July 29, 2010: Protecting Urban Waterways With Roadside Rain Gardens

Seattle is a leader in Low Impact Development to control storm water. Techniques include rain gardens, green roofs, and permeable pavement that allow more rainwater to flow into the ground instead of running off and carrying pollutants into streams and Puget Sound. The 'SEA street' LID project that was built in the upper part of the Carkeek Park watershed reduced storm water flow by 99%. Today Seattle Public Utility is working to protect another waterway, Salmon Bay. Green Acre Radio brings us the story.

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July 22, 2010: The Merlin Family of Thornton Creek & The Trees That Nurture

When it comes to merlins, the predatory bird popular in falconry in medieval times, seeing them in urban Seattle seems like a stretch of the imagination. But two merlins named Thor and Spike appear to have taken up residence in a neighborhood near Thornton Creek. Green Acre Radio takes us for a visit to learn why "98115" has become the merlins' favorite urban zip code.

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July 15, 2010: Energy Tales from the Home Front: Harnessing the Sun & Region’s Ambient Light

Solar energy - power from the sun - may not seem like the best energy alternative in gray Western Washington. Yet Germany, who gets 70% of the sun we receive, leads the world in solar installations. Washington has a long way to go. But more and more homeowners are taking advantage of tax incentives and “net metering” which allows them to sell the solar energy they make back to the utility. Green Acre Radio takes us to the rooftops with this story, checking in on homeowners committed to harnessing the sun’s vast and inexhaustible resource.

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July 8, 2010: Industrial Feedlots, Growing Geoduck in South Puget Sound Intertidal Estuaries

43,500 plastic tubes per acre covered with nets and staked with rebar may seem like an unusual sight on most beaches in Puget Sound. But in South Puget Sound citizens and environmentalists are crying foul. The tubes are used to plant geoducks, a type of clam favored in Asian markets, by Washington's shellfish industry. Martha Baskin brings us the story - industrial farms on beaches and inter-tidal estuaries.

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June 24, 2010: Question Your Shrimp: The High Cost of Imported Shrimp

Shrimp is the country’s most consumed seafood. But it comes with a heavy price. More than 90% are grown on industrial shrimp farms in the global south. The practice involves clear cutting mangrove forests and displacing coastal communities. What about the 10% raised in US waters? Martha Baskin checks in with the Mangrove Action Project's “Question Your Shrimp” campaign and finds conscientious seafood markets who continue to vouch for domestic shrimp from the Gulf.


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June 17, 2010: Sustainable Oceans, Sustainable Fish: Market Strategies & Consumer Demand

While it may seem there are plenty of fish in the sea, it’s a different story just below the surface. Overfishing, ocean acidification, and our own consumption habits are just a few factors contributing to the decline of wild fish. The solution for some fish sellers is to become “sustainable.” But what does that mean? Green Acre Radio takes us to the Pike Place Market and PCC to find out.

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June 10, 2010: Fish Farms, Low Oxygen Levels & Wild Salmon: A Troubled Coexistence

With fish resources depleted worldwide, open water and offshore fish farming or aquaculture is seen by some as a way to increase fish production. Washington State has been a leading producer of aquaculture for over a century. What’s the impact to wild fish resources? And what does the future hold? Martha Baskin has our story.

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