Did you know that honey bees visit two million flowers to make one pound of honey? That’s a lot of work for that sweet treat that you spread on your toast! In this program, we visit Tara Chapman, chief beekeeper at Two Hives Honey to find out what else bees do for us, and what we can do for them.

There are thousands of unique bird species on our Earth, which makes them an important part of the world’s environment. They contribute to the diversity of nature, but also delight us with their pretty feathers, chirps and songs. In this program, we’ll meet wildlife biologist Rufus Stephens to talk about birds and the things they do.

Bicycling is a fun activity for both children and adults. It has a positive effect on the environment because unlike automobiles, bikes don’t emit harmful pollutants into our atmosphere. Biking is also good for your health, as we hear from Doug Ballew, from the City of Austin Public Health department.

The term permaculture is a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture” and describes a way of thinking about food production that is both sustainable and self-sustaining. It appeals to the practical gardener who wants to design a garden where all the parts work together in a natural harmony, as you will hear in this program.

We may live in urban and suburban places, but we still crave a connection to nature, to green-spaces and to the birds and the bees. Urban horticulture is about designing cities and towns that nurture that connection, as we learn in this conversation with Dr. Alice Le Duc of Texas State University.

Food Co-ops are communities of people who care about food and the environment. In this program, Mothering Earth goes to the only food co-op in Texas--the Wheatsville Food Co-op, which is located in Austin, TX.

A staggering amount of food is wasted each year in the United States. Good edible food goes in the trash and then in the landfill, while others go hungry. On Mothering Earth, we explore this issue with Russell Cavin of Keep Austin Fed.

Dark night skies allow us to view the stars and the Milky Way, but keeping the night dark also has health benefits and affects your wallet. In this program Cindy Luongo Cassidy explains why dark night skies are so important for humans, animals and even plants.

Artists, creatives and educators alike can find repurposed materials at very low cost for projects of all kinds. Founder and Board President Rebecca Stuch takes us on a tour of this amazing resource center that helps keep valuable materials out of the land fill and available to the public.

Rain is free water falling from the sky that you can capture and use for watering your garden, and for cooking, bathing and drinking. That’s called rainwater harvesting and in this conversation with Kathi Thomas, coordinator of the Rainwater Revival educational festival, you’ll learn what you need to get started.