Go Green Radio

Healthy learning environments and high-quality school buildings are the keys to environmental equity and academic achievement. By leveraging sustainability strategies, these outcomes are possible. By improving indoor air and water quality, reducing solid waste, minimizing non-renewable energy usage, and providing nutritious food, urban schools can ensure environmental equity and close the opportunity gap for students. Today we will talk with the author of a new book, “Environmental Equity: Closing the Opportunity Gap in Urban Schools,” which demonstrates how school districts in even the most financially strapped regions can improve learning environments, lives, and achievement of every member of a school community.

Today we’ll be joined by Dr. Mustafa Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). We will discuss how NWF is operationalizing principles of equity and environmental justice within their organization and across their conservation and education programs. Dr. Ali worked for 24 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He began working on social justice issues at the age of 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). Don’t miss this important conversation with one of the nation’s premier leaders in Environmental Justice!

Small farmer organizations in the developing world are historically under-resourced, with limited access to the capital needed to grow their organizations and invest in climate solutions. As a crowdfunding platform, Grow Ahead brings together contributions from individuals, businesses, organizations, and grants to fund community-led projects that address the local challenges of climate change. Through raising funds for farmer-led agroforestry projects, Grow Ahead endeavors to invest in climate solutions in a way that is accountable to frontline communities. Tune in today as we talk with Ryan Zinn, Director of Grow Ahead.

Parkinson’s disease, is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world. Over the past 25 years, the number of people with the condition has jumped from 3 million to over 6 million. In addition to impacting millions of lives and livelihoods, Parkinson’s is poised to crush our healthcare system and our economy. This, while harmful pesticides and other toxic chemicals that contribute to Parkinson’s surround us, disproportionally affecting our farmers, our veterans, and even those in Silicon Valley. The most effective treatment is now a half century old, yet research funding stagnates. In short, we’re failing to stop a runaway train. Tune in as we talk with Dr. Ray Dorsey, co-author of the book, Ending Parkinson’s: A Prescription for Action, about what needs to be done to stem the tide of rapidly increasing Parkinson’s cases.

Today we’ll talk with Genna Mastellone, the Pipeline Resistance Organizer at MN350, about a pipeline called Line 3. Tune in as we learn about the impact this project has on drinking water, Indigenous lands, wildlife and the entire Mississippi River. Despite years of protest and legal battles, oil is flowing in Line 3, but the fight continues. Join us for an update from the frontlines.

Rob Bilott’s 20-year legal battle with DuPont exposed a dangerous chemical that no one knew existed outside the companies that manufactured it. PFAS is a family of man-made chemicals that are known to cause serious human health impacts, and in recent months much has happened in public policy and litigation to address PFAS. Tune in as we talk with Rob Bilott about his book, Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont, and the latest news on “forever chemicals.”

Every drug and vaccine certified by the FDA – including COVID vaccines - must be tested using the horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate. This has spawned a multimillion-dollar industry involving the license to bleed horseshoe crabs and the rights to their breeding grounds. In his book, Crab Wars, William Sargent presents an insider’s guide to the discovery of the lysate test, the exploitation of the horseshoe crab at the hands of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates, local fishing interests, and the legal and governmental wrangling over the creatures’ ultimate fate.

More and more consumers are looking for Fair Trade labeling on products they buy, and earlier this year the first such label for dairy products hit the shelves. However, 30+ labor, human rights, and food justice organizations signed onto a statement opposing the pilot of the standard. Today we will talk to Anna Canning from the Fair World Project about why so many groups oppose the “Fair Trade Dairy” standard. Before you make your next grocery shopping list, be sure to consider whether the dairy products you purchase actually meet your standards for Fair Trade.

Grocery store workers are the unofficial thin green line between people and food — thrust into a situation that no one saw coming. In 2020, the burden of facing the masses fell on a select few, and Adam Kaat was one of them. Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic is a powerful, first-hand account drawn from Adam’s “essential” role and his interactions with the best — and the worst — of humanity. Tune in today as we talk with author Adam Kaat about what he witnessed as the thin veil of civility began to unravel when desperation for food supplies came to every neighborhood.

The Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice (Sept 25-30th) is a virtual, international forum hosted by the Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network (WECAN) International. As climate disasters worsen everyday, climate movements worldwide are increasing the pressure on governments and financial institutions to take immediate climate action. The gender-inclusive sessions are designed for people to come together to discuss what inclusive and equitable climate action looks like and to build momentum for the crucial United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26 in November in Glasgow. This assembly takes place in parallel to the UN General Assembly, which is the last time governments will meet in the lead up to COP26. Tune in today as we talk to the Assembly Convener, Osprey Orielle Lake!

