Green Sense Radio

Farm labor/Not Coralated art installation

As we work on feeding the world while using less energy and fewer resources, Hort Americas brings technically advanced and most cost effective products to the greenhouse growers across north America. It also has its finger on the pulse of the indoor growing news. General Manager Chris Higgins joins us again on Green Sense.  

 

Visual art can often bring attention to causes and issues not only in what they display, but how they’re constructed. Currently at the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, students are combatting plastic waste by creating sculpture inspired by coral reefs. We’re joined by Jones College senior Alex Rovner who co-created the piece called ‘Not Coralated.’ 

Asphalt recycling/Every Bottle Back initiative

Asphalt, according to the USEPA, is#1 on the list of recycled materials in the US. At the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, they’re doing all kinds of research into how to improve reusing asphalt even more. We’re joined by Edith Arambula Mercado, Recyclable Materials Program Manager. 

 Coke and Pepsi and other beverage companies are working together to reduce their plastic footprint with the Every Bottle Back Initiative. We’re joined by Sarah Dearman, VP of New Ventures with the Recycling Partnership.

Great Lakes water levels/Stroodles biodegradable pasta straws

The Great Lakes, which supplies 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water, are currently at dangerously high levels. Scientists are starting to understand how climate change is connected and we’re joined by University of Michigan researcher Andrew Gronewald.  

When it comes to reducing plastic waste, a lot of places have been getting rid of plastic straws and switching to paper. But that requires resources too. But what about a waste-free option?  Stroodles are pasta straws that could be a novel, viable - and edible - alternative. We're joined by Maxim Gelmann, Stroodle Founder. 

Carlsberg's new sustainable beer bottle/100% renewable energy goal in Virginia

Carlsberg, a Denmark-based brewing company recently announced a new sustainable beer bottle made of paper, which has been in development for the last four years. We’re joined by Simon Hoffmeyer Boas of Carlsberg to explain what went into this world’s first.   

Virginia, a state with a long history with the coal mining industry recently made a commitment to meet all of its electricity needs by the year 2050 with an interim target of 30 percent by 2030. With a look at how the state might get there - and how other states could follow suit - we’re joined by Rob Sargent of Environment America. 

U.S. public transportation report/Green automotive news

Americans take 10 billion trips on public transportation each year, so a lot of us are using it. For every dollar invested in public transportation, it generates four dollars in economic returns, according to the American Public Transporatation Association. Wallet Hub recently released results of its new survey on 2019’s cities with the best & worst public transportation. We’re joined by Wallet Hub analyst Jill Gonzalez.  

 
Consumer Guide Automotive publisher Tom Appel joins us for the latest green automotive news on GM’s possible contract to build electric mail delivery trucks, the green benefits of the new Corvette and charging stations in U.S. cities. 

Green Builder Media/U.S. soil quality update

How we approach the built environment, from the materials used, to the energy saved in building it, to the energy saved when it’s a functioning building, to how we reuse and recycle parts of it as it ages is crucial to sustainability in today’s world.  Sara Gutterman is CEO of Green Builder Media and joins us on Green sense. 

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 also known as the 2018 Farm Bill has been around long enough that we can start to see how it’s impacted the environment. One area is in the health of our soil and the Soil Health Institute just came out with a report on how the farm bill affects the soil. We’re joined by president and CEO Dr. Wayne Honeycutt. 

America Recycles Day/Renewable energy benefits

Once we get into September it seems like the autumn files by and we’re into the year-end holidays. But one ‘holiday’ that we don’t want to let fly past us is in November - it’s America Recycles Day on November 15th and we’re joined by Randy Hartmann of Keep America Beautiful.   

 Changing over to renewables is happening bit by bit - but often there’s resistance because of cost. But a major benefit could be to human health. It could be to the degree that renewables would essentially pay for themselves, according to a new study by a team of MIT researchers. We’re joined by one of them, Dr. Noelle Eckely Selin.  

EPA clean water rollbacks/Understanding 'organic' and 'locally grown' labels

Chris Higgins of HortAmerica joins us to help explain what the labels ‘organic’ and ‘locally grown’ on food products actually mean – and they are still useful. 

Some rules under the Clean Water Act were recently repealed by the US EPA. While the move is praised by some in the agriculture industry, environmentalists are saying now is not the time to put clean water at risk. To help us understand what the roll-back means, we’re joined by Bart Johnsen-Harris, clean water advocate with Environment America.  

Green Builder Media/Biosphere 2 in the 21st century

How we approach the built environment: From the materials used, to the energy saved in building it, to the energy saved when it’s a functioning building, to how we reuse and recycle parts of it as it ages is crucial to sustainability in today’s world.  Sara Gutterman is CEO of Green Builder Media and joins us on Green sense.  

 
Biosphere 2, originally built as a self-contained ecosystem to research maintaining human life in outer space grabbed a lot of headlines when it first came into existence in the early 90s. Since that time, it’s been taken over by the University of Arizona as a place for research and education and we’re joined by John Adams, deputy director of Biosphere 2.  

Lake Michigan hazardous waste spill/Soil judging champion Sarah Boxum

Parts of America’s newest National Park, Indiana Dunes, recently had to be shut down because of a chemical spill into the nearby Little Calumet River which flowed into Lake Michigan killing hundreds of fish. As if that’s not problem enough, nearby communities were not informed about the dangers for a matter of days. Howard Learner is an experienced public interest litigation attorney and President and Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center and joins us.  

As we have learned, soil is much more than just ‘dirt’ and its health is crucial to our own survival on the planet. Someone who sees soil perhaps a bit differently than most is Autum Boxum, the soil judging national champion and recent college graduate.