EcoJustice Radio: Recent Episodes
SoCal 350 Media
EcoJustice Radio presents environmental and climate stories from a social justice frame, featuring voices not necessarily heard on mainstream media.
Our purpose is to amplify community voices, broaden the reach of grassroots-based movements, and inspire action. We investigate solutions for social, environmental, and climate issues with an eye to advance human health, steward wild landscapes, and solve the climate crisis across the USA and the world.
Featured weekly on KPFK Los Angeles and KPFT Houston, and found on all major podcast apps.
Co-hosts Jessica Aldridge and Carry Kim present a broad range of perspectives: land defenders and water protectors; front/fenceline communities; youth organizers; ecosystem and land stewards; spiritual and faith leaders; documentary filmmakers; climate scientists; and political decision makers.
EcoJustice Radio [http://EcoJusticeRadio.org] is produced by SoCal350.org since 2017.
Tune in live to KPFK Radio Wednesdays from 3 to 4 PM (PST) at 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 93.7 FM North San Diego, 99.5 FM Ridgecrest-China Lake, or KPFK.org.
We also are featured on KPFT Houston from 9 to 10 AM (CST) at 90.1 FM or KPFT.org.
Urban beekeeping is forging new paths in Detroit. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson of Detroit Hives are generating a lot of buzz working to create sustainable communities for people and pollinators by transforming vacant lots in the inner city into urban bee farms, educational apiaries, #greenspaces. Doing so in a way that uplifts long-term residents and doesn't lend to furthering gentrification.With over 17 locations and 47 honeybee hives they proclaim DETROIT as the PLACE TO BEE! Through their conservation and awareness efforts, educational programs, and health based initiatives, Detroit Hives is creating a safe home for bees and the community to live, feed, and thrive. This interview was recorded in 2021.Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson are Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors of @DetroitHives [https://detroithives.org/] a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to create sustainable communities for people and pollinators by transforming vacant lots into educational apiaries and #GreenSpaces.Nicole is devoted to altering negative stigmas about bees by educating people of their crucial roles and benefits to the environment. She also loves teaching children about apiology.Timothy, comes from a background in advertising/photography. He is focused on educating the next generation of leaders on sustainability, while working to address food insecurity in Detroit.
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 289
source=url Featured Guest: Rodolfo AndaurWith Osceola RefetoffExecutive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer: Blake Quake BeatsShow music: Jack Eidt and Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 288Photo credit: Jack Eidt
Hollister LLP [https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott], where he has practiced in the Environmental and Litigation Groups for over 31 years. During that time, Rob has handled and led some of the most novel and complex cases in the country involving damage from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), including the first individual, class action, mass tort, and multi-district litigation proceedings concerning the toxic chemical, recovering over $1 billion for impacted clients. Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioGuest: Rob BilottHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtCreated by: Mark and JP Morris
source=url Guest: Moein NodehiHost: Carry KimEngineer: Blake Lampkin Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Jessica Aldridge EcoJustice Radio Created by: Socal350Episode 94Photo credit: Biotonomy
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 287Photo credit: Rebecca Harrell Tickell
source=url Featured Music Rafo Nunjar - RupestreExecutive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer: Blake Quake BeatsShow music: Jack Eidt and Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 286Photo credit: Rafo Nunjar
thrive individually and collectively? Hear Della Duncan share provocative insights from the growing movement to revolutionize our perceptions, understanding and practice of renegade economics in our lives. Della Z Duncan [www.dellazduncan.com and www.upstreampodcast.org] hosts the Upstream Podcast, uplifting stories of regenerative economics. She supports individuals working to align their values with their work as a Right Livelihood Coach. She also works with organizations as a cooperatives economic consultant, and facilitates courses and retreats around the world.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Guest: Della Z Duncan @delladuncan @rightlivelihoodcoach @upstreampodcastHost: Carry KimIntro/Producer: Jessica Aldridge @AdventuresInWasteExec. Producer: Jack Eidt @WilderUtopiaEngineer and Original Music: @BlakeQuakeBeatsCreated by: @EcoJusticeRadio @SoCal350
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 184
by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.He is also a returning guest of EcoJustice Radio; check out episode 105 where he and fellow poet Awa Ndiaye discuss Spoken Word: Challenging Mainstream Discourse on Climate.https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/spoken-word-challenging-mainstream-discourse-on-climate/To buy Matt Sedillo's latest book, 'City on the Second Floor': https://www.amazon.com/City-Second-Floor-Matt-Sedillo/dp/1953447899Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 129Image: Matt Sedillo
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 237
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 229Photo credit: Jack Eidt
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 274Photo credit: Jack Eidt
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 285Photo credit: Jack Eidt
source=url Hosted by Carry KimIntro by Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtShow Created by Mark and JP MorrisEpisode 140Photo credit: Richard Bugbee
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 284Photo credit: Rawpixels
Given what’s happening in the Persian Gulf these days, the United States is soon to be the largest exporter of oil and gas. With increased drilling and fracking in the Texas Permian Basin and multiple oil and gas pipelines headed for the Gulf of Mexico Coast, the neighboring communities are at the nexus of climate change disasters and community resistance. Port Arthur Texas is home base for the largest oil refinery in North America and a dizzying toxic array of fossil fuel and chemical facilities. But the people are stepping up to say - NO MORE. Port Arthur Community Action Network (also known as PACAN) is raising the alarm, holding the polluters accountable, and paving the path to transition away from an extractive economy to one that supports restorative justice.Drilling, enabled by the fracking boom, has more than quadrupled in the past decade, and is expected to grow aggressively in the upcoming years. Across the Gulf Coast (in Texas and Louisiana), petrochemical corporations are racing to build new pipelines, oil and gas terminals and processors, and massive plastic producing plants. If allowed, this would increase the threat of climate disaster and further pollute the most vulnerable black, Indigenous, and low income communities who have suffered far too long the disproportionate impacts.Our guest on this encore 2021 presentation is John Beard, Jr., Founder and CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network, is helping to mobilize his community of Port Arthur and the Southeast Texas region. As a former oil employee turned advocate for environmental justice in the place he has lived all his life. John has been fighting for health and safety protections on the refineries, export terminals, petrochemical plants, and leading efforts against deepwater ports, each of which could export an estimated 2 million barrels of crude oil per day.More: https://www.portarthurcan.org/The Plastic Plague Series by EcoJustice Radio: https://socal350.org/ecojustice-radio-on-kpfk-90-7-fm-in-los-angeles/plastic-plague-series/Break Free From Plastic on EcoJustice Radio: https://www.wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/break-free-from-the-plastic-death-cycle/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/Hosted by Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtShow Created by Mark and JP MorrisEpisode 121Photo credit: John Beard
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 283
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 282Photo credit: Stan Cox
methodologies. Land degradation affects the physical health of all life, biodiversity, the nutrient cycling of plants, the quality of our air, water and food and our access to them.World-renowned soil biologist Dr. Elaine Ingham and her Soil Food Web Approach [https://www.soilfoodweb.com/] has successfully been implemented to restore ecological functions of soils on more than five million acres of farmland around the world. Dr. Elaine passed away this February. She joined us in 2022 to share deep insights about how to ensure the continuance of life on this planet by turning to Nature and using biological vs. toxic, chemical approaches to heal and balance soil. By working with beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the soil, we can support Nature in transforming inert, degraded dirt into life-giving soil. Dr. Elaine Ingham, Founder and President of Soil Food Web Inc. and Director of the Soil Food Web School, has advanced the knowledge about the Soil Food Web for nearly four decades and since has been conducting pioneering research and advocacy empowering ordinary people to bring the soils in their community back to life. Her Soil Food Web Approach has been used to successfully restore and regenerate the ecological functions of soils on six continents. The Soil Food Web School’s curriculum was designed to be accessible to individuals who wish to train and embark on a meaningful and impactful career that will help ensure the survival of all life. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioHosted by Carry KimIntros by Jessica Aldridge and Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtEpisode 142
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 171Photo credit: Annie Wells, LA Times
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 281Photo credit: designaire on pixabay
Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer and Co-Host: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 280
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 278
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 259Photo credit: HavnLife/Paul Stamets
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 277
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 259Photo credit: Michael Parenti
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 276Photo credit: Max Talley
source=urlGuest: Dr. Scott CoffinExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 275
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 250
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 243Photo credit: Sol Etinge from Pixabay
source=url Story by Jack EidtBackground Music: The Nutcracker, Opus 71, by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPerformance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 201
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 274Photo credit: Abby Martin
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 273
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 242
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 272Photo credit: Jack Eidt
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 111
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 271Photo credit: Daniel Swain
source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 270
source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 199
In this episode, we explore the profound interconnections between land and sea with legendary marine scientist Sylvia Earle. Discover how our understanding of the ocean has evolved, the critical role it plays in Earth's climate and chemistry, and the urgent need for conservation. Join us as we unveil the mysteries of the ocean and the vital importance of protecting our planet's life support system. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url We also feature an excerpt of the documentary about Blue Latitudes Foundation’s expedition to the SeaVentures Dive Rig off the island of Mabul in Malaysia. The interest was to research, document, and explore the ecological, economic and social implications of repurposing an oil and gas structure as an ecotourism dive resort. The documentary was produced along with Matador Network.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Sources:Sylvia Earle TED Talk excerpt 2009: https://youtu.be/43DuLcBFxoY Chumash of Santa Barbara County songs: https://www.chumashmedicinewoman.com/stories-songs/ Sylvia Earle talk courtesy of Rivian South Coast Theater, Laguna Beach.“Rigs to Reefs: Transecting Borneo,” featuring Amber Sparks and Emily Hazelwood, Directed by Scott Sporleder from Matador Network.https://youtu.be/J0IG8R6ymrI?si=dDmcDekHowUeV4Fn Sylvia Earle PhD is President and Chairman of Mission Blue and The Sylvia Earle Alliance [https://missionblue.org/]. She is a National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence, and is called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine. She is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for several corporate and non-profit organizations.Amber Sparks, Co-President of Blue Latitudes Foundation [https://www.bluelatitudesfoundation.org/], is a marine biologist, educator, and entrepreneur. She has a B.A. in Marine Science from UC Berkeley and a M.A.S in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 2018 Amber and Emily were recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the energy sector for their work developing sustainable, creative, and cost-effective solutions for the environmental issues that surround the offshore energy industry. Emily Hazelwood, Co-President of Blue Latitudes Foundation, is a marine conservation biologist, offshore energy consultant, and entrepreneur. She has a B.A. in Environmental Science from Connecticut College and an M.A.S degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As a leader and explorer, Emily is committed to elevating the scientific understanding of our oceans in communities worldwide and she volunteers her time as a science educator at schools across the country. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 269Photo credit: Amber Sparks
Humanity has a primordial connection to water. For Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Water is an Ancestor, a living entity to be communed with, revered and treated with sacred reciprocity. We owe our lives to the oceans, rivers, lakes and streams of the world. And although marine ecosystems have often been viewed and studied through the abstract lens of economics or science, today, traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultural relationships with marine life and water in all its forms, are at the forefront of a new weaving that blends the ancestral past with the present. There is a growing wish to restore traditional concepts of marine and aquatic cultivation and care, to address climate change, microplastics, health of marine life, contaminants, and aquaculture. If water is an ancestor, what is our obligation to it? How do we restore a harmonious relationship with water, that supports future generations of life, and preserves the lifeways and worldviews of Indigenous peoples? What do the waters of the world ask of us? What should stewardship of marine ecosystems look like? What might we learn from the Māori, expert navigators of the waters, who have long held that their relationship to the land and waters is sacred. To them: Nature is everything. In this episode, join Heni Unwin, Kairangahau or Research Scientist with the Cawthron Institute [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/], in pondering these questions from her diverse perspectives as a Māori descendant and marine scientist. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Heni Unwin is a marine scientist in Te Kāhui Āio or Māori Research Team [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/our-people/heni-unwin/]. Her main role is to interweave science and Mātauranga Māori – the Maori world view – into research projects. She is passionate about caring for the taiao - the environment – that cares for her.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 197
In this episode, we welcome Javiera Barandiarán, a persistent advocate for environmental justice, as she shares insights from her research regarding the Puna de Atacama of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. We explore the delicate ecosystems of the Atacama Desert and the challenges posed by lithium mining. Javiera discusses her upcoming book, "Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium," and delves into the importance of restorative environmental work, the complexities of environmental justice, and the urgent need for sustainable practices in a rapidly changing world. Join us for an enlightening conversation that reveals the intricate connections between nature, community, and the vagaries of capitalism.We include musical interludes from Illapu [https://illapu.cl/], a Chilean folk and Andean musical ensemble that was formed in 1971 in Antofagasta. They are known for their participation in the Nueva Canción Chilena movement and their exile under the Pinochet regime. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Javiera Barandiarán PhD [https://www.global.ucsb.edu/people/javiera-barandiaran] is an Associate Professor in the Global Studies program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Barandiarán received her Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of California, Berkeley in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. She holds a Masters in Public Policy also from Berkeley and received her B.A. in politics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. For her work on lithium she was selected for a Bellagio Residency by the Rockefeller Foundation and a Berlin Prize from the American Academy. Her research has been awarded support from the National Science Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, Chile's National Agency for Science (ANID) and others. Her work explores the intersection of science, environment, and development in Latin America.She is Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Restorative Environmental Work (CREW) [https://crew.global.ucsb.edu/]Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 268Photo credit: American Academy in Berlin
