Wicked problems are significant issues with no single, straightforward answer, and they are everywhere! Transportation is a wicked problem that touches every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not. It affects what we have on our dinner tables, the clothes we wear, and everything we have inside our homes. It even affects where we work, ho…

It is hard to talk about how our homes impact our health, well-being, and climate when so many people still struggle to afford the cost of buying their own homes. Today, I bring you a solution cultivated by Kerry Langley, an industry colleague I have known for quite some time. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I invite you to lean in and pay att…

In a world of evolving priorities and rapidly changing investment landscapes, three letters have ignited discussions that resonate far beyond the financial realm: ESG. Environmental, Social, and Governance is a trifecta of influence shaping how businesses get scrutinized, evaluated, and ultimately endorsed. ESG has grown into a juggernaut of consid…

In a world increasingly driven by the pursuit of sustainability and community well-being, the rise of B Corps is emerging as a beacon of hope for a more conscious and responsible business approach. I was recently captivated by a charming shop called Plenty Mercantile, nestled in the heart of Automobile Alley in Oklahoma City. It is a delightful sto…

Artificial intelligence has become the buzzword of the century, permeating news headlines, chat platforms, and even our everyday browsing experiences. Its presence in our lives is undeniable, revolutionizing the world of computing and enhancing human existence in ways we could have only dreamed of! Amidst this AI revolution, another concept has bee…

Do you ever think about home inspection? Most people only ever think about home inspection when buying or selling a property. However, the truth is that you will benefit from a proper home inspection because it will allow you to live in a healthier and more comfortable home environment. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m excited to introdu…

Real estate is a massive part of our lives! We live in homes, buy homes, sell them, fix them up, and rent them, and real estate is at the heart of all that! Much about real estate has been in the news lately, with home prices being turbulent during the pandemic and people moving to different places. The side of real estate that has recently been ta…

There are so many green home experts out there! That makes it hard to know where to go for help and who to approach for the resources you require. People need to know where to go to get trusted information. So today, I would like to introduce the Green Home Institute because they have been extremely helpful to me! They have vast resources, products…

Have you read about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the news over the last six to eight months? The Inflation Reduction Act was passed to help combat climate change, upgrade electrification, and move people toward new technologies in their homes and businesses. It is a big piece of work that applies to almost all of us because a large part has…

Many different aspects of our homes may impact our health and well-being and the ease with which we can maintain our homes. Something I learned to take in hand during the pandemic was the filtration in my home. Filtration systems may vary, but they all serve the same purpose: To filter the air moving through the heating and cooling systems, making …

What is the green home industry? If you’d like to learn more about it, find out how to connect with people within it, and get to know about all the new things coming out in it, you’re in the right place because you will hear all of that today! I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am excited to have Allison Friedman from Rate It Green with me toda…

Plastic is a wicked problem! We are finding bits of it everywhere! Plastic was a great invention. It has become an integral part of our convenience lifestyle, so we can’t seem to do without it. But it is filling our landfills and oceans, and we even find it in our food and water! It was exciting when plastic soda bottles came out because they were …

We are facing so many challenges in the labor and workforce and the construction industry right now, and people want to know why there aren’t more women employed in construction, the home-building industry, and the skilled trades. I am a huge advocate for workforce development, women in construction, and women in the skilled trades, and I have come…

Wicked problems have been a huge part of our lives! Most of us know that the housing market has been a little crazy for the past few years. Some of that has been due to wicked problems like labor shortages, supply chain issues, and even land shortages in many parts of the country. The labor shortage has been of interest to many people, me and my gu…

Eco-renovate is a term a business friend coined while doing a project on a historical building in Chicago, Illinois. We all have the opportunity to up-level our home, a home we are buying, or homes we are selling. There is so much we can do to improve our health and that of the world while we make our homes a whole lot better! I’m Marla, the Green …

The term wicked problems describes some of today's most challenging social issues. Wicked problems require a reframing of success because they might never be fully solved. Success with wicked problems means having an impact on or making a difference toward improved outcomes and reduced risk. Today, we dive into the wicked problem of people-ism. I’m…

