The Green Elephant in the Room: Solutions To Restoring the Health of People and the Living Planet

·      New Zealand Declares a Climate Emergency.  Shouldn’t You? ·      Cultivated Lab Grown Meat goes on Sale in Singapore ·      It’s Official — No New Natural Gas Hook-ups in New Buildings  ·      Low Traffic Neighborhoods — Thank You Covid ·      Tasmania Has a Toxic Leak — It’s Not What You Think… ·      The Top Plastic Polluters Just Keep Winning ·      Promising News for (our namesake) Elep...

In this Episode we Address Politics, the Pandemic, Climate and Corresponding Environmental Issues — and How They Relate to the Past Four Years, The Coming Four Years, and The Next 40,000 Years. o   What is our Biggest Problem? In a Word — Republicans.  o   Maybe Donald Trump has Done us a Favor?  o   We Need to Battle the Climate Crisis like COVID. o   What can President-Elect Biden do on Day One?...

ALMOST ONE-HALF THE PLANET'S PLANTS ARE ENDANGERED — It's not just animals! THE CHICKS IN THE MAIL: The Misery of Mailing Animals AIR POLLUTION: Is it Worse In the Car, or Out? DELETING POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICES ON VEHICLES — for the Worst Outcome SAVE THE EARTH and Win a Prize! THE SILLINESS OF CLIMATE POLLING: Concern is Up Two-Points! The Most Viable and Immediate Solution for Climate...

GOLF AND GOLF COURSES: A Waste of Land and Resources, FENCE POST TO FENCE POST FARMING: Hyper Farming Practices and the Impact on Wildlife, REWILDING THE PLANET: From a Flowerpot to Half the Earth: What You Can do to Help Rewilding, FLY LESS TRAVEL MORE: Alternative Travel Opportunities — Instead of Flying  

China / Paris : Urban Innovations. — Lakes are Increasing in number and size - while curiously decreasing at the same time. — The definitive answer on recycling pizza boxes – maybe. — Mining Copper and our not so bright alternative energy future. — Teen create a Bee-Byway – so can you. — and  "A Little Bit of Outrage" 

Join Rico on one of his bicycle-touring journeys through the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.  This is not a travelogue, but a revelatory look at how cowboys and capitalism are impacting some of our last great natural environments and open spaces. Learn how we can put the wild back into the wilderness. 

The evidence is clear that we are losing insects at an alarming rate. What we are witnessing is a "biological annihilation." This is not good news. Their abundance and interactions power the living systems of our planet.  As insects have declined, the numbers of insect-eating birds have plummeted in recent decades. There’s also been a widespread decline in nearly all bird species. Every...

1. The one thing that the rich do that uses so much energy. 2. With so many changes happening in our world, maybe we should give the planet a break, and not travel so much? (!)

SHOW NOTES  1. One of the great pleasures of life, swimming in the ocean, and how to do it safely. 2.  Earthquakes and Tsunamis are grand geological forces - you may be surprised to hear that we humans are actually powerful enough to generate these planetary shocks. 3.  A fascinating look at one of the most enduring planetary processes, everything ends up in the ocean. Everything.

The new Elephant Unleashed: more concise, provocative stories with insights, inspiration, and opportunities for you to get involved personally and in your community.   SHOW NOTES 1. It has been a true phenomenon - a profusion of wildlife repopulating their former habitats thanks to our friend ‘Rona. Many find this charming, but it sends an important message too. This is an unprecedented chance to...

Through some celestial fortune, there is a perfect storm coalescing that could sweep humanity and the rest of creation into a spectacular transformation. Our skies and waters are cleaner. Wild animals are taking back their ancestral lands. The oil industry had drilled a dry well. And there may even be some welcome changes on factory farms and the consumption of meat.  There is no question that 202...

Yes, we must absolutely focus on combating the virus now, but from this collective experience, we must comprehend one thing - that climate change may well be the great engine for the next pandemic. On this episode of the Green Elephant: 1. As we invest in ways to stimulate our economy, we should be focusing on how to make our society more resilient against both pandemics and climate change.  We wi...

It goes without saying, this is a remarkable time in modern human history. Virtually every person on the planet is collectively experiencing this unparalleled event together. Coronavirus has led to an astonishing shutdown of economic activity and a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels. To be clear, the coronavirus pandemic is a tragedy. However, it holds key lessons on how to combat the tw...

1. Packed with power, always reliable, the creator of civilizations, what's not to love about fossil fuels — except for that nastiness about liquidating planetary systems. Why is it so hard to break up with the black, gooey stuff?  2. Prepping for the end of civilization in one’s own luxury bunker has become quite trendy among the rich, especially among billionaires from Silicon Valley and Wa...

1. On this episode of The Green Elephant in the Room we investigate animal and plant exceptionalism. It’s easy for us to consider humans as the pinnacle of creation, but we share the earth with other planetary beings that often exceed our own abilities. We only had room on the podcast to feature a few, but check out the webpage for stories about horses that have plans for hurricanes, a fish that l...

1. Nothing will test human institutions like climate change in this century. Climate-driven migration is set to become one of the defining issues of our time. But the worst impacts can be avoided. Tune in and learn how to reimagine our relationships with each other.  2. Why do we need a Green New Deal? In whatever form it will take The Green New Deal has the sweeping ambition required for bold ide...

1. Are you a two-faced eco-hypocrite? Don’t worry, we all are. Learn to stop obsessing about how personally green you are and start putting your efforts where it really matters.  2. What’s in store for us hasn’t been decided yet and the fight for the climate is only over if you think it is. Learn how to bring you passion, power, and intelligence to the New Climate Revolution.  3. We are introducin...

1. There is an American institution that has been not only the greatest contributor to global warming gases but the most destructive environmental force on the planet. We take a closer look at their Carbon Bootprint.  2. The open lands of the American West hold a special place in our imaginations. We explore the perceptions of the myths and realities of this vast region. 

The US military establishment is not a sentimental organization and is very politically conservative. Why is it then, that they are the only conservative institution that not only believes in a warming planet but are also preparing for the worst effects. They know that it is an unparallel national security threat that could rupture the stability of the country and the world.  Skiing and snowboardi...

Busting four eco-myths. The electric car’s future may depend on deep-sea mining. The art of avoiding awkward moments of eco-ethical dilemmas. The timing of natural events, such as plant flowering, insect birth, and bird migration is off. Showing respect for the Companion Animals in our lives will encourage greater respect for wildlife and nature. 

Micro-plastics, micro-fibers, micro-beads, whatever you call ‘em, humans have covered the planet with them. There is literally a million times more out there than we realized. And we are just getting warmed up. Volunteer Activism. Feeling discouraged by eco-disaster disorder syndrome? There’s a cure: get up and do something for yourself and the planet.

- How do we talk about what is happening to our planet? - When no airplanes flew in US skies for three days and what happen. - How many people can the earth support? - I have a confession to make: My name is Rico and... I am a consumer.  

Who's Greener - Who's Meaner — Men or Women? Will the Circular Economy (re-using everything) save us? There is an Eco-terrorist in the White House. A/C: Cooling the world is heating up the planet.

Getting a grip on Paper Towels, Napkins, and Tissues.  Can the Government save us from our eco-ills?  Can any Government?  With less than 5% of the world population, the US has an outsized global environmental impact.

Why Millennials and Gen Xer's have fallen out of love with cars and driving — Why do we keep ignoring even the direst environmental warnings? — How to green up your laundry and wardrobe — Walking is climate action