GO GREEN OR GO HOME!
The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki is a show about our connection to the Earth. You can call it horticulture or agriculture or permaculture or even gardening. That’s our starting point. From there, we want to help our listeners make the leap from their backyards to the rest of the planet.
On this show, you might hear about why clover in your lawn is a good thing (bees, anybody?), why roses are lovely but adding some native plants is a good idea, why trees are not only magnificent plants but they add value to your property, and why growing your own vegetables is surprisingly easy.
You’re going to hear about why water levels are rising (our wonderful meteorologist Rick DiMaio explains it in language everyone can understand), why we need to stop pumping carbon dioxide into the air, and why too many species are in decline.
From monarch butterflies to food to climate change to giant pumpkins, we don’t think there’s another show like ours anywhere. And, believe it or not, we have a good time while we do it! We bring in knowledgeable guests who are surprisingly accessible and entertaining. And so are we, of course.
Together, Mike, Peggy and Rick explore the science, the zeal, the humor, the commitment, the discipline, and the promise of treading a little more lightly on this good Earth. Green living was never so much fun!
“The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki” airs live on the Smart Talk Radio Network and WCGO Radio (1590 AM and 95.9 FM in Chicago) Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Central. Also catch the Facebook Live feed.
Find episodes below. Visit mikenowak.net.
COMING UP
This week on “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki,” we wrap up National Pollinator Week with Mary Phillips of the National Wildlife Federation and Jill Utrup from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Minnesota/Wisconsin Ecological Services Field Office. Get ready for a great discussion about beneficial pollinator insects, how you can get help with pollinator conservation as a citizen scientist, ways to plant your own backyard wildlife habitat and how living in a pandemic is affecting home gardening trends.
Oil pipelines are in the news this week as a Michigan judge Thursday temporarily shut down the damaged Enbridge Line 5 twin pipelines, which run through the Straits of Mackinac. In the show's second hour, Liz Kirkwood of FLOW (For Love of Water) and SurfRider Foundation’s Mitch McNeil join us to give an update on the case, ongoing legal efforts to permanently cease operations on Line 5 and the potential impacts of pipelines on the Great Lakes. Meteorologist Rick DiMaio also stops by with his weekly forecast and a look at climate news.
Tune in for gardening, green living and environmental reporting, and a whole lot of fun, Sunday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 Central!
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ABOUT MIKE, PEGGY AND RICK
For more than 20 years, Mike Nowak has been talking about gardening, the environment, and green living on Chicago radio. He also co-hosted a local gardening and food TV program called “Dig In Chicago.” For 16 years, he was an award-winning columnist on the inside back page of Chicagoland Gardening magazine. In 2014, Around the Block Press published his first book, Attack of the Killer Asparagus and Other Lessons Not Learned in the Garden.
Mike often says that his background in gardening is show business, which is pretty close to the truth. He started on the Chicago stage, where he garnered awards for acting, directing and writing, even co-authoring a play that was produced off-Broadway and around the country. He has also received awards for radio production. As for horticulture, he remains a fervent amateur when it comes to growing things.
Peggy Malecki has been publisher of Natural Awakenings Chicago magazine for the past decade. It is an independent monthly publication focused on living a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Living green is important to Peggy, who strives to incorporate sustainable habits into her everyday life and teach others to do the same.
Although she grew up on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Peggy says she spent countless childhood hours with her grandparents in a small town in northern Illinois. There she learned how to compost, grow veggies without chemicals, and appreciate the outdoors, lessons which she applies now to her home garden.
Peggy is an avid sailor and advocate for Great Lakes and environmental issues. She previously served as a Lakefront Commissioner with the City of Highland Park, Illinois, and is also a beach captain for the annual Adopt-A-Beach clean-up.
Rick DiMaio is not just a weatherman on “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki.” He is our expert on climate, climate change, and all the ways our environment shapes and is shaped by us. A professional meteorologist and climate scientist, Rick DiMaio specializes in aviation meteorology and environmental sustainability. Rick is a Chicago media veteran of outlets that include Fox 32 Chicago, CBS 2 Chicago, and WGN Radio. He’s been a contributor to “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki” for more than 10 years. He is also an instructor at several local colleges, including Loyola University Chicago and Lewis University, and serves as a flight operations aviation meteorologist.
