AMA Good to Grow: Recent Episodes
AMA - Alberta Motor Association
There’s nothing better than fresh food from your own backyard. That’s why we started Good to Grow – an online community blooming with tips and advice from master gardeners and green thumbs. We’ve sprouted to the airwaves to dig deeper into sustainable gardening in Alberta. From food and flowers to eco-friendly tips and environmental best practices, we’re speaking with local experts and enthusiasts to help you plant with confidence. Dig in, grow your passion with us, connect with likeminded Albertans, and contribute to the conversation through our Facebook group. Because gardening is always more fun with friends.
In Episode 13 of EV Life, AMA’s Jeff Cummings discusses an electric vehicle road trip he took in Alberta winter—when it was -20 C. We’ll hear about his experience as a first-time EV driver including the differences he noticed, and how the car handled in Alberta’s cold weather.
READ MORE: How Winter Can Affect Your Electric Vehicle
Join us for another episode of EV Life as we sit down with Russell Belik, chair of the Auto Apprenticeship program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), on the program’s current hybrid vehicle training components and what the future may hold for automotive students in Alberta.
READ MORE:
NAIT’s Automotive Service Technician program
EV Resources
Sean Klug of Go Electric joins EV Life for a conversation on how buying a pre-owned electric vehicle can be a more affordable option for people eyeing the market. We learn about the company’s haggle-free business model and the most important considerations when buying a pre-owned EV.
READ MORE:
Go Electric
Catch up on past episodes
EV Resources
In Episode 10 of EV Life, we chat with Chris Doornbos, CEO and Director of E3 Lithium, a lithium resource technology company based in Alberta. Chris shares the company’s plans to produce lithium products via a direct extraction method by 2026. He shares insights into the distinction between this process and traditional lithium mining, and the economic and environmental implications this nascent industry will have in Alberta.
READ MORE: About E3 Lithium
About EV Life
The demand on Alberta's power grid will increase as more people adopt electric vehicles. In Episode 9 of EV Life, we sit down with EPCOR to learn how the company is planning for the future of grid management to accommodate for growing needs. As well, we chat with public policy researcher Aviv Fried to talk about the benefit of shifting charging patterns.
READ MORE:
EPCOR and EVs
CBC Article on EV charging patterns by Aviv Fried
In this episode of EV Life we chat with Terry Broughton, Shell’s general manager of e-Mobility, on how the company is planning for the future. We discuss Shell’s target of being a net-zero company by 2050 and its plans for supporting customers and clients as the North American demand for EV charging infrastructure increases.
READ MORE:
Learn About Shell Recharge
Learn more about EVs at AMA
Tune in to Episode 7 of EV Life to hear about the Relectric Car Team, an initiative launched in 2019 by a group of engineering students at the University of Calgary. The team of students aims to convert gasoline vehicles into electric vehicles, as well as eventually create a public library of information on the process for Albertans interested in retrofitting. In this interview we are joined by two current student team members, Brooke Kindleman and Amrit Mahendrarajah.
READ MORE:
Learn more about EVs at AMA
Relectric Car Team
Learn about how Alberta’s EV charging infrastructure compares to the rest of Canada and whether “range anxiety” is a valid worry in this episode of EV Life. Logan Hoyland from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) joins EV Life host Krystal Maharaj to chat about how the organization works to help municipalities improve their infrastructure, plus special guest host Kevin Chornohos chats with Elexicon Group, the company that organized a Coast to Coast EV tour.
READ MORE: Municipal Climate Change Action Centre Charging Coast to Coast tour EV Start
If you’re wondering where to begin when it comes to choosing an electric vehicle, CAA has you covered. In Episode 5 of EV Life, Kristine D’Arbelles with CAA National joins us to speak on the organization’s interactive EV Buyer’s Guide that will match your lifestyle and budget with one of the 90-plus electric vehicles currently available in Canada.
READ MORE: CAA EV Buyer’s Guide CAA Driving Costs Calculator
In Episode 4 of EV Life, we hear from the Norwegian Auto Federation (NAF) on the EV Winter Testing the association has performed on dozens of vehicles. Plus, world-renowned climate scientist Dr. Marshall Shepherd speaks on his EV-related journalism in Forbes Magazine.
