Forward Radio podcasts

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, dives into the community discussion about the future of the Nia Center at 2900 W Broadway in the West End, with two guests who truly understand the value of the Nia Center and are working to implement a collaborative plan to save it from destruction and redevelopment. Shaun Spencer is a Nia Center tenant and owner of My HUB Print Center, and Timothy Cox is President of the West Louisville Dream Team (https://www.facebook.com/share/15QUpdZjic/). Get in touch with them at [email protected] and find the petition to Save the Nia Center at https://www.change.org/p/save-the-nia-center

Tune in for a conversation about the history of the Nia Center and its purpose; what recent events led to the attempted sale of the property; what the community (residents, customers and tenants) want to see for a future, reimagined Nia Center; and what the West Louisville Dream Team’s proposal to purchase the building looks like.

Learn more about the NIA Center (https://louisvilleky.gov/government/nia-center)


As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com

Hear the second half of a speech given by Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences. Her 'State of the Science' talk was given to the NAS assembly on June 3, 2025. On our show last week, Dr. McNutt discussed the threats to US leadership in research and development. This week she discusses what can be done to reverse these threats. To hear her entire talk (and see the graphs and figures) watch it on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENzD7eVtZA

‘Bench Talk: The Week in Science’ is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BenchTalkRadio/posts/?ref=page_internal

K.A. Owens interviews Maxwell Mitchell, a well known activist, live-streamer and broadcaster. They discuss Conflict Avoidance, the types of activism Max has seen during his travels across America, the consent decree as applied to the Louisville Metro Police Department and a sentencing hearing as applied to the Breonna Taylor case. Recorded Saturday July 12, 2025, 1PM.

This week on Truth to Power, we bring you an important conversation about the siting of utility-scale solar power plants in Kentucky! Tune in to hear from one of our Commonwealth’s most well-known environmental lawyers, Tom "Fitz" FitzGerald, on “Siting Solar Facilities.” This community conversation took place online on June 13th, and it kicked off the 2025 season of the Kentucky Environmental Leadership Institute (KELI), a free, virtual series from Kentucky Resources Council designed to equip local leaders and engaged residents with tools to influence environmental decisions in their communities.

In this session, KRC’s former Director and current Of Counsel, Tom FitzGerald breaks down the critical (and often confusing) topic of solar siting. He explains how large-scale solar facilities are approved, why local land use rules matter, and how community members can help shape smart, people-centered development.

Watch a recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBey0DRivXY

Learn more: https://www.kyrc.org

Contact : [email protected]

On Truth to Power each week, we gather people from around the community to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else!

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, takes a deep breath with Jenna Riemenschneider, Vice-President of Advocacy and Policy at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (https://aafa.org/). In addition to covering the causes of asthma, its connections to air pollution, and what listeners can do to help mitigate it, we take a look at current threats to federal funding to address asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and the rates are rising in adults as well. As the Congressional budget process moves forward, it is important to understand the impact of the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program (NACP) on our state and the President’s FY 2026 Discretionary Budget Request.

The administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” goal of addressing chronic illness and promoting personal responsibility has mentioned asthma. But the President’s budget proposal does not invest in asthma prevention and treatment. In fact, the NACP is at risk of elimination. The program was affected by “Reductions in Force” (RIFs) at the Department of Health and Human Services that occurred on April 1. While positions at the NACP have now been reinstated, the program is not included in the President’s proposed budget and is slated to be eliminated — not because of performance, but because it was assumed duplicative under internal restructuring. But the NACP is not redundant. It is the only federal program solely focused on asthma prevention and surveillance. No other federal initiative plays this role.

Congress holds the power of the purse. If lawmakers do not include specific funding for the NACP in the FY26 Labor-HHS appropriations bill, the program could be eliminated—despite its long history of bipartisan support and strong outcomes. Nearly 400,000 Kentucky adults and 47,000 children have asthma. During the 2021–2022 school year, there were 39,213 students diagnosed with asthma, making it the most common chronic health condition in Kentucky schools. The Kentucky Asthma Management Program (KAMP) – funded by NACP – created a school-focused program that showed a 97% increase in improved school nurse knowledge of asthma care changes, medications, and administration. KAMP programs reduced pediatric uncontrolled asthma by 35% and improved asthma outcomes for more than 10,000 children. Kentucky receives just over $500,000 a year from the NACP each year and the funded programs save the state more than $36 million a year in reduced health care costs.

