Where We Live

The holiday season is a time we all want to enjoy. Maybe that means indulging in more food than usual, buying those special gifts and treats for loved ones, and going all out with decorations in your home. But with all that indulgence, comes a lot of waste. At the end of the holiday season, an additional 1 million tons of trash enter landfills. According to Stanford University's Waste Reduction, Recycling, Composting and Solid Waste Program, household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. This comes from various sources including wrapping paper, Christmas trees and even food waste. But experts say there are easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint and have a greener holiday season. Today, we talk about ways to reduce holiday waste. GUESTS: Miriah Kelly: Brittney Cavalliere: Connecticut Food Share, a food bank based in Bloomfield and BridgeportYasmine Ugurlu: Reboot Eco, a zero waste shop in Middletown Connecticut Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the Mayflower's landing, to the meal shared by English setters and Wampanoag people, much is still widely misunderstood about the Thanksgiving holiday and its history. Connecticut-based educator Chris Newell recently wrote a book for children that helps to untangle some of the myths and misnomers commonly associated with Thanksgiving. For example, the book clarifies that "the holiday we celebrate today does not have any real connection to the Mayflower’s landing. In fact, the story that links them was not created until two hundred years later." As Newell notes in his introduction, "The story of the Mayflower landing is different depending on whether the storyteller viewed the events from the boat or from the shore." This hour, Chris Newell joins us. Plus, how is this topic being reframed in Connecticut classrooms? The Connecticut State Department of Education recently published resources for "Teaching Native American Studies." The materials were developed in a collaboration between the five state-recognized Eastern Woodland tribes: Golden Hill Paugussett, Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Paucatuck Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke. Becky Gomez, the director of education for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and Sam Tondreau, a member of the Mohegan Tribe as well as their director of curriculum and instruction, discuss. GUESTS: Chris Newell: Akowmawt Educational InitiativeIf You Lived DuringRebecca Gomez: Samantha Tondreau: Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every winter in Connecticut, the snowy owls will pass through our state and can sometimes be spotted at the Connecticut shoreline. But they are just one of many owl species to look out for where we live. Some cultures see owls as deeply spiritual creatures and as symbols of wisdom. Others see them as bad omens and as signs of impending doom.And that’s definitely impacting their populations. Today, Author Jennifer Ackerman joins us to talk about her new book What the Owl Knows: The new science of the world’s most enigmatic birds and we explore the world of these incredible birds. GUEST: Jennifer Ackerman: What the Owl Knows: The new science of the world’s most enigmatic birdsSupport the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, there were cities and towns that were all-white on purpose. These communities are known as "sundown towns." Because this practice was both formal and informal, researchers put together a database of these laws, customs and firsthand accounts, under the leadership of the late sociologist and civil rights champion James Loewen. At the peak of the exclusionary practice in 1970, an estimated 10,000 communities across the U.S. kept out African-Americans through "force, law, or custom." Many sundown suburbs also excluded Jewish and Chinese Americans, and other minority groups. There are 40 towns listed as possible past sundown towns in Connecticut. This hour, we hear about this history and what it can tell us. You can add to this research too. GUESTS: Dr. Stephen Berrey:Logan Jaffe: Paul Saubestre: Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a Connecticut family of four, it costs over $126,000 just to meet their basic needs, according to a recent United Way report. That’s more than four times the federal poverty level. Food insecurity is a big part of the problem, affecting more than 1 in 10 Connecticut residents, according to Connecticut Foodshare. A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture found the national rate of food insecurity jumped by more than 2% from 2021 to 2022, now 12.8% of U.S. households. This hour, UConn's Dr. Caitlin Caspi joins us to address some of the misconceptions around food insecurity. "Food insecurity isn't happening in a vacuum," she says. "It's really intersecting with a lot of other challenges that people face," including stable housing, health insurance, job security, disability, and other factors. "Food insecurity isn't primarily a story about food," says Dr. Caspi. "It's about many facets of economic instability." Plus, we'll discuss some of Connecticut Foodshare’s efforts to address food insecurity where we live, including an income-based grocery store coming soon to Hartford, where food insecurity rates are highest in the state. Hartford High School just launched the Grub Pub, an in-school pantry. Principal Flora Padro joins us later in the hour, describing the "new normal" she envisions. GUESTS: Dr. Caitlin Caspi: Associate Professor, University of Connecticut's Department of Allied Health Sciences; Director of Food Security Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health Jason Jakubowski: President & CEO, Connecticut Foodshare Ben Dubow: Executive Director, Forge City Works Flora Padro: Principal, Hartford High School Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired October 26, 2023. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing loneliness, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue recently moved U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to issue an advisory around the "loneliness epidemic" in America. Soon after, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy introduced a bill that would launch an Office of Social Connection Policy, and fund CDC research to "better understand the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness." While on The Colin McEnroe Show in July, Murphy said the move was "part of a broader exploration for me of what is eating in America... I have come to the conclusion that there's a lot of new and unique things that are hurting Americans and making them feel unhappy today," chief among them loneliness or "aloneness." This hour, we explore how loneliness, isolation and social disconnection are being addressed where we live. Deb Bibbins and Gary Sekorski founded For All Ages, and more recently, the Connecticut Collaborative to End Loneliness, to help bolster and centralize resources. How does loneliness or isolation affect you? GUESTS: Deb Bibbins: Co-Founder and Chair, For All Ages; Co-Founder, Connecticut Collaborative to End Loneliness Gary Sekorski: Co-Founder and Chair, For All Ages; Co-Founder, Connecticut Collaborative to End Loneliness Connie Malone: Canton Resident Siri Palreddy: Senior at Amherst College Dr. Sowmya Kurtakoti: Chief of Geriatric Medicine, Hartford Hospital Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired September 18, 2023. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Declining college enrollment has opened up a bigger conversation about the value of a college degree. From 2010 to 2021, undergraduate enrollment dropped by 15%. This declining trend in college enrollment was magnified by the pandemic, when perceptions of the value of a degree really began to shift. The decision making process for potential college students has become more personalized. Potential students have access to alternative pathways, and the ones that do go to college have needs that aren’t often met by the current model of college education. High costs, conflicting work schedules, and concerns ROI are barriers that affect a person's decision. This shift away from degree requirements, restarting financial aid payments in October 2023, and the social conversations about college undoubtedly cause us to wonder who should go to college. Today, we talk about the college conversation. GUESTS: Steve Schneider: High School Counselor at Sheboygan South High School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin Katharine Meyer: a Fellow in Governance Studies and Higher Education Researcher at the Brookings Institution. Courtney Brown: Vice President of Impact and Planning at Lumina Foundation Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Connecticut Public Talk Show Intern Joey Morgan produced this broadcast. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do museums act as places of discovery, dialogue, and healing? These spaces engage with critical, often complex, issues important to the communities they serve. For two weeks, we're spotlighting two museums where we live doing just that, and speaking with Dr. Macushla Robinson about the power of art and curation. Last week, we took a tour of Palestine Museum US in Woodbridge. It’s the first museum in the country centering Palestinian arts and culture, with a mission of humanizing Palestinian people. This hour, we’ll spend time at the Museum of Jewish Civilization at the University of Hartford, a teaching museum where artifacts and photography help center Jewish history and culture. Amy Weiss, the museum's director, explains that personal narratives help tell the complex history of American Jews, a group that is not monolithic. "The overarching message is the importance of democracy and the fight against fascism," she says. What role do museums play in your community? GUESTS: Dr. Macushla Robinson: Amy Weiss: Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been a lot of things that have revolutionized how educators teach in the classrooms. Things like Wikipedia, Google and even calculators have caused temporary panic in the education space. Now that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools are becoming a central part of our everyday lives, some educators are scrambling to rethink their curriculum. If you ask the artificial intelligence app, ChatGPT, to write you a 500 page essay on the themes in Moby Dick, in a matter of seconds, you’ll have a well written paper. Even further, you can even tell ChatGPT “write me a 500 word essay on the themes of Moby Dick, in the voice of a 10th grader” and the essay will reflect the tone and language of the average 15 year old. When ChatGPT was first released, we took a deep dive into AI ethics and learned how it might education. And today, we get an update and we talk to teachers around the state and hear how they are actually utilizing AI in the classroom. GUESTS: Jeff Young: Editor of EdSurge, an education journalism initiative Tom Deans: Professor of English and Director of the University Writing Center at the University of Connecticut Erica Strong: Literacy Coach at Lebanon Middle School John Allen: Social Studies Teacher at Putnam High School Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired September 15, 2023. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social studies education in Connecticut public schools has been getting a major revamp. It’s something we’ve covered on this program. This includes the statute requiring local Indigenous history that rolled out this year, and a statute in 2022 calling for Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, rolling out in the fall of 2025. The state legislature combined many of these mandates in 2021, calling for a "model curriculum." This curriculum should include Native American studies and AAPI studies, the bill stated, in addition to LGBTQ studies, climate change, financial literacy, military service and veterans, civics, media literacy, the principles of social-emotional learning, and racism. It was a long list and a tall order, and prompted the Connecticut State Department of Education to gather a group of experts on all of these fronts, and construct a new set of social studies standards. This hour, we hear from some of them and preview that document. GUESTS: Steve Armstrong: Social Studies Advisor, Connecticut State Department of Education; Past President, National Council for the Social Studies Tony Roy: President, Connecticut Council for the Social Studies; Social Studies Teacher, Bloomfield Public Schools Dr. Brittney Yancy: Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies, Illinois College Dr. Michael Bartone: Assistant Professor, Central Connecticut State University's Department of Literacy, Elementary, and Early Childhood Education Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been just over one month since the Israel-Hamas war began, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The images and reports coming out of this region are dire. Many have been left traumatized from witnessing the atrocities of this war up close and from afar Some experts say this war alone will create a generation in trauma. That’s on top of the trauma that’s already been experienced by children in the region. Children impacted by trauma can experience long term side effects and regression in their development. Humanitarians are not just addressing the physical needs, providing food, water, medical care and shelter, but themental health needs of the children experiencing acute traumatic stress. Experts say addressing the mental health needs in this region will require a long term strategy and the time to address mental health needs is now. When a disaster of this scale happens, it can impact a lot of people — and not just those directly affected. Secondary trauma can occur simply by hearing about someone else’s trauma. People working with these traumatized populations are at high risk for this type of trauma, as are those of us a world away. Doom-scrolling can cause numerous negative mental health outcomes and symptoms of secondary trauma including compassion fatigue. This can be exacerbated for those that have ties to the region. What's happening now in Israel and Gaza can be a constant reminder of atrocities that have impacted generations of peoples. For both Israelis and Palestinians, collective trauma, and in some cases, intergenerational traumamakes breaking the cycles of violence even harder. Trauma has layers. Trauma is complicated. And trauma ripples. In today’s show, we’re examining all the layers of trauma. If you need to talk to someone, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It’s free, confidential and available 24/7. GUESTS: Dr. Julian Ford: Rabbi Debra Cantor:Congresgation B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom SynagogueSteve Sosebee: Palestine Children’s Relief FundDr. Taline Andonian:Resonance Center for Psychotherapy & Healing ArtsSupport the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do museums act as places of discovery, dialogue, and healing? These spaces engage with critical, often complex, issues important to the communities they serve. This includes, for some, the current war between Israel and Hamas, and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This week and next, we’re going to bring you to two museums to explore that question, and speak with Dr. Macushla Robinson about the power of art and curation. Next week, we’ll spend time at the Museum of Jewish Civilization at the University of Hartford, a teaching museum working to tell the stories of Jewish people and how they lived. This hour, we take a tour of Palestine Museum US in Woodbridge. It’s the first museum in the country centering