Podcast Archives

Clean Water Matters More Than Ever

April 25, 2020April 28, 2020 Mike Nowak clean water, Community Supported Fisheries, Debra Shore, don’t flush sanitary wipes, Dr. Nicolaas Mink, eco-influencer, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, overfishing our oceans, Peggy Malecki, Sitka Salmon Shares, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:33:09 — 42.1MB)

Debra Shore, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, returns to talk about the importance of keeping our water systems functional during a time of pandemic. Nic Mink, founder and CEO of Sitka Salmon Shares, reports on the disruption to fisheries during the COVID-19 crisis.

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Victory Gardens for Pollinators and People

April 18, 2020April 22, 2020 Mike Nowak Advocates for urban Agriculture, Blumen Gardens, clean energy, eco-influencer, EcoBeneficial, essential businesses, Kim Eierman, Marta Keane, Peggy Malecki, recycling PPE, The Mike Nowak Show, The Pollinator Victory Garden, Tom Szaky of Terracycle, Ty Benefiel of Hero Power

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35:47 — 43.8MB)

With COVID-19 as a backdrop, Kim Eierman discusses her new book, The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. Ty Benefiel from Hero Power talks about how clean energy programs might be affected by the pandemic. Joel Barczak of Blumen Gardens in Sycamore, Illinois explains why he thinks garden centers need a little more consideration during the the stay at home order. Sean Ruane, new executive director of Advocates for Urban Agriculture, has information about the COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant. Tom Szaky from Terracycle and Marta Keane, Will County Recycling Program Specialist, talk about the difficulties of continuing recycling and reuse programs during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Easter Sunday in the Church of Green

April 11, 2020April 15, 2020 Mike Nowak clean air and water, COVID-19, Dr. Allan Armitage, eco-influencer, gardening walkabout, gutting environmental protections, Natural Resources Defense Council, Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots, Peggy Malecki, rollback of Obama clean car standards, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31:58 — 41.7MB)

What’s Easter Sunday in the Church of Green? It’s a visit with garden expert and author Dr. Allan Armitage to talk about how COVID-19 has changed the way we grow things. Then it’s a visit from J.C. Kibbey and Mark Nabong from the NRDC, who report on the ways that our own government has forsaken the environmental health of its own lands, water and air for…what?

Keep Eating Healthy - Peggy Malecki and Jody Osmund

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Keep Eating Healthy and Grow Some Food Yourself

April 4, 2020April 15, 2020 Mike Nowak Bartlett Tree Experts, Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm CSA, Chicago Botanic Garden, eco-influencer, Green City Market Chicago, Keep Eating Healthy campaign, landscaping as essential business during coronavirus outbreak, Lisa Hilgenberg, Peggy Malecki, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:33:31 — 42.1MB)

Lisa Hilgenberg from the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden explains how 50,000 plants get maintained during a coronavirus outbreak. Scott Jamieson from Bartlett Tree Experts reports on the kind of essential tree care work that can still be done during a stay-at-home order. Jody Osmund from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm CSA, Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell from Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, and Melissa Flynn of the Chicago Green City Market are all working to keep local farmers in business during this crisis.

Spring is still scheduled - purple crocuses

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Spring Is Still Scheduled–Melinda Myers Says So

March 29, 2020April 17, 2020 Mike Nowak 5000 Acre Challenge, eco-influencer, Great Courses “How To Grow Anything, growing plants from seed, keystone species, Melinda Myers, Peggy Malecki, preparing your garden for spring, protecting oak trees, The 5, The Mike Nowak Show, ” Happy Leaf LED grow lights

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31:47 — 41.5MB)

Pandemic or no pandemic, spring is here. Gardening expert Melinda Myers returns to the show to talk about how to get your garden ready. B.J. Miller from Happy Leaf explains why modern LED technology beats the pants off of growing your seedlings under florescent tubes. Lisa Haderlein talks about how oaks in McHenry County can be protected with the help of The 5,000 Acre Challenge.

