The Global Recycling Day episode of Sustainability In Your Ear features a conversation about the future of recycling, circular economies, the business value of preserving resources, and the power consumers have to drive companies to embrace environmental values. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Trey Granger, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe discuss producer responsibility laws, global access to waste removal services (more than half of the human species does not have regular trash pickup), and the viab...
Mar 18, 2019•54 min
The Sustana Group is a pioneer in paper recycling. The company's Rolland division started producing recycled paper decades ago and now provides annual sustainability and production lifecycle assessments of its supply chain to ensure customers have all the necessary environmental information to make a carbon-aware purchase. Today, Sustana is partnered with Starbucks and other food packaging makers to capture and separate plastic and paper fibers used in wet packaging such as coffee cups and micro...
Mar 11, 2019•18 min
The Earth911 gang sits down to talk about the water we drink, the water we use, and the consequences of extreme water-related weather events. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez and Trey Granger survived the flu and travel challenges that kept the usual group from gathering, and they talk through the growing recognition of lead, carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl used in dozens of familiar products in the water supply. California also introduced new legislation to establish a public trust ...
Mar 04, 2019•34 min
Making changes to improve the sustainability of our lives is not easy. Old habits, long-held assumptions, and preferences built over decades can keep us from making the moves that will help to reduce the CO2 and other greenhouse gas levels, as well as reduce water pollution and waste. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe tells the story of his recent conversation from a gas-guzzling sports car to an electric vehicle, a used 2016 BMW i3. He shares how his doubts about range prevented him from taking action...
Feb 25, 2019•16 min
The Green New Deal (read the actual bill) was announced with great fanfare in Washington D.C. and has received a flurry of Presidential-hopeful endorsements. But it is short on details while packed with related social goals that make it politically challenging to turn into policy. The Earth911.com reporting team sits down to talk about the Green New Deal, the important components, and the projects, technologies, and initiatives we see making progress toward a sustainable economy. Many of the rea...
Feb 18, 2019•48 min
In our continuing conversations with sustainability writers and bloggers we admire, Earth911 talks with Kathryn Kellog. She founded GoingZeroWaste.com after a personal health issue and has grown the site into a comprehensive source of sustainable living ideas. We have pointed to many of her articles, including he excellent Top 10 To Get Started Going Zero Waste, 7 Tips To Avoid Greenwashing, and her summaries of recycling and sustainability conferences. Kathryn also explains how she chooses the ...
Feb 15, 2019•19 min
With Valentine's Day around the corner, Evelyn Lopez and the Earth911 team sits down to talk about what's working in our sustainable lives, as well as what needs improvement. We explore the Reduce. Reuse, and Recycling options in curbside programs, how to apply precycling practices before shopping, and the mysteries of recycling handtool batteries and compostable plastics. Earth911 contributors Sarah Lozanova and Trey Granger share their assessments of home energy use improvement and the viabili...
Feb 04, 2019•53 min
Micaela Preston has raised a family sustainably, sharing her learning with a growing audience along the way. MindfulMomma.com, Preston's site, delivers a wide variety of how-to sustainable living articles and products that she has tested herself. From non-toxic beauty products to natural products for the home, kitchen, and bathroom, MindfulMomma.com encourages people to think before they buy. It's a practice we can all adapt to feel better about ourselves and make the best choices for the planet...
Jan 28, 2019•21 min
Greg Seaman, the founder of EarthEasy.com, had the courage to live his values. He, his wife, and son moved to an island off the Pacific Northwest coast more than 30 years ago. They lived off-grid and raised a family in a home they built from recovered wood. The Seamans settled into a comfortably challenging existence living lightly on the Earth. In 2000, he launched EarthEasy.com to share his experience and offer island-tested sustainable products. Building his own community, both on the island ...
Jan 25, 2019•23 min
It's the deepest cold of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (while in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia is being ravaged by wildfires like the American West in Summer). The Earth911 team gathers at the microphone to talk about keeping warm inside, sealing your home to prevent the cold from entering, and the best ways to take care of yourself during the winter. Green lighting tips, the best vegan slow-cooker recipes, and how to recycle antifreeze are on tap. We also explore getting involved loc...
