Preservation – The Many Shades of Green

Fireflies, Lightening Bugs, Glow Worms with Victoria Alzapiedi

The song for this episode is Glow Worm by The Mills Brothers. “The Glow-Worm” is a lighthearted, romantic metaphor about love and guidance in the dark. Rather than a deep philosophical statement, the lyrics use the glowing bug as a friendly lantern that helps lovers find their path when the night is dark and “love’s sweet voice is calling.” The Glow-Worm is a song from Paul Lincke’s 1902 operetta Lysistrata, with German lyrics by Heinz Bolten-Backers. It was originally translated into English by Lilla Cayley Robinson, in the early 20th century, and was used in the 1907 Broadway musical The Girl Behind The Counter.

I remember as a kid, having shear delight in chasing fireflies. My childlike wonder rose up when they lit up near the trees in the early evening and the absolute joy that it brought. My friends and I would try to catch them and put them in jars, which in hindsight was not the best way to treat fireflies. In keeping with that childlike wonder, I look at my lawn and forest today and I do not see fireflies in the numbers I used to see them. Their population is dwindling, and I can’t help feeling saddened and mortified that we are killing off this amazing species. More people are using pesticides, which is a major factor in the dwindling population. Fireflies are beetles, not flies, and pesticides are designed to kill beetles and other insects. These pesticides can harm fireflies over time, or kill them outright. The chemicals are targeted towards snails, slugs, and worms which are all favored food sources of hungry baby fireflies. If you want to keep fireflies around, you’ll need to learn to live with their prey populations and eliminate use of herbicides which can damage fireflies, slugs, and snail habitat by killing the plants they use for shelter. Also, as I previously mentioned, I want to reiterate that while kids and adults playfully catch fireflies and put them in jars, that is actually detrimental to their wellbeing. If you see them, try to video them, and watch them skirt around the lawn and forest areas, and take joy in their bioluminescence. On this episode of TMSOG we talk about fireflies and ways to be more sustainable and proactive in growing your garden. Our resident gardener, conservationist, and activist Victoria Alzapiedi joins us and gives us great info on fireflies and other helpful tips as the summer winds down and we head to Fall. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a member of Friends of Buttonhook, which is working to save a 20.3 acre forrest in the Town of New Castle. In addition, she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations .https://www.mynativegardenoasis.com/. For more info go to https://action.nrdc.org/ https://www.xerces.org/ Check out Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org / www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities with Reverend Carol Devine, Director of Blessed Tomorrow and Dayna Reggero, Founder of Climate Listening Project

This episode of TMSOG starts with the song What A Wonderful World sung by Louis Armstrong. The song was written in the turbulent late 1960s. The lyrics counter societal strife by celebrating the beauty of nature and human connection, encouraging listeners to pause, appreciate their surroundings, and find hope amidst adversity.

It is a wonderful world, yet many people don’t spend time to stop and smell the roses, or walk around in nature. Beauty surrounds us, but we all get stuck in our life bubbles and we don’t pay attention to what is most important. We are going through a difficult moment in time, but people are coming together to try and make things better. We have to protect the planet so that future generations will have clean air, land and water, and the message about climate needs to be prioritized. Climate change is a global environmental challenge that has profound ramifications for both human and non-human life across the planet. It is a crisis that raises deep questions of what constitutes responsible stewardship of the earth, and justice for all of its inhabitants. On this episode we discuss an important but sometimes overlooked part of the climate conversation—the role of faith communities. We delve into how congregations are responding to climate change, what motivates people of faith to become environmental leaders, and how communities can work together despite political differences. For millions of Americans, faith provides not only spiritual guidance, but also a framework for caring for one another and for the world we share. Many religious traditions teach stewardship, compassion, and responsibility for future generations—values that align naturally with environmental protection. Faith communities across the country are on the frontlines of climate action, leading with hope, compassion, and courage.

Our guests this TMSOG podcast are Dayna Reggero and Reverend Carol Devine. Reverend Devine is the Director of Blessed Tomorrow, a coalition of faith leaders working through EcoAmerica to inspire climate action grounded in shared values of hope and compassion. She is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and founded the creation care program, Green Chalice, for the denomination. Reverend Devine has pastored congregations in Kentucky, has been part of Disciples’ regional staff, and was Director of Admissions at Lexington Theological Seminary, where she earned her MDiv. Reverend Devin works with faith leaders and congregations across the country to help them engage thoughtfully and compassionately on climate change. Dayna Reggero, is a friend of the podcast and is the founder of the Climate Listening Project. Her documentaries focus on community conversations and personal storytelling. Dayna has helped people across the country share their experiences with climate change to help foster understanding rather than division.

