Green Sense Radio

Quilen Blackwell: Solar Power in the Hood

How can we help the inner city's economy? Quilen Blackwell, president and founder of the Chicago Eco House, discusses how his non-profit uses sustainability to alleviate poverty. Quilen talks about his grandfather, who was a sharecropper, and his parents, who moved to Wisconsin from the South. After doing Peace Corps in Thailand, Quilen volunteered in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, where he got the idea for Chicago Eco House. He and his wife, Hannah, started Southside Blooms, a solar-powered flower farm on a vacant lot on Chicago's Southwest Side, and have expanded to Detroit, Milwaukee, and Gary, Indiana. Blooms is hyper-local; they grow and deliver their own flowers in communities without using any herbicides, pesticides, or chemical or synthetic fertilizers. Quilen says he is blending community organizing and a sustainable environmental business while exposing young people to opportunities in areas of crime and trauma.

The Green Sense Show is sponsored by CEA Technology, providing a sustainable modular indoor growing system. To sponsor this program, go to www.greensenseshow.com

Ben Kravitz: Climate Engineering: A New Approach to an Old Problem

This week on Green Sense Show, we spoke with Ben Kravitz, Assistant Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University. Ben discusses the history of climate change and explores how political influences can sometimes muddy the waters of scientific fact. Kravitz also shares with us the concept of climate engineering, which proposes new ways to address the ongoing challenge of climate change. As we learn, not all solutions require costly and time-consuming experiments to be validated. Discover how climate engineering could pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future.

Marianne Lalonde: From Skepticism to Action: The Rise of Fact-Based Critical Thinkers in Politics

In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marianne Lalonde - a true powerhouse who has been making waves in promoting critical science-based thinking in various fields, including business, arts, and politics. As a scientist with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University, a sustainability professional, community activist, and candidate for alderperson for Chicago's 46th ward, Marianne has a unique perspective on the challenges scientists face when
entering politics. She shares her insights on the specific groups that exist to support scientists in their political endeavors and how their expertise in critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making can be valuable in the political arena.

Mike Bryson: How Arts and Humanities are Tackling the Climate Crisis

Mike Bryson, a Professor of Sustainability Studies at Roosevelt University, joins us again to share his thoughts on what role the arts and humanities play in changing hearts and minds about climate change, water conservation, and sustainability. We discuss the current economic conditions and the job market for students working in the field of sustainability.

Tom Appel: Taking a road trip and total cost of ownership when buying an EV

This week, we spoke with Tom Appel, publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive, to
discuss some things to consider when taking a long trip (4 hours or more) in an EV. In addition, we look at other costs to consider when buying an EV, such as installing a home charger, insurance, licensing, buy or lease. Tom also shares his thoughts on improvements needed to make the EV industry more competitive.

Ron Cowgill:Tips for Weatherizing Your Home for Winter

This week we spoke with Ron Cowgill, President of D/R Services and host of the Mighty House Radio Show. Ron shares his thoughts on what makes housing affordable, tips for homeowners on how to help save money and energy by weatherizing their homes, and tips for installing a home EV charger. 

Kelli Pelc: The Refilleri takes the guesswork out of eco-friendly shopping.

This week we spoke with Kelli Pelc, founder of The Refilleri, a zero-waste store in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. They offer refillable or zero-waste solutions for a variety of products to make living an eco-friendly urban lifestyle more accessible. Kelli shares her motivation for beginning her business and her motto of reduce, reuse, and refill to help us achieve a plastic-free world.

Joe Webber: Chicago’s Finest Fungi

This week we spoke with Joe Webber, Founder of Four Star Mushrooms, an indoor grow operation that sells its exotic mushrooms to the best restaurants in Chicago. Joes shares how Four-Star Mushrooms is on a mission to create more sustainable and equitable food and ecological systems. Mushrooms are both a delicious, nutritious source of food, and the substrate can be recycled to provide compost material.

Sanza Kazadi: Making Sustainability Cool!

This week we spoke with Sanza Kazadi, Founder of Kazadi Enterprises. Kazadi Enterprises is developing refrigeration systems that use the cleanest energy on earth - environmental heat.  Their systems reduce the energy cost of refrigeration by up to 90% and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants. Sanza discusses how their solutions are resilient against brown- and black-outs, working even when electricity isn't available. 

Geoffrey Coates & Max Delferro

A Future Solution for Today’s Plastic Waste Problem

Max Delferro, group leader of the Catalysis Science Program at Argonne
National Laboratory and coresearcher Geoffrey Coates, Professor at Cornell
University discuss their bench-scale research to a revolutionary approach to
recycling by plastic waste reengineering the molecular structure. Max explains
what it will take to scale their research and make it commercially available.