Go Green Radio

Today we will talk with two experts on IAQ in schools about the magnitude of the problem in American schools and what can be done. In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can impact their health, but indoor air pollution can also have significant and harmful health effects. EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants are of particular concern, because most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Some of the consequences of poor indoor air quality in schools are: increased long-and short-term health problems for students and staff; spread of airborne infectious diseases; degraded student learning environment, which affects c

Environmental justice (EJ) communities are on the frontlines of the adverse impacts of climate change and are disproportionately exposed to a wide range of polluting industries, including fossil fuel infrastructure like coal plants, natural gas plants, and pipelines. Will the use of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) mechanisms and hydrogen co-firing in the power sector will further harm EJ communities that are already overburdened? According to Dr. Nicky Sheats John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University, “EPA’s proposed rule all but recognizes that CCS and hydrogen co-firing will add to toxic air pollution in communities living near power plants, and this is unacceptable when such communities already live with an unfair share of cumulative impacts from pollution.” Tune in as we examine the ramifications of allowing CCS and hydrogen co-firing for America’s most vulnerable populations.

Today we’ll be joined by the CEO of Cleancult, Ryan Lupberger and the CRO of Boxed Water, Robert Keonen, to discuss their companies’ strategies to eliminate plastic waste from waste stream with sustainable packaging solutions. Cleancult is the first company in the world to successfully package soaps and detergents into 100% recyclable paper-based cartons, prioritizing refilling over landfilling. Consumers using the Cleancult system reduce plastic waste by 90% compared to traditional cleaning brands. Boxed Water’s paper-based cartons are 92% renewable and less destructive to our planet than single-use plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Tune in to learn more about how these companies are tackling one of the most significant environmental issues of our day: plastic pollution.

Testicular cancer. Kidney cancer. Liver damage. These are just a few of the effects of PFAS on human health. Today we’re joined by Dr. Scott Bartell, Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health at UC Irvine, to discuss what every person should know about the risks to their health caused by exposure to PFAS chemicals. We will also discuss guidance for medical doctors whose patients have elevated levels of PFAS in their blood. We will also be joined by Andrew Patterson from Eurofins to discuss how you can have your blood tested for a wide range of PFAS chemicals.

New laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group found four water filters that reduce the detected “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in sampled drinking water by nearly 100 percent. The results come as the U.S. Geological Survey announced alarming findings that almost half of the nation’s tap water has been contaminated by one or more of the 32 individual PFAS for which the agency tested. The pervasiveness of these hazardous substances in our drinking water highlights the urgent need for effective filtration solutions. Tune in as we talk with Sydney Evans, a science analyst at Environmental Working Group (EWG) who led the water filter testing project.

A new study by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist and collaborators shows that nearly all the recent increase in California summer wildfire burned area is attributable to human-caused (anthropogenic) climate change. Anthropogenic simulations yielded burn areas an average of 172% higher than natural variation simulations. The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tune in as we talk with one of the co-authors of the article, Dr. Don Lucas.

The Center for Green Schools, in partnership with the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, released a new report highlighting the need for state-level legislation that enhances and broadens climate change education in all K-12 schools. The report, State-Level Legislation Concerning K-12 Climate Change Education, along with an accompanying executive summary, provides detailed talking points with citations for making the case, essential elements of climate change education legislation, a model state bill framework, and profiles examples of legislation that supports climate change education. Tune in as we speak with the authors of the report, Anisa Heming and Dr. James Elder.

The Lomakatsi Restoration Project in Alturas, California recently won the $20,000 Edge Prize — a new prize celebrating exceptional projects from Alaska to California which work towards creating resilient communities in the face of climate change. The Lomakatsi Restoration Project engages youth in learning how to build fire-adapted forests and communities. The model creates meaningful, living-wage work that provides a foundation for the next generation of workers in forest product and ecological restoration industries. Tune in as we talk with the organization’s Founder & Executive Director, Marko Bay, and the Tribal Partnerships Director, Belinda Brown!

In May 2023, Washington State Department of Ecology Director Laura Watson signed new rules that, for the first time ever, ban toxic chemicals—including PFAS, phthalates, flame retardants, and bisphenols—put in plastic electronic casings, vinyl flooring, and beverage liners, among other products. These new rules conclude the first cycle of regulations as part of Safer Products for Washington, the nation’s strongest law regulating toxic chemicals in products—a major source of contamination in our homes, food, waterways, and bodies. Our guest today is Cheri Peele, Sr. Projects Manager with Toxic-Free Future, and she will help us understand how this groundbreaking piece of legislation could be the bellwether for greater consumer protection nationwide.

