Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

The carbon emissions generated since the Industrial Revolution wrap the Earth in a heat sponge of one trillion tons of excess CO2 and that extra heat will remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years after we achieve a net-Zero economy. Brett Kugelmass, managing director of the Washington, D.C.-based Energy Impact Center recently presented a vision for a prosperous post-carbon world that achieves net-Zero emissions and widespread prosperity in a speech to the American Climate Leadership Conference. The power source he advocates is a challenging one: thousands of small nuclear fission reactors. While the power source he advocates is controversial, Kugelmass' idea of millions of new jobs in the atmospheric cleanup industry is a stark alternative to the idea that a post-carbon world must be a less prosperous one. It's a view that we share at Earth911.com because the solution to environmental indifference must provide a positive alternative. We need to use less, reuse more, and collaborate to recycle everything at the same time that we pull the excess trillion tons of CO2 out of the air, hopefully by 2050. We can have restored polar ice. We can enjoy the kind of climate in which our species thrived.Nuclear power is problematic, but the energy levels required to extract CO2 can be provided by a combination of solar, wind, and, as in France and at 100 nuclear plants in the United States today, fission reactors. With a long terrible history that started with weapons, nuclear power is the least attractive option, an assumption that Kugelmass argues is built on out-dated ideas. Earth911.com's Mitch Ratcliffe discusses the issue with Kubelmass on this episode of Sustainability In Your Ear.

Kroger has updated its pollinator policy after pressure from the Friends of the Earth (FoE). FoE's Tiffany Finck-Haynes joins Earth911 to talk about what the decision means for bees and other pollinating species, as well as the additional progress and transparency needed for customers who want to spend in support of sustainable food sources. Learn what chlorpyrifos, glyhosates, and neonicotinids to do pollinating insects and the human body. We dig into whether Kroger's decision can be enforced (it can't) and how the company, just one of many grocers who need to update their supply chains to eliminate pollinator-damaging pesticides and preservatives in our food supply. Tiffany also shares information about FoE's 2018 retailer scorecard, how to get involved to support the campaign for grocery changes, and the other "steps in the right direction" that Kroger, WalMart, and others, including Whole Foods, to improve their sustainability scores.

Theresa Carter launched an online petition calling on Target Stores to eliminate single-use plastic bags that has gathered more than 310,000 signatures. She talks with Earth911 about how she got the petition started. Beginning with her choice to put the petition on Change.org and sharing her call to action with friends on Facebook and her local physical community, Carter's story is a roadmap for customers who care to begin their own campaigns for changes in retail sustainability. You can sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/target-stop-filling-the-world-with-plastic-bags.Target is already the leading retailer using solar in its stores but has not addressed the impact of its single-use plastic shopping bags. Carter's positive approach toward Target, based on the idea that she and other environmentally aware customers will love shopping the stores more if they get rid the plastic bag, has resulted in positive responses to the campaign by company executives. Theresa Carter also shared her approach to customer activism in a posting we published today to accompany this podcast.

It's time to eat sustainably in the sun. The Earth911 team sits down to talk about Summer eating. It is a perfect time to try some new foods and food-related activities. Maybe you have a garden or just a pot of herbs. Maybe you would like to try a new ingredient or make a vegan meal. No matter what your goal might be, we are going to talk about how to find great food, make great food, and avoid food waste. We talk about Earth Day Network's new Foodprints program, which will help you find low-impact alternative ingredients and recipes. We're also looking forward to Earth Day 2020, the 5oth Anniversary of the first Earth Day, when more than a billion people around the world are expected to participate in marches, clean-ups, and ongoing changes in their eating and waste-disposal habits.If you are thinking about growing your own food, we talk about what we find are the easiest crops to grow, including tomatoes, herbs, and fruit trees. Buying natural foods is another alternative, including joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program and buying directly from local farmers at weekly markets or by subscribing to food deliveries. Start with a conversation with the produce manager at a local store, they have a wealth of information to share.Ready for new foods? Here are 10 delicious vegan slow-cooker meals, 10 sustainable snack recipes, and the many plant-based milk options for baking. Finally, we cover food waste. We discard almost half our food each year before it is spoiled. Finding new ways to distribute food and reducing waste overall can help to feed everyone at lower costs. One of our favorite finds is a list of small-space composting systems.And this week we answer Earthling questions about how to dump your garbage service, the challenges of a 55-gallon barrel of chlorine pool shock, and best way to move non-friable asbestos.Join the conversation and share your thoughts with the community in our Earthling Forum.