In this episode, we welcome the internationally acclaimed educator and writer, Didi Pershouse [https://didipershouse.substack.com/], as she discusses the urgent need for rehydrating California. With her expertise from the Land and Leadership initiative and the Wisdom Underground podcast, Didi shares actionable insights on restoring the hydrological cycle and soil health. Join us as we explore the interconnectedness of water, climate, and biodiversity, and discover how local actions can lead to significant environmental change.We have much to learn about how to respect, honor and reciprocate life to water in our daily lives and in our times. While water is abundant, we have in a short amount of time created scarcity. We can change that. It starts with us, our behaviors, our thoughts & intentions, our actions. Can We Rehydrate CA is a multi-stakeholder initiative tapping into the ingenuity of human and natural communities with the goal of creating conditions in which the soil sponge regenerates, a fully functional water cycle is restored, and more people are involved in asking (and answering) questions about water. Rehydration would reduce wildfires, raise the water table, improve water (and air) quality, lengthen the green growing season, moderate air temperatures and restore biodiversity.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Our early 2025 interview with Didi: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/beyond-the-financialization-of-nature-an-ecology-of-care Our 2022 Interview with Didi: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/solving-the-climate-crisis-through-global-soil-health-with-didi-pershouse/ RESOURCES "The Wisdom Underground" podcast, and Didi's articles on Substack- https://didipershouse.substack.com/Courses, Community, and Resources: The Land & Leadership Initiative - http://www.landandleadership.org/Free Downloadable Manual: Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function - https://www.didipershouse.com/understanding-soil-health-and-watershed-function.htmlBook: The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities - https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Care-Agriculture-Microbial-Communities/dp/069261303X Didi Pershouse is the founder of the Land and Leadership Initiative and the Author of two books. The first is The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities. Her second is Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function. An internationally known writer and teacher, her focus is on the foundational role of soil structure and function--or the Soil Sponge – as the best way to provide abundant water and food for all life, while establishing resilience to flooding, drought, heatwaves, and wildfires. She also teaches how we can work with land management to regulate the climate through both the water cycle and carbon cycle, collaborating with the biological workforce of plants, animals, insects, fungi, and microbes.You can find her writing and interviews on The Wisdom Underground on Substack [https://didipershouse.substack.com/].Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 267
US imperialism is directly connected to hundreds of millions of people's lives throughout the world, capital accumulation and global inequality, climate change, fascism. The U.S. enforces its violent empire by maintaining almost 800 military bases around the world. Each one contaminates the soil. Occupies land. Each base contributes to the U.S. military project’s status as #1 institutional polluter in the world, as it unleashes over a billion metric tons of CO2 in the atmosphere. As it destroys the built and natural environment wherever its boots touch the ground. In this episode, we engage with Jodie Evans from CODEPINK to explore the crucial relationship between war and environmental degradation. We unpack the concept of the War Economy, its devastating impacts on our planet, and discuss the urgent need for a shift towards a Peace Economy. Join us as we challenge the narratives surrounding militarism and advocate for a world where peace and sustainability coexist. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url The environmental movement and the peace movement share a target: militarism. War is driven by resource extraction; without it, the push for control of fossil fuels, rare earth minerals, shipping ports and channels would not be necessary nor possible. Therefore a Peace Economy would help keep the fossil fuels in the ground and direct investment in clean and renewable energy, as well as regenerative growth in agriculture and green infrastructure that both create jobs and improve our biosphere as a place for living and thriving.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles: CODEPINK WING resource page https://www.codepink.org/wing and Elephant In The Room campaign: https://www.codepink.org/elephant_in_the_roomJodie Evans is a co-founder and board member of CODEPINK [https://www.codepink.org/] with over 40 years of activism in peace, environmental, women’s rights, and social justice. She has traveled to war zones to promote peaceful conflict resolution and works locally to advocate for divestment from war and build peace economies. Jodie served in Jerry Brown’s administration, ran his presidential campaign, and authored two books: Stop the Next War Now and Twilight of Empire. As a documentary producer and board member of the Rainforest Action Network and Women’s Media Center, she is a powerful voice for activism and policy change.Jodie has appeared on numerous podcasts and TV segments over the years and is a sought-after guest panelist on the topic of local peace economies, feminist foreign policy, and using activism to cultivate change.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 266Photo credit: CODEPINK
In this episode, we engage with artist Salomé Restrepo as she shares her insights on migration, cultural identity, and the role of art in addressing social issues. Through her powerful experiences in Colombia and Chile, Salomé explores how art can serve as a vehicle for dialogue and change, shedding light on the complexities of displacement and human resilience. Join us for an inspiring discussion that challenges perceptions and highlights the importance of empathy in understanding the migrant experience.Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Salomé showed her work at the SACO Contemporary Art Bienal [https://bienalsaco.com/ecosistemas-oscuros-dark-ecosystems/] with her piece Migrant Ecosystems, thematically connected to the Dark Ecosystems title of the show. Taking place in the world's driest desert, the exhibition emphasized the connection between art and science, seeking to showcase contemporary artworks in spaces all over the city of Antofagasta. The show, presented in a region whose economy is dedicated almost exclusively to mining of rare earth minerals like copper and lithium, celebrates what they call the "dark biosphere," which may include subsurface microorganisms that defy any theory about what life can endure. Yet this Dark Biosphere can be interpreted as the multitude of ways that people and communities can survive and thrive in this most inhospitable desert.The Bienal SACO featured artists from all over Latin America, Europe, North America, and Asia. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Salomé Restrepo [https://salomerestrepo10.wixsite.com/portafolio/en] from Bogotá, Colombia has a Master of Fine Arts and Master of Peace Education from the District University of Bogotá. Her work addresses gender, migration, and memory, with projects such as The Body as a Territory for Peace. She has taught at the Surcolombian University and INCCA University, in addition to co-directing the cultural platform Culture in Route. She was the education coordinator at the Sala de Arte Bancolombia and has developed educational projects for trainers in museums and cultural spaces. Her work has been exhibited in Colombia, Chile, and soon in the United States. She is featured in the 2025 SACO Contemporary Art Bienal with her piece Migratory Ecosystems.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 265
In this episode, we explore the precarious existence of grizzly bears in the United States, focusing on their survival challenges and the intricate interplay between human development and wildlife conservation. From the historical land grabbing and habitat destruction to the current threats posed by climate change, we delve into the struggles of maintaining genetic diversity and the critical need for interconnected habitats. With insights from experts and advocates like Doug Peacock and Terry Tempest Williams, we discuss the pressing issues of delisting, trophy hunting, and the impact of climate change on grizzly bear populations. Join us as we examine the role of grizzlies in our ecosystem and the urgent need for coexistence to ensure their survival and ours.We include clips from four documentaries on the grizzly bear.Grizzly Country: https://youtu.be/2_XPRozm4CI?si=M7XpfUKCTuFUCB98 Directed by Ben Moon, presented by Peak DesignThe Beast of Our Time: Climate Change and Grizzly Bears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cfuSIlEIyYProduced by Save the Yellowstone Grizzly and Never Give Up FilmsPeacock’s War: https://youtu.be/2KJ-ia0O71U?si=8aPXc2MG05sKCgMc Peacock's War, PBS Nature profiles Vietnam veteran Doug Peacock, who's battling to protect grizzly bears while dealing with war memories. Filmed in Montana's Glacier National Park.Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons - PBS Nature Documentary: https://youtu.be/9gXa-bs_9i0?si=_BrGyekmC0h0rPIC For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Doug Peacock, [https://dougpeacock.net/] born in 1942, is a U.S. author, filmmaker, naturalist, and Vietnam War veteran. He is best known for his work dedicated to grizzly bear recovery in the lower-48, his book Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness and serving as the model for the well-known character George Washington Hayduke in Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang. His other books include ¡Baja!, Walking It Off: A Veteran’s Chronicle of War and Wilderness, and The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears (co-authored with Andrea Peacock). His latest book, Was It Worth It: A Wilderness Warrior’s Long Trail Home, won the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award, and a 2022 award for literature from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.Doug is the co-founder of several conservation organizations including Round River Conservation Studies and Save The Yellowstone Grizzly.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 241
In this episode, we delve into the environmental toll of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Comparing the impacts with our multiple climate disasters, we have witnessed how environmental destruction has dramatically altered our understanding of home, place, and belonging. To trace ways in which ecological grief is echoed and reckoned with across these different contexts, EcoJustice Radio shares the Thomas Mann House presentation of a conversation between Darya Tsymbalyuk (University of Chicago) and Ursula K. Heise (UCLA). Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Tsymbalyuk’s recent book, ‘Ecocide in Ukraine’, highlights the devastating impact of the conflict on Ukraine's ecosystems and landscapes. From pollution and destruction of habitats to the emotional connections of locals to their environment, this episode sheds light on the often-overlooked ecological consequences of war.Drawing connections between Ukrainian experiences, the scarred lands of the Pacific Palisades, and beyond, Tsymbalyuk and Heise discuss the loss of cherished places and species to examine the role of storytelling and the cultural imaginations in ways of inhabiting the damaged Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Ecocide in Ukraine Book: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=ecocide-in-ukraine-the-environmental-cost-of-russias-war--9781509562497 Darya Tsymbalyuk [https://daryatsymbalyuk.com/] is an interdisciplinary scholar, and her practice includes writing and image-making. Most of Darya’s work lies at the intersection of environmental humanities and artistic research. She is a recipient of the Mary Zirin Prize from the Association of Women in Slavic Studies (2023), and the author of multiple articles in environmental humanities. Her book “Ecocide in Ukraine: The Environmental Cost of Russia’s War” from Polity Press was published in 2025. Darya serves as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Committee on Environment, Geography, and Urbanization (CEGU), University of Chicago.Ursula K. Heise [https://english.ucla.edu/people-faculty/heise-ursula-k/] holds the Marcia H. Howard Term Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA. She is co-founder and current Director of the Lab for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS). Her books include, among others, Sense of Place and Sense of Planet: The Environmental Imagination of the Global (Oxford University Press, 2008) and Imagining Extinction: The Cultural Meanings of Endangered Species (University of Chicago Press, 2016).Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 264
In his book “An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States,” Kyle T. Mays, Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA, argues that the foundations of the United States are rooted in Anti-Black racism and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue today. Speaking with EcoJustice Radio in 2021, he explored how Black and Indigenous peoples (sometimes together, sometimes apart) have always sought to disrupt, dismantle, and reimagine US democracy. He uses examples of the Black Power and Red Power movements of the 60s and 70s, as well as collaborations for the Standing Rock Sioux and Black Lives Matter. Dr. Mays’ work seeks to illuminate how we can imagine and put into practice a more just world.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Kyle T. Mays [https://www.kyle-mays.com/] is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) writer and scholar of US history, urban studies, race relations, and contemporary popular culture at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Mays is an author of 3 books. “An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States” is available from Beacon Press.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 123Photo credit: Kyle T. Mays
On this show, we hear excerpts from a keynote talk from the Bioneers 2024 Conference in Berkeley, California by Taylor Brobry, Activist and Author of Boys and Oil, Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land. We then will hear what is called a climate thinker, Gabrielle Walker from her TED Talk on Carbon Capture. Following that, host Jack Eidt's 2024 interview with energy expert and climate and environmental activist Morey Wolfson.Most of us understand we are in a global climate emergency. Data confirmed last month was the hottest May on record, putting the Earth on a 12-month streak of record-breaking temperatures. What we need is to immediately transition away from the burning of fossil fuels toward renewable power sources, but also a focus on more efficient energy use, and most importantly, a comprehensive plan for massive conservation and rethinking the way we do business. But global corporations want to continue with their present business model focused on coal, oil, fossil gas, ethanol, and industrial agro-fueled biodiesel. And the way they do it is advancing solutions like Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.Taylor Brorby [https://taylorbrorby.com/] grew in the dynamic shortgrass prairie of western North Dakota, a youth that coincided with the brutal physical and psychic scarring of his surroundings by the coal and oil industry, a fate not made any easier by being a young gay boy enthralled by classical music, art, fishing, and poetry. From here, Taylor became a poet, writer and dedicated activist, an eloquent critic of the fossil fuel industry, penning, among other works, the memoir: Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land, the essays in Civil Disobedience, and co-editing: Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America. Morey Wolfson has spent his career in energy and environmental policy. He is a Former Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulator, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employee, and governors’ energy policy advisor.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 224Photo credit: Kanenori on Pixabay
In this episode, we feature Michael Parenti, a prominent political scientist and cultural critic, as he delivers a powerful lecture at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1986. Parenti discusses the intricacies of US interventionism, the dynamics of capitalism, and the historical exploitation of the developing world. He challenges conventional narratives about poverty in the Global South, asserting that these nations are not poor but rather over-exploited. Join us as we unpack his insightful analysis of imperialism, capitalism, and the ongoing struggles for social justice that our oligarchs and their political class have not seemed to learn the lessons from 40 years ago, as the stature of the U.S. erodes daily on the world stage, supporting endless war in Ukraine and Palestine, disastrous trade policies, and ongoing hegemonic and regime change operations in multiple countries. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Sources:Michael Parenti speaks at the University of Colorado, Boulder: "US interventionism, the 3rd world, and the USSR" April 15, 1986Yellow Lecture:https://youtu.be/W10QEs-TkhU?si=ZP_D5JNOWpJ_xvuC Michael Parenti Library:https://www.youtube.com/@themichaelparentilibrary/videos Michael Parenti [https://www.michael-parenti.org/] is a U.S. political scientist, academic historian and cultural critic who writes on scholarly and popular subjects. He is the award-winning author of twenty-four books, including The Face of Imperialism (2011) and Democracy for the Few originally written in 1974 with a 9th edition published in 2010: He has taught at universities and has also run for political office. Parenti is well known for his Marxist writings and lectures, and is an intellectual of the U.S. Left.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 263Photo credit: Michael Parenti
