What is Pluralistic Ignorance and why we need recognize it as a problem? More Civic Engagement can help and Civics Activism Expert George Polisner tells us why.

The world is facing a climate crisis, and we still are not paying enough attention, especially here in America. It is hard to understand why a large share of the populace in the US doesn’t seem to believe that climate change is a serious problem. A study published by nature.com  dated August 23, 2022, entitled: Americans Experience a False Social Reality by Underestimating Popular Climate Policy Support by Nearly Half, states that a collective action problem like climate change requires individuals to recognize the problem as a threat, and should engage in coordinated actions that result in raising environmental consciousness and social change.  Pluralistic ignorance is a shared misperception of how others think or behave, and poses a challenge to collective action, especially with a problem like climate change, which requires individuals to engage in coordinated actions that result in the development of solutions, behavioral adaptation and resilience. Collective action problems pose a difficult challenge as individuals are less likely to act when others standby and do nothing—and this outcome is only more common when the problem at hand is not clearly perceived to be a threat. Pluralistic ignorance is described as a false social reality: a near universal perception of public opinion that is the opposite of true public sentiment. Supporters of climate policies outnumber opponents two to one, while Americans falsely perceive nearly the opposite to be true. Further, Americans in every state and every assessed demographic underestimate support across all polices tested.  We need to shed light on this conundrum and my monthly civics and political analyst, George Polisner helps me delve into this and other topics that affect how we act, how we vote, and what is needed to push the needle to create positive change. George is the founder of Civ.works, who works to bring civic engagement, activism, citizen participation and political communication to the forefront. For more information go to Civ.Works

You can subscribe to all TMSOG podcasts on your favorite podcast apps, and listen to this and past shows on HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Follow The Many Shades of Green on Facebook and Instagram @tmshdesofgreen. #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

The Democracy Doomsday Clock is Ticking

We are now in very trying times and the need for putting together the collective will of the people who want clean air, healthcare, gun reform, affordable housing and democratic values is becoming more difficult due to the spreading of misinformation and outright lies. The citizenry must vote for leaders who have the ability to provide policies, and are educated and versed in making government work. Time in not on our side, and my guest on this episode, George Polisner, says that the democracy doomsday clock is quickly ticking away. George is a monthly commentator and friend of the podcast, who is working to educate citizens about civic responsibility to increase participation to promote the civic good. He is working to engage the populous to be more active and take action to protect our democratic values. George is a Behavioral Economist and Technologist with a passion for civic engagement and works to create a growing and fair economy, safe and well-funded schools and environmental protection. He is active in policy, addressing wealth and income inequality, participatory democracy and he has significant experience in corporate social responsibility. George is the Founder of Civ Works, a non-profit technology platform for civic engagement, constituent engagement, participatory democracy and participatory budgeting. For more info go to Civ.works. Please subscribe to TMSOG podcast on your favorite podcast app, and for past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

Civic Engagement with George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works

“Every so often, in the midst of chaos, you come across an amazing, inexplicable instance of civic responsibility. Maybe the last shred of faith people have is in their firemen.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

According to the American Psychological Association, one useful definition of civic engagement is the following: individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual voluntarism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. An engaged citizen should have the ability, agency and opportunity to move comfortably among these various types of civic acts. In this episode of TMSOG we talk to George Polisner, who is the Founder of Civ.Works, which is a non-profit technology platform for civic engagement, constituent engagement, participatory democracy and participatory budgeting. George is working to educate the citizenry about civic responsibility, to increase participation to promote the civic good, and to engage the populous to be more active and take action to protect our democratic values. We touch on the State of the Union, Climate Change, why certain conservative think tanks deny that climate change exists, and more. Check out Civ.Works for more info. For past shows go to HudsonRiverRadio.com and Malcolmpresents.com. Please subscribe to our podcast which is on all major podcast apps (Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon, Spreaker.com and more). Follow us on Instagram @tmshadesofgreen #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness

TROMP, a poem written and performed by Martha Joy Rose, Founder of The Museum of Motherhood. She is a Mom who Rocks!

