Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

Author B.F. (Bruce) Nagy discusses his new book, The Clean Energy Future, with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe. Nagy offers his advice for homeowners who want to clean up their carbon footprint, as well as observations on the progress being made, albeit in fits and starts, across many sectors of the economy. You'll come away from this episode with plenty of actions to take. Follow Bruce at http://bfnagy.com.

Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Mitch Ratcliffe, and Sarah Lozanova talk the last week's recycling and sustainability news on Earth911. This week, we took a deep dive into planning your garden for next year and extending the growing season. How to minimize leaf cleanups, orchids in the yard, and more. We've also got Earthling Questions! How do you dispose of mercury safely? And a question with a twist: Are dentures recyclable?

As a new generation of Apple iPhone and Samsung Note mobile phones hit the market, we talk with Republic Services about how to safely and responsibly recycle an old phone. Jeremy Walters, community relations manager at Republic, the second-biggest waste management company in the U.S. explains when and how to recycle e-waste. If you don't decide to trade-in or reuse your phone by passing it along to a family member or through donation, take the time to separate your phone from the rest of your recycling. It can save recycling workers from injury and prevent damage to recycling equipment.

Recleim, an Atlanta-based recycler, is the only company in the U.S. using CFC capture technology to recover banned chlorofluorocarbons from pre-2005 refrigerators and HVAC systems. "No refrigerator should reach a landfill," explains Steve Bush, CEO of Recleim, because they can release five pounds or more of CFCs from the coils and insulation they contain. Recleim, which currently operates in 10 states,m is expanding its service area. Are you recycling your refrigerator safely?

Jecka Glasman, general manager of SodaStream USA, maker of the Fizzi, Electric, and Premium home soda-making machines. SodaStream helps reduce single-use plastic bottle waste, letting a household that switches from canned or bottled soda reduce its waste by as many as 3,700 cans or bottles each year. Mitch Ratcliffe of Earth911 explores the recyclability of SodaStream devices and bottles, as well as its innovative Gas Exchange program. Get the lowdown on sustainable fizz.

Magnus Jern, Chief Water Drinker at Tapp Water, explains the company's TAPP 2 biodegradable water faucet filters. Tapp Water filters decompose in industrial compost piles quickly and will break down in backyard compost piles. Even the body of the TAPP 2, which is made with biodegradable PLA plastic, is largely recyclable. American families spend more than $5.5 billion on plastic-bottled water unnecessarily because they are concerned about water quality. They pay between 300 and 2,000 times more than tap water costs for plastic-bottled water. A faucet filter can eliminate plastic pollution and save hundreds of dollars annually.

Get busy solving the food waste problem. More than 40 percent of the food produced in the United States goes to waste, uneaten and spoiled. The Earth911 team gets together for a conversation about how to take personal steps to eliminate food waste, as well as how restaurants, grocers, and farmers, among others, can help. We also talk with Robert Lee, founder of RescuingLeftoverCuisine.org, a New York-based program that connects restaurants with food banks nearby. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is involved in a month-long funding challenge that you can support by donating here. We also recommend taking some time to learn about food waste from John Oliver. Although it's an older episode, many of Oliver's food facts have not changed, signaling the need for more effort. As always, we answer Earthling questions.

Evelyn Lopez and the Earth911 team gather around the microphone to talk about tuning your home and school plans for environmental excellence. Trey Grangert explains the challenge of defining what's recyclable in the U.S. Learn how to do a home waste audit and prepare for recycling improvements. Dig into school supplies and activities that will make this year the greenest yet for your kids and their school. Also, Earthling Questions, including what to do when your landlord ignores an environmental issue.

Learn what questions you should be asking a jeweler when purchasing responsibly. Lifting small miners in developing regions out of poverty and teaching them sustainable environmentally friendly practices is at the heart of a new movement in the jewelry industry. Monica Stephenson, president of iDazzle.com and a board member at Ethical Metalsmiths, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about her experiences in Tanzania and other artisanal mining regions.

Recycling services have real value that has long been under-estimated because they are bundled with waste removal services. Bernie Lee, Commodities Research Analyst at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries talks with Earth911 about his recent Scrap Magazine editorial, "The Service, Value, and Labor of Recycling." Perhaps if we broke out the price of recycling, we'd see more clearly that it is time to spend more to close the consumer end-of-life waste loophole.