Can we trace where Western Civilization went wrong to the 1400s when Filippo Brunelleschi, known for his brazen duomo designs in Florence, Italy, invented the linear perspective that dominated Art, Architecture, and city planning ever since? This almost-photographic perspective of the world around us translated to cities and their people being separated from nature, and the ecosystems that nourish us all, at least that signifies an auspicious moment in history. Some European painters in the early 20th Century, like Picasso and Matisse, challenged this linear perspective and were called Fauves or wild beasts. But do we need more wild beasts, rather than just bad-boy painters from Europe, to overcome these linear perspective machines and heal our relationship with the Earth?On this show recorded in 2014, Shana Nys Dambrot [http://sndx.net], art historian and culture writer from Los Angeles’ vibrant art scene, guides us on a romp through these European art movements to trace how we got here and where we are headed. We delve into the question of how environmental and climate activism intertwine with artistic expression. Shana engages in a thought-provoking conversation about the role of art in shaping a better world, exploring the dreams and tangible enactments of new realities. Join us as we confront the big questions: Whose dream? Whose world? What does 'better' truly mean? This episode is not just an exploration of art, but a challenge to the status quo and an invitation to envision a future that includes everyone.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://www.laweekly.com/author/sndambrot/https://artillerymag.com/byline/shana-nys-dambrot/Related Interview: Designing Architecture and Landscapes with Nature’s Ecological Wisdom - Carl Welty https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/designing-architecture-and-landscapes-with-natures-ecological-wisdom/ Shana Nys Dambrot [http://sndx.net] is an art critic, curator, and author based in Downtown LA who has been Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to the Village Voice, Flaunt, Artillery, and other culture publications. She studied Art History at Vassar College, and is the recipient of the 2022 and 2024 Mozaik Future Art Writers Prize, the 2022 Rabkin Prize for Art Criticism, and the LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Critic of the Year award for 2022. Her surrealist novel Zen Psychosis (Griffith Moon) was published in 2020.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 212
Join us as we celebrate the wisdom of eco philosopher, author, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy as she is now in hospice and in her last days with us. We delve into Joanna's groundbreaking work, "The Great Turning," examining the transformative journey from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. With excerpts from a 2002 talk and a 2018 interview, Macy's insights on activism, spirituality, and deep ecology offer a beacon of hope and a call to action for a better world. Tune in to be inspired by Joanna Macy's vision for a sustainable future and her unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and environmentalism.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Joanna Macy and the Great Turning Talk in British Columbia 2002 https://youtu.be/ZB6YcL0vy74?si=cJgf_YC_NimYH1Bf Joanna Macy 2018 interview: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/ecojustice-radio-joanna-macy-and-the-great-turning-episode-10/ Joanna Macy is the Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change. She is an international spokesperson for anti-nuclear causes, peace, justice, and environmentalism, most renowned for her book, Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World and the Great Turning initiative, which deals with the transformation from, as she terms it, an industrial growth society to what she considers to be a more sustainable civilization. She has created a theoretical framework for personal and social change, and a workshop methodology for its application. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues, Buddhist thought, and contemporary science, and helps people transform despair and apathy into constructive, collaborative action. Learn more at: https://www.joannamacy.net/main The Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/ Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats2018 Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.Engineer: JP MorrisExecutive Producer: Mark MorrisInterview Music: Javier KadryEpisode 219Photo credit: Joanna Macy
In this episode, we delve into the controversial and complex world of deep seabed mining. We feature a panel of experts from the Wonderful World Festival in Norway in 2024 [https://www.wonderfulworld.no/] discussing the environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications of extracting minerals from the ocean floor. Marine Scientists, a documentary filmmaker, mining industry officials debate the need for and consequences from extracting rare earth minerals for renewable energy technologies. Discover the unknowns of the deep sea, the ethical considerations, and the potential impact on future generations. Join us as we explore whether the pursuit of these resources is truly necessary and the role of storytelling in shaping our understanding of the ocean's mysteries.We start with an introduction by panel moderator, Anders Dunker.Next are excerpts from a TED Talk by Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist from Chile. Also included is the trailer of the documentary film DEEP Rising, which he is featured in.Sandor Mulsow TED Talk https://youtu.be/tIg1M0b43jQ?si=_SWZ6pZs-S9lSNA1 Then we feature excerpts from the panel, that can be listened to in its entirety here…The Deep Sea and the Mining Business: https://youtu.be/qPm1HdyvYaM?si=nw6sSrWN_8DP0A_Y For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Anders Dunker [https://www.andersdunker.com/] is a Norwegian writer and philosophical journalist based in Los Angeles and an associate professor at Oslo International School of Philosophy. In contributions across a range of publications, including Le Monde Diplomatique, Ny Tid, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, he writes about nature, technology, social change, and the planetary future. He is the editor of the book series 'Futurum' at Existenz Forlag and a regular contributor and board member in the Norwegian Writers’ Climate Campaign, as well as a collaborator in Technophany – A Journal of Philosophy and Technology. In 2019, he published Rediscovering Earth (Spartacus and O/R books). In 2022, his collection of essays, Thinking on the Planet, was published by Existenz Publishers. Unknown Territory is his third book.Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist, long-time member of the International Seabed Authority, the UN's own body for safeguarding the health of the oceans. He is a professor at Universidad Austral de Chile, and was featured in the documentary film DEEP RISING. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandor-mulsow-b98a2214/?originalSubdomain=cl] Other Members of the panel Matthieu Rytz, filmmaker, visual anthropologist, director of the documentary DEEP RISING [https://www.deeprising.com/]Kaja Lønne Fjærtoft, marine biologist and Global Head of Policy at Deep Sea Mining at WWF NorwayØystein Bruncell Larsen - COO Loke Marine Minerals of NorwayRune Høyvik Rosnes, Seabed Intervention technologist, economist and business developer, Deep C Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 239
We sat down in 2024 with James Skeet, Executive Director of Covenant Pathways on his Spirit Farm in New Mexico. In the interview we delved into the concept of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence from a Navajo - Dine perspective. Discover how ancient Native wisdom and biocosmology can reconnect us with the land, foster soil health, and promote a sustainable future.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSVideo Featuring James Skeet from New Mexico Community Capitalhttps://youtu.be/ZrhK1-DlOZk?si=wIWlwrZYxHQYWGi7 The Six Sacred Stones of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligencehttps://youtu.be/QYqjOYygQdU?si=kWfUobfNscpLt1bs James Skeet and his wife Joyce are the co-founders of Covenant Pathways [https://covenantpathways.org/], a 501c3 non-profit organization, and they operate Spirit Farm [http://spiritfarmnm.org/]. James is passionate about reconnecting all peoples to the land through Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence that integrates the ancient Native wisdom of the bio-cosmology to create a haven where soil health, nutrient rich foods, human health, and free markets can prosper for another 10,000 years. James’ heritage has assisted in grounding him in the work he does as a full-blooded Navajo – also known as Diné – Native American from Vanderwagen, New Mexico.James’s Diné (Navajo) clan name means “Red Cheek, Born of Leaning Tower.” He is full of energy, life, and wisdom. James worked for NGOs fostering childhood development and then served as a financial watchdog for the tribal government. In all of his systematic work with programs and regulations, he began to seek ways to express his spiritual understanding that “all things are sacred.”Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 223Photo credit: Sue Hudelson
In this episode, we delve into the historical and contemporary implications of the Monroe Doctrine and U.S. intervention in Latin America. Host Jack Eidt mixes excerpts from Rubén Darío’s poetry (Nicaragua) and Gabriel García Márquez’s fiction (Colombia) with an interview of Yale historian Greg Grandin by journalist Michael Fox. They explore how Simon Bolivar's legacy and the Monroe Doctrine have shaped U.S. imperialism in Central and South America. They trace the origins of Bolivar's fight for independence, the creation and evolution of the Monroe Doctrine, and its lasting effects on U.S. foreign policy. The interview originates from Michael Fox's podcast series "Under the Shadow," [https://therealnews.com/under-the-shadow] produced in collaboration with the Real News Network and NACLA, the North American Congress on Latin America [https://nacla.org/].For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Under the Shadow Podcast Episode: https://therealnews.com/he-legacy-of-monroe-under-the-shadow-bonus-episode-4 Simon Bolivar History From NBC News https://youtu.be/wxuxFg_8nkI?si=eZAH6W3FmCT6ZGYD Chilean folk music group, Inti Illimani doing the song Simon Bolivar from 1973https://youtu.be/AObTf9yOdoQ?si=7iRpeA3u8BQqQLt- Greg Grandin is the author of his latest, America, América, A New History of the New World [https://greggrandin.com/book/america-america/]. Also Fordlandia, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. A Professor of History at Yale University, Grandin has published a number of other award-winning books, including Empire's Workshop, The Last Colonial Massacre, and The Blood of Guatemala [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IQW9VI]. The Blood of Guatemala: A History of Race and Nation (2000, Duke University Press Books)Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic (Holt, 2006)The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America in the Cold War (2011, The University of Chicago)Kissinger’s Shadow: The Long Reach of America’s Most Controversial Statesman (2016, MacMillan)You can find more of Greg’s books, here.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He has a project on PBS SoCal Artbound called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 234
We embark on the first part of a series begun in 2024 by Jack Eidt who joined the artistic residency of Osceola Refetoff, a Canadian-American visual artist and photojournalist, in Antofagasta, Chile. Supported by SACO Cultural Corporation, this residency places a spotlight on the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining. We delve into the environmental and social impacts of mining in this region, the historical context of Latin American exploitation, and the legacy of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Featuring poignant quotes from local authors and music that reflects Chile's cultural heritage, this episode is a profound exploration of eco-justice, history, and art.This episode sheds light on the difficult working conditions, pollution, and migratory phenomena that have shaped the Atacama's legacy.Historical Context and Colonial LegacyWe journey through the historical context of mining in the Atacama, from the nitrate boom of the 19th century to the present-day lithium rush. The episode explores the economic motivations and political maneuverings that have led to the region's exploitation, including the devastating impact of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Interview with Don Victor LoyolaOne of the highlights of the episode is an interview with Don Victor Loyola, a former miner who has worked at the municipal museum in Maria Elena. Indigenous Presence and GeoglyphsThe Atacama Desert is also home to a rich indigenous history, evidenced by the thousands of geoglyphs that dot the landscape. These ancient works of art, created by the region's early inhabitants, offer a glimpse into the spiritual and practical lives of the people who once thrived in this harsh environment. The episode explores the significance of these geoglyphs and their role in the transportation networks that connected ancient South American civilizations.Music FeaturedVioleta Parra “Gracias a la Vida.”Victor Jara “The Right to Live in Peace.”Illapu “Raza Brava”For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Victor Loyola has a thirty year history working in the mining industry in the Atacama Desert of Chile and recently worked in tourism at the Municipal Museum in Maria Elena, Chile. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 229
Devil's urine. That's what Dupont employees called PFAS. These toxic, human made forever chemicals are now in the blood of almost every human on the planet. They are found in drinking water around the world, even Antarctica. And they are used in a broad range of consumer products, like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant clothing, waterproof items, dental floss, and even medical masks. These are only a few examples of many.This group of toxic chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), permanently concentrates in your body and the environment. You can't get rid of them. In fact, they bioaccumulate, meaning they get worse and worse. The public awareness from uncovering of the truth behind Dupont’s misdeeds now contaminating much of the planet is tantamount to this generation’s Silent Spring.Our guest Rob Bilott is very much a Rachel Carson sort of figure who has stood up to the chemical industry as the lead attorney to bring light to the dangers of PFAS and its many variations. He fought and won a 20+ year battle against Dupont for the poisoning of over 70,000 people in West Virginia and Ohio. His work was even captured in the 2019 feature film, Dark Waters where he was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. Rob has continued his groundbreaking work and is looking at the potential of a nationwide class action lawsuit as newer versions of PFAS emerge, unregulated and as dangerous as ever. In this interview from Summer 2022, we explore the history of PFAS, what exposure means, where it can be found, and what we can do.Rob Bilott is a partner in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices of the law firm, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP [https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott], where he has practiced in the Environmental and Litigation Groups for over 31 years. During that time, Rob has handled and led some of the most novel and complex cases in the country involving damage from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), including the first individual, class action, mass tort, and multi-district litigation proceedings concerning the toxic chemical, recovering over $1 billion for impacted clients. In 2017, Rob received the Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his decades of work on behalf of those injured by PFAS chemical contamination. Rob is the author of the book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Exposure/Robert-Bilott/9781501172823]and his story is the inspiration for the 2019 motion picture, “Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo. Rob’s story and work is also featured in the documentary, “The Devil We Know.” Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioGuest: Rob BilottHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtCreated by: Mark and JP Morris
In this episode, host Carry Kim welcomes author and community organizer Hilary Giovale to discuss her book, Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers to Truth, Healing, and Repair. Hilary shares her journey of truth, reconciliation, and the importance of acknowledging the histories of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island. Together, they explore the concept of ancestral amnesia, the impact of white privilege, and the ways in which we can begin to heal and reconnect with ancestral roots, whatever they may be. This episode is a call to action for all settlers to engage in meaningful actions to honor the land and its original peoples. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Many listeners are already aware of the genocide committed against Indigenous peoples, Buffalo and living beings of Turtle Island. Sordid histories of stolen land and dire consequences wrought by the Doctrine of Discovery, Manifest Destiny, and enslavement continue to haunt the present. Ongoing attempts to erase sacred peoples and their cultures in favor of an extractive economy and mindset comes at the expense of wonderment, awe, heart connection and care for all life. What is ours to do now? What is ours to heal, repair and reclaim in the historical aftermath? How to restore and renew this world so that all living beings thrive? Hilary Giovale joins us to share how we might embark upon the journey of truth, healing and repair, particularly for white settlers on Turtle Island. Are we honoring and giving back to the Indigenous Ancestors of the lands where we now live? Are we living in entitlement or sacred reciprocity? Do we know where we come from and where we are headed? How might we consciously choose to live on behalf of all life as a true relative? For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio RESOURCESGuide to Making a Personal Reparations Plan [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G-ufl_8ixdquMGrDziiBUBAANYKXrN7eHtjiE5aKTfw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1kvofvfw6wns]Webpage with links to indie booksellers [https://www.goodrelative.com/book]Reclaiming our Indigenous European Roots, by Lyla June Johnston [https://moonmagazineeditor.medium.com/lyla-june-reclaiming-our-indigenous-european-roots-64685c7fc960]100% of book proceeds are going to Decolonizing Wealth Project [https://decolonizingwealth.com/] and Jubilee Justice [https://www.jubileejustice.com/]Hilary Giovale is a mother, author, and community organizer who holds a Master’s Degree in Good and Sustainable Communities. She has taught improvisational dance and has served on the boards of philanthropic, human rights, and environmental organizations. She is the author of Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers toward Truth, Healing, and Repair from Green Writers Press [https://www.brightsidebookshop.com/book/9798987663172]. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 262Photo credit: Hilary Giovale
