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As I stated in an earlier article, the Navajo Nation is challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a Federal appeals court, over proposed in situ leach uranium mining on tribal lands. It’s the first time in history that the NRC will be challenged in court for its approval of a source materials license for an in situ leach uranium mine.

The Navajo communities of Crownpoint and Church Rock are represented by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center (NMELC), Eastern Navajo Dine against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) and Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC). They are demanding that a New Mexico mining company, Hydro Resources, Inc., stay off tribal lands.

Eric Jantz, a lawyer with the NMELC, spent some time with me, explaining the lawsuit and that organization’s role in other uranium related issues. I asked him for a briefing on the litigation.

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Image: World Nuclear Association

April 26 marks the 22nd anniversary of the 1986 nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Slavutych, Ukraine. That one incident resulted in hundreds and possibly thousands of deaths, lingering health issues, radioactive contamination of a wide swath of land, property losses and on-going clean-up costs totaling billions of dollars.The Ukranian-American Environmental Association sent out a release reminding everyon of the risks of nuclear power.

I spoke with Kenneth Bossong, co-director of UAEA, about the anniversary, and asked him to tell us more about his organization.

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National Geographic Photo

That smiling face belongs to MC Milker, head writer for Ecopreneurist where writers focus on sustainable and social entrepreneurship .

MC is well-suited for this project, she spent 20 years in corporate marketing, working for Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. She’s taught marketing and public relations at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hong Kong in China.

Here’s our interview:

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Visit Ecopreneurist.

How many people do you know who would leave the suburbs and settle on an unimproved 160 acres of land, build their home with materials from that land, and then set up their own power grid?

Jennifer Lance has done just that, and it was a pleasure talking with this school teacher-mother, who walks her talk. When she writes about family values in Eco Child’s Play, you can rest assured it comes from her own life experience.

So settle back, and have a listen:

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Before going, I want to call your attention to an earlier podcast interview with the Sundance Channel’s Simran Sethi. She is documenting the rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas, devastated by a massive tornado last May, and also promoting a fund raiser for the rebuilding project.

And while I’m on the subject, check out my podcast interview with Beth Bader, lead writer for Eat.Drink.Better, and contributor to Eco Child’s Play.

The devastation you see above is what’s left of Greensburg, Kansas, after one of the largest tornadoes in history ravaged the town of 1,500 the evening of May 4, 2007. The EF5 twister claimed at least 11 lives in Greensburg, and injured 60 or more.

Simran Sethi, award-winning environmental journalist featured on the Sundance Channel and sundancechannel.com, is documenting Greensburg’s recovery as a “Green City” with her new series The Good Fight. She’s also promoting a fund-raising effort to help citizens rebuild their community.

I had the privilege of interviewing Simran about her series and the work going on in Greensburg. Here’s our talk… simran-final1.mp3

Sethi mentioned the fund-raising efforts of a local group, and this is their website: Greensburg Greentown.

Here’s the Greensburg, Kansas Official Website.

Stock photos of the damage, taken by Ultimate Chase.

My recent interview with David Mills, author of 10,000 Days, got me to thinking about the cultural revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s. Being a product of the depression, my involvement was to sit back and look on in amazement as we seemed to shift into the high gear of a revolt of sorts.

Young people were busy then, ripe with lofty ideals about clean air, clean water, a cleaner environment and making the earth we live on a cleaner and safer place. They spoke out, paraded, chanted, ranted, raved and demonstrated, not all that bad, those efforts did indeed bring about some change.

If you’d rather hear the podcast, it’s here. mar-27-opinion.mp3

Read the rest of this entry »

What happens when a Baby Boomer realizes he still has at least 10,000 or more days to be productive, and maybe finish some of the things he promised to do more than 10,000 days ago?

David Mills wrote a book about it, “10,000 Days, A Call To Arms for the Baby Boom Generation,” a challenge to the 78 million Baby Boomers to, as he puts it,

“Find the spirit that evoked thought and action 40 years ago. Rekindle the internal flame that is still burning like a tiny pilot light in many of us.”

Mills, Producer and Writer for CBS 5’s Weekend Early Edition on San Francisco’s KPIX-TV, states his case in an easy to read style, reviewing the events that shaped the last 7 decades, and how that affected the Boomer’s lives.

David asks,

“Our final chapter hasn’t been written, my fellow Boomers. What will our legacy be?”

“What we did when we were young…or what we did when we were old.”

David’s book is available on Amazon.com, and his website is named, not surprisingly, “10,000 Days.”

Oh, and that’s Dave in the picture, with his grandson, Shea.

Here’s our conversation:

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My guest today is Beth Bader, a very busy mom who juggles raising a family while working full-time, and writing three different blogs. In our interview, she talks about wrangling sharks, not for food, but tagging them, and what she’s discovered about the foods we’re eating.

Beth’s blog is The Expatriate’s Kitchen, “Musings on food and life, with my original recipes, and a cynical wit as sharp as my ten-inch French knife”.

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My guest today is no stranger to the subject of biofuels. Clayton began experimenting with small-scale biodiesel production at Oregon State University. Of his many projects to produce and use a local fuel source, he was involved in the construction of a biodiesel reactor designed to convert waste cafeteria oil into biodiesel for use in OSU campus vehicles.

Clayton has an Honors B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Utah. He most recently left a position at Oregon State University in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.

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Link to Gas2

Sarah Lozanova is a native Chicagoan who is passionate about renewable energy. She has an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco and she is working on developing ways for corporations to solve environmental and social challenges that face society. When she can escape the Internet vortex, she enjoys playing in the forest, paddling down rivers, or twisting into yoga poses.

Sarah spoke with us from her home in Chicago.

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Here is the link to the anniversary podcast:
The Lindberg Report Podcast: Green Options Turns One: Looking Back… and Forward