VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 315
AIR DATE: 01 26 2024
FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT

OPEN
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Open Animation))
((Topic Banner))
Plant Lady
((SOT))
((Tracey Hairston
Interior Design, Plant, Lifestyle Content Creator))
I absolutely love coming through any type of nursery, any type of…if it's a home improvement store or a smaller nursery, where I can literally just walk and lay hands on these plants.
It's video time.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Green Bus Stops
((SOT))
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
It has its own solar powered irrigation system, so you can keep the plants healthy and alive. And then, it provides this really kind of wow factor for restaurants and hotels that want to impress their customers. It also makes for a much more comfortable space and it can provide habitat, if that's something that you want to do as well.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Captain Amaani’s Dream
((NATS/SOT))
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
Hold on to your hats.
I’ve always wanted a new adventure, a new challenge,
((Open Animation))


((PKG)) LIVING HAPPILY WITH PLANTS
((TRT: 7:10))
((Topic Banner: Living Happily with Plants))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Chesapeake, Virginia))
((Main characters: 1 female; 0 male))
((Sub characters: 0 female; 0 male))
((Blurb: Tracey Hairston, is an interior design, plant and lifestyle content creator. As a military spouse for 28 years, she had lived in eight locations. When the couple finally retired in Chesapeake, Virginia, Hairston finally got the chance to do what she has always loved, raising plants. On her virtual space, MochaGirl Place and Instagram, she blogs about her various projects and love for her more than 80 different house plants.))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Tracey Hairston
Interior Design, Plant, Lifestyle Content Creator))
When we moved here, I knew that this was a place where I could really invest in my plant life and in my home design. And I really just kind of just let myself be free and be able to express myself.
My name is Tracey Hairston. I am an Interior Design, Plant, Lifestyle Content Creator, and I live here in Chesapeake, Virginia.
((NATS/MUSIC))
In the morning when I get up, I open up all the blinds, I open up the curtains, and I walk through and take an inventory of my plants. Not counting like how many plants I have, but I take stock in what they're doing every day, what needs to be cared for better. I do that every day. I just do because I feel like if I'm taking care of myself every morning, these plants also need somebody to help them.

((NATS/MUSIC))

I would consider myself like a modern bohemian with an eclectic vibe. So, I'm very open to like adding pattern and texture

and colors together that you may not think might go, but once you see them all together, they really complement each other. I am a lover of bringing the outside in, meaning that I love a lot of wood,

a lot of plants, a lot of earth tones. And you see that like throughout my house. My house is just a true reflection of that.

Right now, I am getting ready to write a blog about my favorite online plant shops.

((NATS/MUSIC))

I absolutely love coming through any type of nursery, any type of…if it's a home improvement store or a smaller nursery, where I can literally just walk and lay hands on these plants.
It's video time. Look at these beauties. I call them, you know, they say, ‘wandering’. I say, ‘wandering dudes’. I absolutely love the colors. Look at…and look at…they bloom little, beautiful purple flowers. Aren't these amazing? I love them. This is a Philodendron Brasil. It's super easy to grow. Like, I really love the colors. Look at how beautiful and vibrant the yellow, green in the center, going down the center of the leaf. That's how you know that it's a Brasil. Rhaphidophora…but ah, my gosh, look at how beautiful this plant is. There's a common name of this plant, and I'm just not quite sure…oh, Dragon Tail. It is a Dragon Tail. It is absolutely beautiful.

((NATS/MUSIC))

So, a lot of these videos are like B rolls. So, I can take them and create content by making a reel, or just use them like as far as education. If I'm talking about a particular plant, like what this plant…like what area of your home would be best, what type of lighting? So, I do those types of videos like that.

((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))
((COURTESY YouTube Logo))

This particular plant, this Calathea Orbifolia, truly sparks joy every time I see it when I walk back here.

My main focus of social media is Instagram and I have over 22,000 followers.

Content creating, it is always the motto that you film everything. Whatever you're doing, you film it. So, I have a lot of stuff on my phone.

((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))

It's time. I don't know if I showed you guys this, but look at how beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
It’s a Painted Lady, a Philodendron, like I need another Philodendron,

((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))

but I can't help it. They're so pretty and look at the colors. It's like the lime green and there's a little pink in there. Absolutely beautiful, but it's time to repot this plant.
So, it's still in the little nursery pot. It needs to go into a bigger pot. So, I'm going to put it in this one. I use a combination of orchard bark, pearl light, and potting soil.

((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))

Filling it halfway, like so like that. Roots are healthy,

but there's a lot of them, like they were itching, itching to come out of there.
So, a little space in there and then I'm going to backfill

((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))

with soil around the sides.
((Courtesy: Tracey Hairston))

It might kind of act like it wants to act funny on you because you’re messing with the roots, but don't worry. It's just getting acclimated to its new spot.
((NATS/MUSIC))
In general, never fill up your pot all the way up to the rim with soil because when you water it, you don't want the soil overflowing on the outside.

What I hope to do more of is gathering like-minded people who really have a desire and love for not only just plants, but just like to be involved with the world around, like bringing that outdoors in, in some kind of way.
((NATS/MUSIC))
I call these like plant talks because we're just talking. We're having these conversations. I will never say that I am an expert. And the reason why is because I'm still always learning. A lot of people will think, "Oh, that’s like too many plants." But this room was designed for these plants.

((NATS/MUSIC))
I like to call this room my Garden of Eden. This is just my special place. It is extremely humbling that anybody would even recognize me from anything on social media.
((Tracey Hairston
Interior Design, Plant, Lifestyle Content Creator))
So, I'm always very humbled by the fact that seeing me and knowing that there's an actual person behind the screen, and that I am obtainable, and I am just relatable, because I am just Tracey. I'm just Tracey who has a love of plants.

((NATS/MUSIC))
If you are a heavy waterer, I think a lot of people tend to water too much. One day, I do have a dream job, a dream goal of owning a plant shop here in Chesapeake because there is one missing. But it's also very heartwarming to know that my words, and just me being who I am, can make a difference in somebody else's life.
((NATS/MUSIC))

((PKG)) GREEN BUS STOPS
((TRT: 5:40))
((Topic Banner: Green Bus Stops))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))

((Camera: June Soh))

((Video Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: College Park, Maryland))
((Main characters: 0 female; 1 male))

((Sub characters: 0 female; 2 male))
((Blurb: David Tilley is Environmental Science and Technology Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland. He is also an entrepreneur. Through his company, Living Canopies, Tilly turns to nature to create useful inventions, from the Green Umbrella and the Green Wall to his latest innovation, the Cool Green Bus Shelter.))

((NATS/SOTs))

((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

All right. Afternoon, guys.

((NATS/SOTs))
Dave.

((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

What’s going on? Are the electrical systems looking pretty good?

((NATS/SOTs))
Yeah, just trying to tighten a little bit of wire right now.

((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

We got a lot of mileage out of that Hyattsville rendering.

((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

My name is David Tilley. I'm an associate professor of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland in College Park. I'm also the CEO and co-founder of Living Canopies, which is a startup that came out of my research in my lab at the university.
((NATS/SOTs))
((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

So Keegan, how's the water pump working these days?
((Keegan
Researcher))
We're just going to connect this to the box again, and it should be working.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
That’s going to work with those fuses?
((NATS/SOTs))
Yeah.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
Living Canopies wouldn't exist without all the student interns that I’ve have had work for me over the last several years. I think the last count I've had about 20 students usually work during the summer or through the semester. So right now, we have a small group of about five students, and some that just graduated in architecture, landscape architecture, environmental science and technology, as well as engineering.
((NATS/SOTs))
((David Tilley

Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))

What's going to happen with the controller there, Kyle?
((Kyle

Researcher))
We're going to connect this up to the fuse box in there, and then this should be able to charge the battery with the solar panel.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
I try to infect as many of the students I can with entrepreneurship, and they're really seeing that as a way to scale technologies and to have, you know, good impact across the world, and across the state, and across the region.

TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
More after the break…
((Topic Banner))
Green Bus Stops
((SOT))
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
Just in the United States, there are 500,000 bus stops, but there are only 100,000 bus shelters.

BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((Social Media PKG: From Buchenwald to Brooklyn))
((TRT: 1:00))
((Original Producer: Marsha James))
((Original Camera/Editor: Kaveh Rezaei))
((Social Media Producer/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Blurb: Martin Greenfield, a Holocaust survivor, arrived in the United States in 1947 as an orphan. Starting as a floor boy in a NYC suit factory, he eventually became the owner and the tailor for celebrities and U.S. Presidents, leading Martin Greenfield Clothiers since 1977 and authoring a book detailing his journey.))
((Martin Greenfield
Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
When somebody comes to buy something, I know how to measure him. And I know when I fit him, he gets a perfect suit. ((Martin Greenfield
Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
I was born in the Carpathian Mountains in Czechoslovakia. I was taken when I was very young to Auschwitz. My family I lost. The Germans killed them.
((Martin Greenfield
Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
They gave me different kinds of jobs, so I could survive. Because my father always said, “think about surviving.”
((Martin Greenfield
(Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
My name is Martin Greenfield and I am the tailor for all presidents.
((Martin Greenfield
Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
President Clinton, President Obama came to see me.
((Martin Greenfield
Holocaust Survivor, Tailor))
All my life, I started like I was nobody. But I always became somebody, because of my ability to learn and to do the job the best.
BUMP OUT ((ANIM))


((PKG)) GREEN BUS STOPS continues
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
I try to infect as many of the students I can with entrepreneurship, and they're really seeing that as a way to scale technologies and to have, you know, good impact across the world, and across the state, and across the region, because it gives you this opportunity to take an idea and to really turn it into something that's very large and can affect and improve the lives of a lot of people. Deep down, our inspiration for all of our living technologies is to make people love nature.
This is the living umbrella. So, this was our first invention. So, the green umbrella is really, it's your patio umbrella, but instead of having the plastic nylon canopy that you typically have on top of them that protects you from the sun and the rain, remove that and it has just a canopy of live plants. Typically use very flowering plants like Mandevilla.
It has its own solar powered irrigation system, so you can keep the plants healthy and alive. And then it provides this really kind of wow factor for restaurants and hotels that want to impress their customers. It also makes for a much more comfortable space and it can provide habitat, if that's something that you want to do as well.
((NATS))
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
This is a green wall that I installed with my students several years ago. It protects the building from heat, and it provides habitat for birds and pollinators.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
So, if you ever walk by a brick building, it's very hot because it's like 140 degrees Fahrenheit [60 degrees Celsius]. So, the vegetation of the plants protect the brick from getting so hot. So they act as a cooling factor, and they actually can reduce the temperature even of the micro environment that's around the wall. So, maybe it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit [27 degrees Celsius] outside in the air temperature, but just close to the plants themselves, it might only be 85 degrees Fahrenheit [29 degrees Celsius], because the plants have ability to use water. And when they use the water, they're basically acting like little misters, and that misting action reduces the temperature of the air in the immediate environment.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
So, this is the prototype of the cool green shelter for bus stops. So what we have is a typical bus shelter in form, but what we've done is turned it into a green roof.
((Courtesy: David Tilley))
So you have four feet [1.2 meters] by 10 feet [3 meters] of green roof that's planted with living live plants.
((end Courtesy))
And then on the ends of the of the roof, you have our living canopies that extend out
((Courtesy: David Tilley))
about three or four feet, so you get some extra shade from the plants.
((end Courtesy))
And then in the back side of the bus shelter, you have the solar panels. So, we have 300 watts of solar panels. Those panels provide enough power
((Courtesy: David Tilley))
to light the bus stop at night, as well as provide power to charge a phone or your personal device.
((end Courtesy))
And then we also have an advertising or we call it environmental sponsorship panel that's available for corporations and foundations to sponsor bus shelters that are needed in certain types of communities.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
Okay, a key feature of making this work is our technology that allows us to capture rainwater that falls on the green roof and the solar panels. That water is directed down through the leg of the bus shelter and then stored in the water cistern or rain barrel that sits underneath the seat. And then we have an electronic and control systems.
It's a smart control system, meaning that it knows how much water is in the soil itself. So, when the soil dries out, the device knows to turn the pump on and to irrigate or water the plants.
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
So someone sitting under a vegetated, planed canopy is going to feel quite a bit cooler, maybe 10 degrees cooler than they would if they were just sitting under a regular bus shelter that's made of a hard, metal surface. So, we see there's a lot of potential.
Just in the United States, there are 500,000 bus stops, but there's only 100,000 bus shelters.
((NATS))
((David Tilley
Environmental Scientist, Entrepreneur))
So what's really important for a green roof is for the soil to be lightweight. So, this is an engineered soil. It's actually shale rock. It's crushed up and then it's cooked at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit [1093 degrees Celsius]. And when that happens it expands, and when it expands it becomes less dense. So therefore, it's lighter weight. So when you have this up on top of the shelter, it's not as heavy, and it acts really well as a good drainage medium and growing medium for the plants.
((Courtesy: David Tilley))
So, we want people to really think about nature and how it can
((end Courtesy))
provide benefit to them in a lot of different ways
((Courtesy: David Tilley))
and make their lives better, healthier and have a more prosperous future.
((end Courtesy))

