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Mrs. Green in the News AZBIZ.COM For what many may consider to be a one (free-range) horse town, Tucson has managed to grow more than it’s share of green media venues. The growth mirrors the national green scene that’s continuing to blossom on the Web and TV, in newspapers and on the radio. Sunriser Mrs. Green comes clean. Our own Gina Murphy-Darling gave a fact-filled She noted that 20 to 30 years ago how different things were—no cell phones,
As an example of change, she cited Marvel Golf Course (Benton, KY), named as Overall and National
Public Course Winner in Environmental Awards. Marvel's golf course irrigation pond is fed by waste water
created from the 513 homes in the surrounding subdivision as well as harvested storm water from the streets Gina told us about the gyre (a swirling vortex) known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” or
“Eastern Garbage Patch,” estimated to be the size of Texas and 10 stories high. The patch is characterized
by exceptionally high concentrations of suspended plastic and other debris that have been trapped by the
currents of the North Pacific Gyre. It is estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources
and 20% from ships. Unlike debris which biodegrades, plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces down to Gina gave numerous suggestions for “going green,” in particular, the many uses of hydrogen peroxide in place of bleach, turning off appliances (especially computers) and unplugging appliances which still use electricity even though “off.” Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, and take along paper or cloth bags for shopping to cut down on the use of plastic. Plastic bottles give off toxins when exposed to extremes in temperatures, so don’t put them in the freezer. Use aluminum bottles instead of plastic. Regular soap is as good as the bacterial soap and bacterial cleaners, which kill off “good” as well as “bad” bacteria. If you want to learn more, go to Gina’s website: www.mrsgreengoesmainstream.com. Gina also recommends: www.thedailygreen.com, for more tips and www.greendimes.com (use GreenDimes link Mrs. Green's homepage), which will help you stop up to 90% of your junk mail. She also recommends the two books, Go Green, Live Rich, by David Bach, and Living Green, by Greg Horn, who wrote his book after becoming ill from out-gassing from office furniture.
Leaded or unleaded? Most people associate that question with gas or coffee. Not lipstick. It turns out women eat roughly four pounds of lipstick during their lifetime. In 2007, independent lab tests initiated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics discovered many brands of lipstick containing lead. Scientific studies indicate no level of lead in our bodies is completely safe. When Gina Murphy-Darling discovered this unexpected and horrifying lipstick fact, she did more than just tell everyone she knew. She started her own radio show so she could tell everybody she didn't know, too. Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream streams live out of 790 AM KNST via the Internet and live on air every Saturday at 12:05 p.m. For an hour every week, "Mrs. Green" chats with interesting guests from around the country, such as an organic winemaker in California, a former Biosphere 2 crewmember, or the founder of Green Parents Alliance. "To me, the green movement is all about possibility," says Murphy-Darling. "There's nothing but good news. I have so much fun doing the show. "Indeed. Her tag line is: "What if living green can be fun?" Her belief is that there are millions of people just like her who are not "dark green" or "Wickipedias of Sustainabiltiy" (people who keep the carbon footprints of everything at their fingertips). Her listeners may be just like her, learning about permaculture or VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds), and hungry for more information. "They truly care and don't know what to do because there's so much," says Murphy- Darling. The trim redhead delights in breaking down that "so much" into easy green tips. Simple acts that make a big difference. Like unplugging your cell phone charger when it's not in use. According to Murphy- Darling, only five percent of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the cell phone, and 95 percent is drawn while the charger is plugged into the wall, without any cell phone attached. Another powerful act she encourages is taking your own reusable cup to Starbucks, or your own favorite coffee haunt. "Think about how many cups a day we use at Starbucks," she asks. "What if 100 people a day brought in their own cups?" Just think of how much Styrofoam that would keep out of the landfill each year. Murphy-Darling is a devout user of cloth bags at grocery stores, declaring plastic bags Public Enemy Number One. "In Trader Joe's, you see lots of people using them. But when I see more people using them at Safeway and Frys and Target, I'll be a lot happier." If she forgets to take her bag into a grocery store, her seven year old granddaughter -- who is on plastic bag alert -- will whisper "Grandma Gina, plastic bags!" Murphy-Darling says, "She'll stay with the stuff while I go back out to the car and get the cloth bags. She knows. She'll never use a plastic bag, never, never." Now there's all this information about the toxins in plastic water bottles. "I don't think there's a mean plot on the part of water bottle companies to give us cancer," she says. "It's a new phenomenon to our generation. People are waking up in record numbers and starting to change habits we all got into, not ever thinking we were doing anything to hurt the planet." Rather than running around shouting "the sky is falling," she wants to get people excited about being earth-friendly. She sees herself as an investigative reporter, scouting out positive news. Her guests continually surprise and inspire her with their innovative responses to a changing global environment. Guest Bob Blue, owner of Bonterra Winery in Mendocino, California