Gregory Wittbecker of Alcoa rejoins “Green is Good” to talk about recycling aluminum. There is a 95% energy savings when recycling aluminum, as opposed to making new products. The amount of electricity saved when recycling 1 ton of aluminum — in any form — is equal to the energy needed to power the average American home for 15 months. Clearly, recycling aluminum is of the utmost importance! Now, Alcoa is partnering with a number of other companies on recycling projects that will expand recycling awareness across the U.S. “There have been enormous strides in terms of energy efficiency of manufacturing aluminum, its recyclability and the amount of greenhouse gases saved by using these new, energy-efficient materials,” Wittbecker says. “The amount of greenhouse gases we generate today manufacturing aluminum cans is 44% less than 17 years ago, and the typical aluminum can is 15% lighter than it was.”

In the second half of the show, “The Queen of Green,” Temra Costa, speaks to John and Mike about her inspiration in getting involved in sustainable food. Costa, who moved to California from the Midwest in 2003, was completely floored by the green food movement on the West Coast. Now Costa has penned a book, Farmer Jane, about 30 women in the sustainable food world. “Learning about seasonality is an important first step,” Costa says of changing eat habits. “When you’re shopping in supermarkets, organic is a big piece of the picture. People don’t want to pay much money for food because it has been cheaply available for so long. Can you shift some of your resources to your food? We have to reincorporate the time in finding good food, because processed foods are not good for our health.” Podcast: Play in new window | Download