In a world increasingly affected by climate change and environmental disasters, the need for innovative and sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. In this episode, we welcome back John Allen, co-founder of the Birdhouse [https://atthebirdhouse.org/], a community garden and regenerative community organization located just below the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url We discuss the pressing need for regenerative development in every aspect of our collaboration with nature and community in this massive city and beyond, especially in the wake of recent climate disasters in Los Angeles. Jonny shares his journey from filmmaking to community engagement and the importance of building connections with the land and each other. Discover how local actions can lead to global change, and explore innovative ideas for rebuilding communities in a more sustainable and harmonious way.Resources:Jonny Allen Manifesto: Holistic Rebuilding Post-Fire in LA | Shared Grok Conversation [https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_1beecb1c-764c-445e-98e2-8934351965cc]The BirdHouse on EcoJustice Radio in 2020: https://wilderutopia.com/sustainability/the-birdhouse-reconnecting-people-place-through-arts-ecology/ Replant the Forest Festival: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/replant-the-forest-festival-merging-art-music-restoration John Allen, with his wife Bella LeNestour Co-Founded the BirdHouse, a community generating organization [https://atthebirdhouse.org/]. He has a 10 year history of community building, educational programs, and ecosystem restoration. They are the first urban Ecosystem Restoration Community (ERC) [https://www.ecosystemrestorationcommunities.org/], a global network, and have incubated projects such as the Hollywood Orchard [https://www.hollywoodorchard.org/], the Soil Sponge Collective [https://www.soilspongecollective.org/], the Band of Singers, Water Stories [https://www.waterstories.com/] and Replant the Forest Festival. They have nurtured relationships with Tongva-Gabrielino providing cultural bridges and learning opportunities. They’ve hosted the LA Permaculture Academy and offer hands-on opportunities on the ‘mosaic’ of parcels they’ve stewarded throughout various communities. Their latest project is a planned regenerative farm and intentional community along the Santa Clara River north of Los Angeles.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 261Photo credit: Bella Le Nestour
In this episode, we are honored to host Dastan Khalili, president of Cal-Earth [http://calearth.org] and son of the visionary architect Nader Khalili, who pioneered the SuperAdobe building technique. Dastan shares his father's timeless vision of creating sustainable shelters using natural materials and principles inspired by the elements of earth, water, air, and fire. The global housing shortage currently includes some 20-40 million refugees and displaced persons, and hundreds of millions more who live in substandard housing. Amidst the urgency of human-induced climate events, urban conflagrations and “natural” disasters, we are being compelled by Cal-Earth founder Nader Khalili’s vision to create sustainable human shelters, using timeless materials and principles including arches, vaults and domes. Inspired by the mystic Persian poet Rumi — Nader Khalili envisioned uniting the natural elements to serve humanity and the environment, provide shelter for the world’s homeless and displaced persons, and empower people to participate in the creation of their own homes and communities. By doing so, we can touch the Earth, preserve the planet, and gently walk into our shared, Ancient Future. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio RESOURCEShttps://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2025-02-20/superadobe-calearth-hesperia-fire-resistant-los-angeles?_gl=12g0ikj_gcl_au*MTgyNzk2NDAwMy4xNzQwMDYwNDI3 Dastan Khalili has been President of Cal-Earth since 2008. He is son of the late founder, visionary architect and author Nader Khalili.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 260Photo credit: Cal-Earth
The truth about the US Indian boarding school policy has largely been written out of the history books. Started in the 1800s across the US and Canada, Indian Boarding schools were government-funded and often church-run. The goal? Forced assimilation of Native children into white society under the belief of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” which still contributes to how we see and treat Indigenous Peoples today.In this episode recorded in 2021, we delve into the haunting legacy of Indian Boarding Schools in North America through the voices of SunRose IronShell and Manapee LaMere, representatives of the Sioux Nation of Indians. About $1.5 million in grants to digitize archival records and collect first-person accounts of Native Americans who attended U.S. government-run boarding schools have been cut as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically reshape cultural programs and transform the federal government.Sadly, the marked and unmarked graves of children have been found in the residential school systems of both Canada and the US. The total is now over 6,500 indigenous youth, having died amid accusations of abuse and neglect.Our guests, SunRose IronShell and Manape LaMere, talk about the history of this generational trauma, and how bringing home the remains has become a way to tell the children's stories and hold to account these schools.Listen to Part 2 of this discussion: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/lost-children-of-turtle-island-part-2/Check out their 2020 Appearance on EJR: https://www.wilderutopia.com/landscape/culture-landscape/tribal-sovereignty-and-self-determination/Manape LaMere has relinquished his U.S. citizenship and is a Government Representative of the Sioux Nation of Indians and an U.N. Economic and Social Council committee member to the United Nations. Manape is currently working to rebuild all social and economic development for his nation and provide proactive approach in response to genocide and 150 years of economic sanctions.SunRose IronShell, Is an Artistic Visionary Dreamer. Hailing from the Missouri River valley area in Sioux City Iowa. SunRose is Sicangu and Oglala Lakota of the Titowan band of the Oceti Sakowyn - the Seven Council fires, Internationally known as the Sioux Nation of Indians. She is a cultural bearer and High School teacher. She was featured in the documentary, Women of the White Buffalo [https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/cast/6/] soon to be released. You can catch her every Friday for Native News in 10 on Woman of the White Buffalo Facebook page.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost/Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer: Blake LampkinShow Created by Mark and JP MorrisMusic: Javier KadryEpisode 116Image: Courtesy Manape and SunRose
In this episode, we share multiple presentations given by Paul Stamets, a leading mycologist and advocate for the medicinal use of fungi. He delves into the transformative potential of psychedelics, mycology, and their implications for healing and environmental restoration. Paul shares insights from his extensive research and experiences, including his work on the documentary Fantastic Fungi and his passion for uncovering the intelligence of nature through mushrooms. He discusses the remarkable capabilities of various fungi, from their medicinal properties to their role in ecological balance, and highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift in our understanding and use of these powerful organisms. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url And psychedelics have entered the zeitgeist. Although illegal as a Schedule I drug in much of the United States and beyond, two states have approved use of psilocybin mushrooms in therapeutic settings, and many more states are reviewing their policies. Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse or drugs with no recognized medical uses. However, psilocybin mushrooms have had numerous medicinal and religious uses in dozens of cultures throughout history and let's face it, mushrooms are not addictive. Paul Stamets is one of the leading advocates worldwide for opening up the possibility of legalizing.Paul introduces listeners to several key mushroom species, and beyond psychedelics they have important medical and therapeutic uses in treatment of diseases. He emphasizes the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge with modern science, revealing how traditional practices can inform and enhance our approach to health and wellness. With a focus on the potential of psilocybin mushrooms to address mental health challenges and promote community healing, Paul inspires hope for a future where fungi play a crucial role in both personal and planetary health.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Sources:Fantastic Fungi Trailer 2019 https://youtu.be/IHvjfoWzWOw?si=ncAOxYSxQk8C5ZAN Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011 https://youtu.be/pXHDoROh2hA Paul Stamets on the Future of Psychedelics, Mycology & Medicine | NextMed Health: https://youtu.be/Ztan0IYjUd0?si=4s5e5-F8SrRdE1X0 Paul Stamets [https://paulstamets.com/] is an award-winning mycologist, entrepreneur, and industry leader in fungi production, habitat, and medicinal use. He is an author of seven books and advocates on medicinal fungi and mycormediation for ecological restoration and detoxification of the environment. Stamets played a significant part in the 2019 documentary film Fantastic Fungi, and edited its official companion book, Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 259Photo credit: HavnLife/Paul Stamets
Janine Benyus, the world-renowned “Godmother of Biomimicry,” and her colleagues at Biomimicry 3.8 have been demonstrating what it takes to design human settlements—cities, village, homes, and businesses—that create the same ecological gifts as the wildland next door. We also feature excerpted discussions from advocates like Anne LaForti and Dayna Baumeister, both from Biomimicry 3.8. Learn how biomimicry isn't just about emulating nature's aesthetics but understanding its functional mechanisms for survival and thriving. Unpack the principles of biomimicry, its implications for industries, and the ethical considerations of borrowing from nature's playbook.Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Biomimicry aspires to create a world mentored and inspired by Nature’s 3.8 billion years of infinite creativity and evolutionary ingenuity. Janine Beynus’s seminal book: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature defines biomimicry as a "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or draws inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems." Designing, creating, and innovating in a generous and abundant vs extractive way that regenerates and reciprocates life is a fundamental aim of biomimicry. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSJanine Benyus, from the film Biomimicry https://youtu.be/sf4oW8OtaPY?si=7W26J9cyuTayDTda Janine Benyus, from the Bioneers Conference keynote 2025: https://youtu.be/2ioEtnUjzQw?si=oawftg0O_wWGJVeYInterview with Anne LaForti on EcoJustice Radio: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/biomimicry-innovation-inspired-by-nature Dayna Baumeister "Learning From Nature" Omega Institute for Holistic Studieshttps://youtu.be/2SvltP8IcTk?si=5cqOAduiyyK2M26O Janine Benyus, from a TED Talkhttps://youtu.be/k_GFq12w5WU?si=4i1ChxIT7q6xe1FR Janine Benyus, a winner of countless prestigious awards, world-renowned biologist, thought leader, innovation consultant and author of six books, including 1997’s foundational text, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, is widely considered the “godmother of Biomimicry.” In 1998, she co-founded the Biomimicry Guild, which morphed into Biomimicry 3.8 [ https://biomimicry.net/], a B-Corp social enterprise providing biomimicry consulting services to a slew of major firms and institutions. In 2006, Janine co-founded The Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit institute to embed biomimicry in formal education, and over 11,000 members are now part of the Biomimicry Global Network. Among various other roles, Janine serves on the board of the U.S. Green Building Council, the advisory board for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, the advisory board for Project Drawdown and as an affiliate faculty member at The Biomimicry Center at Arizona State University.Anne LaForti has a Master's Degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University, and is a project manager supporting nature-based innovation in the built environment and beyond at Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net]. She is deeply interested in ITEK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge), regenerative agriculture and landscapes, and is constantly curious about how to grow nutrient dense foods. Anne was the 2022 Spring Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR) Fellow [https://nahr.it/] in Santa Ynez, CA, working on "Soil as Pattern Language: Emulating Healthy Soil Communities" and has been a NAHR Ambassador since 2022.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 258Photo credit: Janine Benyus
Join us for a conversation with Brock Pollock and Christopher Breedlove, both from the Replant the Forest Festival [https://www.replanttheforest.org/] who endeavor to create artistic cultural spaces for environmental action. Their latest festival happens April 25-27 in Santa Paula, California, a vibrant fusion of tree planting, live music, and creativity. They work to transform landscapes affected by wildfires and green low-canopy, underserved communities, while grooving to music and art. SIGN UP FOR APRIL 25-27 EVENT: https://secure.givelively.org/event/replant-the-forest-festival/replant-the-forest-festival-2025 Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Our sustenance and that of all life on this planet depends upon the thriving of forests. We should be alarmed and concerned that despite what we know about the urgent need to protect forests globally, the world’s forests continue to be destroyed by deforestation, conventional agriculture, logging, and wildfires as well as urban fires as recently experienced here on Tongvalands. According to The Forest Declaration Assessment 2024, 15.7 million acres of forest were lost in 2023, which is roughly equivalent to an area the size of Ireland. In 2024, 44.2 million acres of Brazil's Amazon rainforest burned and in 2023, the world lost 9.1 million acres of primary tropical forest. Even though certain gains have been made in protecting forests, we are far behind the threshold needed to halt global deforestation. These statistics while abstract serve as urgent reminders that the time to act on behalf of Mother Earth is: now. Great diligence and committed effort is required of all of us. Responsibility for the Earth, preserving and restoring the world’s forests and ecosystems is up to us. It cannot be deferred or passed on to someone else. Enter Replant the Forest Festival. It was born of a wish to engage like-hearted communities in the healing of Earth, by combining art, music, and the planting of Trees for ecosystem restoration. By joining in Replant the Forest Festival's efforts to restore degraded lands, plant trees in underserved communities, and educate the public about ecosystems and regenerative practices, we can aspire to leave a legacy of care, thriving and abundance for future generations of all life. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Brock Pollock is the Founder and Executive Director of Replant the Forest Festival [https://www.replanttheforest.org/], a nonprofit organization dedicated to ecological restoration through the power of community and music. A seasoned professional musician with a strong commitment to environmental healing, Brock merges his dual passions by pioneering a new kind of event: environmental restoration music festivals.Christopher Breedlove is the Director of Global Activation at Burning Man Project, and a Board Member for the Replant the Forest Festival. He works at the intersection of community, creativity, and regenerative culture and is passionate about helping people design the future they want to live in.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 257
Join host Carry Kim as she welcomes Neil Douglas-Klotz, a distinguished writer, researcher, and musician, to explore the untamed landscape of spirituality and its ancient roots from 2024. In this episode, Neil shares insights into how Western society has evolved through the cultural and spiritual extraction from the East, particularly focusing on the indigenous spirituality of the Middle East. Discover the profound impact of mistranslations in religious texts and the importance of reclaiming our spiritual heritage. Neil delves into the rich traditions of Southwest Asia, offering a fresh perspective on the teachings of Jesus, the importance of reconnecting with nature, and the wisdom of ancient nomadic cultures. This episode promises to challenge conventional beliefs and inspire a deeper understanding of spirituality in our modern world.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSNeil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. [https://abwoon.org] is a renowned writer, researcher, teacher, and musician in the fields of Middle Eastern spirituality and the translation and interpretation of the ancient Semitic languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. Living in Scotland, he was for many years the co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. A frequent speaker and workshop leader, he is the author of several books on the Aramaic spirituality of Jesus including Prayers of the Cosmos and Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, as well as books on Native Middle Eastern spirituality and Sufism. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 240Photo credit: Neil Douglas-Klotz
Humans are the greatest threat to mountain lions. In California, close to 40 million people live within, or adjacent to, cougar habitat.Mountain lions as a species are not listed as endangered. But generally speaking, vehicle strikes, rat poison, inbreeding, wildfires, poaching, urban encroachment complaints, livestock depredation kill permits, and freeway systems are all contributing to what scientists call an “extinction vortex.”In this show from 2024 we discuss the efforts to protect predators, particularly the mountain lion, who are still somewhat numerous, but declining fast in the world of sprawling housing developments and freeways.First, we air parts of a Documentary series called California Mountain Lions, Legends of California, by UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center [https://youtu.be/GLvRuSjSYgo?si=wOMXEOB60EjdUpjd]. We include sections from an interview our host Jessica Aldridge did with Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, focusing on mountain lion populations, wildlife connectivity, and existing and planned transportation crossings as a solution to protect wildlife. [https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/room-to-roam-the-importance-of-wildlife-connectivity-crossings/]For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, joins us to discuss the importance of connectivity and wildlife crossings. She explains why they are an integral strategy in land and habitat conservation and why preserving biodiversity not only protects wildlife, but also all of us humans! Beth’s Website: http://www.bethpratt.com/Save LA Cougars: https://savelacougars.org/Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Stories read by Jack Eidt from “Old Man Coyote,” Crow/Apsáalooké People, in ‘Myths and Traditions of the Crow Indians’ by Robert Lowie, Univ of Nebraska Press, 1993. And “Origin of the Honey Festival,” Tembé People, in ‘From Honey to Ashes’ by Claude Levi-Strauss, Harper and Row Publishers, 1966.Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtCo-Host Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 204Photo credit: pixabay
Join us for a conversation with Danielle Stevenson, founder of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation, and Maya Elson, co-founder of Radical Mycology, as they delve into the transformative potential of ecological remediation. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Roughly half a million brownfields, or industrially contaminated sites exist in the United States, about 90,000 of them are in California. Also, we must navigate the legacy of urban fires and the toxic aftermath they leave behind. Danielle and Maya share their insights on using fungi and native plants to heal contaminated environments. In a world increasingly affected by climate change and environmental degradation, this episode serves as a powerful reminder of our capacity for regeneration and the critical role of Indigenous wisdom in guiding our relationship with the land. Fungi and ecological remediation can transform the ecosystem from toxic inheritance to a legacy of health & vitality for all life.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio RESOURCESDanielle first appeared on EcoJustice Radio in 2021: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/renewing-the-environment-with-mycoremediation/Environmental Health News, May 13th, 2024, “How fungi couldhelp clean up our biggest toxic messes,” https://www.ehn.org/mycoremediation-fungi-2668186479.htmlThe Guardian, April 12th, 2024, “‘Solar-powered vacuum cleaners’:the native plants that could clean toxic soil,” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/14/native-plants-fungi-soil-bioremediationDr. Danielle Stevenson [https://www.danielle-stevenson.com] is an environmental toxicologist, applied mycologist and bioremediation innovator with expertise in soil, water and waste remediation. She has led community-academic-government partnerships to develop accessible soil testing programs and devise and implement nature-based cleanup strategies, including plant-fungal remediation models. Currently, she leads R&D on fungal-based plastic degradation while advancing scalable bioremediation solutions for polluted sites [https://caer.earth/].Maya Elson is a guest instructor at UC Santa Cruz and an MS student at San Jose State University who explores the interplay between fire, fungi, and humans. Maya is a co-founder of Radical Mycology, former Executive Director and Board Member of CoRenewal [http://www.corenewal.org], and founder of MycoPsychology Experiences [http://www.mycopsychology.org]. Maya has led efforts and research on post-fire bioremediation, is the lead investigator of Biome Logs, and is a consultant for post-fire bioremediation efforts in Hawaii, Greece, and Lebanon.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 256Photo credit: Adam
Step into the world of the Kumeyaay Nation as multiple members from the different tribes discuss their ancient wisdom, survival skills, and cultural practices that have weathered the test of time. Learn how this Indigenous community has been living in harmony with the diverse geography of San Diego and Northern Baja California, Mexico, skillfully managing the land to prevent wildfires and survive droughts. This episode not only features an Emmy-nominated documentary from KPBS San Diego (2014) but also brings the Kumeyaay tradition to life through the storytelling of Dr. Stanley Rodriguez, offering a profound lesson on resilience and environmental stewardship.We have much to learn from the First Peoples of the Americas, and for that reason we share this documentary First People Kumeyaay, with Nick Nordquist, Director-Editor, and Michael R. Johnson and Bob Sly, Producers. Appearing in the show include: Frank J. Salazar III (Campo Kumeyaay) intro-outro poetry, Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita Kumeyaay), Johnnie Eagle Spirit Elliott (Manzanita), Mark Becker PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Stanley Rodriguez (Santa Ysabel Kumeyaay), Brian Williams Archaeologist, Daniel Tucker (Sycuan Kumeyaay), Jamie LaBrake (Sycuan), Veronica Santos (Manzanita), Rayleen Elliott (Manzanita), Leroy Elliott (Manzanita), George Prietto (Sycuan), Norma Meza (Juntas de Neji Kumiai), Ana Gloria Rodriguez (San José de la Zorra Kumiai), Dr. Jerry Schaefer PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Susan Hector PhD Anthropologist, Silent Rain Espinoza (Viejas Kumeyaay), Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita).For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Explore San Diego: First People - KumeyaayKPBS San Diego https://www.pbs.org/video/kpbs-presents-first-people/ Kumeyaay Songs and Stories, As Told by Stan Rodriguez- Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy: https://youtu.be/BkqoUIUN438?si=FESsUC66V_vXXe7v Kumeyaay Sacred Mountain: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kuuchamaa-the-exalted-high-place-of-the-kumeyaay/ Kumeyaay Traditions: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kumeyaay-people-traditions-survive-in-baja-california/ Dr. Stanley Rodriguez has been President of Kumeyaay Community College since 2018. He serves as a Council Member of the Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Dr. Rodriguez to the California Native American Heritage Commission in 2021. Dr. Rodriguez is the developer of the accelerated language immersion program, serving as a Kumeyaay Language Instructor at Kumeyaay Community College since 2005. Dr. Rodriguez served as an E-5 in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1991. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Human Behavior from National University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California, San Diego.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 215
In the words of Terence McKenna, since the rise of western monotheism the human experience has been marginalized. We have been told that we were unimportant in the cosmic drama when one considers the power of creation of the one God. But we now know as the global temperatures rise and glaciers melt from the burning of fossil fuels and the feedback mechanisms associated with the greenhouse effect: the impact of human culture on the Earth is massive. So how do we reverse the course of destruction created out of the human imagination? Some have postulated plant medicines learned from Indigenous societies of the Americas have a way to reintegrate humans into the processes of the Earth to heal the sickness and warming all around.In this show from 2024, we explore human symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals in the sacred peyote medicine used by the Native American Church in the US and in societies in the mountains of Mexico. We look at the work of several ethnobotanists who also studied the plants and the rites associated with ayahuasca or yage in South America. Richard Evans Schultes and Terence McKenna researched the ancient human relationship with chemicals that would open the doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. This show aims to explore the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness that can re-orient people to heal the fractured relationships with our communities and ecosystems.Resources/Articles:Sacred Peyote Short documentaryCreed Spencer Filmwith Bryce Jarrett Appearing: Lisa Aldred PhDHartford Stops CrowDennis Holds - CrowAlexandra Witkin-New Holy PhD Montana State UnivLink: https://youtu.be/9rYdgHx8yrw?si=HWYDh8USmEEezLvC ----------Fred Wahpepah - About the Peyote Ceremony from 7 Circles Foundationhttps://youtu.be/7qa6N7anaV8?si=bNKuyXo_aTUT1IOp ----Benedict AllenPeyote the last of the medicine men - Huichol People of Mexicohttps://www.benedictallen.com/ —--Native Lens: Healing Through Peyote -- Rocky Mountain PBSAmber Lahabe Dine/NavajoVideo: https://youtu.be/Q7gR5oXARII?si=XxHb1OrkdAS5vTOu Icaros: https://youtu.be/hS21jI7p3hQ?si=QzRvHyvk2jhDRJTi Father of Modern Ethnobotany, Richard Evans Schultes Interview from 1990https://youtu.be/1lxtn7zbQfw?si=Z_5UXi0IOG-ml8Xg Terence McKenna Culture is Your Operating Systemhttps://youtu.be/9c8an2XZ3MU?si=kEfa47NLkh8-mZND Terence McKenna - Eros and the Eschatonhttps://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/terence-mckenna-on-shamanic-schizophrenia-and-cultural-healing/ Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 225Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
On this show, in honor of the upcoming Bioneers Conference in Berkeley at the end of the month, we focus on the enduring legacy of 94-year old elder Oren Lyons, Onondaga Chief and a beacon of Indigenous culture and environmental activism. We explore Oren's insights from the 2024 Bioneers conference, his reflections on the Haudenosaunee principles of peace, and his impassioned plea for a value shift towards communal living and environmental harmony. His keynote address was entitled To Survive, We Must Transform our Values. Discover the unwritten history of Turtle Island and the wisdom that could lead humanity to a more just and sustainable world.Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, they act as a hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Bioneers Conference https://conference.bioneers.org/ Oren Lyons, “We Are Part of the Earth” Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/bSwmqZ272As?si=crGAyku6eCrFwbaC Oren Lyons on The Wizard of Oz, Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/t8ttzSwYFa8?si=43nbAQNXGPcz1ZuI More on Oren Lyons: https://wilderutopia.com/international/earth/oren-lyons-on-the-unity-of-the-earth/ Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan who serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee peoples), is an accomplished artist, social and environmental activist, and author; a Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo; a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples; and the recipient of many prestigious national and international prizes including The UN NGO World Peace Prize.Casey Camp-Horinek, a member of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma, is a longtime activist, environmentalist, actress, and author. Her work has led to the Ponca Nation being the first tribe in Oklahoma to adopt a Rights of Nature statute and to pass a moratorium on fracking on its territory. Casey, who was instrumental in the drafting of the first International Indigenous Women’s Treaty protecting the Rights of Nature, works with Indigenous and other leaders and organizations globally and sits on the boards of WECAN, Movement Rights, and the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 218Photo credit: Oren Lyons
In this episode, we welcome Ben Loescher, founding principal of Loescher Meachem Architects [https://adobeisnotsoftware.com/], to discuss the viability of adobe construction in rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles following devastating wildfires. We also share an excerpted discussion between Marysia Miernowska, Director of the School of Sacred Wild and Dastan Khalili, President of the Cal-Earth Foundation, and a short clip from architect and artist Ronald Rael, who teaches architecture at UC Berkeley. His piece, Adobe Oasis, premiered the other day at DesertX Land Art Exhibition in Palm Springs.We delve into the potential of alternative materials, yes, adobe and other earthen constructions, as sustainable solutions for future building projects. Loescher shares insights on the importance of adaptive reuse, the challenges of current building codes, and the vital relationship between architecture and the environment. Join us for an enlightening conversation about how we can construct a more sustainable future. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources:Mud Man Short film: https://adobeisnotsoftware.com/mud-man/ Marysia Miernoska interview with Dastan Khalili: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE5zmtuyGqV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Ronald Rael short clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGGvLobi_Bp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Ben Loescher is a founding Principal at Loescher Meachem Architects [http://www.lmarchitectsinc.com/] where his work focuses around reuse of existing buildings, high performance workplace design for the film, television and media industries, and innovation in earthen construction. Ben provides education for earthen building through his website AdobeIsNotSoftware.com [https://adobeisnotsoftware.com/], is currently Chair of the Earthbuilders’ Guild, the U.S. trade association for earthen construction and a board member for Adobe in Action, a New Mexico based non-profit focused on assisting individuals in creating affordable earthen housing.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 255Photo credit: Loescher Meachem Architects
In this episode, we welcome Elizabeth Azzuz, Director of Traditional Fire for the Cultural Fire Management Council [https://www.culturalfire.org/]. Join us as Elizabeth shares her profound insights on cultural fire practices from the Yurok and Karuk traditions and their significance in promoting ecological balance and cultural sovereignty. We delve into the historical context of fire suppression, the urgent need for Indigenous-led fire management practices, and the deep-rooted connection between fire and the ecosystem. Discover how cultural burning not only enhances wildlife habitats but also fosters a sense of community responsibility and respect for Mother Earth.Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Since time immemorial, many Indigenous peoples have used fire to tend and care for the lands, to help the ecosystem and all inhabitants of the forest to flourish together in balance, and to sustain culture for future generations. Given the growing urgency around climate change, the greater scope and intensity of fires, and the long legacy of colonization and its impacts upon our environment, cultural burning is now being more widely embraced and recognized for its value — this after 100 years of fire suppression and criminalization of Indigenous practices around fire and tending the land in a prescient and balanced way. We had her on the show in 2020 to discuss her work using Traditional Native Yurok and Karuk methods of what is called cultural burning to protect forests and local communities, heal degraded ecosystems, and reestablish forest-grown food, medicine, and products, so check our archives for Episode 83.LISTEN: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/cultural-fire-native-land-management-and-regeneration-2/ For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Also the films for clips are: Firetender on PBS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7g7vMnKfEFirelighter: Fire is Medicine https://www.pbs.org/video/firelighters-fire-is-medicine-fzumwo/Elizabeth Azzuz, Director of Family and Traditional Burning Programs for the Cultural Fire Management Council [https://www.culturalfire.org/] based in Northern California. A cultural fire practitioner, also gathers and propagates traditional food and medicinal plants. Of Yurok and Karuk descent, she comes from and lives in her ancestral territory where the Trinity River flows into the Klamath on the North Coast of California. Elizabeth is a mother and grandmother; at the age of four she learned about burning from her grandfather.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 254Photo credit: kiliiiyuyan