Look at the U.S. Drought Monitor map, and you will see that the Western United States is in extreme drought conditions. During the California drought of 2012-2016, the state’s Climate Change Assessment report indicated that 2014 was the driest year in 1,200 years. Five years later, we are experiencing an even deeper drought that is impacting everything from food production to hydroelectric power. In 2016, we spoke with Jeff Kightlinger, the GM and CEO of the largest water utility in the country, Metropolitan Water District (MWD), and today he will join us to give us an update on the current state of our water supply and the solutions being considered- both in CA and throughout the West.

EcoMetrics is a methodology that captures the Full Value of a project’s environmental, social and economic impacts in a format that is fully documented, verified, and ready for audit. Originally developed by Restore the Earth Foundation to document the value created by their restoration initiatives, EcoMetrics, a cloud based technology and methodology, is now a stand-alone offering. It captures the Full Value of a project’s environmental, social and economic impacts, all fully documented, 3rd party verified, and ready for audit. EcoMetrics applied to a variety of project and activity types, and is a reporting framework that companies of all kinds can use. Tune in today as we speak with the President of EcoMetrics LLC, Edwin Piñero, about how today’s visionary corporations and communities understand that there’s a strong business case to be made that investments in nature based solutions as part of sustainability initiatives.

Nowadays, people are into the holistic approach of personal skincare. People want everything that is clean, natural, and sustainable. From vegan body lotion to organic shampoo, GlossWire is making its debut in the age of conscious beauty and consumers can now easily find brands from around the world that adhere to humane and eco-conscious standards. Tune in as we talk with beauty expert and founder, Kimberly Carney, to discuss how the beauty industry is changing and what ingredients you should look for in conscious beauty products.

Today we will be speaking with environmental attorney, Dave McCay, about some of the legal questions that are surfacing because of PFAS contamination in water supplies across the U.S. Some of the most pressing questions are: who will pay to remove PFAS from the public water supply - taxpayers?; if the water supply is contaminated and a town supplies bottled water to residents, who pays for that?; and can a resident sue their local government if their illness is connected to PFAS in the drinking water? Tune in and find out what your rights are if PFAS is found in your local water supply.

The LA chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council has an innovative program that helps early-stage companies with the technology to support a net positive future. Companies accepted into the Net Zero Accelerator work with industry experts to learn how to find their ideal customers and close deals. Some of the priority areas are building decarbonization, occupant wellness and sustainable infrastructure. Today we’ll talk with the Director of Net Zero Accelerator, Colin Mangham, and representatives from companies who have participated in the program.

He’s been called “the Elon Musk of Boats,” and today we’ll talk with Alex Mongeon about his quest to electrify the world’s waterways. His company, Vision Marine Technologies, Inc., is leading the way in reducing the carbon footprint of the boating world. Tune in as we talk with Alex about his technology, his journey, and his vision for the future of the next generation!

In April, Wendy’s released its 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report detailing the progress made across its three key focus areas of Food, People and Footprint. Within the report, Wendy's® shared the outcomes of its recent materiality assessment of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) topics, along with several new goals relevant to Wendy's Good Done Right platform and strategy. Today we’ll speak with Liliana M. Esposito, Wendy’s Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, about the company’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its strategy to meet the highest standards of sustainable, safe and healthy food.

Though we live on a planet comprised primarily of water, the amount of freshwater available for human consumption and industrial purposes continues to dwindle due to pollution and freshwater runoff into the ocean. Water is embedded in every product we buy and the energy we use to power our lives. Water agencies in many parts of the United States struggle to find an adequate supply of clean water to meet the needs of the people and businesses they serve. Recycling water is becoming a necessity, and today we will talk with Patrick Sheilds, General Manager of the West Basin Water District in Southern CA, and Stephen Katz, Market Development Manager at SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, about the many varieties and applications of recycled water they are deploying to meet the needs of Los Angeles and neighboring communities like Malibu and Beverly Hills.

Join us as we speak with Michelle Sim, the Director of Sustainability at the Southern California Gas Company, about some of the projects that SoCalGas is undertaking to address climate change, resource conservation, and reducing the company’s environmental footprint. As the largest gas distribution utility in the United States, SoCalGas is in a unique position to innovate 21st century solutions as we transition to the fuels of the future!

On April 22, 2021 (Earth Day), Camden Mayor Frank Moran, the City of Camden, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, and the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts will unveil A New View—Camden, an innovative, six-month-long exhibition featuring six, one-of-a-kind and family-friendly public art projects. Funded by a $1 million Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge grant, these large-scale, outdoor art installations designed by nationally recognized artists will attract visitors of all ages to Camden and call attention to illegal dumping and its impact on the community and environment. The creations were specifically designed to raise awareness about unlawful dumping of bulk waste in Camden, which costs taxpayers over $4 million annually. Tune in as we speak with one of the project leaders and two of the artists!