For more information go to https://blessedtomorrow.org/get-the-film-series/ and blessedtomorrow.org and https://climatelisteningproject.org/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about civic action, voting and more.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https:/ /www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

What Can WE Do? A Conversation with Dr. Kevin Danaher, Co-founder of Global Exchange and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

The song of the week is California Reggae Debate-What Can I Do? By Mitch Margo

Brother Mitch wrote this in response to the endless wars, and the never changing bad news that continues to permeate society. But he saw hope, in that people have the power to make things better if they use their collective will and spirit. The chorus of the song is “You’ve got the power, I’ve seen you use it, you think you don’t have it, that’s how you lose it.“

We all need to use our power and contribute to society, and that means raising your voice, being civic minded, and yes, not putting up with the current dismantling of democracy. According to the Collins Dictionary, being civic-minded means having an active concern for the well-being and affairs of your community. It describes someone who prioritizes the common good and takes personal responsibility for improving society often demonstrated through active citizenship, volunteering, and public service. People have the power to use their public spirit to rise up when things go south, and they must twist and shout to help people in need. When we collectively consider the importance of social responsibility and participate in community engagement, we are impacting not only our local communities, but also the wider world. Democracy must focus on the WE, not just the Me, Me, Me! It is important to vote in all elections, from school boards to the presidency. Volunteering is also a very important component of social responsibility. We have the power, we just have to use it. We as humans can take action to change things and make life better. It has been quite the challenge of late, as right now, in the USA, we are seeing the downward spiraling of democracy before our eyes. I am constantly mortified by a mainstream media which is capitulating to what is being done on a daily basis to reduce our rights, freedoms and power. But there are moments when I think we can overcome the current chaos, as people are coming together in communities all over the country (No Kings rallies) on a local and national level to fight back. We have the power, and we must use it for good, as right now we have to raise our voices to counter the current attack on our civil rights. We need to move forward and educate the populace about civic responsibility and duty, as the choice is clear that the power is within us. In the infamous words of Civil Rights Leader and Congressman John Lewis, we need to make “good trouble!” If we don’t use our power, we will lose it.

Our guests on this episode of TMSOG are Dr. Kevin Danaher and George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works. Dr. Danaher is a co-founder of Global Exchange (1988), co-founder of Fair Trade USA (1997), founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals (2001-2013), founder of the Green Guardians, and is a lifelong educator. His 1983 PhD in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz was based on his dissertation, “The Political Economy of U.S. Policy Toward South Africa.” He was very active in the anti-apartheid movement. Dr. Danaher has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books, including: The Green Festival Reader: Fresh Ideas from Agents of Change; and Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots. He has also done many TED Talks and his most recent book, The Two Globalizations, is a free PDF download at https://www.kevindanaher.org/ He has an article, “On Becoming Solutionaries,” in the May 2020 issue of The Solutions Journal. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/becoming-solutionaries-first-global-revolution/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about Civ.works.

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Let ’em Eat Pie! With George Polisner Founder of Civ.works

SONG OF THE WEEK IS BOSS OF ME (Malcolm in the MIddle TV theme song) by They Might Be Giants

Boss of Me by They Might Be Giants (Theme Song for Malcolm in the Middle)

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the phrase “boss of me” (often used in the idiom “you’re not the boss of me”) means that someone lacks the authority to command, control, or give orders to another person.
So, a US President walks into a meeting with G7 world leaders, an hour late, and purportedly joked as he entered, when he said “I’m the boss!” Was it really a joke as the press is saying, or was it just another delusional quip? The comment drew immediate laughter from world leaders in the room, but the public and media reactions were divided along international and party lines.

