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Special Holiday Podcast (12-20-09):
It's a Wonderful Slice of
'It's a Wonderful Life'
Mike does the entire movie in about 12 minutes.
Producer Heather Frey plays Mary and special
guest star, radio show host Scott Austin joins
the festivities. Oh, yeah. There are a few WCPT
characters in the background singing
"Auld Lang Syne." I don't know how they
got into the studio. Honest.
The Mike Nowak Show Podcasts
If you missed a show or just want to browse through some past shows, here they are, in their entirety. (Since this is new, we're working out the bugs. If you have any complaints, comments, or suggestions email the webmaster. Please.)
This week's show
August 29, 2010
Guests: Victoria Anderson, who manages the Edibles Department at Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago, talks about the fall starter vegetables they have on sale now; Alex Lyakhovetsky, a Northbrook resident, tells the story of his mother, who planted a vegetable garden in the front yard and who was told by the village that it must be taken down; Kathleen Thompson looks at CSAs and how to deal with all of the vegetables that end up in your kitchen.Past shows
August 22, 2010
Guests: Purple Asparagus founder Melissa Graham talks about the Purple Asparagus Benefit on Sunday, August 29 at Uncommon Ground Restaurant in Edgewater; Rich and Susie Eyre and Rich's mom, Margaret, the Hosta Queen, preview next week's Hosta Happening at Rich's Foxwillow Pines in Woodstock; PLUS we catch New Orleans musicians Shamarr Allen & Paul Sanchez at the airport for a five minute conversation about their new album Bridging the Gap (and then we play as much music from it as we can during the show).August 15, 2010
THREE podcasts for the price of, uh, NONE! (Don't expect this every week, okay? We gotta show my sponsors some love.Otherwise, there's no me.)#1 - Full Show
#2 - Hour 1 (Commercials edited out - 25 min.)
Tom and Lisa Marini Finerty from "Your Garden Show.com"
#3 - Hour 2 (Commercials edited out - 45 min.)
Susan Harris, Elizabeth Licata and Amy Stewart from "Garden Rant.com"August 8, 2010
Guests: Illinois Extension Fruits and Vegetables Educator Maurice Ogutu, about the safety of vegetables gardens that were flooded by recent heavy rains; 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees reunion with Mary DiCarlo of the TREE Fund, and riders Pam Pinkley, Mark Younger, Greg Cadieux, John Kirchner and Jim Skiera.August 1 , 2010
Guests: Robert Nevel and Gloria Needlman of KAM Isaiah Israel in Hyde Park talk about the KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation Food Producing Garden; Bob Vogl, president of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association previews the 9th Annual Illinois Renewable Energy & Sustainable Lifestyle Fair with Victor Zaderej and Ron Cowgill of Mighty House; Green Correspondent Leah Pietrusiak heads north to Milwaukee to jump in a compost pile with Sarah Christman of Growing Power.July 25, 2010
Guests: Paul Sanchez and Chris Joseph of Threadhead Records (THR) talk about their mession to help Gulf Coast musicians keep producing music for the world, and Mike plays one of their songs; Mick Dumke talks about his new gig with The Chicago News Cooperative and the state of recycling in Chicago following his final article for the Chicago Reader, titled "Why Can't Chicago Recycle?"; Reinie Drygala explains how the product Clear Choice can help consumers who want to cut back on chemical herticides.July 18, 2010
The 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees launch from Millennium Park, to benefit the TREE Fund. Guests: Scott Jamieson from Bartlett Tree Experts; riders Andrew Fittsley, Beth Buchanan, John Kirchner and Kristin Wild; Geoff Cowan from The Davey Tree Expert Company and Shawn Kingzette from The Care of Trees; Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment Suzanne Malec-McKenna; and rock icon and world class tree farmer Chuck Leavell.July 11, 2010
Laury Lewis previews the Sheffield Garden Walk & Festival; Dan Kosta plugs the Prairie State Bonsai Society's annual show next Saturday and Sunday at the Morton Arboretum; Mary DiCarlo from the TREE Fund talks about next week's broadcast of The Mike Nowak Show from Millennium Park for the 2010 STIHL Tour des Trees; Ann Molloy extolls the virtues of Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer; Nina Newhouser invites folks to attend Andersonville Green Week; Woody Olsen touts next Sunday'sDearborn Garden Walk.July 4, 2010
Ken and Susan Turner from Stop the MegaDairy.org, and Kate Thomas, who wrote a Masters thesis about it, talk with Mike about a CAFO in Jo Daviess County that could potentially wreak havoc with the environment there; Leah Pietrusiak reports from the Farmers Market that wasn't; Mike gives away tickets to the Chuck Leavell benefit concert to raise money for the American Forest Foundation and the TREE FundJune 27, 2010
Josh Mogerman of the Natural Resources Defense Council talks about the safety of the Great Lakes following the capture of an Asian Carp in Lake Calumet; Mike answers some gardening questions, with the help of friend Dan Costa; Heather Frey talks about her attempts to get close to the Stanley Cup.June 20, 2010
Guests: Tayler Ulmer, Jose Bhagwandeen and Celeste Campos, winnders of CEDA’s “My Backyard Garden: Keeping it Fresh” Contest; Greg Ecsedy from the Bobbex company on critter control in the garden; Lenny "Kaz" Kazlauskas from Artesa Home Visions--a sponsor of the "Ultimate Backyard Makeover" Contest--talks about improving your home's exterior; Mike Nowak Show reporter Leah Pietrusiak visits a farmers market in Beverly.
