Go Green Radio

Even in this economy, there are perfectly legitimate reasons to buy a new cell phone (like awesome new apps!!!), and you don’t need to feel guilty about it if you “re-purpose” your old phone with Flipswap. This innovative company has all the right answers for an eco-friendly cell phone exchange. And the best part? You can make money while doing the right thing with your old phone! Tune into today’s episode of Go Green Radio, and find out how you can “Flipswap” your cell experience! www.flipswap.com

Regardless of where our kids live or what career they choose as adults, they are going to need clean air, clean water, and ample clean energy in order to have a great standard of living in the future. The Go Green Initiative is the world’s largest and fastest growing environmental education program, and its motto is: “All schools prepare our children for the future, but Go Green Initiative schools prepare the future for our children. Tune into Go Green Radio this week to learn more! www.gogreeninitiative.org

Long before “going green” was cool, a bunch of PTA moms banded together to start the Go Green Initiative (www.gogreeninitiative.org). The organization began with no staff, no budget, and no idea that it would soon become the world’s largest environmental education program. What began on a kitchen table in California has now spread to schools and communities in all 50 U.S. States, 36 countries and 5 continents…and we’re just getting warmed up! Tune into Go Green Radio this week to learn more about what makes the Go Green Initiative special, and follow along with a slideshow found on the Blog at www.gogreeninitiative.org.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t have it all! If you want to be your own boss, work when you feel like it, and own a green business with health care benefits…you can! Thanks to Shop To Earth, anyone can have a green job! Today’s episode of Go Green Radio explores one of the most innovative private sector initiatives in the ‘greening’ of consumer goods. Shop To Earth lets consumers put their money where their mouth is, and buy green products at a discount. Their motto is, “Live Green. Earn Green. Save Green.” Join us on Go Green Radio as we talk with Hilary Martin, a true eco-enthusiast, as she walks us through the steps of becoming a successful green business owner!

Bob Anderson is not just the father of two teenagers, he is the father of a brand new national TV show called Eco Company, set to air across the U.S. this fall. The show’s website http://www.eco-company.tv has videos that Bob has produced, as well as an opportunity for teens to submit videos they shoot with their friends. The show aims to “create awareness, break down the issues in plain English, and profile teens leading the way to be green. Teens have joined the green revolution and this show is all about what they are doing!”

Two primary concerns have inhibited the success of the electric car: the cost of the vehicles are higher than comparably-sized gasoline cars; and the mileage range of a typical car battery is much shorter than the range of a gasoline tank. For lengthy trips, that would mean having to stop every 150 miles or so, finding a place to plug the car in, and waiting several hours for it to power up. A new company called Better Place has the solution to both of these problems, and may be the “enabler” that finally brings electric vehicles into the mainstream!

Everything is BIG in Texas, including big ideas for 21st Century Urban Planning and Green job creation! Dallas,TX recently offered up one city block, inviting architects and urban planners from around the world to compete to re-design the space into the United State’s first fully sustainable, “off the grid” inner-city block. Today we have John Greenan of the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation, and representatives from two of the winning architectural firms: Little Architects, and David Banker and Partners with their respective entries, Entangled Bank and Greenways Xero Energy. We’ll be talking to them about this exciting and innovative green project involving the transformation of urban landscape into an energy efficient, sustainable community.

Landscaping is an important part of any structure or space. Whether we’re at home, at school, at work, or commuting, a well-designed landscape provides beauty and enjoyment, and in some cases, a habitat for birds and other wildlife. However, some landscape designs are much too reliant on copious amounts of water. Landscape architect, Josiah Cain, was featured in the June 2009 edition of Sunset magazine (link to the article: http://tinyurl.com/ldsjj5 ), and he joins us on Go Green Radio to discuss ways to create appealing gardens without wasting water. More and more areas of the U.S. are instituting water restrictions, so tune in to learn how to maintain your landscape while minimizing your impact on our precious natural resources. To learn more about Josiah and his firm, Design Ecology, visit www.designecology.com).

I’m a big fan of companies that ‘go green’ on site. I’m an even BIGGER fan of companies that work with their suppliers, customers and every business in between to ensure that their whole supply chain is going green. Today, we’ll have two women in business who are in very different industries, but share one important thing in common: a desire to make sure that the products they buy, sell and discard are handled in an environmentally responsible way. We’ll talk with up and comer, Celeste Ayers, of Parker Hannifin Corporation, and Amy Chan, owner of A&M Printing. Each will share her unique experience in striving for sustainability.

“The child starting kindergarten this fall will graduate in the third decade of the 21st century. All we can know about the world she will step into is that it will have challenges and opportunities beyond what we can imagine today, problems and possibilities that will de¬mand creativity and ingenuity, responsibility and compassion. Whether this year’s kindergarten student will merely survive or positively thrive in the decades to come depends in large measure on the experiences she has in school.” That’s the opening salvo in an exciting new book called, “The Third Teacher” (www.thethirdteacher.com). Listen to Trung Le explain how schools can, and should, be ecologically designed to prepare our children for the future.

