An Organic Conversation

Affordable Preschool Education: Learning in Outdoor Classrooms

Can education be fun, safe, safe and affordable - even for low-income families? A new preschool is using outdoor classrooms to provide quality education in reading, math, and science; made affordable for families and designed to give children a joyful, nature-rich childhood – one full of play, exploration, and wonder.

 

Guest: 

Andrew Jay, CEO, Tiny Trees Preschool, Seattle, WA

The Independent Farmstead: Living Successfully Off the Land

Many people, especially young folks, are dreaming of their own small piece of land, self-supported, away from the stresses of the city, to live a lifestyle of peace, based on a deep relationship to nature and self. Today, we are learning what it takes to make that dream a reality from people who have done it.

 

Guests:

Shawn & Beth Dougherty, Co-Authors, The Independent Farmstead, The Sow's Ear, Ohio

*Originally Aired January 20, 2017

 

Clean Drinking Water: The Power of Knowing

Governmental agencies are in place to make absolutely sure that we are protected, and that we are able to live lives that are healthy, and safe. The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought forward a picture that one can adopt to many other products and public safety areas, from drugs, to air, and food, just to name a few. So how safe are we, really? Today we’ll talk with an expert who has made public safety his career, and we’ll learn what we can do ourselves to make sure that – in this case – our water is 100% safe to drink.

Guest:

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, Founder & Executive Director, Toxin Alert, McLean, VA

Racing to Zero: San Francisco's Waste Reduction Initiative

 

San Francisco, as one of the most progressive cities in the world, has led the nation in countless ways, from equal rights and social equality to environmental protection. However, can a city of 800,000 people become waste free? That was the goal set by San Francisco a few years ago – to be zero waste by 2020. And it is fair to say at this point that the goal will, in fact, be reached! How? We’ll find out today!

 

Guests:

Christopher Beaver, Director, Racing to Zero, San Francisco, CA

Diana Fuller, Producer, Racing to Zero, San Francisco, CA

 

Food Service Training: Changing Lives for Common Good

Food is everything – from the fields to the grocery store, from our plates to our health, from community to personal and professional re-integration. We all need to eat, every day, and because of it, being trained in any aspect of food production, preparation, or nutrition, will provide a foundation for one’s life that a person will be able to stand on forever. That is the idea behind our guest today, an amazing non profit that offers food service training as a way to re-integrate people back into society – and, as we will learn, have society benefit from it in a very tangible way in return.

Guest:

Tracy Hitchcock, CEO, Create Common Good, Boise, ID

Shark Conservation: Protecting the Oldest Species on Earth

Just as with other large predators, from Grizzly Bears to Wolves, humans have hunted these species and in many regions of the planet have brought them to near or complete extinction. New scientific studies show the critical importance that those animals had and have on the ecosystems that they were or are a part of. As for the oceans, sharks play this critical role. There are over 400 shark species in the world, and in this episode we will hear about their function, their challenges, and what is being done to protect them.

Guest: 

Dean Fessler, Jr., Education Director, Shark Research Institute, Princeton, N.J.

Strong Bones: Optimal Food for Skeletal Health

Food is thy medicine, again today. Osteoporosis, or loss of bone density, is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and many other Western Societies. The common answer to bone loss is usually Calcium. While Calcium has an important role in our overall bone health, there is much more to the story. In this hour, we are speaking with a physician about how to prepare and combine whole foods to prevent and treat Osteoporosis naturally.

Guest: 

Dr. Laura Kelly, Co-Author, The Healthy Bones Nutrition Plan and Cookbook, Topanga, CA

The Wisdom of Medicinal Plants: Comfrey

Today we are putting the plant world front and center again, this never ceasing to amaze interconnected web of life that offers us so much beauty and healing. We are speaking with a Naturopath about a plant that commonly does not get the attention it deserves: Comfrey. How can Comfrey, known as the great mender, provide its amazing properties to you and your body? We’ll find out today!

 

Guest: 

Dr. Holly Lucille, ND, RN, Naturopathic Doctor, Los Angeles, CA

Diet and Depression: A Vicious Cycle

We are what we eat – this old saying about how much our food intake affects our physical health is now being expanded into our mental health as well. In recent years, research has been showing the direct connection between what we eat and what – or how – we think. In other words, our mental capacity and our mood are the direct result of our diet. Today Helge Hellberg is speaking with a Psychiatrist specifically about how to best address Depression through your diet.

Guest:

Dr. James Greenblatt, Integrative Psychiatrist & Author, Breakthrough Depression Solution: Mastering Your Mood with Nutrition, Diet and Supplementation, Waltham, MA

Food Not Waste: A Brilliant Solution to the Problem of Over-Abundance

Food insecurity is defined by not knowing where your next meal is coming from. And yet, while food insecurity is a reality for some 50 million Americans, nearly half of the food we produce in this country is thrown away. How can that be and what can be done about it? We are speaking with an expert on food waste today and will introduce to you to an organization who has not just solved the issue but created a true win-win-win scenario for all parties involved in doing so.

Guest: 

Komal Ahmed, Founder & CEO, Copia, San Francisco, CA