June 13, 2010
(Note: Due to technical problems, audio on this podcast is sub-standard. My apologies.)
Guests: Filmmakers Carey Lundin and Mark Frazel, who have created the television documentary "Jens Jensen Harmonious World"; Martha Boyd from Angelic Organics Learning Center on their second annual Summer Solstice Celebration; LaManda Joy updates The Peterson Garden Project; Mike rants about recycling in Chicago.June 6, 2010
Guests: Christy Webber of Christy Webber Landscapes starts out as a guest and ends up being the co-host. Go figure. Also featured: Lucian Gansca from Hardscape Designs, Inc., a sponsor of WCPT's Ultimate Backyard Makeover; Linda Kiscellus from the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association promotes a showing of the documentary film "A Chemical Reaction" at Cantigny Gardens; 38th Ward Alderman Tom Allen talks about his attempt to force the City of Chicago to finish the roll out of the Blue Cart Recycling Program.June 5, 2010
Special Broadcast: "Our Community Garden" from Family Focus Our Place, 2010 Dewey in Evanston, sponsored by CEDA. Conversations about the Health & Wellness Fair and Community Garden Unveiling.May 30, 2010
Guests: Growing Home Executive Director Harry Rhodes talks about their 8th Annual Benefit; Bruce Pinsler from Galaxie Construction, primary sponsor of WCPT's Ultimate Backyard Makeover; Mike gives away a pair of tix to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010.May 23, 2010
Live Broadcast from Pesche's Garden Center in Des Plaines. Guests: Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Director Marc Miller talks about the initiative with Chicago Wilderness called Leave No Child Inside Month; Milo Shammas, Founder & Formulator, Dr. Earth, Inc.; Wally Schmidtke (a.k.a. "Dr. Wally") from Pesche's.May 16, 2010
Guests: Ken Haller, former president of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association in a discussion about Colony Collapse Disorder; Steve Reick from the Fertisorb Company, Amy Gulick, photographer for the book Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska's Tongass Rain Forest,
Rick Moskovitz, President, A-Plus Pest Control, Inc .May 15, 2010
Special Broadcast: "Growing In Austin" from the Third Unitarian Church in the Austin Neighborhood of Chicago. A discussion of Urban Agriculture issues with a wide-ranging panel of experts: urban organizers and urban farmers.May 9, 2010
Guests: Julia Govis, author of Who's Poisoning Our Children? and Josh Mogerman of the the Natural Resources Defense Council talking about Atrazine in our water;; Beth Botts, who has written about alternatives to plastic pots in her blog, Growing in Chicago and Drew Effron, product manager for Ball Innovations, a part of Ball Horticultural Company, which is working on these alternatives. Beth also talks about the inaugural "Beer Under Glass" Micro Brew Event to benefit the Garfield Park Conservatory.May 2, 2010
Live Broadcast from Pesche's Garden Center in Des Plaines. Guests: Milo Shammas, Founder & Formulator, Dr. Earth, Inc.; frog monitor Matt Hokanson; Marjorie Hess from Gary Comer Youth Center about CEDA's"My Backyard Garden: 'Keepin It Fresh" contest for students from grades 8 through 12.April 25, 2010
Guests: Dan Schnitzer, Director of Sustainability and Operations, Academy for Global Citizenship; and the Rappe Family: Scott, Grace, Matthew and Nicholas, who spent an entire year sorting and weighing all of the waste they created.April18, 2010
Guests: Todd Jacobson and Deirdre Toner from Perennials in Focus; 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore talks about his Chicago Clean Power Ordinance with Faith Bugel, senior attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC);32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack discusses the implications of privatizing Chicago's water system with Jon Keesecker of Food and Water Watch and Baxanhall from U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group)April 11, 2010
Guests: Jim Slanina and Linda Basinger from Opus Environmental; Loyola University's Summur Roberts talks about next week's North Lake Shore Community Earth Day 2010: Recipe for a healthy planet; Mike previews Tuesday's rally to support the introduction of 49th Alderman Joe Moore's Chicago Clean Power Ordinance in City Council.April 4, 2010
Guests: Chad Bliss and Justin Quinones from Cob Connection; Sarah Abu-Absi, WRD Environmental Consultant for the Chicago Department of Environment on "Tweet Home Chicago" competition.March 28, 2010
