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Idealist.org Podcasts
Have something to say about positive social change? Contribute to the Idealist.org Podcasts!
Examples
Sure We Can
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This episode was produced by our guest contributors, Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone.
In 1983 New York State implemented the Returnable Container Act requiring a 5 Cent deposit on carbonated beverages sold in glass, metal and plastic containers. Commonly known as a “Bottle Bill,” the act is intended to reduce litter, ease the burden on solid waste facilities and encourage recycling activity. To date, 11 US states and at least 14 countries have enacted similar legislation.
In addition to its intended environmental impact, the Bottle Bill has unwittingly created a necessary and important source of income for homeless and impoverished people. In New York City, people who collect and redeem containers for a living refer to their vocation as Canning. They can be seen around the city reclaiming bottles and cans from commercial and residential waste, contributing to the amount of recyclable materials diverted from the waste stream. They stack what they find in carts they call “wagons.” A popular wagon is a grocery store shopping cart, known to canners as a “$60 wagon” because of the average value of the amount of containers it can hold.
This is an audio portrait of a "canner" named Eugene “The King of Can’s” Gadsden and the work that he and his friends and colleagues Ana Martinez De Luco and Drew Swope are doing to improve the conditions of their community. |
Real Food and the Fort Greene, Brooklyn CSA
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In this Idealist.org Podcast episode, guest contributor Cambra Moniz-Edwards follows Fort Greene CSA Coordinator Jen Datka as she explains the ins and outs of one of Brooklyn's newest CSAs.
In recent years, communities across the five boroughs have become more concerned with eating "locally" and developing a sustainable food system for all New York City residents. Community Supported Agriculture--the model of pairing groups of community residents with small local farms--continues to gain in popularity all over the city as an alternative to supermarket shopping. But how exactly does CSA work? What does membership in a CSA model mean for community residents?
For more information on CSAs in the five boroughs, and on developing a sustainable agriculture system in New York City, visit JustFood.org.
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Cultures in Harmony
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In this Idealist.org Podcast episode, our guest contributor, Eric Hanser, tells the story of a group called Cultures in Harmony. This NYC-based nonprofit organization is bringing back an old means of cultural understanding—long ago abandoned by the United States government—by performing music in venues around the world. Set to the backdrop of beautiful global melodies, Eric explores how Cultures in Harmony fosters dialogue, friendship and diplomacy.
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Intrigued? Ready to share your story with the world? Send an email to podcast@idealist.org.
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