It can be hard to find good products that also have great packaging. Several years ago, I started using a great set of products with amazing packaging that gets specially delivered. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have Lindsey McCoy from Plaine Products joining me today! Plaine Products is a company with a unique delivery system for sustaina…

The term “wicked problems” describes some of the most challenging social issues of this time. Those problems require a reassessment of success because being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them or influencing improved results and diminished risk, even though the problem may never be fully solved. Consumerism, or foc…

There are so many different products to choose from for our homes, well-being, and personal care that it is often really hard to figure out which products are better for our health and wellness, are longer lasting, more durable, and do what they are meant to do. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m doing a solo episode to share my thoughts o…

We have some tremendous wicked problems in our society right now! Wicked problems are how we describe some of today’s most challenging social issues. They call for us to reframe our notion of success because they may never get fully solved. Being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them, improving the outcomes, or reduc…

Lately, I’ve been talking about health and wellness and how much it impacts our living environment. That means how we design, build or remodel a house or building, how we live in it, and how we interact with it. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! For the last few months, I have hosted one of my business partners on the podcast. It has been exciting t…

Global challenges are abounding, and working in the world of sustainability, health, and wellness has brought many wicked problems to light. We can describe some of the most challenging social issues we face today as wicked problems. With those problems, we have to re-frame our notion of success. Although they will never get entirely solved, succes…

We’re hearing a lot about health and wellness right now! Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental well-being, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matte…

Wicked Problems: Trade-offs of electric vehicles with Tony Pratte The topic of wicked problems has been inspiring some interesting conversations lately! Driving electric vehicles rather than those powered by internal combustion engines is fascinating for Tony and me! Recently, Tony sent me an article explaining that what we need right now is an hon…

What is wellness real estate? We hear a lot about wellness real estate lately. Sheila Alston knew nothing about it until she started thinking of ways to bring health and home together. After doing some research, she discovered that wellness real estate had already become a 134-billion dollar industry two years earlier! The very first wellness lifes…

We face so many challenges in our world today! That is why we need to connect the dots between our homes, and the health of our communities. Many of us don’t make the connection between our health, our homes, and the health of the world at large. Yet sometimes, without us even knowing it, the products in our homes make us sick. Or they impact our s…

You know what they say, “ Reduce, reuse and recycle.” Well, there are now four Rs. The first is REFUSE, which gives us the power to stop things from happening by simply refusing them. If we follow the 4 Rs to a T, then our world will be better for all those who come after us. Even though I’m sure you can think of plenty of examples of how society b…

What if you could run your business in such a way that it was actually good for society? A Force For Good! That's what Gail Garey, founder of Impact 360 Strategies says she wants to do. Her love of the outdoors and corporate background set up this work with B Corporations- those companies who are pledging themselves as forces against social isolati…

Today’s show topic is very exciting to me. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for improving eco-friendly living spaces. Everything varies according to your needs, style, and budget!. Today, Tony Pratte joins us and discusses how we can “green up” our homes! He reminds us of exciting opportunities we all have to reuse or reconstruct previousl…

What does it mean to buy green? There are no standard definitions for the words used to describe green products, so we sometimes tend to confuse products that sound green or claim to be green with those that truly are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Some companies intentionally use words like natural or eco-friendly as a marketing ploy to…

Can business be a force for good? There is a huge transition taking place within our culture and society right now. We are seeing some fascinating changes, many of which are being integrated from the younger generations up to the older generations. Whether we realize it or not, most of us vote with our pocketbooks. Today's younger generations only …

We all care about the health of our family and friends and want them to live in a safe and healthy environment. A few years ago, The US Green Building Council created a movement, campaign, and toolkit called the Living Well Standard, which published a message that still stands true today. It spells out how much it matters that the places we live, w…

There seems to be an app for everything right now! Could you imagine downloading an app for your house? Or even a whole bunch of apps? Well, that is what you need to do if you have a smart home! But how do you go about connecting everything in this time when technology is constantly moving and things keep on changing? I am Marla, the Green Home Coa…

Most of us do not realize how often our beliefs, values, and traditions play out in our lives because they are so deeply entrenched. Working with sustainability and green over the years has taught me a lot about people. I have learned how much our beliefs, values, and even our traditions impact the way we live our lives and how the way we live conn…