READ MORE: Norwegian Auto Federation: EV Winter Test 5 Responses A Climate Scientist Received After Buying An Electric Car
In Episode 3 of EV Life, we speak to Thierry Spiess with Natural Resources Canada on government initiatives and the future of transportation.
For show transcripts and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit:
https://ama.ab.ca/community/connect/podcasts/ev-life
In Episode 2 of EV Life, join us for a conversation with Calgarian Terry Orr, also known as the EV Mad Scientist. Terry shares how his love of classic cars and an interest in EVs became a passionate hobby of retrofitting internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.
For show transcripts and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit:
https://ama.ab.ca/community/connect/podcasts/ev-life
In Episode 1 of the EV Life podcast, we’ll get up to speed on the EV scene in Alberta. Our first featured guests are Andrew Batiuk and Michael Correa with the Electric Vehicle Association of Alberta (EVAA). The organization was initially founded in 2014 as a social networking group, but EVAA is now a registered non-profit that aims to share information around EVs and charging infrastructure in Alberta.
We also visited Edmonton’s Electric Vehicle Expo, and you’ll hear from attendees about some questions and concerns they have around the future of transportation.
For show transcripts and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit:
https://ama.ab.ca/community/connect/podcasts/ev-life
In this special preview episode of AMA’s EV Life podcast, host Krystal Maharaj and producer Allison Bench introduce what you can expect this season, including teasers of upcoming guests: the Electric Vehicle Association of Alberta and the Norwegian Automobile Federation.
The EV Life podcast will help Albertans stay informed on the ins and outs of driving electric, touching on initiatives, innovation and incentives happening in the province as well as digging into some concerns for those considering the switch.
Summary: Fall is one of the best times to plant fruit trees. Mike Johnson of Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE) shares tips on growing fruit in Alberta.
Topics in this episode
- OFRE’s public micro-orchard.
- How to get involved with OFRE.
- How to deal with apple maggots.
Grow your garden knowledge even more, and connect with other Alberta gardeners. Join our Facebook Group, AMA Good to Grow.
Summary: Grow vegetables and plants in the smallest of spaces. Author and AMA member Sheryl Normandeau shares tips for starting a garden on your apartment balcony, patio or deck.
Plus, green thumb Christine Allin offers a quick tour of her garden.
Topics in this episode
- Small-space gardens. For more info, check out The Prairie Gardener’s Go-To for Small Spaces, written by Normandeau and Janet Melrose.
- Grow bags.
Reduce food waste with Home Harvest, a new program for Edmonton and Calgary. Volunteers will pick the fruit and vegetables in your garden, then donate at least half of the harvested food to a local service agency. Coordinator Garnet Borch offers details.
Plus, green thumb Terry Jones shares her love of mindful gardening.
Topics in this episode
- How to get involved with Home Harvest.
- Good Note Community Farm.
Grow your garden knowledge even more, and connect with other Alberta gardeners. Join our Facebook Group, AMA Good to Grow.
It’s August—time to start enjoying the fresh fruit and vegetables from your garden. Get the most out of your harvest with these tips from Rob Sproule of Salisbury Greenhouse in Sherwood Park. He also shares tips to get your garden ready for the colder months.
Plus, a young gardener and her Monstera.
Topics in this episode
- When should you harvest your fruits and veggies? Here’s a calendar.
- Late-harvest vegetables.
- Salisbury’s workshops, including how to grow a cat-friendly garden.
For more garden goodness, join our online community, AMA Good to Grow. https://www.facebook.com/groups/amagoodtogrow
How to attract good bugs to your garden while discouraging the ones that will harm your food and flowers. Horticulturist and HGTV host Donna Balzer offers her tips.
Plus, gardener Janene Wagner shops for petunias in Sherwood Park.
Topics in this episode:
- Beneficial bugs.
- Red lily beetles. If you have an infestation, you can report it here as part of an Alberta-wide tracking initiative.
- How to deal with aphids. For more tips, listen to Donna Balzer’s podcast, Helping Gardeners Grow.
Want more gardening goodness? Join the AMA Good to Grow Facebook Group.
Help grow a new generation of green thumbs. Get your child(ren) interested in gardening with these tips from consultant and educator Claudia Bolli.
Plus, gardener Alana Dahlen discusses her ongoing battles with red lily beetles.
