Green Root Podcast

BIOMASS OR BIO-MESS? INCINERATING FORESTS FOR ELECTRICITY (with Hudson Kingston, CURE)

On episode 103 of the Green Root Podcast (the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance), Hudson Kingston, legal director for CURE, battles government plans in Minnesota to greenwash dirty, forest-killing “biomass” energy by ignoring carbon emissions from incinerating trees and trash for industrial-scale electricity.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Hudson about:

-How the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission wants to classify biomass energy as “carbon free” despite tree burning emitting more CO2 than coal.

-Risks to environmental justice communities from increased air pollution.

-Devastating impacts on public lands and Native American reservations.

-How we shouldn’t be switching from one polluting, climate-busting energy source (coal) to another (“biomass”).

-How this decision could have ramifications for greenwashing forest and trash incineration in Minnesota and across the U.S.

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

THE WORST WE’VE EVER SEEN ON PUBLIC LANDS (with Rocky Smith, Forest Management Consultant)

On episode 102 of the Green Root Podcast (the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance), we strategize with Rocky Smith, forest management consultant with over forty years’ experience, about the worst threat we’ve ever seen on public lands in the West—including the now biggest logging project in Colorado history announced last week—and one quick action you can take to start turning things around before it’s too late. 

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Rocky about:

-The brand new biggest logging project in history in Colorado announced last week, bringing the total under the “Big Four”—Pike’s Peak, Lower North South, St. Vrain, Black Diamond—to a half-million acres across seventeen Roadless Areas, all under a media blackout.

-The dirty details of the “Pike’s Peak Vegetation Management,” almost 200,000 acres of industrial logging—including 13,500 acres within four protected Roadless Areas—in endangered species habitat and high-elevation bristlecone pine stands, along with a quarter-million acres of toxic herbicide spraying.

-How the U.S. Forest Service is allowing the public only two weeks to comment on the project over the holiday season (again, with zero media coverage).

-The fake “emergency” behind it all declared by the Trump Administration and U.S. Forest Service to rush 112 million acres—59 percent of National Forests—onto the chopping block.

-Rocky’s take on the root of the ecological crisis.

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA: INEPT OR CORRUPT?

Green Root Podcast #101: ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA: INEPT OR CORRUPT?

On episode 101 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—host and former investigative journalist Josh Schlossberg tries to make sense of whether most media outlets are unable or unwilling to accurately and honestly cover environmental topics.

Josh talks about:

-The ideological and partisan bias he uncovered while working as an award-winning environmental journalist

-His experience as an ecosystem advocate interfacing with media only for them to cover up, misreport, or spread disinformation about ecological topics

-Whether bad environmental reporting is the result of an inability or refusal of journalists to do their jobs

-If it’s possible to hold media accountable to a basic standard of journalistic ethics

-How it’s past time to create new media that accurately reports on environmental issues while exposing the propaganda of legacy and “alternative” outlets

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

A Beautifully Burned Forest (with Richard Hutto, Wildlife Biologist)

On episode 100 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we explore the ecological wonderland and wildlife haven that is a severely-burned forest, with Richard Hutto, emeritus professor in wildlife biology and author of the new book, A BEAUTIFULLY BURNED FOREST: LEARNING TO CELEBRATE SEVERE FOREST FIRE.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Richard about:

-The science informing his book, A BEAUTIFULLY BURNED FOREST

-The wildlife species that need severely-burned forests to survive

-How industry, government, and media have demonized wildfire

-How advocates might inform the public as to the crucial role of wildfire in western forests and harm from “fuel reduction” logging

-Richard’s take on the root of the ecological crisis

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

100 New National Parks (with Michael Kellett, RESTORE: The North Woods)

On episode 99 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we talk about a positive alternative vision for public lands that would establish 100 new National Parks in the U.S.—at least one in every state—with Michael Kellett, executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Michael about:

-How the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture treats National Forests as industrial croplands

-How the anti-science exploitation of wildfire to log western forests is now being pushed in the eastern U.S.

