Providing ideas to help make the world a better place for this and future generations
Enjoy a good shot of optimism with Climate Listening Project’s Dayna Reggero. Funny conversations about how GDs Maxine, Meg, and Dayna all proudly qualify as eco-alpha bitches… and why it is important for alpha women on the forefront of climate action to tell their stories… Strong women are leading the way to a cleaner, healthier planet. So #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness
For more info go to climatelisteningproject.org
thestorywewant.com
momscleanairforce.org
thegreendivas.com
Plants, Bugs, Sugar Detox Me
On this episode of 50 Shades of Green Divas, Meg and I chat with guest Summer Rayne Oakes about how houseplants and beneficial bugs create a healthy environment in your home. Unless the plant is Seymour from The Little Shop of Horrors, plants are very important as natural air filters, as well as adding color and vibrancy to your house decor. We also talk about her new book Sugar Detox Me, and why it is important to reduce sugar in your diet. So think twice before you swig down that cola or eat that piece of pie. For more information go to homesteadbrooklyn.com and sugardetox.me
#1705 Climate Mama
We can promote positive change even in times of social upheaval. We chat with Harriet Shugarman, Executive Director of Climate Mama, and discuss what actions are ongoing to promote activism, as helping people to rise up to support the greater good, is more essential today than ever. For more info go to climatemama.com, thegreendivas.com
The Music is the Message with Judi Jaeger and Bob Reid
“Times, they are a changin’….” Bob Dylan
This week’s episode focuses on music and the power of its message, as we speak to musicians Judi Jaeger and Bob Reid about how music becomes a force for change, especially during times of struggle, strife, and division. We need to spread the word via song to unite, yet fight for our freedom and for democracy, both at home and abroad. Tune in to find out how Judi and Bob make that happen. For more info go to jaegerreidmusic.com and thegreendivas.com
#1703 50 Shades of Green Divas with guest George Polisner
George became a viral sensation when he resigned as a long-time executive of Oracle because of the CEO’s public announcement to support the new president. He’s devoting his time now to building a platform to help make it easier to become proactive within political and social justice arenas, so that you can take action to raise your voice, and promote positive change. For more information go to Civ.Works.
#1701 Why WE March
We turned pink for this episode of 50 Shades of Green Divas, as Green Diva Meg (who also knitted the p-hats) reports from the Women’s March in Pompton Plains, NJ. It was a monumental display of activism, as millions of women and men took to the streets across America and across the globe, to partake in this most historic event, to raise awareness of the need to protect and love one another, and stand up for equality and social justice for all. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem spoke to the crowd in Washington, DC and said “make sure you introduce yourselves to each other and decide what we’re going to do tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. We’re never turning back!” We need to keep our collective boots on the ground and not let up for a minute. Mr. Trump will hear us, and we will get under his skin. Keep the faith, and keep on fighting!
#1702 Activism, Actors, Eco-Thriller Film “A Crack in Everything”
The wonderful Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning actor and activist James Cromwell, and the lovely Varushka Franceschi, director of the film, A Crack in Everything, are our special guests on 50 Shades of Green Divas.
We talk about the environment, social justice, resistance, the eco-thriller film A Crack in Everything and the HBO series The Young Pope. Tune in and find your shade of green. For more information visit: www.crackineverything.com
HBO.com/the-young-pope
https://www.facebook.com/crackineverythingthefilm/
https://twitter.com/crackinevrythng
thegreendivas.com
themanyshadesofgreen.com
This week’s episode of 50 Shades of Green Divas/The Many Shades of Green is our holiday special, and it features Joy Rose, founder of the Museum of Motherhood, the Mamapalooza Festival, the Moms Who Rock movement, and music from the band Housewives on Prozac. Green Diva Meg and I bring you holiday cheer, a tune from The Tokens, and some post election thoughts. We discuss the importance of raising one’s voice to be proactive, so that we can help mend the divisions within our nation. So have a Merry, Merry and a Happy 2017! For more info go to mommuseum.org, thetokens.com, thegreendivas.com and themanyshadesofgreen.com. Wishing everyone Peace, Love and Understanding……
#1621 Climate Monologues, Stories of Climate Change and the plight of all Irthlingz
I caught up with Sharon Abreu after a performance of her one woman show, The Climate Monologues, at the United Solo Theatre in New York City. Sharon channels the voices of people affected by climate change, and brings their stories to life via monologues and music. Check out more by visiting:
climatemonologues.com, irthlingz.com and send Sharon a tweet @SharonAbreu
This episode of 50 Shades of Green Divas features Syd Mandelbaum, founder of Rock and Wrap it Up, an anti-poverty think tank, which works to feed those in need by taking unserved food from concert and sporting events, and delivering what is collected to local food charities. This not only helps feed those who go hungry, it minimizes waste in landfills, and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The organization is also working to feed veterans and get needed supplies to women who cannot afford feminine products. For more information go to rockandwrapitup.org
#1619 John Parker, DIrector of Legal Programs at Riverkeeper
Pipelines and Bomb trains are traveling along our waterways and land with reckless abandon. Our guest this week, John Parker, Director of Legal Programs at Riverkeeper (riverkeeper.org), gives us some insight into the issues, with respect to how those pipelines and the transportation of gas and oil are affecting our water, land and air. We also delve into the ongoing fight at Standing Rock in North Dakota, and how the pipelines in New York and North Dakota are interconnected. Kandi Mossett, organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network, offers us some words on the current standoff. #NoDAPL nodaplsolidarity.org
By Susan Lutz
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is watch. We know we should speak up. We know we should act. But, at times, we must let go and watch.
For years I’ve watched young people around me participate in life according to what others have told them. Advertisers cram sugar down kids’ throats; plastic toys fill up bins; we consume and consume and create chaos in our drive to satiate our desires.
I’ve worked to be a model for my kids in how I eat. I speak up about how the milk on the table is made and where the eggs in the carton come from. I show them videos about ecology, recycling, and humane treatment to animals. After awhile, I feel like the teacher in the comic strip, the Peanuts: bla bla bla – after awhile, my message thinned over the airwaves of our home. I knew some was getting in, but society pushes hard. I gave up on some issues, even warmed to a few I once staunchly disliked (i.e. Disney comes to mind).
As I watched my kids and friends’ kids grow, I’d learn of one becoming a vegetarian, another off to build a solar boat, and others blossoming in their awareness of the environment. When a young person’s mind turns on, it’s an amazing thing to stand witness too.
After a class of kids I know saw the documentary film, Fed Up, some were appalled at the treatment of our food system and as if awoken from their childhood world and were shocked at how corporations had a grip on what went into our food. Some I talked to truly empathized with people in the story, suffering from obesity or health issues all so companies could turn a buck.
The light bulbs didn’t just go on – the passion arose. I could see their minds ticking and their ire rise. Discovering the message the film was way more powerful than me just babbling on about it at the dinner table. I am sure the message will fade and settle over time but perhaps a few will let it truly sink in.
The hard truth is we have to go back into the grocery stores, feed our families, and ourselves drink our water, and breathe the polluted air. Cutting out sugar is a lot harder once we realize it is in almost everything we eat. Yet, the power in what they now know gives me the confidence to now watch as they take on these issues for a new generation. And, once they’ve grabbed on and owned it, we can join together and speak up with a louder voice than before.