As auto and oil industry companies bet on an EV filled future, many are now directly sourcing raw materials (such as lithium) for EV batteries themselves. And while the future of transportation is definitely going green, will gas-powered cars simply be replaced by electric ones or will the transportation industry experience other changes as well? What might drive those changes and what can we expect to see? Tune in as we talk with Bill Klehm, Chairman and CEO of eBliss, a leader in eMobility transportation solutions. With over two decades of experience in the transportation and automotive industries, Bill can explain what the predicament around sourcing EV materials means from both a business and eMobility advocate perspective, why electric cars might not be so popular in the future, and how the way we think about transportation will change as more eMobility options become mainstream.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law the first-ever ban in the U.S. on PFAS “forever chemicals” in cookware, dental floss, and menstrual products as part of the broadest PFAS policy package in the country. The new law bans all uses of PFAS in products by 2032—except those that are necessary for public health, requires manufacturers to report their use of PFAS in products to the state by 2026, and bans specific uses in several products starting in 2025. Our guest today is Avonna Starck, State Director, Minnesota Clean Water Action, who will discuss the significance of the bill and the ongoing work to protect our health from the dangers associated with PFAS exposure.

California Assemblymember Laura Friedman authored a bill signed into law in 2022 that will prohibit the entire class of PFAS, a.k.a. “forever chemicals,” from cosmetic products sold in the state of CA. We will discuss the expected ramifications of that legislation, as well as the public policy she champions to combat climate change. As Chair for the Assembly Committee on Transportation and the bicameral Environmental Caucus, Assemblywoman Friedman has her finger on the pulse of the most pressing environmental issues facing the Golden State.

California State Senator Ben Allen chairs the Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee and co-chairs the Legislature’s Environmental Caucus. As the author of SB 54, Ben continues to pursue ambitious policies that address the plastics pollution crisis. He has also worked to bolster the state’s climate resiliency by proposing a measure to invest in preparation for extreme weather and other climate-related events like wildfires, floods, and mudslides. Among other things, his committee is tasked with overseeing the state’s aggressive climate goals. Tune in as we talk with Senator Allen about his legislative agenda, and how California’s public policy makers are working to address the most pressing environmental issues facing the state.

Our guest today is a candidate for Philadelphia City Council and a father of three kids (ages 5, 9 and 10), and he just might change the way you think about sanitation workers. Less than three months after accepting the position as laborer for the Philadelphia Sanitation Department, Terrill Haigler became an essential worker. To bridge the gap between residents and sanitation workers he created the Instagram page @_yafavtrashman to give residents an inside look as to what sanitation workers experience during the pandemic, and became a viral sensation. Tune in as we talk about Terrill’s unique perspective on city sanitation, public policy, and ways to engage urban youth in creating a cleaner, safer community.

California’s new Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54) may be the most consequential Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation in a generation. By 2032, the law requires a 25% reduction of single-use plastic packaging and foodservice products; all single-use packaging and foodware (including non-plastic items) be recyclable or compostable; and a 65% recycling rate for plastics. Today we’ll talk with one of a handful of people “in the room where it happened” about how plastic producers agreed to come to help enact this legislation. Heidi Sanborn is the founding Executive Director of the National Stewardship Action Council, and she will also discuss how EPR and managing waste are finally being considered important to addressing climate change.

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities have been fighting superbugs for years, but they made a resurgence during the pandemic. Superbugs are resistant to antibiotics, and can cause fatal infections, especially among vulnerable populations like hospitalized patients already weakened by serious illness. To date, many of the “solutions” involved harsher and more dangerous chemical cleaning solutions that were harmful to both patients and custodial staff. Today we’ll speak with co-founder and CEO of Viking Pure Solutions about their revolutionary technology that effectively cleans and disinfects without toxic chemicals.

Keeping food waste out of landfills is one of the most significant ways to combat climate change, and recovering edible food for human consumption is one of the most significant ways to combat hunger. Therma is a tech startup that aims to combat food waste with an IoT solution to keep food at safe temperatures. Therma technology is currently deployed across 5,000+ restaurants, retailers and manufacturers with leading brands including Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, TGI Fridays, Chick-fil-A, 7-Eleven, Wyndham Hotels and NOW Foods. Tune in as we talk with Manik Suri, the company’s founder and CEO.

We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Today we’ll take that a step further… “you are what your food ate.” Pesticides and herbicides can impact the plants on which we rely for nutrients, and those same plants coupled with antibiotics fed to livestock can impact the meat in our diet. The plants and animals in our diet imbibe what is in the soil and food that nourishes them, and is passed on to us. How does that impact our health, and what are our alternatives? Tune in today as we discuss these questions and more with the authors of a new book, What Your Food Ate!

Sustainability in schools includes school meals! Tune in today as we speak with the Senior Director of School Nutrition for the Camden City School District (CCSD) in NJ, Arlethia Brown, MBA, CPFM. She will discuss the many ways she has incorporated sustainability principles into the healthy, appetizing food she and her staff serve the children in Camden, NJ. We will also discuss CCSD’s sustainability work beyond school nutrition in areas like energy conservation and facilities management.

Today we’ll talk to Rodney Williams, Director of Energy and Sustainability for the Newark public school district, a.k.a. Newark Board of Education (NBOE). In recent years, Rodney has led the largest school district in New Jersey to achieve prestigious and rigorous awards in school sustainability. Tune in and listen to his pro tips that can be replicated in school districts across the U.S.!