In this episode, we welcome Rebecca John, an investigative climate reporter at the Climate Investigation Center [https://climateinvestigations.org/] and the news outlet DeSmog. She has uncovered a series of alarming revelations about the oil industry's manipulation of public perception and climate science. We delve into the historical context of the oil and gas lobby, exploring how entities like the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) have influenced research and public opinion since the 1950s. From the origins of the Air Pollution Foundation to the ongoing battle against climate change, Rebecca sheds light on the intricate web of misinformation and the urgent need for public action. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Archival documents published by The Guardian and DeSmog show that the Air Pollution Foundation — the front group WSPA created as a means of delaying clean air regulation implementation aimed at curbing deadly smog emissions in Los Angeles and statewide — led to the discovery of climate change. WSPA was the top funder of the Air Pollution Foundation, whose research concluded that atmospheric carbon could “ultimately prove of considerable significance to civilization.” For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources:Revealed: Big Oil Told 70 Years Ago That Fossil Fuel Emissions Could Impact ‘Civilization’ - DeSmoghttps://www.desmog.com/2024/11/12/revealed-big-oil-told-70-years-ago-that-fossil-fuel-emissions-could-impact-civilization/ Rebecca John is a Research Fellow at the Climate Investigations Center [https://climateinvestigations.org/who_we_are/]. She is also a freelance investigative journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a Producer and Director of the acclaimed “Extreme Oil” / “Curse of Oil” [https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-curse-of-oil/] series for PBS /BBC. The Climate Investigations Center (CIC) was established in 2014 to monitor the individuals, corporations, trade associations, political organizations and front groups who work to delay the implementation of sound energy and environmental policies that are necessary in the face of ongoing climate crisis.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 253Photo credit: Rebecca John
In this episode, host Carry Kim engages with Maya Khosla, a wildlife biologist, writer, poet, and filmmaker, to discuss the intricate relationship between fire and forest ecosystems. Together, they explore the regeneration of giant sequoias after wildfires and the importance of embracing fire as a catalyst for biodiversity rather than a destructive force. Maya shares her experiences documenting post-fire environments and the vital role they play in supporting wildlife. This episode invites listeners to rethink their perceptions of fire and its impact on nature, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of our interdependence with the environment.What are the potentials for responding to and relating with fire in a balanced and beneficial versus fearful and apprehensive way? Because fire is feared by many and much misunderstood, post-fire or snag forests are often clear-cut or heavily logged, and then turned into biomass or wood pellets burned for electricity. Living trees that are recovering post-fire can also be cut; trees are sometimes wrongly cut in anticipation of fire. Snag forests are a precious habitat, supporting the intricacies of restoration and biodiversity in the wake of fire; assisting in the thriving of many species, from fungi to black-backed woodpeckers, owls, weasels, bobcats, bears and countless more.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio RESOURCESThree "Minute notes" about Chad Hanson's work:Taxpayer dollars: https://vimeo.com/806625688 - taxpayer dollarsWoodpeckers, homemakers: https://vimeo.com/806627213 - woodpeckers, homemakersRegeneration: https://vimeo.com/806623485 Maya Khosla [https://www.mayakhosla.com/], a biologist and writer with training as a toxicologist, has spent thousands of hours hiking, backpacking, and documenting forests. Working in collaboration with other scientists, she recently investigated the astonishing post-fire regeneration of giant sequoias in Nelder Grove and Redwood Mountain Grove. As Sonoma County Poet Laureate (2018-2020), she brought Sonoma’s communities together to heal through gatherings, field walks, and shared writing after the wildfires. Her awards include the 2023 Fund for Wild Nature Grassroots Activist Award, the 2020 Environmentalist of the Year Award (Sonoma County Conservation Council, SCCC), and the 2020 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. After surveying forests of the Sierra Nevada, she created a short documentary film, Searching for the Gold Spot [https://www.mayakhosla.com/searching-for-the-gold-spot], about wild places that experience rejuvenation and supporting high biodiversity after wildfire – where they are not logged. Her work has been featured in For the Wild, and in the film Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 251Photo credit: Maya Khosla
In this episode, we welcome back architect Carl Welty to discuss fire-resistant construction and alternative materials. With the increasing threat of wildfires, Carl shares his insights on regenerative design and the importance of working with nature to create resilient communities. Join us for an enlightening conversation on how we can rethink architecture to better protect our homes and environment. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Carl discusses the principles of passive solar design, which prioritize energy efficiency and thermal comfort without relying on mechanical systems. The conversation also addresses the current building codes and their evolution in response to recent wildfires. Carl highlights the significance of fire-resistant construction and the materials that can be utilized to enhance safety. He encourages listeners to consider alternative materials, such as steel framing, which offers advantages over traditional wood in terms of durability and fire resistance. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Check out our interview with Carl Welty from 2023: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/designing-architecture-and-landscapes-with-natures-ecological-wisdom/Resources:Modern homes generate 200x more smoke and burn 8x faster than 50 years ago:https://www.ctif.org/news/200-times-more-smoke-and-8-times-faster-burning-rate-50-years-ago#:~:text=Kissner%20said%20today's%20house%20fires,has%20less%20than%20two%20minutes. See an additional article that explains why modern homes burn down faster:https://fsri.org/research/new-comparison-natural-and-synthetic-home-furnishings “Wood Is Not the Climate-friendly Building Material Some Claim it to Be”https://www.wri.org/insights/mass-timber-wood-construction-climate-change#:~:text=2)%20Harvesting%20wood%20is%20not,of%20using%20wood%20for%20construction. Old Growth Wood: Old vs. New Growth Trees https://brenthull.com/article/old-growth-wood Logging study reveals huge hidden emissions of the forestry industryhttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2215913-logging-study-reveals-huge-hidden-emissions-of-the-forestry-industry/ Trees make Rain – there is Science now to Prove It!https://www.learningfromnature.com.au/drought-proof-increasing-rainfall/Carl Welty. Ecological Architect and Principal of Carl Welty Architects [https://carlweltyarchitects.com/]. has over 35 years of experience in the field of architecture and is based in Southern California. Carl's experience includes projects with difficult sites and complex structural requirements; a passive solar house that is Certified LEED Platinum; a Water Education campus that embodies important and timely water issues. He designs buildings that are twice as energy-efficient as typical green buildings by incorporating simple, time-tested, climate-appropriate design principles. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 250Photo credit: Carl Welty Architects-Wild Heritage Partners
As we head into times where rising temperatures, superstorms, and mega-fires dominate the headlines, what has happened to our disaster-averting solutions? In this episode, we explore 'The Carbon Conundrum' and rethink our relationship with nature. Join host Jack Eidt as he features a discussion with post-humanist philosopher Báyò Akómoláfé and environmental leader and author Paul Hawken, moderated by Alex Forrester, Board Member of the Schumacher Center for a New Economics and Co-Founder of Rising Tide capital. They delve into the failures of current climate strategies, the pitfalls of solutionism, and the importance of reconnecting with Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This enlightening conversation challenges listeners to reconsider their approaches to environmentalism and climate action. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlPaul Hawken [https://paulhawken.com/] starts ecological businesses, writes about nature and commerce. He has written nine books, including six national and NYT bestsellers: ‘Growing a Business’, ‘The Next Economy’, ‘The Ecology of Commerce’, ‘Blessed Unrest’, ‘Drawdown’, and ‘Regeneration’. His latest book, ‘Carbon, The Book of Life’, is available from Penguin RandomHouse in February 2025.Paul is the founder of Project Drawdown and Project Regeneration (https://regeneration.org/), which is the world’s largest, most complete listing and network of solutions to the climate crisis. Báyò Akómoláfé Ph.D., [https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/] rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is a posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak. Bayo Akomolafe is the visionary founder of The Emergence Network, a planet-wide networking project and inquiry at the edges of the Anthropocene that seeks to convene new kinds of responsivities, sensuous solidarities, and experimental practices for a posthumanist parapolitics. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California. He sits on the Board of many organizations.A frequent keynote speaker and guest lecturer, Dr. Akomolafe’s critically popular expression, “the times are urgent, let us slow down,” with which he attempts to frame new concepts (such as ontofugitivity, the Afrocene, iatropolitics, curapoiesis, white syncopation, ecocognitive assemblage theory, postactivism and parapolitics) that reframe and renaturalize human action, agency, and responsibility in an immanent, agonistic worlding of possibilities for life-death. Dr. Akomolafe is a Member of the Club of Rome and an Ambassador for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. He is currently writing his third book, ‘An Ocean of Milk: Morality, Desire, and the Monster at the Edge of the World’.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 249Photo credit: Carbon book cover
We pay tribute to the late Mike Davis to explore the ongoing ecological crises facing Southern California and the socio-political dynamics that shape our responses to disaster. This is an intellectual tour de force as Davis goes deep in this recording from 1995 at the architectural school SCI-Arc, where he taught at the time. He outlines the history of damage caused by natural disasters in Southern California. Popular culture seems fascinated with the destruction of Los Angeles, and most recent events have breathed life into that narrative. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Davis discusses the complexity of California’s Mediterranean climate, arguing for a new “environmental epistemology.” He calls for a rethinking of California’s resource and disaster planning. Noting the extreme hydroclimatic shifts throughout California history, he suggests a disruption of capitalist hydraulic civilization in California is inevitable–and here we are. We are in serious need of an environmental rethink in any rebuilding–or rewilding–plans.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Mike Davis: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/tribute-to-the-late-urban-history-provocateur-mike-davis/Sources:Full show of Mike Davis 1995 Presentation from SCI-Arc https://youtu.be/evJpgKQ6YWU?si=oPJ_rzpI-45oIHys Mike Davis, who passed away in 2022, was a writer and urban theorist who is most known for his work demythologizing the fractured wild-urban landscape of Southern California. Once a meat cutter and a truck driver, he was Professor Emeritus at University of California, Riverside, a Macarthur Fellow, and the author of more than 20 books. He is best known for his investigations of power and social class in works such as City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles (1990) and Late Victorian Holocausts (2001). In this show we focus on his book, “The Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster.”Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 247Photo credit: Ecology of Fear cover
In this episode, we delve into the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, examining the underlying causes and the lessons we can learn. Economics Professor Richard Wolff critiques the blame game often played by political figures and industries, emphasizing instead the systemic issues rooted in profit-driven motives. We explore the impact of climate change and the urgent need for systemic change to prioritize safety over profit. Additionally, we gain insights from Dr. Michael Mann on the scientific community's understanding of climate change's role in exacerbating such disasters. The episode also touches on Lakota spirituality with David Little Elk, offering a unique perspective on humanity's connection to the elements and the importance of respecting nature.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Sources:Wolff Responds: "The Lesson California's Fires Should Teach Us" Dated January 15, 2025 from Democracy at Workhttps://x.com/profwolff/status/1879582067283132509 Michael Mann on SiriusXM with Zerlina Maxwell Discussing California Wildfires (JAN 13 2025)https://youtu.be/bH4bWFON--Y?si=u0avZazGFoqFaU2x David Little Elk Lakota Spirituality Fire Peoplehttps://youtu.be/n6bCO6_g7LM?si=ggho-tLq4Hp0dRhA Richard D. Wolff [https://www.rdwolff.com/] is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is currently a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, New York City. Prof Wolff is the co-founder of Democracy at Work [https://www.democracyatwork.info/] and host of their nationally syndicated show Economic Update.Dr. Michael E. Mann [https://michaelmann.net/] is Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He also serves as Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM).David Little Elk, [https://wolakota7.com/] an Itazipco-Sicangu Lakota Sioux, is a Lakota Language and Spirituality Teacher, and a Spiritual Advisor and Consultant.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 246Photo credit: Josh Field via Pexels
In this episode, host Jack Eidt discusses the ongoing wildfire crisis in Los Angeles and strategies for resilience with experts Richard Halsey and Lydia Poncé. We also include a clip on the climatic influence from Dr. Daniel Swain from UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.Support the Podcast: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlRichard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute [https://californiachaparral.org/index.html], shares insights on protecting communities by hardening homes instead of destroying natural habitats. Indigenous activist Lydia Poncé emphasizes community resilience and mutual aid in response to the devastation. The episode explores the impact of climate change, poor urban planning, and the need for sustainable development. We delve into the socio-political dynamics affecting relief efforts and the role of big corporations in the aftermath. Join us as we explore how to rebuild with compassion and foresight, as well as a comprehensive look at wildfire resilience and the role of Indigenous stewardship in preserving our ecosystems.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio ResourcesCalifornia Chaparral Institute Statement on the Fires: https://chaparralwisdom.org/2025/01/10/how-to-respond-to-the-recent-wildfires/?utm_source_platform=mailpoetFull interview with Richard Halsey: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/chaparral-californias-misunderstood-biodiversity-hotspot/Advocacy: https://wilderutopia.com/environment/confronting-wildfire-retrofit-communities-not-forests/Lever News Discussion on Preventing Wildfires, including quotes from Jack Eidt: https://www.levernews.com/the-architects-of-l-a-s-wildfire-devastation/Richard Halsey is the Director of the California Chaparral Institute, a non-profit, research and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of California's native chaparral ecosystem and supporting the creative spirit as inspired by Nature. Mr. Halsey works with the San Diego Museum of Natural History and teaches natural history throughout the state. The second edition of his book, Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California, was published in 2008. Lydia Poncé (Mayo/Quechua) is an Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, co-founder of Idle No More SoCal. She hosts a show called Be a Better Relative on KPFK Los Angeles.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/rising-from-the-ashes-wildfire-resilience-for-los-angeles-and-beyond/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtCo-Host Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 245
