Category: Environment

‘Tis the season to sip hot chocolate or Egg Nog (hi test or low test) around the glow of the fireplace. The aromas from the spices and the scent of the pine from the Christmas tree fills the air. Festive spices linger in our taste buds and tummies  as we enjoy making and eating the gingerbread houses and cookies during the holiday season. But the herbs and spices are not just good for tasting and smelling, a number of them have excellent health benefits too. Seasonal spices can give our mood and energy a boost, help reduce aches and pains, and can heal your wintry blues. Courtney, helps us spice things up for the holidays! To get more info, follow Courtney on her Facebook page Courtney on Health, on Instagram @clgwellnes on TikTok and visit her website: courtneygravenese.com.  For more shows go to malcolmpresents.com and themanyshadesofgreen.com

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

We need to work on a daily basis to make a difference. Our actions to protect the planet are more important than ever. It is crucial to use our collective will to push policies to reduce carbon emissions and help reduce global warming. Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC), is an umbrella group that uses its platform to build relationships with climate activists throughout Westchester County. FCWC provides leadership that educates about environmental issues and unifies groups and individuals to protect and preserve Westchester’s environment and address climate change. It works with communities to encourage sustainable practices across the county. My guests are Anne Jaffe Holmes, Program Director of FCWC and Tracy Stora, who will soon be taking over the reigns from Anne as Program Director. Tracy has over ten years of experience working with local, county, and state stakeholders addressing climate-related hazards affecting coastal communities in New York . We discuss the importance of community outreach and the need to create grassroots efforts to bring together voices to protect the environment and natural resources of our county, with the focus of bringing in the voices that have been historically left out…For more information go to FCWC.org. Check out past shows on hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Amazon, Spreaker.com, iHeartRadio and more. Follow us on FB and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Climate change is primarily driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reducing emissions from buildings in NYC is the most significant action the city can take to reduce greenhouse gases, as buildings contribute nearly three-quarters of all citywide emissions. The New York City Council recently passed  legislation to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency for certain buildings in the city, which make up a large portion of energy consumption from electricity use, heating, and cooling. Building owners and managers can improve energy efficiency of building systems and operations and invest in cleaner on-site power generation. There are organizations that push for legislation and work with government offices, landlords, developers and community leaders to help create policy to get renewable energy into communities to help reduce carbon emissions. We talk to friend of the podcast, Jose Tulio Galvez Contreras, who is helping lead the charge for solar energy, as well as working for environmental justice in communities most affected by carbon emissions in their neighborhoods.  New forms of energy, specifically solar, can be put into place to make those areas cleaner and healthier, while also providing jobs. Jose works as the Senior Program Manager and Solar Researcher at Solar One, where he manages solar energy projects for affordable housing in NYC, and leads research on the impacts of these projects in underserved communities. For more information go to solar1.org. Subscribe to the TMSOG podcast and follow us on FB and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness. Check out HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com for past shows.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/10880920/tmsog-11-19-2022-jose-tulio-galvez-contr

“In Japan, people practice ‘forest bathing’ (shinrin-yoku), where they spend quiet time absorbing the wisdom of ancient forests, and taking long walks among the trees to stimulate their immune system. In Taoism, students are encouraged to meditate among trees, and it is believed that the trees will absorb negative energies, replacing them with healthy ones. Trees are seen as a source of emotional and physical healing, and themselves as meditators, absorbing universal energies.” NatureAndHealth.com  Trees give us more than we realize and we must care for them, and yes hug them. The American Beech tree is an ecologically important species, providing food and habitat to over 40 species of birds and mammals in eastern forests. This iconic tree has recently been impacted by beech bark disease, and is now under attack by a new enemy-Nematodes, which could be the cause beech leaf disease (BLD), and is of great concern to many forest areas, including Teatown Lake Reservation. We talk to Dr. Danielle Begley-Miller, an ecologist, who is the Director of Science and Stewardship at Teatown Lake Reservation about what might be causing BLD disease, and how scientists are approaching the problem. We also talk about dealing with leaves in the Fall, and if you can, please leave leaves alone. For more information go to teatown.org and leaveleavesalone.org. For past programs go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow TMSOG on FB and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Spreaker.com and more). Please give us a nice review… #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Are the actions of the the fossil fuel industry considered a crime against humanity?

