What a Waste

It's finally here - the What a Waste x WasteNot Compost crossover episode of the century. Lucia Whalen and Chris Higgins sit down with WasteNot Compost CEO Liam Donnelly, aka the Compost King of Chicago, to talk all things organic decay. If you've ever wanted to know the secrets of how to start a compost empire, then this episode is for you. We talk about Liam's early days as a child c...

What a Waste Podcast is BACK, this time in collaboration with the Buddy System with Matty and Chris! On this episode, Lucia tells the boys about how her car recently got "stolen," updates on how the Supreme Court is deciding whether the cancerous weed killer Roundup needs a cancer warning, and why we need to feel connected to nature to feel motivated to protect it. They also discuss cont...

It's almost the end of spring bird migration here in Chicago! Remember that time in 2023 when the McCormick Place in Chicago was responsible for thousands of bird deaths in one night? We do!! In honor of the bird buds we lost in the fall of 2023, we're telling the story of why Chicago is known as the deadliest city for birds, and what the city is doing to fix it. As always, follow @whatawa...

Oh, weird...you're telling me that Donald Trump is making chaotic decisions that are harmful to people and the environment? Didn't see that coming!! This week we discuss how Trump's federal freezes and mass layoffs are affecting critical environmental work. On a lighter note, Lucia and Sohrab discuss Lucia's recent dream visitation by a ninja and introduce their aspirational sponso...

We're back! After a long hiatus, What a Waste Podcast is back to both bum you out and make you laugh. Lucia is joined by new co-host Sohrab Forouzesh to discuss this week's topic: bird flu! Find out why hundreds of ducks have washed up onto Lake Michigan's shoreline and why Lucia's purchase of a new used car has made her an enemy to everyone in her neighborhood.

On this ep, Lucia and Tyler go all memento mori on your a**. It's time to think about the inevitability of death (in a fun, healthy, positive way)! Lucia explains the history of cemeteries and why our current post-life land-use plans aren't sustainable. The first 20 minutes of this episode feel a lot like sitting on the floor of your dorm room after smoking weed for the first time. Lucia a...

In the name of recycling, we're reposting our famous fireworks episode from 2022! Ahhhh it's that time of year again when we ignore the absolutely devastating ongoing political disappointments in the United States and gather to eat watermelon and watch toxic metallic compounds explode over our heads (this one was written by Lucia). On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler get into...

In honor of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour coming through Chicago and Lucia not getting tickets in time, this week's episode focuses on how the celebrity lifestyle is BAD for the environment (is often wasteful and carbon intensive). Lucia and Tyler discuss the Kardashians (now streaming on Hulu), Kevin Hart's addiction to water, influencer culture on social media, and the psychology that exp...

On this very special episode, we are joined by Trash People of Logan Square founder Penny Gibbons! Penny is a UK native and Chicago transplant who used the isolation of quarantine and her desire for community as motivation to create what is now a popular, volunteer-driven sustainability community group (some would say movement!) that gets people outside and connected to their neighbors. Lucia, Tyl...

Did you know that some people believe that the switch to petroleum saved the whales? On this week's episode, Lucia and Tyler discuss the Whale Oil myth, the history of whaling, and how understanding the shift away from using whale oil can give us hope a renewable energy future. Lucia also does a live reading of an XXX rated passage about whalers from Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

On this very special episode, Lucia and Tyler are joined by environmental reporter, comedian, and grad school bff Elena Bruess! Elena is the environment, water, and climate reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and she's on the show to explain why some Texas conservationists and farmers are anti-wind turbine. They discuss the current state of environmental journalism and why it's the o...

On this week’s episode, we welcome Black Steve Irwin himself, Eeland Stribling! Eeland is a hilarious Denver-based comedian, wildlife educator and biologist, and arguably the most famous comedian fly fisher in the world/all of human existence. Eeland joins Lucia and Tyler to talk about using comedy as a tool to talk about conservation issues, his work as a wildlife technician, his love of fly fish...

