Newlygreens
By Kaizen Productions LLC
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Podcast Description
Stories of green living from the early adopters walking the walk. Produced in NJ just outside New York City the show gives an East Coast flavor to implementing more balanced choices. Hosts Greg and Connie, "newlygreens" and not so newlywed, try take the stories to heart and and bring practical change into their own lives. It may not be about being the ideal, but it is definitely about finding inspiration and working toward something better.
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| 1 | CleanVideoNewlygreens 4 :: Home Improvements-Boiler | Wow, what a busy year 2010 was for us! And now, continuing with our series inspired by our home energy audit, in this segment we sit down with Pete Monahan from Beta American. So how did we increase our home heating efficiency from 50% to 94% and decrease our heating bill by 47%?! Watch and learn as Beta American replaces our old boiler with a brand new super high efficiency model.... [jwplayer config="NGplayer" file="http://newlygreens.com/_content/podcasts/NG_4_1_Boiler_640x360_1100k_720p.mp4" hd.file="http://newlygreens.com/_content/podcasts/NG_4_1_Boiler_1280x720_2200k_720p.mp4" image="http://newlygreens.com/_content/podcasts/NG_4_1_Boiler.jpg" plugins="viral-2,hd" viral.functions=share,embed viral.email_subject="Great vid from Newlygreens.com" viral.email_footer=http://newlygreens.com/podcasts] If you like our show please consider making a donation: Show Summary and Highlights: Our old boiler was a 405,000 BTU model. Our old boiler kept hot water in the radiators and only ran at the 50% efficient mark. The new boiler will change the temperature of the water in the radiators based on outside air temperatures. This, among other design strategies, will allow it to run at 94% efficient and that is some serious savings! The positives of our old system? Big antique radiators are an efficient way to heat a house and the existing piping system can be utilized with the new design.  In addition, those big radiators bank heat energy, just as the old stonewalls did in earlier homes.  That was a smart design, but the boiler itself, not so much. Our old boiler was meant to accommodate the coldest day of the year but when it is warmer than zero degrees we donât need all of that horsepower. In addition, our old system was designed with the idea that the house would not have insulation.  If youâve been watching past episodes, you know that since our energy audit, we installed insulation!! So, based on our new information and circumstances, we can reduce the boiler capacity from 405,000 BTUs to only 250,000 BTUs, and thatâs just the start because our new system will modulate down even further.  In other words, our new boiler has a brain. It will only use the energy it needs to heat the house as opposed to an all or nothing solution. What cool tricks will you see in this segment? Men on the roof. Pipes up the chimney. Pipes installed that will bring outside air directly in to the new boiler. This prevents it from searching for air by sucking it in through the cracks in the house, which would make the house cooler. A heat recovery system. Our new boiler will reuse heat from the flu gas as opposed to letting it escape up the chimney.  Conservation, conservation, conservation. Zones, zones and more zones!  Tell me again why our old boiler only had one? And of course, the results.  Did the combined efforts of insulation and a high efficiency boiler make a difference?   And the answer isâ¦. YES!  We are warm in the house and we have reduced our heating bills by 47%! If you combine this with the rebate we got back from the state, these improvements will pay for themselves in about 5 years.   Not bad! Thatâs it for now. Thanks again for joining us. And thank you to all who continue to contact us with such wonderful feedback. We are thrilled to hear that people are watching and that so many of you are looking for new episodes. We will continue to do them and get them out as fast as we can! | 2/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanCarol Hoernlein :: Hydraulic Fracturing | Happy New Year and welcome to another episode of NewlyGreens! Today weâre talking about yet another interesting topic...  Ever heard about Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking?? Probably not, but chances are itâs taking place not far from your home, and chances are also, that the more you learn, the more uncomfortable it will make you feel. To find out more, we spoke with Ms. Carol Hoernlein, a licensed Civil Engineer specializing in the safety of water resources.  Carol has an extraordinary list of accomplishments in the area of environmental safety, and she is here to talk with us today about her latest environmental concern, which is the practice of "Hydraulic Fracturing".   Enjoy the interview and check out the notes below for more information and links to additional resources. Hydraulic Fracturing 101 Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) is the process of shattering rock formations to get to the natural gas stored within. As natural gas becomes scarce and more difficult to get to, this new kind of technology has emerged to meet the need. HF is a newer form of drilling created to get to a source of natural gas not previously accessed. Although found throughout the country, the large shale formations that hold the gas are predominantly in the area of Pennsylvania and New York state. The process of HF requires millions of gallons of fresh water, which is then mixed with a âfracking fluidâ and forced into the shale formations. The force of the liquid shatters the shale formations, releasing the natural gas. The gas that is released is not completely confined and has found itâs way into residential drinking water supplies, in some cases, setting faucets on fire. The chemical-laden fracking fluid then seeps itâs way back up to the surface as what is called âproduced waterâ.  There are reports of livestock dying after being exposed to the fracking fluid in the form of this produced water. Some people living near large shale formations have benefited financially, while others have completely lost their clean water supplies. In 2005 a task force created what is called the Halliburton Loophole. This loophole rendered the fracking fluid exempt from the Clean Water Drinking Act. As a result, the EPA is currently helpless to step in. However, there is an act moving through Congress now that is called the Frac Act. FRAC Act - twin bills in the Senate (S 1215) and House (HR 2766) that remove the exemption to the Safe Drinking Water Act for fracking and call for the disclosure and monitoring of the chemicals used in the process. Since the taping of this interview, Halliburton has released some information regarding its fracking fluid formulas. Making the fracking fluid non-toxic would eliminate only some of the water safety concerns, but the issue of using (or wasting) millions of gallons of fresh water, and the concerns of natural gas being released into air and water certainly remain an issue. Links and Resources: GaslandTheMovie.com RiverKeeper.org CBS 60 Minutes Carol Hoernlein - More Information: Carol was a trustee on the Hudson River Waterfront Commission charged with creating the riverfront walkway along the Hudson in NJ and co-wrote and narrated a documentary about the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Carol also worked for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission as a civil Engineer and narrated the video documentary about the New Deal construction of the Palisades Interstate Park called âA New Deal for the Palisades.â She served as Councilwoman in Tenafly, NJ from 2007 â 2009 where she served as a member of the Planning Board. Last year she was awarded a special honor by the NJ Joint Legislature for her accomplishments in public service. Before she was a civil engineer working to protect our rivers and groundwater, Carol worked in the food industry as a food process development engineer. | 12/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanLunapads :: A Sustainable Take on Sanitary Napkins | Listen up girls! (and guys). Today we speak with Madeleine Shaw, founder of a company called Lunapads. If you didn't think you needed an attitude adjustment when it comes to menstrual cycles, just listen to some of the facts and statistics our guest is going to share with you today. This show is an eye-opener! Society is not particularly comfortable talking about periods. As a matter of fact, we've posted a link to Gloria Steinem famous essay called, If Men Could Menstruate, where she tells us that if men had periods there would be no taboos. "Men would brag about how long and how much. And sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free".  FACTS AND FIGURES: Approximately 20 billion pads, tampons and applicators are sent to North American landfills annually . On an individual level, each of the approximately 73 million menstruating women in North America will throw away 125 to 150kg or approximately 16,800 disposable pads or tampons in her lifetime. Disposable pads and tampons are made primarily of bleached kraft pulp or viscose rayon, the origin of which is wood cellulose from trees. What makes these products perform so effectively is the use of high tech chemicals such as super-absorbent acrylic polymers (SAPs) surfactant-laced gels and leak-proof plastic backings. The long-term health and environmental impact of these ingredients is contentious and largely unknown. In 1991, the Landbank Consultancy report reviewed the environmental impact of disposable diapers and concluded that compared to cloth diapers, throwaway diapers used 20 times more raw materials, three times more energy and twice as much water; overall they generated 60 times more waste . Disposable menstrual pads are made from substantially equivalent materials and ingredients as disposable diapers. Lunapads will last well over 5 years with recommended use and care, as opposed to 3 or 4 hours in the case of disposable products. While individual use may vary, we estimate that a single Lunapad replaces 120 disposable pads or tampons. The cost of reusable products is significantly less than disposables â women can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over time. 1,000,000 disposable pads and tampons are now being diverted from landfills monthly thanks to Lunapadsâ customers having made the switch to reusable products, and tens of thousands of women worldwide are feeling more connected to themselves and at peace with their consumer choices. For more information you can visit the Lunapads website at Lunapads.com. | 7/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreen Sprouts :: Green Vacations | July is almost over and here comes August! If you haven't taken a vacation yet, you're probably thinking about one, so sit back and enjoy these short little tips on making that vacation a little bit greener. 