The East Village in NYC is a mecca for the arts, the bohemian in all of us, and it is a NYC treasure that must be preserved. Sara Romanoski, Managing Director of the East Village Community Coalition, is working hard to maintain the character, architecture and sense of community in this vibrant and historic neighborhood in Manhattan. Community Gardens dot the area with flora and fauna, and buildings with rich histories must be cared for and cherished. One must often fight for what’s right, and legal actions to maintain these buildings are intense and involve many community residents, and yes, many lawyers. The plight of the old PS 64 building has been an example of how the community has come together to save the 100 plus year old structure. With the influx of new money comes certain changes that do not reflect the character of the neighborhood, which is why the East Village Community Coalition is working to preserve the past and build for the future. Please visit www.evccnyc.org to find out how you can help keep the East Village diverse, bohemian and beautiful.
Category: Environment
#1415: Recyclebank
Americans do not recycle enough and landfills are clogged with unnecessary waste. Enter Recyclebank, a model company that rewards towns, businesses and individuals for increasing their recycling capacities. Erika Diamond, Vice President of Community Solutions, explains that behavioral change is possible when incentives and rewards are put into place to promote positive behavior. Recyclebank is working to increase recycling rates, which will reduce waste disposal via education, gamification and public/private partnerships, to get communities to participate in green actions thus making the planet cleaner and safer. To find out how you can get involved, go to www.recyclebank.com
#1420: John Parker, Environmental Attorney
Joining me on the program this week is friend of the show and environmental attorney John Parker. We discuss the problems associated with transporting Bakken crude oil via rail and boat. There have been several accidents attributed to the transport of this very volatile product, and communities affected both in upstate New York and in Canada have become very vocal opponents of how the oil is being moved around the country. We also had a special guest, Liam, who told us about his experience aboard the Riverkeeper patrol boat with Captain John Lipscomb. You can learn more about NYS environmental initiatives and get more information by emailing John at [email protected]
#1414: Doug Semmes, Green Mountain Energy
An educated consumer makes the best choices. I can now say I made the best choice, and I am a Green Mountain Energy customer. Doug Semmes and I discuss how important it is to make an effort to have a part of your electric consumption be provided via renewable energy. It is a positive way to reduce your carbon footprint, and be a good eco-citizen. It is easy to sign-up, and it is worth knowing that you are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are damaging the atmosphere. Cleaner electricity is here to stay, so become part of the solution. You can get more info on Green Mountain Energy by going to www.greenmountain.com.
#1417: High Road, NYC High Road Restaurant Week
“The fight is never about grapes or lettuce…it is always about people.” That quote by Cesar Chavez describes what Colt Taylor, Executive Chef at One if By Land, Two if By Sea, and Tatiana Bejar, High Road Coordinator of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, have teamed up to do, help the people, which in this case are the restaurant employees who are often times working in conditions that are not always optimal. High Road Restaurant Week, which runs from April 23rd through April 30th, aims to call attention to the the need to improve employment practices, via living wage, health benefits, sick days and overall treatment of those who work so hard to make our dining experiences more pleasurable. Sustainability doesn’t stop at the quality of food, it also connects to the human side, and restaurant workers deserve to be able to support their families and have benefits that all workers strive for. Please visit www.highroadny.org or www.rocny.org/
#1410: 2GreenMinds & Holistic Spaces
Part 1: Ann Delmarmo
Americans use about 2,200 paper napkins per person each year, that is a lot of unnecessary waste in landfills. Enter Ann Delmarmo, one of the founders of 2GreenMinds, a company that produces a product called eco-kins, a napkin you can take everywhere, and re-use on a daily basis. Find out how an idea sprouting from necessity is helping solve a problem of unnecessary waste. Tune in to get more info on Ann, 2GreenMinds and where you can get eco-kins.
Part 2: Anjie Cho
How can we nourish our spaces and ourselves? Anjie Cho, founder of Holistic Spaces, Feng Shui architect and green designer, explains how simple it is to feed our mind and body in order to create more balanced spaces that give positive energy or “chi”. Learn about EMFS, and how you can reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields that emit from your smartphones, TVs, computers, tablets and transmission lines. Go to www.anjiecho.com for more information.
#1409: Leon Kolankiewicz
Immigration and over population are topics that intertwine, and are somewhat under the radar. Those two issues will have long lasting negative effects on our natural resources and carbon emissions. Join me and my guest Leon Kolankiewicz. environmental scientist, natural resources planner, and author, as we discuss those topics. We also talk about the greening of the current generation of millennials, and what their thoughts are about issues of sustainability. Will they save the planet? Tune in to find out. For more information, visit the Population Media Center www.populationmedia.org or The Population Institute at www.populationinstitute.or
#1407: Alan Weisman, author of Countdown
Join me and my guest Alan Weisman, award winning author and journalist, as we touch on the subject of his latest book “Countdown”, which gives us insight into how over population and over consumption directly affects the environment. The demand for energy increases as the population rises, which is depleting our natural resources and adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Alan is deeply concerned about these issues, and we can start to fix things by educating the populous, especially women, about reproductive rights, contraceptives, having smaller families, which will lessen the impact on the environment, and lead to a healthier planet. Search the web for “Countdown” and Alan Weisman to get more information.
#1404: Emellie O’Brien, Founder of Earth Angel
Meet Emellie O’Brien, founder of Earth Angel, a company that provides sustainability management of film and TV productions. Emellie is a pioneer in this burgeoning field, as she coaxes everyone on the set, from directors to grips, to be more eco-conscious. She has worked on the films Noah and The Amazing Spiderman 2, as well as the hit HBO show Girls. To find out more about Earth Angel visit www.earthangelnyc.com
#1403: Joy Rose, Director of the Museum of Motherhood & Founder of Moms Who Rock
Director of the Museum of Motherhood and founder of the Moms Who Rock movement, Joy Rose joins us for a conversation about the interconnection of Motherhood and Mother Nature. We talk about issues of ecofeminism, the need to curb population growth, societal tribulations of women, and much, much more. Moms have the power!!! To get more information on the Mom’s Movement go to MOMmuseum.org & Mamapalooza.com
#1403: Joy Rose, Director of the Museum of Motherhood & Founder of Moms Who Rock
#1343: Dr. Susan Rubin, on Tar Sands and the Keystone Pipeline
Oh, CANADUH! What’s gloopy, leaky,toxic and endangers trees, birds, humans, water, land and air? Answer: Tar Sands and the Keystone Pipeline. Dr. Susan Rubin explains why this pipeline, which runs from Alberta, Canada through the mid section of the US, ending in the refineries of Texas on the Gulf Coast, is an environmental disaster in the making. It encroaches on Native American lands, runs through the Ogallala aquifer, which is a major water supply to millions of people, and has already leaked into the Kalamazoo River, and caused damage to homes in Mayflower, AK and Colorado. DIL BIT might sound like a cartoon name, but what it is made of is no laughing matter. Tune in to find out what you can do to raise your voice to stop the Keystone project. For more information go to www.nokxl.org
#1343: Dr. Susan Rubin, on Tar Sands and the Keystone Pipeline
#1405: Adele Stan, RH Reality Check Reporter
Our guest this week is Adele Stan, Washington Bureau chief for RH Reality Check. She is an author and investigative reporter who covers reproductive rights, the modern feminist movement, as well as voters rights, environmental topics and issues of overpopulation. Find out why “things don’t go better with Koch”, and how Citizens United has wreaked havoc on the foundation of our political system. To find out more go to www.rhrealitycheck.org/