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Flanigan's Eco-LogicFlanigan's Eco-Logic, hosted by Ted Flanigan, provides cutting-edge information and insights in sustainability and the clean energy space. Author: Ted Flanigan
Flanigan's Eco-Logic, hosted by Ted Flanigan, provides cutting-edge information and insights in sustainability and the clean energy space. Episodes address alternative energy -- featuring solar, storage, microgrids, vehicle grid integration, and energy access. In addition, the podcast covers resources issues -- like water and food issues, and even slow fashion. Flanigans enthusiasm, vast experience, and deep network in the energy and environmental arena are palpable as he brings exciting and encouraging green developments to the fore, interviewing and engaging leading policy makers and practitioners throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. Language: en-us Genres: Earth Sciences, Education, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Kari Hammerschlag - Healthy Food for the People
Episode 246
Monday, 24 November, 2025
Kari Hammerschlag has spent the past 30 years promoting healthy food. She's been advocating for healthy farming practices and working with schools and institutions to serve healthy food. As the Deputy Director for Food and Agricultural Policy at Friends of the Earth (FOE), she is passionate and clear: For years, our federal government has bowed to the wishes of agribusinesses and the agrochemical industry. This year is even worse, with the current administration not only rolling back EPA funding, but working to streamline new pesticide approvals, and beyond that... launching PR campaigns to promote the safety of these chemicals, misinforming the public.The vast majority of Americans want healthy food. Polls show that 80% do. And while many are very concerned about the chemicals going into our food, our government is at odds with this strong majority. Even Robert F Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign is contradictory to federal policy. An effort that was begun to promote healthy food, MAHA has been coopted and conflicted... resulting in funds being stripped away from small farms, organic and regenerative agriculture, and instead being used to support big business. Kari notes that 60 - 70 chemicals used by U.S. farms today are banned in the countries where they are manufactured. The Chinese make Paraquat but have banned its use in China and instead ship it to America. That's just one issue. Meanwhile, the United States is losing 60 farms a day due to labor issues, climate change and weather, not to mention tariffs that are hurting small and big farms. We are up against "corporate controlled food," explains Kari.Kari makes clear the connection between agriculture and climate change. Working for Environmental Working Group some years ago, Kari wrote the "Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change and Health." In it, she advocates "diet shift." In the case of meat, she suggests, if you eat it... eat less and use the savings to make sure that the meat that you buy is healthy. Food factory meat is laced with antibodies and growth hormones. Fatty tissues in meat accumulate toxins like dioxins.Later in the discussion, Ted asks Kari what we each of us can do. She smiles and simulates eating a forkful of food, making clear that we each control what we eat. We can choose to eat organic. We can support local farms through farmers' markets. We can ask our local supermarkets and restaurants where our food is sourced. But Kari explains that we can't solve the food issue just by changing our consumption patterns. She emphasizes that we also need to get engaged in the policy arena: Join organizations like FOE, she says, and reach out to our politicians with this simple message: We want healthy food.