In this episode, host Carry Kim welcomes back Didi Pershouse [https://didipershouse.substack.com/], an esteemed Author, teacher, and Founder of Land and Leadership Initiative, to discuss the ecology of care, the global financialization of Nature, and the essential choice between sterility and fertility for planetary health. Nature is being financialized on our watch; water futures can now be traded as a commodity and Natural Asset Companies may eventually become an asset class on the NY Stock Exchange which would promote speculation and trading of the value of ecosystem “services” in forests, farms and other lands. Carbon offsets and compensation programs can be unethical, ineffective and driven by profit motives under the guise of saving and protecting Nature. While the times appear bleak, an undercurrent of regeneration and burgeoning local movements to restore fertility upon the Earth continue to emerge. Through harnessing our collective will, collaboration and community building, we can restore our sacred interdependence with all life and regenerate the soil, water cycle, our food systems and ourselves. Before us lies a golden opportunity for change from the roots up. International educator Didi Pershouse joins us today to ponder how we might honor fertility over sterility, cultivate an enduring commons of care and dream of the great possibilities before us.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Our 2022 Interview with Didi: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/solving-the-climate-crisis-through-global-soil-health-with-didi-pershouse/ RESOURCES "The Wisdom Underground" podcast, and Didi's articles on Substack- https://didipershouse.substack.com/Courses, Community, and Resources: The Land & Leadership Initiative - http://www.landandleadership.org/Free Downloadable Manual: Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function - https://www.didipershouse.com/understanding-soil-health-and-watershed-function.htmlBook: The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities - https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Care-Agriculture-Microbial-Communities/dp/069261303X Didi Pershouse is the founder of the Land and Leadership Initiative and the Author of two books. The first is The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities. Her second is Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function. An internationally known writer and teacher, her focus is on the foundational role of soil structure and function--or the Soil Sponge – as the best way to provide abundant water and food for all life, while establishing resilience to flooding, drought, heatwaves, and wildfires. She also teaches how we can work with land management to regulate the climate through both the water cycle and carbon cycle, collaborating with the biological workforce of plants, animals, insects, fungi, and microbes.You can find her writing and interviews on The Wisdom Underground on Substack [https://didipershouse.substack.com/].Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 244
When Joanna Macy speaks, the world listens. At 95, this eco-philosopher, author, and Buddhist scholar continues to inspire and guide those yearning for a sustainable future. We present an episode of EcoJustice Radio that celebrates Macys life and work, particularly her concept of The Great Turning.We delve into Joanna's groundbreaking work, "The Great Turning," examining the transformative journey from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. With excerpts from a 2002 talk and a 2018 interview, Macy's insights on activism, spirituality, and deep ecology offer a beacon of hope and a call to action for a better world. Tune in to be inspired by Joanna Macy's vision for a sustainable future and her unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and environmentalism.More Info:Joanna Macy and the Great Turning Talk in British Columbia 2002 https://youtu.be/ZB6YcL0vy74?si=cJgf_YC_NimYH1BfJoanna Macy 2018 interview: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/ecojustice-radio-joanna-macy-and-the-great-turning-episode-10/Joanna Macy is the Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change. She is an international spokesperson for anti-nuclear causes, peace, justice, and environmentalism, most renowned for her book, Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World and the Great Turning initiative, which deals with the transformation from, as she terms it, an industrial growth society to what she considers to be a more sustainable civilization. She has created a theoretical framework for personal and social change, and a workshop methodology for its application. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues, Buddhist thought, and contemporary science, and helps people transform despair and apathy into constructive, collaborative action. Learn more at: https://www.joannamacy.net/mainThe Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats2018 Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.Engineer: JP MorrisExecutive Producer: Mark MorrisInterview Music: Javier KadryEpisode 219Photo credit: Joanna Macy
In this festive episode, we celebrate the holiday spirit with classic literary readings from Dylan Thomas and Charles Dickens. Experience the magic of Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales," a nostalgic and whimsical reflection on Christmas past, and dive into Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale of redemption and social critique. Join host Jack Eidt as we journey through these beloved works, capturing the essence of Christmases past and the hope for future celebrations.We include clips from Dylan Thomas: A Child's Christmas In Wales: https://youtu.be/zFSs2IdDmuURecorded Feb 1952 in Steinway Hall in New York CityA Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas: https://youtu.be/vT3skWqpUMA?si=12kYQhqExUsN8rsx Author: Charles Dickens, This was produced by the Mormon Channel, Created in 2015.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Thanks to Janet Sager Knott for the recommendation on the tradition behind Dylan Thomas' Christmas reading.Dylan Marlais Thomas (1914 - 1953) was a popular poet writing in English, and from Swansea, Wales. He is famous for his acutely lyrical and emotional poetry, as well as his turbulent personal life. The originality of his work makes categorization difficult. His works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood. He also wrote stories and radio broadcasts such as the piece we share today, A Child's Christmas in Wales, as well as Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog.Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His notable works include the piece we excerpt today, "A Christmas Carol," as well as "Oliver Twist," and "Great Expectations," all still quite popular today.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 243Photo credit: Prawny from Pixabay
Celebrate the solstice with a story that intertwines the magic of the Nutcracker with the urgency of world peace and environmental and climate action. Jack Eidt reads from his short story ‘Nutcracker and the Shapeshifter,’ a re-imagined classic that dances to the tune of environmental and social justice. Featuring a blend of fantastical characters and real-world issues, this episode of EcoJustice Radio is a call to action, wrapped in the wonder of a holiday tale, set to the enchanting music of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. Enjoy this tale of rebellion, peace, and the power of the natural world.Based on The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet, with an 1892 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet libretto was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Here we present Jack’s own pro-peace-environmental re-imagining of that story, called The Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter, published in 2022 in the Fifth Fedora Anthology of Weird Noir and Stranger Tales, Published by Borda Books. We also feature excerpts of Tchaikovsky's ballet, the Nutcracker, Opus 71, recorded by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek [https://youtu.be/tk5Uturacx8?si=TIKVwp0zz_7R_zaH]. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Story by Jack EidtBackground Music: The Nutcracker, Opus 71, by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPerformance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 201Photo: Jack Eidt
Join host Carry Kim as she welcomes Neil Douglas-Klotz, a distinguished writer, researcher, and musician, to explore the untamed landscape of spirituality and its ancient roots. In this episode, Neil shares insights into how Western society has evolved through the cultural and spiritual extraction from the East, particularly focusing on the indigenous spirituality of the Middle East. Discover the profound impact of mistranslations in religious texts and the importance of reclaiming our spiritual heritage. Neil delves into the rich traditions of Southwest Asia, offering a fresh perspective on the teachings of Jesus, the importance of reconnecting with nature, and the wisdom of ancient nomadic cultures. This episode promises to challenge conventional beliefs and inspire a deeper understanding of spirituality in our modern world. For the past two thousand years, the West has extracted, refined and harnessed the spiritual resources of the Middle East to create and fuel modern culture. “Organized religion” is a relatively new innovation in human affairs, perhaps only two or three thousand years old. For at least ten or twenty times as long, humans participated in a more open-ended, nomadic spirituality — one that embraced healing, ritual, art, poetry, drama, dance and chant to make sense of their existence. Unwilling to look at its own Western religious roots in terms of an indigenous spirituality, Western culture has denied both body and the Earth. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we are all influenced by Western culture’s distorted version of Middle Eastern cosmology, psychology and spirituality. In this episode, Neil Douglas Klotz joins us to reclaim the wild landscape of spirituality, and the original interdependent existence of our inheritance where all life is sacred. He invites us to embrace unity through diversity as a way forward for humanity.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSNeil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. [https://abwoon.org] is a renowned writer, researcher, teacher, and musician in the fields of Middle Eastern spirituality and the translation and interpretation of the ancient Semitic languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. Living in Scotland, he was for many years the co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. A frequent speaker and workshop leader, he is the author of several books on the Aramaic spirituality of Jesus including Prayers of the Cosmos and Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, as well as books on Native Middle Eastern spirituality and Sufism. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 240
Breathing clean air and drinking clean water are fundamental rights. However, these rights have been denied to many low-income communities and communities of color, who often live next to massive industrial facilities that pollute the air and water. Our guest is Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali [https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/] former EPA official and now Executive Vice President at the National Wildlife Federation and Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He has been working toward solving historical injustices that target certain communities for class- and race-based discrimination putting them in the path of harm from toxic exposure, climate disruption, and industrial accidents. In this show we discuss Dr. Ali's history of working at the EPA and why he had to leave that position. We talk about the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, OH; the EPA regulation of forever chemicals in drinking water; and vehicle pollution standards. We also discuss how the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gasses has been dialed back by a recent supreme court decision.Through his public advocacy, Dr. Ali shares his holistic approach to empowering and revitalizing vulnerable communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice. And how all of us can use our talents to be part of the larger change while also curbing climate anxiety and burnout.Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is a thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator. Dr. Ali serves as the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) [https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Leadership/Mustafa-Santiago-Ali]. He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies [https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/about-mustafa/], a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from “surviving to thriving.”Before joining NWF, Dr. Ali was the Senior Vice President for the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC), a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process. Prior to joining the HHC, Mustafa worked 22 years at the EPA and 2 years on Capitol Hill working for Congressman John Conyers, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He began advocating on social justice issues at the age of 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://www.gq.com/story/mustafa-ali-epa-interviewPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Guest: Dr. Mustafa Santiago AliExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 177
Join Paula Peters, citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as she shares the historical and cultural legacy and story of the Wampanoag: the People of the First Light. She unravels common misperceptions and false narratives around the first “Thanksgiving” and the harvest of 1621 involving Native people and the first colonizers, the Pilgrims. By acknowledging what has gone before, she invites us to envision and collectively create a balanced way forward for humanity.The Wampanoag have lived in southeastern Massachusetts for more than 12,000 years. They are the tribe first encountered by Mayflower Pilgrims when they landed in Provincetown harbor and explored the eastern coast of Cape Cod and when they continued on to Patuxet (Plymouth) to establish Plymouth Colony.In 2020, America commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony, a story that cannot be told without the perspective of the indigenous people who were here as that ship arrived and who still remain.For Part II of this interview, CLICK HERE https://www.patreon.com/posts/116836972?pr=trueVideo Links: NK 360 The First Thanksgiving with Linda Coombs: https://youtu.be/pba21_DOGl8?si=4BuJUMlpk0U9zLAK Story of Squanto, Smithsonian Channel: https://youtu.be/N-uE7cbH1-I?si=DY2Il4PYp0C4bG7x Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals, Smoke Sygnals/Smithsonian: https://youtu.be/g2pSir70DG4?si=RRA9b9uk4v4LS0rZFor an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSThe Thanksgiving Story from the Wampanoag Perspective: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/wampanoag-thanksgiving-stolen-land-massacred-hope/ Native Knowledge 360: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360Plymouth 400: https://www.plymouth400inc.org/category/news/Suppressed Speech Wamsutta Frank B. James:http://www.uaine.org/suppressed_speech.htmNative Land Conservancy: https://www.nativelandconservancy.orgLinda Coombs:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGSmn2UPicQ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/692454/colonization-and-the-wampanoag-story-by-linda-coombs/Paula Peters is a politically, socially and culturally active citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. For more than a decade she worked as a journalist for the Cape Cod Times and is now co-owner of SmokeSygnals [http://smokesygnals.com], a Native owned and operated creative production agency. As an independent scholar and writer of Native, and particularly Wampanoag history, she produced the traveling exhibit “Our”Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History and The Wampum Belt Project documenting the art and tradition of wampum in the contemporary Wampanoag community [https://www.plymouth400inc.org/category/news/]. In 2020 she wrote the introduction to the 400th Anniversary Edition of William Bradford’s, Of Plimoth Plantation. Paula is also the executive producer of the 2016 documentary film Mashpee Nine and author of the companion book, a story of law enforcement abuse of power and cultural justice in the Wampanoag community in 1976. Paula lives with her husband and children in Mashpee, Massachusetts, the Wampanoag ancestral homeland.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 242Photo credit: Paula Peters
In this episode, we explore the precarious existence of grizzly bears in the United States, focusing on their survival challenges and the intricate interplay between human development and wildlife conservation. From the historical land grabbing and habitat destruction to the current threats posed by climate change, we delve into the struggles of maintaining genetic diversity and the critical need for interconnected habitats. With insights from experts and advocates like Doug Peacock and Terry Tempest Williams, we discuss the pressing issues of delisting, trophy hunting, and the impact of climate change on grizzly bear populations. Join us as we examine the role of grizzlies in our ecosystem and the urgent need for coexistence to ensure their survival and ours.We include clips from four documentaries on the grizzly bear.Grizzly Country: https://youtu.be/2_XPRozm4CI?si=M7XpfUKCTuFUCB98 Directed by Ben Moon, presented by Peak DesignThe Beast of Our Time: Climate Change and Grizzly Bears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cfuSIlEIyYProduced by Save the Yellowstone Grizzly and Never Give Up FilmsPeacock’s War: https://youtu.be/2KJ-ia0O71U?si=8aPXc2MG05sKCgMc Peacock's War, PBS Nature profiles Vietnam veteran Doug Peacock, who's battling to protect grizzly bears while dealing with war memories. Filmed in Montana's Glacier National Park.Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons - PBS Nature Documentary: https://youtu.be/9gXa-bs_9i0?si=_BrGyekmC0h0rPIC For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/23/grizzly-hunting-is-trophy-hunting/Doug Peacock, [https://dougpeacock.net/] born in 1942, is a U.S. author, filmmaker, naturalist, and Vietnam War veteran. He is best known for his work dedicated to grizzly bear recovery in the lower-48, his book Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness and serving as the model for the well-known character George Washington Hayduke in Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang. His other books include ¡Baja!, Walking It Off: A Veteran’s Chronicle of War and Wilderness, and The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears (co-authored with Andrea Peacock). His latest book, Was It Worth It: A Wilderness Warrior’s Long Trail Home, won the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award, and a 2022 award for literature from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.Doug is the co-founder of several conservation organizations including Round River Conservation Studies and Save The Yellowstone Grizzly.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 241Photo credit: National Park Service-CJ Adams
