Nature Works - SoundSage

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Shrina Kurani lives at the nexus of climate, policy, and technology. With a background in engineering and entrepreneurship culminating in a financial platform that has now invested over $1B into technology, Shrina channeled innovation and a positive vision for a sustainable future into her campaign for United States Congress.

Having studied a masters in sustainability, Shrina is an engineer, entrepreneur, and fact-based problem solver. The daughter of Indian immigrants who sought the American Dream, she has focused her career on building businesses that reduce waste and create quality jobs. Shrina worked to start companies aimed at reducing waste and creating sustainable solutions for food and water, and she has worked as an advisor to startup businesses, both large and small, that are developing ways to make healthcare and education more affordable, accessible, equitable, and effective.

Most recently, Shrina has been building a company to increase opportunities by focusing on addressing disparities in the funding of startup businesses founded by women and people of color.
On top of her many hats, Shrina has also decided to contest against a Republican representative in his constituency in her attempt to become a member of the House of Representatives and work for the welfare of the masses. She will be fighting against incumbent Ken Calvert on a Democratic ticket in the mid-term elections to be held in November 2022.

Now, Shrina is helping candidates like her run for office and innovators get the support they need to build a more sustainable future.

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Hosted by Blue Earth Summit Podcast, Mike discusses the principle of Environmental Social Governance, including how he believes it’s been hijacked by big companies to make themselves look good - and explains what consumers can do to cut through the potential fake use of the need for ESG activities and governance. He also tells host Laura Nesbitt about some of the amazing projects he’s working on in Bali, including restoring polluted rice paddies, cleaning river systems and developing a centre of excellence for regenerative agriculture.

Mike Weeks is the lead for global business development at Laconic Infrastructure Partners, an American ESG company that is developing the world’s largest organic regenerative eco-culture projects alongside the company’s proprietary environmental sensing platform, SADAR.

Mike’s love of nature and wild places was developed over a decade of travelling the world as a professional rock climber, often climbing rope free before it became so popular and famously leading Jack Osbourne up El Capitan in Yosemite for the TV series, Jack Osbourne Adrenaline Junkie.

For 15 years Mike has worked as a coach, trainer, and advisor, specialising in personal and organisational resilience to major corporations, governments, emergency and defence agencies and NGO’s.

He is the author of two books, Un-train Your Brain (Vermillion) and Resilience By Design (Wiley).

Mike lives in Bali, Indonesia, where he runs Laconic’s offices and local projects, restoring polluted rice paddies, cleaning river systems and developing a center of excellence for regenerative agriculture. When he’s not rescuing far too many stray dogs (five and counting) he surfs with his wife and two young sons.

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Through this episode, Linzi takes us on her own personal journey of how she had an “aha” moment, shaping her life into her career successes today with meaning and purpose.

Linzi walks us through a range of topics, from the Ethical side of business, to what it means to build a brand (not to be confused with branding) and most importantly Linzi’s mission in business, which is how to create an impact through your life’s work.

Linzi Boyd is an inspirational businesswoman who has successfully launched, developed, and sold multiple businesses throughout her career. She was able to start her first business at 18 and before the age of 25, had built up and sold two of her own companies. Linzi continues to work in the business industry, but now also works as a global business speaker, sharing her knowledge on different business topics with her audience.

In 1991, Linzi became the Managing Director of her first business, Accent Ladies and continued to open a second business four years later. Both businesses were greatly successful and her second business, Stride was later sold to Caterpillar group. Linzi is currently the Founder of One Earth and Race to Impact the World, where she continues to help businesses work together and educate others about the business industry, including the culture within it.

Linzi has gained opportunities to speak at multiple different events around the world, being invited to speak with multiple well-known presenters and personally presenting awards ceremonies such as the LFC Awards Ceremony. She has expanded upon her career by becoming a best-selling author, after publishing ‘Brand Famous’ in 2014 and is now focusing on building her speaking career by booking events all over the world.

