The First Earth Day took place on April 22,1970 and on this week’s episode, we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day, as well as the 45th year of the EPA, with special guest, Dr. Joel Scheraga, Senior Advisor for Climate Adaptation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The climate is changing, and we have to adapt to the results of those changes, which are coming in the form of more intense weather, super storms, droughts, pollution, and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The change in climate is causing the oceans to get warmer, and the temperatures are rising globally. This rise cannot continue, as it is causing degradation of natural resources, and is affecting human health and safety. We do have the power to help reduce our carbon foot print. Simple things like taking shorter showers, changing light bulbs to LEDs, recycling, reusing and reducing our consumption can make a big difference. We have to be more conscious of how our actions affect the planet, and take small steps to make things better. The EPA is working to help us adapt to climate change. For more information go to EPA.gov.
#1516: Earth Day Special with Dr. Joel Scheraga, EPA Senior Advisor by The Many Shades Of Green on Mixcloud
Watch the full “Cost of Inaction” video on youtube which plays on the show:


The Clearwater Festival was like stepping into a time warp and re-living moments of Peace, Love and Understanding through music, activism and innovation. It was wonderful to roam the festival grounds at Croton Point Park with my co-producer Abba Carmichael, my sound engineer Brian Horowitz, and summer research assistant Marco Spodek. We met and chatted with wonderful musical artists Dar Williams, Tom Chapin and more. The festival was dedicated to the late and legendary, Pete Seeger, who was the original founder of the festival. Various versions of the song Wimoweh/The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a song near and dear to me, filled the air throughout the day. I highly recommend attending the festival, so check out
What comes first, the Earth or Earthlings? There are a lot of us humans on the planet, and we have to start thinking about keeping our numbers down. Join me and my guest Dave Foreman, activist, author, and founder of Earth First!, the Wildlands Project, and the Rewilding Institute, as we discuss his latest work, a new revised of edition of his popular title, MAN SWARM: How Overpopulation is Killing the Wild World, which is co-authored with Laura Carroll, author of The Baby Matrix. Population is one factor in the environmental degradation of the planet. Should there be a one child policy in the US or should we stop having babies altogether? What can be done to solve this problem? Tune in to find out. For more information go to
“We are keepers of the planet, we are protectors of the water, the land, the air.” Join me and my guest Don Raskopf, a member of the Board of Directors for Clearwater, and co-founder of Ban Fracking Now, as we delve into topics of fracking, train transportation of bakken crude oil, green building and the musical connection to Clearwater via one its founders, Pete Seeger. Music continues to be the message, as it is the force behind social movement and activism. For more information about Clearwater and the upcoming Clearwater Festival go to
If we could talk to the animals, just imagine it, chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee, imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah, what a neat achievement that would be. In Part 1 of my talk with Bonnie Wyper, President and Director of Thinking Animals, we delve into the topic of animal behavior and cognition. Charles Darwin once said that “Evolution is not just the physical body, but our emotional sides as well.” Bonnie and I discuss how animals experience joy, stress, thought and nuance, and are more complex than humans know. Most humans think of themselves as superior beings, and species are being decimated because of that thought process. We need to step up and treat all creatures humanely. For more information go to
My guest this week is Annie Hauck-Lawson, author, nutritionist, master composter and the current Greening Director at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn. Annie co-edited the book Gastropolis: Food and New York City, and founded Brooklyn Mompost. She created the term “Food Voice,” and her recollections of her upbringing in Brooklyn, foraging for edibles in Prospect Park, fishing off the Brooklyn Coast, and starting one of the first Natural Food pushcarts in Brooklyn gives us great insight into her upbringing, which shaped her vision of the importance and connection we all have to food and nature. To get more information go to
Compassionate conservationist, filmmaker, author and ecologist, Jane Gray Morrison tells us about the need for ethical treatment of animals, and how important it is to preserv
My co-producer Abba Carmichael steps in to host TMSOG, and chats with Tony Sirna co-founder of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a highly sustainable community, which encourages members to live off the land, off the grid and reduce consumption. They are a stellar example of being one with nature and being mindful of Mother Earth. Tune in to find out more about how Dancing Rabbit Eco Village is a model for eco awareness and preservation of the planet. Go to
David Berreby, member of Red Hook Boaters, and Lisa Bloodgood, Environmental Advisor to NYC Councilman Stephen Levin talk about ways to become more in tune with the waterways in NYC, and how we can all be better environmental stewards. One way to get involved is to volunteer for the 2nd Annual Riverkeeper Sweep on May 11th, 2013. Help clean up the parks and surrounding rivers and estuaries in 70 locations from NYC to Albany. Events in North Brooklyn will take place at Grand Ferry Park in Williamsburg, McCarren Park in Greenpoint, and Valentino Park in Red Hook, where you can also go kayaking for free. For more information and to register for the event, go to www.riverkeeper.org/sweep