Earth911 is getting ready for Summer! Join Evelyn, Sarah, and Mitch to talk about preparations for a more sustainable summer. We can all make improvements in how we garden, cook, travel, and make changes in energy use. We start off in the garden with ideas about how to build DIY birdbaths, as well as how to use combinations of feeders and nativar plants to fill your yard with wild birds. While you're enjoying new feathery friends, turn down the air condition with these ideas: window treatments; using fans for real cooling effects (don't leave them on when you leave a room), and lower energy costs. We can also reduce our watering in the yard by embracing vertical gardening and arbors. Keep household and garden pests in check with natural repellents and remedies, including our list of natural oils and herbs that help prevent infestations.Entertaining is always a big part of Summer and we've got ideas to help. First, take a look at these easy-to-build patio tables with built-in drink coolers. We talk through cooking and sustainable recipes, including solar ovens and solar cooking recipes, and how, when it's too hot to cook outside you can use a crockpot or instapot to keep the temperature down inside. Finally, we look at vacation options and talk about the carbon impact of travel. Choose where you must go and learn to travel safely and naturally to reduce illness and stay full of energy.The team also answers your Earthling Questions. Can store gift cards be recycled? How can I get a 55-gallon barrel of motor oil hauled away and recycled? Can old coaxial cables and wires be recycled?

Recycling safety is the topic of Earth911's interview with Scott Wiggins, vice president of Environmental Health & Safety at the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). On June 12th, most recycling programs and scrap yards will close down for an hour each shift to focus on workplace safety as part of Safety Stand Down Day, and you can help protect recycling workers by making smart choices. Wiggins shares stories about injuries caused by the usual workplace culprits, such as slips, falls, and impacts, as well as how medical sharps and lithium-ion batteries. He shares how to prepare sharps and batteries for recycling, noting that both need special handling and do not belong in your blue bin.Learn about the busy environment where recycling workers process materials. One surprising fact: A major source of injuries is distracted driving by collection drivers, who have run over scrap yard workers. Progress in recycling must be accompanied by improved safety so that everyone, including the workers who handle your recycling, gets home safe each day.

Dan Lambe, president of The Arbor Day Foundation, joins Earth911 to talk about the organizations The Time For Trees initiative to plant 100 million trees. Lambe and team also want to get five million people to join in the tree-planting and save the atmosphere from CO2 emissions. Established in Nebraska during 1872 by newspaperman J. Sterling Morton and adopted across the country as a national day to plant and cultivate trees by 1882, Arbor Day is typically the last Friday of April. But the organization works year-round to encourage tree-planting in the United States and around the world. Lambe talks about the environmental benefits of trees and forests, explains "afforestation" for those who aren't familiar with the term for starting a forest on abandoned land, and the multi-pronged solution to climate change that starts with the simple act of planting a tree. Get involved, buy or gift a tree through the Arbor Day Foundation.Join the conversation and share your thoughts with the community in our Earthling Forum.

Sunya Norman, director of sustainability at Salesforce.com, joins Earth911 to talk about the customer relationship management (CRM) company's pursuit of carbon neutral operations. Since its founding, Salesforce has broken new ground in the cloud and ways of doing business. CRM services are used by companies to build deeper interactions with their customers, and Salesforce's leadership in sustainability is permeating its clients' businesses, too. While Salesforce won't reach full carbon neutrality by 2023, but already purchases carbon offsets to eliminate its remaining carbon emissions. It eliminated greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, making its cloud services one of the few carbon-neutral options for online services.

June 5th is World Environment Day and the Earth911 team will help you get ready. Join Evelyn Lopez and Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about World Environment Day activities and how to participate in raising air pollution awareness in your community. The Mask Challenge, a global call for citizens to post pictures of themselves wearing face masks to protect against dirty air, began May 24th and runs through June 5th. We share Global Environment Day ideas that you can use to #BeatAirPollution, along with our own suggestions.Reducing air pollution is a constant project that you can start small, by switching off your lights if your home relies on coal power, or go big to help lower carbon emissions. We look at the best solar panels available on the market today and discuss the benefits of an electric vehicle. If you are looking for a Memorial Day meal that won't be a burden to the planet, here are five vegan Mac & Cheese recipes and a tips for hosting a sustainable backyard party.And, as always, your Earthling Questions. How do I recycle or reuse conference lanyards? How do I recycle waterjet sand? Can't pizza boxes be preserved with a sheet of lining paper?

Helmm co-founders Zach Groffksy and Taylor Lane discuss sustainable men's care products. They recently launched a subscription antiperspirant/deodorant subscription service for a luxury refillable holder. The elegant Helmm deodorant container is made with recyclable metal and fine leather. With four fragrances available today, Helmm lets customers schedule how frequently their refills arrive. Each refill cuts 60 percent of the plastic used for traditional deoderant containers, and the refill containers are recyclable HDPE plastic.Groffsky and Lane talk with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about the basic requirements customers expect in a modern product, starting with basic environmental responsibility. The company has new products planned that will introduce sustainable practices for other men's care categories.