“ECOCIDE”

is a word to describe what is happening to our planet; the mass damage and destruction of the natural living world.  It literally means “killing one’s home”. And right now, in most of the world, no-one is held responsible.  

It’s time to change the rules.  It’s time to protect our home. Stop ecocide is working, together with a growing global network of lawyers, diplomats, and across all sectors of civil society, towards making ecocide an international crime. Our guest on this episode, Jojo Mehta, is working to make it a crime to harm the environment. Jojo co-founded Stop Ecocide in 2017, alongside legal pioneer, the late Polly Higgins, to support making severe harm to nature an international crime.  As key spokesperson and Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International, Jojo has overseen the remarkable growth of the global movement while coordinating legal developments, diplomatic traction and public narrative. The Stop Ecocide campaign works to support the establishment of ecocide as a crime at the International Criminal Court. For more info go to stopecocide.earth For past programs visit HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. TMSOG podcast is on all major podcast apps: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker and more. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

https://www.spreaker.com/user/10880920/tmsog-11-05-2022-jojo-mehta

According to the leaveleavesalone.org website, the annual ritual of raking, blowing, piling, and possibly bagging, costs each homeowner – or their landscaper – hours of time each fall. It also robs the yards of one of nature’s greatest resources: rich, natural compost. The practice of leaf blowing causes serious diesel and particulate matter pollution, especially with the 2-stroke backpack leaf blowers so commonly used in suburban backyards. There are many health risks associated with leaf blowers as well as the environmental pollution and destruction of habitat caused by leaf blowers, particularly gas-powered blowers. More than 120 communities around the country have restrictions on leaf blower use and that number continues to grow.  

On this episode we discuss with our resident wildlife and landscape expert, Victoria Alzapiedi, how we can become more in tune with our landscapes by leaving leaves alone and reducing the use of gas powered leaf blowers. There are tremendous benefits to the soil, which the animal and insect ecosystems rely on. For more info go to leaveleavesalone.org, check out New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook, for past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

“There is one thing I almost never hear leaders talk about, and that is loss and damage. For many of us, reducing and avoiding is not enough. You cannot adapt to lost cultures, you cannot adapt to lost traditions, you cannot adapt to lost history, you cannot adapt to starvation. You cannot adapt to extinction.”  This quote is by youth activist Vanessa Nakate who founded the Rise Up movement, a platform for African climate activists. 

What can any of us do to make the fossil fuel and other industries understand that you cannot adapt to extinction and that climate change is affecting the livability of the planet?  The coal, gas and oil industries are responsible for the majority of GHG emissions and must be held more accountable. The question is, how do we do that? An online article by Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility stated that: “every year, companies as varied as oil and gas to tech and banking spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying to block or delay federal and state regulations designed to avert the climate crisis. They do this through direct lobbying and through support of and leadership in various trade associations. Increasingly, companies also advocate against climate progress and policy through highly targeted and widespread social media persuasion.” On the other side of that, there are organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby which works to provide government representatives solutions to climate change, especially via a carbon tax policy. Education and lobbying are important components in the creation of policies to help reduce carbon emissions.  We talk to Frankie, Matthew and Devin members of the Westchester Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, who represent the terrific things youth are doing to lead the way to protect the environment. For more info go to citizensclimatelobby.org, Instagram @cclwestchester. Find past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com, Malcolmpresents.com Tweet us @tmshadesofgreen # RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign by the National Breast Cancer Foundation to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. The campaign for 2022 is RISE UP. When we raise our voices together, we help spread the word about the importance of breast cancer screening and support. We need to RISE Up and help reach even more people throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month by sharing NBCF messaging on social media channels. The more outreach about the need to have more women get a mammogram, the more likely that early detection will help save lives. Courtney will give us some important info and we have a special guest, Marianne Santee, a breast cancer survivor who tells her story. For more info go to nbcf.org, @the_breasties Be proactive, BOOK a yearly mammogram!

