Episodes

March 17, 2017

POISONED: How a Crime-Busting Prosecutor Turned his Medical Mystery Into a Crusade for Environmental Victims

Alan Bell was a star prosecutor for mob trials in Florida in the 80's. When he began getting severely ill many believed he was being poisoned by the mob. It turned out that that it was exposure to hidden toxic chemicals in his office building that made him so sick that he was forced to spend nearly a decade living in a sterile “bubble” in the remote Arizona desert. When his health improved, he teamed up with other lawyers (including those featured in the films Erin Brockovich and A Civil Action)...
Feb. 10, 2017

GrowOya: Bringing Ancient Technology to 21st Century Gardens

Growing your own food, even in a small space, is now much easier thanks to GrowOya. Their porous clay irrigation vessels are an ingenious, modern method of watering your garden borrowed from the ancient wisdom of South America. Tune in to learn how these water-saving devices can be used year after year, and are revolutionizing the access to healthy, local food – even in drought areas. Our guests today are Brant Cheetham, co-founder of GrowOya, and Justin Cutter, with the Compass Green Project, w...
Feb. 3, 2017

Fake Silk - The Lethal History of Viscose Rayon

In his new book, Paul D. Blanc, M.D., outlines the century-long history of “fake silk,” or cellulose viscose, used to produce such products as rayon textiles and tires, cellophane, and everyday kitchen sponges. He explores the export of hazardous manufacturing to developing countries, and the current “greenwashing” of viscose as an eco-friendly product. He describes the poisonous materials and environmental abuses involved in the manufacturing process, and the grave impact it has on human health...
Jan. 27, 2017

Eat More Fish for Good Health, but Minimize Mercury

Just this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued advice regarding fish consumption which is geared toward helping women who are pregnant or may become pregnant – as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents of young children – make informed choices when it comes to fish that are healthy and safe to eat. Our guest today is Sean Wittenberg, President and Founder of Safe Catch, Inc. We will discuss the health benefits of eating low-mercury f...
Jan. 13, 2017

SwiftMile - A Revolutionary eBike Transit System

SwiftMile is tackling the first and last mile problem in transportation. Fifty percent (50%) of most auto trips are less than three miles, and thirty percent (30%) are less than one mile. This leads to traffic, smog, and congestion in urban environments on a global scale. Swiftmile is creating a network of solar powered eBike hubs for first/last mile commuters. Users can locate and rent an eBike or eScooter with the tap of our Swiftapp at a solar powered Swiftstations, then use to it to get acro...
Jan. 6, 2017

Solution Search: A Global Contest for Agricultural Answers

As the world’s population continues to grow, the demand for increased amounts of food strains our soil and the ecosystems juxtaposed to agricultural sites. International NGO, Rare, and its partners have just announced the launch of a global competition, Solution Search. The contest is open to any organization that has an innovative solution in sustainable farming, while promoting behaviors that strengthen biodiversity across the agricultural sector. Examples of potential entries include: sustain...
Dec. 23, 2016

California's Plan to Provide Clean, Reliable Water in the 21st Century

California’s primary clean water supply, upon which 25 million people depend, is out of date, unreliable and inefficient. California’s largest supply of clean water is dependent on 50-year-old levees. Earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels could cause these levees to fail, putting the fresh water supply at risk from saltwater contamination. The current system is inefficient and cannot adequately capture and store water when it is available. The state is losing fresh water that could be used b...
Dec. 9, 2016

Encore: Solving the World's Water Problems

Globally, 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Another 2.7 billion lose access to clean water for at least one month a year. The world's water problems are getting worse, not better. But teams of scientists working to reverse the trends are nearing breakthroughs and raising hope that water borne disease, poisons buried in sediment, deadly floods, erosion, and environmental stress on water sources will be mitigated and/or diminished. On Wednesday, November 2nd UN Secretary Genera...
Dec. 2, 2016

Cost-Efficient Home Heating Systems That Lower Your Energy Use

As the temperature plummets, homeowners will crank up the heat to keep warm and toasty - quickly burning through money and energy. In fact, home heating uses more energy and costs more money than any other system in your home, typically making up nearly half of your utility bill. So, what is the best way to keep the cold out, the heat in, and your energy bill low? Tune in as we talk with Tom Carney, Fujitsu General America and 30-year HVAC professional, who will educate us on the various home he...
Nov. 11, 2016

Solving the World's Water Problems

Globally, 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Another 2.7 billion lose access to clean water for at least one month a year. The world’s water problems are getting worse, not better. But teams of scientists working to reverse the trends are nearing breakthroughs and raising hope that water borne disease, poisons buried in sediment, deadly floods, erosion, and environmental stress on water sources will be mitigated and/or diminished. On Wednesday, November 2nd UN Secretary Genera...
Oct. 28, 2016

Sustainable Minds- Transparency Catalog

Sustainable Minds® has just launched a catalog of products that meet the most rigorous environmental and material health reporting standards in the building industry. The catalog is free to building professionals – architects, engineers, and construction – who would otherwise spend hundreds of hours searching for products that qualify for LEED v4, Green Globes, the Well Building Standard and the Living Building Challenge. For manufacturers who have made the commitment to product transparency, th...
Oct. 21, 2016

WalletHub's Report: America's Greenest Cities

October is National Energy Awareness Month! Studies show that seventy-four percent of Americans support efforts to protect the environment: hence, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016's Greenest Cities in America. To determine which cities promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 largest cities across 20 key indicators of sustainability, ranging from 'greenhouse-gas emissions per capita' to 'number of smart-ener...
Oct. 14, 2016

