Episodes

You know where babies come from, but do you know how to feed, clothe and provide a job for 7 billion of them? If not, you’re in good company. Some of the sharpest minds in the world are working on these solutions. The United Nations predicts that by Oct. 31, 2011, population will hit the 7 billion mark, and as famines rage, food prices rise, and droughts damage crops around the world, we must pause to consider our options. As a new generation reaches child bearing age, the choices they make in t...

There are only a handful of environmentalists who are household names, and Captain Jacques Cousteau ranks among the top. His groundbreaking work to bring the mysteries of the ocean to the television screen made millions of people around the world more thoughtful about their impact on the delicate balance of marine life. However, it was the man behind the camera who may ultimately be responsible for the greatest ripple effect of Jacques’ work – his son, Philippe Cousteau JR. In honor of their fat...

Jacquelyn Ottman is not just another face in the “green” crowd. She has been a pioneer in green marketing since 1989, and her new book, The New Rules of Green Marketing, has been named a top 40 Sustainability book by the University of Cambridge. Her clients include some of the biggest names in Fortune 500 companies, like: 3M, Bissell, Clairol, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft General Foods, and Nike. During this episode of Go Green Radio, Jacquelyn will discuss how important it is for companies to have ...

Are you snacking “sustainably”? Do you know how much water and electricity it takes to produce your favorite beverages, or if the corn in your favorite bag of chips was grown with the highest standards of sustainable farming? Does your favorite healthy snack travel to your local grocer in an emissions-free vehicle? There is a company working to ensure that their customers can answer all those questions with confidence – PepsiCo. In 2009, PepsiCo made a promise to deliver sustainable growth by in...

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has launched a program that will allow consumers to return their unwanted medications to their local pharmacist vs. flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the trash. According to the NCPA website, “a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.” This is the result of improper disposal of th...

BPA seems to be the scapegoat for hundreds of other harmful chemicals found in plastic food and beverage containers. While plastic manufacturers are scrambling to produce materials that can be marketed to consumers as BPA and phthalates-free, a recent study shows that many of these products are still full of chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA), which disrupt the natural function of human hormones. Chemicals with EA have been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, and a variety of behavior...

The new book, Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It, by Harvard health and disease expert Paul R. Epstein, MD, and award-winning science journalist Dan Ferber, reveals the complex links between global warming and cholera, malaria, Lyme disease, asthma, and other threats such as crumbling ecosystems and lost services. They also examine abrupt climate change, which could cause catastrophic droughts, crop failures, large-scale migr...

During Earth Week 2011, I visited the OSU campus, and toured the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) where the world’s fastest electric vehicle (top speed 320 mph) is housed. The only thing more impressive than getting to see the “Buckeye Bullet” in person was meeting the Director of CAR, Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni. While the Buckeye Bullet is fueled by lithium ion batteries, the world class research facility run by Dr. Rizzoni is fueled by his unparalleled brilliance and enthusiasm for advanced elect...

You don’t have control over your electricity service, and yet almost everything you do requires electricity. Even people whose homes or workplaces are run by self-generated wind or solar power are vulnerable, because every other system we rely upon runs on electricity: water, information technology, transportation, fuel delivery, manufacturing, telecom, banking, etc. Thirty years ago, people said that the U.S. had a “gold plated” electrical grid, now many of those same experts say it is “third w...

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a human health disaster in the making. According to www.greencitizen.com, e-waste affects nearly every system in the human body because they contain a plethora of toxic components including Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Polybrominated Flame Retardants, Barium and Lithium. Even the plastic casings of electronics products contain Polyvinyl Chloride. The health effects of these toxins on humans include birth defects, brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage. Th...

For anyone wondering what it takes to “go green” on a University campus, this episode of Go Green Radio is the definitive answer. Today we’re joined by John Dilliott, the Manager, Energy & Utilities at the University of California San Diego. He is responsible for campus utilities operations, including the 30MW Cogeneration and District Heating & Cooling Plant, commodity energy procurement, carbon management and has secured financing for three year, $73M in energy efficiency program. John also le...

For anyone wondering what it takes to “go green” on a University campus, this episode of Go Green Radio is the definitive answer. Today we’re joined by John Dilliott, the Manager, Energy & Utilities at the University of California San Diego. He is responsible for campus utilities operations, including the 30MW Cogeneration and District Heating & Cooling Plant, commodity energy procurement, carbon management and has secured financing for three year, $73M in energy efficiency program. John also le...

