The hidden pesticides that could be lurking in your pollinator garden
Release Date: 06/09/2025
What did the EPA just do?
The Defender
In this episode, how new action from the EPA is undermining one of the most successful environmental laws in US history. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Nick Mailloux, PhD Student, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Resources for You:
info_outline
How Caledonia WI Defeated a Data Center
The Defender
In this episode, how a small Wisconsin community stood up to one of the most powerful companies in the world… and won. And what we can all learn from their fight. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Prescott Balch, Village of Caledonia resident Resources for You:
info_outline
What to know about PFAS pesticides
The Defender
On this episode a look what could be sprayed on food and farm fields all around us - plus a bit of Wisconsin history that offers some hope as we confront a new batch of toxic chemicals. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Sara Walling, Clean Wisconsin Water & Agency Program Director Resources for You:
info_outline
Goodbye Grocery Store?
The Defender
Meet the Wisconsin native who is foraging 100% of his food. What was the last thing you foraged? Maybe some ramps, or morels? But what about your salt, oil, even toothpaste? On this episode, meet the Wisconsin native who is setting out to prove that he can not only survive for an entire year eating only food he has foraged, but he can also help show the true connection to nature most of us have been missing. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Robin Greenfield, Sustainability Advocate, Ashland Wis. native Resources for You:
info_outline
Hey Tech Companies, Your Gas is Showing!
The Defender
Don't look at the gas plant behind the curtain! If you feel like tech companies and energy utilities are gaslighting you with their assurances that AI data centers won't hurt our environment, you're probably right. In this episode, how AI is causing a fossil fuel boom in Wisconsin and the lawsuit just filed to try and stop it. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guests: Katie Nekola, General Cousnel, Clean Wisconsin Ciaran Gallagher, Climate & Air Manager, Clean Wisconsin Resources for You:
info_outline
Who's Really Paying for Data Centers?
The Defender
You may have heard, Wisconsin needs more power and we need it fast. In the next few years, AI data centers will cause an unprecedented surge in energy demand across our state. There are already large expensive new powerplants being built to help meet that demand with more to come. But the big question is, will Wisconsinites be left shouldering the cost? In this episode, the shocking energy needs of AI, why our power companies are rolling out the red carpet, and the lasting environmental and economic harms that could be left in the wake. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Tom Content, Citizens...
info_outline
How to protect the planet by doing nothing
The Defender
What if you could make a difference in the fight to protect our environment by doing nothing at all? In this episode, why fall is the perfect time to be lazy - for the planet. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Elizabeth Braat, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Resources for You:
info_outline
Wisconsin's Forbidden Fruit
The Defender
The amazing story of one Wisconsin food that was banned, burned, disappeared from our plates - and the comeback that's being helped along by solar farms. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Lily Hislop, Savanna Institute Resources for You:
info_outline
Data Center Secrets
The Defender
A Clean Wisconsin analysis shows just two approved data centers in Wisconsin will use more power than all the homes in our state combined. More than the generation capacity of the Point Beach nuclear plant, the single-largest source of power in Wisconsin. And that leaves a lot of people are wondering, where is all this leading us? What will it mean for Wisconsin’s precious water resources, our land, our energy bills? And why is it so hard to find out? In this episode, an in-depth conversation on the secrets of data centers. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Michael Greif, Midwest Environmental...
info_outline
The Climate March is Coming!
The Defender
There is no question we are living through a stressful, often overhwelming time. So if you’re feeling hopeless, especially in the face of the climate crisis, no one could blame you. But there is no better place to find hope – than in other people. How you can joing people from all walks of life in Sunday, Sept 28 to take a stand for our climate right here in Wisconsin. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Heather Allen, Policy Director, Elevate Resources for You: Sunday Sept. 28, Madison, Wisconsin
info_outlineYou never know when a life-changing moment is going to come. For Sarah Savage, owner of Tend Native Plants, it came when she picked up a book about pollinators. Amy meets Sarah at her small plant nursery in Blue Mounds, Wis., to talk about the hidden pesticides that could be lurking in our gardens and how to make sure the flowers we buy are truly pollinator-friendly.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Sarah Savage, Tend Native Plants
Resources for You:
Episode 33: Wisconsin's bees are acting weird. Here's why.
Neonicotinoids and their Impact
Episode 23 Neurotixins on Our Plates
Neonicotinoids and Human Health
Expert Speakers Series: Wisconsin Neonic Forum