Rick previously worked for United Airlines for 11 years as a forecaster for both the domestic and international operations. During his tenure at United, Rick designed and produced an International Pilots Weather Manual for the airline’s European and North Atlantic operations. Now he is writing a textbook for students learning aviation weather who plan to go into the aviation field. It contains several chapters on world climate change and how international airports are leading the way in sustainability.
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EPISODES
June 21, 2020
It’s Father’s Day and the official first full day of summer, so start the celebration by tuning in to “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki"! It’s perfect timing since June 21-27 is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, and as we’re all staying close to home this season, these critters can be a concern. Bill Stengel from Summit joins us in hour one to talk about safe, biological mosquito control strategies that don’t involve spraying nasty chemicals. Then we’re talking with Jim Elliott, the founder and president of Diveheart, and executive director Tinamarie Hernandez, about their Downers Grove-based not-for-profit that provides scuba diving instruction and opportunities to children, adults, and veterans with disabilities.
June 22 also starts National Pollinator Week, and we’re very excited to welcome Dr. May Berenbaum from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one of the world's leading entomologists to Sunday's show. She talks with us about how insect pollinators are faring these days, and speaking to the topic of her recent presentation, "Is There a Pollinator-Apocalypse?" Meteorologist Rick DIMaio also joins us with a look at climate science and the coming week’s weather.
JUNE 14, 2020
On this episode we address your tomato issues with a couple of the best in the business. KC Tomato, aka Keith Mueller, has been a fan of the show for a number of years. He's based in Kansas City, MO, and he's had a tomato breeding website for 26 years. Craig LeHoullier is our other guest. His nickname is “NC Tomatoman,” which stands for North Carolina. Craig is the author of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. He also happens to be the person who named the Cherokee Purple tomato.
In hour two, we cover a variety of gardening and environmental issues, and meteorologist Rick DiMaio joins us for a look at the coming week’s weather!
JUNE 7, 2020
With America in the middle of its latest struggle for social justice, this week's edition of “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki” looks at the related issue of environmental justice. Often, the people who suffer the most from polluted air, water, and land are people of color. Mike and Peggy are joined by Michael Howard, CEO of Eden Place Nature Center in Chicago, and founder and CEO of the Fuller Park Community Development; Veronica Kyle, state outreach director for Faith in Place; and Mila K. Marshall, principal consultant and owner of Herb & Planning Associates, and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. They explore how the national convulsion over race is echoed in environmental crises in some of Chicago's neighborhoods.
In the show's second hour, we talk with several local farmers for an update on the 2020 season so far and explore ways we can support small, local food producers as we Keep Eating Healthy in this pandemic. We're joined by the folks at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, IL, as well as Joe's Blueberries in South Haven, MI, plus Marcia Lautanen-Raleigh of Backyard Patch in suburban Elmhurst, IL, and Jody Osmund of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm CSA, in Ottawa, IL. Meteorologist Rick DiMaio will take a look at how Tropical Storm Cristobal may affect our Midwest weather in the coming week.
MAY 31, 2020
This week on “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki,” we talk with certified arborist M.D. Skeet of Bartlett Tree Experts and answering your tree and shrub care questions in Hour 1. What plants pests and diseases are occurring with record rainfalls and fluctuating temperatures, and what are the best ways to manage them?
Then in Hour 2, Robert Luo, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Mi Terro, talks with us about how his company is helping to eliminate food waste by turning unused dairy products into sustainable clothing. Meteorologist Rick DiMaio joins us for an extended weekly discussion of northeast Illinois’s record-breaking rains and resulting flooding, what’s in stream for the 2020 hurricane season, and what weather we can expect for the start of meteorological summer.
Join us for all this and more as we bring you gardening, green living and environmental reporting . . . and a whole lot of fun.
MAY 24, 2020
On this week's show: It's spring farmers’ market season again and we’re all looking forward to spring veggies and supporting local farmers at the market. Yet, while many markets have already opened, or will be opening soon, a lot has changed with COVID-19 regulations and social distancing protocols. The spring season brings beautifully flowering plants, shrubs and trees -- and lots of pollen as well.
In the first hour of Sunday’s edition of “The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki,” we’re talking with author Thomas Ogren about allergy-free approaches to gardening and why it’s probably not a good idea to put male plants in your garden if you have allergies -- it’s not just sexism, it’s science!