Who really gets the piece of the pie?
It seems that the current administration wants to consume all the pieces of the pie or cake, leaving the crumbs to the underclass. The phrase “Let ‘em eat cake” comes to mind, and while the quote has been attributed to Marie Antoinette, she never really said those words. The phrase was attached to her during the French Revolution, as people viewed Marie Antoinette as a symbol of immense financial mismanagement—earning her the nickname Madame Deficit. Historians attributed the quote to her, as it served as powerful political propaganda, highlighting the royal family’s profound disconnect from the severe starvation and economic hardships faced by the common people. Fast forward to 2026, and the economic divide has grown even larger, as the oligarch billionaires, along with a newly minted trillionaire Musk, control more wealth than ever before. The Biff character in the Back to The Future movies has now taken center stage, and bullies are ruling the working class. The middle class piece of the American pie has become so small, that it takes up little room on the plate.
That we remain pawns in the current regime is frightful, and unless we become more involved and take action to stop the madness, I fear the worst. Perhaps there is hope on the horizon, as the ‘No King’ rallies have brought millions of the people together to use their power. But we need to do more, we need to vote in numbers that are too large to be rigged, and hopefully we can replace the current stooges with sane people who have experience in running the government. On this weeks podcast we have George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works, who is our resident political analyst, environmentalist, and our favorite curmudgeon. We delve into the architecture of pie, islands in the stream, the desecration of many landmarks in Washington DC, the need to shift to renewable energy and more. Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and https://civ.works/defend

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

TMSOG Goes Bananas! Plus Food Waste, Banana Bacon Challenge and ‘Greenhushing’ with Charlotte Ghiorse

We start off the podcast with the song Yes, We Have No Bananas, covered by Louis Prima, which was recorded and released in 1949 on Mercury Records. The Song was originally published in 1923 and was written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn. Frank Silver would stop on his way to a gig at a fruit stand owned by a Greek gentleman, who began every sentence with ‘Yes’. The jingle of his idiom haunted Silver and his friend Cohn. The man at the fruit stand who said “Yes! We Have No Bananas” and inspired the song, never gave a reason as to why he had no bananas, as he probably did not know why bananas were in short supply. But there was in fact a worldwide decline in the banana crop caused by Panama disease, which develops from a fungus that lives in the soil. So, I can see why the fruit vendor did not have bananas to sell, and yes, Yes, We Have No Bananas had an interesting back story.

We are almost halfway through 2026 and bananas are in the news making headlines for transforming agricultural waste into eco-friendly products, including biodegradable plastic alternatives, sustainable fashion textiles, and renewable energy. Researchers and companies are converting banana peel extracts and fibrous stems (pseudostems) into durable materials, aiming to replace petro-chemical plastics and reduce agricultural waste. Food waste is a growing problem. Food systems are responsible for one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Within that, food loss and waste alone account for an estimated 8-10% of global emissions which is roughly equal to the carbon footprint of the entire tourism industry. Agricultural and corporate food waste has a ripple effect within the populace. According to a recent article in earth.org, food waste from restaurants and business accounts for 28% of all the food wasted globally. Businesses that implement innovative solutions to reduce food waste can make a profit no ‘greenhushing’ needed. Companies can redirect excess food to communities that need it, which will save money and reduce their methane emissions simultaneously. Individuals also have to rethink their perception of food and change their habits. Eating smaller portions, composting scraps from veggies, fruits and bones and using leftovers can also make a difference. We are a throw away society, and as food gets over produced, it often winds up in land fills polluting the land, air and water. Educating the public about small changes in their habits can lead to both businesses and consumers monitoring their waste more closely, driving a more comprehensive and impactful change. In a world where food insecurity remains a daily reality for millions, the disposal of perfectly edible food is a profound moral failure. Consumer education and awareness about the food system and food waste is encouraged and necessary to reduce waste.

On this episode of TMSOG podcast we discuss how bananas can be used to reduce food waste and pollution. We chat with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Chochlet, Charlotte Ghiorse about Banana Bacon, ‘greenhushing’, Astrology and God’s Love We Deliver, a NYC non-profit that provides nutritious meals to people living with severe illnesses (https://www.glwd.org/). For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com and Sexy Astrology on Facebook. It might be time to start a Banana Bacon Challenge!

For more information on civic action go to https://civ.works/ To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/ Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Sedges Have Edges-Green Garden Tips with Victoria Alzapiedi

This episode of TMSOG starts with the song “Green Garden” by Laura Mvula. It was inspired by her joy of having a real garden when she moved into a house in her early years. The song symbolizes escape, familial warmth, and finding sanctuary in nature during childhood summers. The lyrics evoke a need to escape to a natural space, “taking shoes off” and stepping on a “green velvet” carpet (grass), representing a return to a grounded, peaceful state. It emphasizes a sense of community and the importance of nurturing relationships, as well as the need to adapt and grow in life.

It’s Spring time, and trees are coming to life, as they sprout leaves in many shades of green, making their entrance to Mother Nature’s grand show. I am truly in awe of the beauty of the cherry blossoms, ornamental pear and apple trees, and flowers of all colors, especially the tulips, lilacs, peonies, irises, violets and more. But, as Spring arrives, so do the landscapers who mow the lawns, blow the leaves and start their war on weeds, as they wipe out dandelions which bring a sprinkle of color to the manicured lawns, and are food for pollinators. Pesticides are generously applied, and while ticks are a problem, the chemicals kill essential insects, which include key pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, fireflies, and wasps. There are over 4,000 species of native bees which are the primary drivers of pollination. The use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer also affects birds, wildlife, our pets and yes, humans. Yellow signs on lawns have replaced the yellow dandelions with the warning DO NOT ENTER FOR 24 HOURS, basically shouting at me to stay off my neighbor’s lawn. The most popular weed killer is Roundup, which is considered harmful primarily due to its active ingredient, glyphosate, being linked to cancer—specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According to studies and findings (IARC) glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen. It also poses risks to environmental health by polluting water, persisting in soil, and damaging essential soil microorganisms. Another problem chemical is found in rodenticides which kills rodents. Rodenticides contain anticoagulants, bromethalin and other chemicals which kill wildlife and pets. We need to educate people of the consequences of these pesticides, and they should be banned from sale in the US just as they are in the EU. Let’s all be proactive in creating lawns and gardens that are less toxic and more benficial to wildlife, pets and humans.

On this week’s podcast we have Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru and we discuss Spring gardens, alternative lawns (sedges), reducing pesticides to create a chemical free habitats, and the problem with Roundup and rodenticides. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations . (mynativegardenoasis.com).

For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook. Check out the Audubon Society @ https://act.audubon.org and https://www.nwf.org/ National Wildlife Federation.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social.

Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Are We Living In A Cartoon?

South Park Theme Song (Opens the program)

I’m goin’ down to South Park, gonna have myself a time.

Friendly faces everywhere, humble folks without temptation.

Goin’ down to South Park, gonna leave my woes behind.

Ample parking day or night, people spouting: “Howdy, neighbor!”

Headin’ on up to South Park gonna see if I can’t unwind.

Has any series ever had a more fitting theme song than “South Park”? The “South Park Theme” by funk metal group Primus, later reworked by projects led by Les Claypool, is a twanging, frenetic jingle that quite deliberately fails to convince the viewer that its monotone lyrics about the titular small town’s idyllic nature hit their mark. It’s a perfect way to set the stage for the absurdities that invariably follow. The whole thing was carefully planned out and arranged, but as “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone said back in 2010, “the whole thing took just one incredibly lucky cold call to pull off. “

So the question is, are we living in a cartoon?

In a cartoon, characters exaggerate everything: emotions, reactions, conflicts. Sometimes I feel that we are living in an episode of South Park which just keeps rotating day in and day out, sort of like the plot in the movie Groundhog Day. If you’ve ever watched South Park, you know the formula. Something ridiculous happens in the news. The characters react in completely over-the-top ways. Everyone argues, chaos spreads, hypocrisy gets exposed, and by the end of the episode you’re laughing… but also slightly uncomfortable because the satire feels a little too real. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, built their reputation on one simple idea: take the most outrageous thing happening in society and push it just a little further until the absurdity becomes obvious. At its core, animation is a form of storytelling, and stories are an essential part of the human experience. From the earliest days of human history, people have used stories to make sense of the world around them, pass on knowledge and wisdom, and connect with others.

Animation takes this storytelling to a new level, using visuals and sound to create a rich and immersive experience that can transport us to new places and introduce us to new characters.

In a cartoon, a character falls off a cliff and pops back up unharmed, in real life, when systems break, people get hurt. In the current moment in the United States, sometimes reality seems to be moving faster than the satire. It feels like we are living in an alternate universe and we are being governed by what resembles a reality show. Even if politics feels like a cartoon, the consequences are very real. Policies affect healthcare, schools, immigration, climate policy, and civil rights. Trust in elections are declining, environmental protections are being dismantled and economic inequality is widening. We are now at war with Iran, and we have not received a credible explanation as to why. Every day there is chaos and people are suffering and are stressed. Prices for oil, gas, food, rent and more are rising daily, and we the people are not being heard. When will the madness end? It’s no wonder that Americans are moving to Europe and other places globally, but we need to stay and we must continue to fight, protest, and bring our collective will together to fix this mess. Actions speak louder than words, and we need to take action, so in the words of Bob Marley, “Get up stand up, stand Up For Your Rights!“

On this episode of TMSOG podcast, Charlotte Ghiorse joins me as we delve into the question: are we living in a cartoon? Charlotte is our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet. We talk about the environmentally conscious ten your old fashion designer Max Alexander, and what he is doing to reduce fashion waste. We also touch on politics, astrology, eco and social issues and more. For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Feng Shui in the Fire Horse Year with Anjie Cho

I’m just here to mess with your feng shui

Rearrange the room in a new way

Get you back to feelin’ like yourself

Again, again, again

We start off the podcast with Philadelphia artist John Faye’s song Feng Shui, which uses the ancient Chinese philosophy of space and energy as metaphor of rearranging home energy to find emotional balance. The track is a standout single from his 2024 album, The Long Game, and is often celebrated as an anthem for resilience and personal renewal.

On this episode of The Many Shades of Green, we explore something ancient that feels surprisingly urgent-how feng shui connects to sustainability and environmental responsibility, as well as personal balance. Feng Shui is rooted in Taoism and Chinese philosophy, which teaches us that humans are inseparable from the natural world. The goal is balance between light and dark, activity and rest, people and planet. That’s also the foundation of sustainability. Imagine if environmental responsibility began with the energy in our bedrooms, kitchens, and gardens. Imagine if climate action wasn’t just about policy, but about how we arrange our living rooms. Maybe sustainability isn’t only about sacrifice, but about aligning your space with nature’s rhythms. We need to be intentional about what we bring into our homes. In feng shui, clutter blocks energy, as it creates stagnation. In environmental terms, clutter often represents overconsumption as we tend to buy fast furniture and disposable decor. Sustainability asks us to buy less, choose well, and keep things longer. Minimalism, when done thoughtfully, aligns with feng shui’s emphasis on intentional placement and meaningful objects. Instead of filling space, we curate it. It’s important to look at the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) through a sustainability lens, wind, energy, water and flow. Our homes can be sanctuaries, not just for us, but for the planet. Decluttering allows energy to flow and feng shui encourages natural materials, indoor plants, and connection to sunlight. It is important to align your space with nature’s rhythms and being intentional about what you bring into your home and your office. Organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council promotes LEED-certified buildings that optimize sunlight, airflow, and water efficiency — principles that mirror feng shui’s ancient guidelines. Feng Shui connects us to being more sustainable, as it helps us design spaces that heal us and the planet.

Our guest on this episode of TMSOG is Anjie Cho, who helps us understand how feng shui can give us balance, and how it helps us consume with intention. We touch on the importance of the Five Elements, as well as the current Lunar Year of the Fire Horse. Anjie is a feng shui guru, and is a New York-based architect, author, certified feng shui consultant, and teacher of mindful, holistic design. As the owner of Anjie Cho Architect PLLC and co-founder of the Mindful Design Feng Shui School, she focuses on creating nourishing environments through feng shui, ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), and sustainable design. Anjie hosts the Holistic Spaces podcast, runs a blog at HolisticSpaces.com, and has written books including Holistic Spaces and Mindful Homes.

We are living in a world that needs balance and needs us to take action to reduce chaos and create peace through understanding. To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Help Birds and Wildlife Snuggle and Survive the Winter with Victoria Alzapiedi Co-Founder of New Castle Healthy Yards

We start the podcast with the song Little Bird by Annie Lennox.

Annie Lennox released Little Bird as part of her debut solo album Diva, it might be one of the best songs ever to reference birds and it quickly became one of her signature songs. The track reached number three on the UK charts and became a number one hit on the U.S. dance charts. At its heart, though, the song is about Annie watching a bird in flight and longing for that same freedom, finally declaring: “this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now, so I’ve just got to put these wings to test.” For anyone who has ever wished they could spread their wings and take flight, this song remains a reminder that sometimes you just have to test those wings and soar. (The Birding Life-songs about birds)

It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter and we all want Spring to come, as there is only so much cabin fever one can take. After the recent blizzard which dumped over 20 inches of snow on my property, I kept looking out my window and did not see birds or other animals for a couple of days. Where did they all go? How do they survive? When a blizzard hits, most of us hunker down inside, dress in layers, turn up the heat, and drink hot chocolate, and keep that cup of coffee or shot of whiskey within reach. But outside, in the howling wind and blowing snow, birds and other critters are doing something extraordinary, they are surviving. While we cancel plans and complain about snow, tiny birds, each weighing less than a deck of cards are enduring the same storm with no walls, no heaters, no guarantees. Small birds will often roost alone or in groups, minimizing exposure to wind. The key enemy in a blizzard isn’t cold—it’s wind and wetness. Birds survive winter storms largely because of feathers, which are remarkably engineered insulation. Before a storm, birds fluff up, trapping pockets of warm air close to their bodies. Cold is survivable, but starvation is the real threat. Birds respond by gorging before storms, building fat reserves—sometimes increasing body weight by up to 10% in a single day. After the storm, it’s a race against time. A small songbird may only survive one winter night without food. This is why backyard feeders matter most during and immediately after storms, not just on calm winter days. Animals survive blizzards by finding shelter to escape wind and cold, such as tree cavities, thickets, underground burrows, or under structures like sheds,according to wildlife reports. They often hunker down and snuggle curling into balls to conserve body heat, or, in the case of small mammals like mice, burrow into insulating snowdrifts. In a way, birds and other wildlife surviving blizzards are reminding us resilience is about adaptation.
On this episode we have Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru who discusses wildlife surviving in winter. We talk about how birds (and other species) endure brutal winter storms—blizzards, ice, white-out conditions—and what their survival can teach us about resilience, adaptation, and even how we can help. We also discuss the importance of planting trees to provide resources for wildlife. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards and Chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board. In addition she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations (mynativegardenoasis.com). For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook. Check out the Audubon Society @ https://act.audubon.org and https://www.nwf.org/ National Wildlife Federation.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Hail Sweden’s Second Hand Mall, plus good environmental news about the Amazon Rainforest, and some Astrology with Charlotte Ghiorse, Founder of House of Choclet

I’m wearing second-hand hats
Second-hand clothes
That’s why the call me Second Hand Rose
Even our piano in the parlor
Father bought for ten cents on the dollar
Second-hand pearls
I’m wearing second-hand curls
I never get a single thing that’s new

The aforementioned lyrics are from the song Second Hand Rose as performed by Barbara Streisand. The song is apropos to the topic we discuss in this week’s TMSOG podcast, which is about the need to reduce waste by recycling, reusing clothes and other items.
I used to shop with my mom, QOFE Ruthie at second hand and antique stores in Brooklyn and NYC, especially Greenwich Village. I loved wandering around checking out cool hats, clothes, costume jewelry, dishes from England and sometimes vinyl records, 33s, 45s, and 78s mostly from the 40s,50s and early 60’s. People would sometimes look down upon those of us who shopped at stores with gently used items, but secondhand stores are no longer a stigma. We can make smarter choices, take action on the climate and show creative expression. People are selling and buying secondhand for so many reasons. Many folks want to save money, reduce waste, avoid fast fashion, find unique, one-of-a-kind pieces and make extra income from selling items they no longer use. Resale apps like Depop, Vinted, ThredUp, Poshmark, and eBay have made it easy. But Sweden took the idea even further — and turned secondhand into an actual mall experience. In Eskilstuna, Sweden, there’s something called ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, often known as the world’s first secondhand mall. It’s a full shopping mall where everything sold is reused, repaired, upcycled, or secondhand. We are a throw away society, so maybe it’s time to consider selling old clothes, and swapping them for other items, donating them, and to reimagine what you can do with older items to reduce waste. It is highly possible that somewhere out there, someone else might need exactly what you no longer use. So this week we discuss the second hand mall in Sweden, a Swedish billionaire who is helping to save the Amazon Rainforest, Octlantis where Octopuses thrive, plus Astrology, and other eco and social issues with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet, Charlotte Ghiorse- https://www.houseofchoclet.com/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Help Save Buttonhook Forest (savebuttonhook.org) with Victoria Alzapiedi and Stacy Morgan

We have an interesting song to start the podcast entitled Plantasia.

Plantasia was recorded by Mort Garson on his Moog synthesizer in 1976. The album was created for houseplants to grow, but I am sure the trees would also love it, and your doggies will too. It is quite incredible that the composer created this music for growing plants. The album cover’s tagline reads “warm earth music for plants… and the people who love them.”

On this episode we discuss saving Buttonhook Forest, which is in a suburban area about 45 minutes from NYC. Forests are one of our most critical natural pathways for absorbing and storing excess carbon to fight climate change. For millennia, trees have pulled carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and turned it into their bark, wood and leaves through the oldest carbon-capture technology on Earth: photosynthesis. Trees and plants communicate with each other through underground fungal networks and by releasing airborne chemical signals. These networks allow plants to share nutrients, water, and alarm signals, while chemical signals can warn nearby plants of threats like insect attacks.

The “Wood Wide Web”: A vast network of mycorrhizal fungi connects the roots of trees and plants, enabling them to exchange resources. Plants and trees can share vital resources like carbon, water, and nutrients through these fungal links. For example, a shaded sapling may receive carbon from a nearby tree. When a plant is under attack from pests, it can send warning signals through the network to alert its neighbors. When we protect existing forests, we avoid and reduce deforestation which contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss. Forests are one of the most important ecosystems on Earth. They provide habitat to 80% of the world’s land-dwelling species. They help keep our water clean by naturally filtering out pollution. They provide sustenance and offer refuge as well as recreation to billions of people around the planet. A forest isn’t just a patch of trees, it’s a living archive. It’s ecological history. And it’s a space with deep cultural, spiritual, and even ancestral importance.

Indigenous communities relate to forests socially, economically, politically and spiritually. They use traditional knowledge and sustainable agriculture and resource management to ensure their forests’ survival. It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of forests. The story of saving Buttonhook Forest in is a powerful one as it touches on ecology, water, land, heritage, and a community fighting to protect something irreplaceable. The journey to save this magical forest has taken the core members of the non-profit, Friends of Buttonhook Forest on quite a ride. Joining us to discuss the forest is Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru. She is a board member of Friends of Buttonhook Forest and is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards. She is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board. In addition, we have Stacy Morgan, a core member of Friends of Buttonhook Forest. Stacy is an organic chemist, and she became interested in climate science while working at the National Physical Laboratory in London. Stacy is working hard to save this diverse and important carbon sink and she continues to educate and engage the community in protecting this amazing land. For more information go to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/ and if you can donate, please check out the website and find the Go Fund Me link. Follow the forest on Facebook via Friends of Buttonhook Forest and Instagram @SaveButonhook.

If you want to help protect the environment go to https://earthjustice.org and https://www.nrdc.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ and https://malcolmpresents.com as well as https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/ Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Pragmatic Environmental Stewardship with Rand Manasse, Board President of Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC)

We recently lost a truly great human, Jane Goodall. She was a steward of the Earth in so many ways, was a true conservationist and a mensch. She will be missed. This is one of her many wonderful and insightful quotes:

“We face the sixth extinction, climate change, loss of forests, poverty. But hope is about taking action in spite of it all. It’s about saying: I will do my bit. And when we join together, those bits become a movement.”

When we think of Mother Earth we think of conservation. We might envision beautiful national parks, forests full of wildlife, or the ocean’s coral reefs. We must all take action to conserve the land, and be more resilient and sustainable. Conservation is about the daily choices we make — at home, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities. We all need a sense of community to help us get through our daily lives. People have to come together to work on projects that affect their lives. Whether it’s joining an organization to clean up a river or save a forest, or building a relationship with a favorite farmer to support your local farmers market, we must work together to make things better. There are many organizations which work to make an impact on their communities which range from issues on sustainability, as well as supporting local businesses, and educating the citizenry on matters affecting their everyday lives. One of the best examples of community-driven environmental work in Westchester is the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, known as FCWC, which has been uniting local groups, schools, and municipalities to protect our natural resources for over 60 years. They advocate for clean water, open space preservation, and sustainable development — but more than that, they connect people who care.
On this episode of TMSOG we are joined by Rand Manasse who is the Board President of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, which has been at the heart of environmental advocacy, education, and action in Westchester County New York. For more information and to donate, go to https://www.fcwc.org/ Also please visit other environmental organizations to help protect the environment: https://earthjustice.org and https://www.nrdc.org/ and https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To help defend democracy and to help lawyers defend our constitution check out: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ as well as https://www.democracydocket.com/ If you want to take more effective civic action visit https://civ.works/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.