Green Sense Radio

World Water Day - Green Sense Minute

Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita talks about water conservation, water responsibility, and the little changes we can make in our daily life to save water. 

How can drinking beer help clean Chicago’s water?

Josh Deth, founder of Revolution Brewing, talks about the basics of beer brewing and how it can be sustainable. In addition to using solar energy, recycled packaging, and rooftop beehives, Josh discusses what they do with the byproducts of the brewing process. He says spent grain is the number one byproduct, and the protein-rich hops can be used to feed cattle. Josh also explains how his brewery's byproducts help clean the city's wastewater and how the spent yeast and hops become part of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's treatment program. 

 

Sustainable beer brewing - Green Sense Minute

Josh Deth, founder of Revolution Brewing in Chicago, talks about the basics of beer brewing and how byproducts are used for treating wastewater and feeding cattle.

Global Seed Bank - Green Sense Minute

Lise Lykke Steffensen, CEO of NordGen, talks about the Svalbard Seed Bank in Norway, where more than one million seeds are stored in an arctic mountain to preserve the world's crop diversity.

Lise Lykke Steffensen runs the most important bank in the world

Known as the Doomsday Vault, the Svalbard Seed Bank is located hundreds of miles beyond the Arctic Circle in Norway. You need high security clearance to enter this facility built in a mountain that contains duplicates of more than one million seed samples from almost every country in the world. Lise Lykke Steffensen, CEO of NordGen, shares the facts and clears up misinformation about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It is owned by Norway and operated in a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Crop Trust and NordGen (a regional genebank of the five Nordic countries - Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway).

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.