1) Find A Green Hotel - It's easier than you may think. There are lots of registries. We have added a link to a couple on our website. Registry of Environmentally Friendly Hotels Green Hotels Association 2) Take the Train - Rail travel has some of the lowest carbon emissions per-traveler of any form of transport. If you need to travel a distance, look into a train with a sleeper cabin and a restaurant on board. Some of them are very nice. And what an interesting way to travel! 3) Options For Getting Around Town - Try to choose a destination with a good public transit system. If you have to use a taxi, check ahead and find one that uses hybrid vehicles. We've included a link to help you find a green taxi if you're interested. Biking is also a fun way to see the sights and unwind, and of course, walking is still the best way to get around! Search for green taxis. Check out this story on the 5 Best Mass Transit Cities and while we're at it here's a story on the 10 Worst 4) Volunteer Vacations - You could look into volunteer vacations which enable you to give something back while you travel. You might end up in an exciting place, doing exciting things such as helping to save the environment or helping endangered animals. Think Katrina or the Gulf Oil Spill, or any of the hundreds of other good causes that are out there. We've included a link to make finding those vacations easier. Volunteer Vacations. 5) The Ever Popular Staycation - Did you ever notice that sometimes you need a vacation after you get back from a vacation? They're fun but they can be draining as well. The staycation can be fun and totally relaxing!  A search for "travel activities" in and around your town will likely turn up lots of options. That's it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer and please also enjoy this little quote for the week..... "The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving"  Author Unknown Happy Travels! | 7/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: July 29, 2010 | The Headlines: Oil trader fined for illegal dumping Protesters travel 8,000 miles to protest plastic pollution UNICEF unleashes "dirty water" vending machine Norwegian couple protests rail restrictions Massey CEO has no regrets about mine explosion Tiny cows could help sustainable beef farming The Details: Oil trader fined for illegal dumping Oil trading company Trafigura was fined 1 million Euros Friday for dumping tons of hazardous waste in west Africa in 2006. A Netherlands court convicted the firm on criminal charges, also saying that the company had concealed the dangerous nature of the waste when it was initially unloaded from a ship in Amsterdam. Over 30,000 Africans became ill after the toxic waste was dumped on the Ivory Coast. The fine is only half the amount sought by the Dutch prosecutors. Trafigura has been steadily paying for this incident. Three years ago, Trafigura paid 100 million pounds to the Ivorian government to help clean up the waste. And last year, Trafigura was forced to pay compensation totaling 30 million pounds to the thousands of Africans who needed medical treatment following the dump. In a statement from the firm, Trafigura officials say they are considering appealing Friday's verdict. Protesters travel 8,000 miles to protest plastic pollution It started with a sailboat made from 12,500 plastic bottles and dubbed "Plastiki". It ended with a successful trip 8,000 miles long. Sailors aboard the Plastiki started their journey in April 2010 and traveled for 130 days, a trip that began in San Francisco and ended on Monday in Sydney, Australia. David de Rothschild began the project as a way to protest humanity's wastefulness with plastic, citing environmental havoc it causes, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and other floating trash patches. Volunteers on the project hope their trip will inspire people to use less plastic, and to reuse it in innovative ways, such as they did with the Plastiki. UNICEF unleashes "dirty water" vending machine UNICEF, as part of their "Tap Project", has unveiled a stunt vending machine serving dirty water for $1 a bottle in Manhattan. Flavors include malaria, typhoid, hepatitis and cholera. The $1 doesn't go to waste, though. Each dollar fed to the vending machine will go toward safe drinking water for 40 children for a day. Sadly, 4200 children die of water-related diseases every day. And over a billion people across the world don't have access to clean drinking water. The Tap Project started in 2007 when UNICEF got 300 restaurants to charge patrons $1 for their tap water which was donated to UNICEF to bring safe drinking water to those in need. The project now boasts thousands of participating restaurants. Norwegian couple protests rail restrictions Don't upset the Norwegians, or they'll take it to the streets! That's what a couple named Ole-Jørgen and Torill did when they were denied access to a train because their electric wheelchairs are 34cm too long. They were just trying to go from Trondheim to Oslo on the train. But when they weren't allowed to board, they decided to make the 300 mile journey, using nothing but their electric wheelchairs. The trip took them nine days and the couple had to periodically charge their wheelchairs at campsites along the way, but they finally got to their destination. No word yet on how they plan to get back. Massey CEO has no regrets about mine explosion The Massey Upper Big Branch, Virginia coal mine blew up in April, killing 29 workers. The company had been cited several times for safety violations before this tragedy occurred. But the CEO of Massey, Don Blankenship, says he has no regrets about how the company deals with safety issues. Last week, Blankenship decided to speak to the Washington press corps about the incident. But instead of apologizing, he went on a tirade, subjecting the press to a long-winded diatribe about global poverty, | 7/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHenry Pollack PH.D. :: A World Without Ice – prt 2 | Today we continue the discussion we started last week (part 1) with Dr. Henry Pollack. He was a contributing author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC's) 4th Assessment Report which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with along with former Vice President Al Gore. His expertise on long-term geologic evidence of temperature has lead him to testify before the Senate as well as garnering him an invitation to the White House to consult on Climate Change. He has been a professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan for more than forty years, travels regularly to Antarctica, and has conducted scientific research on all seven continents. He joins us today to talk about the science of Climate Change and his latest book "A World Without Ice". A summary of the climate information that came up during our discussions with Dr. Pollack is available in the show notes for part 1. | 7/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: Keeping Cool Part Two | Here are some more ways to keep things cool this summer. 1 Hang bamboo shades outside your windows. This can stop 60 to 80% of the sun's heat from getting in through the windows. 2 Do not use a dehumidifer at the same time you are using your AC unit. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder. 3 Add two degrees and add a fan. The EPA says if you raise your thermostat by just two degrees and turn on a ceiling fan you can trim cooling costs by up to 14%. 