May 27, 2010: Grease the Biodiesel vs. Grease the Movie: Small Producer Makes It Work

At a time when the US biodiesel industry has been in turmoil – faulted for where it sources raw materials or feedstock and hammered by the economy – a small producer in Seattle has plans to expand. What’s their secret? Grease. General Biodiesel takes used cooking oil collected from local restaurants and converts it to biodiesel. The company may not be able to displace all the country’s fossil fuel usage, but they’re carving out a niche market with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

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May 20, 2010: Oil Follies, Lawsuits Against Interior, Concerns from Alaska and Puget Sound Fishermen and Climate Legislation

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has been embroiled in controversy since it was revealed on May 5 that he allowed the Minerals Management Service to exempt BP’s offshore drilling plan from environmental review. This week the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against Salazar for approving 300 drilling operations without permits required by the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Drilling opponents in Alaska would like to see a moratorium on drilling. While fishermen in the Puget Sound say all fisheries are at risk if drilling and oil addiction continue.

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May 13, 2010: Care for a Job With That Locally Grown Bok Choy?

Green jobs and growing local food are usually served as separate items on today’s sustainability menu. A new urban farm hopes to offer both as entrees for the new green green economy. The farm, Ground Up Yesler, is on the site of Yesler Terrace, a culturally diverse housing project on First Hill. Their non-profit partner is Creatives For Community or C4C. C4C was inspired in part by Will Allen, a nationally respected urban farm leader and Van Jones, a leader in creating green jobs for all. Martha Baskin has our story.

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May 6, 2010: GMOs, Food Security and Misplaced Philanthropy, An Interview with Jos Ngonyo with the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition

Organic non-GMO foods aren’t just the preference of countries in the so-called developed North. 40,000 tons of GMO-grown maize was recently rejected in Kenya. Protestors are making sure it remains stuck in the port city of Mombassa. Jos Ngonyo, with Kenya’s Biodiversity Coalition spoke to Green Acre Radio in a recent visit to Seattle. Ngonyo spoke about why small-scale farmers reject the Green Revolution in Africa and about "dysfunctional aid." The Gates Foundation helped launch the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa four years ago.

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April 29, 2010: Seawalls for Salmon

The seawall on Seattle’s waterfront carries a lot on its shoulders: structural support for surface streets and buildings and protection from the raging sea. The seawall is slated to be rebuilt. A question fisheries biologists and city engineers are asking, is can the seawall be rebuilt to accommodate salmon? Can the new seawall be designed as a prototype for ways coastal cities can protect marine life the world over? Martha Baskin found some boots and went down to the seawall to find out.

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April 22, 2010: Duwamish Alive! On the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Earth Day #40 and the place is Seattle’s hidden river, the Duwamish. Salmon used to run a mile deep in acres of tidal marshes here. Things have changed since that time, the river's been tamed and contaminated by industry. But determined environmentalists are working to turn the tide. 15 acres of habitat at 13 sites have been restored. The EPA is pushing industry and municipalities to clean up the site - soon. Martha Baskin brings us to the river where kayakers and others are taking things into their own hands.

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April 8, 2010: Climate Hope On the Front Lines of the Fight Against Coal

This week Green Acre Radio interviews Ted Nace, author of the new book, Climate Hope: On the Front Lines of the Fight Against Coal. Nace tells the story of the remarkable grassroots movement to shut down coal plants. The reality of coal mining in the US doesn't usually become news until disaster strikes like the most recent one at Massey Coal in West Virginia. Climate Hope talks about stopping these disasters altogether through courageous action from sit-ins at coal mines to blockades at big city banks. In the period 2007 to 2009 the anti-coal movement succeeded in stopping over 100 power plant proposals, bringing the coal boom largely to a halt.

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