As both a businesswoman and speaker, Linzi Boyd has been able to grow her success within her career and is now looking to implement change within the business industry by introducing the idea of a new era of uniting companies around the world. She has been able to use her knowledge and experience to help others develop in their careers. When looking for a speaker who offers her opinions and expertise on business topics, look no further than Linzi Boyd.

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World class professional wildlife photographer and wilderness guide Oliver Wright talks how he left the corporate world to study and immortalize ecology through the lens, and about taking people into deep far-fetched regions of Sweden north of the arctic circle.

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‘As a professional marine conservation ecologist, the main goal of my research is to understand how human interactions, environmental variation and climate change are responsible for altering biodiversity, biomass and productivity. My aim, to facilitate the rewilding of marine ecosystems in an effort to restore the natural ecology, biodiversity and energy flow. I look for unusual patterns within my data, and strive to understand diminishing aquatic ecosystems and how best to improve, restore and manage those impacts.’

Research papers Dr Ian has written/ contributed to

Biodegraders of large woody debris across a tidal gradient in an Indonesian mangrove ecosystem
Climate-driven golden tides are reshaping coastal communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Seagrass Restoration Handbook: UK and Ireland
Ephemeral detection of Bonamia exitiosa (Haplosporida) in adult and larval European flat oysters Ostrea edulis in the Solent, United Kingdom
Interactions of larval dynamics and substrate preference have ecological significance for benthic biodiversity and Ostrea edulis Linnaeus, 1758 in the presence of Crepidula fornicata
Mosquitofish avoid thermal stress by moving from open water to the shade of the mangrove Rhizophora mangle
Active management is required to turn the tide for depleted Ostrea edulis stocks from the effects of overfishing, disease and invasive species
Modeling projected changes of mangrove biomass in different climatic scenarios in the Sunda Banda Seascapes
Rhizophora stylosa prop roots even when damaged prevent wood-boring teredinids from toppling the trees
Seagrass-associated macrobenthic functional diversity and functional structure along an estuarine gradient
Functional uniformity underlies the common spatial structure of macrofaunal assemblages in intertidal seagrass beds
Wild Asia
Habitat creation and biodiversity maintenance in mangrove forests: teredinid bivalves as ecosystem engineers
Mangrove forests of the Wakatobi National Park

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Professor Mike Allen is an Associate Professor of Single Cell Genomics in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at University of Exeter. His interests are varied and encompass both blue skies and applied research topics. Blue skies research focuses mainly on understanding the role of viruses in the ocean using genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. Applied research focuses on biocatalysis, bioremediation, biotransformation, bioprocessing and technology development.

Mike’s current academic research projects include co-evolution of coccolithophores and coccolithoviruses, sphingolipid biosynthesis, novel protein characterisation, lytic and latent phytoplankton viruses, phytoplankton and virus isolation. Applied projects include biofuel production and processing, bioremediation, water sanitation, high throughput liquid processing and the development of novel photobioreactor technologies for promoting microalgal growth.

Current and recent funding sources include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Roddenberry Foundation, BBSRC and Innovate UK.

For more information on Mike, follow him @Mike_J_Allen on twitter, check out his website www.bluemicrobe.co.uk, or one of his project pages at www.phycomex.uk .

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*Nature-Based Systems Thinking*

David and Laura Hertz — On Nature-Based Systems Thinking, on Resilient Communities through Design, on Their Award-Winning Atmospheric Water Sequestration Invention WEDEW, on the Democratization of Natural Resources, and on the Resilience Fund.

*‘We live in a world of transitions between the fossil fuel and free world. There’s no time to be apathetic and it’s incredibly exciting to live in a time where investment being placed in incredible technologies that could help reverse the consequences we created. A world where we can see a distributed system and natural resources democratized.* — David Hertz****

About David and Laura Hertz

David has been working at the edge of sustainability and the forefront of regenerative architecture for over 35 years. As a systems thinker, he engages a variety of fields through design and believes in expanding the conceptual limits of architecture.