4 Clean your AC filter once a month. Whether you've got an central air or a window unit, cleaning the filter keeps the air conditioning working the best it can. 5 Go down. Stay as low as you can to the ground. Heat rises, so cooler air can naturally be found the farther down you go. The basement's not looking so bad is it? 6 Embrace mint. Mint doesn't just cool down your mouth. Use pepper mint body wash, soap, lotions and powders. Mint refreshes your skin and cools you down. | 7/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: July 22, 2010 | The Headlines: 650 dogs killed daily in Baghdad Bandages may soon have new functions San Fran pet sale ban Monsanto fined for mislabeling seeds Green tea grows clothes The Details: 650 dogs killed daily in Baghdad You heard that number right. The Associated Press reports 58,000 of Baghdad's estimated 1.25 million stray dogs have been killed in the last three months, equating to about 650 dogs every day. Iraqi officials hasten to say the killings are necessary because packs of stray dogs have been attacking people, some even killing children. But the brutality of the canine extermination is unsettling. Government workers have been putting out poisoned meat for the dogs to eat. We haven't been able to confirm which poisons they are using, but a common one, strychnine, is said to cause hours of pain before the animal suffocates and dies. And there's no telling how many other animals besides stray dogs are ingesting this poison meat. When they aren't poisoning dogs, Iraqi police are shooting dogs in the streets. This is also problematic because the Iraqi police force is not known for its accuate aim. Many shots probably miss their intended area and only wound the dogs, causing prolonged and painful deaths. The World Society for the Protection of Animals has many strategies for fixing this problem, including animal protection legislation, vaccinations, spaying and neutering, and registration of pets. But in war-torn Iraq, where many humans are still not given the care and protection they need, the services of the WSPA seem to be the last thing on the government's mind. Bandages may soon have new functions Researchers at the University of Bath and the Southwest UK Paediatric Burns Centre are developing wound dressings that not only stop bleeding, but also detect infections and even release antibiotic medication as well. This completely safe dressing only responds to harmful bacteria and doesn't have to be changed nearly as often because the medicine to treat infection is built right in. The nanotechnology can detect disease-causing pathogens and then release antibiotics contained in nanocapsules. When it does this, a color-changing dye indicates that medicine has been released. Scientists hope this new medical technology will be available for mass use, especially by developing countries, in four years. San Fran pet sale ban What began as a proposal to outlaw puppy and kitten mills in San Francisco has become a hefty piece of proposed legislation banning pet sales entirely. The list of pets that the legislation would render unsellable includes: rats, snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, gerbils, birds, cats and dogs. (Chicken and rabbit sales are already prohibited in the city.) All of these critters end up in shelters and are frequently euthanized. Phil Gerrie is a member of the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control & Welfare, which advises the San Francisco legislature on matters concerning animals. Gerrie brought the idea up in one of their meetings. When they scheduled a hearing for it, over 100 people from all sorts of animal rescue groups as well as concerned citizens showed up, causing the longest meeting the Commission has ever had. Local and national media paid attention to the idea, prompting a firestorm of debate. Even Jack Cafferty of CNN got in on the action, calling the idea "not half bad." All the fuss is making it impossible to actually get the resolution together, so for the moment, the vote on the proposal has been set back another month. Monsanto fined for mislabeling seeds No environmentally conscious news day would be complete without a story on Monsanto, the multinational agricultural seed and supply company. They may have won in the Supreme Court last month lifting the ban on their alfalfa seeds, but they lost a hefty chunk of change two weeks ago. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a record-breaking $2. | 7/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHenry Pollack PH.D. :: A World Without Ice – prt 1 | This is [Part 1 of 2]- [Part 2] can be heard here Our guest today worked on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR4 report which you may recall shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former vice president Al Gore. His expertise has lead him to testify before the Senate as well as garnering him an invitation to the White House to consult on Climate Change. He has been a professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan for more than forty years, travels regularly to Antarctica, and has conducted scientific research on all seven continents. He is the author of "Uncertain Science . . . Uncertain World", and he joins us today to talk about the science of Climate Change and his latest book "A World Without Ice". Dr. Henry Pollack. Some climate information that came up during our discussions with Dr. Pollack paraphrased by the Newlygreens Editorial Staff: The IPCC report is often cited as the leading compilation on Climate Science. One of the criticisms of the IPCC report is that it is compromised by the political influence of various nations. Ironically, critics of climate change also accuse it of being alarmist. Well, as you might expect, you can't have it both ways. In reality the projections and forecasts of the impacts of climate change constantly outpace those made in IPCC reports. If you think the picture the reports paint of the future is alarming now, you should see what the science says when undiluted by the competing interests of politics. Another criticism is that the Summary for Policy Makers overstates certainty that man-made causes are causing the changes we see. There are numerous lines of evidence that indicate man is having a considerable influence on global climate through large-scale land use changes, and the emission of pollution via the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. The IPCC report on Climate Change is now several years old. Prior to the UN Copenhagen meeting last December a group of leading Climate Scientists released the Copenhagen Diagnosis that showed several examples of how the IPCC projections of future impacts were in fact too conservative and were being outpaced by reality. (Executive Summary below in the Show Notes) A few examples of this are: 6a) IPCC Follow Up - We have seen a 40% reduction in sea ice in the Arctic over the last 40 years and we are on course to loose all summer ice in the near future. The IPCC made projections about how fast we might expect to loose the remaining ice at the North Pole but it now seems that reality is outpacing those predictions. We will be the first generation of humans EVER to see an Arctic with no ice in the summer. 6b) IPCC Follow Up - Greenland - Jakobshavn (Ya-kob-zha-van) Glacier - the actual rate of ice loss is significantly greater than that which was forecast in IPCC AR4. Jakobshavn Isbrae holds the record as Greenland's fastest moving glacier and major contributor to the mass balance of the continental ice sheet. Starting in late 2000, following a period of slowing down in the mid 1990s, the glacier showed significant acceleration and nearly doubled its discharge of ice through 2006. 7-8% of all ice lost from Greenland is coming off the Jakobshavn glacier - NASA Greenland has either been neutral or loosing ice since 1960. 6c) IPCC Follow Up - Anthropogenic (Human) Forcing Factors Detailed: GHG Emissions - Ralph David Keeling - Keeling Curve - 1957 GHG concentration was 315 ppm, was increasing at a rate of 1 ppm per year. By 70's it was growing at a rate of 1.4 ppm/yr, by the 80's it had grown to 1.6 ppm/yr, today it is at 2.2 ppm/yr. GHG emissions are growing logarithmically. The IPCC AR4 report made projections as to what this growth would be. Reality is outpacing projections of the IPCC AR4 report. At the Copenhagen talks last December no one in attendance was debating the science of climate change. As far as global politics are concerned, | 7/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: Keeping it Cool – prt 1 | Earlier we talked about the recent heat waves and how it's only going to get hotter. So here are some eco-friendly ways to keep cool: 1 Forgo the big, hot meal for a few smaller ones. Yogurt and refrigerated fruit can cool you down instead of preparing a large, hot dish that warms up your kitchen. 2 Wear loose-fitting clothes, preferably light-colored ones. Clingy clothes cause more friction against your skin, adding more heat to your already hot day. And dark clothes absorb more heat from the sun. Keep those clothes light and loose! 3 Take a nice, cool shower instead of a hot one. There's nothing more relieving short of going swimming. 4 Keep your lotions and skin creams in the refrigerator. When you use them, they will cool down your skin. 5 Draw the shades. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so it's important to keep any windows facing either direction nice and shaded. 6 Place your AC well. Putting an AC unit in a window that spends part of its day in the sun makes it harder for the AC to do its job. It'll increase the efficiency of your unit 5 to 10% if you put your AC unit in a north or south facing window. | 7/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: July 15, 2010 | The Headlines: Ikea to stop selling incandescents 2039 is looking hot Whole Foods wants organic proof "Cove" documentary screens in Japan House of the future made of meat? The Details: Ikea to stop selling incandescents Every colleg... | 7/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReverb :: Green Concert Coordinators | Our guest today is Brian Allenby, General Manager for a fascinating organization called Reverb. Reverb is a non-profit organization providing turn-key greening programs for artists' tours while conducting outreach and education programs for music fans everywhere. They have coordinated green tours for the likes of Dave Matthews, John Mayor, Guster, Sheryl Crow and Barenaked Ladies, just to name a few. They've worked on 80 major tours to date and have helped artists and fans reduce or eliminate over 72,000 tons of CO2. They have created large-scale, and measurable change, and here to talk to us about that today is Brian Allenby, who not only has an extensive background in concert promotion AND renewable energy, but also dabbles in the art of of beer and cheese pairings.. For more information, you can visit Reverb's website at: www.reverb.org | 7/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: What Are We Eating? Part 2 | Summertime is a great time. There are vacations to go on, friends to visit, and most importantly, good food to eat. But before you make your next trip to the grocery store, here are some food labels and catch-all terms you want to avoid. 1Â "High in Fiber" - We all know that fiber is essential to regulating our digestive systems. But fiber can only do its good deeds in our bellies when it's "intact" fiber. Intact fibers, like those found in beans, vegetables, fruits and grains are shown to lower cholesterol and blood sugar. But products like ice cream and yogurt often contain "isolated" fibers, which don't have all the great health effects of intact fiber. The fiber content may be high, but it might not be the right kind of fiber. Look out for inulin, polydextrose, and maltodextrin, which are isolated fibers. If you see them listed in the ingredients, avoid that product. 2Â "Helps Maintain a Healthy Heart" - To speak plainly, it probably doesn't. If you see this on a product at the store, don't let its presence on the package affect your decision to buy it. "Helps Maintain a Healthy Heart" and its cousin "Supports the Immune System" are wastes of ink. Neither term is FDA approved, and you will find no information on the product as to how it does either of these things. Because it doesn't. The FDA only approves statements like "May reduce the risk or cancer" or "May reduce the risk of heart disease." 3Â "Whole Grains" - There are two main types of grains: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains are the healthy ones that the USDA recommends we eat. However, just because a bread product says it's "made with whole grains" doesn't mean it's healthy. Companies aren't required to print how much of their product contains whole grains versus refined grains, so while it may say "made with whole grains", it could contain much more refined wheat flour than whole wheat. Look for products that give actual percentages. If the wording is ambiguous, don't buy it. 4Â The last term on our list is an invisible one: caffeine. Since only energy drinks actively boast about their caffeine content, most of us don't think about how much caffeine is in other things we consume. But it's in more products than we can imagine, and the amount of it can be staggering. Caffeine can interfere with our sleep cycles, cause anxiety and jitteriness, upset our stomachs, and increase the risk of miscarriage and infertility in women. To top it all off, caffeine is a highly addictive substance. But even with all the risks, companies are not required to state how much of it is in their products. The FDA and USDA are very lenient in allowing many food companies to use these terms or to omit very important information from the labels of foods and drinks. These government organizations are letting us down. Don't stand for it. Email the FDA and the USDA and tell them you want tougher, more succinct regulations on the food that you buy. | 7/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: July 1, 2010 | The Headlines: Greenpeace activists break into Swedish nuclear plant Sea Shepherd scuba divers free tons of tuna Roundup resistant weeds could force farmers to use harsh herbicides again Monsanto wins Supreme Court case lifting ban on genetically modified alfalfa British newspaper apologizes to climate scientist The Details: Greenpeace activists break into Swedish nuclear plant 50 Greenpeace activists in Sweden broke into the Forsmark Nuclear Plant two weeks ago to make a statement to the Swedish parliament's vote on June 17th against the building of nuclear reactors. The activists were dressed up as brightly colored renewable energy sources wind, water and sun. The police were called and 29 activists were arrested. Of those arrested, 27 of them will be tried in court for illegal trespassing. On June 17th, the Swedish government voted to allow the building of new nuclear reactors to replace the current reactors when their life spans run out. "With a narrow majority, the members of parliament show they do not take the environmental risks posed by nuclear power seriously, and that they do not trust in the enormous potential there is for Swedish renewable energy," Greenpeace spokesman Ludvig Tillman said in a statement. In February 2009, the Swedish government announced it was going to reverse a 1980 decision to phase out its 12 nuclear reactors by 2010. Since 1999, 10 reactors have remained in use at three power plants and account for about half of Sweden's electricity production. Sea Shepherd scuba divers free tons of tuna Marine wildlife activists from the Sea Shepherd group made popular by their Discovery network reality show "Whale Wars" have cut the nets on an undersea cage and released hundreds of bluefin tuna fish off the North African coast. About 42 miles off the coast of Libya, the Sea Shepherd activists liberated the Bluefin Tuna fish from the grasp of Maltese fishing boats because the cages were full of very young fish and many of the fish had been poached illegally. But instead of trying to work through some governmental procedures, the activists took on the task of rectifying what they saw as a serious situation themselves. Paul Watson, activist and captain of the Steve Irwin, said, "The risk of losing the Bluefin Tuna as a species is far more important than the risks to our own lives and freedom. And so we decided to free the tuna.â In a radio address, the Maltese prime minister, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, condemned the release of the fish. Three days after freeing the tuna, the crew of the Steve Irwin returned to the area but were fired on by Maltese fisherman using flare guns until they retreated. The fish they released were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Roundup resistant weeds could force farmers to use harsh herbicides again Thanks to evolution, today's pesky weeds are no longer susceptible to the best herbicide of yesterday: Roundup. Since the 1970s, Roundup has been the primary weed killer for farmers because it is safer than most herbicides and requires less tilling of the soil, resulting in less soil erosion. The corporation that created Roundup, Monsanto, even created crop seeds resistant to Roundup so farmers could spray their fields and then only plant Roundup-resistant seeds. Seeds containing Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" traits are now used to grow about 90 percent of the nation's soybeans and 70 percent of its corn and cotton. But since about 10 species of weeds have evolved to resist Roundup, many farmers are returning to the harsh herbicides of decades past. Farmers and agricultural industry experts are turning to 2,4-D, a World War II era herbicide also used to produce Agent Orange and another herbicide called dicamba. Penn State University weed scientist David Mortensen estimates that in three or four years, farmers' use of dicamba and 2,4-D will increase by 55.1 million pounds a year because of resistance to Roundup. | 7/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanOUT for Sustainability :: Gays Going Green | Our guest today hails from Seattle, Washington and is the Founder and Executive Director of OUT for Sustainability, a nonprofit organization dedicated to getting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)communities to practice sustainable habits and lifestyles. Gerod Rody has been featured in Grist Magazine's "40 people who are redefining green", and he has a Masters in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Gerod talks to us about why he started his organization, what they are doing to improve the world and what they plan to do next. He also offers a unique perspective on the "green" movement, and tells us what OUT for Sustainability is doing differently from other not-for-profit groups. | 6/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: What Are We Eating? | Summertime is a great time. There are vacations to go on, friends to visit, and most importantly, good food to eat. But before you make your next trip to the grocery store, here are some food labels and catch-all terms you want to avoid. 1 "Made with Real Fruit" or "Made with Real Veggies" - These terms are so loosely thrown around, the easiest thing to say is just avoid everything that isn't an actual piece of fruit or a vegetable. The thing to remember about these products is that quantity very often equals quality. Unless you see a sizable percentage of fruit or vegetables in an item, it's safe to say it's not worth the purchase. Just because an item contains the name of a fruit or vegetable doesn't mean it has enough to be a viable source of nutrition. Usually a candy that claims to have fruit in it will contain more sugar than fruit. And snack foods that claim to contain vegetables usually contain much more salt than anything else. 2 "All Natural" - Just because a product is claimed to be "All Natural" doesn't mean it is. There are meats that claim to be "All Natural" that are actually injected with beef and chicken broth. And there are foods and drinks containing highly processed high fructose corn syrup that claim to be "All Natural." Look at the ingredients and nutrition facts before throwing an "All Natural" item into your cart. 3 "Low Sugar" or "Lightly Sweetened" - These two terms are not currently regulated by the FDA, so they can mean literally anything. The USDA recommends we only have as much sugar in a day as that contained in a can of Coca-Cola, but many products advertised as having "Low Sugar" or being only "Lightly Sweetened" often contain much more than that. 4 "No Trans Fat" - It's true that trans fat is bad for us, but just because a product has a big "0 grams of trans fat" sticker on the front doesn't mean it's healthy. Check the nutrition facts. Many times, companies will try to trick us into getting a product that may be low in trans fat, but incredibly high in saturated fat. "Hot Pockets" have no trans fat, but we all know how seriously fattening they are. | 6/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: June 24, 2010 | The Headlines Europe's wind and gas power neck and neck Bank of America stands up to BP Alaskan state official defends oil over bears East coast governors collaborate on wind Nearly extinct species of turtle offered hope Airships making a comeback The Details Europe's new wind and gas power neck and neck