219 greenconnect by 219GreenConnect

Host Kathy Sipple talks with Becky Jascoviak of Chautauqua in the Dunes about the current 'Exhibit B' at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center through October 22, 2023. Vote for your favorite photo here >> bit.ly/dunesphotovote. The entry with the most votes will win the 'Peoples' Choice Award.' A donation is not required in order to vote, but please consider supporting this great project if you're able. 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Carla Kenney, Master Urban Gardener and Nikki D'Adamo-Damery, Conservation Outreach & Equity Director at Sand County Foundation about the organization and her work with the Land Ethic Mentorship Program, supporting historically underserved farmers and ranchers. Nikki will visit Gary, Indiana in July 2023 for a tour and celebration of several innovative urban farmers, details about this and other events here. Learn about conservation at many scales and how smaller producers are pushing the needle on regenerative agriculture -- and why it’s important to support farmers working intensively on smaller plots of land.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Joshua Sutton, Retail Manager at Trailyard in Valparaiso. Trailyard is a community hub for bike and outdoor enthusiasts, conveniently located next to Creekside Trails, a mountain bike and multi-purpose trail destination.

If you buy the book using this link. A $15 discount is applied at checkout. So the book will cost $14.95 or use coupon code: NWI. Discount ends 11/25/22, so act soon!

Diverting waste from the waste stream

Nationally renowned author, activist, and sought after speaker,  Harriet Shugarman is the 2021 Waterspirit Suzanne Golas Awardee, a 2020 New York City Climate Hero and a 2019 featured speaker at the Global Engagement Summit at United Nations Headquarters. Harriet is the Executive Director and founder of ClimateMama, an on-line community launched in 2009 that reaches individuals in over 110 countries and all 50 states; she is an influencer and connector in the climate movement. As a leader and mentor with The Climate Reality Project, Harriet established the Climate Reality New York City Metro Chapter, and served as its first chair. She was the recipient of the pre...

Confront the Climate Crisis (CTCC) is a grassroots, statewide campaign that has been achieving climate action solutions in Indiana since September 2020, by West Lafayette Climate. Today, we engage over 150 students from communities across Indiana, including Greater Lafayette, Evansville, Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne, Gary, Hammond, Carmel, Alexandria, and Kokomo. By bringing youth to the forefront of state politics, we know that we can create the change that we need to see to protect Indiana’s future.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks to Highland Neighbors for Sustainability members Cathy Perrin and Connie Wachala about the sustainability commission they are asking Highland to create, why they want one, and what they hope a sustainability commission will accomplish. They will also talk about the Region Neighbors for Sustainability event in Highland on Aug. 27 they are hosting, who should come and why.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Gin DeMaio, Executive Director of Green Team Academy about the International Climate Action Challenge her organization has led since 2020.  

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Walter Mueller from Voters for a Green Indiana, a non-partisan, independent group of citizens who want to make this information available to voters so they can make an informed decision. 

If you innovated for 3.8 billion years, how creative would you be? Very! So it is with nature.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Leslie Dorworth about the Indiana Master Watershed Steward. New in 2019, it will be offered virtually this year (2021).

Indiana Phenology is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to empowering Hoosiers of all ages to participate in citizen science. We are committed to developing and implementing engaging educational content, facilitating the state-wide collection of data, and making data accessible to policymakers, scientists, educators, residents, and other stakeholders.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Zach Schalk, the Indiana Program Director for Solar United Neighbors about an innovative, affordable way for people in Northwest Indiana to purchase solar systems for their residences or small businesses. 

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Host Kathy Sipple, together with Jim Poyser from Earth Charter Indiana, speak with Highland residents and volunteers, Alex Bazan and Connie Wachala about their organizing efforts around this pioneering region-wide effort. Connie Wachala, along with several other region residents attended last year's Climate Leadership Summit, hosted by Earth Charter Indiana. Encouraged by the resources she learned about, Connie began planning a Climate Action Blitz in Highland, Indiana on February 15, 2020. 65 northwest Indiana residents from 13 communities attended the event. Based on momentum from the blitz, a group formed, calling themselves NWI Region Resilience. 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Daniel Walker about Purdue's new online course available to Hoosiers who want to learn more about the planning process. More information here.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Dori Chandler & Blake Gardiner about their work with Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Natalie Johnson, Executive Director at Save the Dunes about their new Clean Water Ambassador program.

