OFF February!

Social media is taking a huge toll on our families, our communities and our nation. This February, it’s time to push back. 

In the news this week, Patti and Doug talk about the proliferation of plastic particles in agriculture and what it means for the world, and the growing interest in community geothermal systems to reduce the need for fossil fuels and cut energy costs. Then Diego Hidalgo, founder of the “OFF” movement, explains his vision of a worldwide campaign to regain our time and attention by removing social media apps from our phones for 28 days in February. Learn more about the campaign on our program website, GreenStreetNews.org 

OFF February - with Diego HidalgoGreen Street with Patti & Doug Wood

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Links from the Interview

• More information about the OFF February campaign and how you can get involved: https://www.americansforresponsibletech.org/off-february

• Diego Hidalgo's bio: https://www.diegohidalgo.net/bio-en

• More information about the OFF Movement: https://www.offm.org/en

Links from the News

• Plastic in agriculture: https://bioengineer.org/study-reveals-first-evidence-of-plastic-nanoparticles-accumulating-in-edible-parts-of-vegetables/

• More information about plastic in fruit (study from 2020) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120305703

Geothermal project in New Haven: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/geothermal/connecticut-union-station-network-underway

Diego Hidalgo, founder of the OFF Movement

Plastic in Our Water - with Dr. Christy Tyler

Scientists around the world are trying to figure out what to do with our plastic problem and what it means for our future.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about why recycled plastic contains more toxins than virgin plastic, how government energy positions are increasingly filled with former oil execs, and the first discovery of mosquitoes in Iceland. Then Dr. Christy Tyler, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology talks about her work uncovering the sources of plastic pollution that end up in our water. 

Plastic in Our Water - with Dr. Christy Tyler

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Links from the Interview

Dr. Tyler's page on the RIT website: https://www.rit.edu/directory/actsbi-christy-tyler

The Tyler Aquatic Ecology Lab at RIT: https://christytyler.weebly.com/

Links from the News

Recycling plastic increases the amount of toxic chemicals: https://www.ehn.org/test-recycling-plastic-increases-the-amount-of-toxic-chemicals-it-contains

The Trump administration's revolving door: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/08/trump-administration-fossil-fuels-climate

Mosquitoes in Iceland: https://people.com/mosquitoes-found-in-iceland-for-first-time-amid-rising-temperatures-11835070

Dr. Christy Tyler

The Environmental Links to Breast Cancer

Two scientists from the Silent Spring Institute talk about their quest to find which chemicals in consumer products are increasing the risk for breast cancer.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about the amount of plastic being fed to farmed fish, and how big banks are financing the destruction of the forests in the Amazon. Then Dr. Robin Dodson and Dr. Kristin Knox from the Silent Spring Institute talk about their work uncovering the links between the chemicals found in everyday consumer products and increased risk of breast cancer. 

Green Street - The Environmental Links to Breast Cancer

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Links from the Interview

The website of the Silent Spring Institute: https://silentspring.org/

Links from the News

Fish farming has a plastic problem: https://www.ehn.org/plastic-in-farmed-fish

Governor Newsom vetoes legislation banning PFAS in cookware: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/17/gavin-newsoms-veto-on-bill-to-ban-pfas-hands-industry-a-win-advocates-fear

The world's forests are being distroyed, posing a threat to humanity: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/14/dismal-health-of-worlds-forests-is-threat-to-humanity-report-warns