Startlingly progressive news from across the pond! The European Wind Energy Association reports that the amount of new power generated by wind turbines in Europe this year will be comparable to, if not greater than the amount of new power generated by natural gas this year. New natural gas was top dog in European power generation, but since 2008 it has been lagging behind new wind. Just to make sure we're clear, we aren't saying wind produced more power than all the natural gas in the European Union. We're saying that since 2008, more new wind power has been created than new natural gas power, which is still pretty great. The European Union can now generate 85GW of wind power, and if the past few years is any indication, they'll only be adding more. Bank of America stands up to BP In a fiscally responsible and possibly moral move, an executive within Bank of America Merrill Lynch handed down an order last week telling the company's traders not to engage in oil trades with British Petroleum beyond June of 2011. The unnamed executive did not state a reason for doing so, but cutting down on trades with a counterparty helps to protect banks against risk that a company will be unable to meet its long-term obligations. Bank of America has good reason to assume BP won't be able to pay up, with the company running up a huge tab for oil spill cleanup in the Gulf, boycotts taking place across the United States, and their stock plummeting. Bank of America is not one of BP's biggest trading counterparties, but perhaps they will set a trend for larger banks to follow. Alaskan state official defends oil over bears The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has a plan to save the increasingly rare polar bear. They want to establish more than 187,000 square miles of Alaskan land as a polar bear "critical habitat". Critical habitat by definition is the area that contains features essential to the conservation of the species, so unless the United States was for some reason anti-polar bear, giving them this essential land would seem like a no-brainer. Not so, says Doug Vincent-Lang, endangered species coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Vincent-Lang believes the cost of setting aside this land for the polar bear is not worth the protection. Polar bears spend the majority of their lives living on sea ice, hunting for food above and below the ice. This also happens to be prime territory for oil drilling. The establishment and designation of preserved land would lead to development project delays, additional consultations and litigation, which would cost the oil industry. It should be noted though, that giving this land to the polar bear, a threatened species, would only cost the oil industry a lot of money, not the taxpayer. East coast governors collaborate on wind Ten governors from East coast states, Republican and Democrat alike, have shaken hands on the development of wind energy farms on the Outer Continental Shelf. Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Virginia governors officially created the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium, which according to the Department of Interior is expected to generate thousands of jobs in manufacturing, construction, and operations relating to new wind energy development. Not many states have come out in direct opposition to more offshore oil drilling, but now that these ten states have banded together, the "neighbor effect" should stop any new drilling from taking place. Nearly extinct species of turtle offered hope | 6/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: June 17, 2010 | The Headlines: Apple patents solar iPods Coney Island solar-retrofits subways Study shows we could be almost twice as rich if we switch to renewable energy Less than 1 percent of oily birds survive New window film can cut energy costs by up to 40 percent Scientists meet to discuss our relationship with dolphins and whales The Details: Apple patents solar iPods Apple recently patented solar technology for "media players with integrated touch sensor solar panel surfaces." So iPods, iPhones and possibly even iPads of the future will be solar-powered. Green Apple geeks of the world are no doubt celebrating at the prospect. The iPhone will be getting an especially exciting overhaul. The solar panel will be placed underneath the touch screen, so it can still take in power from the sun, but users will not have to sacrifice the touch screen. And iPhones will soon be coming with a glass back, allowing for another solar panel on that side for double chargeability. Coney Island solar-retrofits subways The New York City Transit Complex in Coney Island was just retrofitted with a thermal solar array to replace the facility's electric hot water heater. Not only will the 48 panel system make the hot water needed to clean subway cars, but it will also eliminate the need to use antifreeze in the winter. Using a pressurized closed-loop vacuum insulation system, the Coney Island Transit Complex is now the first of its kind in the world that requires no antifreeze at all to run. The $1.1 million array, combined with new high efficiency lighting systems recently installed at other transit facilities, is expected to save about $170,000 per year in energy costs and cut New York Cityâs mass transit greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3,000 tons. Study shows we could be almost twice as rich if we switch to renewable energy Exciting numbers from the European Renewable Energy Council's commissioned report were released last week. The gist of the report: a global shift to renewable energy could create an $18 trillion economy by the year 2050. If we continued down the wasteful energy path we're currently on, we would only end up with an $11 trillion energy industry. Additionally, the report finds that it is technologically and fiscally feasible to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. And before we roll our eyes at this fanciful Utopian notion: the report assumes no conservation of energy or efficiency, so there are no caveats to these numbers about the what-ifs of cutting back on energy use. Switching the entire world to renewable energy sounds like quite a feat, but the technology already exists and will only get better. The majority of the work would come from building a global energy infrastructure. The report also recommends phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, as not paying for dirty fuel would totally change the economic possibilities for the better. Less than 1 percent of oily birds survive Unfortunately it's true. Silvia Gaus, animal biologist and oil spill expert addressed the elephant in the room of the Gulf oil spill with a very unpopular opinion: it's better to kill the birds than try to clean them. Birds don't just get covered in oil. They also ingest the oil, and even attempts to give them Pepto Bismul can't counteract the damage that happens to their kidneys and livers. Also cleaning them, even though it has gotten more efficient and less harsh on the birds, still traumatizes them badly. A British study found that the average bird released after cleaning in other spills only survived for seven days. The kidney and liver damages coupled with the trauma of capture and cleaning causes nearly all the birds to die a slow, very painful death. The average survival rate of oily birds after cleaning is less than 1 percent. So while Gaus's recommendation may be painful to think about, it does unfortunately seem like the most humane option. | 6/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanKen Mankoff :: Discussions with a Climate Scientist | Ken Mankoff is a PhD. student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is studying the cryosphere, focusing on ice and ocean interactions nearby and underneath the Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using observational fieldwork, remote sensing, and modeling. In the past he has worked with climate models at the Columbia University NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Earth and Mars observing spacecraft at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and competed in the astronaut selection process. He speaks publicly about climate change and has been an invited speaker on all seven continents. Audiences have included scientists at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, business leaders at the United Nations, and students in New York City. Ken helped develop the Educational Climate Modeling program for schools. High School and Undergraduate students can work with climate models to help develop a better understanding of Climate Science. Ken has gone to Antarctica 3 times and had three different projects. The first project drilled into the sediments under the ice to study the climate back in time 40 million years. Second they deployed ocean sensors to study how the ocean next to the continent is changing in terms of temperature and salinity, and therefore how this ocean might melt the ice. Third time they studied the CO2 content of the water to try to find out if it is saturated... Is the ocean still uptaking atmospheric CO2, or is that sponge 'full'? No answers yet on the third one, but some preliminary results on the first two. Related Articles: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/national-research-council-calls-for-climate-action/ http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/certainty-vs-uncertainty.html How Certain is Climate Science? - Climate Science Update April 2010 http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch1s1-6.html Al Gore Op-Ed Piece Perhaps we can relate the Gulf spill back to clean energy choices. Below is a copy of Mr. Gore's recent op-ed on the spill if you haven't had a chance to read it. The continuing undersea gusher of oil 50 miles off the shores of Louisiana is not the only source of dangerous uncontrolled pollution spewing into the environment. Worldwide, the amount of man-made CO2 being spilled every three seconds into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding the planet equals the highest current estimate of the amount of oil spilling from the Macondo well every day. Indeed, the average American coal-fired power generating plant gushes more than three times as much global-warming pollution into the atmosphere each dayâand there are over 1,400 of them. Just as the oil companies told us that deep-water drilling was safe, they tell us that itâs perfectly all right to dump 90 million tons of CO2 into the air of the world every 24 hours. Even as the oil spill continues to growâeven as BP warns that the flow could increase multi-fold, to 60,000 barrels per day, and that it may continue for monthsâthe head of the American Petroleum Institute, Jack Gerard, says, "Nothing has changed. When we get back to the politics of energy, oil and natural gas are essential to the economy and our way of life." His reaction reminds me of the day Elvis Presley died. Upon hearing the tragic news, Presleyâs manager, Colonel Tom Parker, said, âThis changes nothing.