Spreading the Green Word

My radio show, "Naturally Vibrant Living," is focused on green topics, something I feel is important in today's world.  I may feel like a bit of a lone wolf at times covering this topic, but there are other radio hosts whose shows also focus on green topics.  I pleased to find several other shows recently and am sharing a list of them with you, should you want to tune in.

Other shows on green topics include the following:


Title of Show:     Conscious Discussions Talk Radio Show
Name of  Host:   Lillian Brummet
Theme:    Conscious, Green, Proactive Living
Where Aired: Blog Talk Radio. Sign up via itunes for the Conscious Discussions Radio show: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id262138144
Website:   http;//www.brummet.ca

Title of Show: Conscious Lifestyles

Name of Host: Ginger Leilani Chapin

Theme: How to live consciously, 100% Purely, mindfully, holistically, naturally, and "GREEN" in today's world with all the tools you need to navigate between the counterfeit information and the truth!

Where Aired: 16 stations and streaming live on www.businesstalkradio.net

Website: http://www.consciouslifestylesradio.com

http://www.wstcwnlk.com

Title of Show: The Conscious Living Guide

Name of Host: :Christine Agro
Theme: Conscious Living
Where Aired: Contact Talk Radio and in Seattle on 106.9 HD Channel 3
Website:  http://www.theconsciouslivingguide.com
http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/christineagro.html

Title of Show: Green Earth Radio

Name of Host: Patty Kovacs

Theme: Businesses, organizations, and individuals Making a Cleaner, Greener, Positive Difference for the Earth and All Our Inhabitants.

Where Aired:  Green Earth Radio  

Website:  http://www.GreenEarthRadio.com 

Title of Show: Green is Good
Name of Host: John Shegerian and Mike Brady
Theme:  Go-green initiatives, green-collar jobs, sustainability practices, environmental issues, recycling, reuse and more with some of the green world’s most influential people.
Where Aired:  ClearChannel Radio, iTunes, http://www.greenisgood.fm
Website: http://www.greenisgood.fm

Title of Show: The Green Majority

Name of Host: Jordan Poppenk (until Mar 2010, after which, "varies")

Theme: Canadian environmental news

Where Aired: CIUT 89.5FM, and syndicated on 13 Canadian community stations coast-to-coast

Website:  http://www.greenmajority.ca

Title of Show:     Green Sense

Name of Host: Peter Ormond

Theme: Review of current sustainable issues. Book reviews, event reviews, guests, interviews, readings of futuristic story-telling.

Where Aired:  CFMU, Hamilton, Ontario

Website:   http://www.eco5.ca

cfmu.msumcmaster.ca

Title of Show:  GreenTalk Radio

Name of Host: Sean Daily

Theme: Environment, Ecology

Where Aired: Apple iTunes, http://personallifemedia.com, http://sustainablog.org, http://greenlivingideas.com, http://bluelivingideas.com

Website:  http://greentalkradio.com

Title of Show: Hill & Dale Show 

Name of Host: Lucie Hill & Sharon Dale 

Theme: Environmental news & trends 

Where Aired:  LA Talk Radio    

Website:  http://www.latalkradio.com   http://www.latalkradio.com/Hilldale.php 

Title of Show: Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles
Name of Host: Rob Moir, Ph.D. Environmental Studies
Theme: With the knowledge of Carson and the courage of Achilles, individuals are steadfastly going the distance to defend wildlife and ecosystems from assaults of environmental degradations and destructions. Join environmental studies scientist Dr. Rob Moir for lively dialogue and revealing narrative inquiry into how individuals are overcoming the obstacles turning forlorn hope into effective actions for oceans, rivers, watersheds, wildlife and ecosystems. Discover how listening to individuals, thinking locally, and acting in concert with others, you can act to save ecosystems. Act to bring about a greener and blue Planet Earth.
Where Aired: The Green Talk Network (Voice America). For free iTunes podcast search "Moir's." 

http://www.oceanriver.org/AchillesShieldsRadio.php   

Title of Show:  Smart Green Travel 

Name of Host:  Jerry Hart

Theme:  Jerry Hart will help all of us literally go green as we learn tips to travel eco-consciously, see the planet we are working so hard to preserve, share ideas and gather ways on how to continue our green journey while at the same time learning to relax and enjoy every minute we have on this great big home we call Mother Earth.