-The October conference “Forest Fires in Massachusetts: Myths and Realities”

-RESTORE: The North Woods’ upcoming campaign to designate 100 new National Parks, at least one in every state

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

WHY PUBLIC LANDS ADVOCACY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER (with Jillian Bar-Av, Heartwood Forest Protection Podcast)

On episode 98 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we talk about past, present, and future threats to public forestlands with Jillian Bar-Av, member of Heartwood (est. 1991) and host of the new Heartwood Forest Protection Podcast.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Jillian about:

-How Heartwood has united forest protection advocates across the U.S. since 1991

-How to balance art with activism

-The passing of eco-musician Robert Hoyt and Heartwood founder, Andy Mahler

-The new Heartwood Forest Protection Podcast

-Jillian’s take on a root cause of the ecological crisis

Listen to the Heartwood Forest Protection Podcast at https://rss.com/podcasts/heartwood/

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

BEATING BACK TRUMP’S FOREST SERVICE (with Jeff Stant, Indiana Forest Alliance)

On episode 97 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we celebrate a major victory over the Trump administration’s U.S. Forest Service in the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana, with Jeff Stant, National Forest Program Advisor for Indiana Forest Alliance.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Jeff about:

-The “stop work” order enforced on the largest logging, burning, and herbicide-spraying project in the history of the Hoosier National Forest  

-The court ruling finding that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

-What this legal victory means for public lands protection in the region and across the U.S.

-Jeff’s take on the root cause of National Forest destruction

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

DOES ENVIRONMENTAL COMPROMISE WORK? (with Adam Bronstein, Our Public Lands)

On episode 96 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we question whether or not decades of well-funded, influential “Big Green” environmental NGOs  compromising with industry and government has been effective, and explore how a strong and united grassroots movement might offer a better alternative, with Adam Bronstein, host of Our Public Lands podcast.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Adam about:

-The victories and losses of the mainstream environmental movement over the years

-The influence of corporate foundations on public lands advocacy

-The collusion between Big Greens, the Democratic party, and many media outlets

-Certain large organizations’ attempts to fight the rollback of the Roadless Rule by allowing more logging

-Adam’s take on the root of the ecological crisis

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.

ANDY MAHLER: A LEGEND OF FOREST PROTECTION (1951-2025)

Green Root Podcast #95: ANDY MAHLER: A LEGEND OF FOREST PROTECTION (1951-2025)

On a very sad but very special episode 95 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we share one of the last interviews with legendary forest advocate, Andy Mahler, who passed away in August at the age of 74. We hope you enjoy and savor this conversation with—and tribute to—the man who has done so much for Nature.

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Andy about:

-How Andy and a coalition of other locals shut down logging in Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest for thirty years

-Recent wins in the fight against the so-called Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, “the largest and most destructive” logging sale ever proposed for the Hoosier National Forest

-History of the region as a past (and possibly future?) bison migration route

-Andy’s philosophy on the one-ness of humanity and the natural world  

-And so much more!

(One amazing thing about this episode is that when we recorded it this spring, Andy’s internet was so shaky we eventually decided the footage was unusable. So, we had plans to re-record, made a couple attempts to set up a time, with the most recent email sent to Andy what ended up being a few days before his passing. Upon hearing the sad news, we went back to the recording to see if any clips might be salvaged, and incredibly somehow Zoom had fixed it so that 99% of the audio was saved and most of the video. Some video does remains choppy, blurry, and/or stationary and, at times, we replaced it with still shots of Andy others have taken of him over the years.)

EASTERN FORESTS UNDER ATTACK!

On episode 94 of the Green Root Podcast—the official podcast of Eco-Integrity Alliance—we report breaking news on the destructive logging threatening the Bell Smith Springs National Natural Landmark in Illinois and the legal battle on which the future of the Shawnee National Forest depends, with Sam Stearns, founder of Friends of Bell Smith Springs & John Wallace, vice president of Shawnee Park and Climate Alliance)

Host Josh Schlossberg talks with Sam and John about:

-The rare wonder that is the Bell Smith Springs National Natural Landmark

-Their lawsuit alleging that the Forest Service has “illegally withheld information from the public” to push through logging plans, including breaking news on its current status

-The crucial role eastern deciduous forests play in climate regulation and biodiversity

-The campaign to designate the eco-region as a Climate Preserve

Support Friends of Bell Smith Springs at https://www.fobss.org/ and Shawnee Park and Climate Alliance at https://www.shawneentlpark.org/

The mission of Eco-Integrity Alliance (eco-integrityalliance.org) is to unite U.S. grassroots ecosystem advocates through common campaigns of mutual support.