eco-influencer Archives

Tomatomania II with KC and NC!

June 13, 2020November 2, 2020 Mike Nowak Artisan Grain Collaborative, Chicago Region Food Fund, COVID-19 food chain, Craig LeHoullier, Dwarf Tomato Project, eco-influencer, Epic Tomatoes, Karen Lehman from Fresh Taste Chicago, KC Tomato, Peggy Malecki, The Mike Nowak Show, tomato breeding

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:32 — 42.8MB)

KC Tomato and Craig LeHoullier return to the show to participate in Tomatomania II. If they can’t answer your tomato questions, nobody can. Karen Lehman from the Chicago Region Food System Fund says they are looking to provide grants to organizations that are responding to the immediate pandemic impacts on communities in Chicago and on food producers, processors, and distributors.

Environmental justice - Crawford Coal Plant

Podcast

Environmental Justice Is Social Justice

June 6, 2020November 2, 2020 Mike Nowak Black Lives Matter, Community Supported Agriculture, Crawford Coal Plant, eco-influencer, environmental justice and social justice, George Floyd, Keep Eating Healthy campaign, Kim Wasserman, local food during pandemic, national protests against racism in America, Peggy Malecki, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:31 — 41.1MB)

Part of the national conversation about the death of George Floyd involves how social justice is tied to environmental justice. We welcome Veronica Kyle from Faith in Place, scholar and activist Mila K. Marshall and Michael Howard from Eden Place Nature Center to talk about how we move forward. Then, four businesses from our Keep Eating Healthy campaign stop by to talk about what the COVID Spring season has been like.

Podcast

Upcycling Milk Waste into Milk Tees

May 30, 2020November 2, 2020 Mike Nowak COVID-19 and tree care, eco-influencer, fast fashion accountability, fungal diseases on trees, Mi Terro, Peggy Malecki, record Midwest rains, Robert Luo, Skeet from Bartlett Tree Experts, spring cold snaps and trees, The Mike Nowak Show, upcycling milk waste

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:33:37 — 42.4MB)

Skeet from Bartlett Tree Experts, one of our favorite arborists (we know many), returns to the show to talk about the effect of heavy spring rains and sudden cold snaps on our trees. Robert Luo of Mi Terro is creating sustainable clothing from upcycled milk and he tells us how how they’re doing it.

Podcast

Botanical Sexism Is Making You Sick

May 23, 2020November 2, 2020 Mike Nowak Allergy-Free Gardening, botanical sexism, CO2 and climate change, eco-influencer, Great Lakes beach erosion, male v. female plants, OPALS system, Peggy Malecki, record Midwest rains, The Mike Nowak Show, Tom Ogren

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31:38 — 41.6MB)

Tom Ogren, who has been studying how to create allergy-free gardens for more than 25 years, returns to the show to talk about the explosion of pollen and allergies as the world heats up. Bob Bertog of Bertog Landscape Co. and Roger Tietz. from Gillen Marine Construction are working together to prevent beach erosion in the face of unprecedented high Great Lakes water levels.

Podcast

Can Farmers Markets Survive COVID-19?

May 16, 2020November 2, 2020 Mike Nowak Advocates for urban Agriculture, Blazing Star Inc., COVID-19 Famer Support Grant, Dennis Warnecke, eco-influencer, Illinois Farmers Market Association, It’s the biology stupid, Janie Maxwell, Peggy Malecki, social distancing, soil biology, Tainio Biologicals Inc., The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:33:10 — 42.4MB)

Can farmers markets open safely during the COVID-19 and still survive? Janie Maxwell, executive director of the Illinois Farmers Market Association hopes to answer that question. Dennis Warnecke from Tainio Biologicals explains why soil health is all about biology. Sean Ruane of Chicago’s Advocates for Urban Agriculture announces the second round of COVID-19 Farmer Support Grants.

Podcast

Breaking Bread with Neighbor Loaves

May 9, 2020May 22, 2020 Mike Nowak Artisan Grain Collaborative, breaking bread, eco-influencer, flour and yeast shortage, Global Big Day, Hewn Bakery, International Migratory Bird Day, Neighbor Loaves, Pam Karlson, Peggy Malecki, Red Hill Birding, Sheryl DeVore, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35:53 — 43.7MB)

Alyssa Hartmann, Executive Director of the Artisan Grain Collaborative, and Ellen King, co-owner and head baker of Hewn in Evanston, talk about the Neighbor Loaves program to bring bread to people who need it. Backyard birders became citizen scientists on the annual Global Big Day on Saturday, May 9. Josh Engel of Red Hill Birding, writer Sheryl DeVore and birder Pam Karlson join us to celebrate the occasion.

Podcast

Volunteer Your Garden In a Food Crisis

May 2, 2020May 6, 2020 Mike Nowak AmpleHarvest.org, Bonnie Plants, COVID-19, eco-influencer, food insecurity, Gary Oppenheimer, healthy and sustainable homes, local food pantries, Meteorologist Rick DiMaio, Nate Kipnis, Peggy Malecki, The Mike Nowak Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:02 — 42.5MB)

Gary Oppenheimer from AmpleHarvest.org returns to the show to talk about his organization has teamed with Bonnie Plants to provide fresh produce to food pantries across the country. Architect Nate Kipnis talks about what a healthy home means in the time of COVID-19 and into the future.

Podcast

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.

Podcast

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.

Podcast

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?