Where Aired:  Green 960 AM and streaming at http://www.TheGreenMorning.com

Website:  http://www.thegreenmorning.com  Live

   http://www.hartofgreen.com  Previous shows

Title of Show: Your Super Natural Life

Name of Host: Beth Greer

Theme: health, green lifestyles, non-toxic living

Where Aired: Clear Channel’s Green 960 AM, airing in the SF Bay Area as well as nationally online.

Guest Profile: Authors and experts who offer insights on living a safer, less toxic and more natural life.

Email: beth@supernaturalmom.com

Website: http://www.green960.com/main.html

Best Method of Contact: Email 

Title of Show: Zentertainment Talk Radio 
Name of Host: Jo Davidson
Theme: Helping people turn challenges into opportunities.
Where Aired: Online radio podcast, shows can be listened to and downloaded for free any time of day or night at http://www.Zentertainment.org
 Website: http://www.Zentertainment.org

The above shows are excerpted from the Health and/or Enviroonment Ebooks of Talk Radio Shows compiled by “Talk Radio Advocate” Francine Silverman. To view the descriptions and prices of all 16 ebooks ranging from Animals to Sports, please visit http://www.talkradioadvocate.com

The Faith Community & Environmental Stewardship

As increasing numbers of people have become aware of environmental problems and the need to take some sort of action, some have wondered what those in the faith community may be doing.  It would appear that there has been a long-running difference of opinion, at least among the Christian community, as to whether humans are to be stewards of the environment or have dominion over the earth and its inhabitants.

I was very pleased recently to learn about some proactive environmental programs in the faith community when I interviewed two people involved in them, Richard Edens, Pastor of the United Church of Chapel Hill, and Dr. Kathy Shea, Director of the North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light on my radio show, "Naturally Vibrant Living."  North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light is a chapter of a national organization, Interfaith Power & Light, which, as it turns out, was established specifically for the purpose of engaging the faith community in environmental stewardship and assisting churches and other religious institutions in establishing such programs.  Thirty-nine states in the United States have chapters in Interfaith Power & Light.

This, to me, is a very exciting trend.  This movement is definitely interfaith, and Dr. Shea asserted that it's not just Christian churches that are participating in environmental stewardship programs, but also the Jewish, Islamic, and other faith communities.  Pastor Edens said that all religious traditions view creation as something to be protected and that humans are part of and not separate from it.

With the division and polarization we see at large in our society and, more specifically, in politics, the faith community clearly has a role to play in protecting the environment.  Pastor Edens said that members of his congregation will not only engage in environmental projects at his church, but will also write their Congressional representatives about issues.

This is wonderful to see and another aid in protecting our environment and wildlife!

Inappropriate Behavior and Toxic Chemicals?

I’ve been chewing on something that’s been on the news off and on over the past year or two — and that is the increased sexual activity and sexual exhibitionism of teens, especially in the United States. Of course, teens having intercourse may not be a new phenomenon (in spite of the fact that the percentage of them doing so has risen dramatically over the past few decades). What is new these days is “sexting” and public sexual activity.

Having sex in public would have been scandalous years ago. We now learn that not only is a large percentage of teens sexting each other (by sending nude photos of themselves to the opposite sex) but also that there is public and group sexual intercourse and penetration, as if it were a game. Needless to say, this type of overt sexual exhibitionism and promiscuity leaves many people — primarily adults — scratching their heads.

What is behind this sexed-up activity?

While I’m sure there are many contributing factors, such as absentee parents, loosening mores and values, and widespread sexual activity being increasingly portrayed overtly in media (TV, film, and print), I would wonder if there may not be an additional factor at work here — a fairly invisible factor.

This factor is that of the omnipresence and pervasiveness of toxic chemicals in our environment — in our food, air, water, clothing, furnishings, toiletries, cosmetics, etc. It’s no secret that many of these toxic chemicals are endocrine disruptors, and there are many scientific accounts of animals in the world having aberrant sexual traits. Frogs have been widely observed with sexual mutations for several years now, and these sexual mutations have been attributed to the estrogenic effects of pesticides.