Guests: Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, author and editor of Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: good science - practical application; Kerrie Rosenthal and Carol Niec from The Seedkeeper Company; Jack Pizzo of Pizzo & Associates Ecological Restoration.March 21, 2010
Guests: Jennifer Brennan, horticulture information specialist at The Chalet, sits in for the entire show. Alicia Ontiveros (@EcoChicago) of EcoChicago talks about an EcoChat on her website tomorrow about this Saturday's Earth Hour.March 14, 2010
Guests: Anna Pavord, author of the gorgeous book, Bulb; blogger and Twitterer LaManda Joy, a.k.a. @TheYarden, who talks about "The Lost Victory Garden Seed List of 1943"; Paul Tukey, founder of SafeLawns.org discusses the Chicago premiere of his documentary, "A Chemical Reaction" with Mike and Steve Neumann from Clean Air Lawn Care Chicago.March 7, 2010
Guests: Authors, bloggers, Tweeters, podcasters and kibitzers Jean Ann Van Krevelen (@JeanAnnVK) and Amanda Thomsen (@KissMyAster) talk about their new book, Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food. We even sneak in some conversation about the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. Local Foodies Jim Slama and Vicki Nowicki preview FamilyFarmed Expo. The continuing saga, "To Dump or Not To Dump" in DeKalb County continues. Dan Kenney of Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump is back to report on the week-long public hearing about whether to expand the county's landfill.February 28, 2010
Guests: Foresight Design Initiative Executive Director Peter Nicholson; Dan Kenney, chair of a group called Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump; Joe Lill, Vice President of the Chicago Audubon Society talks about Birding America ViII. But who knew that he had prodigious musical talent? Check out the final ten minutes of the podcast to hear Joe wail on the trumpet...over the phone, no less.February 21, 2010
Beth Botts fills in for the vacationing Mike Nowak. Guests: Diane Blazek of All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau; Jim Kleinwachter, head of the Conservation@home program for the Conservation Foundation; garden designer Andrea Green of Gardens by Design in Oak Park.February 14, 2010
Guests: Follow up on Chicago's war on local food: Chicago Tribune's Monica Eng, Alexis Leverenz of Kitchen Chicago and Martha Boyd from Angelic Organics Learning Center; Garth Conrad, president of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association (MELA); speakers for the 18th Annual Natural Landscaping Seminar for the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee of McHenry County--Lorraine Johnson, Ed Collins and Nancy Williamson.February 7, 2010
Guests: Natural Resources Defense Council's Josh Mogerman talks about latest developments in the Asian Carp crisis; Mr. Brown Thumb invades the studio with his legion of Twitter followers; Chicago Tribune writer Monica Eng and Flora Confections Chief Operating Officer Lee Greenhouse discuss the heartbreaking action of the Chicago Health Department, which destroyed thousands of dollars of fruit purees in a licensing dispute. (This link contains the video that is posted on my home page.)January 31, 2010
Beth Botts co-hosts. She and Mike talk about the latest funding crisis for Illinois Extension, the state of the economy in horticulture, why you should stop whining about snow (it's good for your plants), and they answer a few gardening questions along the way.January 24, 2010
Guests: The Resource Center's Ken Dunn is receiving the 5th Annual Elizabeth I. Benson Award this Wednesday, January 27, at the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ. Ken and Pam Richart of the Eco-Justice Collaborative talk about the event (which I am emceeing). Also on the show, CMAP Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn on the Go To 2040 initiative; Dave Snyder from Chicago Rarities Orchard Project (CROP).January 17, 2010
Mike and Heather talk about relief for victims of Haiti earthquake; Guests: Maureen Phillips talks about the 7th Annual Gardening Show presented by the Porter County Master Gardeners Association. Speakers for the show include Connor Shaw from Possibility Place Sursery and writer Jean Starr from Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.January 10, 2010
Guests: Robert Nevel, Joel Smith and Terra Brockman discuss the Martin Luther King, Jr.Social Justice Weekend at KAM Isaiah Israel January 15th & 17th; Guy Sternberg, Mayor Bruce Tossell and David Ellis talk about saving the historic Osage-orange tree in Kewanee, Illinois; actor/producer Michael Martin and Chicago actor Richard Henzel preview the opening of Verbatim Verboten: The Words You Long to Hear at Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville on January 13 (yes, I'm in the show).January 3, 2010