Palestinian arts and culture, with a mission of humanizing Palestinian people. Hear from the museum's founder and executive director, Faisal Saleh. "Art speaks to the heart, politics speak to the mind," says Saleh. "You don't need to translate anything, because it's a universal language of the art." What role do museums play in your community? GUESTS: Dr. Macushla Robinson: Faisal Saleh:Palestine Museum USSupport the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year, we’ve been learning about how educators are getting students engaged in the electoral process. One way to do this: student government. When you think of class elections, a couple things probably come to mind. But our guests says student government is much more than prom committees and candidate speeches in the cafeteria. We'll learn more about the influence student representatives have on their school districts. Later, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is holding their forth mayoral race. There are five candidates running this year for mayor. We’ll hear about the animal candidates and how you can vote for your favorite. We'll also hear how students on college campuses throughout our state are organizing to turn out the vote. GUESTS: Christopher H. Tomlin:Connecticut Association of Student CouncilsKevin Brown: Connecticut State Representative for Vernon, ConnecticutJennifer Croughwell:Connecticut College DemocratsNick Schettino: Gregg Dancho: Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that the majority of Americans are either "alarmed" or "concerned" about climate change. They also discovered links between distress about climate change and a desire to take action. This hour, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz digs into this study, and the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY). You can take the SASSY Survey here. Plus, NBC Connecticut meteorologist Rachael Jay and New Haven Climate Movement organizer Adrian Huq will share their perspectives as different kinds of climate communicators. How do you process feelings of alarm or distress around climate change, or even, take action? GUESTS: Rachael Jay:Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz:Yale Program on Climate Change CommunicationAdrian Huq:New Haven Climate Movement Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired September 11, 2023. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the war continues in Israel and Gaza, humanitarians are working to deliver aid across the region. Humanitarian aid starts with addressing the basic necessities; food, water, and emergency medical care. And later, addressing mental health needs and the survived trauma of the millions displaced. This week, some Connecticut lawmakers called for a humanitarian pausewhich could allow more aid into Gaza. Children are nearly half of Gaza’s population. In the past three weeks, more children have been killed there than the total killed in conflicts globally in every year since 2019. That’s according to Save the Children, an international NGO and humanitarian aid organization based in Connecticut. Today, we hear from two aid organizations based in Connecticut. We learn more about addressing this enormous need, and what the work on the ground looks like. GUESTS: Nathaniel Raymond: Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public HealthChristine Squires: AmericaresJanti Soeripto: Save the Children Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we're focusing on Gen Z's impact on arts and culture. Eric George Lopez, or ericdoa, has been described as the "face of hyperpop," a newer music genre born out of 2000s electronic music. But in many ways, the "genre-bending" up-and-coming artist defies categorization. He discusses his upbringing in Connecticut, how he developed his sound and what makes Gen Z uniquely powerful in the arts. Later in the hour, we spotlight SEOULAR, a K-pop dance crew at University of Connecticut, part of KCONN, the campus' K-pop club. KCONN President Gina Tran and Vice President Alan Tran join us. Plus, Eiress Hammond is the owner of MINIPNG, a New Haven business featuring her designs in addition to up-and-coming creators. She joins us to discuss her mission of "sustainability and individuality." How is Gen Z shifting boundaries or influencing arts and culture where you live? GUESTS: ericdoa: Gina Tran:KCONNAlan Tran:Eiress Hammond:MINIPNG Connecticut Public intern Lateshia Peters also contributed to this episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a Mom on Halloween can be pretty hectic, but a group of Fairfield Moms are taking the spooky season by storm. They're dressing up as zombies and taking the town in their infamous flash mobs. The “Mombies” is a group of Moms of all ages that have been coordinating to “dance to donate” since 2016. They have raised over $170,000 for breast cancer research to date - and their dance videos have been seen by millions. Throughout October, these Moms are putting on their Zombie finest attire and are participating in epic dance performances across the state. We hear from two of the mombies today. Later, the Connecticut witch trials is one of our favorite topics to dive into here on Where We Live. But did you ever wonder what started all