â -Al Gore, The New Republic, May 21st, 2010 | 6/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: Helping the Waterways | Talking to our guest Ken Mankoff made us think about the planet and specifically about our oceans. And since the oil gush in the Gulf is already devastating coastal and sea life, we wanted to give you some tips that you can do to help or reduce the harm that humans cause. June 8th was World Oceans Day, but even if you didn't participate, there's plenty you can do to show your appreciation for the oceans of Earth. 1. Choose sustainable seafood. 75 percent of the world's fisheries are fished to capacity or overfished. And 30 million tons of fish, sea turtles, sharks, and seabirds die each year as "bycatch"âanimals caught accidentally and discarded, dead or dying. Choosing seafood from fishers who use better practices can save animal lives. The good folks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium have compiled a free guide called Seafood Watch with seafood recommendations, restaurants and recipes. 2. Recycle more and waste less. There's literally an island of trash Great Pacific Garbage Patch that some estimate to be the size of Texas floating between Asia and North America, and it isn't getting any smaller. Being diligent about disposing of your waste properly means it won't end up in the ocean. 3. Cut down or eliminate the use of pesticides and fertilizers in your lawn or garden. Those chemicals seep into the soil and can eventually reach the ocean. There are around 150 'dead zones' where low oxygen inhibits or kills off sea life in our oceans and many of them were caused by excessive fertilizer runoff into rivers and streams. Cutting back on harsh chemicals isn't just good for the ocean, it's good for you. 4. Cut down on fuel consumption. Do you and your neighbor both have to use your gas grills when you could just get together and share? Could you walk to the convenience store instead of driving? Could you hitch a ride with friends instead of meeting them at the bar? If you can cut down, you should. Offshore drilling for oil continues to devastate the environment. If you can cut down on fuel consumption it means less profit for the oil companies who are causing all this damage. 5. Tell the government how you feel. Of course the White House has a good handle on the national sentiment towards the BP oil gush, but until we explicitly say what we think and how we'd like our government to respond, we're just wasting our breath. We are in the middle of an environmental crisis, and we need all hands on deck to solve this problem. Write your local government, your state government, and of course the federal government. Some of these tips are from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. | 6/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: June 10, 2010 | The Headlines: Fish affected by a different kind of pollution Madagascar's rosewood rainforests ravaged EPA to crack down on factory farms Robot fish to help schools in need Freshwater wind farm in the works UK's waste to become Euro fuel The Details: Fish affected by a different kind of pollution We're not talking about oil, and we're not talking about trash. We're talking about sound. A new study published in ScienceDirect finds that fish have a very well developed sense of sound, and over the last 100 years, humans have increasingly used the oceans of Earth, to the detriment of sea life. According to the BBC, 80 percent of global freight transport is done by motorized shipping, and the global shipping fleet is made up of around 1.2 million vessels! That's a lot of noise under the sea, and one effect of that is that fish are fleeing from the loud noises, causing an unequal distribution of fish across the oceans. There are also problems for the fish that don't flee from loud human sounds: they can't hear the sounds they need to hear to function properly. Fish make noises to define territory, to court mates and to find food. They need to hear each other and their surroundings to live and thrive, but shipping noise is so loud that it's disrupting their ability to do so. Madagascar's rosewood rainforests ravaged You may know rosewood from high-end furniture or from the necks of guitars. But not many people know where rosewood comes from, or what the environmental impact of rosewood might be. Most rosewood comes from Madagascar and it's being plundered from the countryside on orders from Chinese furniture makers, who buy the wood to craft expensive furniture for Americans and Europeans. It's been going on in small illegal operations for years now, but this past year, it has increased at least 25-fold, according to environmental groups. They estimate the value of trees felled this past year at $167 million or more! Malagasy timber barons have stepped up operations because of a military coup that took place last year. The new government is weak and can't really enforce rules against felling these increasingly rare trees. Some environmental groups even claim that the government of Madagascar is getting a cut of the profits. Some scientists are recommending the few remaining rosewood trees in the rainforest of the island deserve the protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. We hope they get it. EPA to crack down on factory farms Due to a recent lawsuit settlement with environmental groups, the EPA is proposing a new policy in dealing with factory farms. It doesn't have anything to do with animal treatment, however. This rule is about animal waste. Animal waste, bacteria and parasites from chickens, pigs and cows drain into streams and rivers, posing a threat to human health. The EPA's response? Their new policy proposal would require factory farms to report the type and capacity of manure storage facilities, quantity of manure generated, available land acreage to apply manure and how excess manure is disposed of to the EPA. This is a nice first step, but the EPA's proposal only requires farms to report this information every five years. Robot fish to help schools in need There are robots in the seas! They monitor ocean temperatures and scan for pollutants. But there's a new robot fish on the block, and it's there to actually help the fish. Maurizio Porfiri, assistant professor at Brooklyn laboratories at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, created this new robot fish that can mimic the actions of 'leader' fish, who dart quickly around other fish to lasso them into a school which they then lead. The idea is that the robot fish could take over a school and lead it away from boat motors and power plant turbines. Laboratory experiments with fish in aquariums have proved successful, | 6/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBack2Tap :: Education and Options for the Plastic Bottle | Today we speak with Mary Lonergan, Co-founder of Back2Tap. Back2Tap aims to reduce the waste generated from the production and distribution of disposable plastic bottles.  There are some startling statistics when you look into the world of plastic bottles and we will look at some of them here today. More facts at Earth 911 Recycle ideas at All Plastic Bottles.org 5% of B2T profits go to the Central Asia Institute. The statistics are staggering: * About 1.2 billion people globally lack safe water to consume * About 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation * Just one toilet flush in the West uses more water than most Africans have to perform an entire day's drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning * Women and children in water-stressed countries walk three to six miles every day just to collect water for their families. This prevents them from otherwise pursuing an education, maintaining their households or earning additional income. * More than half of the hospital beds in the developing world are occupied by people suffering from preventable diseases caused by unsafe water and inadequate sanitation * Dirty water poses a greater threat to human life than war or terrorism. * Meeting the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the percentage of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 would cost about $4 billion a year for 10 years. That amount represents just one month's spending on bottled mineral water in Europe & US. For more information visit Back2Tap.com. | 6/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: Ditch the Plastic Bottle | Tip - Only one tip today.  