Go Green Radio

You know where babies come from, but do you know how to feed, clothe and provide a job for 7 billion of them? If not, you’re in good company. Some of the sharpest minds in the world are working on these solutions. The United Nations predicts that by Oct. 31, 2011, population will hit the 7 billion mark, and as famines rage, food prices rise, and droughts damage crops around the world, we must pause to consider our options. As a new generation reaches child bearing age, the choices they make in the next few years will be pivotal, to say the least. Today’s guest is Bill Ryerson, founder and President of the Population Media Center, Chairman of Population Institute (Washington DC), fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and recipient of the 2006 Nafis Sadik Prize for Courage, is one of the world’s foremost experts on human population, having been in the field for 40 years.

There are only a handful of environmentalists who are household names, and Captain Jacques Cousteau ranks among the top. His groundbreaking work to bring the mysteries of the ocean to the television screen made millions of people around the world more thoughtful about their impact on the delicate balance of marine life. However, it was the man behind the camera who may ultimately be responsible for the greatest ripple effect of Jacques’ work – his son, Philippe Cousteau JR. In honor of their father’s work, passion and legacy, Alexandra and Philippe Jr. have founded EarthEcho International with a powerful mission to empower youth to take action that restores and protects our water planet. Join us as we talk with Philippe Cousteau, Jr. about continuing his father’s work, and the many ways you can interact with EarthEcho International to share your stories of environmental action with the Cousteau family. Be sure to visit his website: www.earthecho.org.

Jacquelyn Ottman is not just another face in the “green” crowd. She has been a pioneer in green marketing since 1989, and her new book, The New Rules of Green Marketing, has been named a top 40 Sustainability book by the University of Cambridge. Her clients include some of the biggest names in Fortune 500 companies, like: 3M, Bissell, Clairol, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft General Foods, and Nike. During this episode of Go Green Radio, Jacquelyn will discuss how important it is for companies to have an in-depth understanding of how today’s mainstream green consumers differ markedly from yesterday’s fringe activists in attitudes, behaviors, lifestyle and corporate expectations. She will discuss the full range of issues that concern today’s consumers, along with their green purchasing motivations and behavior. Tune in, and learn from the Green Marketing Guru, Jacquelyn Ottman.

Are you snacking “sustainably”? Do you know how much water and electricity it takes to produce your favorite beverages, or if the corn in your favorite bag of chips was grown with the highest standards of sustainable farming? Does your favorite healthy snack travel to your local grocer in an emissions-free vehicle? There is a company working to ensure that their customers can answer all those questions with confidence – PepsiCo. In 2009, PepsiCo made a promise to deliver sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for their consumers, our planet, and our communities. They are working throughout their supply chain to become more efficient with their consumption of water and energy, and to dramatically decrease the amount of solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions they produce. Tune in to Go Green Radio this week to learn more about the Promise of PepsiCo, and check out their website at http://www.pepsico.com/annual10/performance/promise-of-pepsico.html.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has launched a program that will allow consumers to return their unwanted medications to their local pharmacist vs. flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the trash. According to the NCPA website, “a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.” This is the result of improper disposal of these medications, but now there is a solution. Tune in as Dr. Lisa Faast, owner of her own local pharmacy, describes how the program works in her store. Brad Arthur owns two pharmacies, and sits on the Executive Committee of the NCPA – he will discuss the costs and details of the take back program. Finally, Dr. Carolyn Ha, the Association Director of Professional Affairs for NCPA, will discuss the legal aspects of the take back program. You can learn more at www.disposemymeds.org.

BPA seems to be the scapegoat for hundreds of other harmful chemicals found in plastic food and beverage containers. While plastic manufacturers are scrambling to produce materials that can be marketed to consumers as BPA and phthalates-free, a recent study shows that many of these products are still full of chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA), which disrupt the natural function of human hormones. Chemicals with EA have been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, and a variety of behavioral abnormalities.

