What a Waste

On this very special episode, Lucia and Tyler are joined by environmental reporter, comedian, and grad school bff Elena Bruess! Elena is the

On this week’s episode, we welcome Black Steve Irwin himself, Eeland Stribling! Eeland is a hilarious Denver-based comedian, wildlife educator and biologist, and arguably the most famous comedian fly fisher in the world/all of human existence. Eeland joins Lucia and Tyler to talk about using comedy as a tool to talk about conservation issues, his work as a wildlife technician, his love of fly fishing, and why the water is better than space. He also helps Lucia work through her deep, karmic fear of fish and crabs. Follow Eeland on Instagram and Tik Tok, and check out his series Comedians on the Fly.

You've seen photos of the smoke plume, but do you really know the whole story of the Ohio train derailment? On this episode, Lucia and Tyler talk about what EXACTLY happened in Ohio (and in states along the way) that led to 38 giant train cars carrying extremely toxic chemicals to derail and set fire in East Palestine, Ohio (50 cars were damaged in total). We cover ALL of it - how it happened, why it happened, who we should blame at the top (hint, it's mostly men making millions of dollars), how nearby towns are being affected, and who is going to pay. There's a lot of overwhelming information about this topic out there, so let Lucia and Tyler take you on this shamanic journey through railroad infrastructure and the failures of capitalism. 

Lucia and Tyler discuss the dark overlord of modern agriculture: Monsanto. They gab about how Monsanto sold Roundup with the knowledge that it was carcinogenic, creating a new brand of "farmer's cancer." They also chit-chat about the history of how Monsanto manufactured the agricultural equivalent of Frankenstein aka GMO seeds and created a monopoly on agriculture. They end the episode with a plea for anti-monopoly laws. Having a hard time staying unbiased with this one, folks!

The big dookie episode is finally here! Lucia and Tyler discuss the history of diapers, the waste footprint of disposable diapers (infants go through 12 a day!!!), and how Pampers and other diaper companies started encouraging parents to potty train their kids later in the name of "not rushing children to potty train" aka capitalism. They also talk about the cloth diaper alternatives out there. This is a fun (and stinky) one!

In honor of Thanksgiving, we’re talking MEAT. This episode starts out with Turkey facts aka an explanation of the gruesome process required to eradicate turkeys when avian flu hits a farm. Then Lucia and Tyler talk about meat and how the history of bringing meat into the US - starting with the colonists - helps explain why Americans are more obsessed with meat than in most other countries. They talk about the Union Stockyards in Chicago, conditions in the modern meatpacking industry, and the environmental footprint of eating meat vs. eating vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian. Tyler even introduces his new character, Mr. Meat. Listen on an empty stomach, or don’t! Depending on how much of a sicko you are!

Thus begins the topic of MEAT! In this first of a two-part episode, Lucia and Tyler introduce the topic of meat consumption and discuss why Americans love meat so much and love to hate vegans. Tyler also introduces his new character, Agrarian Comic.

It's Halloween and you know what is REALLY scary? The deferred maintenance needs of the Forest Preserves of Cook County! On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler talk about why Cook County and Chicago residents need to get out to the polls and vote YES for the Forest Preserves of Cook County referendum on the back of the ballot! Loosh and Ty also talk about how they're handling seasonal affective disorder (by podcasting) and Lucia explains what she means when she says the veil is too thin (hint: it sounds mostly like seasonal affective disorder). 

Learn more about the referendum here: voteyesforestpreserves.org

Make a plan to vote in the City of Chicago or Cook County, and tell others to vote YES, too!

This episode is specifically targeted at Victoria Beckham - honey you need to stop eating salmon everyday. On this week's episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler talk about why salmon populations are so severely depleted in the Pacific Northwest, and what one Indigenous Nation, the Quinault, are doing to fix it. This one has hope, folks! 

Excuse the clickbait - trees are not racist but PEOPLE are. In this week's episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler discuss how the history of the racist housing practice of redlining has led to decades of low tree canopy cover in low-income and minority neighborhoods around the country, and why those neighborhoods now have higher temperatures, increased flooding, and poorer air quality than wealthier white neighborhoods. Lucia also reveals the disturbing link between her early 20's incel period and becoming an environmentalist.