Avoid Bottled Water. There are definitely times when a disposable bottle of water is handy to have, but it should be the occasional exception. Here are just a few reasons why bottled water isn't so great... No... | 6/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: June 3, 2010 | The Headlines: Greenpeace members arrested at anti-drilling protest Beijing zoo serves the species they house for dinner No poo this week, but we'll do some numbers: Extending the Treasury Grant Program could produce 200,000 jobs Protein made by plants to be reduced by 1/5 USA one of the top ten renewable energy investors The Details: Greenpeace members arrested at anti-drilling protest Ever the users of dramatic symbolism, members of Greenpeace boarded an offshore drilling support ship off the coast of Louisiana on May 24. Their mission? To scrawl crude anti-drilling messages on the side of the ship using crude oil. The ship is scheduled to travel to the Arctic over the summer to support Royal Dutch Shell's plans to survey the area for potential drilling, and Greenpeace found this to be unacceptable. Seven members of Greenpeace wrote "Arctic Next?" on the ship and held up a sign that said, "Salazar: Ban Arctic Drilling" before being captured and detained by local law enforcement. The activists were charged with unauthorized entry of critical infrastructure and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, both of which carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace, said, "It is outrageous that prosecutors would confront peaceful protesters with such a heavy hand while not a single BP executive has been charged for the devastation they have wrought on the Gulf of Mexico and the people and animals that depend on it." The seven members of Greenpeace were released on bail on May 25. Beijing zoo serves the species they house for dinner An unsettling article from The Guardian recently reported on the misconduct of the Beijing Zoo in China. While most other zoos try to protect the animals in their exhibits, the Beijing Zoo would rather turn a profit, selling some of the very species that inhabit their zoo as food in their restaurant. The restaurant serves the webbed toes of hippopotamus, dishes made with crocodiles, scorpions, kangaroo tail, deer p***s, ant soup, shark fin soup, peacock and more. And until the zoo began receiving bad PR, they even had the bad taste to put nutritional information and serving suggestions on the cages of their exhibit animals. The management of the zoo has promised to change their menu, but no one knows yet what those changes will entail. Extending the Treasury Grant Program could produce 200,000 jobs The Solar Energy Industry Association or SEIA released a report last week stating that if the federal government only does two teensy weensy things, the green energy industry could create over 200,000 jobs by 2016! If the federal government extends the Treasury Grant Program, which was part of the Federal Stimulus Package, for another two years and gives tax breaks to green industry equipment manufacturing companies in the form of Manufacturing Investment Tax Credits, $48 billion would be invested in the solar industry, and 207,000 jobs would be created. Protein made by plants to be reduced by 1/5 A UC Davis study released in a recent issue of Science made a sobering discovery about the effects of CO2. Over the next 50 years, the authors of the study say, plants will not be able to absorb as much nitrogen due to projected higher CO2 conditions. Without taking in as much nitrogen, plants will not be able to produce as much protein. In 50 years, people will be eating plant-based food that contains 20 percent less protein than the plant-based food of today. And in case some of us are not big salad eaters, we will still be affected because any foods made with carbohydrates such as spaghetti and bread are created from wheat and other grains that grow on plants. So this affects virtually everyone. USA one of the top ten renewable energy investors We just got its hands on a Pew research study and found the countries that have invested the most into renewable energy sources. And the U.S. | 6/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanLarry Schweiger :: CEO of National Wildlife Federation on BP Oil Spill | We are extremely honored to have with us today, Larry Schweiger, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Wildlife Federation. To highlight just a few of his many past accomplishments, he served for eight years as President and CEO of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, where he pioneered watershed restoration and promoted ecological research, land conservation and community outreach. Prior to that, Larry was the Executive Secretary of the Joint House/Senate Conservation Committee for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. In his book Last Chance, he breaks down the science behind global climate change and shares how the clean energy economy can provide the solutions we need to avert the worst consequences of global warming. Jan 19, 1991 the largest oil spill of all time (380-520 million gallons) was created intentionally by Iraqi forces trying to prevent the landing of US forces in Kuwait during the Gulf War. They intentionally opened valves at the port releasing a 4 inch slick over 4000 square miles. The largest accidental spill of all time (140 million gallons) was also in the Gulf of Mexico June 3, 1979 - March 23, 1980. Ixtoc I, a two-mile deep exploratory well, leaked at an estimated rate of 10,000 to 30,000 barrels per day for almost ten months until it was capped in March 1980. Approximately 5.65 million tonnes (that's over 1.5 billion gallons) of oil were lost as a result of tanker incidents alone from 1970 to 2009 Worst Spills of all Time Other Famous Spills Learn More About The Science of Spills New York Times Interactive map of the BP spill What about the Natural Gas that's mixed in with the oil Welcome to Newlygreens on the Radio, Mr. Larry Schweiger. Some points of interest from today's interview: Tony Hayward CEO of BP has claimed the environmental impact of this spill would be small relative to a really big ocean. The Exxon Valdez spill was just over 21 years ago and it was considerably smaller than this spill. On May 20th the EPA ordered BP to find a less toxic alternative to the dispersant called Corexit they have been using to break up the oil coming from the well. 100's of thousands of gallons of to be more specific... (related story) We see over 70 miles of oil floating on the surface. The BP estimate of the leak has grown from 1,000 barrels a day up to 5,000 barrels/day at the prompting of the Coast Guard, that's 210,000 gallons. A recent NPR scientist put the estimate at more like 84,000 barrels or 3.5 million gallons/day .  BP currently claims to be siphoning 3000 barrels/day but admit there is still more leaking. A reminder to our listeners the National Wildlife Federation has a number of ways for you to get involved from Finding Solutions to the Climate Crisis, getting kids outside with the BE OUT THERE⢠campaign, or Safeguarding America's Wildlife and Wild Places , If you care to refer people to help with NWF oil spill activities please feel free to refer them to NWF's oil spill page. They may also have job openings so if their mission speaks to your heart there may be opportunities for our listeners to get involved professionally as well.  You can find more information at www.nwf.org. How will this effect wildlife in the area? | 5/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGreensprouts :: Helping with the Gulf Spill | In keeping with today's topic of the BP Oil Spill we've gathered some information on how you can help. From the EPA to the NWF, there are many ways to find out more and get involved. Only one tip today: Stay informed. Ask questions. There are better alternatives.  In the meantime, get information on the spill and how you can help below.. From the EPA website: To volunteer, call the Deepwater Horizon Response Volunteer Request Line at 1-866-448-5816. More information and volunteer hotlines. Report an oil sighting: Report oiled shoreline: 1-866-448-5816 Report oiled wildlife: 1-866-557-1401 Discuss spill related damage: 1-800-440-0858 Submit a question or a comment about the spill. Follow EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on Facebook or Twitter Follow EPA on Facebook or Twitter Submit a technology solution. Vendors - submit information to EPA's list of contract services your company can offer. Add EPA's BP Spill response widget to your Web site, Facebook page, or other location. From the National Wildlife Federation website: Volunteer for the Cleanup Efforts - The National Wildlife Federation is helping coordinate the on-the-ground volunteer effort, including NWF's Gulf Coast Surveillance Teams, which are being set up to monitor the coastline for wildlife in distress. Donate to the National Wildlife Federation's Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund - You can help wildlife threatened by the oil spill by donating online, making a leadership gift or donating via your mobile phone. Your support will help NWF's on-the-ground volunteer and restoration efforts. Speak Up for Cleaner Energy Choices - Tell your senators that now more than ever we need to pass comprehensive legislation that provides America with cleaner and safer energy choices. Help Spread Messages Online - Follow @NWF on Twitter or join us on Facebook to get all the latest updates about the BP Oil Spill. On the ground in the Gulf? Share your photos and videos on Flickr by tagging them SPILL_NW10. How to talk to your kids about the spill: http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Parents-and-Educators/How-To-Talk-With-Kids-Gulf-Oil-Spill.aspx PLEASE, if you find wildlife along the Gulf Coast that you think may have been injured by the oil spill, do NOT attempt to rescue it. Call the Oiled Wildlife hotline at 866-557-1401. | 5/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: May 27, 2010 | The Headlines: Oil spill impacts fuel consumers Greenland rises as ice melts Feeling warm? You're not the only one! Pollution-eating plant walls Cow manure could help more than just farmers The Details: Oil spill impacts fuel consumers Starting off with some good news: A poll by an environmental polling organization called the Shelton Group found that 20.1 percent of Americans say they will âreduce their gas consumption in responseâ to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So one in five Americans plan to drive a little bit less. âFor years our research has shown America is a see-it-to-believe-it nation. Before we make changes, we need to see things with our own eyes or have a personal connection to something, said Suzanne Shelton, president of Shelton Group. âIf Americans start seeing a lot of oil-covered pelicans or dying dolphins, these numbers will likely go even higher.â We hope it doesn't take that happening to convince Americans. This information corresponds to a slightly optimistic trend reported by CBS News: Americans' support for drilling has dropped from 62 percent in 2008 to 46 percent as of last week. Greenland rises as ice melts You'd think that ice melting would cause a landmass to lose surface area. Not so with Greenland. Greenland is mostly covered in glaciers and ice, and thanks to climate change, a lot of that ice is melting. The melting ice is sliding into the ocean, taking some of the weight off of Greenland. Without as much ice weighing it down, Greenland is literally rising. Greenland's rocky areas are shooting up almost an inch per year in some spots. If the trend continues unabated, that number could go up to as much as two inches per year by 2025. Feeling warm? You're not the only one! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, recently looked at the Earth's tempurature trends for January through April. What they found was proof positive of global warming. To quote NOAA: "The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for both April and for the period from January-April." The monthly analysis comes from NOAAâs National Climatic Data Center, which is based on records going back to 1880. The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature was the warmest on record for January-April at 56.0°F , which is 1.24°F above the average temperature for the 20th century. Pollution-eating plant walls Vertical farming and gardens seem to be the trendy new innovation all the green geeks are experimenting with. But this one caught our eye. The company is called Ceracasa, and they make ceramic tiles. But their newest tile system is a double-whammy. They're calling it Lifewall, and in a similar fashion to a ChiaPet, the tile grows drip-irrigated plant life on it. A secondary tile called Bionictile absorbs pollution from the air and converts it into fertilizer for the Lifewall plants. The one meter square tiles are meant to be arranged in various patterns by designers to create a flora wall. The nitrogen oxide that pollutes the air is transformed into nitrate fertilizer, and the air quality around the garden walls significantly improves. Just another way environmentally conscious people are working to clean up the planet. Cow manure could help more than just farmers Hewlett Packard recently came up with an ingenius idea that could benefit computer companies as well as farmers. The arrangement would also use renewable energy of the stinky kind. A lot of farmers have heard about biogas plants where manure is processed and the methane produced is used in place of natural gas or diesel, but the cost of equipment is often too expensive for them to finance by themselves. But tech companies like HP, Google, Microsoft, etc. need the power and the land that these farmers could potentially give. Farmers need to get rid of their cow poo, | 5/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSummer Rayne Oakes :: Zoe & Zac Shoes | Today we are speaking with Summer Rayne Oakes, spokesperson for the Zoe & Zac line of eco-friendly shoes.  Zoe and Zac creates green fashion that is stylish and affordable. They firmly believes, as we do, that sustainable living does mean wearing a paper bag and living in a cave. Ms. Oakes has an impressive bio with a background in environmental science. In this interview, she tells us about the Zoe & Zac line of eco-friendly shoe, and we discuss how manufacturing in an environmentally friendly way comes down to the people behind a company. Talking about shoes and fashion may sound shallow on the surface, but providing low cost, eco-friendly products in a large chain is a big step towards making those choices available to everyone, and that's a big step in the right direction. For more information on the Summer Rayne Oakes and the Zoe&Zac line, you can visit their website at Zoe&Zac.com. | 5/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanReusable News :: May 20, 2010 | The Headlines: Climate bill finally announced Two startling polls Obama's Gulf spill bill Volkswagen's so-crazy-it-just-might-work idea No poo this week, but there's pee! The Details: Climate bill finally announced U.S. Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman finally unveiled their climate bill, the American Power Act, last week. The legislation aims to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and more than 80 percent by 2050. Also included in the bill are provisions against offshore drilling. The bill would allow coastal states to opt out of drilling up to 75 miles from their shores, as well as allowing a state near a state where drilling is to take place to stop the drilling if they can prove plausible negative impacts on their state. Those states that allow offshore drilling will receive a share of federal revenue, which is different from the current policy. For the first time it would set a price on carbon emissions for large-scale polluters. Estimated rates range from $12 per ton of carbon emissions to $25 per ton. The bill would offer incentives of up to $2 billion per year for companies that develop so-called clean coal technologies, and it increases funding for nuclear power which was part of Obama's initial plan. Two startling polls Even with the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf, we found two public opinion polls that defy logic. An Associated Press-GfK Poll asked participants about President Obama's handling of the spill as well as their feelings toward offshore drilling. The poll found that 42 percent approve of Obama's actions, 33 percent disapprove and 21 percent say they have neutral feelings about his response. That's not the interesting part. The interesting part is that more people favor increased coastal drilling for oil and gas than oppose it. At least 50 percent of people still favor offshore drilling! A 60 Minute story on what caused the explosion A second poll tabulated by Public Policy Polling shows something even crazier: an astonishing nine percent of the public believe that environmentalists caused the explosion that resulted in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill! And 22 percent of people surveyed said they were not sure if environmentalists intentionally caused the spill. That's about 1 in 5 people in the U.S. Obama's Gulf spill bill Speaking of the spill, last week the White House sent President Obama's bill proposal to deal with the spill to Congress. The bill would provide funding for further safety inspections at oil rigs, grant unemployment assistance for those hurt or displaced by the spill, give money for environmental studies related to the oil damage in the Gulf and provide nutritional assistance to those in the area who might be affected by the spill. The proposed bill would also call for a raise in "the statutory expenditure limitation for the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund from $1 billion to $1.5 billion." In addition, the bill would raise the cap on natural resource damage assessments and claims from $500 million to $750 million, providing more money for cleanup of oil spills. But the part that many on Capitol Hill are concerned about is the money that the responsible oil companies would have to pay. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has called for the current cap of $75 million to be upped to $10 billion. The White House's bill has no exact figure for the companies to pay. Carol Browner, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, offered this explanation: "We think it is important to work with Congress on determining what that set number will be. As you know, there have been bills already introduced and we will be working with them to determine what the right number is." We'll see. Volkswagen's so-crazy-it-just-might-work idea The trunk of most cars is the place where you typically find the spare tire. | 5/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanJulia Andros & Susan Sepaniak :: Eco Green Crafts – May 6th | Today we speak with Julia Andrus and Susan Sepaniak, founders of a company called Eco Green Crafts. Eco Green Crafts is a provider of environmental and consumer-friendly craft products, dedicated to protecting artists, crafters, and kids from the potentially harmful effects of dangerous chemicals and materials often found in everyday arts supplies. In this interview, Julia shares her story as a cancer survivor and the motivation behind creating Eco Green Crafts. She and Susan tell us more about the tremendous opportunities that exist for creating healthier, less toxic products in the world of art supplies. They also explain the international ASTM rating system, and the new code that designates products that are more eco-friendly. To find out more about the these guidelines and the facts behind some of the chemicals used in the industry, they point us to an article posted on their website that can be found via this link, "how-safe-are-traditional-artists-materials". To view their products or order on line, visit the Eco Green Crafts website. Julia and Susan were also kind enough to offer our listeners a 15% off coupon if you'd like to try any of their products. Look Under the Green Scene Section of their site and follow the link for the NewlyGreens visitors from their website.   Thanks Eco Green Crafts! | 5/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 30 Episodes |
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