Throughout his career, David has connected the art of building with responsible stewardship of the Earth. A LEED accredited professional, he serves on the board of Heal The Bay and is a member of the City of Santa Monica’s Task Force on the Environment. David taught sustainable design and mentored students at his alma mater, SCI-Arc, as well as Art Center College of Design and USC, and currently serves on the Academic Advisory Committee for UCLA’s Extension Program.

After years working as a photo-journalist, now focusing most her time writing poetry and taking commercial photography, Laura spends a lot of energy on community projects and bettering society with natural resource management around Malibu and Venice Beach. Laura also helps run the In her spare time, Laura works with the The Bay Foundation, restoring, enhancing and protecting Santa Monica Bay. They just received a USD 10.8 pot of funding towards their work. And of course, Laura and David are keen travelers and surfers. Kindred spirits, rescuing dogs, ocean lovers etc.

A lifelong passion for surfing has made David and Laura active in issues of water quality and access. ‘18% of Californian budget is pumping water across long distances – this is huge. Desalination plants and water movement are not the cleanest solutions. 0.22% of fresh water is contained in water vapor and we forget that there is 6 times more water vapor at any given time than there is in rivers and lakes. This happens to sit at the highest point of the water shed, and once extracted then cooled, water becomes extremely accessible and free.’ says David Hertz.

Together, David and Laura founded Skysource to democratize water, and their efforts culminated in winning the Water Abundance XPRIZE. Since then, they have focused on making communities more resilient through design. After the Woolsey Fire devastated their community, David has become committed to helping friends and neighbors rebuild their homes and lives.

David is also the co-founder of Resilience Fund for Advancing Climate Technologies, focusing on water, food, energy, and carbon transformation technology solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

SkySource
The Resilience Fund For Advancing Climate Technologies (resilience-fund.org)
Xanabu
XPrize for Water Abundance
Precipitating Change
Home - The Bay Foundation (santamonicabay.org)
Laura Doss Photo (facebook.com)
Home - The Teen Project
David Hertz Architects FAIA & The Studio of Environmental Architecture (davidhertzfaia.com)
David Hertz Architects (@davidhertz_studioea) • Instagram photos and videos
XPRIZE Winner Creates Water from Thin Air - YouTube

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Lida Pet-Soede is a senior strategic conservation and fisheries management professional. She has lived in many places around the world however most of her work has been based around Asia Pacific region, Indonesia and the Coral Triangle. Lida is originally from a dairy farm in the Netherlands, however discovered her love for the marine world whilst studying for her degree at Wageningen Agriculture University.

Captivated by the ocean, she went on to complete a Phd in Indonesia in Tropical Fisheries Biology and Management. Lida is currently enjoying the coastal gems of Cornwall but plans to move back to Indonesia in the near future.

Lida is a keen scuba diver, snorkeler and all round thalassophile. She has explored many amazing places, experiencing stunning underwater wilderness. Her career includes working with governments, NGOs and the private sector to achieve sustainable coastal and marine development in Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region. This includes project and strategy design, project review and evaluation, professional development coaching and creation of strategic partnerships. She conducts assessments and provides advice on tropical collaborative fisheries management, marine biodiversity conservation, sustainable aquaculture development, sustainable development in coastal communities, marine tourism, and policy reform for collaborative governance and management.

Lida is passionate about preserving our ocean for future generations and is currently focusing on the concept of Shifting Baselines. The concept that younger generations of divers may be blown away by the beauty of our waters. However, the reality is that it is just a fraction of the thriving ecosystem that it used to be. We cannot appreciate what is lost, if we never knew it was there. Using this as a focal point of her work, Lida hopes to motivate younger young people about lost ecosystems, and encourage them to focus their careers in solutions to rewild.

OTHER RELATED LINKS

NGUMU – THE WOMEN OF KILIMANJARO – YouTube
Carried Away: Inca Trail Porter Project – YouTube
Restoring Italy’s Wild Heart – YouTube

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About Zach Boakes

Zach Boakes is marine biologist, currently living in northern Bali in a village called Tianyar, north east Bali, currently writing his PHD on the study of coral rehabilitation. Zach first came to Bali as a passionate surfer turned fresh-faced drum teacher and integrated into a remote Balinese community untouched by tourism, soon realizing that there was a great need to protect local coral reefs which had been degraded.

