The Biofriendly Podcast

What if children around the world have been missing out on the gifts of an ancient tree spirit for thousands of years? This week Noel and Jacob build a bridge to Earth Day by revealing a magical new holiday 30 days later that will inspire generations to reconnect with nature, bake a pizza, and maybe sport a curly mustache! 

What do you do when you're the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter but you own 20 percent of the global forests? Well, according to Russia, you tell the UN to cut you some slack and lease parts of the forest for carbon offsets. This week, Noel and Jacob talk about what Russia is up to, how carbon offsets work, and is Spaceballs an environmental documentary? 

Why do we need ships as big as the Empire State Building and why the heck did one get stuck in the Suez Canal? This week Noel and Jacob discuss the pros and cons of buying stuff around the world, why it's important that we don't blow up the moon, and the best way to get your spaghetti and meatballs at home!

Whatever happened with the hole in the ozone layer? Could we dim the sun by launching chalk dust into the sky? This week, Noel and Jacob study our stratosphere and discuss some of the ways we protect our planet from UV rays... all with the help of the Cheddar Dynasty.

Did you know that plastic microfibers from our clothing are the source of 35% of all microplastics in the ocean? This week we are joined by Barbara Martinez from Conservation X Labs to tell Noel and Jacob about their challenge that will award $650,000 in prizes to winning innovations, how this could revolutionize textiles, and why curling teams need to make a comeback!     

When it comes to learning more about the Earth, it's important to look to our own solar system to see how the other planets have transformed over millions of years. That's why we invited astrophysicist, author, host, and science educator Paul M. Sutter to join us this week on The Biofriendly Podcast to chat about interstellar space travel, life on other planets, and why Bruce Willis could be the k...

With all of the recent extreme weather events occurring around the world, it's important to look at our Earth's natural water cycle and how it is being affected with our changing climate. This week we welcome back guest Michael Carroll to talk about what's going on under the surface, some methods of capturing water, and why sometimes Scrooge McDuck is the only way to understand it all.

After the recent winter storms in Texas, we have seen a fair amount of finger-pointing as to why the state was underprepared and left in the cold. This week on The Biofriendly Podcast we directly address the accusations against green technology, why a fire should always have its place, and Noel gets riled up about all the nonsense! 

As the news continues to report record low temperatures and winter storms hitting as far south as the U.S. State of Texas, it's time to talk about what a Polar Vortex is exactly and why this is happening. Having been knee-deep in a Polar Vortex before, Noel and Jacob break down the science behind the arctic blast, what it means for our Earth's climate, and that the only way to survive an Ice Age i...

From reintroduction biology to assisted evolution, The Biofriendly Podcast gets philosophical this week as we discuss the ways science can choose to step in and save a species. Noel and Jacob share some changes being made to make animals more climate change resistant, Super Bowl highlights, and should humans have built-in furry jackets for survival?

New species, who dis? It's mind-blowing to learn just how many species we discover every year, let alone how many more unknown species we have left to discover! From plants to animals, Noel and Jacob list some of the top new finds from last year, why it's important to look around and not just at the ground, and what do Harry Potter and The Joker have to do with all of this?

In order to celebrate the 100th episode of The Biofriendly Podcast, we welcomed back friend of the show and founder of Well Aware, Sarah Evans! Sarah shares with Noel and Jacob about creating the social-good company Well Beyond in response to the technical and community needs of the water charity sector, why creative inspiration pairs nicely with wine, and that shower striking time is just around...

This week we welcome Jyoti Stephens from Nature's Path to talk about regenerative agriculture, and the story of how they came to be North America’s first organic cereal manufacturer in 1985. As Jyoti teaches us more about organic farming, Noel is surprised to learn that healthy food can also be delicious, and Jacob pledges to never stop eating in 2021. 

You often hear about how important bees are for the planet, but what are some of the ways we can help the bees survive? This week, Noel and Jacob buzz around some ways you can BEE helpful by planting certain flowers, steering clear of hard to pronounce pesticides, and serving up cosmos to save the bees!

It's a brand new year which means that a lot of us are working on ways to get focused, get organized, and get back in shape! This week Noel and Jacob flex their muscles around what's the latest tech to make us green fitness machines, learn that even an Olympic cyclist can barely power a toaster, and that we both miss the guilt trips from our Wii Fit.

As we finally reach the end of 2020, Noel and Jacob invited their incredibly talented director pal, Clayton Cogswell, on the show to review some of the challenges we faced over the past year followed by the silver linings we found along the way. Whether it was learning to rise from the ashes or experiencing a connectedness with our loved ones from home, each of them share stories to uplift and ins...

For what we hope to be an annual holiday tradition, The Biofriendly Podcast welcomes comedian, actor, editor, movie-buff, and friend of the show, Shawn Kohne to help wrap up 2020 with some feel-good films that helped keep our spirits up during this challenging year! Shawn lassoed our hearts with his favorite stories, Jacob talks about his beautiful cry, and Noel has some notes for J.J. Abrams. 

We know that Santa is on his way and loading lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh, but what is being done by some of the biggest toy companies in the world to help their environmental impact? This week we unwrap the problem of making toys too biodegradable, remind you to pay those playthings forward like Toy Story taught us, and Noel and Jacob reminisce about their favorite toys!

This week we happily welcome cookbook author, internet personality, YouTuber and vegetarian chef, Jerry James Stone to The Biofriendly Podcast. As Jerry James Stone teaches us about food storage, minimizing food waste and his most recent project called Spooniverse Comics for kids, Noel learns that he might hear a big 'told you so' when he gets home, Jacob tries to eat everything, and we uncover th...

You know when you've ordered something online and it arrives on your front porch in a box and you open that box only to find another box, and another, and another, and... well you get the idea. It's the holiday season and as we toss our gifts in the mail, Noel and Jacob unpack the problems with how we ship our gifts, some eco-friendly alternatives that will keep your stuff safe, and could your old...

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as 'fracking,' can be a hot button topic when discussing the environment. This week Noel and Jacob drill into the subject, weigh the pros and cons of this resource gathering process, and stress the importance of relaxed and groovy buildings. 

We all know that single-use plastic bottles have become an environmental nightmare, but what if we could choose paper over plastic for a more sustainable stepping stone out of the problem? This week we welcome Robert Koenen from 'Boxed Water Is Better' to talk about this little Midwestern startup taking on Big Bottle, Jacob shares his Boxed Water celebrity story, and we learn that Rob and Noel mig...

Did you know that we eat a different banana today than we did in the 1950's? And thanks to a fungal strain called Tropical Race 4, our current bananas are on the verge of extinction once again. As scientists scramble to build a better banana, Noel and Jacob peel back the disadvantages of monoculture farming, why all of our food shouldn't look the same, and sometimes you need MTV to keep things wei...

This week on The Biofriendly Podcast we welcome Danielle Doggett, who is the co-founder and Managing Director of SAILCARGO INC. in Costa Rica where they are constructing a zero emission sailing cargo ship from scratch known as the Ceiba! As Danielle hoists the sails on clean shipping, Noel discovers he needs to come up with 500k, and Jacob decides to become a sustainable stowaway.

This week on The Biofriendly Podcast we welcomed sustainable designer, Imani Hamilton, to share a bit about her environmental call to action, what exactly goes into designing products for sustainability, and a helpful acronym to remember environmental choices to prevent climate change. We also learn that Noel has a blast at karaoke and that Jacob just might have to give up his petroleum powered Pl...