Then in hour two, we discuss how unusually high water levels on Lake Michigan are causing extreme shoreline erosion, and some approaches to mitigation. Bob Bertog of Bertog Landscaping and Roger Tietz of Gillen Marine Construction join us to discuss the challenges of managing shorelines and inland areas as well amidst rising lake levels, wave action, heavy rains and floodwaters.
MAY 17, 2020
On this week's show: It's spring farmers’ market season again and we’re all looking forward to spring veggies and supporting local farmers at the market. Yet, while many markets have already opened, or will be opening soon, a lot has changed with COVID-19 regulations and social distancing protocols.
In Hour 1, Mike and Peggy are joined by Janie Maxwell, director of the Illinois Farmers Market Association, to talk about what’s in season, the current status of farmers markets, what shoppers can expect and the new protocols for shopping at the markets.
In Hour 2: It’s time to start our vegetable gardens. With food security issues and access to fresh vegetables a big concern, new Victory Gardens are popping up, and many gardeners are planting for the first time this year. Dennis Warnecke of Tainio Biologicals joins us to talk about the importance of biology to healthy soil, good plant growth, and a successful harvest.
Then Seane Ruane, executive director of Chicago’s Advocates for Urban Agriculture, updates us on how they are supporting local farmers through their COVID-19 Farmers Support Grant Program.
As always, meteorologist Rick DiMaio gives us his take on the latest happenings with climate and weather, and the forecast for the week.
MAY 10, 2020
This week, Ellen King, head baker and co-owner of Hewn Bakery in Evanston, and Alyssa Hartman of the Artisan Grain Collaborative join Mike and Peggy for a discussion of the Neighbor Loaves Program. Top area bakeries are baking artisan loaves of bread using locally produced flour from Midwest-grown grain, which will be donated to area food banks through online purchases. It’s a great way to support people in need in the Chicago area, as well as small local farmers and small businesses.
In the show’s second hour: Saturday, May 9 was World Migratory Bird Day and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s #GlobalBig Day. It would also normally be a big day for local bird counts. This year, counts will be done socially distanced and in backyards. But migration goes on! We’ll be talking to ornithologist Josh Engel of Red Hill Birding, author Sheryl De Vore, and Chicago birder extraordinaire Pam Karlson. Tune in to learn about warblers, how the spring polar vortex is affecting migration, bird-watching and attracting birds to your yard. Plus, Rick DiMaio will tell us if spring temperatures might ever arrive!
MAY 3, 2020
On this episode: Gary Oppenheimer from AmpleHarvest.org announces a partnership with Bonnie Plants to launch the Grow More. Feed More. initiative to encourage home gardeners to donate a total of 10 million pounds of fresh, home-grown vegetables to local food pantries this season.
In the show's second hour: At a time when people are thinking about safety for their families, Architect Nate Kipnis explains how a well-constructed home is sustainable, has a smaller carbon footprint, is more able to withstand weather extremes and other harsh elements, and can also keep you healthier! And, as always, Rick DiMaio's unique take on climate and weather.
APRIL 26, 2020
Two brilliant people highlight this week's show. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Debra Shore has advice about what you should -- and SHOULDN'T -- flush down your toilet during a pandemic . . . or ever. Dr. Nic Mink from Sitka Salmon Shares reports on the effects of COVID-19 on the fishing industry -- and on fish populations. They might be mutually exclusive. We should probably say THREE brilliant people, because Meteorologist Rick DiMaio is also with us. He talks about a delayed spring, which, right now, might be the best thing that ever happened to us in a world of social distancing.
APRIL 19, 2020
This week Kim Eierman, author of The Pollinator Victory Garden, has advice on how we can win the war of pollinator decline. Ty Benefiel of Hero Power explains why it's a critical time for clean energy. Sean Ruane, new executive director for Advocates for Urban Agriculture, talks about AUA's COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant. Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Terracycle, reports on their innovative Loop program and how reusable containers can be safe, even with the threat of coronavirus. And Marta Kean, recycling program specialist from Will County, joins to talk about what's happening to recycling programs right now. As always, meteorologist Rick DiMaio presents his special take on weather and climate.