described how his organic farming process is guided by natural cycles. Instead of using artificial fertilizer or synthetic chemicals on their grapes, free-range chickens are allowed to roam throughout the vineyards. Not only do the chickens eat bugs that could potentially harm the grapes, but their eggs are tasty and their poop makes good fertilizer. Birdhouses around the vineyard attract bluebirds and swallows that also eat less-than-beneficial insects. Another favorite guest on her show was her friend, local jewelry designer Abbot Taylor, owner of Abbot Taylor Jewelers. A long-haired hippie in his youth, Taylor was on his way to the Promised Land of California. When he ran out of gas in Tucson, he ended up making a new life in the Old Pueblo. He's been in business here for 30 years now and only uses recycled gold from one distributor in New York. The trivia question on her show that day was: How many tons of waste are produced to get one ounce of clean gold? The answer: 30,000 tons. Taylor told "Mrs. Green" how people die from the toxic waste that leeches into the water systems in areas where there is a lot of gold mining, such as Africa. While many people are enthusiastic about sharing their green discoveries, they usually don't start their own radio shows. What inspired Murphy-Darling to go public? Turns out she's been a compassionate activist since the tender age of seven when she started up the Jolly Workers Club. "My parents lived for our week-long vacation in the mountains," says Murphy- Darling, who grew up in New Jersey. "We did not have much money and saved all year to go to the mountains. We also lived with a well, so I was brought up always appreciating water and conserving it. So that's when it all started." Out of her Jolly Workers Club she crafted a reason to be doing something of service in her life. "Because that's what made me happy and it still does." The desert was a big change for her. "After I moved here, I grew to love the subtle differences and the quiet, hardy beauty of the desert, the changing of the colors of the mountains. I don't think I ever dreamed of saving the planet but my parents always told us we were leaders -- not followers -- and it stuck." For the past 35 years in Tucson, she's focused much of her service work on children. She co-founded and served as the president of Strength Building Partners for five years and currently serves as an active member of its Board of Directors. Strength Building Partners is an organization that coaches and consults with schools to create longterm systemic change. "Again, it's a very positive approach on
how to create success in kids," says Now Murphy-Darling is mentoring a
new company, One Green Heart. Her "I am very blessed," says Murphy-
Darling, who would love to have her show And she's very optimistic about the
state of our planet. "I think it doesn't matter And so she is.
Gina Murphy-Darling, global warming is only half the story. This longtime community volunteer-turned-radio personality says the real problem is "global garbage," and she's hoping to clean it up, one habit at a time. "This is such a message of hope for me," says Murphy-Darling, whose new Saturday radio show on KNST, Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream, hopes to lure listeners to the clean and green life by helping them ditch their wasteful ways. "Just changing little habits, a little every day...going green can be fun." It's an upbeat philosophy that fuels each of her shows and a passion that drives her so much that she jokes she could talk for hours about it in her closet...to herself. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Parents and Children Together, co-found and president of Providence Service Corporation and finally, co-founder and president of StrengthBuilidng Partners, Murphy-Darling says the radio show may be her truest calling. "People want to know what they can do and the show is all about that -- the simple things you can do,: she says. Among those: turning off the water when brushing teeth, unplugging cell phone chargers when not in use, using recyclable grocery bags, reusing gift bags, and buying "greener" cleaners and energy-efficient appliances. And the list goes on. Each show also features a green trivia question and a dynamic guest speaker. Truly, there's no airtime to fill up with anything but useful information. "There is such good news to get out there," she says. A mother, grandmother, Rotarian and longtime philanthropist with Angel Charity for Children, Murphy-Darling describes her own environmental awakening as a distinct "aha!" moment. She was attending a conference for the Amazon Herb Company, which offers skin care, nutrition and wellness products made from botanicals in the Amazon rainforest. She was moved when she heard company founder John Easterling speak fervently about the irreplaceable treasures of the rainforest. She pitched her idea for the show to KNST, believing that our community needed just such a program. Why couldn't Tucson be the cradle of a meaningful greening of our society? KNST loved the idea and told her that she would have to find sponsors for her show. That took her only four days, with The Fairfax Companies LLC and Capitol Self Storage agreeing to come aboard. And she says more and more poeple are handing her their business cards. "I want the message to be that 'green' is so possible and effortless. I would love to put Tucson on the map as an emerging leader in green and solar practices." -- Tara Kirkpatrick Tune in to "Mrs. Green goes Maintream" on 790 AM KNST, Saturdays at 12:05 pm or go to www.mrsgreengoesmainstream.com
Arizona Foothills Magazine Gina Murphy-Darling How did your family influence your decision to become the "Mrs. Green' that went mainstream? "My children were my first teachers about going green, pointing out all the harmful chemicals in the things I was eating. They're part of the generation that knows "green," and they started working on me. I take delight in learning from my children, and they started me on the path that I'm on now."
