The Mike Nowak Show Podcasts

Film director Taggart Siegel, who made the grass-roots hit The Real Dirt on Farmer John, talks about his latest film, Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? It takes a look at Colony Collapse Disorder, which has resulted in the loss of billions of bees worldwide, and its possible causes.

Guests: Mr. Brown Thumb announces that Swiss chard has won the 2011 One Seed Chicago competition. Film director Taggart Siegel, whose latest documentary, "Queen of The Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? , is currently running at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, helps Mike explain why Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is so devastating to honey bees and to world food production. Greg Ecsedy from Bobbex, Inc. talks about how to keep critters from devasting your spring plants. Sustainable Food Fundamentals features Meg Runyan, who is working with The Farm Business Development Center at Prairie Crossing (FBDC) to start her own farming operation called Wild Goose Farm,

Guests: Mr. Brown Thumb announces that Swiss chard has won the 2011 One Seed Chicago competition. Film director Taggart Siegel, whose latest documentary, "Queen of The Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? , is currently running at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, helps Mike explain why Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is so devastating to honey bees and to world food production. Greg Ecsedy from Bobbex, Inc. talks about how to keep critters from devasting your spring plants. Sustainable Food Fundamentals features Meg Runyan, who is working with The Farm Business Development Center at Prairie Crossing (FBDC) to start her own farming operation called Wild Goose Farm,

Guests: Author Amy Stewart talks about her new book, Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army and other Diabolical Insects.

Guests on Mike's 3rd Anniversary Show on WCPT, Chicago: Pam Richart from the Eco-Justice Collaborative explains why the Chicago City Council's failure to act on the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance at Thursday's hearing is not necessarily a set back for the environmental community. Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects, scares the Dickens out of Mike's audience with tales of nasty critters. Mike unveils his Sustainable Food Fundamentals segment with Alan Shannon, Director of Midwest Region Public Affairs for the USDA Food & Nutrition Service Midwest. He reveals how his agency is working to promote local food.

Guests on Mike's 3rd Anniversary Show on WCPT, Chicago: Pam Richart from the Eco-Justice Collaborative explains why the Chicago City Council's failure to act on the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance at Thursday's hearing is not necessarily a set back for the environmental community. Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects, scares the Dickens out of Mike's audience with tales of nasty critters. Mike unveils his Sustainable Food Fundamentals segment with Alan Shannon, Director of Midwest Region Public Affairs for the USDA Food & Nutrition Service Midwest. He reveals how his agency is working to promote local food.

Guests: Bill Airy of Poo Free Parks explains how his system will make parks cleaner while responsibly removing dog waste. Chicagoland Gardening Magazine Editor Carolyn Ulrich previews Growing Home's 9th Annual Benefit. Cathy McGlynn of the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP) talks about why it's a good idea to pull up as much garlic mustard as possible. Lan Richart, from the Eco-Justice Collaborative, explains why the "Where's My Walderman?" game is dead serious. Angelic Organic Learning Center's Martha Boyd explains how Advocates for Urban Agriculture is working to amend Chicago's zoning code to accommodate urban farming.

Guests: Bill Airy of Poo Free Parks explains how his system will make parks cleaner while responsibly removing dog waste. Chicagoland Gardening Magazine Editor Carolyn Ulrich previews Growing Home's 9th Annual Benefit. Cathy McGlynn of the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP) talks about why it's a good idea to pull up as much garlic mustard as possible. Lan Richart, from the Eco-Justice Collaborative, explains why the "Where's My Walderman?" game is dead serious. Angelic Organic Learning Center's Martha Boyd explains how Advocates for Urban Agriculture is working to amend Chicago's zoning code to accommodate urban farming.

Guests: Just one--Jennifer Brennan, horticulture information specialist from The Chalet in Wilmette, IL. She and Mike answer phone, email and Twitter questions about gardening in the Midwest.

Podcast Episode

Last week, the Sun-Times reported that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was planning to privatize the Blue Cart recycling program, now run by the Department of Streets and Sanitation. In this clip, Mike and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack reprise a conversation they had on WTTW's Chicago Tonight program. They question the timing of the move--one month before Rahm Emanuel becomes mayor--and talk about whether Chicagoans could left holding the bag for another "parking meter fiasco."

Last week, the Sun-Times reported that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was planning to privatize the Blue Cart recycling program, now run by the Department of Streets and Sanitation. In this clip, Mike and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack reprise a conversation they had on WTTW's Chicago Tonight program. They question the timing of the move--one month before Rahm Emanuel becomes mayor--and talk about whether Chicagoans could left holding the bag for another "parking meter fiasco."

Guests: Robert Nevel of Hyde Park's KAM Isaiah Israel explains how his congregation is expaning their Food Justice and Sustainability Program. Following their appearance together on WTTW's Chicago Tonight, Mike and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack continue their conversation about the Daley Administration's plan to privatize Blue Cart Recycling in Chicago. More information at the Chicago Recycling Coalition. Farmer Kim Marson of Sweet Home Organics describes what it was like to be at her first auction, where she made the winning bid on the tractor of her dreams.

Podcast Episode

Guests--Activist Polyana Wolf (yes, that's her real name) previews a six-week long series called Saving Green Together--Weatherizing Your House, Apartment, Condo or Building for All Seasons, which is designed to help average citizens green up their living spaces. Milwaukee native Bill Radler, who created the Knock Out Rose, the best selling rose in the history of the world, explains what drove him to do it, and how he became involved with the wonderful Art in Bloom event at the Milwaukee Art Museum.