Green Sense Radio

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Some rules under the Clean Water Act were recently repealed by the US EPA.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.  

Major League Baseball & sustainability/Toyota Prius sales decline

Major League Baseball has been making major strides when it comes to sustainability. All 30 teams have their own innovative ways to reduce waste, conserve resources and to encourage fans to do the same.  We’re joined by Paul Hanlon, Senior Director for Ballpark Operations and Sustainability for Major League Baseball. 

 Tom Appel, publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive has Green Automotive news on the trends known as ‘peak car,’ ‘peak oil’ and the possible decline in popularity of the Toyota Prius. 

Wind turbine wake steering/Soybeans and water conservation

We know that wind turbines are a clean source of power. But we’re learning more ways they can generate power more effectively.  Wake-steering, which is pointing turbines slightly away from oncoming wind  can improve both the quantity and quality of power from wind farms, and probably lower operating costs. This is according to a new Stanford study. We’re joined by mechanical engineering PhD student Michael Howland. 

Soybeans are the 2nd-most field planted crop in the U.S. and a crop that popular among farmers has a big impact on how we best use resources. Amy Roady with Illinois Soybean Growers shares some of the issues and solutions around water conservation and soybean growing.  

Current water innovations/Archi's Acres

Water, a resource much of us simply take for granted, is something that if you lose access too has catastrophic effects on day-to-day life. The non-profit partnership Current, based in Chicago, delivers advanced research and market-driven innovations to enhance water resources, build resilience and drive sustainable economic growth by bridging gaps in water technology commercialization. We’re joined by Executive Director Steve Frenkel.

The idea of soldiers turning their swords into plowshares goes back to the Book of Isaiah in the Bible but it’s being lived out in new ways today as the numbers of U.S. veterans transitions back into society back home goes up along with agriculture technology. Karen Archipley co-founded Archi’s Acres which trains military vets to become organic farmers.

Indoor vertical farming meets greenhouse tech/Patachou Foundation

While indoor vertical farming with 100 percent artificial light has been getting a lot of attention, greenhouses, something that’s been around much longer, could be coming back thanks to new ways of integrating the two approaches. Juan Miguel Morales Sandoval is with the greenhouse manufacturer Rufepa and joins us from Spain. 

The Patachou Company operates several vibrant eating establishments in Indianapolis andFrom this successful organization, the Patachou Foundation was established which aims to endchildhood hunger in Indianapolis. We’re joined by founder Martha Hoover.