Guests: NeighborSpace Executive Director Ben Helphand talks about One Seed Chicago; Robin Schirmer of Churches' Center for Land and People and Rob Gardener of The Local Beet discuss Winter Farmers Markets in and around Chicago.December 27, 2009
Mike looks at the stories of 2009 that fell through the cracks.December 20, 2009
The Mike Nowak Show X-Mas X-Travaganza! Guests: Joe Heidgen from Shady Hill Garden; Scott Austin , who has hosted his own radio show in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada for 21 years. And the WCPT premiere of It's a Wonderful Slice of 'It's a Wonderful Life.'December 13, 2009
Guests: "Gardening Nude" author Shawna Lee Coronado; Mick Dumke, contributor to the Chicago Reader's Clout City blog, discusses Chicago recycling with Mike; Eric Hansen of Competitive Lawn Service, Inc., talks about acquiring a propane-fueled Roush/Ford F350 for his business.December 6, 2009
Guests: Chicago French Market co-developer Bob Wislow, and Dimitri Fayard, co-proprietor of vendor Vanille Patisserie. Shawn Kingsette and Thom Kraak from The Care of Trees discuss indoor and outdoor holiday trees--how to decorate them and keep them healthy.November 29, 2009
Guests: Tim Magner of Green Sugar Press on his environmental books for children; Brian Granahan of Environment Illinois talks about various green issues, including the drawbacks of nuclear energy and the future of cap-and-trade in America; Josh Mogerman from Natural Resources Defense Council discusses the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes.November 22, 2009
Guests: Bruce and Erika Horigan of Horigan Urban Forest Products, Inc., Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farm, and a special appearance in the second hour by arborist Guy Sternberg of Starhill Forest Arboretum. In a completely non-horticultural related appearance, Mike's holiday caroling group, The Frozen Robins take over most of the second hour with their warbling and improvisation.November 15, 2009
Guests: Chicago Gardener of the Year Ellen Moderhack and family, representing Franklin Fine Arts Center; Mike Mitchell, executive director of the Illinois Recycling Coalition, talking about America Recycles Day; Kay McKeen of SCARCE previews this Thursday's conference for people and organizations that want to learn about the new Illinois food scrap composting law.November 8, 2009
Guests: Faith Campbell , senior policy representative at The Nature Conservancy, on new regulations proposed by the USDA to keep non-native insects and diseases out of the country; Guy Sternberg from Starhill Forest Arboretum on the latest recognition of this downstate treasure; Connie Spreen, co-founder and executive director of Experimental Station, on the final days of the 61st Street Garden in the Lawndale neighborhood and a public meeting scheduled for November 12 on moving forward.November 1, 2009
Guests: Commissioner Debra Shore of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance Public Review; Jack Darin, director of Illinois Sierra Club on their 50th Anniversary Celebration; Rick DiMaio talks about harvesting woes for Illinois farmers.October 25, 2009
Discussions on 350.org International Day of Climate Action and City of Chicago's backtracking on Blue Cart rollout. Guests: Urban Worm Girl Stepanie Davies, Compost Queen Lynn Bement, Shedd Aquarium horticulturist Christine Nye, and Charles Martin of Terra Biotics.October 18, 2009
Guests: Photographer Ernest J. Schweit of Wisconsin Barns, Jamie Henn of 350.org, local organizer Dave Lloyd of 350 DuPage--Sights and Sounds for Climate Action, John Didier and Gene McMullen of 2009 Great Pumpkin Weigh off at Didier FarmsOctober 11, 2009
Discussion about Chicago Marathon and how tree trimmers can fight gangs in Chicago. Guests: Ryan Richardson of Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, Illinois, home of the world's larges corn maze; Stacey Pfingsten of No Foam Chicago.October 4, 2009
Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune writer and author of her own blogsite Growing in Chicago, co-hosts. Guests: Friends of the Forest Preserves Executive Director Benjamin Cox on Hinsdale land grab, conversation about the problems of harvesting plants and insects from the wild.September 27, 2009
Guests: Monarch butterfly correspondent and member of Monarch Watch Bob Erlich, Morton Arboretum Community Trees Advocate Edith Makra, Safer Pest Control Project's Steve Pincuspy.