Did you know that reusing stuff is back in vogue again? People reuse things for many different reasons. When they do, it always reminds me of my grandmother because that is her legacy. She was one of the biggest motivators for me getting involved in the green and sustainable world. I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, my occasional co-host, Ton…

Houses and buildings are moving like crazy, but supply chains are still nuts! Remodeling has been affected by all the craziness that is going on with homes and homebuilding. However, when we decide to do a remodel, we have the opportunity to do some amazing things to make our homes even better! I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, my occasi…

Recycling has gone awry, and there is plastic everywhere! Do you sometimes forget to put recyclable items, like plastic soda bottles, pill containers, and the little plastic takeout cups and lids from takeout food, in the right place and end up throwing them out with the trash? Or have you ever had something that you would like to recycle, but you …

So many people have been buying and selling houses over the past year! Lately, people have been much more concerned about their health and wellness, both in their lives and in their homes. Fortunately, we now get to take our health and wellness into account when looking for a new home or fixing up the house we are living in. I am Marla, the Green H…

Finding a new home is not easy. We all want to live in a comfortable place that keeps us in good health and wellness, but many of us do not even know where to start because there are so many factors to consider. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today I am sharing the podcast with Tee (Therese Forton-Barnes), the host of the Green Living with Te…

The topic of unintended consequences is huge! Just thinking about it is enough to make my head spin! There are so many different aspects to consider in that regard, particularly when you think of unintended consequences in terms of their impact on the environment, climate change, and the day-to-day way we live our lives. I am Marla, the Green Home …

The approach of fall presents a wonderful opportunity for us to speak about the outdoors! I really appreciate the cooler weather and love being able to spend time outside without getting too hot! Also, when August rolls around each year, I cannot help thinking about the harvests that will soon be coming in from the farmer’s markets- and even from m…

I have seen some crazy things happening lately in the homebuilding industry! There is turmoil with both new and existing homes as a result of shortages and supply-chain disruptions in many different areas. In this episode, we will look at the problems we are facing and discuss why they are happening. We will break everything down into the three par…

The idea of 3-D printing is exploding right now in almost every sector! Today, I am happy to introduce you, the listeners, to my son, Trent Esser. Trent and his friend are starting a 3-D printing company in St Louis, called Printerior. The company is currently in the beta testing phase, and they are getting ready to have their first product launch …

Is your home a part of the solution to what is going on with climate change? Or is it a part of the problem? Did you know that every choice you make for how you live in your home and everything you bring into your home impacts your health and the planet as a whole? The climate crisis has shown us that building a life for ourselves and creating mode…

Have you ever wondered how to go about finding a home that has everything you value? It is vital to have a home that supports your lifestyle, and finding the right one can be pretty hard. Now, more than ever, after spending a year indoors, we have learned to value having a comfortable home with all the features we need. My husband and I wanted an e…

Climate change is becoming part of many everyday conversations and many of our children may have questions – spoken or unspoken – about climate change and how it may impact them. How do you talk with them about climate change? Both my kids are grown and work in an industry that focuses on sustainability, so we have some pretty interesting conversat…

Taking the time to do regular home maintenance adds up to a greener lifestyle. By doing a little more research every time you need to replace, repair, redecorate, remodel, or renovate, you can make a difference. All of that is a part of maintenance, which is super important around our homes. Maintaining your home is one of the greenest things that …

Climate change is a big topic! We hear a lot about it lately in the news, in newspapers, and in people’s conversations. Climate change is something that we all need to talk about, and many questions are surrounding it. People often get lectured about the things they are doing wrong in the world today. So, we would like to use this series to open pe…

Here, in the United States, we use more toilet paper per capita than in any other country on the face of the earth. Although things are different in other parts of the world, in our society, we view toilet paper as a necessity because that is how we were trained in our culture, in our economy, and in our lives. Toilet paper was the first thing ever…

The climate is changing. Yet, the term “global warming” often gets misunderstood. It all seems to be happening much more visibly and much more intensely lately, which indicates that something is actually going on. In today’s episode, Tony and I discuss how to speak to others about controversial subjects, why we need to see the bigger picture, and w…