Energy – The Many Shades of Green

What are the Environmental Costs of 99 Red Balloons? Charlotte Ghiorse founder of House of Choclet joins us to discuss the hazards of releasing balloons into the atmosphere. We also talk about how California is working to reduce textile waste, plus astrology and more…

99 Red Balloons by the group Nena is our featured song on this week’s podcast. Did you know that the song is a protest song which touches on the cold war?

Ninety-nine red balloons, foating in the summer sky

Panic bells, it’s red alert

There’s something here from somewhere else

The war machine springs to life, opens up one eager eye

Focusing it on the sky, where ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine Decision Street, ninety-nine ministers meet

To worry, worry, super scurry, call the troops out in a hurry

This is what we’ve waited for, this is it, boys, this is war

The president is on the line, as ninety-nine red balloons go by

While we love balloons, if we see 99 red balloons in the sky, there could be trouble ahead for the environment. Balloons are fun and whimsical, but there is a problem which most people don’t think about or understand. While we delight at balloons rising into the sky, we don’t think about the fact that they don’t disappear when we let them go. They come back down, and when they do, they can be detrimental to many creatures. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) considers balloons a form of marine debris. NOAA has documented balloon debris affecting wildlife, waterways and even deep-ocean habitats. One of the most disturbing problems is what happens when animals encounter balloon debris. A sea turtle may mistake a deflated balloon for a jellyfish. A bird may pick up a piece of balloon or ribbon, and a marine mammal may ingest it.

Once inside an animal, balloon material can cause serious digestive problems, obstruction, injury, starvation and even death. The NOAA has documented the dangers of balloons and balloon ribbons to marine animals. While we see the beautiful moment when a balloon rises into the sky it is actually the beginning of a much longer environmental story. On this episode of The Many Shades of Green podcast Charlotte Ghiorse our resident eco-activist, artist, writer, comedian and super mom joins us. We focus on the environmental cost of balloons, how we can educate people about alternatives so that we can celebrate without turning a moment of joy into an environmental hazard. We talk about California’s proposal to become the first state to make fashion brands, manufacturers and retailers pick up the tab for textile waste, some good environmental stories, the floating single red heart balloon floating above Grand Central Station, astrology and more.

For more information go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com/

To help protect the environment visit and if you can, please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

Please make sure you are registered to vote! For more info go to https://civ.works/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Green My Power with Tom Watson Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester

The Joni Mitchell’s tune “Big Yellow Taxi” is a 1970 folk-pop protest song in which Joni warns against environmental destruction and taking nature for granted. The inspiration came to Joni Mitchell after taking her first trip to Hawaii, where she looked out her hotel window and saw a gorgeous mountain view ruined by a massive, sprawling parking lot. The lyric “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” critiques unchecked urban development and the replacement of green spaces with concrete. The song calls out the commercialization of nature, referencing a “tree museum” where people pay to see trees, and criticizes industrial agriculture by asking a farmer to put away the pesticide DDT. The lyrics are as apropos today as they were in 1970.

Pave paradise and put up a parking lot. While we don’t want to pave paradise, we can do something to make parking lots more sustainable. There is a push in Westchester to put solar canopies in parking areas, and there is already a solar canopy system in place at the Metro North train station in Croton Harmon. One of the most powerful things we can do is make climate action visible. When people see that municipalities are taking action, the idea of change becomes less intimidating, and eventually, it becomes part of the culture of a community. Sustainable Westchester’s current 2026 solar and clean-energy initiatives, include Community Solar, Green My Power, Solarize, Grid Rewards, MOVE systems, Workforce Development and the organization’s newly announced solar expansion strategy to put solar solutions front and center. Sustainable Westchester’s multiple Solarize campaigns have resulted in 601 solar installations across more than 20 municipalities, totaling 5.7 MW, and it is now pursuing a strategy to triple rooftop solar and increase parking-lot solar canopies tenfold. Climate change is not a hoax, as we are seeing more extreme weather, rising temperatures, more intense storms, and wildfires. Mother Earth is trying to tell us something, and we have to start listening. We have to take action and be open to solutions to prevent carbon emissions by using renewable energy, and taking simple actions like switching to LED lighting, recycling, composting and more.

How do we accomplish being more sustainable? Tom Watson, the Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester joins us on this episode of TMSOG to talk about what programs are available to help us reduce our carbon footprint and reduce CO2 emissions by following the sun. Tom worked as a journalist for LoHud, Hudson Valley magazine, The New York Times, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Wired and many other publications. He was an early dot-com digital entrepreneur before co-founding a major nonprofit consulting firm, and later creating his own practice CauseWired, named for his best-selling book about the rise of digital activism. Tom serves on the Board of the Westchester Human Rights Commission, and is a professor in the Nonprofit Management masters program at Columbia University. He is a deeply committed native plant gardener who loves a good compost pile. He is also the guitar player for the Westchester band Retro-North.

For more information about Sustainable Westchester go to https://sustainablewestchester.org/ for questions about Solar and other programs email: hello@sustainablewestchester.org

To help protect the environment visit and if you can please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Election Protection: Rock the Vote!

We started off the podcast with Dolly Parton’s song “9 to 5” which is an anthem about the daily grind, economic frustration, and the exploitation of working-class employees by wealthy bosses. The tune was written as the theme song for the 1980 movie 9 to 5 (starring Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin). The song specifically highlights the struggles of working women facing sexual harassment, gender inequality, disrespect, and unequal pay compared to men. The lyrics criticize corporate systems where workers give everything (“it’s all taking and no giving”) while rich bosses get richer off the backs of the poor (“they just use your mind and they never give you credit”). Dolly was an advocate for women’s rights, gay rights and personal freedom. She advocated for equal pay for women in the workplace and better working conditions.
Dolly was an amazing woman, writer, musician, actor and philanthropist who donated a million dollars to help develop the Covid vaccine, and gave away millions of books to children through her Imagination Library foundation. She was a talent, a mensch and a beautiful soul. She will be sorely missed.

Women’s rights have experienced a major setback as Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, and women’s health and rights have been greatly affected. The decision erased nearly 50 years of legal precedent, returning authority entirely to individual states to restrict or ban abortion. It seems that SCOTUS has become a bastion of extreme right wing rulings as they bow to the President and his DOJ. Women need to go to the polls in numbers that are of epic proportions so that their rights can be restored. SCOTUS has recently gone rogue again, as the Court decided to give the President a chance to rig the elections from the inside. The lower court injunction that blocked the Executive order of DJT to restrict mail in ballots was lifted by the Roberts court ruling (6-3), in an unsigned opinion.

The majority said the states challenging the order had brought their lawsuit too early. The order directed federal agencies to develop systems identifying eligible voters and instructed the U.S. Postal Service to establish rules concerning the delivery of mail-in ballots. The administration argues that these measures are about election security and ensuring that only eligible voters receive ballots. But critics, including states, voting-rights organizations and election officials, argue that the president is attempting to exert federal control over an area traditionally administered by the states. It greatly affects older voters, people with disabilities, people who work long hours, military and overseas voters, rural residents and people who may have difficulty getting to a polling place on Election Day.

For many Americans, voting by mail isn’t simply a convenience. It is the way they are able to participate in democracy. The ruling was not final, as the majority concluded that the states had challenged the federal government’s actions before the relevant rules had been finalized. In other words, the Court essentially said: Come back when there is a final rule that can actually be challenged. Voting is not just a procedure. It is a form of civic participation and it is a form of empowerment. And ultimately, it is one of the ways we determine what kind of society we want to live in.

So as usual, there was so much to cover with George Polisner, founder of Civ.works who joined us on the podcast. He is our curmudgeon in chief, political analyst, and environmental activist. We delved into Election Subversion, as SCOTUS strikes again, this time regarding restricting mail-in voting. We also talked about Liberal tears, fires affecting Reno, Nevada, wild horses being dragged away from land where they roam free, and much more.

For more information go to: https://civ.works/ and https://civixthread.com/

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https:/ /www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

We Can’t Back Down & We Won’t Back Down, plus Maxine’s Birthday Astrology Chart Reading by Charlotte Ghiorse

I have Mars in Sagittarius, can I get rid of clutter? Why did I ask for a reading? Should I have a Tarot reading next?

On this episode of TMSOG we start off with the Tom Petty song I Won’t Back Down. The song was released in 1989 on Petty’s solo album Full Moon Fever. The artist told interviewers that people would come up to him all the time, or would write to him, sharing stories of how this song, with its plainspoken message of resilience and empowerment helped steer them through difficult times.

So we must stand our ground on many issues. When environmental and political challenges seem overwhelming, it helps to remember that we are not the first generation to face seemingly impossible obstacles. Environmental leaders have spent their lives reminding us that hope isn’t passive. Hope is something we put into action. The same holds true in the political arena. Activism is key on issues affecting the environment, social justice, democracy, being a responsible citizen and not backing down.

There are moments when standing up for what is right can feel exhausting. Many times people are told that their voice doesn’t matter and that change is impossible. You may be pressured to compromise but don’t give up, as the principle you are fighting for is more than worth your attention.. So, what does not backing down look like in everyday life? It means refusing to yield, quit, or surrender when you face pressure, fear, opposition, or hard times. It is about holding your ground for your personal values, goals, or rights instead of running away. Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, and her quiet steadfast defiance sparked the Montgomery bus boycott which was a defining moment in the American Civil Rights movement. John Lewis continually got into good trouble, but got his head cracked open when peacefully protesting for civil rights while walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama. In 2025 into 2026, the citizens of Minneapolis and other towns in Minnesota did not back down when ICE invaded their cities and harassed and shot immigrants and activists. E.Jean Carroll did not back down when she stood up to DJT and sued him for sexual assault and won. ABC recently decided to sue the FCC over First Amendment rights to keep their TV licenses. People are standing up to stop AI data centers from destroying land and polluting the air and water in the areas where they live and work. Millions of people did not back down and showed unity during the No Kings rallies.

Despite pushback and reductions in funding, scientists and engineers are still working on ways to improve life in areas of medicine, and we recently learned that there could be a cure for certain cancers using the mRNA messenger vaccine, which would indeed be a miracle. We need millions of voices to rise up and not back down. I believe that the good people out number the bad, and we must take to the streets daily. We must vote in the midterm elections in numbers never seen before. We must call and write elected officials and tell them what’s on our minds. We must make sure people are registered to vote. We must be proactive to conserve the land and be good stewards of the Earth. But most of all, we need to listen to each other, be kind to each other and respect each other. On this week’s podcast we discuss the need to stand up and not back down, and we talk about environmental innovations, my birthday astrology chart and more with friend of the podcast, Charlotte Ghiorse, who is our resident eco activist, artist, writer, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of ChoCLet. For more info go to: https://www.houseofchoclet.com/ and Sexy Astrology on Facebook. Also check out Bad Music for Bad People ACT 1 and ACT 2

ACT 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pYwoj01lfA&t=923s

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Who Can Sleep When the World is on Fire? With Yolanda Nava, Golda Valez, Jim Driscoll and George Polisner

Some People Sleep, by The Tokens

Sweet harmony amidst the chaos. Some people sleep to the sound of the waves on the shore, some people sleep to the sound of the falling bombs, and some people don’t sleep at all. A beautiful song written by my Token bro Mitch has a message that reverberates today as much as it did in the late 1960’s, when turmoil kept us awake. But within the turmoil there was harmony.

Some people sleep, some people don’t. Some people remain in their bubbles, others are proactive. Some people believe in lies, others want the truth. Some people believe in science, history, climate change and fair elections. Others prefer to believe in cult leaders and get joy out of other people’s suffering. Some people prefer to take coverage in the Trojan horse, while others take to the streets to protest and make good trouble. I believe that more of us want to do what’s right. We want to have clean air, clean water and clean land, and we want our children and grand children to live in a safe and beautiful world.

So the question arises, why can’t we sleep ? I think the answer is that we are hit by chaos in the news without stop, and the world is on fire. We are living in unprecedented times, and we seem more divided than ever. Yet the US along with Canada and Mexico, hosted the World Cup, and even as bombs dropped in wars around the planet, visitors from around the world experienced some joy. Our global visitors enjoyed the good nature of the majority of Americans being helpful and welcoming. Some even became NY Knick fans. People from around the world were expecting the worst, as they cited news reports of the USA being a total hellhole. I cannot dispute that we are living in uncertain and difficult times, but it seems that when the world leaders were mostly absent from the picture, the globe united for a few weeks. So on this episode of TMSOG podcast we talk about the divisions, past history, and what we need to do to take action to save our democracy. We must continue to protest, and perhaps strike. We must all come to the realization that climate change is not a hoax and renewable energy is more important than ever. There are things we can we learn from history of decades past, especially the 60s and 70s? We discuss these topics and more with friends of the show, Yolanda Nava, George Polisner, Golda Valez, and special guest Jim Driscoll. Jim is a decorated, combat Vietnam veteran with degrees from Harvard and Cornell, who taught at MIT. He is an activist who helped put together the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign and the American Peace Test. Jim worked to Stop the Gulf War, and reached out to veterans to start Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Against the War, now named About Face. From 2012-2020 he focused on climate change, winning the first local resolution declaring a climate emergency in Montgomery County (MOCO). His accomplishments and resume is too long to list here, and I am honored to have had him on the podcast. For more info go to (NIPSPeerSupport.org), https://civ.works/ https://workers.vc/ and https://www.yolandanava.com/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

What Can WE Do? A Conversation with Dr. Kevin Danaher, Co-founder of Global Exchange and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

The song of the week is California Reggae Debate-What Can I Do? By Mitch Margo

Brother Mitch wrote this in response to the endless wars, and the never changing bad news that continues to permeate society. But he saw hope, in that people have the power to make things better if they use their collective will and spirit. The chorus of the song is “You’ve got the power, I’ve seen you use it, you think you don’t have it, that’s how you lose it.“

We all need to use our power and contribute to society, and that means raising your voice, being civic minded, and yes, not putting up with the current dismantling of democracy. According to the Collins Dictionary, being civic-minded means having an active concern for the well-being and affairs of your community. It describes someone who prioritizes the common good and takes personal responsibility for improving society often demonstrated through active citizenship, volunteering, and public service. People have the power to use their public spirit to rise up when things go south, and they must twist and shout to help people in need. When we collectively consider the importance of social responsibility and participate in community engagement, we are impacting not only our local communities, but also the wider world. Democracy must focus on the WE, not just the Me, Me, Me! It is important to vote in all elections, from school boards to the presidency. Volunteering is also a very important component of social responsibility. We have the power, we just have to use it. We as humans can take action to change things and make life better. It has been quite the challenge of late, as right now, in the USA, we are seeing the downward spiraling of democracy before our eyes. I am constantly mortified by a mainstream media which is capitulating to what is being done on a daily basis to reduce our rights, freedoms and power. But there are moments when I think we can overcome the current chaos, as people are coming together in communities all over the country (No Kings rallies) on a local and national level to fight back. We have the power, and we must use it for good, as right now we have to raise our voices to counter the current attack on our civil rights. We need to move forward and educate the populace about civic responsibility and duty, as the choice is clear that the power is within us. In the infamous words of Civil Rights Leader and Congressman John Lewis, we need to make “good trouble!” If we don’t use our power, we will lose it.

Our guests on this episode of TMSOG are Dr. Kevin Danaher and George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works. Dr. Danaher is a co-founder of Global Exchange (1988), co-founder of Fair Trade USA (1997), founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals (2001-2013), founder of the Green Guardians, and is a lifelong educator. His 1983 PhD in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz was based on his dissertation, “The Political Economy of U.S. Policy Toward South Africa.” He was very active in the anti-apartheid movement. Dr. Danaher has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books, including: The Green Festival Reader: Fresh Ideas from Agents of Change; and Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots. He has also done many TED Talks and his most recent book, The Two Globalizations, is a free PDF download at https://www.kevindanaher.org/ He has an article, “On Becoming Solutionaries,” in the May 2020 issue of The Solutions Journal. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/becoming-solutionaries-first-global-revolution/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about Civ.works.

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Let ’em Eat Pie! With George Polisner Founder of Civ.works

SONG OF THE WEEK IS BOSS OF ME (Malcolm in the MIddle TV theme song) by They Might Be Giants

Boss of Me by They Might Be Giants (Theme Song for Malcolm in the Middle)

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the phrase “boss of me” (often used in the idiom “you’re not the boss of me”) means that someone lacks the authority to command, control, or give orders to another person.
So, a US President walks into a meeting with G7 world leaders, an hour late, and purportedly joked as he entered, when he said “I’m the boss!” Was it really a joke as the press is saying, or was it just another delusional quip? The comment drew immediate laughter from world leaders in the room, but the public and media reactions were divided along international and party lines.

Who really gets the piece of the pie?
It seems that the current administration wants to consume all the pieces of the pie or cake, leaving the crumbs to the underclass. The phrase “Let ‘em eat cake” comes to mind, and while the quote has been attributed to Marie Antoinette, she never really said those words. The phrase was attached to her during the French Revolution, as people viewed Marie Antoinette as a symbol of immense financial mismanagement—earning her the nickname Madame Deficit. Historians attributed the quote to her, as it served as powerful political propaganda, highlighting the royal family’s profound disconnect from the severe starvation and economic hardships faced by the common people. Fast forward to 2026, and the economic divide has grown even larger, as the oligarch billionaires, along with a newly minted trillionaire Musk, control more wealth than ever before. The Biff character in the Back to The Future movies has now taken center stage, and bullies are ruling the working class. The middle class piece of the American pie has become so small, that it takes up little room on the plate.
That we remain pawns in the current regime is frightful, and unless we become more involved and take action to stop the madness, I fear the worst. Perhaps there is hope on the horizon, as the ‘No King’ rallies have brought millions of the people together to use their power. But we need to do more, we need to vote in numbers that are too large to be rigged, and hopefully we can replace the current stooges with sane people who have experience in running the government. On this weeks podcast we have George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works, who is our resident political analyst, environmentalist, and our favorite curmudgeon. We delve into the architecture of pie, islands in the stream, the desecration of many landmarks in Washington DC, the need to shift to renewable energy and more. Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and https://civ.works/defend

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Science Matters with Julie McNamara, Federal Energy Policy Director with the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

This episode starts off with the TV theme song from The Big Bang Theory which is officially titled “The History of Everything”. It was written and recorded by the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. The history of the song started when the show’s creators, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, asked the band to write a song explaining the entire history of the universe. Lead singer Ed Robertson wrote the lyrics from scratch in just about an hour. The track is famous for its rapid-fire, high-energy delivery of scientific milestones, covering everything from the Big Bang to the dawn of civilization.

Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state

Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait…

The earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool,

Neanderthals developed tools,

We built the wall (we built the pyramids)

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,

That all started with the Big Bang!

We take for granted the amazing creations brought to us by science. Throughout history, scientific discoveries have transformed societies, increased life expectancy, improved living standards, and expanded our understanding of everything from the tiniest particles to the vastness of the universe. Yet today, science often finds itself at the center of public debates about education, health, technology, and public policy.

The recent Artemis II moon mission brought science to the forefront, as people focused on the amazing crew and the tremendous effort of the astronauts, scientists, technologists and everyone who participated in the project to make it a success. Kids became infatuated with the mission and began to take a greater interest in science. So why does science matter? We cannot ignore science as to surrounds us daily in every aspect of life. Scientific literacy is essential in a democratic society and scientific expertise must not be ignored. Millions of people carry around an amazing device which fits in their pocket and connects them to a world of information. That amazing device the is the cell phone, and people take for granted the scientific research that went into producing it.

The cell phone was invented by integrating centuries of scientific discoveries in electromagnetism, computing, and battery chemistry. It turns your voice into radio waves, routing them across a grid of towers, and shrinking massive circuits to fit in your hand held device. Science produced Rechargeable Battery Chemistry to charge your cell phone. It is interesting to note that Hollywood actress and scientist Hedy Lamarr invented the foundational technology for Wi-Fi. During World War II, she co-created a “frequency-hopping” radio system with composer George Antheil. This spread-spectrum technology prevented radio signals from being jammed and directly paved the way for modern Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Scientific advancement made cell phones possible, without them we would all be tied to a wall.

Not only is the the smartphone in your pocket based on science, GPS navigation, weather forecasting, medical imaging, renewable energy technologies, and life-saving pharmaceuticals are only possible by the work of scientists and researchers working for the better good. Many of these innovations originated from government-supported research programs.

Science helps determine whether our drinking water is safe, whether medications are effective, whether bridges stand, and whether crops survive drought. Climate change must be addressed, as it affects millions of people. Extreme weather is happening at a faster rate, and communities have to prepare for more floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. The United States has been a global leader in scientific discovery. Federal investments in research helped create lifesaving medicines, advanced technologies, and countless innovations that fuel our economy. But many scientists now warn that America’s scientific enterprise is facing unprecedented political and financial pressure. Research funding has been reduced, advisory panels have been eliminated, grants have been canceled, and concerns are growing that politics is increasingly influencing scientific decision-making. Scientists, universities, and organizations across the country are raising alarms about what they see as an erosion of scientific independence.

Joining us on this episode of TMSOG is Julie McNamara, the Federal Energy Policy Director with the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Julie’s research focuses on policies and measures that facilitate a rapid transition of our nations energy system. She holds an MS in technology and policy from MIT and a BA in biology and political economy from Williams College. Julie has been quoted widely in the Associated Press, Inside Cimate News, the LA Times, NPR and more. We discuss AI Data Centers, the repeal of the Endangerment Finding, the Chevron Deference, and the current climate of science in the US. We need to support the science community in these chaotic times. Science matters!

For more info go to Union of Concerned Scientists at https://www.ucs.org/

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and https://civ.works/defend

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/ Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness. A shout out to Neil Richter for all his engineering wizardry getting TMSOG out.

TMSOG Goes Bananas! Plus Food Waste, Banana Bacon Challenge and ‘Greenhushing’ with Charlotte Ghiorse

We start off the podcast with the song Yes, We Have No Bananas, covered by Louis Prima, which was recorded and released in 1949 on Mercury Records. The Song was originally published in 1923 and was written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn. Frank Silver would stop on his way to a gig at a fruit stand owned by a Greek gentleman, who began every sentence with ‘Yes’. The jingle of his idiom haunted Silver and his friend Cohn. The man at the fruit stand who said “Yes! We Have No Bananas” and inspired the song, never gave a reason as to why he had no bananas, as he probably did not know why bananas were in short supply. But there was in fact a worldwide decline in the banana crop caused by Panama disease, which develops from a fungus that lives in the soil. So, I can see why the fruit vendor did not have bananas to sell, and yes, Yes, We Have No Bananas had an interesting back story.

We are almost halfway through 2026 and bananas are in the news making headlines for transforming agricultural waste into eco-friendly products, including biodegradable plastic alternatives, sustainable fashion textiles, and renewable energy. Researchers and companies are converting banana peel extracts and fibrous stems (pseudostems) into durable materials, aiming to replace petro-chemical plastics and reduce agricultural waste. Food waste is a growing problem. Food systems are responsible for one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Within that, food loss and waste alone account for an estimated 8-10% of global emissions which is roughly equal to the carbon footprint of the entire tourism industry. Agricultural and corporate food waste has a ripple effect within the populace. According to a recent article in earth.org, food waste from restaurants and business accounts for 28% of all the food wasted globally. Businesses that implement innovative solutions to reduce food waste can make a profit no ‘greenhushing’ needed. Companies can redirect excess food to communities that need it, which will save money and reduce their methane emissions simultaneously. Individuals also have to rethink their perception of food and change their habits. Eating smaller portions, composting scraps from veggies, fruits and bones and using leftovers can also make a difference. We are a throw away society, and as food gets over produced, it often winds up in land fills polluting the land, air and water. Educating the public about small changes in their habits can lead to both businesses and consumers monitoring their waste more closely, driving a more comprehensive and impactful change. In a world where food insecurity remains a daily reality for millions, the disposal of perfectly edible food is a profound moral failure. Consumer education and awareness about the food system and food waste is encouraged and necessary to reduce waste.

On this episode of TMSOG podcast we discuss how bananas can be used to reduce food waste and pollution. We chat with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Chochlet, Charlotte Ghiorse about Banana Bacon, ‘greenhushing’, Astrology and God’s Love We Deliver, a NYC non-profit that provides nutritious meals to people living with severe illnesses (https://www.glwd.org/). For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com and Sexy Astrology on Facebook. It might be time to start a Banana Bacon Challenge!

For more information on civic action go to https://civ.works/ To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

There’s Too Much Chaos, So Let’s Get Smart with George Polisner

We open with the song: They Own the Media written and performed by Van Morrison, which was released May 7, 2021

In the song, Morrison critiques what he perceives as a lack of independent thought and the manipulation of information. Key lyrics from the track include:

“They tell us that ignorance is bliss. I guess for those that control the media it is”.
“They own the media, they control the stories we are told”.
“They control the narrative, they perpetuate the myth“.

The mainstream media is now Meet De-press. We are witnessing the news media in the US being turned into State News, as the oligarchs control mainstream and social media. Facebook has 3 billion users, and Zuckerberg is controlling what we see and read on the platforms within the Meta Universe—Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

The Ellisons via Skydance Media own Paramount and CBS, and just recently, shareholders of Warner Brothers approved to combine with Paramount. Skydance will own more than 50% of the media in the US if that merger goes through. Last I checked, that is a monopoly. In addition to all of this, Musk owns X, formally know as Twitter, Bezos owns The Washington Post, and of course the king of all conspiratorial media, there is Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News. We are being controlled by oligarchs who are kowtowing to a corrupt regime in charge of all three branches of government. We are watching and witnessing the Fourth Estate, the press, dissolve into news for conspiracy groups and an out of control Executive branch. Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow must be turning in their graves. The the press in 2026 is being assaulted, and independent, trustworthy outlets are being quashed by propagandistic media. Local newspapers are shutting down as costs rise, and CBS News has become State news, as it boosters the Trump administration’s messaging. FBI agents have raided the homes of Washington Post and New York Times reporters and the Pentagon Press corp has been dismissed only to sue and come back, but with reduced access. There is a war on independent media which is doing the bulk of reporting on important issues, as mainstream media, especially on the broadcast side, has fallen into a dumpster. Late Night TV has more genuine content than mainstream media, and CBS fired Stephen Colbert in a move that seems ripped out of the blacklist playbook of the McCarthy era, thus wiping out an important voice. Don Lemon was arrested and is now in court defending his right to report current events as a member of the independent press. There is some good news as various outlets such as Substack, where you can find Heather Cox Richardson and our own George Polisner is giving journalists a place to report the all consuming chaos we are all living through. Other good independent sources include ProPublica, The Guardian, The Associated Press, Reuters, PBS/NPR and more.

On this week’s TMSOG podcast George Polisner, our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and founder of Civ.works joins us to discuss de-press, media consolidation, eco news, Earth Day and the current chaos of the day. In the words of Van Morrison, “they” control everything you own, they control the media! My guess is that he is referring to the oligarchs as the most likely “they“. For more info from George Polisner go to https://civ.works/defend

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

The Fools on “The Hill” with George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

Opening Song: The Fool on the Hill by The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney but attributed to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo, appearing in their 1967 album, Magical Mystery Tour. The song has different interpretations, but for me, it describes a person who sees what he wants to see, and lives in a bubble, as he differentiates himself from the world at large, and stays within his own circle.

Day after Day, alone on a hill.

The man with a foolish grin is keeping perfectly still.

But nobody wants to know him.

They can see that he’s just a fool,

And he doesn’t give an answer!

But the Fool on the hill sees the sun going down,

and the eyes in his head see the world spinning round!

The fool on the hill could be a single person or perhaps there are many fools on the hill. It is interesting to note that the term “The Hill” is used as a nickname for Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. where the U.S. Congress meets. Getting Congress to do its job has not been an easy task, as the current Speaker of the House has constantly put Congress in recess and nothing of substance seems to be getting done. The institution was designed to debate, compromise, and pass laws that address the nation’s problems. But increasingly, Americans are watching something else unfold. The House of Representatives through October 2025 had only met and voted on 87 days. They broke for holidays in November and December, which led to little being accomplished. There are fools on The Hill, and the song is quite apropos, as to the current workings of our representatives in the House and Senate, as they are not doing their jobs. There is a growing frustration with what many Americans are calling a “do-nothing Congress” which is now comprised of fools, as the members seem to be detached from reality. In these difficult times it is hard not to think about the song when looking at what is happening on The Hill-Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
While the country faces real challenges, war, rising costs, climate disasters, political division, infrastructure needs, pedophiles and global instability, the people elected to govern often appear locked in a different game entirely. A game of messaging, fundraising, and partisan theater. Citizens of the U.S. do not want war. What happened to the President’s promise of no wars and affordability so that we can all live a decent life? We want action on climate resilience, action on healthcare costs, action on housing shortages, action on immigration reform and the return of decency, empathy and morality.
On this episode of TMSOG we talk with George Polisner. George is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and is the founder of Civ.works. He gives us information regarding what’s happening or not happening on The Hill. We delve into how increased renewable energy could have staved off the dependence of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. We will also talk about Cuba, the lifting of Russian sanctions and more. For additional information go to https://civ.works/defend

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Keep Hope Alive, We Are NOT Afraid with George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works

This week’s TMSOG podcast opens with a beautiful rendition of We Shall Overcome performed by the Morehouse College Glee Club

We Shall Overcome and other protest songs provided the soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement. The period saw the U.S. confront one of the most complex and controversial issues in its history-race relations. The origins of the song are unclear, as it was thought to have descended from “I’ll Overcome Some Day,” a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley, while the modern version of the song was first said to have been sung by tobacco workers led by Lucille Simmons during the 1945-1946 Charleston Cigar Factory Strike in Charleston, South Carolina. The most famous version is the Pete Seeger rendition. In August 1963, 22-year old folksinger Joan Baez, led thousands of people in singing “We Shall Overcome” at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, where the famous “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend Jesse Jackson was part of the inner circle of Dr. King and was in attendance. Reverend Jackson recently passed away at the age of 84, and he always stood up for social justice and was a powerful voice for civil rights, voting rights, labor protections, anti-poverty initiatives, and peace. His speeches, organizing strategies, and coalition-building fundamentally shaped modern progressive politics.

Reverend Jackson said: “Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.”

I grew up in the 1960s and 70s and lived through and felt the pain of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, the Civil Rights riots and uprisings between 1964 and 1969 in New York, Newark, LA, Detroit, Chicago and other cities across the US. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated two months apart in 1968. Protestors filled the streets in opposition to the Vietnam War. Police brutality, systematic racism and inequality impacted American life, and citizens were on edge, as chaos reigned throughout the nation. While there were peaceful demonstrations, there was also intense civil unrest. During the “Long, Hot Summer of 1967,” more than 150 race riots erupted in cities across the country — fueled by deep frustration over police brutality, segregation, poverty, and systemic inequality. Flash forward to this current moment in history and we are again in perilous times, as democracy is being dismantled from within. In early 2026, Minnesota became a focal point for protests tied to federal immigration enforcement actions undertaken by Operation Metro Surge, where a significant number of federal agents by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been deployed. Outrage grew especially after fatal shootings and the use of force on immigrants and US citizens. These actions ignited statewide demonstrations, general strikes, and large public mobilizations calling for ICE to leave Minnesota and for accountability. In Minneapolis, tens of thousands of people participated in protests and a coordinated “shutdown” to oppose aggressive immigration raids and demand policy changes. People have the power and are standing up and are becoming leaders, as actual leaders seem to be MIA. Past leaders like the Reverend Jesse Jackson, as well as John Lewis, who spoke of the need to cause good trouble, have left a void which has not been filled. There is a leadership vacuum, and as our young nation enters its 250th year, we are underestimating the danger of the current administration’s autocratic behavior. What can we do to get the nation back on course? Will we overcome some day?

George Polisner joins us on this episode of TMSOG podcast. George is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and is the founder of Civ.works. He gives us information regarding the EPA eliminating core climate protection, Reverend Jesse Jackson’s passing, CBS and the FCC pressuring Stephen Colbert regarding the Equal Time Rule, plus the death of The Washington Post, the Orwellian “Board of Peace” and more. For more information go to https://civ.works/defend

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.