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The Virtual Chicago Flower & Garden Show

March 22, 2020March 26, 2020 Mike Nowak basic seed starting, eco-influencer, Farmers Markets, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, keeping small farmers in business, local food and COVID-19, Peggy Malecki, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, perennial edibles, The Mike Nowak Show, The Nature Museum Comes to You, Tony Abruscato, Virtual Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:55 — 42.7MB)

The Virtual Chicago Flower & Garden Show comes to The Mike Nowak Show. With the cancellation of the event at Navy Pier, Mike and Peggy invite Show Director Tony Abruscato and scheduled presenters to share their horticultural knowledge safely on the radio. Liz Moran Stelk and Jen and Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farm talk about the near-term future of local food. Sarah Anderson from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum explains how they’re bringing the museum into people’s homes.

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Connecting in the Age of Coronavirus

March 15, 2020March 26, 2020 Mike Nowak carriage horse ban in Chicago, Chicago Alliance for Animals, Connecting in the Age of Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dr. Teresa Horton, eco-influencer, Jennifer Jewell of Cultivating Place, Jodie Wiederkehr, pandemic, Peggy Malecki, Rebecca McMackin from Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Mike Nowak Show, what is social distancing

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:26:25 — 38.6MB)

Mike and Peggy explore ways to connect with nature during a worldwide pandemic. Benjamin Futa, Jennifer Jewell and Rebecca McMackin from the canceled Spring Symposium at Allen Centennial Garden in Madison, Wisconsin talk about the refuge of your backyard in this crisis. Dr. Teresa Horton of the Nature, Culture, and Human Health Network explains how social distancing can affect communities. On a different note, Jodie Wiederkehr from the Chicago Alliance for Animals explains how carriage horses might be on verge of disappearing from Chicago, and why that’s a good thing.

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The Right to Garden as Law

March 7, 2020March 14, 2020 Mike Nowak Chicago’s First Factory Farmed Animal Welfare Town Hall, Crate Free Illinois, eco-influencer, Food and Water Watch, Illinois Environmental Council, Mercy for Animals, Nicole Virgil, Peggy Malecki, Right to Garden laws, siting hoop house in backyards, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:40 — 42.2MB)

Nicole Virgil has taken her battle to construct a hoop house in her suburban Elmhurst yard to the Illinois General Assembly. She joins us, along with State Representative Sonya Harper, primary sponsor of the “Right to Garden” bill, and Eliot Clay from the Illinois Environmental Council. Jessica Chipkin from Crate Free Illinois previews Chicago’s first Factory Farmed Animal Welfare Town Hall, along with Tyler Lobdell from Food and Water Watch and Erin Kwiatkowski from Mercy for Animals.

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Harnessing The Power of We

February 29, 2020March 4, 2020 Mike Nowak 8 Billion Angels, Bob Dolgan, Chicago Community Gardeners Association, COOKED: Survival by Zipcode, Dan Gibbs The Chicago Backyard Farmer, eco-influencer, Judith Helfand, Monty and Rose, One Earth Film Festival, Peggy Malecki, Terry Spahr, The Mike Nowak Show, The Power of We

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:02 — 44.4MB)

The theme of the 9th Annual One Earth Film Festival is The Power of We. Mike and Peggy welcome three filmmakers from the event, which runs March 6-15. Dan Gibbs, the Chicago Backyard Farmer, returns to talk about preparing for (very) early spring crops.

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Celebrating Water Responsibly

February 22, 2020February 24, 2020 Mike Nowak Columbia College Chicago, eco-influencer, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Lake Michigan high water level, Michele Hoffman Trotter, Microcosm the film, MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis, Peggy Malecki, The Mike Nowak Show, urban flooding, waste water infrastructure, Wave Film Fest Chicago

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:27 — 44.0MB)

Michelle Hoffman Trotter, educator and director of the film Microcosm, promotes next week’s Wave Film Fest, which celebrates our oceans and lakes through film and visual arts. MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis returns to the show to talk about the myriad issues surrounding that little appreciated and even less understood regional agency.