What drives people to do good? People who try to help people feel that they are living their life in an altruistic way.  Author Larrisa MacFarquhar, said that “It’s one of the differences between them and the rest of us: they don’t feel that they have a choice about whether they should help others or not. What they show you is you can live a happy life, even with a very strong commitment to people who are not in your family, not in your community, people who have a need that you don’t necessarily see in front of you. Here is a statement from the cooperation.org website which states: despite many big problems, and recent great political challenges, our world overall is still a great deal better off than most of us realize, and for many decades has been improving significantly, if unsteadily, in so many ways. In follow-up to that I did a google search to find out if people asked the question: how can I do good in the world, the closest I got was: how can I donate to good will. In 2022 the top searches in question form are #1 what to watch, followed by what is my IP address, what time is it, and where am I. The question should really be where are we, especially in the context of altruism, empathy, morality, compassion, looking out for one another and bridging differences. The world is in turmoil, but there are amazing people doing great work to help make things better by creating solutions, and putting them into place to help protect the environment, human rights and more.  On this episode we speak to two dedicated and compassionate women: Golda Velez, co-founder and senior software engineer at cooperation.org and Sakshi Bahuguna, the CEO and Co-Founder of Coupons for Good. Golda and Sakshi both have a passion to create innovative solutions for everyday problems to help people, and create a product that users love. Golda is also a Board member of Civic Works and works with friend of TMSOG podcast, George Polisner. For more info go to Cooperation.org, Civ.works, and check out Coupons for Good. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and MalcolmPresents.com. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast, Tweet us @tmshadesofgreen and #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Who are the happiest people on the planet. The answer is in The World Happiness Report 2022, which indicated that the happiest country on Earth is Finland, a title they have held for 5 years, Denmark ranks number 2, with Iceland 3, Switzerland 4 and the Netherlands 5. Does cold weather play a factor in these metrics? Maybe the folks in those countries have to cuddle more to which makes them happy. The US ranked 16th, which was actually up 3 slots since 2021. According to Jeffrey Sachs, Director for the Center of Sustainable Development at Columbia University, “the lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another, and honesty in government are crucial for well being.”  Sach’s further went on to say that “world leaders should take heed, politics should be directed as the great sages long ago insisted: to the well-being of the people, not the power of the rulers.” National and Local leaders should do the same. We talk to friend of the program Nada Khader, Executive Director of WESPAC, who follows the tenants of that statement, and works to improve the lives of those most in need in order to secure our rights to a healthy and peaceful environment. For more info go to WESPAC.org. Also visit hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast, and tweet us @tmshadesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

On this episode we talk to our resident wildlife and Healthy Yards expert Victoria Alzapiedi about raising awareness of wildlife on the roadways. Roadkill is a serious problem in motor transportation. An online article from education.nationalgeographic.org stated that crossing deer and other large mammals can create life-threatening hazards on roadways. In the United States alone, there are more than a million automobile accidents per year involving wildlife, racking up more than $8 billion in medical costs and vehicle repairs annually. According to some estimates, automobile collisions kill more than a million animals every day, making them the leading cause of death for many vertebrate species. Still worse is the way major roads and other forms of development can subdivide animal populations and fragment their habitats. Losing access to large areas of their living space makes it much harder for many woodland creatures to forage for food, find mates and carry on their genetic legacies. Victoria gives us great information and tips as to how to be more aware of wildlife on the roads. She is the co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is a Member of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as the New Castle Climate Smart Task Force. Victoria is also a member of Friends of Buttonhook, which is working to save a 20.3 acre forest with over 670 mature trees, Native American complex ceremonial stones, and is a wildlife habitat in the town of New Castle. For more info go to New Castle Healthy Yards on Facebook and savebuttonhook.org. Catch past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on all major podcast apps. Tweet us @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

While many people cherish freedom and democracy, there are those among us who have a different perspective. Our rights seem to be slipping away, and we are at a crossroad in our quest to maintain democracy, and the freedoms that come with it. In the US, our Constitution and rule of law is being trampled. Authoritarian rule is at our doorstep, yet many of us have blinders on. How can we push the pendulum back and preserve our freedom? People need to stand up and do their civic duty and VOTE! We must do everything in our power to save democracy. On this episode we speak to George A. Polisner, who is the Founder of Civ Works, a non-profit technology platform for civic engagement, constituent engagement, participatory democracy and participatory budgeting. We talk about the Lewis Powell Memorandum and the US Chamber of Commerce and what we need to do to protect our rights and freedom from being taken away. George is putting his words in to action by doing work aligned with his values. He is helping create mechanisms for the populous to become more civic minded and engaged in politics and democracy. For more information go to civ.works. Listen to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Spreaker.com, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, iHeartRadio and more. Find past shows on hudsonriverradio.com and malcolmpresents.com. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness