must ask ourselves what is truth in democracy and who is working to advance the truth and bring back civic engagement and social decency? Recently two platforms have merged to make that happen. PlaceSpeak and Civ.Works have banded together to authenticate the online civic engagement process with the ultimate objective: to build trust in democracy. It is of the utmost importance to have a well-educated, well-informed, and engaged public for any form of a meaningful democracy to thrive. We also need to take science seriously, as there is only one planet Earth, which is currently on the run, as 6 out of 9 planetary boundaries have transgressed, and we need to heed the warnings and solutions of the scientific community. On this episode of TMSOG podcast we talk with George Polisner, our resident political, economic, environmental and social justice expert. He gives us some insight into the new agreement between PlaceSpeak and Civ.Works, and we discuss how certain planetary boundaries have transgressed, and why Democracy is on the run. As for the band on the run, my mind immediately goes to Wings, as a specific lyric in Sir Paul’s song Band on the Run stands out to me with respect to climate. It states: Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash, as we fell into the sun, and the first one said to the second one there, I hope you’re having fun, Band on run, band on the run. Little did Paul know that in 2023 at the Burning Man Festival, that the rain would explode onto the desert causing bands and other folks to literally run, only to get stuck in the mud, but that’s a topic for another episode. So tune in to hear George Polisner’s great commentary on science, the environment, current events and more. To reiterate, George, through Civ.works, brings civic engagement, activism, citizen participation and political communication to the forefront. For more info go to Civ.Works. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresesnts.com. Follow TMSOG on FB Instagram & Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to our podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
Category: Earth
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
Oil Spills, Art Shows (Cowboy Towne and American Garbage VI) and August Astrology with Charlotte Ghiorse
“Whoever controls oil controls much more than oil. Oil is a lousy investment because it isn’t an investment. It’s just a bet–and it’s a bet with a ticking time bomb attached to it.” Unknown
“The Gulf Stream waters of Woody Guthrie’s famous song were strung with columns of oil that were several miles long.” ― James Lee Burke, Creole Belle
According to the NOAA, Oil spills can happen any place where oil is being extracted, transported, or stored. The magnitude of harm from a spill is determined by many factors, including the amount and type of oil, location, season, weather, and actions taken to clean up the spill. The most catastrophic spill occurred on April 20,2010, when the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations. Multiple parties, including BP, Halliburton and Transocean, were involved. On this episode of TMSOG we delve into oil spills with our resident Eco-activist, Artist and Astrologer Charlotte Ghiorse. We also talk about her new art show Cowboy Towne and American Garbage VI: the realestate of the heart. Charlotte gives us August Astrology, and we take a peak at some Leos. For more info go to HouseofChoCLeT.com and check out Sexy Astrology on FB and YouTube. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Please subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @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
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
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.
Mothers Day in Retrograde, Mother X artwork, and some companies doing good!
Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and we celebrate all women on that day who are caregivers and providers who give of themselves with all their heart and soul. It is also important to celebrate the ultimate mother of us all, Mother Earth. We must be eco-conscious and think about what actions are needed to preserve Mother Nature, so perhaps Mother’s Day traditions can also make space for our collective Mother. In the astrological world, this year on April 21st, Mercury turned retrograde in Taurus, the earth sign that rules sensuality and our bodies. As it turns out, Mercury in Retrograde runs through Mother’s Day, and I am not sure what effect that will have on the moms of the world, all 2 billion of them, as they celebrate the day. What type of energy will wrap itself around moms and Mother Earth?
It’s interesting to note that in the US, Mother’s Day actually began as a women’s movement to better the lives of Americans. Its origins spring from lifelong activists who championed efforts toward better health, welfare, and peace. Mother Earth is a metaphor which focuses on the nurturing and life-giving aspects of nature, and she is THE collective Mother. All mothers want a healthy, safe, clean and green planet so that current and future generations can thrive. As Mother’s Day endures and evolves, we continue to commemorate the many ways mothers have fought to better the lives of their children, from social welfare to non-violence to protecting the planet. On this episode, our resident astrologist, artist, mother of three awesome kiddos, film maker and voice for moms, Charlotte Ghiorse joins us to discuss Earth and Mother connections during this period of retrograde, as well as her Mother X art exhibits, various green subjects and more. For more info check out houseofchoclet.com and Sexy Astrologist on YouTube and Facebook. You can catch past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
“Motherhood Never Ends” with founder of The Museum of Motherhood, Joy Rose
May is Mother’s Month and we need to give thanks to Mother Earth and all she provides to keep all Earthlings Alive. Mother Earth is not just another mother, she is the greatest mother of them all! She needs to be cared for and protected every day. The same holds true for all mothers who care for others, as many times they neglect their health and well being in that role. There is a history of motherhood and which goes untold. We must be in control of our health, both on a physical and mental level. It’s ok to speak up for our needs, voice our opinions and take the time we need for ourselves. Let’s face it, we are in challenging times, and it is easy to feel down with all of the conversations about guns, corrupt politicians, and the obliteration of women’s reproductive rights and more. Is the mantra that moms can do it all is a myth? Moms need help, which is not always forthcoming, as it truly takes a village to raise a family. In the words of Joy Rose “Motherhood never ends!” Joy is the Founder and Acting Director of the Museum of Motherhood and she joins us on this episode to talk about the many shades of motherhood. Joy is a mother of four now adult kiddos (I knew them when they were littles). She also has two grands, and is a writer, Educator, Adjunct teacher, media maven and is truly a mom who rocks! Joy is a Shero in so many ways! For more info go to mommuseum.org
For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Follow TMSOG on Facebook and on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to The Many Shades of Green podcast on all major podcast apps #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness