Audio Astra reviews audio reporting on Kansas news, including podcasts.Eric ThomasDirects the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. He also teaches visual journalism at the University of Kansas.
I consider myself to be an advocate for the environment. Someone who believes that climate change poses a serious threat to our planet. I worry that the government isn’t doing more to promote sustainability and alternative energy.
But I’m taking weak positions there with fret and believe. What about taking action?
The best I can do is minimize the environmental damage I cause. I prefer a car that gets great gas mileage. To reduce peak power hours, I do our laundry at night. I scold both my son and daughter for not recycling.
Those small changes allow me to continue my comfortable lifestyle of privileged consumption. These tiny actions help me to minimize my enormous first-world environmental footprint.
This week, two Kansas podcasts offer similar ways to start healing the environment.
Podcasts offer double serendipities. Their timing is exceptional. Consider how native plants in backyard gardens can help monarch butterflies by posting them on the same day on different podcasting channels.
The strikingly beautiful monarch butterfly is the second example of serendipity. Its marathon migration from Canada to Mexico over many generations is a natural wonder. You can also add to this the precision of their migration (the butterfly’s take their cues form the angle of the sun in a sky).
These podcasts magically overlapped to discuss how backyard gardens can be so much more than just a place for red mulch.
The connection to Kansas and the monarch butterflies comes from Its migration route through our state is a part of its overall migration plan, and also from Kansas-based nonprofit organizationThey have been preserved for over 30 years.
Chip Taylor, founder and director at Monarch Watch, links the butterfly to the most pressing environmental issues on Uncovering Kansas.
Taylor says that monarchs are significant because they are symbolic for how we manage the planet. It is concerning that the monarch population is declining, as this is one of nature’s most amazing natural phenomena. We need to pay attention.
And the monarchs are warning us that we aren’t paying enough attention.
Monarch Watch has made more than 2,000 watches in eight countries. 38,000 WaystationsThese are the places where monarchs can find their prized milkweed plant.
Taylor explains that it is important to choose a native milkweed plant. Blindly purchasing any milkweed could cause harm to monarchs by using pesticides.
Taylor said that milkweed is often bought from big-box stores. They then take the plants home to raise monarch caterpillars. If the leaf has been treated with neonicotinoid pesticides it will take two to three bites before the butterflies curl up and start writhing in the pot.
This kind of thoughtfulness about the plants we choose is contrary to the weekend warrior mentality of maintaining a typical suburban backyard. It is tempting to race through Home Depot to pick a plant that can survive in a small plant bed back at home. We want to spend a few hours making our yard look cute.
Flatlander Podcast’s guest asks listeners not to forget about what they plant. Brad Guhr is an educator at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains. Hesston explains why it is important to choose native plants.
Guhr states that native plants should give as much back as they get to the environment in their natural habitat. This sounds like a lofty goal for all of us. Taylor agrees that it is often difficult to find these plants at national hardware stores and retail chains.
However, it is possible to create a thriving natural environment by choosing the right plant.
Guhr says that the more diversity at the plant level, you get, the more diversity at the animal level. This is where I believe there is another level of enjoyment. It is a pleasure to be able to see the wildlife attracted by a landscape.
This kind of thoughtfulness about the plants we choose is a far cry from the weekend warrior mentality that focuses on maintaining a typical suburban backyard. It is tempting to race through Home Depot’s nursery to find a plant that can survive in a small plant bed at home. We want to spend only a few minutes to make our yard look nice. Both guests agree that it is important to be more mindful.
Guhrs interview eventually turns to the monarch.
Guhr says that I will be talking about the monarch butterfly and the lessons it teaches us. As it becomes more endangered and we see the trends of its reduction in the environment, it is easy to sound alarms and highlight all of the reasons that the monarch provides.
Taylor sees the symbolic value of the monarch in encouraging environmental curiosity and action.
Taylor said that it was a platform that we have. The monarch butterfly is a symbol of beauty and strength. It is a beloved symbol of nature. It also gives us the chance to talk about the change that is taking place.
Putin will soon be out of power, whether he is smart, lazy, or crazy.
April 21, 2022 – When Experts Attack
Valery Dzutsati (a visiting assistant professor from the University of Kansas) draws a parallel between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the Russian–Japanese war of 1904. These details are a clear indication of what the podcast’s title promises: Experts attacking. Dzutsaki asserts that the 1904 Russian war was the catalyst for the first Russian revolution against current Russian rulers. Will it happen again? Dzutsati predicts Putin’s demise in the next five-years.
The Guy in Hutch, April 21, 20,22
Chris Courtwright provides a behind the scenes look at how Kansas Legislative Research Department prepares financial projections. Courtwright’s voice sounds dry, but it is filled with the righteous conviction that comes from a dedicated numbers guy. Listeners will be able to understand the bizarre breakdown of taxes and economics.
- The history of the grocery taxes (he seems puzzled that a cut has not been passed).
- The Kansas diversification of tax revenue (it protects tax revenue from falling during downturns.
- The cash in our states coffers (I am telling you that there’s more money in the Kansas state coffers than there’s ever been.).
What were we missing? Email [email protected]Let us know if there is an audio program in Kansas that would interest Audio Astra readers.
