It’s official: spring is right around the corner.Punxsutawney Phil DID NOT SEE HIS SHADOW in front of thousands of spectators at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, part of the annual Groundhog Day tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada. That means, according to the legend, we’re in for an early spring. Phil predicted an early spring for the 21st time since records were kept. (USA Today 2.2.24) The question arises as to how climate change will affect future Groundhog Day predictions.
Having attended the Groundhog festivities on 02.02.02, with my guest and BFF Rusti Wolintz, on this episode we discuss our Bucket List adventure to Punxsutawney, which was quite the time. As the crowd screamed PHIL! PHIL! PHIL! in frigid temperatures, we watched the ceremony unfold as the Groundhog Inner Circle took Phil out of his hollow tree stump to predict the weather. We are now in 2024, and while most people depend on the more advanced methods of their favorite meteorologist, we still wake up on Groundhog Day to the tune of ‘I Got You Babe’ and travel in our minds to the **Tip Top Cafe in the Groundhog Day movie (that’s for you Mr. Murray), to find out if the prediction of the groundhog, through some telepathic connection with humans, will determine if there will be six more weeks of winter, or if spring will come early. If he sees his shadow after coming out of his hollow, there will be six more weeks of winter, and if he does not see his shadow, people can expect spring to be around the corner. In essence we put Phil, Staten Island Chuck, and General Beauregard Lee the premier groundhog prognosticators, in the limelight to predict the weather, which as we all know has been more extreme. So in addition to predicting the shifting of seasons, Phil and company now have another challenge: climate change. We already know that across the U.S., spring is getting warmer and it is starting an average of three days earlier too. Spring is usually upon us when small leaves begin to sprout on trees, but in recent years, spring leaf out arrived in the Southeast over three weeks earlier than the long-term average (1981-2010) in some locations. Austin, TX is 10 days early, Jackson, MS and Charleston, SC are 17 days early, and Wilmington, NC is 22 days early. Warmer springs can cause plants to bloom earlier, impact migrating species and hibernating animals, and increase the amount of seasonal insects. We must address global warming and take action to reduce greenhouse gases. To get more info go to NASA.gov, nationalgeographic.org, NOAA at climate.gov and groundhog.org,
For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com, Malcolmpresents.com, plus themanyshadesofgreen.com. Follow TMSOG on Facebook, Instagram and Threads @tmshadesofgreen. Listen to the TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spreaker.com and more. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness. The Many Shades of Green is honored to be on the Feedspot list of top environmental podcasts at number 8: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/environmental_podcasts/
**Correction, during the episode it was stated that the Groundhog Day movie had the Tik Tok Diner, when it was the Tip Top Cafe.

It is no secret that mainstream media coverage of environmental issues is slow-moving, and many stories go un-reported in the press. Climate change deniers spout their ideology with reckless abandon. Enter my guest this week, Andrew Nikiforuk, an award winning environmental writer based in Calgary, Canada, who has written a new book about the hydraulic fracturing industry entitled Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry. The book traces the saga of Jessica Ernst, and the path she takes to hold Encana Oil and Canada’s environmental government agencies, responsible for secretly fracking hundreds of gas wells around her home, in a rural area northeast of Calgary. A cover-up ensues, which leads Ms. Ernst to take legal action against the various parties for their role in contaminating land, water and air in her community. For more information
Billions of people around the globe are affected by the changes in climate every day. There are many stories that need to be told and many stories that need to be heard. My guest this week, Dayna Reggero, project director for the Climate Listening Project, has gathered stories from a variety of individuals and businesses about the direct effect of climate change on their lives and communities. Farmers, scientists, faith based and environmental groups are working towards solutions to adapt and build resilience to the extremes of climate change. We must connect actions to our words and work towards building a cleaner, greener world. Dayna has also been involved with the Showtime Series, Years of Living Dangerously, and has partnered with Laura Lengnick, author of the book Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems in a Changing Climate. Dayna and Laura conduct storytelling workshops at colleges via the Cultivating Resilience Tour. For more info go to: daynareggero.com, @DaynaReggero and facebook.com/climatelisteningproject.
Neither rain, nor fog, nor soggy dew could dampen the spirit of the Clearwater 2015 Festival. We spoke to many environmental activists and green entrepreneurs who are creating ideas, and spreading the message about the need to be proactive stewards of Mother Earth. Music echoed throughout the festival, with many performers motivating the populace to take a stand and raise their voices on environmental and social justice issues. Music icon David Crosby, sang new songs with lyrics that commented on the nation’s current state of affairs, and implored people to email, call or show up at the offices of their elected officials and make some noise. Pete Seeger would have been proud to see his vision perpetuated. For more info go to

Nick Gutfreund, founder of Long Run Media, is my guest this week, and we discuss how film is a powerful tool to educate and communicate messages, to help promote participation in the eco-movement. He is currently working on a documentary entitled “Local Action,” which focuses on grassroots community groups, and how those groups move to build awareness of environmental and social issues. Local organizations are the change agents who help create solutions for a more sustainable planet. Please visit