Jan 21, 2019•48 min
Welcome to 2019 and the month of Veganuary. The Earth911 team gathers to talk about the growing Veganuary movement. People around the world are adopting a vegan diet during January and, if it goes well, embracing animal-free eating all year. We also explore the role of recycling oyster shells in the environment and the best ways to start this year's garden in January with indoor seedlings. Sarah Lozanova shares seed sprouting tips for healthier Winter eating and Trey Granger explains a cool new ...
Jan 07, 2019•36 min
It's the Sustainable New Year episode of Earth911's podcast as the team gathers around the microphone to talk impactful resolutions. What can we do to combat climate change, improve your use of renewable energy, reduce plastic pollution of the oceans, and lower CO2 emissions? What are the non-profits to support? How can we be better stewards of water? We also discuss getting involved in your community to reduce, reuse, and recycle? Getting kids and grandkids engaged wih sustainable thinking and ...
Dec 24, 2018•49 min
The Oceanic Society (oceanicsociety.org) is celebrating Pantone's Color of the Year selection, Living Coral, a vibrant message that designers will use in media around the world. Earth911 talks with Wayne Sentman, director of Conservation Travel Programs at the Oceanic Society about the state of coral and raising awareness about coral bleaching and climate change. The organization encourages people to adopt "blue habits" that will reduce pollution and overfishing, as well as to keep coral reefs a...
Dec 21, 2018•23 min
The Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business is a hotbed of innovation for the circular economy. Earth911 talks with the school's Dr. Beril Toktay and Michael Oxman about the application of sustainable practices in business and the future of careers in sustainability. If you are a student or a business owner considering how to turn green intentions into profitable practices, this is an interview that will open your eyes to many possibilities....
Dec 17, 2018•22 min
Vikram Aggarwal, founder and CEO of home solar comparison-shipping service EnergySage.com, talks with Earth911 about the costs of, and incentives available for, solar installations. The company, which provide free solar product comparisons and on-call expertise, has helped homeowners in more than 30 states get their houses off the traditional power grid. Aggarwal explains the many factors that contribute to decisions about which solar products to buy, as well as how long it typically takes to re...
Dec 14, 2018•25 min
Evelyn Fielding-Lopez and the Earth911 gang assemble at the microphone to talk about 2018's biggest recycling and sustainability stories. From climate change and environmental protection, to recycling policy in and its impact on U.S. recycling rates, it has been a year we think sets the stage for major changes. Also, what were the best green businesses in apps, retailers that use renewable energy, solar panels, and electric vehicles? We answer Earthling questions about latex paint (it can remain...
Dec 10, 2018•55 min
Dr. Kinari Webb founded Health In Harmony (healthinharmony.org) in 2005 to help illegal loggers in the Boreo rainforest stop poaching trees. In a remarkable story, she and her team have reduced the number of families that rely on illegal logging for a living by 88 percent while virtually eliminating childhood deaths in the region. You won't forget this interview.
Dec 07, 2018•17 min
Sustainability In Your Ear follows the Earth911 team to the store for a holiday shopping that doesn't damage the planet. The gang explores whether online or shopping the mall is better for the environment. Sarah Lozanova introduces five green fashion brands to look for when shopping and our new list of top electric vehicles. Trey Granger takes us on a skiing green vacation. We also talk through the questions to ask when shopping for sustainably produced jewelry, how to request less wasteful pack...
Dec 03, 2018•38 min
Evelyn Fielding-Lopez talks with Peter Mehring, cofounder and CEO of ZEST Labs, which makes produce-tracking sensors that extend the shelf-life of produce. By monitoring the condition of produce from the field to the store or restaurant, ZEST supports better decisions in the food supply chain. Learn how technology is being put to work to eliminate food waste that results in 40 percent of U.S.-grown food going unused.
Nov 30, 2018•18 min
Beth Porter, Climate and Recycling Director at Green America, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, has studied the recycling system carefully. In her new book, Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System, Porter challenges established thinking and recounts the history of the single-stream recycling system introduced decades ago in the United States. With recycling rates stuck near 34 percent in the United States, and in the face of China's National Sword contaminated recycled mate...
Nov 23, 2018•21 min
It's Thanksgiving and that means it's Thankscycling time! The Earth911 team gathers around the table to enjoy a sustainable family day of simple swaps for a healthy Thanksgiving. Sarah Lozanova explains seven Thank-worthy DIY decorations and Trey Granger explains how to recycle cooking oil. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez talks 12 ideas to reduce or eliminate food waste on Thanksgiving, and Mitch Ratcliffe explores his memories of deep-fried Turkey. We also discuss recent Earthling surveys and new innovat...
Nov 19, 2018•37 min
Arctic ice is in trouble. Leslie Field, Ph.D. founded Ice911 to build a solution to retreating ice in the Arctic, where 75 percent of the ice pack that existed in 1979. Field brings decades of high-tech work and 54 patents to the problem of restoring ice, which will contribute to cooling the atmosphere and returning the jet stream to its normal path. The non-profit has created reflective sand, which you may have seen recently on Vice's coverage of climate change. It's a white floating glass pell...
Nov 16, 2018•31 min
Heading into the holidays with a sustainable mindset, Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe get ready for guests. The gang talk about how to eliminate toxins when choosing home cleaning products, how to make your own Earth-friendly cleaning recipes, and recycling of household product such as toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and cleaning product packaging. We also look to the skies to talk about the orbiting mess humans have created on the planet's front porch. Hear the five w...
Nov 12, 2018•44 min
The Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board disappointed environmental leaders in October when it allowed largely unregulated concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to continue operating in the state. CAFOs are giant cattle, pig, and other livestock operations that have manure waste ponds, like those that overflowed in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence. Chris Wilke of Puget Sound Keepers talks to Earth911 about the ruling, its implications for public health. CAFOs pollute...
Nov 09, 2018•11 min
Marc Choyt, the founder of Reflective Jewelry, talks with Earth911 about fair trade jewelry. He recently published an extensive and critical expose on the ethical jewelry business. Sustainable and humane metal and gem mining has caught on in Europe, notably in the U.K, but has been slow to establish itself in the United States. Learn what questions to ask when buying precious metal, diamonds, and other gems to ensure that the people who produce the raw materials are able to lead safe and increas...
Nov 08, 2018•35 min
Elizabeth Sanderson, chief marketing officer at Sunflare Solar joins Earth911's Sustainability In Your Ear to talk about solar progress, the economics of solar installation, and when Capture 4 for home buyers will be available. Listen in to get the latest information about the cost and increasing efficiency of adding renewable energy to buildings and, with thin-film technology, mobile solar for cars, RVs, and other products.
Nov 05, 2018•13 min
Paige Fashoni, founder of FLUX Undies, joins Earth911 host Evelyn Fielding-Lopez to talk about reducing the number of sanitary pads and tampons, along with all the packaging waste they come with, that end up in landfills. FLUX is recently introduced functional underwear for periods, leaks, and postpartum use. Fashoni's commitment as a female founder is to revolutionize the way in which women experience periods, break the taboo around menstruation, give back to girls in developing countries, allo...
Nov 02, 2018•16 min
It's the Halloween episode of Sustainability In Your Ear. The Earth911 team gathers around the microphone to talk about the sustainable way to have Halloween fun. Get your little ghouls ready with DIY and eco-friendly costumes made with sustainable fabrics and consider healthy snacks or starting a Switch Witch tradition that lets kids trade candy for gifts. The gang also discusses how to recycle bubble wrap, EVA craft foam, and the many plastic lids and caps that seal your food and drinks. Find ...
Oct 29, 2018•47 min
Greg Lettieri, co-founder of New York City-based RTS is bringing a variation on Uber's playbook to recycling. RTS connects local recycling haulers with business recyclers in several states, delivering recycling training and services to employees along with a complete accounting of what happens to materials after they are picked up. By focusing on the logistics of recycling, RTS enables flexible business solutions that have improved recycling rates at Citi Field in New York and Nationals Stadium ...
Oct 26, 2018•19 min
The Hytch app is a clever approach to incenting ridesharing and carpooling. Mark Cleveland, founder and CEO of Hytch joins Sustainability In Your Ear to explain how the company is working with employers, cities, and non-profits to provide small payments to people who share a car on the way to work.
Oct 22, 2018•18 min