the panic around witches? In the Trinity College Rare Book collection, you can see some of the first illustrations and books about witches.We'll learn more about these texts and how influential they became throughout Connecticut and the rest of New England. GUESTS: Marney White: Sheryl KraftEric Johnson-DeBaufre, PhD, MLIS: Emma Greig Ph.D: Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Advanced Placement, or AP, course on African American Studies is in its second pilot year in hundreds of schools, and set to roll out nationally next fall. AP classes offer high school students the opportunity to earn college credit. But the course's pilot rollout has been rocky, after it was rejected by the Department of Education in Florida and, more recently, in Arkansas. This hour, we check in with two Connecticut educators who are helping to author the course, plus College Board executive director of communications Holly Stepp. Stepp reiterates that the changes being made to the course were not prompted or influenced by politics or by "any state." An updated course framework is expected to be released later this year. Plus, the Connecticut State Department of Education recently approved a new set of standards for teaching social studies. We’ll get a sneak preview from advisor Steve Armstrong. Armstrong explains how these standards relate to several new changes to social studies education where we live, including a new Black and Latino Studies elective, and curriculum covering local Indigenous history. Social studies consultant Steve Armstrong says, "I know that in some places, some people think that we should shy away from the difficult history... If you never tackle those difficult problems in the past, you'll never be able to tackle as difficult issues come up in the present and future." GUESTS: Holly Stepp: Executive Director of Communications, College Board Dr. Lisa Beth Hill: History Department Chair, Hamden Hall Country Preparatory Day School Dr. David Embrick: Joint Associate Professor, Sociology Department and Africana Studies Institute, University of Connecticut Steve Armstrong: Social Studies Consultant, Connecticut State Department of Education Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a stereotypical depiction of concussions in movies and TV shows: someone - often an athlete, gets hit in the head, falls down, and everyone crowds around them and asks them if they know what day it is. Then, the patient spends the next two weeks lying alone in the dark. But in recent years, we have developed a new understanding about concussions -- how they happen, their severity, and how best to treat them. We hear from Dr. Bulent Omay, the Chief of Neurotrauma at the Yale School of Medicine. We also hear from a practicing physical therapist who specializes in brain injury treatment. And we learn about Concussion Box, a non-profit dedicated to supporting traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Have you ever had a concussion? How did it affect you then, and is it still impacting you today? We want to hear from you. GUESTS: Dr. Bulent Omay: Chief of Neurotrauma at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Vanessa Cornwell Chiu: a practicing physical therapist Eliana Bloomfield: Wesleyan undergrad student and founder of ConcussionBox, a non-profit that aims to support people experiencing concussions Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Connecticut’s domestic violence resource and information line is (888) 774-2900 or www.CTSafeConnect.org Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a Connecticut family of four, it costs over $126,000 just to meet their basic needs, according to a recent United Way report. That’s more than four times the federal poverty level. Food insecurity is a big part of the problem, affecting more than 1 in 10 Connecticut residents, according to Connecticut Foodshare. A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture found the national rate of food insecurity jumped by more than 2% from 2021 to 2022, to 12.8%. This hour, UConn's Dr. Caitlin Caspi joins us to address some of the misconceptions around food insecurity. "Food insecurity isn't happening in a vacuum," she says. "It's really intersecting with a lot of other challenges that people face," including stable housing, health insurance, job security, disability, and other factors. "Food insecurity isn't primarily a story about food," says Dr. Caspi. "It's about many facets of economic instability." Plus, we'll discuss some of Connecticut Foodshare’s efforts to address food insecurity where we live, including an income-based grocery store coming soon to Hartford, where food insecurity rates are highest in the state. Hartford High School just launched the Grub Pub, an in-school pantry. Principal Flora Padro joins us later in the hour, describing the "new normal" she envisions. GUESTS: Dr. Caitlin Caspi: Associate Professor, University of Connecticut's Department of Allied Health Sciences; Director of Food Security Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health Jason Jakubowski: President & CEO, Connecticut Foodshare Ben Dubow: Executive Director, Forge City Works Flora Padro: Principal, Hartford High School Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.