The new book, Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It, by Harvard health and disease expert Paul R. Epstein, MD, and award-winning science journalist Dan Ferber, reveals the complex links between global warming and cholera, malaria, Lyme disease, asthma, and other threats such as crumbling ecosystems and lost services. They also examine abrupt climate change, which could cause catastrophic droughts, crop failures, large-scale migration, and war, according to a Pentagon projection. Dr. Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE) at Harvard Medical School, has been documenting the links between global warming and declining human and environmental health since the early 1990s. Co-author Dan Ferber, a contributing correspondent to Science, traveled to rural Kenya, Honduras, Harlem and other places to talk with doctors, patients, scientists and others who are wrestling with

During Earth Week 2011, I visited the OSU campus, and toured the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) where the world’s fastest electric vehicle (top speed 320 mph) is housed. The only thing more impressive than getting to see the “Buckeye Bullet” in person was meeting the Director of CAR, Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni. While the Buckeye Bullet is fueled by lithium ion batteries, the world class research facility run by Dr. Rizzoni is fueled by his unparalleled brilliance and enthusiasm for advanced electric propulsion and energy storage systems for reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Dr. Rizzoni and his team are focused on advanced engines and alternative fuels that will shape transportation in the 21st century. Whether you’re into cars or into green, this interview will leave you thrilled that Dr. Rizzoni is in the driver’s seat of one of the world’s premiere transportation transformation incubators!

You don’t have control over your electricity service, and yet almost everything you do requires electricity. Even people whose homes or workplaces are run by self-generated wind or solar power are vulnerable, because every other system we rely upon runs on electricity: water, information technology, transportation, fuel delivery, manufacturing, telecom, banking, etc. Thirty years ago, people said that the U.S. had a “gold plated” electrical grid, now many of those same experts say it is “third world.” On today’s episode we’ll talk about where our electricity comes from, why our electric system is vulnerable, potential solutions to this vulnerability, and most importantly, what you can do to influence public policy makers to help ensure our nation’s electricity supply is secure.

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a human health disaster in the making. According to www.greencitizen.com, e-waste affects nearly every system in the human body because they contain a plethora of toxic components including Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Polybrominated Flame Retardants, Barium and Lithium. Even the plastic casings of electronics products contain Polyvinyl Chloride. The health effects of these toxins on humans include birth defects, brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage. They will also significantly affect the nervous and reproductive systems of the human body. Electronic waste currently constitutes 2 to 5 percent of the US municipal solid waste stream and is rising by 3 to 5 percent per year. Carnegie Mellon University has predicted that there are already 70 million computers in our landfills. The average computer screen has five to eight pounds or more of lead representing 40 percent of all the lead in US landfills. Today’s guest on Go Green Radio, James Kao, is the founder & CEO o

For anyone wondering what it takes to “go green” on a University campus, this episode of Go Green Radio is the definitive answer. Today we’re joined by John Dilliott, the Manager, Energy & Utilities at the University of California San Diego. He is responsible for campus utilities operations, including the 30MW Cogeneration and District Heating & Cooling Plant, commodity energy procurement, carbon management and has secured financing for three year, $73M in energy efficiency program. John also led UC San Diego in carbon management, helping UC San Diego to be the first university to certify all six green house gases and active participant in the Chicago Climate Exchange. Tune in to learn how John envisions working toward a carbon neutral, zero waste campus!

For anyone wondering what it takes to “go green” on a University campus, this episode of Go Green Radio is the definitive answer. Today we’re joined by John Dilliott, the Manager, Energy & Utilities at the University of California San Diego. He is responsible for campus utilities operations, including the 30MW Cogeneration and District Heating & Cooling Plant, commodity energy procurement, carbon management and has secured financing for three year, $73M in energy efficiency program. John also led UC San Diego in carbon management, helping UC San Diego to be the first university to certify all six green house gases and active participant in the Chicago Climate Exchange. Tune in to learn how John envisions working toward a carbon neutral, zero waste campus!

You don’t have control over your electricity service, and yet almost everything you do requires electricity. Even people whose homes or workplaces are run by self-generated wind or solar power are vulnerable, because every other system we rely upon runs on electricity: water, information technology, transportation, fuel delivery, manufacturing, telecom, banking, etc. Thirty years ago, people said that the U.S. had a “gold plated” electrical grid, now many of those same experts say it is “third world.” On today’s episode we’ll talk about where our electricity comes from, why our electric system is vulnerable, potential solutions to this vulnerability, and most importantly, what you can do to influence public policy makers to help ensure our nation’s electricity supply is secure.

When we think about tracking the carbon footprint of a company or a region, we typically take into consideration things like energy use, transportation and manufacturing. But today’s guest, Adam Smargon, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, and his dissertation addresses another source of carbon emissions –artificially carbonated beverages. In April 2011, Mr. Smargon had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who said that he had no knowledge of any studies on this topic, and encouraged Adam to pursue this project. On today’s episode, Adam will discuss the scope of the carbon emissions of the beverage industry, and possible solutions to offset the emissions.

Oil was undoubtedly the fuel of the 20th century economy, but by all accounts, clean technology will be the fuel of the 21st century economy. Thanks to the leadership of a new nonprofit organization, CleanTECH San Diego (www.cleantechsandiego.org), ‘America’s Finest City’ is poised to be a global economic leader by institutionalizing collaboration between business, government and research facilities. CleanTECH San Diego is streamlining the process by which clean tech companies grow, hire, and invest in the community. As a result, they are saving precious resources, including taxpayer dollars. Tune in as we discuss this landmark organization with its President and CEO, Lisa Bicker, and Jason Anderson, Vice President and Executive Director of CleanTECH San Diego Education Foundation.

During Earth Week 2011, I visited the OSU campus, and toured the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) where the world’s fastest electric vehicle (top speed 320 mph) is housed. The only thing more impressive than getting to see the “Buckeye Bullet” in person was meeting the Director of CAR, Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni. While the Buckeye Bullet is fueled by lithium ion batteries, the world class research facility run by Dr. Rizzoni is fueled by his unparalleled brilliance and enthusiasm for advanced electric propulsion and energy storage systems for reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Dr. Rizzoni and his team are focused on advanced engines and alternative fuels that will shape transportation in the 21st century. Whether you’re into cars or into green, this interview will leave you thrilled that Dr. Rizzoni is in the driver’s seat of one of the world’s premiere transportation transformation incubators!

Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature delves into a new kinship with nature while acknowledging the treasures of urban life and the unique stake each person has in resolving critical and timely challenges. Whether you are an agent for social, environmental or political change, newly awakened to environmental threats, or a lover of natural history and literature, consider this book required reading for its inspiration, innovation and hope for the Earth and future generations. Tune in as we discuss the book with Ms. Lake, as well as her work with the Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus, which recognizes that women leaders have unique and essential ideas to offer at this turning point in history when humanity is making decisions about our very existence and how we are treating our Earth--and each other.

Eric Herm’s new book examines commercial agriculture’s strain on our natural resources, delicate ecosystems, and the farmer. As a fourth-generation farmer, Eric Herm deals with the harsh economic realities and complicated legislation facing farmers, as well as the undeniable health impact of GMO crops and excessive chemicals on all living creatures. “Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth” provides ample resources of natural, healthy alternatives that will inspire the transformation of farmers from corporate-motivated producers back to the flesh and bone guardian angels of the Earth.

In light of the tragedy unfolding in Japan, it is absolutely prudent to take a good, hard look at existing and future nuclear power plants in the United States. The Obama administration is still committed to backing loans for construction of nuclear facilities in the U.S., even as everyday Americans wonder if the facilities are safe. Today we’ll be joined by Angie Howard is president of Howard – Johnson Associates, a consulting practice specializing in strategic energy and utility issues, and 2009 recipient of Women in Nuclear Global leadership award. Ms. Howard retired in May 2009 as vice president, Office of the President and Executive Advisor to the President for the Nuclear Energy Institute. We will talk about radioactive waste disposal, nuclear proliferation concerns, and terrorist threats to nuclear facilities. Tune in to learn about the facts regarding nuclear energy in America, and what safety measures are in place to avoid a crisis.

Generation X and Y parents are environmentally conscious, and want to put their money where their values are when they make consumer purchases. Today, we’ll be joined by the CEO’s of three toy manufacturers who produce top quality toys that tread lightly on the Earth’s resources. Robert von Goeben, CEO of Green Toys, Inc. will discuss his toy line made from recycled milk jugs. Serah Chae, President of Hosung NY, maker of miYim and My Natural eco-plush toys and accessories for infants and toddlers, will talk about why her organic cotton collection is so unique. And Barbera Aimes, President of ImagiPLAY, will share her passion for helping children gain a true sense of the world's beauty and diversity of species through toys and games.