Zach set up North Bali Reef Conservation, which is a nonprofit NGO founded in 2017, working with the local community and local fishermen, training them to be stewards of local marine wildlife. One of the main aims of his research is to study pro-environmental behavior, analyzing what tends to encourage somebody to do something towards caring for the environment. With the support of local village leaders, the project is now employing local villagers as tour guides and diving instructors, there is accommodation for over 50 volunteers.

Zach discusses how one of the keys to success of a local marine based NGO was the integration of local community fishermen in this project. They needed to feel like they were owners of a project and one of the best ways to incentivize them. With now more than 9,000 structures built, Zach is in the process of monitoring how fast wildlife returns and corals grow, and has just published his first paper entitled ‘Coral reef conservation in Bali in light of international best practice, a literature review’. Through his research, he is proving that developing these sort of Marine-protected areas, not only has a localized benefit to the ecology, but also to the local people that depend on these species for their survival, and that it really does work.

Through this NGO, waste management is also being tackled with a small local plastic recycling centre aiming to avoid the daily burning of plastic litter.

‘My experience is working on a local scale. From my experience, working with communities is the way forward through education, through direct activism work, through empowering them to create change.’

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

*** Zach Boakes | LinkedIn

About us marine conservation volunteer program in Bali, local NGO coral reef protection OTHER RELATED LINKS**

*** Marine Conservation Volunteering Abroad | GVI Planet

Volunteering – NORTH BALI REEF CONSERVATION
North Bali Reef Conservation | Facebook
Bali Marine Conservation – The Mighty Roar
Coral reef conservation in the eastern tropical Pacific
Coral reef conservation in the Anthropocene: confronting spatial mismatches and prioritizing functions**

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Simon Temple: The Great Outdoors - a playground to steward and respect

Sailor, surfer, free diver, spear-fisherman lover of the Great Outdoors, avalanche survivor among many other adventures, Simon Temple embodies adventure in the wild at its best. With more than 17 years under his belt as a freelance cameraman/ cinematographer, Simon started his career in Outdoor Recreation, later training under IFMGA to become a heli-ski guide working in Canada, Alaska, New Zealand and Austria. While working out of Queenstown New Zealand, he found work on Vertical limits, and Lord of the Rings, launching his career in the film industry.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Feature films

• Monkey Man (Bron). Cameraman 2020/21, Indonesia

• Avatar 2 & 3 ( in production). Cameraman 2nd unit 2019, NZ

• Adrift (STX Entertainment) BTS/Cameraman 2017 Fiji/NZ

• Point break 2, (Alcon/Warner brothers), Cameraman 2nd unit 2014. Tahiti, Australia, USA.

• Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (MBP Germany), 2003. NZ (transport/location)

• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line Cinema), 2002. NZ (location assistant)

• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line Cinema), 2001. NZ (location assistant, main unit)

• Vertical Limits, 1999. NZ (location assistant)

Reality TV

• RedBull ‘The Ultimate Waterman’. 2017. New Zealand. (RedBull TV US). Cinematographer/ Cameraman

• RedBull ‘The Ultimate Waterman’. 2016. New Zealand. (RedBull TV US). Cameraman

• Get Out Alive ‘Bear Grylls’ 2013 New Zealand, (Electus/NBC). Cinematographer/Cameraman

• Survivor Show 2008, Season 16 & 17 USA, (CBS). 2007, Season 14 & 15 (CBS). Cameraman

• Eco Challenge 2001 (Borneo), 2002 (New Zealand), 2003 (Fiji) (USA Network). Cameraman

Broadcast (as an OB cameraman)

• Le Grand Raid, Reunion Islands, 2010

• RedBull Rampage 2007, 2008, 2009. RedBull media house, Utah, USA

• Red Bull X Games, RBMH, ESPN, USA 2009

• Womans FIVB Beach Volleyball championships, Universal Sports, USA, 2007

• FIS Ski Jumping world Champs, 2008 (ORF Austria)

• World Match Racing Series, Sail TV, 2007/08. UK

• Wilderness ARC, Adventure Racing world champs, Scotland 2007.