APRIL 12, 2020
What’s Easter Sunday in the Church of Green? It’s a visit with garden expert and author Dr. Allan Armitage to talk about how COVID-19 has changed the way we grow things. Then J.C. Kibbey and Mark Nabong from the Natural Resources Defense Council report on the ways that our own government has forsaken the environmental health of its own lands, water and air for … what?
APRIL 5, 2020
On this week's show Mike and Peggy ask the musical question, What happens if you're in charge of growing 50,000 plants but your institution is shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Lisa Hilgenberg is horticulturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. She tells us what's keeping her busy right now and has advice for your backyard vegetable garden.
With the arrival of the coronavirus crisis, "The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki" has launched a campaign called Keep Eating Healthy. It's a way for small farms to connect with potential customers, now that many restaurants and some farmers markets are closed. We talk to Jody Osmund from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm, which provides humanely raised meat choices, and Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell from Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, a Grade A goat dairy and farmstead creamery. Both farms have joined the Keep Eating Healthy campaign and they give us the view from the farm as spring arrives with an uncertainty about reaching customers. Melissa Flynn, executive director of Chicago's Green City Market, joins the conversation to explain how they are connecting farmers to consumers with a new app that serves as a virtual marketplace.
MARCH 29, 2020
On this week's show: Mother Nature hasn't put spring on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak. National gardening expert Melinda Myers returns to the show to talk to Mike and Peggy about Restoring Your Landscape After Winter. It wasn't a brutal winter, but there are still things you can do to help your landscape recover from winter — proper pruning, managing dieback, deciding what to replace and restoring your lawn’s health and beauty — if you like lawns. Speaking of growing things, BJ Miller from Happy Leaf LED explains why it's a good idea to get a jump start for your indoor seedlings with a state-of-the-art grow light. Then, Lisa Haderlein from The Land Conservancy of McHenry County explains the group's 5,000 Acre Challenge to preserve remaining oak woods in the area, most of which are on private land.
MARCH 22, 2020
This week the Virtual Chicago Flower & Garden Show comes to "The Mike Nowak Show." With the cancellation of the event at Navy Pier, Mike and Peggy invite show director Tony Abruscato and scheduled presenters to share their horticultural knowledge safely on the radio. Liz Moran Stelk and Jen and Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farm talk about the near-term future of local food. Sarah Anderson from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum explains how they're bringing the museum into people's homes.
MARCH 15, 2020
In Hour 1 Mike and Peggy are joined by Benjamin Futa, executive director of the Allen Centennial Garden in Madison, Wisconsin; Jennifer Jewell, host of “Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden,” a weekly public radio program and podcast; and Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City. They discussed cancelling the Spring Symposium and how gardening and being out in nature will remain important activities during the COVID-19 crisis.
Plus, Dr. Teresa Horton, associate professor of Research in Evolutionary and Ecological Approaches to Health and Development at Northwestern University. She chairs the steering committee for the Nature, Culture, and Human Health Network, which is a regional coalition of people and organizations. She talked about the good and the bad of "social distancing."
In Hour 2 we talked to Jodie Wiederkehr, campaign director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA), and founder and executive director, Center for Ethical Science (CFES). Chicago's Committee on License and Consumer Protection last Wednesday unanimously approved an ordinance to ban carriages drawn by horses, which would effectively take carriages off the streets by Jan. 1. The ordinance was scheduled to go to the full City Council this week, until the meeting was canceled because of coronavirus concerns. It is likely to be taken up again once the emergency has passed.
March 8, 2020
This week: Illinois has just introduced a right-to-garden law. We talk to Nicole Virgil, State Representative Sonya Harper, and Eliot Clay from the Illinois Environmental Council about why that is necessary. Then we preview Chicago's First Farmed Animal Welfare Town Hall on March 11, which Mike will be moderating.
Also available: the Facebook Live video
MARCH 1, 2020
This week we preview the 9th annual One Earth Film Festival: The Power of We, coming to 40 locations throughout Chicagoland March 6-15. Then we preview Crate Free Illinois’ First Factory Farmed Animal Welfare Town Hall.
FEBRUARY 23, 2020
Water is the subject when Michele Hoffman-Trotter talks about the upcoming Wave Film Fest February 29 at Columbia College Chicago. Also, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner Cameron Davis talks about reducing regional flooding and enhancing infrastructure for water quality.
FEBRUARY 16, 2020
In the first hour of this week’s show: William Moss, a master gardener, horticultural educator, garden coach, TV and media personality, producer, and author of Any Size, Anywhere, Edible Gardening. In hour two: Matthew Goldberg, postdoctoral associate at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, and Trevor Edmonson, project manager with The Wetlands Initiative.
Also available: the Facebook Live video
FEBRUARY 9, 2020
On this week’s show, we welcome author Doug Tallamy back to the show. He wrote the groundbreaking 2008 book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Now he’s out with a new book, Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard. In hour 2, Dr. James Ault, the director of ornamental plant research at the Chicago Botanic Garden, discusses orchids, plants and Brilliance: The Orchid Show (open through March 22). Plus meteorologist Rick DiMaio.
Also available: the Facebook Live video
FEBRUARY 2, 2020
Hour 1: Scott Jamieson, vice president of Bartlett Tree Experts
Hour 2: animal rights activist Robert Grillo
Also available: the Facebook Live video
JANUARY 26, 2020
This week: It's always great to talk to garden experts, but sometimes it's important to find out what neighborhood gardeners are thinking and doing. After all, they are experts in their own yards. Justin Fluck (pronounced "Fluke") is one of those people. Last year, he was a winner in the 2019 Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards for his garden in the #33rdWard, which he calls "Fluck Farms Chicago." Mike Nowak judged that garden himself, and he was impressed by the clean lines and the healthy plants — tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, garlic, leeks, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes and even sweet corn. Fluck says his garden is a tribute to his father and grandfather, who taught him about growing things. He even shelters a feral cat named Kiko, who keeps his yard rat-free. As Mike wrote at the time, "Justin makes growing vegetables seem cool." He joins us on the show to talk about his experience with #CEGA and what his plans are for 2020.
In the second hour: Nic Mink of Sitka Salmon Shares stops by to talk about how his organization provides sustainably sourced, fresh Alaskan seafood to mainland USA.
JANUARY 19, 2020
On this week’s show: Curtis Leopardo of Chicago-based construction company Leopardo Energy joins the broadcast to discuss his organization's innovative method for communities to transition to sustainable infrastructure. Leopardo Energy's current collaboration with North Royalton, OH is great inspiration for communities across the globe interested in "going green." Plus Ryan Anderson of Midwest Grows Green returns to the show to talk about the upcoming January 25th release of MGG’s Natural Lawn Care Toolkit. Spring and summer sports season is arriving faster than we realize. Will municipalities and park districts be ready to rock, the eco-friendly way?
In the second hour: Meteorologists Rick DiMaio and John Lee make an appearance for our annual "Climate Review, Year 2019". What do professionals have to say about 2019 climate patterns? What can we expect in the new decade? It’s law and climate change!
Also available: Facebook Live videos from the episode
JANUARY 12, 2020
On this week’s "Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki": Daniella Pereira of Openlands joins us to discuss green jobs, specifically those pertaining to nature-based solutions to climate change. How can environmentalists transition to the professional realm of conservation? In the show's second hour, Robert Nevel of KAM Isaiah Israel and Andrew Margenot of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joins us once again to discuss KAMII's annual MLK Weekend and how it's related to their food-justice efforts. Then we chat with Elysabeth Alfano, vegan activist/healthy eating advocate, to preview The Elysabeth Alfano Show, the nation’s first plant-based radio show; it made its WCGO debut Sunday, January 12 at 3:00 p.m.
JANUARY 5, 2020
Here’s the rundown for this week’s show:
Hour 1: With the arrival of 2020, there is a lot of focus in Illinois on the legalization of recreational marijuana. However, its cousin hemp enters its second growing season in Illinois and farmers making the transition to that crop still face hurdles from markets, regulators and weather. Mike and Peggy talk to Rachel Berry of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association and Liz Rupel of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance about the work they're doing to help growers in an industry that is still facing a lot of uncertainty.
Hour 2: Ty Benefiel of Hero Power, our newest sponsor, joins us to discuss how Chicago-area residents can power their home on solar and wind energy for the same price as ComEd! Through utilizing Renewable Energy Certificates, Hero Power offers Chicagoland residents a convenient, cost-effective method to switch to clean, sustainable energy.