The Department of Environmental Affairs gave Aja Yasir a citation for her nontraditional yard. She has wood chips instead of lawn and was told that her wood chips are debris and that the chips attract bugs and fungi; therefore they are being deemed a health hazard. 

219 GreenConnect podcast host Kathy Sipple speaks with Andrea Proulx-Buinicki, an Andover Dr. neighbor, Dr. Larry McAfee, a retired veterinarian and wildlife advocate. 

Want to stop global warming? Learn how citizens from Northwest Indiana can effectively help.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with author and geologist Ken Schoon about the ancient shorelines and settlements at the south end of Lake Michigan.

Valparaiso University's student group, Earthtones, will host an event open to the public, focused on environmental issues.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Thais Carter from Valparaiso University about the upcoming event they are hosting on Saturday, April 21st from 9am to 2pm in the Helge Center.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Anne Laker from the Indiana Forest Alliance. IFA is a non-profit, statewide organization of individuals dedicated to the long-term health and well-being of Indiana’s native forests.   

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Madi Hirschland of the Hoosier Solar Initiative Steering Committee about the group's current efforts statewide, training opportunities and how you can get involved.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Shorecombers founder BJ Smith.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Michael Green, Executive Director at Climate XChange (climate-xchange.org), a Boston-based education and research non-profit dedicated to providing policymakers and advocates with cutting edge information on market-based solutions to climate change. The group also developed the State Carbon Pricing Network in order to support campaigns in other states and demonstrate the benefits of strong climate legislation at the local level, thereby enabling potential action in other states and eventually nationwide.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Linda Rosenthal, organizer of this event about her work with the Pachamama AllianceWe will explore 4 questions about both the urgency and the opportunity of the times we live in and how you can become an active participant in bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, socially just, spiritually fulfilled human presence on the planet.

Read the full New York Times article here.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Mario Longoni, Urban Anthropology Manager at The Field Museum and Lara Gonzalez, Calumet Heritage Communications Specialist at The Field Museum about their recent efforts to create a Calumet National Heritage Area.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Charlotte Wolfe, Regional Coordinator for Sustainable Indiana 2016 about the Green Light Awards. Indiana has long enjoyed the visionary efforts of its early Climate Leaders, the Hoosiers and organizations that have been lighting the way for the green movement to grow. In 2016, we are going to celebrate their achievements and dedication around our state. We are looking for people to nominate groups and individuals for consideration as a a Green Light leader who inspires you.

The Law Review Symposium will focus on environmental issues that affect the United States. Opening remarks will focus on the EPA’s new Clean Power Plan rule addressing climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions from power plants to promote cleaner energy resources. The first panel will address issues that impact agriculture in impoverished rural communities, water resources, and the increase of extreme weather and natural disasters due to climate change.The second panel will compare traditional energy sources and renewable energies, focusing on the following: utility planning, regulations, and the environmental implications. The third panel will provide an in...

Host Kathy Sipple went live on location to the second day of a 2-day climate camp for teens, held at Prairie Winds Nature Farm in Lakeville, Indiana.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Raphael Sbarge. Sbarge stars on TNT’s hit series Murder in the First and recurs on ABC’s Once Upon a Time. He has also directed and produced a documentary about climate change, Is There Hope for Planet Earth. 