• Americas Cup 2007, 2010 (AC committee, sail TV)

• Red Bull Hike and Ride 2007 (ORF Austria)

• Nova Rock, Frequency 2007 (MTV Germany)

• Raid the North Extreme, Adventure Racing world champs, NL Canada 2004.

• Eco Challenge 2001 (Borneo), 2002 (New Zealand), 2003 (Fiji) (USA Network) Assistant camera

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Original founder of ‘The Kul Kul Connection’ community bridging initiative at The Green School in Bali, Tim Fijal is a regenerative farmer, environmentalist. Working alongside local Balinese farmers to revitalize soils and encourage the ‘Regenerative Agricultural’ green movement, Tim formed the social enterprise The Astungkara Way; A Regenerative Action initiative that empowers individuals and communities to reconnect with nature and the source of the food they eat, offering connectedness to nature with pilgrimage trails across Bali.

Tim took the time to chat with Mike with me live from Bali to check in, share his journey, experiences, challenges and hopes for the future.

Tim supports and advocates for:

Scholars of Sustenance
The Astungkara Way

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Hope - That is the Astungkara Way
What are the Differences Between Permaculture, Organic Farming and Regenerative Agriculture?
WHY REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE?
Regenerative Agriculture: Definition
What Is Regenerative Agriculture? A Review of Scholar and Practitioner Definitions Based on Processes and Outcomes
From the Ground Up: Regenerating Bali’s Agriculture the Astungkara Way
DEVI SRI- The Rice Goddesses
ASTUNGKARA WAY: ON A MISSION TO REGENERATE BALI’S SOILS AND ECOSYSTEMS
Regenerative farming in Bali
Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy
Explaining Bali’s Subak System (and Why Rice Fields are Cultural Landscapes)
Resiliency and the Balinese Subak
The Impacts of Tourism on Subak, Sawah, and the Environment
Is the so called ‘Green Revolution’ turning brown?
Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Modifications
Bali Green Economic Initiative – Tim Fijal & Maria Agustin – INKURI
Connecting through Rice
Subak, an Agriculture Essential
Exploring Black Soldier Fly Frass as Novel Fertilizer for Improved Growth, Yield, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Maize Under Field Conditions
POTENTIAL OF LOSS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER IN LOWLAND RICE FARMING IN KLUNGKUNG DISTRICT, BALI
A study on rice field farmer implementation of rice straw composting
Tourists gone, Bali’s young entrepreneurs eye sustainable future
The year Bali tourism stopped
'Bali is not only about tourism': Covid-19 prompts rethink for island's residents
Zach Bush on why all health issues come back to how we treat the soil
Farming - Zach Bush MD
Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Modifications
Recognizing farmers’ practices and constraints for intensifying rice production at Riparian Wetlands in Indonesia
Plastic Pollution: Bali’s Iconic Beaches Are Buried In Plastic With 60 Tonnes Garbage Collected Each Day
Buried in rubbish: Bali’s beaches blighted by sea-borne waste
In Bali young people lead the fight as plastic plage threatens paradise
Solving Bali’s Rivers of Trash
Tinggly Trash Traps
Research into Bali’s plastic polluted rivers and designs of suitable collection structures for rivers to mitigate the plastic discharge into the ocean
Bali - Hidden Truth - The Bridge
100 Trash Barriers To Be Installed in Bali Rivers To Reduce Plastic Pollution
WASTE CRISIS! AN OVERVIEW INTO BALI’S NIGHTMARE
Bali’s youth take action to stem the tide of plastic pollution
Bali fights for its beautiful beaches by rethinking waste
Traditional Views and Attitude Toward Waste and Rivers in Indonesia: Challenges of
Cleaning Up the Indonesia Polluted Environment

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Steve Box is a marine biologist studying the effects of fishing practices that endanger more than half of our ocean’s biodiversity.

