Humankind on Public Radio

The remarkable international effort to build “homes and hope” by marshalling the energies of young people, church communities and others, is described by Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller.

A television filmmaker who travels the world in search of heroic organizations shares audio excerpts of his journey and describes how he’s been touched by encounters with people who perform extraordinary acts of service

For parents wishing to impart spiritual values to their children, Rev. Fred Rogers describes the philosophy underlying his public TV series.

In this Humankind documentary, we hear from a growing movement of physicians and others who — concerned by the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease — are placing greater emphasis on advising patients about more healthful eating. But changing our diets is notoriously difficult, especially in a culture that heavily promotes unhealthy foods.

In this Humankind documentary, we hear from a growing movement of physicians and others who — concerned by the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease — are placing greater emphasis on advising patients about more healthful eating. But changing our diets is notoriously difficult, especially in a culture that heavily promotes unhealthy foods.

What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Agriculture is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases associated with climate change. This is an important emerging topic as Americans grapple with recent heatwaves, storms and other weather extremes as “the face of global warming”. Listeners will learn in this sound-rich series that climate scientists increasingly focus on food production as a source of heat-trapping gases. In the second hour (half-hour segments 3 and 4) of this documentary we hear clear explanations of how our food system generates heat-trapping gases — and we learn about personal food choices you can make to reduce your own environmental footprint; plus we visit the White House vegetable garden and other sites of the new urban agriculture movement.

What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Agriculture is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases associated with climate change. This is an important emerging topic as Americans grapple with recent heatwaves, storms and other weather extremes as “the face of global warming”. Listeners will learn in this sound-rich series that climate scientists increasingly focus on food production as a source of heat-trapping gases. In the second hour (half-hour segments 3 and 4) of this documentary we hear clear explanations of how our food system generates heat-trapping gases — and we learn about personal food choices you can make to reduce your own environmental footprint; plus we visit the White House vegetable garden and other sites of the new urban agriculture movement.

What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Agriculture is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases associated with climate change. This is an important emerging topic as Americans grapple with recent heatwaves, storms and other weather extremes as “the face of global warming”. Listeners will learn in this sound-rich series that climate scientists increasingly focus on food production as a source of heat-trapping gases. In our first documentary (half-hour segments 1 and 2), we consider positive recent trends at a venue where tens of millions of Americans eat their food daily: the school cafeteria.

What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Agriculture is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases associated with climate change. This is an important emerging topic as Americans grapple with recent heatwaves, storms and other weather extremes as “the face of global warming”. Listeners will learn in this sound-rich series that climate scientists increasingly focus on food production as a source of heat-trapping gases.  In our first documentary (half-hour segments 1 and 2), we consider positive recent trends at a venue where tens of millions of Americans eat their food daily: the school cafeteria.

Sharon Salzberg, an author and teacher of Buddhist meditation, describes the technique of “lovingkindness,” a way of seeing others and relating to oneself that allows the practitioner to get past resentments and have a clearer view of reality.

As we enter a new era of health care, one fact looms large. More than three-fourths of U.S. medical costs are attributed to largely-preventable illnesses related to our lifestyle behaviors – what we eat, whether we exercise, how we manage stress, if we smoke. Yet in most health care today, visits to the doctor are often too brief to get a handle on these complicated challenges. The focus is usually on disease treatment (with a heavy reliance on drugs, high-tech procedures and tests) rather than disease prevention. To get to the root of this all, our special public radio project, The Search for Well-Being examines a fascinating new model of health care: integrative medicine.

As we enter a new era of health care, one fact looms large. More than three-fourths of U.S. medical costs are attributed to largely-preventable illnesses related to our lifestyle behaviors – what we eat, whether we exercise, how we manage stress, if we smoke. Yet in most health care today, visits to the doctor are often too brief to get a handle on these complicated challenges. The focus is usually on disease treatment (with a heavy reliance on drugs, high-tech procedures and tests) rather than disease prevention. To get to the root of this all, our special public radio project, The Search for Well-Being examines a fascinating new model of health care: integrative medicine.

Rev. Chris Antal, a Unitarian Universalist minister in the town of Rock Tavern, New York, was drawn to service in response to the attacks of 9/11. He entered military chaplaincy partially as a way to help soldiers who are prone to harming themselves in the wake of war. He also wanted to bring a “liberal voice into a very conservative chaplaincy,” consistent with the commitment of his tradition of acceptance for people representing different faiths and sexual orientation backgrounds. In this profile, Rev. Antal explores how he was drawn to faith-based engagement with indigenous religious leaders, where he was stationed at Kandahar Air Base.  “I was uniquely equipped to engage in interfaith dialogue” with Muslims. But what’s it like to be a spiritual presence in a war zone? What’s the duty to honor the lives of human beings who die in war, whether from your side or the “enemy”? Rev. Antal grew disenchanted with the U.S. military policy of deploying unmanned aircraft (drones), which are often associated with civilian casualties. In 2016, he resigned in protest from his commission as a chaplain in the Army Reserve and, after a Congressional inquiry, received an honorable discharge. We end this episode with an excerpt of Rev. Antal’s moving sermon about modern war.

We hear from chaplains and students on a college campus (Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesee) with a long tradition of promoting dialogue among various groups. How can chaplains act as bridges between people of different traditions? What are the teachings of love for neighbor found all great religious philosophies? What can we learn from potentially rich exchanges honoring diversity? How can students be encouraged to ’stretch out’ and discover new truths. How can we face and mitigate the prejudices and preconceptions that most people carry with them? And what role can interfaith service activities play in breaking down barriers?

The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. Federal and state prisons and county jails hold around two million prisoners. Another five or so million people are on probation or parole. Some in this diverse population are dangerous and apparently don’t seek rehabilitation to a more productive life. For many others, though, incarceration is a forced opportunity for self-examination and positive change – a process that can be supported and stimulated by spiritual care providers. In this segment, we explore in-depth the experiences of two chaplains: Paul Shoaf-Kozak, a Christian social justice advocate who oversees the chaplaincy department at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Middleton, Massachusetts, northeast of Boston; and Genko Kathy Blackman, a Buddhist teacher who has long visited jails around the Seattle area. We also hear from two prisoners about their faith journeys while behind bars.