Topics in this episode:
- Sustainable Food Edmonton, a non-profit group dedicated to building community through urban agriculture.
- Little Green Thumbs, a program to help students grow veggies in their classrooms.
- Winterscapes, an initiative encouraging families to create nature displays during Edmonton’s snowier months.
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Jann Arden shares her love of gardening—and connecting with Mother Earth.
Plus, green thumb David Kahane talks about his Edmonton food forest.
Topics in this episode:
- Kohlrabi, also known as German turnip.
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
- The Over Story, a Pulitzer Prize winning book about trees by Richard Powers.
- Science and nature broadcaster Ziya Tong. Listen to an interview with her on The Jann Arden Podcast.
For more gardening tips and tales, join AMA Good to Grow. It’s a down-to-earth, online community where Albertans can connect with likeminded enthusiasts, share success stories, and get advice from experts and Good to Grow members.
Want to be part of our podcast? Share your gardening stories or questions with us and you might be featured in an episode. We want to hear about what you’re growing, what you like about gardening and/or any burning questions you might have about growing food or flowers in Alberta. Send an email, audio recording (Voice Memo on iPhone) or video message to goodtogrow@ama.ab.ca.
Happy gardening!
Music composed by: Doug Hoyer
Alberta is home to a range of different growing zones. Stettler horticulturist Robert Spencer explains the differences between the zones and offers advice on what vegetables and fruits we can grow in our province.
Plus, Niko Palmer shares a story about her community garden in Edmonton.
Topics in this episode:
- Growing zones. Here’s a map of Alberta’s various zones and when to start your seeds.
- Growing corn. Here are more of Robert’s tips.
For more gardening tips and tales, join AMA Good to Grow. It’s a down-to-earth, online community where Albertans can connect with likeminded enthusiasts, share success stories, and get advice from experts and Good to Grow members.
Want to be part of our podcast? Share your gardening stories or questions with us and you might be featured in an episode. We want to hear about what you’re growing, what you like about gardening and/or any burning questions you might have about growing food or flowers in Alberta. Send an email, audio recording (Voice Memo on iPhone) or video message to goodtogrow@ama.ab.ca.
Happy gardening!
Music composed by: Doug Hoyer
Maintaining healthy soil is fundamental for growing food and flowers. Chelsie Anderson, owner of Chelsie’s Garden Soil-utions, dishes the dirt on soil amendments and how to help your garden thrive.
Plus, Elyse Abma-Bouma shares a story about her balcony garden.
Topics in this episode:
- Worm castings. Read more about worms and soil microbes on Chelsie Anderson’s blog.
- How to compost.
For more gardening tips and tales, join AMA Good to Grow. It’s a down-to-earth, online community where Albertans can connect with likeminded enthusiasts, share success stories, and get advice from experts and Good to Grow members.
Want to be part of our podcast? Share your gardening stories or questions with us and you might be featured in an episode. We want to hear about what you’re growing, what you like about gardening and/or any burning questions you might have about growing food or flowers in Alberta. Send an email, audio recording (Voice Memo on iPhone) or video message to goodtogrow@ama.ab.ca.
Happy gardening!
Music composed by: Doug Hoyer
Last summer, CaraLee Epp and her husband Jeff challenged each other to a friendly gardening contest. Who ended up growing the most vegetables in their Edmonton backyard?
Plus, avid gardener Robyn Couture shares a story about some special peonies.
Topics in this episode:
- Making your own herb butter. Here’s a recipe for butter with shallots, mustard, black pepper and thyme.
- Growing cucamelons.
- How to collect seeds. For more info, check out The Prairie Guide Gardener’s Go-To for Seeds, written by Calgary master gardeners Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau.
For more gardening tips and tales, join AMA Good to Grow. It’s a down-to-earth, online community where Albertans can connect with likeminded enthusiasts, share success stories, and get advice from experts and Good to Grow members such as Melrose and Normandeau.
Want to be part of our podcast? Share your gardening stories or questions with us and you might be featured in an episode. We want to hear about what you’re growing, what you like about gardening and/or any burning questions you might have about growing food or flowers in Alberta. Send an email, audio recording (Voice Memo on iPhone) or video message to goodtogrow@ama.ab.ca.
Happy gardening!