219  GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with writer and chef, Lisa Harris, about the joys of cooking seasonally and connecting with the outdoors.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Nance Klehm about her crowdfunding project, The Ground Rules, as well as her passion for soil health and urban foraging.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks wiith Shane Hansen, the new market manager at Michigan City's Farmer's Market. Shane is not only the market manager, he's an owner of a 13-acre organic farm himself. He's seeking to offer market visitors more of a local food experience, limiting vendors to those that are truly local and bringing in an educational component to the market as well.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Coleen Wilder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Science at Valparaiso University, along with  four of her students: Rachel Laveau, Ben Crowe, Nelson Wagner and Iyanna Harris.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Professor Nicole Negowetti, a Law Professor at Valparaiso University. Negowetti teaches a food law class and is the organizer behind the April 24th local food summit in Valparaiso.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Kathy Luther of the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) about a new program designed to help make solar energy more affordable and accessible to region residents. Listen in to learn which communities have signed up and how you can be a part of it.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Marshall Willoughby, a hard core environmentalist from Gary, Indiana about his permaculture lifestyle. Marshall lives in a 120-square foot geodesic dome and generates his first 1000 watts of electricity using his home built wood gasification unit. He grows much of his own food and considers it medicine since it is far superior to a lot of what is grown commercially in nutrient depleted soil.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Valparaiso Indiana artists, Melissa Washburn and Aimee Tomasek. They are part of a collaborative effort called Community Supported Art Valparaiso, representing eight local emerging and mid-career artists working in a variety of media. CSA Valpo connects artists and supporters of the arts in the community and is partnering with the Porter County Museum to facilitate these connections and strengthen their presence of the arts in Porter County.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Eric Zosso from Zoseco Co-working in Valparaiso, Indiana, a new space designed to allow small businesses to get ahead without the overhead. They provide flexible memberships and include benefits like ultra-fast internet and complimentary coffee and tea to keep members energized and on point. 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Randi Light of Enlightened Living Hypnosis about her plans for a shared meditation to heal Mother Earth. Randi will attend the live event at East Wind Studios in Chesterton, Indiana on Earth Day -- April 22, 2014 -- and the event will also be available via live streaming at this link.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Valparaiso, Indiana based Spiritual Cartoonist, Annemarie Marti, about her whimsical line of greeting cards that celebrate Earth Day, everyday.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Chef, Brad Hindsley Executive Chef and Owner of Spire Farm-to-Fork Restaurant and Artist, Laura Marie Panozzo of LaPorte. Brad and Laura created Our Common Thread as a creative collaboration between Spire Farm to Fork Cuisine and Earth Angel Eco Art by Laura Marie Panozzo. It's a unique celebration that celebrates what connects each one of us.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Highland, Indiana Permcaculture Designer, Randy Jamrok, author of a new booklet entitled, "Permaculture Solutions to Climate Change".

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Tacy Fletcher of Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society’s North Chapter. INPAWS is growing despite the end of the growing season, and the fall of shorter nights and sleeping plants…

219 GreenConnect Host, Kathy Sipple speaks with Dan Plath and Kat Szot from NiSource about their new renewable energy option available to NIPSCO customers. 

Recycling and reusing items like plastic bottles, hand-me-down clothing and newspapers is important to make part of one’s every day routine to the reduce, reuse, recycle movement that is helping to reduce waste.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Paul Quinlan, Stewardship Director at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust about their recent land acquisition.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Ginny Brown from Energizing Indiana. GInny will share information about their free energy assessment for residential power customers and how your participation can help fund green causes like Northwest Indiana Green Drinks, a monthly educational meet up organized by 219 GreenConnect.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with David Mueller from Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond about their current exhibit, "Pipelines and Borderlines: People Can't Drink Oil!"

Guest host Kassie Meeks interviews 219 GreenConnect Founder, Kathy Sipple, sharing the story behind the initiative and some success stories that have resulted.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks to Mitch Barloga, biking enthusiast and Ped, Pedal & Paddle Planner at Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Chemical Engineer turned cooking instructor, Cheryl Dornberg of Mrs. Dornberg's Culinary Experience in Highland, Indiana.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Jennifer Shelhart from Green Research Corporation about the organization's work.

Host Kathy Sipple of 219 GreenConnect speaks with Donna Stuckert from the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County, organizers of the 8th Annual Northwest Indiana Earth Day to be held Saturday, April 20th 9am-4pm at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Kassie Meeks, about Ujjayi Pranayma breathing (sometimes called ocean breath), a  balancing and calming breath technique. This style of breathing keeps the vital life force, prana, circulating throughout the body rather than escaping from it.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Oriana Tiell from www.NeighborhoodFruit.com about their twist on urban foraging.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Rich Ferlazzo from the Valparaiso Shrimp Company, a wholesale and retail supplier of high quality fresh salt water shrimp. Kathy met Rich a few weeks ago at Sawgrass Marketplace in Chesterton where he makes his shrimp available for sale. 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Neil Davey from Figure Eight Brewery in Valparaiso about the brewery's recent expansion and their part in the local food web.