Inside Tucson Business
Started in January, the focus is to raise environmental awareness and educate the public on green practices everyone can participate in. She is proud to host the first "all-green" talk show in Tucson. (It airs at 12:05 p.m. Saturdays on KNST 790-AM.) Hot on the wave of environmental consciousness, Murphy-Darling’s ultimate goal is to help save the planet for future generations. She firmly believes it is up to this generation to take the lead. Step by step, little by little, her influence through the radio program, website, lectures, newsletters, and excitement about going "green" are having an impact. When Murphy-Darling is not speaking "green," she continues her life-long passion of reaching out to children. "This part of my life is equally important, and it is all about being of service to the community," she says. Through various charitable efforts, including Angel Charity for Children, which she has been involved with for 15 years, Murphy-Darling enriches the lives of thousands of children. She is also active with the Rotary Club and is a firm believer that giving back is a duty within each of us. Given that her background has been in social services for the past 30 years, it should come as no surprise she is as devoted to helping others as she is. Her purpose in life is to make a better life for children – one step at a time. An entrepreneur, Murphy-Darling loves to invest her time and heart into new projects. She just recently started a new initiative, One Green Heart - http://www.onegreenheart.com. But she recognizes none of her projects are solo efforts. She says she feels blessed to have been able to work with great people over the years. "It is never about one person," Murphy-Darling said. "I could never have done it by myself – not ever. This nomination is proof that there are so many people doing so many good things." What’s up next for Murphy-Darling? "I would really like to be one of the people that puts Tucson on the map in terms of sustainable practices," she says.
Natural Awakenings
Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream features guests from Tucson and throughout the country. Among featured guests are John Easterling, Internally known as "Amazon John," who has dedicated his life to the preservation of the Rainforst. Mikaela Quinn, founder of Tucson Green Magazine, and David Shaller, Administrator for the City of Tucson's Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development, among others, will share their ideas and knowledge. Murphy-Darling's commitment to educating mainstream people like herself about the confusing "green issue" motivated her to find a partner who is equally passionate -- and she did! Enter Janet Rae, who initiated Wisdom Writings, a newsletter dedicated to the world living as one humanity. With the success of Wisdom Writings, she was hired by a film company to initiate the first world-wide study group program on consciousness and quantum physics. The vision of Rae and Murphy-Darling has grown into One Green Heart, a company that celebrates the color and beauty of nature and humanity dancing as one.
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Tucson Lifestyle Magazine
Nothing speaks louder from a Woman of Influence than those persons she has influenced, and Gina Murphy-Darling has influenced thousands of children and people, not only in Tucson but around the country. Her latest project, a radio talk show titled "Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream," strives to make going "green" fun.
Tucson, AZ - Tucson's first all "green" talk radio show made its debut on KNST 790AM on January 5th, 2008. Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream, which airs every Saturday at 12:05 pm, is the dream child of two incredible women, Gina Murphy-Darling and Janet Rae, who wanted to develop a forum for people to share what they are doing in their everyday lives to bring "Green Heart Living" to their communities.