You've seen photos of the smoke plume, but do you really know the whole story of the Ohio train derailment? On this episode, Lucia and Tyler talk about what EXACTLY happened in Ohio (and in states along the way) that led to 38 giant train cars carrying extremely toxic chemicals to derail and set fire in East Palestine, Ohio (50 cars were damaged in total). We cover ALL of it - how it happened, why...

Lucia and Tyler discuss the dark overlord of modern agriculture: Monsanto. They gab about how Monsanto sold Roundup with the knowledge that it was carcinogenic, creating a new brand of "farmer's cancer." They also chit-chat about the history of how Monsanto manufactured the agricultural equivalent of Frankenstein aka GMO seeds and created a monopoly on agriculture. They end the episode with a plea...

The big dookie episode is finally here! Lucia and Tyler discuss the history of diapers, the waste footprint of disposable diapers (infants go through 12 a day!!!), and how Pampers and other diaper companies started encouraging parents to potty train their kids later in the name of "not rushing children to potty train" aka capitalism. They also talk about the cloth diaper alternatives out there. Th...

In honor of Thanksgiving, we’re talking MEAT. This episode starts out with Turkey facts aka an explanation of the gruesome process required to eradicate turkeys when avian flu hits a farm. Then Lucia and Tyler talk about meat and how the history of bringing meat into the US - starting with the colonists - helps explain why Americans are more obsessed with meat than in most other countries. They ta...

Thus begins the topic of MEAT! In this first of a two-part episode, Lucia and Tyler introduce the topic of meat consumption and discuss why Americans love meat so much and love to hate vegans. Tyler also introduces his new character, Agrarian Comic.

It's Halloween and you know what is REALLY scary? The deferred maintenance needs of the Forest Preserves of Cook County! On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler talk about why Cook County and Chicago residents need to get out to the polls and vote YES for the Forest Preserves of Cook County referendum on the back of the ballot! Loosh and Ty also talk about how they're handling seasonal af...

This episode is specifically targeted at Victoria Beckham - honey you need to stop eating salmon everyday. On this week's episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler talk about why salmon populations are so severely depleted in the Pacific Northwest, and what one Indigenous Nation, the Quinault, are doing to fix it. This one has hope, folks! 

Excuse the clickbait - trees are not racist but PEOPLE are. In this week's episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler discuss how the history of the racist housing practice of redlining has led to decades of low tree canopy cover in low-income and minority neighborhoods around the country, and why those neighborhoods now have higher temperatures, increased flooding, and poorer air quality than wealt...

On this week's episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler use a lot of sort of accurate metaphors to explain why relying on carbon capture without getting off of fossil fuels to clean up the grid won't help the climate crisis. Lucia also exemplifies how carbon offsetting doesn't work when she shows her plastic coffee cup on camera but says it's balanced out by her wearing a second-hand shirt she fou...

Welcome to another edition of presenting Tyler with devastating information that will ruin an activity he dearly loves! On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia explains to Tyler why golf courses are environmental wastelands. This is a fun one that finishes up with an alternative to golf courses: turning them into public sex forests. Enjoy! 

Finally! Some good news for you! On this episode, Lucia and Tyler discuss congress passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which is a climate, tax, and healthcare bill that is expected to reduce carbon emissions roughly 40% by 2030 through an unprecedented $369 billion investment in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice. It is estimated that these investments will create more than 9 millio...

Woooof - this one is a doozy. On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler talk microplastics. Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long that break down in large bodies of water and can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life. And guess what - they've made it into the food chain and we are now filled with them! Lucia forgot to include any positive news with this o...

Ahhhh it's that time of year again when we ignore the absolutely devastating ongoing political disappointments in the United States and gather to eat watermelon and watch toxic metallic compounds explode over our heads (this one was written by Lucia). On this episode of What a Waste, Lucia and Tyler get into the science behind fireworks and why it's actually sort of insane that we keep using them...