Joy wrote this poem one week before the inauguration of our new President and VP after four years of suffering, strife, and lies in January 2021. She recorded this poem during Kamala Harris’s swearing-in ceremony. Joy wrote “May the power and strength of all the women who have gone before stream through me, my heart, my brain, and my voice. Let us put dark days behind. Let us be healed. I stand in unison with those who believe in truth, justice, and liberty for ALL.”


#1622 Holiday Show, Comfort and Joy (Rose), Motherhood, Token Bros, Merry, Merry!

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……

Star Power

By Susan Lutz

Looking up to the sky, I seem so small. “100 Billion Galaxies each with 100 Billion Stars,” said Carl Sagan in the Cosmos episode 7, “The Backbone of Night.”

The power of his message grew with the rise of his own star. Today, many stars lend their voice to our star, planet earth, in hopes of fixing the mess we find ourselves in.

That smallness continues as the dawn breaks, I look around, and wonder how we can do anything to create change. We’re choking on plastic, dumping toxins in rivers, and spewing harmful gasses into the atmosphere. This is just the short list. Again, I look to the stars.

There are a lot of people doing important, tough work for our environment. I’d have to Google their names though because I can’t remember them. The moment a star, a film or literary or political star, begins talking about the environment – that I remember. I sit up and listen, or at least pause, when a star speaks about the work we need to do concerning the environment.

The reality is, a familiar face brings attention to the issue. Leonard DiCapprio spoke to the Pope about the environment. He has his own foundation called, The Leonard DiCapprio Foundation, dedicated to protecting the world’s last wild places. Julia Roberts is Mother Nature in a gorgeous, short video, “Nature is Speaking.”

Woody Harrelson hosts “Ethos,” a documentary looking “into the flaws in our systems, and the mechanisms that work against democracy, our environment and the common good.” Jeff Bridges narrates the video for the Plastic Pollution Coalition, “Open Your Eyes.”

Either I am starry-eyed or I am truly hearing the important message these spokespersons relate. After I saw the video narrated by Jeff Bridges, I felt nauseas at all the plastic I used. And I consider myself an aware person. Though the practice could seem cliché, I see a twinkle of light and hope as perhaps the message breaks through the atmosphere or our messy minds for just a moment. And funny, after hanging with Julia, Leonardo, Woody, Jeff, and even Carl, I feel like a bit of a bigger star. I feel inspired to do more, to and to help, even if it is the smallest of things.

 

 

 

Organic Humor: Videos to Check Out, Share, and Enjoy

By Susan Lutz

The food wars rage on. Good things are happening. We as consumers are getting savvy about what’s in our food and the path it takes to get to our table. Here is a quick look at some of the funny, poignant, and entertaining clips I love. Humor gets the point across like no other. As Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”

The more we share these clever ideas, the more it will reach an audience, open a door, and perhaps, start a conversation and a new way of thinking.

Cuke Vador? Ham Solo? My kids love this video and it makes me chuckle every time I see it. The Grocery Store Wars is perfectly timed to circulate again with the new (and old) audiences o Star Wars. The props are funny; the lines are cheeky and clever.

This video captures the ridiculous concept of marketing and the power of the written word. Every time I shop, I laugh and gasp at corporations’ claims that their product is “all natural.” After reading the ingredient list, there’s nothing natural about the preservatives, the dyes, and unpronounceable things that start with “p.” I giggle at the amazing pull of advertising and marketing to make us all feel better about paying for close-enough to organic products. Great script. Hilarious.

This video is clever. The satire is on the mark. Simply and with razor-sharp wit, it questions why we had to mess with nature at all. Guess the job just wasn’t up to Monsanto’s standard.

Genetic Scientists Develop Sheep With Brain Of A Goat – The Onion published this short clip showing the overall ridiculous world of altering life on the planet. I realized that I smiled from beginning to end.

Climate Change Deniers Anthem: Beau Bridges plays the Koch brothers; the singers gather to offer up an anthem, We are the World style, that we’re just fine. The climate’s not changing – polar bears are fine; Al Gore’s a liar; and the earth’s temperatures are not rising. We’re fine!