So could the toxic chemicals everywhere in our world be affecting us in ways we could not have dreamed of? There have been some reports in the past few years of blood sample results showing numerous chemicals in people’s blood, the most recent showing newborn infants with over 200 chemicals (see http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=newborn-babies-chemicals-exposure-bpa and http://www.naturalnews.com/026584_chemicals_cancer_blood.html, for example).

Given the fact that some of these toxic chemicals are known to be endocrine disruptors, could chemical contamination be contributing to contemporary teens’ overtly sexed up behavior, as well as contributing, perhaps, to the increase of irrational and even deranged behavior on the part of those from all age groups?

Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

The Hidden Toll of Lawns on "Naturally Vibrant Living"

I was really pleased to speak with Liz Primeau on "Naturally Vibrant Living," my radio show (currently on Web Talk Radio, but moving to Blog Talk Radio in March). (www.vibrantlivingradio will take you to my host page, where you can listen to the show.) Liz is a master gardener and Founding Editor of Canadian Gardening Magazine.

Liz has a wonderful book out, entitled Front Yard Gardens, and this is what we discussed.

Did you know the impact that lawns have on our environment? Well, just consider all the watering and pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. We may not want to hear it, but lawns are generally not very good at all for the environment. They're also an example of what is called "monoculture," which has its own downside, but just listen to the show to learn about what that is.

Have you ever seen a house with a garden of some type in the front yard in place of a lawn? Well, you may have done a double-take the first time you saw one. I know I did. And, of course, a house with a garden in place of a lawn can really set the neighbors' tongues wagging. But, in spite of the unconventionality of this, you may be surprised to learn that this is a trend that has been slowly developing, at least in the United States and apparently in Canada.

Having a garden in your front yard instead of a lawn, as it turns out, benefits the environment. And, depending upon how you go about it and what you plant, you could also benefit your local ecosystem and fauna.

I love this idea and learned some useful things from Liz. Just consider this idea. If you'd like more information on it, just tune into this week's episode (by going to www.vibrantlivingradio.com) and consider getting a copy of Front Yard Gardens.

Avoiding Gluten for Diabetics Too?

It's no secret that the quality of our food supply these days isn't the greatest. There's a seeming epidemic of diabetes and increasing numbers of people with gluten intolerance. Years ago, I knew very few people with allergies or diabetes, not to mention gluten intolerance. However, these days I continually run into people with at least one of these conditions. I've had allergies myself for years, which didn't develop until I was in my twenties.

Our immune systems have certainly been stressed by the omnipresence of toxic chemicals in our environment -- in our air, water, soil, food, clothing, furniture, toiletries, cosmetics, etc. People who are informed are well aware of this problem, but are toxic chemicals the culprit in higher incidence of diabetes?

I used to read that what was implicated in Type 2 Diabetes was eating too much sugar, along with lack of exercise. Well, I was surprised to read an article also implicating wheat. As it turns out, eating wheat can raise your glycemic index more that eating sugar can. Did you know that? I just read an article, "The Wheat Belly, " at http://www.fitnessgoop.com/2011/12/the-wheat-belly-diabetes-and-accelerated-aging/

So wheat is now implicated in gluten intolerance and diabetes, as something to be avoided in one's diet.

The article cites Genetically Modified (GM) wheat as the culprit. However, I suspect that our modern version of wheat, through hybridizing, was already causing the digestibility issue -- and that GM wheat has managed to tip the scales for those sensitive to gluten -- and also for diabetics and those prone to it.

If you suffer from diabetes, it may be helpful for you now to avoid eating wheat. (Rye and barley also contain gluten.)

The good news is that there are other alternatives. For example, spelt is an ancient version of wheat that some people are now turning to. Spelt flour is fairly easy to find, especially on the internet.

Unfortunately, I've learned through the research I've done for my radio show, "Naturally Vibrant Living," that we have a lot of problems in our modern world that can pose a threat to our health. We have to take our health, including diet, into our own hands and sometimes go out of our way to find healthful food. It now looks like wheat falls into that category.