Permaculture is a way of growing food that works with nature, to minimize waste and to use energy, water and human labor efficiently. It requires careful observation of the natural landscape, to determine how to best use the available water, land, sunlight and climate to achieve abundant harvests. In this program you’ll meet a remarkable woman, Rosemary Morrow, who has taught permaculture principles literally all over the world, and who has adapted them to work in war-torn places, and even in refugee camps.

Mothering Earth- 82 - Permaculture with Rowe Morrow

A food forest is a public green space where anyone can come, and not only enjoy relaxing among the trees and flowers, but where anyone can pick and eat the fruit from the trees, and harvest herbs, flowers and other fresh produce. 

Food forests require people in a caring community, who are willing to put in the hard work of creating the space, and maintaining it for the enjoyment of others. In this program, you’ll meet two remarkable people who are instrumental in creating food forests, one in Austin, Texas, and the other in the Bronx, New York.

Mothering Earth - 90 - Food Forest Champions

Most of the animal food products you buy come from what are called factory farms. That includes your beef, chicken, turkey, and pork, as well as eggs and dairy products. The animals in these “farms” live miserable lives in horrible conditions and have a one-way ticket to the slaughterhouse.
 
Compassion in World Farming is an organization dedicated to ending factory farming, and to educating people about animal welfare, air, water and land pollution, human health, and social justice issues which are inextricably intertwined in factory farming.

Meet Allie Molinaro, campaigns coordinator for Compassion in World Farming. She is both very knowledgeable and passionate about this topic.

Mothering Earth -93 - Compassion in World Farming

We all need a place to live, but the type of housing we choose has an effect on the environment. Ideally, our housing choices have minimal impact on the environment, on the land, the quality of the air and water and on the wildlife that are our neighbors. 

That’s the topic of discussion with my guest Sarah Simpson, who is an architect and co-founder of Color Space Architecture and Urban Design. Her philosophy is one of working with the ecology of a region when designing multi-family housing and live-work units. 

Some of Simpson’s ideas challenge common misconceptions about multi-family versus single-family housing and their resulting environmental effects.

Mothering Earth -101- Sustainable Housing

Compared to meat-based diets, plant-based diets are significantly less harmful to the environment in terms of greenhouse gases produced, and air, soil and water pollution, and use far fewer natural resources such as soil and water. With the world’s population growing every day, there is simply no way our planet can sustain an increased demand for meat.  

Plant-based diets are also far healthier, considering the many diet-related diseases prevalent in the United States.

Our planet and the world population require a dramatic course change in which meat and dairy consumption gives way to a plant-based sustainable diet. There are ways to do that and my guest Mark Rifkin will get you on your way.

Mothering Earth -102- Sustainable Diet

Alleys have a reputation for being places to avoid. We may think of them as dangerous, dark, uninviting, places where you do not want to linger for long, if at all.

But alleys are experiencing a dramatic makeover, turning them into environmentally friendly places with permeable hard surfaces replacing solid asphalt, and with greenery, places to sit and artwork on the walls.

Instead of avoiding them, people flock to them, to enjoy them as pleasant public spaces where concerts are held, or where vendors and food trucks pop up on weekends.
 
They are called green alleys and that’s what we’re talking about in this edition of Mothering Earth.

Mothering Earth - 103 - Green Alleys

Pollution of the Earth’s waterways and oceans by discarded plastic products and by microplastics that soak up toxic chemicals is a growing problem that is harmful to ocean and river life and to humans. It is not going away soon. In fact, the manufacture of plastic products is on the increase.

So what can we do? Each of us can take responsibility for our own use of plastic products, and find ways to cut down or eliminate plastics from our lives. 

But we also need wider worldwide solutions and Mothering Earth’s featured guest, Doug Woodring, has been working on this issue on a global basis. He has some innovative ideas and projects, that need to be more widely adopted.

Mothering Earth - 104 - Ocean Plastics

Water is essential to life in so many ways, and water is the focus of the Wyland Foundation. You may know of the artist named Wyland, who has spent years creating enormous murals featuring whales and other marine life on the walls of buildings all over the world. His foundation promotes stewardship of marine resources and water conservation through several programs including the National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation.

This edition of Mothering Earth features Steve Creech, President of the Wyland Foundation, who provides insight into Wyland, the artist, and into how the foundation reflects Wyland’s passion for the protection of oceans and for water conservation

Mothering Earth - 105 - Water Conservation

What if you knew that a particular industry was polluting our waterways, land and air, yet nothing was being done about it?  The industry is animal agriculture, specifically CAFOs, concentrated animal feeding operations, with cows, chickens, and pigs. 

The dangerous pollution, which comes from the tons of excrement produced each day by these animals, has been happening for years, yet the Environmental Protection Agency does next to nothing. State legislatures do what they can to protect the polluters and the public averts their eyes.

In this Mothering Earth program, you’ll learn about CAFOs, and what you can do to change this situation.

Mothering Earth-107-CAFOs and the EPA

Like many other creatures, populations of frogs, toads and salamanders, which are classified as amphibians, are in decline. Amphibians have many important functions in the environment. For example, their permeable skin which is affected by drought and toxic substances, makes them excellent indicators of the health of valuable ecosystems like forests and wetlands.

Research scientists are monitoring the health of amphibian populations, in an effort to understand and halt their decline. In this edition of Mothering Earth, we’ll learn about amphibians, and what we can do to protect these vulnerable members of our planet.

Mothering Earth -108-Amphibians

Most people may not think much about where the wood they use in building projects comes from, but Jordan Zettle aims to change that. Zettle is the Green Markets Manager at an organization called Sustainable Northwest and their focus is in sourcing wood from forestlands that are sustainably managed. 

They work with tribal communities and other landowners who care deeply about all of nature contained in a forest, and who take seriously their stewardship of the land.

Mothering Earth-109-Reforestation

People who live in cities in marginalized neighborhoods rarely own land on which they can grow their own food. Generally, their food comes from corner stores which may not stock fresh fruits and vegetables. They may not own a car, and so cannot drive to a full-service grocery store. 
All these factors combine to make access to fresh fruits and vegetables almost impossible for many people.  

In this program, you’ll meet Larry Franklin, who wants to change that. He began a project called Black Lives Veggies to teach young people in his neighborhood how to plant, grow and harvest fresh vegetables. It’s been a long and difficult journey in this young man’s life, but he continues to persevere.

Mothering Earth-110-Black Lives Veggies

When you think of perennial crops, you may think of fruit or nut trees, not plants like wheat or rice, which are traditionally planted every year. An organization called The Land Institute, based in Salina, Kansas is hoping to change that. They have been at work developing perennial grain and legume crops. 

You may wonder why? Perennial crops have many advantages. They have economic and environmental benefits by requiring less, or no, pesticides and fertilizers, and they can reduce carbon pollution, prevent erosion of the soil and, like trees, hold carbon in the soil.

Mothering Earth-111-Perennial Grain Crops

The world’s oceans are suffering from pollution by everything from plastics to dangerous chemicals and oil spills, and from industrial overfishing.  Fish populations are being depleted almost to extinction. Plastics and their progeny, microplastics, are in the ocean water and in seafood, but also in us humans, in our blood, our lungs, even our brains.  

It's not a pretty picture, but there are people working for change. One of those people is my guest in this edition of Mothering Earth. She is Joanie Steinhaus, Ocean Director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network.

Mothering Earth-112-Protecting Ocean Life

Billions of pounds of food go to waste every year in the United States and in other parts of the world. It is an astounding number, especially when you consider all the precious resources, like water, that goes into producing that food. Then there are all the greenhouse gases going up into our air, from farm machinery, and from vehicles used to transport the food to factories and stores. And all the time and effort of countless farmers and other workers. Processed food has an even larger carbon footprint, because of the fuels used to power factories to produce those potato chips that you left on your plate at the restaurant.

It's a gigantic problem that requires solutions, and that’s what a team of researchers is working on. Their work is funded by the National Science Foundation and in this program, we’ll find out what they are doing.

Mothering Earth-113-Food Waste

The numbers vary, but we can safely say that there are at least forty-thousand chemicals used in consumer products in the United States. They are found in everything from food and water to furniture, household and personal care products, clothing, appliances, cars, houses, pretty much in everything! An article in the Guardian online, states that fewer than one percent of those chemicals have been tested for safety, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

At the same time, various cancers, autoimmune diseases, and allergies afflict many people. It seems wise to be alarmed, or at least, cautious.

In this edition of Mothering Earth, guest Amy Ziff talks about the nonprofit organization, MADE SAFE®, which she founded, and which has catalogued reliable scientific studies on multiple chemicals that are commonly found in our everyday lives. Many of these chemicals are toxic, yet companies continue to use them. MADE SAFE® works with companies that want to make products that don’t contain toxins. Their website provides valuable information to consumers on the toxins, and you can find a variety of products that have been certified as free from toxic chemicals.

Mothering Earth-114-MadeSafe

In our second show with Amy Ziff of MADE SAFE®, a nonprofit organization that provides certification for nontoxic products, we examine the process companies must go through in order to have their products certified as safe.

Ziff also provides practical advice on eliminating as many toxins as possible from your everyday life. We find out what might be hiding behind the term fragrance, why microfiber isn’t good for you or the environment and ways of avoiding preservatives.

Amy Ziff is the founder and Executive Director of MADE SAFE®.

Mothering Earth-115-MadeSafe Part Two

Insects, bugs, pests, whatever you may call them, and whether you love or hate them, they are vital to our planet and by extension to us humans. They provide important ecosystem services by recycling dead things, by pollinating our food crops, by planting seeds, and even just by being food for other creatures, like birds.

In this program, we take a deep dive into the remarkable world of insects, to learn about their history, what they do and the pretty amazing ways in which they do it. Our guest is Dr. Scott Solomon, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Rice University.

Mothering Earth-116-Insects Part One

Insects have superpowers and unique ways of communicating with each other, without the use of cell phones. They have ways of settling disputes, no United Nations required. If you don’t believe this, listen as Dr. Scott Solomon, provides the details in this edition of Mothering Earth.

Dr. Solomon is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Rice University, and author of one The Great Courses offerings, on insects.

Mothering Earth-117-Insects Part Two

Interview with Andrea Delong Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center. We talk about native plants, designing a garden, dealing with heat-stress for plants and pollinators.

Mothering Earth 11- Plant Care

Making compost is good for our earth in many ways.  It removes items that would otherwise fester in landfills, from the waste stream, and turns that material into a rich food for soil. In this program, Texas Organic Products production manager Zach Halfin tells us about making compost on an industrial scale and about where you can buy it for your garden.

Mothering Earth - 22 - Industrial Scale Composting

Most people who plant fruit and nut trees and herbs look forward to harvesting and using their bounty by themselves, or perhaps sharing some with friends and neighbors. So imagine an urban park, planted with fruit and nut trees and other edible plants, that is completely open to the public. This is the concept of an urban food forest, where anyone can come, harvest, and enjoy what grows there.

Mothering Earth - 36 - Food Forest

Herbs are those marvelous plants we use to make our food taste better. Herbs also have a long history of being used as medicines, and if that's not enough, they are used to provide pleasant fragrance in soaps and body products, and to scent the air. On Mothering Earth, we talk to herbalist and botanist Robyn Clark to learn more about these amazing plants.

Mothering Earth - 37 - Herbs

Bats are found on every continent in the world, except Antarctica. These flying mammals are often misunderstood and persecuted, yet they perform several valuable services for us humans. In this program, Mylea Bayless of Bat Conservation International will inform and delight you with her knowledge of the amazing creatures we call bats.

MotheringEarth -42- The Amazing Bat

Discouraging egg-eating behavior by your chickens is just one of many chicken-keeping mysteries explained in part two of my conversation with avian expert Jesse Huth. Jesse also talks about how to identify other birds and birding tours that he leads.

Mothering Earth - 44- Raising Chickens Part Two

In part two of my conversation with Jenny Perez of the American Botanical Council, we delve into Hibiscus Sabdariffa, turmeric and the elegant goji berry.

Mothering Earth -46- Herbs as Medicine Part Two

What is biological integrity? It is a way of evaluating the health of an eco-system. In this program, Chris Searles, founder of a nonprofit organization called BioIntegrity, explains why it is important to preserve the biological integrity of rainforests, and the ways in which these areas of the world can contribute to holding back the damaging effects of climate change.

Mothering Earth - 49 - BioIntegrity

The production of meat, whether from cows, pigs, chickens or other animals results in serious damage to our air, water and soil. Factory-farming traps millions of animals in what critics describe as a cruel and inhumane system. In this program, we take a look at some of the effects of a meat-based diet in a conversation with author and activist Pamela Rice.

Mothering Earth - 51 -Meat Production & Environment

You have heard about phytonutrients, but may wonder what they are? Phytonutrients are substances found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and spices that have valuable antioxidant properties. What exactly will they do for you? My guest Joe Urbach negotiates the world of phytonutrients in this Mothering Earth program.

Mothering Earth - 54-  Phytonutrients

Creating soil that holds water should be the goal of all humans who take care of any land. Why?  When soil holds water, rain soaks in rather than rushing off and causing floods. This kind of soil is also better in times of drought, when soil can turn to dust and be blown away. My guest Pete Van Dyck is a restoration ecologist, and in this program talks about practical solutions to the recurring problem of drought and floods.

Mothering Earth - 55 - Drought-Proof Your Land

Weeds, insect pests, and plant diseases are problems that all gardeners face, at one time or another. My guest Judy Barrett is a well-known author and organic gardening expert, who has  a different approach than most to these common travails.

Mothering Earth -56- When Good Gardens Go Bad

Growing herbs is quite easy, as most are unfussy plants that do well in most soils and climates. But what can you do with your herbs? That's the question Judy Barrett, a well-known author and organic gardening expert, addresses, in this conversation, and in her book titled What Can I Do With My Herbs?

Mothering Earth -57- Using Herbs

Invasive species  are those that are not native to an area. They generally spread easily, thereby damaging the natural environment, and in some cases, causing harm to humans and the economy. Invasives may be plants or animals. In this program, learn about invasives, and what you can do to control their spread.

Mothering Earth - 58 - Controlling Invasive Species

Fresh water is essential to all life and it is a finite resource. Most of us don't think much about letting the water run when we wash dishes, bathe or brush our teeth. Yet, those are all examples of wasting water. In Wimberley, Texas, a new school is being built that will utilize a "one water" design. The one water concept recognizes the importance of smart water use where the building and grounds are designed to save water.

Mothering Earth - 62 - OneWater

Butterflies are magical creatures that bring joy to most people. But have you ever wondered about their lives, and about what those amazing colored wings are made of? In this program with Monarch Watch Conservation specialist Cathy Downs, we delve into the mysteries of the world of butterflies and, especially of Monarch butterflies.

Mothering Earth - 67 -  Monarch Butterfly

Dr. Salwa Khan is a media producer and educator with a deep and abiding interest in protecting our Mother Earth.  The podcast program Mothering Earth featured here is her latest effort to spread the word that we all need to mother Earth by learning to live gently and sustainably.

salwak

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