The Defender Podcast

  What keeps you safe — when you drink water, take medicine, get on an airplane, or take out a loan? It’s often a government agency charged with implementing our health, safety and consumer protection laws. But recent rulings by the U.S….

Mon Jul 8, 2024

30:10

How do you get people to start paying attention to the urgency of climate change? Just like the name says, Science Moms is a growing non-partisan group of scientists and mothers who are spreading the word about our climate and joining forces to demand…

Sun Jun 2, 2024

18:18

What if there was a grain that didn’t have to be replanted every year? One with deep roots that stay in the soil, trap carbon, prevent erosion, filter water. Kernza – the world’s first perennial grain crop – could be a game changer when it…

Fri May 10, 2024

16:19

No Mow May is here, but does it really make a difference in the battle to save our bees and butterflies? Amy walks through a typical Wisconsin yard with pollinator expert Elizabeth Braatz. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Elizabeth Braatz, Bumble Bee…

Sat Apr 27, 2024

23:28

When you think about the future of energy, do you picture you gas-fired power plants? In this episode, Amy looks at why power companies are racing to build new gas plants and what it means for the future of energy bills, our health and our climate. We…

Fri Mar 8, 2024

18:28

Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission approved a large methane gas plant four years ago. The site: a bluff overlooking the Nemadji River near the Minnesota border in Superior. At ​the ​time, ​Superior’s ​city ​council ​unanimously…

Tue Jan 23, 2024

19:45

1939. It’s the year researchers at the University of Wisconsin developed a hearty red corn that could tolerate Wisconsin winters and feed the state’s dairy cows. Before long, farms all over the state were sending trainloads of their ruby red corn to…

Wed Dec 20, 2023

18:55

It’s no exaggeration to say PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are everywhere. Some states have found PFAS tainting milk supplies and contaminating crops. What are the consequences of population-wide exposure to these toxic chemicals? Amy talks with Clean…

Tue Nov 14, 2023

26:53

How do you know if the air you breathe is safe? It often depends on where you live–not just what town or city, but what neighborhood, what street. In this episode, Amy talks with Langston Verdin, founder of MKE Fresh Air Collective, a community-led…

Thu Oct 19, 2023

23:43

Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee nest discovered in Milwaukee County Before the 1990s, they were everywhere in Wisconsin and beyond. Native Rusty Patched Bumblebees nested and foraged across 28 states and parts of Canada. Then the population hit a…

Wed Sep 20, 2023

20:59