The Mike Nowak Show

Latest Episodes:

April 15, 2018 – Science is for Citizens, Too Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

Cheryl Julcher from Yellow Brick Properties, Inc. explains what it means to be a sustainable realtor. Cam Davis talks about how he gardnered more than 54,000 write-in votes for a seat on the MWRD in the Illinois primary and what battles lie ahead in the November general election. Doug Taron, PhD, from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Musem, celebrates 30 years of the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network and speculates what the unusually cool spring means for butterfly populations.

April 8, 2018 – Anticipation… Apr 13, 2018

Show notes

Peterson Garden Project founder and executive director LaManda Joy promotes their annual Organic Edible Plant Sale and many other initiatives. Sarah Surroz and Patrick Williams of Openlands discuss the merger of Conserve Lake County into Openlands. Lisa Hilgenberg, horticulturist for the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden, offers tips on spring veggie planting. Plant breeder Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, makes a surprise visit.

Seeds As Art, Seeds As Medium Apr 01, 2018

Show notes

Artist Shilin Hora describes her "Seed Museum works." 2018 Beginning Farmer of the Year Yoram Shanan of Sandbox Organics talks about the new wave of farmers. Jodie Wiederkehr of Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA) explains why she wants to put horse-drawn carriages out of business in Chicago.

March 25, 2018 – Microcosm Rides Again! Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

Paul Lopacinski, Senior Manager of Creative Production for Macy’s, talks about the opening day of theirl Flower Show, “Once Upon a Springtime." Peggy McGrath and David Holmquist from Go Green Oak Park explain their quest to undo an Illinois pesticide preemption law. Michele Hoffman returns to the Science Desk--this time with her son Ryan--to preview her trip to Alaska to shoot more footage for her film Microcosm. Jessica Chipkin and Christy Slaby from Crate Free Illinois report on their apparent success in getting the Trader Joe's markets to move away from pork producers that use gestitation crates.

March 18, 2018 – Live from the 2018 Chicago Flower & Garden Show! Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

Mike and Peggy broadcast live from the 2018 Chicago Flower & Garden show on Navy Pier. Guests are President and Show Director Tony Abruscato; The Rose Kings: Chris VanCleave and Brian Puckett; Sandy Syburg, co-founder of Purple Cow Organics; Dale Vnuk of siness, Wyld Creek Inc. Water Gardens; William Moss the Garden Boss; and Janie Grillo, sometimes known as Butterfly Jane.

March 11, 2018 – Healthy Water, Soils, Lands and Laws Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

Horticulturist and queen of all media Melinda Myers returns to the show to preview her talk at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. President and CEO Jerry Adelmann of Openlands talks about the threats to national programs and institutions that have preserved our natural areas and worked to clean our air and water. David R. Montgomery, author of Growing a Revolution: Bringing our soil back to life, discusses the promise of regenerative organic agriculture.

An Interview with Illinois 16th Congressional District Candidate Beth Vercolio-Osmund Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Beth Vercolio-Osmund talks about the challenges of running for office in the rural Illinois 16th Congressional District as a Democrat. She and her husband Jody have been on past shows to talk about their work running Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa, Illinois. Now she takes that experience, plus her work as co-director of a food pantry, teacher, union member and activist and works to make it past the March 20 Illinois primary.

An Interview with MWRD Candidate Cam Davis Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

When Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Timothy Bradford died suddenly last December, it happened on the eve of the deadline for filing for the March 20 election primary. That means that to get on the fall ballot to serve on the billion-dollar-a-year tax-supported agency that serves more than 10 million people, one candidate will have to garner as many as 10,000 write-in votes, something that has never been done before. Candidate Cam Davis, who is former CEO and president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, talks about that challenge with Mike and Peggy.

March 4, 2018 – On the Road Again Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Mike and Peggy broadcast from the Greater Chicago Home + Remodeling Show sponsored by Life Storage. at the Schaumburg Convention Center. Guests are show organizer Jessica Boweak; Jim Slama, the man behind Family Farmed and the Good Food EXPO; write-in candidate for commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Cam Davis; landscape architect Ken Gallt from Foliage Design Systems of Chicago; innovator Tom Szaky of the recycling and re-imagining company TerraCycle; and Beth Vercolio-Osmund, candidate for Illinois 16th Congressional District.

February 25, 2018 – Celebrating Our One Earth Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

Jim Neinhuis, Ph.D., talks about his presentations at the 2018 Great Lakes Bioneers McHenry County Speaker Series, which will focus on the evolution of vegetables and his work in Central America helping women entrepreneurs grow grafted tomatoes. Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, aka The Houseplant Guru, promotes her book, Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing, and Caring for Indoor Plants. Ana Garcia Doyle from The 7th Annual One Earth Film Festival, previews the event. Mike and Peggy interview filmmakers Chanda Chevannes and Linda Booker.

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