Join guest host, Emily Russell, of Russell Health & Wellness for a discussion with board certified pediatrician, Biljana Uzelac, MD, about healthy eating and how it directly affects your health.    Dr. Uzelac will share her passion for organic cooking and provide tips to help you create a healthy lifestyle for your family.  Learn how good nutrition can help prevent disease in your children and your family.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with A Greener Indiana's Founder, Eric Stallsmith, live from the Quiet Sports Expo in Indianapolis.

This show is a rebroadcast of an August 8, 2011 Socially Speaking show.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with photographer Pete Doherty owner of Doherty Images, LLC.   Pete specializes in Chicago lakefront and Indiana Dunes photography. He enjoys sharing Northwest Indiana's natural beauty through his photographs.    Pete's work has been exhibited at South Shore Arts in Munster, Gallery One in Chesterton, Galaxy Arts in Munster, Towle Theatre in Hammond, as well as in many area hospitals, libraries and retail establishments.

This show is a rebroadcast from an August 15, 2011 interview. Socially Speaking hosts, Tracy Traut and Kathy Sipple, speak with Mark Zaranski of East Wind Acupuncture in Chesterton.

This show is a rebroadcast of an August 1, 2011 interview. Socially Speaking hosts, Tracy Traut and Kathy Sipple, speak with Sandy Rodriguez.

This show is a rebroadcast from July 25, 2011. 219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple was interviewed by host Tracy Traut. 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Elizabeth Gingerich, a Business Law Associate Professor at Valparaiso University and Editor of The Journal of Values Based Leadership.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Toni Snearly, founder of NWI Food Swap.

Innovators needed! The challenge: build a vehicle that will run 5 miles on alternate power.

Whatever your interest—protecting natural places, adding native plants to your garden, photographing wildflowers, or lending expertise to our community of native plant enthusiasts—there’s a place for you at the Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society (INPAWS).

The Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network (IBMN) is a citizen scientist program monitoring the health of butterfly populations throughout northeastern and central Illinois, with several monitoring sites in northwest Indiana.

Paul Quinlan, Stewardship Director for Shirley Heinze Land Trust, speaks with host Kathy Sipple about the organization’s Little Calumet Wetlands project area and the opportunities it provides for recreation, environmental education, and watershed management.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Michael Boos, Executive Director at the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative (AWLI) in Hammond, Indiana.

Guest host, Emily Russell, of Russell Health & Wellness and Shaklee Distributor, will be speaking with Renee Kimberling, ND, board certified naturopath, and director of Healing Arts Center in Valparaiso.  The Healing Arts Center offers many services such as NAET allergy elimination, chiropractic, reflexology, clinical massage, stress management, reiki and craniosacral therapies, the Rossiter system for fast pain relief, acupuncture, and several others.  Learn more about this collaborative clinic for alternative health care and how Renee can help to relieve your allergies permanently with a system called NAET.

Guest host Emily Russell, of Russell Health & Wellness and Shaklee Distributor, will be talking with Laura Zaranski, M.S. L.Ac., the clinic director for East Wind Acupuncture about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture.  They will discuss the similarites and differences between eastern and western medicine, what health issues TCM can help treat, and how TCM and acupuncture can help you to acheive a greater state of health and wellness.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Jim Erdelac, Education & Volunteer Manager at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, about the power of volunteerism. Together, Shirley Heinze Land Trust and local volunteers accomplished a wide variety of restoration projects in 2012.

Guest Host Emily Russell, Wellness Consultant and Shaklee Distributor for Russell Health and Wellness, speaks with Diane Nelson, owner of Au Natural Market in Valparaiso, about how to stay healthy naturally during the cold and flu season.  Diane will be sharing different natural remedies that can help build one's immunity to prevent or stop most commom sicknesses that can slow us down during the holiday season.

