Sustainability In Your Ear

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.

The Earth911 team sits down to talk water practices. Learn the 8 ways to green your water and about the Seabin Project that vacuums shorefronts and marinas. We look at the Eco Six Pack Ring (E6PR) that disintegrates before it harms ocean life and how to identify household hazardous waste. Earthling survey results -- how far our readers drive to recycle -- and Earthling questions about recycling file folders and power-tool batteries.

Envision Plastics is a recycler of HDPE plastics that produces recyclable bottles using less power, coloring, and no raw oil. Sandra Lewis, director of business development at Envision Plastics joins Earth911's Trey Granger to talk about how consumers can contribute to improved packaging by asking for recycled and recyclable packaging when shopping.

Adam Sachs, Executive Director of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (bio4climate.org), an educational and research group dedicated to promoting land restoration using natural techniques, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe for an extended discussion. Adam shares projects that have restored land in Eastern Europe, Mexico, and elsewhere -- the transformation of previously desertified land into rich local ecosystems with plenty of water is stunning. Spend 50 minutes to learn how beavers, cattle, and human ingenuity can work together to turn drylands into productive grazing and wetlands.

Bill Maynard, a leader in the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA), talks to Earth911 about the ACGA Annual Conference, which takes place in Atlanta from Sept. 13 to 16. You can register at https://communitygarden.org. Bill also explains the many resources available to community gardeners and how to get a successful garden started in your community.

Join Evelyn Fielding Lopez and the Earth911 team to talk recycling, sustainable choices, and answers to your Earthling questions. This week: Earthlings shared how much time they spend each week on recycling; Trey Granger explains clothing recycling, and; Secrets of DIY relief with essentials oils. Also, 10 things you can recycle by mail. Join the conversation!

Ernie Roberts, Sustainability Manager for computer accessories maker Belkin, joins Earth911's Evelyn Fielding Lopez and Mitch Ratcliffe. Ernie discusses how the company has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent and lowered its employee carbon dioxide footprint with in-house recycling and commuting programs. Belkin was recently recognized as a Sustainability Initiative of the Year by Business Intelligence. Learn how a global company makes planet-friendly changes start and last.