((PKG)) CAPTAIN AMAANI’S DREAM
((Previously aired January, 2023))
((TRT: 10:55))
((Topic Banner: Captain Amaani’s Dream))
((Producer: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera/Editor: June Soh))
((Map: Oxon Hill, Maryland))
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female; 0 male))
((Blurb: Amaani Lyle has always been following her passion, pursuing new challenges, and changing careers. In the third chapter of her life, Amaani is immersing herself into the world of boating.))
((NATS/SOTs: Amaani & Customers))
Welcome, friends. Come on aboard Cap’n Maani Cruises.
Really excited about this.
Oh, it's a great day to be on the water.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
My name is Amaani Lyle. I'm a boat captain in training, and soon-to-be Air Force retiree. Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted a new adventure, a new challenge.
((NATS/SOTs: Inspector and Amaani))
Oh, sorry. And we have an extra throw cushion right here behind your front seat and a fire distinguisher right there as well. Okay, so how many adults are we going to have on board with us today going out?
Five.
Five? Okay.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
Yeah, I'm actually with a club. It's called Freedom Boat Club, and I'm able to pay monthly dues, and I can take boats out pretty much whenever I want, based on the availability of them.
((NATS/SOTs: Amaani & Inspector))
Radio check. Radio check.
All good.
Copy that.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
My love of water began when I was a child. I would ride my bicycle to the beach in the eighties. And I developed a love for all of things pertaining to the pool, the ocean, even the bathtub. So, I started…I started with swimming. I then moved up to kayaking, canoeing, and finally that turned into boating and yachting.
((NATS/SOTs: Amaani & Inspector))
There we go.
Okay.
I am doing my acceptance and agreement of when the vessel will be back and that all of the safety precautions are in place.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
I was one of the first bloggers in the United States. I began working for a company called America Online. I was able to take that and sort of springboard into television.
((Courtesy: Amaani Lyle))
I was producing a show. After that, I was, I decided I wanted
((end Courtesy))
to do something different with my life.
((Courtesy: Amaani Lyle))
So, I ended up joining the Air Force. The Air Force was an amazing journey for me.
((end Courtesy))
Every job’s been a little bit different, new challenges, and I've loved every minute of it.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
I like to sit up higher. I need to see everything like these cute little ducks behind you. Ready? All right.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Right now, I just do this for the love of boating until I learn and get my license, and then hopefully, one day, I'll be taking the rich and famous out on the water, so.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Left National Harbor, and we are in what's called a no-wake zone. And by that it means that when a boat is going at a certain speed, there's a little bit of a wake behind it. That's when the water turns white. That's when you know you're going faster than a few knots.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
I started out on Facebook with a group called Cap’n Maani Cruises. And I wanted to document my journey about learning this new craft, you know, Stranger in a Strange Land.
((Courtesy: Amaani Lyle))
By the second week, I had over a thousand followers on this page. So, the feedback has been overwhelming.
((end Courtesy))
I have people from at least 20 different countries who follow my page and follow this journey.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
So right now, we're heading into the channel. This is a very historic part of the DC, the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia] area.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
Well, the process to become a boat captain is, it's pretty extensive, and it's not something that one can do overnight or even over a few nights. The basic credential you are looking for as a captain in training is the OUPV, which is the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels. So, that enables you, through Coast Guard regulations, to transport up to six passengers for hire. And you can use that to springboard into higher level of credentials, 50 ton [45 kg], 100 ton [90 kg] Master Captain License. The Coast Guard makes it rigorous on purpose because passenger safety is paramount.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Hold on to your hats.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
The emotions that come with captaining a boat, they run the gamut: from abject fear, to exhilaration, to triumph, to satisfaction, to just complete serenity when the water is calm, kind of like today or even early in the morning, when the water's flat like glass.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Sometimes birds hang out on the marker.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
I think we're at a turning point from an ecological standpoint, an environmentally-friendly standpoint, with boating. I was recently in Los Angeles, getting my advanced open-water training out there.
((Courtesy: Amaani Lyle))
And we had used…one of the days that I was there, I was actually in an electric boat. So, I think we're starting to turn to electric cars a lot and certainly following suit electric vessels.
((end Courtesy))
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
We're passing under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
My ultimate dream and goal in the short term and long term, the short term is taking that test to actually get that captain license.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
This is part of the Naval Research Laboratory, and it's got very interesting, giant ping-pong balls.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Hello, ladies. Ahoy.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
We're going to pick up speed now. Hold on.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
I am looking to relocate possibly to Florida or some other beach-type climate so that I can boat longer, year-round.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
Only one successful dock is separating me from dinner.
((NATS/SOT: Amaani))
I work up an appetite when I'm on the water. I don't know why.
((NATS/SOTs: Amaani & Instructor))
Freedom come in. Freedom come in. This is Lyle on approach in the Glastron.
All right. Copy that. Thank you.
Copy. Thanks.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
I've learned a lot of things about life from boating. I've learned to pay more attention to nature and the weather, be more connected to it because you depend on that a lot for a successful cruise. In terms of myself, I've learned that I can do more things than I realized by just putting my mind to it. And even when it's frustrating and I want to give up, it always feels great to start anew and get out there and try again. People ask me all the time. They're like, you know, “Is it like parking a car?” And I say, “No, not at all like parking a car. It's like, you know, trying to park a car that's in the water, I guess.”
((NATS/SOTs: Amaani & Instructor & Customers))
How are we looking, boss? Good? Coming in hot. You got me?
All right.
Woo, wee, wee, wee. Soon as he grabs that rope, I can breathe a sigh of relief a little bit. Once that rope's tied to the cleat, I am pretty much home-free. Another successful Cap’n Maani Cruise. And now, I reward myself with a nice dinner.
Okay. Here you go. All right. And last but not least…
Thank you.
Yes, ma’am. Well, thank you for being aboard Cap’n Maani Cruises. Wasn't this fun?
It was fun.
Yeah, sure. Come back and see me. Job well done.
((Amaani Lyle
Boat Captain in training))
You need the…an alignment of stars to have a flawless day on the water. And when that happens, there's just no better feeling.
((NATS/MUSIC))

