The Defender Podcast

June is Pollinator Month, and it’s hard to talk about protecting pollinators without talking about a class of chemicals widely blamed for their decline. If you are a regular listener, you have heard of neonicotinoids, a class of neurotoxins used on…

Mon Jun 16, 2025

26:40

You 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…

Mon Jun 9, 2025

18:54

What’s it going to take to make clean energy Wisconsin’s new normal? It helps to have a bunch of fresh-faced new college graduates ready to take on the world. UW Platteville has a 100% placement rate for graduates in Sustainability and Renewable…

Sun Jun 1, 2025

15:44

Where to Listen: It’s not easy to locate and document Wisconsin’s endangered species, but luckily Ernie and Betty White are on the case! They are two of Wisconsin’s specially-trained conservation dogs, and they could be the secret to finding some of…

Mon May 19, 2025

19:33

Many farmers are choosing to integrate solar panels into their fields. Now a new analysis shows that decision can impact a lot more than energy costs and the climate. Putting solar panels on conventional farmland can actually change the environment…

Mon May 12, 2025

28:25

No Mow May is here, but is it the best way to protect pollinators in our yards? Amy walks through a typical Wisconsin yard with pollinator expert Elizabeth Braatz to learn if No Mow May really works. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Elizabeth Braatz,…

Mon May 5, 2025

24:08

if you look around at houses, schools, churches–you’re probably seeing more and more solar panels on their rooftops. A lot of that is thanks to federal incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act that make solar more affordable. But those…

Mon Apr 28, 2025

31:39

Clean Wisconsin has been keeping track of the many attacks on bedrock environmental safeguards being carried out by the Trump Administration. Dozens of rules and regulations that protect our air, water, land, endangered species and more are being…

Mon Apr 21, 2025

22:20

There is no question the winters of our childhood are disappearing. In 2024, a rainy January gave way to tornadoes in February, flooding in June and drought in July and August. So what is next for Wisconsin and how can we prepare? In this episode, Amy…

Mon Apr 14, 2025

36:23

We are breathing in and ingesting tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics all the time. According to a recent study, tissues in a typical adult brain contains the equivalent of a plastic spoon’s worth of plastic particles. In…

Mon Apr 7, 2025

33:50