Asthma is one of the most common and costly diseases in the U.S., affecting over 28 million Americans, including about 5 million children. Without prevention, costs will rise—especially for emergency care and hospitalizations. The NACP has a proven return on investment. It saves $71 for every $1 spent by preventing unnecessary ER visits and improving disease management. That’s exactly the kind of smart, efficient spending taxpayers expect. Cutting NACP means higher Medicaid and Medicare spending. States will see more ER visits, and higher long-term costs for both public and private insurers. Asthma leads to lost productivity. Asthma is a leading reason for missed school days, which not only affects a student’s academic performance but also causes missed work days for parents and guardians.


As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com

Today’s Solutions to Violence program is the first part of a 2 part series that features two extraordinary Kentucky civil right leaders. Bill Allison, a long-time attorney that has worked cooperatively with the Kentucky’s American Civil Liberty Union and Dr. Cate Fosl, University of Louisville emeritus history professor, former director of U of L’s Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies department, former director of the University of Louisville Anne Braden institute and author of several books including Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle Racial Justice during the Cold War. Both Bill Allison and Cate FOSL were the keynote Speakers at the Lyman T. Johnson Dinner sponsored by the Louisville Democratic Socialist of America and held at Louisville’s 1st Unitarian Church June 28th, 2025. The Lyman T. Johnson dinner was established for the purpose of honoring Bill Allison and raising funds for constructing a new building for the Democratic Socialist of America, Louisville chapter. Today’s Solutions to Violence program will feature Bill Allison.

As explained by the American Civil Liberty Union of Kentucky’s executive director Amber Duke, Bill Allison was a cooperative ACLU attorney who began his law career with the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF), an organization closely connected with Carl and Anne Braden. SCEF was a Southern civil rights organization, and so, from the beginning of his career, Allison was involved in civil rights and civil liberties litigation. States Bill Allison “All of the different freedom efforts that we take for granted today came out of the struggle against segregation that had been going on for a long time.”

K.A. Owens interviews actor, writer, activist Michael T. about the first 7 months of the 2nd Trump Administration.

On June 3rd, Dr. Marcia McNutt (President of the National Academy of Sciences) spoke on 'The State of the Science' in the U.S. According to Dr. McNutt 'America can’t be great without great science – which is fundamental to U.S. economic growth, national security, and the prosperity and well-being of all our citizens. In my address, I hope to provide a clear picture of the current trends in the research enterprise, likely outcomes, and ways that the scientific community can respond to this new and challenging environment.' We will present the second half of her talk on our next episode. To hear the entire lecture (with accompanying charts/figures) you can watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENzD7eVtZA.

We also hear from Scott Miller (physics/astronomy professor at Maysville Community and Technical College in Maysville, KY) about what sights we can see in the night sky in the month of July.

‘Bench Talk: The Week in Science’ is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BenchTalkRadio/posts/?ref=page_internal

Farah Mokhtareizadeh has a degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She also has a Masters and PhD in Feminist Islamic Studies from a Catholic university in Irland. She has traveled and worked in a number of middle East countries as well as Africa. Farah Mokhtareizadeh explains the history, the current government and the culture of Iran. That history, government and culture is vastly different than the explanation given by American mainline news.

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, goes growth-busting with Dave Gardner, co-host of the GrowthBusters podcast, which is all about coming to terms with limits to growth (https://growthbusters.org) and producer of the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth (http://www.growthbustersmovie.org/). Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we’re exploring ways to recover from growth addition. We’re here to help you come to terms with limits to growth. Whether it’s lifestyle, science or politics, we dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of sustainable living. It’s all about ending our culture’s love affair with “more,” which is not making us happier and is killing our planet. No half-hearted greenwashing here; we share the often brutal and sometimes joyful truth!

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” His co-host and daughter, Stephanie Gardner, earned her masters in environmental law and policy, and describes herself as a “sustainable energy nerd.” After 35 years as a professional filmmaker producing a PBS series and films for Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola USA and IBM, Dave Gardner decided to lend his media expertise to preserving and defending Mother Earth. He started researching sustainability to produce the 2011 documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. The tagline for that film was, “One man takes on City Hall, Wall Street, presidents and prime ministers, as he questions society’s most fundamental beliefs about prosperity.” The film was honored by over a dozen film festivals around the world and was chosen Best Film in the Population Institute’s 2013 Global Media Awards. His short film, Spaceship Earth Passenger Safety Briefing, was selected for inclusion in the 2015 Wild & Scenic Film Festival.

Today, Dave co-hosts the GrowthBusters podcast after co-hosting The Overpopulation Podcast from 2015 to 2021. He also produced the 2015-2017 syndicated radio series and podcast, Conversation Earth. As if that’s not enough, he also ran for U.S. President in 2024 with a “Dave the Planet” platform. As Dave puts it, “we face an ecological overshoot emergency that demands we stop making dead-planet decisions and start down a bright-future pathway."


As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com