The Mike Nowak Show Podcasts

Monica Buckley is the owner of Red Stem Native Landscapes. She visits the WCGO studios to talk to Mike and Peggy about native woodland plants, how to get them to thrive in your garden, and their importance to our insect populations She also had advice about certain non-native groundcovers to avoid.

Dr. Allan Armitage is a renowned speaker, researcher and author, whose latest book is called Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots. He talks to Mike and Peggy about the origin of some common plant names. Noreen Edwards Metz reports on the victory of local activists, who have so far managed to preserve a small natural area just north of Chicago. Certified arborist Skeet from Bartlett Tree Experts explains how this spring's weather has affected the health of area trees.

Kylee Baumlee is the author of a book called The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly. She talks to Mike and Peggy about the life cycle of this iconic insect, including its extraordinary annual migration; about the precipitous decline in population; and how just about anybody can participate in programs to help save the this fascinating creature.

Mike and Peggy announce the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards. Heather Holm is a horticulturist and biologist by training who has just released a book called Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide. Brett Bloom explains what will happen at the upcoming Camp BreakDown Break Down Pachamanka, a retreat in Freeport, Illinois. Jim Kleinwachter from The Conservation Foundation and Val Kehoe from Illinois Extension talk about how Cook County residents can get involved with the Conservation at Home program. Brian Imus from the USGBC-IL previews their annual Limelight gala.

Dan Protess is the writer and producer of a new 16 part digital series on WTTW called Urban Nature. He talks to Mike and Peggy about how, in the video episodes, he and host Marcus Kronforst tour “overlooked ecosystems” in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

Author Arthur Melville Pearson discusses his just released book, Force of Nature: George Fell, Founder of the Natural Areas Movement. South siders Tom Shepherd and Jerry Brown explain why it is so important to open up the shores of Chicago's Lake Calumet to the public. Layci Gragnani, Program Manager for Bushel and Berry™, talks about growing fruit producing shrubs in containers. Mike argues for the siting of a controversial composting operation in unincorporated Cook County.

Louise Clemency, Supervisor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Chicago Illinois Field Office and Nina Baki, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, talk about spring migration and the various bird count activities happening this month in anticipation of Chicago’s International Migratory Bird Day Celebration on May 20.  

Steve Neumann from Logic Lawn Care offers advice about how to practice natural lawn care. Dan Egan, author of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, explains how opening up those bodies of fresh water to the world have also opened them up to attack by invasive species. Marc Ayres, Illinois State Director for the Humane Society of the United States, reports on unethical coyote hunting contests in Illinois, and promotes a bill to protect bobcats from certain kinds of traps.

Photographer Brad Temkin and Michael Bryson, professor and director of Sustainability Studies at Roosevelt University talk about their collaboration on Brad's exhibit, Rooftop: Second Nature, which just closed at the university's Gage Gallery.

Show contributor Kathleen Thompson and meteorologist Rick DiMaio report from different parts of the March for Science Chicago on Earth Day 2017. Joe Lamp'l, creator and host of Growing a Greener World, offers some backyard water conservation tips and promotes a the Rain Bird Rain Delay Sweepstakes.

Craig LeHoullier is a gardener, educator and author of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. (Not too much pressure to get it right, eh?) He joins Mike and Peggy to just scratch the skin, so to speak, of the fruit that is most Americans' favorite vegetable. Kay McKeen from SCARCE reports on big plans for Earth Day and for the Focus on Energy Film Festival, which Mike will be emceeing on April 23.

John Lardner is co-owner of a company called Patriot Acres that wants to establish a composting operation on what is now a closed landfill in unincoporated Cook County bordering on Des Plaines, Illinois. The proposal has sparked a backlash in the community from people who fear that the facility will be a source of odors, vermin, and environmental contamination. Then, Carol Freeman talks about The Endangered Species Photography Project, which is an effort to photograph all 483 threatened and endangered species in Illinois, and then to use the photographs to help save these species.

Carl Zimring is an associate professor and coordinator of the Sustainability Studies minor at the Pratt Institute in New York City. He is also the author of Aluminum Upcycled: Sustainable Design in Historical Perspective. In a wide-ranging interview, Mike and Peggy talk to him about recycling, sustainability, innovation and environmental justice.

Mike and Peggy are on the road again, this time at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier. Among their guests are Tony Abruscato, President and Director of the Flower Show; Chris Van Cleave, The Redneck Rosarian, Nathaniel Miller, Director of Conservation for Audubon Great Lakes (AGL) and our buddy, Nick Fuller of Natural Communities Native Plants; Ahmed Hassan from the DIY Network; Brian Helfrich of Aquascape, Inc, and more, including an extra segment with Meteorologist Rick DiMaio.

Mike and Peggy take The Mike Nowak Show to the 13th Annual Good Food Festival and Conference at the UIC Forum in Chicago. Their guests include Nic Mink from Sitka Salmon Shares and Amber Petersen of The Fishmongers Wife, who talk about sustainabile seafood; Jennifer Filipiak from American Farmland Trust and Barry Fischer of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, who report on how scientists and farmers are working to make our soils healthy; Billy Burdett from Chicago-based Advocates for Urban Agriculture, with an update on composting laws in Chicago; and Jen Miller and Chris Trogg from Band of Farmers, which has just released a terrific list of CSAs. And listen for a cameo from Rodlene Paul of Hellshire Foods.