His work assesses the impact of fishing on coastal ecosystems and connections between key marine species. Steve focused on collaborative solutions to improve fishing practices with Smithsonian’s Marine Conservation Program. The Marine Conservation Program is based at the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Florida.

Steve was the first scientist to study the extent and scale of different fishing activities in Honduras in the Western Caribbean and their importance to the economy and food security of rural areas. This effort evolved from his doctoral research in Honduras, where he studied the coral reefs around the Bay Islands. Later he began working with indigenous Miskito fishers to build sustainable commercial fisheries that provided local livelihoods while preserving biodiversity.

Working with local communities and governments, Steve uses his research to help create networks of marine protected areas with measurable biodiversity conservation impact. To inform the design and placement of marine protected areas Steve uses molecular and genetic approaches, spatial dynamics and modeling, and fisheries economics and remote sensing. Steve’s research and investment in local communities is building fisheries that protect the environment and the livelihoods for fishers in the Western Caribbean and around the world.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Predicting vulnerability to management changes in data-limited, small-scale fisheries. Marine Policy
Evaluating tools for the spatial management of fisheries
Fine-scale population structure of Lobatus gigas in Jamaica’s exclusive economic zone considering hydrodynamic influences
A case for redefining the boundaries of the Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion
Isolation by oceanic distance and spatial genetic structure in an overharvested international fishery
A genuine win‐win: resolving the “conserve or catch” conflict in marine reserve network design
Biophysical connectivity explains population genetic structure in a highly dispersive marine species
Contrasting genetic effects of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle L.) range expansion along West and East Florida

OTHER RELATED LINKS

Ocean Resilience: Biodiversity’s Role in Coping with Adversity
On ocean dumping and ocean pollution
On Marine Debris and the impact of human
On the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
A message from Dr. Steve Box as Senior Vice President, Fish Forever
OPINION: To help the ocean globally, we need a local approach
Long and short term economic drivers of overexploitation in Honduran coral reef fisheries due to their dependence on export markets.
Follow the Data Podcast: Why are small-scale fisheries such a big deal?
Catalyzing sustainable fisheries management through behavior change interventions
Human Behaviour: The Key Source of Uncertainty in Fisheries Management
Social marketing is shown to help small fishing communities adopt sustainable fishing practices
The hidden value of artisanal fisheries in Honduras
Scientists design first reserve network balancing fishing benefits, species protection
System-level optimal yield: increased value, less risk, improved stability, and better fisheries
Hidden in plain sight: Using optimum yield as a policy framework to operationalize ecosystem-based fisheries management
Follow the Data Podcast: Community-Based Conservation: Local Approach with a Global Impact
Using stakeholder’s perspectives of ‘Managed Access’ to guide management efforts in small-scale fisheries
Stakeholders in Fisheries
Understanding stakeholder conflicts in coastal fisheries: evidence from the brackish lagoons around Rügen, Germany
Stakeholder participation and sustainable fisheries: an integrative framework for assessing adaptive comanagement processes
Many government subsidies lead to overfishing. Here's a solution.
25 Reasons Why the WTO Must End Subsidies That Drive Overfishing
The sea is running out of fish, despite nations’ pledges to stop it
Overfishing - Marine Stewardship Council
Putting an end to billions in fishing subsidies could improve fish stocks and ocean health
Impact of COVID-19 on small-scale coastal sheries of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia
Fish landing app tracks boat and catch
New App gives Fishers a Say - Living Oceans Foundation
Tracing Fish and Finances
Fisheries app for mobile devices introduced in the Philippines
Indonesian former fisheries minister jailed for bribery in lobster exports
New and Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Fisheries
Global Fishing Index
Global Fishing Index - Conservation Finance Alliance
Global Fishing Index - Ocean decade.org
IUU fishing Index 2021
Local leaders called upon to safeguard small-scale fishing - devex
Oceana Annual Report 2020 - 2021

Nature Works: Recent Episodes

Mike Weeks