You don’t have control over your electricity service, and yet almost everything you do requires electricity. Even people whose homes or workplaces are run by self-generated wind or solar power are vulnerable, because every other system we rely upon runs on electricity: water, information technology, transportation, fuel delivery, manufacturing, telecom, banking, etc. Thirty years ago, people said that the U.S. had a “gold plated” electrical grid, now many of those same experts say it is “third w...

When we think about tracking the carbon footprint of a company or a region, we typically take into consideration things like energy use, transportation and manufacturing. But today’s guest, Adam Smargon, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, and his dissertation addresses another source of carbon emissions –artificially carbonated beverages. In April 2011, Mr. Smargon had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the chairp...

Oil was undoubtedly the fuel of the 20th century economy, but by all accounts, clean technology will be the fuel of the 21st century economy. Thanks to the leadership of a new nonprofit organization, CleanTECH San Diego (www.cleantechsandiego.org), ‘America’s Finest City’ is poised to be a global economic leader by institutionalizing collaboration between business, government and research facilities. CleanTECH San Diego is streamlining the process by which clean tech companies grow, hire, and in...

During Earth Week 2011, I visited the OSU campus, and toured the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) where the world’s fastest electric vehicle (top speed 320 mph) is housed. The only thing more impressive than getting to see the “Buckeye Bullet” in person was meeting the Director of CAR, Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni. While the Buckeye Bullet is fueled by lithium ion batteries, the world class research facility run by Dr. Rizzoni is fueled by his unparalleled brilliance and enthusiasm for advanced elect...

Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature delves into a new kinship with nature while acknowledging the treasures of urban life and the unique stake each person has in resolving critical and timely challenges. Whether you are an agent for social, environmental or political change, newly awakened to environmental threats, or a lover of natural history and literature, consider this book required reading for its inspiration, innovation and hope for the Earth and future generations. ...

Eric Herm’s new book examines commercial agriculture’s strain on our natural resources, delicate ecosystems, and the farmer. As a fourth-generation farmer, Eric Herm deals with the harsh economic realities and complicated legislation facing farmers, as well as the undeniable health impact of GMO crops and excessive chemicals on all living creatures. “Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth” provides ample resources of natural, healthy alternatives that will inspire the transformation of farmers from...

In light of the tragedy unfolding in Japan, it is absolutely prudent to take a good, hard look at existing and future nuclear power plants in the United States. The Obama administration is still committed to backing loans for construction of nuclear facilities in the U.S., even as everyday Americans wonder if the facilities are safe. Today we’ll be joined by Angie Howard is president of Howard – Johnson Associates, a consulting practice specializing in strategic energy and utility issues, and 20...

Generation X and Y parents are environmentally conscious, and want to put their money where their values are when they make consumer purchases. Today, we’ll be joined by the CEO’s of three toy manufacturers who produce top quality toys that tread lightly on the Earth’s resources. Robert von Goeben, CEO of Green Toys, Inc. will discuss his toy line made from recycled milk jugs. Serah Chae, President of Hosung NY, maker of miYim and My Natural eco-plush toys and accessories for infants and toddler...

A lot of us want to live a greener lifestyle, but we’re not sure where to start. By taking a simple quiz on PracticallyGreen.com, you can find out exactly how green you are living today, and receive personalized advice about ways to become even more eco-friendly. PracticallyGreen.com was founded by Susan Hunt Stevens after she discovered that her son was suffering from severe food and environmental allergies. She researched solutions for her own family, and even got a graduate degree in sustaina...

The new book, Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It, by Harvard health and disease expert Paul R. Epstein, MD, and award-winning science journalist Dan Ferber, reveals the complex links between global warming and cholera, malaria, Lyme disease, asthma, and other threats such as crumbling ecosystems and lost services. They also examine abrupt climate change, which could cause catastrophic droughts, crop failures, large-scale migr...

In light of the tragedy unfolding in Japan, it is absolutely prudent to take a good, hard look at existing and future nuclear power plants in the United States. The Obama administration is still committed to backing loans for construction of nuclear facilities in the U.S., even as everyday Americans wonder if the facilities are safe. Today we’ll be joined by Angie Howard is president of Howard – Johnson Associates, a consulting practice specializing in strategic energy and utility issues, and 20...

Today we’ll be joined by Deborah Eden Tull, author of The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide to the Sustainable Food Revolution. In our convenience-obsessed, oil-addicted world, Deborah Eden Tull shows how greening our kitchens can empower each of us to create a personal, healthy, sustainable world. An acknowledged expert and well-known sustainability coach in Los Angeles, Tull, 36, is the real deal who draws from years of insight as an organic farmer and cook, including seven years at a Zen monastery ...