We've known for a while now that many of our habits are wreaking havoc on the planet. But a new study published in the journal Nature has found that the extinction of plant and animal species may be doing just as much damage as climate change and pollution. We talk to one of the study's authors, Carol Adair, an assistant professor of climate change and adaptation at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at UVM, about the impact of biodiversity on the planet's health, and what humans can do about it.

Also on the program, John Fusco is known in Hollywood as the screenwriter and producer of Western and Native American themed movies like Young Guns, Hidalgo, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. In recent years he's drawn inspiration from his knowledge and love of martial arts, writing the screenplay for The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. We talk to him about how that interest in martial arts drew him to a new project for a very different audience: writing a picture book for young readers, "Little Monk and the Mantis: A Bug, A Boy, and the Birth of a Kung Fu Legend."

And, since March, cash mobs have descended on small businesses all over Vermont. The goal: boosting local economies while building community.