Sustainable Solutions to the Vulnerability of our Power Grid

The loss of the grid would not have been a threat 100 years ago because the population of the country was only about 76 million people. At that time, the production of food was not yet dependent on electrical power, and few homes were entirely electric. Today the population of the United States is about 325 million people, and we rely on a reliable source of electrical power for food production, clean drinking water, sanitation, medical care, and so much more. Today we will talk with Benjamin Da...
Sept. 16, 2016

Biting the Hands that Feed Us

Bad food laws are handcuffing America’s most sustainable farmers, producers, sellers, and consumers, while rewarding those whose practices are contributing to the food industry’s biggest problems, according to food lawyer and scholar Baylen J. Linnekin, author of Biting the Hands that Feed Us: How Fewer, Smarter Laws Would Make Our Food System More Sustainable. Linnekin acknowledges the importance of laws that keep people—and the environment—safe. He offers policy recommendations for some well-i...
Sept. 9, 2016

InTech Energy and the Building Internet of Things -BIot

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial buildings have high energy needs and can put great strain on the nation's power grids during peak periods. Developing more efficient buildings helps ensure a steady supply of affordable power and significantly lowers operating costs for businesses, schools, hospitals, and more. Creating an energy efficient building begins with monitoring and managing the building’s energy consumption. Today we will talk with the CEO of InTech Energy, Ashish ...
Aug. 26, 2016

The Good Crisis: How Population Stabilization Can Foster a Healthy U.S. Economy

Offering insights and guidance from prominent academics and journalists, The Good Crisis: How Population Stabilization Can Foster a Healthy U.S. Economy -Population Connection: 2016- takes on one of today’s most pressing challenges: keeping our aging population healthy, productive, and prepared for today’s technologically-focused jobs. At the same time, today’s youth must be prepared for productive futures through education, skills training, and delayed parenthood. Dispelling anxieties about the...
Aug. 19, 2016

All-Electric America: A Climate Solution and the Hopeful Future

The modern day Edisons have done their job. We need not wait any longer. We are poised to wake up to a world running completely on renewable energy. Waiting any longer is like saying we shouldn’t have used the personal computer in 1985 until the smartphone was invented. In their new book, “All-Electric America,” authors S. DAVID FREEMAN, former utility CEO, and LEAH Y PARKS, a journalist in the electricity industry, explain how making the transition to an all-electric, all renewable society by t...
Aug. 5, 2016

Happy Animals Create Better Tasting, Healthier Food

For those who eat animal products, there is a growing demand for assurances that the animals are treated humanely. Packaging for products like eggs, milk, cheese and meat are replete with phrases like, 'free range,' 'cage free,' and 'pasture fed.' But consumers who do their homework soon learn that those phrases may not mean what we envision, and may not ensure that the animals producing our food are well cared for. Today we’ll be joined by Andrew Gunther of the Animal Welfare Approved -AWA- cer...
July 29, 2016

Hip Hop Caucus Pushes for Clean Energy and Climate Justice

Today we’ll be joined by Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. to discuss his work for climate justice and a new partnership with the 100 percent Campaign to support access to clean, affordable energy for all. Rev. Yearwood is known as one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. He works tirelessly to encourage the Hip Hop generation to utilize its political and social voice. A national leader and pacemaker within the green movement, Rev. Yearwood has been s...
July 15, 2016

Hospitable Planet: Faith, Action, and Climate Change

Steve Jurovics’ new book HOSPITABLE PLANET: FAITH, ACTION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE provides a biblically-based case for climate change as a religious/spiritual issue as well as an environmental one; discusses 10 measures to mitigate it, and advocates an environmental rights movement, akin to the civil rights movement, to push for change. Steve holds BS and MS degrees from Columbia University and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Southern California. He has had about 20 technical papers publ...
July 1, 2016

CDC Recommends Steps to Prevent Legionnaires' Disease

Recently, the CDC released new guidelines in the fight to prevent Legionnaires' disease. With recent outbreaks of Legionnaire's throughout the country in Flint, Michigan and Bronx, NY, the maintenance of a building's water system is more important than ever. The guidelines are a huge step forward to help building owners control Legionella bacteria once it has entered their buildings from the public water supply and help prevent uncontrollable deaths from the disease. Today we will speak with Ton...
June 24, 2016

Premiere Green Building Event: GreenerBuilder 2016, USGBC Northern California

GreenerBuilder 2016 gathered hundreds of Northern California trade professionals to learn about key trends in the green building market; to hear what owners and developers are looking for; and to make important connections with fellow industry leaders. The daylong conference trained attendees to be at the forefront of greening the built environment. The event was held in the Net Zero Energy Center in San Leandro, CA where the IBEW, Local Union 595 and the National Electrical Contractors Associat...
June 17, 2016

Encore: In Response to Ted Koppel's New Book, 'Lights Out,' on the Cyber Security of our Power Grid

Ted Koppel’s new book, “Lights Out,” he asserts that a major cyberattack on America’s power grid is not only possible but likely, that it would be devastating, and that the United States is shockingly unprepared. Koppel warns that a well-designed attack on just one of the nation’s three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure, and the federal government, while well prepared for natural disasters, has no plan for the aftermath of an attack on the power grid. On today’s episo...
June 10, 2016

Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature

The world is alive with animals that we virtually never glimpse with our own eyes. Many of the most fascinating and significant wildlife discoveries in recent years have been made thanks to the explosion of non-invasive, motion-sensitive cameras, known as camera traps. Not only do camera traps provide stunning images of endangered species, they've revolutionized the field of wildlife science, and elevated our understanding of the animals in our own backyards. Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps R...