The Defender Podcast

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

It feels like momentum is growing behind rooftop solar in Wisconsin. Federal tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, Focus on Energy rebates, and falling prices could finally push us out of the bottom half of states when it comes to home…

Tue Sep 5, 2023

16:20

Beach closures, fish kills, green lakes. They are unfortunate signs of summer in Wisconsin. A big reason: untreated animal waste. Large dairies can produce as much waste as a small city. It’s not only hard to deal with, it’s dangerous if it gets into…

Thu Aug 24, 2023

21:46

It’s no secret, Wisconsin has been rapidly losing its small family farms, and with them, a way of life that’s defined much of our state for more than a century. But there is a lifeline coming. About 30 miles outside of Lake Geneva, Amy meets…

Sun Jul 30, 2023

16:41

Don’t believe everything you read on Facebook. Everybody knows that, but somehow misinformation still spreads like wildfire on social media, especially when it comes to climate change and clean energy like wind and solar. A sea of misinformation is…

Mon Jun 12, 2023

17:55

Some rural communities in Wisconsin are pushing back against wind & solar, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Find out how you can help stop a clean energy backlash. To reach our climate goals, Wisconsin needs to build one major wind project and…

Wed May 17, 2023

20:14

On a hilltop in southern Wisconsin, a small brewery, long famous for its beer, is making headlines for a very different reason. Since last fall, New Glarus Brewing has been capturing more than 330 pounds of carbon dioxide (a bi-product of beer making)…

Fri Apr 21, 2023

21:11