((PKG)) CONNECT AMERICA
((Title: Nature: Valdez harbor and town))
((TRT: 2:00))
((Camera/Editor/Producer: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Location: Valdez, Alaska))
((Description: An assortment of boats, harbor shots and images of the town in Valdez, Alaska..))


IN COMING WEEKS
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Topic Banner))
In coming weeks…
Beer Maker
((SOT))
((Topic Banner))
Tribal Canoe Journey
((SOT))

BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((Social Media PKG: FREEDOM ON WHEELS))
((TRT: 1:00))
((Original Reporter | Camera | Producer: Genia Dulot))
((Social Media Producer/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Blurb: Meet Tracie, a woman who embraces her wheelchair as a source of liberation.))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
Because you have a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t do an extreme sport.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
I kept on having vertigo and things would happen, like my hands started not functioning well and I was doing sculpture and I couldn’t hold the tools and I was dropping them on my feet and those are really sharp.
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
Finally, I am diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. So the lady whose chair I tried said to me, “A wheelchair is just a tool.” And that made sense to me.
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
A wheelchair improved the quality of my life and it gave me a sport. That moment was one of the best in my life.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
I just want people to see when I am out there, that this is possible. And it’s possible at 17. It’s possible at 20. It’s possible at 30. And darn it, it’s possible at 60.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Tracie Garacochea
Adaptive Skateboarder))
It feels like you are flying!
BUMP OUT ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS