Mothering Earth Podcast

Mothering Earth-142-Plastic Dreams

While consumers are trying to cut down on the use of plastics, the oil, gas and petrochemical companies are ramping up their plastic production. In her new book, award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner details the plastic industries manipulation of consumers and the government, while continuing to damage the environment in multiple ways. The book is "Plastic, Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil’s Biggest Bet".

Mothering Earth-141-Iowa Farms Pollution

Amidst the cornfields and hog barns of Iowa is the town of Storm Lake, where Art Cullen is editor and co-owner of the local newspaper, the Storm Lake Times Pilot. Cullen is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist whose new book calls attention to the environmental damage resulting from agriculture and climate to the soil, water and air in Iowa. The book is titled "Dear Marty, We Crapped in Our Nest: Notes from the Edge of the World".

Mothering Earth-140-Plant-Based Meals

What is a just and sustainable food system? It is a question many people struggle with, but for the organization Mercy For Animals (MFA), it is clearly defined. It is a system that produces positive results for people, for animals and for our earth and environment. To that end they work to end factory-farming and to promote plant-based food. MFA is working with restaurants, corporate food service institutions, and our national parks to provide plant-based meals to the public. In this program, you’ll hear from Jennifer Behr, Director of Plant-Based Initiatives at MFA, about the remarkable success they are having.

Mothering Earth-139-Fenceline Watch

The Houston, Texas ship channel area is home to hundreds of petroleum and petrochemical facilities. These include refineries, and plants that produce the materials that will become the millions of tons of plastic items produced each year. They also produce toxic emissions that pollute the air, water and soil and that endanger the health of all area residents. Fenceline Watch is a community-based environmental justice group whose leaders live in the same area. You’ll hear from Yvette Arellano, Founder and Director and Shiv Srivastava, Policy Director of Fenceline Watch, both of whom work to expose the toxic harm that their community faces daily, and the conditions that exist to protect the companies responsible for the pollutants.

Mothering Earth-138-Ripple: Reintegrating With Nature

For generations, we humans have been taught that we are superior to the rest of nature, that we alone can reshape all of nature and the environment, to serve our needs, which leads to a sense of separation from nature. At the same time humans have a need to connect and be in nature. In this program, we explore those competing ideas and how they shape our lives, with author William Powers. His latest book is Ripple: An Intimate Exchange of Urgency and Hope Between An Ecologist and His Daughter, which is largely made up of communications between Powers and his young daughter as they navigate a path to reintegrating with nature.