‘Locally grown’…’organic’…’free range’…we’re beginning to see a lot of “buzz words” that are being used to distinguish food choices. We have some sense that these words mean food is healthy, humanely produced, or environmentally preferable, but how can we be sure? Today we’ll be joined by Dr. Carolie Sly of the Center for Ecoliteracy who served as the project leader for a book called, “Big Ideas,” which provides a foundation for understanding – and teaching children – about food and food production. The book is designed to help people use this knowledge to understand the ecology of the natural world and humans’ connections to it. Dr. Sly will discuss how food, culture, health and the environment are intricately woven together; and how all of us can make the best possible food choices.

Two primary concerns have inhibited the success of the electric car: the cost of the vehicles are higher than comparably-sized gasoline cars; and the mileage range of a typical car battery is much shorter than the range of a gasoline tank. For lengthy trips, that would mean having to stop every 150 miles or so, finding a place to plug the car in, and waiting several hours for it to power up. A new company called Better Place has the solution to both of these problems, and may be the “enabler” that finally brings electric vehicles into the mainstream!

Landscaping is an important part of any structure or space. Whether we’re at home, at school, at work, or commuting, a well-designed landscape provides beauty and enjoyment, and in some cases, a habitat for birds and other wildlife. However, some landscape designs are much too reliant on copious amounts of water. Landscape architect, Josiah Cain, was featured in the June 2009 edition of Sunset magazine (link to the article: http://tinyurl.com/ldsjj5 ), and he joins us on Go Green Radio to discuss ways to create appealing gardens without wasting water. More and more areas of the U.S. are instituting water restrictions, so tune in to learn how to maintain your landscape while minimizing your impact on our precious natural resources. To learn more about Josiah and his firm, Design Ecology, visit www.designecology.com).

We hear a lot about ‘sustainable living’ these days, but too often it’s in the midst of a sales pitch to buy certain products that will help us “go green.” Fortunately, there are organizations out there that are teaching kids and schools the real lessons of a sustainable lifestyle. On today’s show, I’m pleased to be joined by Lisa Bennett, the communications director for the Center for Ecoliteracy, www.ecoliteracy.org. Her esteemed colleagues are working to create resources and hands-on services that teach kids, parents and educators the building blocks of creating communities that will thrive as they find balance between human needs and the environment’s ability to meet those needs.

When they signed up to be interns for the world’s largest environmental education program, they probably didn’t think it would land them in jail, but that is exactly what happened! On today’s Go Green Radio, we’ll talk to two interns for the Go Green Initiative (ww.gogreeninitiative.org) who got to see how the Alameda County jail in Dublin, CA has taken tremendous strides to “green” its operations, all at incredible savings to local taxpayers. Lauren Ivey, an undergraduate in architecture at Princeton, and Katie Buck, a senior at Amador Valley High School, will tell us about their field trip behind bars!

Are pizza boxes and microwave popcorn poisoning my kids???The answers can be found in Jennifer Taggart’s new book, “Smart Mama’s Green Guide”, a candid and credible resource for child advocates who want to reduce children’s exposure to toxic chemicals. You may be surprised to learn that products you use everyday in your home contain chemicals capable of causing health problems for your kids. Jennifer’s background as an environmental engineer and lawyer, coupled with her passionate devotion to her own – and all – kids, provide the perfect background for her expert advice. You can learn more about the Smart Mama at www.thesmartmama.com !

Get ready to dance! When you hear the song, “Stand Up,” you won’t be able to sit still! Benjamin Winn has created a ‘green groove’ with lyrics every parent will support…and every kid will dig. Go Green Radio host, Jill Buck, met Benjamin at Harrah’s in Las Vegas recently, and on today’s episode you’ll hear why she supports the song, the artist, and the positive message he’s bringing to the world.

Everything is BIG in Texas, including big ideas for 21st Century Urban Planning and Green job creation! Dallas,TX recently offered up one city block, inviting architects and urban planners from around the world to compete to re-design the space into the United State’s first fully sustainable, “off the grid” inner-city block. Today we have John Greenan of the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation, and representatives from two of the winning architectural firms: Little Architects, and David Banker and Partners with their respective entries, Entangled Bank and Greenways Xero Energy. We’ll be talking to them about this exciting and innovative green project involving the transformation of urban landscape into an energy efficient, sustainable community.

I’m a big fan of companies that ‘go green’ on site. I’m an even BIGGER fan of companies that work with their suppliers, customers and every business in between to ensure that their whole supply chain is going green. Today, we’ll have two women in business who are in very different industries, but share one important thing in common: a desire to make sure that the products they buy, sell and discard are handled in an environmentally responsible way. We’ll talk with up and comer, Celeste Ayers, of Parker Hannifin Corporation, and Amy Chan, owner of A&M Printing. Each will share her unique experience in striving for sustainability.

The Chairman of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, Margo Reid Brown, joins us this week on Go Green Radio! She leads the CIWMB towards statewide goals that will improve waste diversion and the environment. As a member of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Climate Action Team, Chairman Brown has been at the vortex of some of the most aggressive and accomplished environmental public policy making in history. Just this week, President Obama signed off on legislation to increase fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. That legislation began with Governor Schwarzenegger and his team. Listen to Go Green Radio to hear about exciting, cutting-edge environmental action plans coming out of California!