The Mike Nowak Show Podcasts

Guests: MELA Executive Director Carol Becker talks about teaming up with O'Keefe Elementary School to renovate the memorial garden honoring a slain student--she is joined by science teacher Emily Kenny and neighborhood resident Thresa Conley; new chief horticulturist Jennifer Davit for Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, and Sue Markgraf from GreenMark PR talk about managing the garden; Natural Resource Defense Council's Josh Mogerman discusses last weeks oil spill in Romeoville and the wisdom of continuing U.S. dependence on tar sands oil.

First show at new start time of 9:00 a.m. Guests: Sandy Syburg of Purple Cow Organics talks about organic soil amendments and a possible peat moss alternative; Bob Erlich, amateur Monarch butterfly raiser, brings a live chrysalis to the studio, and explains the mission of Monarch Watch and some of the difficulties in collecting and releasing these insects.

Guests: Victoria Anderson, who manages the Edibles Department at Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago, talks about the fall starter vegetables they have on sale now; Alex Lyakhovetsky, a Northbrook resident, tells the story of his mother, who planted a vegetable garden in the front yard and who was told by the village that it must be taken down; Kathleen Thompson looks at CSAs and how to deal with all of the vegetables that end up in your kitchen.

Guests: Purple Asparagus founder Melissa Graham talks about the Purple Asparagus Benefit on Sunday, August 29 at Uncommon Ground Restaurant in Edgewater; Rich and Susie Eyre and Rich's mom, Margaret, the Hosta Queen, preview next week's Hosta Happening at Rich's Foxwillow Pines in Woodstock; PLUS we catch New Orleans musicians Shamarr Allen & Paul Sanchez at the airport for a five minute conversation about their new album Bridging the Gap (and then we play as much music from it as we can during the show).

Tom and Lisa Marini Finerty from "Your Garden Show.com", Susan Harris, Elizabeth Licata and Amy Stewart from "Garden Rant.com"

Guests: Illinois Extension Fruits and Vegetables Educator Maurice Ogutu, about the safety of vegetables gardens that were flooded by recent heavy rains; 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees reunion with Mary DiCarlo of the TREE Fund, and riders Pam Pinkley, Mark Younger, Greg Cadieux, John Kirchner and Jim Skiera.

Guests: Robert Nevel and Gloria Needlman of KAM Isaiah Israel in Hyde Park talk about the KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation Food Producing Garden; Bob Vogl, president of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association previews the 9th Annual Illinois Renewable Energy & Sustainable Lifestyle Fair with Victor Zaderej and Ron Cowgill of Mighty House; Green Correspondent Leah Pietrusiak heads north to Milwaukee to jump in a compost pile with Sarah Christman of Growing Power.

Guests: Paul Sanchez and Chris Joseph of Threadhead Records (THR) talk about their mession to help Gulf Coast musicians keep producing music for the world, and Mike plays one of their songs; Mick Dumke talks about his new gig with The Chicago News Cooperative and the state of recycling in Chicago following his final article for the Chicago Reader, titled "Why Can't Chicago Recycle?"; Reinie Drygala explains how the product Clear Choice can help consumers who want to cut back on chemical herticides.

The 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees launch from Millennium Park, to benefit the TREE Fund. Guests: Scott Jamieson from Bartlett Tree Experts; riders Andrew Fittsley, Beth Buchanan, John Kirchner and Kristin Wild; Geoff Cowan from The Davey Tree Expert Company and Shawn Kingzette from The Care of Trees; Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment Suzanne Malec-McKenna; and rock icon and world class tree farmer Chuck Leavell.

Laury Lewis previews the Sheffield Garden Walk & Festival; Dan Kosta plugs the Prairie State Bonsai Society's annual show next Saturday and Sunday at the Morton Arboretum; Mary DiCarlo from the TREE Fund talks about next week's broadcast of The Mike Nowak Show from Millennium Park for the 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees; Ann Molloy extolls the virtues of Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer; Nina Newhouser invites folks to attend Andersonville Green Week; Woody Olsen touts next Sunday's Dearborn Garden Walk.

Ken and Susan Turner from Stop the MegaDairy.org, and Kate Thomas, who wrote a Masters thesis about it, talk with Mike about a CAFO in Jo Daviess County that could potentially wreak havoc with the environment there; Leah Pietrusiak reports from the Farmers Market that wasn't; Mike gives away tickets to the Chuck Leavell benefit concert to raise money for the American Forest Foundation and the TREE Fund.

Josh Mogerman of the Natural Resources Defense Council talks about the safety of the Great Lakes following the capture of an Asian Carp in Lake Calumet; Mike answers some gardening questions, with the help of friend Dan Costa; Heather Frey talks about her attempts to get close to the Stanley Cup.

Guests: Tayler Ulmer, Jose Bhagwandeen and Celeste Campos, winnders of CEDA's "My Backyard Garden: Keeping it Fresh" Contest; Greg Ecsedy from the Bobbex company on critter control in the garden; Lenny "Kaz" Kazlauskas from Artesa Home Visions--a sponsor of the "Ultimate Backyard Makeover" Contest--talks about improving your home's exterior; Mike Nowak Show reporter Leah Pietrusiak visits a farmers market in Beverly.

(Note: Due to technical problems, audio on this podcast is sub-standard. My apologies.) Guests: Filmmakers Carey Lundin and Mark Frazel, who have created the television documentary "Jens Jensen Harmonious World"; Martha Boyd from Angelic Organics Learning Center on their second annual Summer Solstice Celebration; LaManda Joy updates The Peterson Garden Project; Mike rants about recycling in Chicago.

Guests: Christy Webber of Christy Webber Landscapes starts out as a guest and ends up being the co-host. Go figure. Also featured: Lucian Gansca from Hardscape Designs, Inc., a sponsor of WCPT's Ultimate Backyard Makeover; Linda Kiscellus from the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association promotes a showing of the documentary film "A Chemical Reaction" at Cantigny Gardens; 38th Ward Alderman Tom Allen talks about his attempt to force the City of Chicago to finish the roll out of the Blue Cart Recycling Program.