Allergies, autism, autoimmune disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes are undeniably on the rise in our country. There are millions of us, including thousands of medical professionals, who believe that so much of what’s causing this phenomenon is the sheer number of chemicals we are exposed to daily. Enter Moms Across America . Their mission is to raise awareness about toxic exposure, empower leadership, and create healthy communities. Join me to hear about who they are and how they are spreading their message of caring about families and community. They are passionate about educating all of us on topics such as avoiding GMOs/toxic pesticides and how to improve the health of our communities. Moms committed to a better, healthier future for their kids? Unstoppable indeed.

Dr. Rupa Marya is on a passionate mission: inviting and urging us to radically re-envision and expand our concept of medicine to encompass and address the health impacts of poverty, racism and environmental toxicity. She has been working to make visible the health issues at the nexus of racism and state violence in a myriad of ways: her medical work; The Justice Study (national research investigating the health effects of police violence on Black, Brown and other disenfranchised communities); helping set up a free community clinic for the practice of decolonized medicine under Lakota leadership at Standing Rock (the Mni Wiconi Health Clinic); and international outreach with her band, Rupa and the April Fishes. Exciting, impactful, cutting edge – join us.

Bob Langert is a dynamic individual with an insightful story to share. We had the honor of personally meeting Bob at the February 2019 GreenBiz  gathering and look forward to sharing his message with you. McDonald’s leadership, stewardship and innovation are mind blowing. Their partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund has been nothing short of amazing and led the way for the fast food industry to take many different, more sustainable paths in a myriad of areas.  We are ready to listen and learn, as Bob Langert shares his “inside edition” journey with McDonald’s as their leader in Corporate Social and Sustainability efforts for over 25 years.

Providing healthy, high quality food and products as locally and sustainably produced as possible is the number one goal for the Food Conspiracy Co-op – and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact they have in the Tucson community. They are a thriving, ethical, environmentally conscious and cooperatively owned business that educates citizens about health, food, the environment and how to become involved in cooperatives. John Glennon, who’s the Co-op’s general manager will share with us the important accomplishments of the Food Conspiracy, why investment in cooperatives is essential to our future and how we can get engaged. This show made possible due to the generous support of the Food Conspiracy Co-op.

A powerful step you can take to save money on your electric bill is shifting when you use power in your home. Shifting your usage away from the few “on-peak” hours (when most power is being pulled from the grid) can make a tremendous difference in the amount you pay every month – and it conserves energy for the overall health of the planet. Richard Bachmeier shares important insights about peak hours – what is on and off – and tips you can implement to shift your usage. Useful information to keep money in your wallet and lessen your carbon footprint shared on this podcast – join us! This show made possible due to the generous support of Tucson Electric Power.

Agnese Nelms Haury was a dedicated philanthropist with a passion for investing in innovative scholarship. During her life, she supported a wide range of people and organizations working on social and environmental justice. Now her legacy lives on and continues to impact thousands of lives in intentional and meaningful ways. The Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, at the University of Arizona, supports people working to protect our planet and ensure justice for those who inhabit it. The programs they fund transform societies through intentional, strategic partnerships and scholarships. Cross-cutting, remarkable, socially just and impactful can be used to describe the work of this program. Mary Magnotich Grier and Anna Spitz will share with us more about how the legacy Mrs. Haury left embodies her vision that all people live more sustainable lives through confronting together the environmental challenges of this century. This show made possible due to the generous support of Agnes Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, University of Arizona

Google “fast fashion” and you will see pages of articles about the fashion industry’s negative impact on the environment and on the people who make our clothes. Luckily, more brands are becoming aware of the role they can play to reduce the use of natural resources or rethink how they create fashions. Here a story of thought leadership and partnership on this podcast. Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona and Pima Community College challenged the Fashion Textile students to put what they were learning into practice by creating a fashion collection. The result? GoodWow Fashion with upcycled and reused materials from Goodwill thrift stores was born. Students created 14 looks which will proudly be showcased by a walk down the runway at Pima Community College Fashionarte Show 2019. This show made possible due to the generous support of Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.

Monica Gagliano, PhD Research Associate Professor, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia

From ancient myths to modern blockbuster movies, humanity has recounted countless stories in which a seemingly inert vegetal world suddenly comes to life to express itself like a person. What if these stories were more than the fruit of vivid imaginations and were based on an underlying truth? Get ready to learn how Monica Gagliano has courageously illuminated the revolutionary new field of Plant Bioacoustics. She’ll share startling cutting-edge research and show how contemporary science has finally begun lifting the veil of our assumptions by beginning to attune its ears to vegetal “voices.” She believes this new paradigm will expand our perspectives to provide us with imaginative new solutions to our current eco-cultural predicaments and we will learn why. Monica is fun, fabulous and a force.

As a global community, emphasis has been placed on the importance of recycling and sharing a collective pride about recycling efforts. What is more important and to which we need to shift the spotlight is the first “R” – REDUCE. It is no secret that plastic is polluting our oceans and rivers, taking over our landfills and what many people are not aware of, impacting the food we eat and, in turn our health.  What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by educating ourselves about the overuse of single use items – especially plastic and by committing to practicing the first “R” to reduce our use. With Earth Day just a few days away, join us to get your green on and get ready to take your next steps in working towards a healthier planet, a healthier community and a healthier YOU! This show made possible due to the generous support of the City of Tucson Department of Environmental and General Services .

David Kroodsma, Director of Research, Global Fishing Watch

Digital maps, when they are well designed and used ethically, hold the power to help bring context to complex environmental and humanitarian issues and move the needle on some of our most pressing challenges. David Kroodsma is the Research Director at Global Fishing Watch and manages collaborations with 11 institutions to use big data and machine learning to answer critical questions about marine biology, economics, and policy. What are the global patterns of fishing? How is the revolution in satellites and “big data” machine learning techniques revolutionizing how fishing and environmental resources are monitored? How little do we actually know about fishing in the world’s oceans and how is that changing? Join us to learn the what, the how, and the impact of their important work.