Perhaps your New Years' resolutions include weight loss, more exercise, and being more organized. Do they happen to include "reduce, reuse, and recycle?" How about "I will drive less" or "I vow to take public transportation more often?"
Wednesday on Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison talks with Kristin Riott of Bridging the Gap and Henry Henderson, Midwest Director for the National Resources Defense Council about environmentalism in 2012, what we can do to improve the air we breathe, clean the water we drink, and contribute to a healthier planet.
We'll examine potential legislation governing greenhouse gasses, talk about green energy production, and discuss Bridging the Gap's five green things you can do to improve the environment this year.
Will you be greener in 2012? Give us a call at 816 235 2888 or email us at uptodate@kcur.org. You can also post comments on KCUR's Facebook page or Tweet us at @KCURUpToDate.
Henry Henderson is the director of the National Resource Defense Council's Midwest office, which opened in Chicago in 2007. He was the founding commissioner for the City of Chicago's Department of Environment from 1992 to 1998, and served as the Illinois assistant attorney general from 1985 to 1987. As commissioner, he developed an environmental mission for the city, which included the development of the Chicago Brownfield Initiative, a natural resources rehabilitation initiative, the city's energy policies and utility regulations, and Chicago's clean air initiative to improve regional air quality while promoting economic development. He has taught environmental law and policy at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He blogs on NRDC’s Switchboard. Kristin Riott is executive director of Bridging the Gap. Riott began her environmental career by growing a single sweet pea blossom from seed in lousy suburban soil in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was sidetracked for a number of years by a career in creative management at Hallmark Cards. Moving to Hong Kong in 2000 for her husband’s career, she and her family witnessed the rapid environmental degradation so easy to see in crowded Asian cities. Upon returning to Kansas City, she became active in various environmental movements, and in 2007 trained with Al Gore to become a spokesperson for climate change. She is also chairperson of Johnson County Climate Protection, a group devoted to reducing greenhouse gases in greater Kansas City.