Host Kathy Sipple interviews Julie Rizzo, Founder of St. John based Recycled Granite and My Choice Recycling.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Nicole Barker, Executive Director, and Nathan Pavlovic, Land and Advocacy Specialist at Save the Dunes about the oil pipeline company Enbridge Energy and their plans to construct approximately 60 miles of new pipeline for the transportation of tar sands through Northwest Indiana. The construction will involve excavating approximately 30 rivers and streams in the Lake Michigan Watershed and impacting wetlands along over 4 miles of the pipeline’s length. 

Kathy Sipple speaks with Amanda Arceo, Head of Avicenna Academy, an Islamic school in Merrillville. The school planted a garden this year with the help of some local partners. Arceo will share what the experience has meant for community outreach opportunities as well as for student learning.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Paul Quinlan, Stewardship Program Manager at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. The Trust works to protect and restore ecologicaly significant natural areas in Northwest Indiana.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Janel 

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Carl Lisek from South Shore Clean Cities about NIPSCO’s IN-Charge Electric Vehicle Program and the incentives that this program brings to Northern Indiana.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with John Gibson of Sustainable Indiana 2016 about their statewide citizens’ initiative to locate and showcase gardens and gardeners in each of Indiana’s 92 counties. The effort launched on May 21, 2012 and will culuminate in a grand, one-day,statewide celebration of gardens and gardeners on Saturday, August 18, 2012.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Valerie Steil, ASID, President at Marc T. Nielsen Interiors in Valparaiso about making environmentally friendly choices at home. Steil is also host of her own radio program "Steil & Substance", part of the "Community Voices" magazine show on WVLP 98.3 FM in Valparaiso.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Emily Russell about the benefits of eating local food, moving towards a more vegetable centered diet, and how vegetables nourish the body and calm the digestive system. We’ll also discuss how to get your children (and yourselves) eating more vegetables and reallyenjoying it. Find out how to use local food and farmer's markets to heal your body and raise healthy eaters.   Emily Russell holds a BA in Biology, Masters in Teaching, and a continuing education certificate as a Kid's Nutrition Specialist. She will lead a workshop "Raising Healthy Eaters - Kid's Nutrition Class" at Mothering...

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Susan Swarner from the Valpo Chain of Lakes Watershed Group about Naturepalooza! (aka Living with Lakes Seminar) to be held Saturday, June 16th. It is the 13th annual celebration of this event, held in conjunction with the Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy and Porter County Izaak Walton League.

Donna Stuckert Graham from the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County joins host Kathy Sipple to talk about Earth Day happenings planned for Saturday, April 21st at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with John Ervin of Primal Elegance about Synergistic Living Solutions.   In Northwest Indiana, there are over 70 invasive species of plants that threaten one or more things that we value. They impact our gardens, our farms, our woodlands, our ponds, our landscapes, and our comforts. Unlike the weeds with which we are most accustomed, like dandelions and thistles, these “super-weeds” not only dominate their habitat, but they alter it in ways that science is only now beginning to understand.   Due to their growth habits and their abilities to disperse, the techniques required to control these species are nearly as d...

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with conservationist Mike Echterling of the Lake County Fish & Game Association about his involvement in many local projects, including: his weekly show "Region Bass Buzz", the recent spotting of eagles here in Northwest Indiana, his work with Friends of the Little Calumet River and the upcoming 2nd Annual Little Calumet River Fest May 19th in Hammond where attendees are invited to "paddle, bike or walk the Little Cal and find out what you've been missing."

Host Kathy Sipple speaks to Simon Barrios, sommelier and local wine and spirit expert. Simon will share news about upcoming tastings and events as well as offer tips for meal pairings and recipes.

Host Kathy Sipple interviews Nicole Messacar, Education Coordinator at the LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District about upcoming workshops and programs. Topics include: rain gardens, the importance of cover crops and pollination.

Kathy Sipple interviews guest Lourdes Castellanos of Hammond, founder of Healthy U Expo, a 1-day educational event Saturday, March 24th at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville. Her mission  is to inform people of healthy, organic alternatives in the areas of health and wellness, fitness, nutrition, style and enviornment.

Larry Alport, Chair for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) South Suburban Chicago Branch Board Member, joins host Kathy Sipple. We'll discuss how Northwest Indiana residents can be come more knowledgeable about green homes, buildings and neighborhoods, and get involved in making our community more sustainable.