When something’s funny, it hits a chord. The power of video can spread consciousness in a way that isn’t so preachy. Humor may save us all, as nothing can stand against the wave of its assault. Watch and see.

 

 

 

 

WECAN: Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network

Maxine-Abba-Meg_2This weeks episode takes us to the Global Women’s Climate Justice Day of Action at the UN, sponsored by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). This event was attended by women from over 50 countries. To have such a collection of amazing women in one place, who presented stories of courage and resilience in combating climate change was deeply touching. Women play a key role in adapting solutions to climate change, and it was an honor to speak with WECAN founder Osprey Lake, environmentalist visionary Sally Ranney, as well as Neha Misra founder of Solar Sister, Harriet Shugarman Executive Director of ClimateMama, Executive Director of CELF Katie Ginsberg and student Coreena, and Patricia Gualinga-Montalvo, Indigenous Leader of Ecuador, whose interview was translated by Amazon Watch’s Executive Director Leila Salazar-López. For more information visit wecaninternational.org

 

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COP21

michael-charles-tobias-the-many-shades-of-green

“Between its celebrations of privilege, and the angst of its reckonings, human life gathers unto itself a chaos of contradictions… If we are ceaseless tamperers, we are also from time to time unobtrusive, Though we shout, so may we whisper.” (Michael Charles Tobias, quote from his work, After Eden: History, Ecology and Conscience) My guest this week is Michael C. Tobias, President of Dancing Star Foundation, who is a global ecologist, humanitarian, explorer, author, filmmaker, educator and animal rights activist. 195 nations are set to converge in Paris, a city recently struck by incomprehensible acts of terrorism, for the COP 21 (Conference of Parties), with the hopes of reaching an agreement to to set limits on carbon emissions to reduce the detrimental effects of global warming. Rich and poor nations must gather to form partnerships to be agents of change, rather than agents of destruction. Negative ideology has to be redirected, and ethics, compassion and morality, along with science and technology must lead the way to solutions. For more information go to www.dancingstarfoundation.org

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#1538: NY Senator Liz Krueger

liz-krueger-500How compassionate is the New York State Compassionate Care Act of 2014 legalizing the use of medical marijuana? My guest this week, New York State Senator Liz Krueger, a lead advocate for legalizing marijuana for both medicinal and also for recreational use, gives us some insight into the pros and cons of the current bill, and why it needs to be enhanced to allow coverage for more diseases. Senator Krueger has also sponsored the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act to limit the investment in oil and gas stocks in NYS pension funds. For more information go to: nysenate.gov/senators/Liz-Kruger or send a tweet @LizKrueger

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#1535: Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Jordan-C-the-many-shades-of-greenMicrobeads are not part of a kids craft project, they are tiny plastic particles which are entering the wildlife and human populations. My guest this week, Jordan Christensen, is the Program Coordinator for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and she is working to put pressure on our elected officials to ban the use of microbeads. She is also working on projects to limit raw sewage and toxins from entering the waterways, as well as reducing use of chemicals in schools. We have to write letters to our local and national representatives to let them know that Earth comes first. Go to www.citizenscampaign.org for more information.

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#1534: The End of Plenty

bourneCan we feed the world without wrecking it? Are we farming ourselves out of food? My guest, Joel K. Bourne Jr. and I delve into those questions on this week’s show. Joel’s new book, THE END OF PLENTY: The Race to Feed a Crowded World, discusses the world food crisis, as it relates to population increase and environmental concerns. Farm land is becoming decimated, as water shortages are spreading globally, thus reducing growth of crops needed to feed the populace. Political unrest and revolutions have occurred in various hot spots around the world, as wheat crops have failed, which has lead to tightening grain supplies. Lives are lost as fights break out over bread. Will 3D printing of food save us? Probably not, but there is hope, as farmers are using innovations in food irrigation, as well as conservation methods to solve some of the problems. A new land ethic must be put into place to feed the world. For more information go to joelkbournejr.com and amazon.com for his book, THE END OF PLENTY.

#1525: The End of Plenty by The Many Shades Of Green on Mixcloud