In this episode, we delve into the controversial and complex world of deep seabed mining. We feature a panel of experts from the Wonderful World Festival in Norway [https://www.wonderfulworld.no/] discussing the environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications of extracting minerals from the ocean floor. Marine Scientists, a documentary filmmaker, mining industry officials debate the need for and consequences from extracting rare earth minerals for renewable energy technologies. Discover the unknowns of the deep sea, the ethical considerations, and the potential impact on future generations. Join us as we explore whether the pursuit of these resources is truly necessary and the role of storytelling in shaping our understanding of the ocean's mysteries.We start with an introduction by panel moderator, Anders Dunker.Next are excerpts from a TED Talk by Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist from Chile. Also included is the trailer of the documentary film DEEP Rising, which he is featured in.Sandor Mulsow TED Talk https://youtu.be/tIg1M0b43jQ?si=_SWZ6pZs-S9lSNA1 Then we feature excerpts from the panel, that can be listened to in its entirety here…The Deep Sea and the Mining Business: https://youtu.be/qPm1HdyvYaM?si=nw6sSrWN_8DP0A_Y For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioAnders Dunker [https://www.andersdunker.com/] is a Norwegian writer and philosophical journalist based in Los Angeles and an associate professor at Oslo International School of Philosophy. In contributions across a range of publications, including Le Monde Diplomatique, Ny Tid, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, he writes about nature, technology, social change, and the planetary future. He is the editor of the book series 'Futurum' at Existenz Forlag and a regular contributor and board member in the Norwegian Writers’ Climate Campaign, as well as a collaborator in Technophany – A Journal of Philosophy and Technology. In 2019, he published Rediscovering Earth (Spartacus and O/R books). In 2022, his collection of essays, Thinking on the Planet, was published by Existenz Publishers. Unknown Territory is his third book.Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist, long-time member of the International Seabed Authority, the UN's own body for safeguarding the health of the oceans. He is a professor at Universidad Austral de Chile, and was featured in the documentary film DEEP RISING. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandor-mulsow-b98a2214/?originalSubdomain=cl] Other Members of the panel Matthieu Rytz, filmmaker, visual anthropologist, director of the documentary DEEP RISING [https://www.deeprising.com/]Kaja Lønne Fjærtoft, marine biologist and Global Head of Policy at Deep Sea Mining at WWF NorwayØystein Bruncell Larsen - COO Loke Marine Minerals of NorwayRune Høyvik Rosnes, Seabed Intervention technologist, economist and business developer, Deep C Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 239
Dive into our conversation with Whisper Camel Means, a wildlife biologist from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, as she illuminates the critical role of Indigenous knowledge in wildlife conservation. Discover the stark realities facing Turtle Island's wildlife, explore the rich history of the Salish and Kootenai peoples [https://csktribes.org/], and learn how we can alter our behaviors to coexist harmoniously with our non-human relatives. This episode, recorded at the end of last year, is a profound reminder of our interdependence with nature and a call to action for preserving the legacy of our planet's diverse ecosystems for generations to come.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Whisper Camel-Means is the Division Manager of the Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation in the Natural Resources Department for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation [https://csktribes.org/] in Western Montana. She is a wildlife biologist by training and now an administrator over multiple disciplines including restoration of the Bison Range for the Tribes [https://bisonrange.org/about/]. She works on outreach projects and climate change planning. She is an enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 203
Join us in this episode featuring the profound art of Mark Steven Greenfield, whose work delves into the African American experience, historical stereotypes, and social justice. Discover his two thought-provoking series, HALO and Black Madonna, which reimagine influential black figures as saintly icons and challenge the narratives of white supremacy. Through a rich tapestry of stories and imagery, Greenfield invites us to explore the transcendental divinity within every black face. Listen as he shares his journey of using art to deconstruct stereotypes, preserve history, and inspire change. We present Los Angeles Art Critic Shana Nys Dambrot and African American visual artist Mark Steven Greefield discussing his exhibition from the Ronald Silverman Gallery at Cal State LA, recorded by L.A. Art Documents. We also feature Yoruba DUNDUN Talking drum ensemble, and an excerpt from a PBS show featuring Greenfield called Craft in America. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:L.A. Art Documents YouTube: https://youtu.be/IMFtfhAdJM4?si=gcXNAZfIYh38QStd PBS Craft in America: https://www.pbs.org/video/mark-steven-greenfield-his-work-qakt1c/ Yoruba DUNDUN Talking Drum Ensemble: https://youtu.be/F0L2fhqFzKU?si=xFJMJ9axI-p9nV7V Mark Steven Greenfield is an African American visual artist from Los Angeles [https://www.markstevengreenfield.com/]. His work deals primarily with the African American experience and in recent years has focused on the effects of stereotypes on U.S. culture stimulating much-needed and long overdue dialog on issues of race. He has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States as well as internationally. He has served on multiple arts and community boards and received a long list of awards, accolades, and residencies over the years.Shana Nys Dambrot features a weekly substack called 13Things LA [https://hijinxarts.substack.com/]. She has been Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to the Village Voice, Flaunt, Artillery, and other culture publications. She studied Art History at Vassar College, and is the recipient of the 2022 and 2024 Mozaik Future Art Writers Prize, the 2022 Rabkin Prize for Art Criticism, and the LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Critic of the Year award for 2022. Her surrealist novel Zen Psychosis (Published by Griffith Moon) was released in 2020. Her personal substack is https://substack.com/@shananys Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 238Photo credit: Detail of Mark Steven Greenfield painting “The French Solution” from the Black Madonna Series
Join us as we explore the transformative potential of tiny living with Lindsay Wood, the Tiny Home Lady, and Theresa Bradley, founder of Race to Zero Waste. Discover how tiny homes can redefine the American Dream, address the housing crisis, and contribute to environmental sustainability. Our guests from a 2023 interview share insights on the challenges and rewards of downsizing, the intricacies of zoning laws, and the movement's accessibility. Tune in to learn how living with less can lead to a richer life.As house prices escalate, the concept of living in smaller homes has gone viral. Whether fixed to land or portable, the tiny house movement has swept across the US. Yet, what is the day-to-day reality of living the downsized life?Our guests, Lindsay Wood - The Tiny Home Lady [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] - and Teresa Bradley from Tiny Green Adventures [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure], bring a dose of reality to the challenge, but also the splendor, of living simply with few belongings in a tiny home. Can you really save money by going tiny? Is it a net positive for the environment? And what about zero waste, is that possible? Are tiny homes the way to tackle the housing crisis across the United States?Tiny Homes, although lauded as a green way forward in a world covered in wasteful McMansions and debt enslaving rent payments, must overcome land and building regulations (that in many places) still consider this form of housing either illegal or difficult to approve. We go into all these points and more on this show. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Lindsay Wood, "The Tiny Home Lady" [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] is on a mission to develop 100,000 Tiny Homes as attainable and affordable houses in California and across the US. Lindsay has been investing in Real Estate since 2015 and believes Tiny Homes are a solution to the housing and climate crisis. Lindsay consults and guides people dreaming of going Tiny through The GO TiNY! Academy, GO TiNY! Showcase. Teresa Bradley is the founding Director of Race to Zero Waste [http://racetozerowaste.org] and lives with her partner, daughter and cat who all live a low waste lifestyle while traveling most of the year in a 24-foot Class C Motorhome. She and her partner travel for environmental project work throughout California and showcase their lifestyle on their Instagram & YouTube channel called Tiny Green Adventure [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure] .Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://garageshedcarportbuilder.com/tiny-homes-a-big-idea/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 172
According to Dr Kristine Nichols, a soil microbiologist and regenerative agriculture expert, of the 900 million arable acres in the U.S., only about 1.5% is being farmed regeneratively. Yet, this continues to change, despite consolidation of farms, the majority of foods on this continent are still grown by small farmers. Regenerative is our future and also our past, as Indigenous peoples have long cared for this Earth, knowing it is our inheritance and responsibility. We owe a debt to how they have cared for the land through their culture, lifeways and connection to Mother Earth. Our guest from earlier this year, Gabe Brown, Regenerative Farmer and Rancher out of North Dakota, and a Partner in Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com] and the Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/] is a leading voice reminding us to return to tend the land as stewards, relatives, and children born of the land. Regenerative farming promotes soil health, restores the water cycle, increases biodiversity and the holistic health of the ecosystem. Aligning with regenerative farms, and creating beyond sustainable local food systems, requires us to shift to a consciousness of caring for the Earth as Indigenous peoples have done since time immemorial. Understanding and undertaking this personally and collectively is key to the continuance of life. It all begins with the soil, whether we are talking about food security and sovereignty, climate change or the need to heal ourselves and the soil, so that all life from microbes to insects to plants, animals, and humans can thrive together. It is not a hierarchy but a circle and cycle of care that we must urgently attend to for future generations. Gabe Brown joins us now to share his journey and how we can collectively contribute to an abundant future with regenerative farming. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Featured Video:Understanding Ag: https://youtu.be/9yPjoh9YJMk?si=aclF95oje6IFq6EY Gabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on the regeneration of our resources. Gabe and his wife and son operate Brown's Ranch [https://brownsranch.us/], a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. Gabe was named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States and is also the author of the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.” He is a partner in Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com] and an instructor for Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/], which focuses on teaching others the power and importance of healthy functioning ecosystems.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 209Photo credit: Gabe Brown
In this transformative episode from earlier this year, Dr. Zach Bush [http://zachbushmd.com/] shares his insights on the intricate links between the health of our planet and the health of humanity. Learn about the light energy within us that has been dimming since the 1940s and its relation to the rise of chronic diseases. Delve into the ancient stories of human spirituality and their impact on our modern world with Host Carry Kim. This is a conversation that will change the way you see your place in nature.Ours is a time that requires fortitude, resiliency, introspection, observation, connection and action. We are aware of the multitude of things afflicting humanity and the world, much of which has been human-induced whether we speak of climate change, conflicts, injustice of all kinds, destruction of the ecosystem and our microbiomes, degradation of soil, loss of biodiversity or personal dis-ease and the deterioration of collective health. Dr. Zach Bush has devoted his life and research to the exploration of what harms and what heals ourselves, our food systems, waterways, the soil, and the often unseen world of microbiology. His journey has been a deep and collaborative dive into understanding and revealing root cause. How did we get here and how will we change to chart a better course not just for humanity, but for all inhabitants with whom we share this planet? This conversation is more inquiry than "answers." It is a pondering of our times and an asking of questions, without the resolution of "answers." It is an attempt to connect some of the dots between human and planetary health and to awaken our collective memories as intrinsic parts of Nature. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Zach Bush, MD [http://zachbushmd.com/]is a renowned, multi-disciplinary physician and internationally recognized educator on the microbiome as it relates to human health, soil health, food systems, and a regenerative future. He founded *Seraphic Group [http://seraphicgroup.com/] and the non-profit Farmer’s Footprint [http://www.farmersfootprint.us/] to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health. His education has highlighted the need for a radical departure from chemical farming and pharmacy, and his ongoing efforts are providing a path for consumers, farmers, and mega-industries to work together for a healthy future for people and the planet.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 214
In this episode, host Jack Eidt delves into the groundbreaking archaeological discoveries at the Huaca Montegrande site in the Peruvian Amazon with guest Karen Gordon, an associate at ASICAMPE, the nonprofit Association for Scientific Research of the Peruvian Amazon [https://abundantearthfoundation.org/ancientcacao/]. They explore the ancient Marañon culture, their sophisticated agroforestry practices, and the origins of cacao, the plant responsible for the world’s chocolate. Traces of cacao have been found in 6,000-year-old ceremonial pottery vessels from what is now recognized as the oldest monumental temple site in Peru, predating the pyramids of Egypt or Mesopotamia. Tune in to learn how these findings are rewriting the history of organized human settlement and spirituality in the ancient Amazon.Nominated as one of the Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries in the World, Montegrande is currently unearthing the story of the ancient Amazonian Marañon Culture and their sophisticated agroforestry practices, social structure, and cosmovision – 3,000 years before the more well-studied Inca and Nazca cultures. These findings completely rewrite the history of organized human settlement and spirituality in the ancient Amazon. Groundbreaking evidence from Montegrande points to the Marañon Culture as being the earliest human stewards of cacao in the world, tending its domestication, cultivation, veneration and trade.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://inboundperu.com/2022/03/11/the-world-will-get-to-know-huaca-montegrande-where-historys-oldest-cacao-was-found%ef%bf%bc/8644/ Ancient Builders of the Amazon on Nova PBS: https://youtu.be/dY82nZTxXQ4?si=UcvfsGJtvJQY_GAs Karen Gordon - Equal parts soul-filled and inspired educator, Karen's work as a restoration ecologist and land steward has spanned California's Channel Islands to the Peruvian Amazon for the last 30 years. She has called Costa Rica's cloud forested mountaintops home for the last two decades.ASICAMPE is a small Peruvian nonprofit research organization led by Dr. Quirino Olivera; making significant contributions to Amazonian and world history. Nevertheless, the Huaca Montegrande project, destined to become and UNESCO World Heritage Site, faces multiple threats and requires protection to continue their work. For more information and to support their work: https://abundantearthfoundation.org/ancientcacao/ Musical interludes by Oscar Jimenez Fernandez. IG: @oscarjimenezfdcJack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer and Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 237Photo credit: ASICAMPE
In this powerful episode we share a live interview with renowned journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin [https://x.com/AbbyMartin]. which we attended. Upstream Podcast [https://www.upstreampodcast.org/] did the interview, with the event sponsored by All Power Books in Los Angeles. Hosts Robert Raymond and Della Duncan engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Abby, known for her unapologetic anti-imperialist stance. They delve into the interconnected issues of US imperialism, global capitalism, and environmental destruction. The discussion covers her upcoming documentary, "Earth's Greatest Enemy," which focuses on the US military's unparalleled contribution to climate change and environmental degradation. The U.S. military is the largest institutional source of climate emissions on the planet—and yet it’s exempt from the climate protocols that aim to reduce emissions. However, this is not the only way the US Empire harms the planet.Abby also shares insights from her previous work, including her film "Gaza Fights for Freedom," and her experiences in Jerusalem. This episode is a must-listen for anyone committed to understanding the deep-rooted issues of imperialism and the urgent need for systemic change.Thank you to All Power Books [https://allpowerbooks.org/] in Los Angeles for organizing this event—they are a radical bookstore and community space that are the real deal. Check them out and support their incredible work. And, visit https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/ to chip in and support Abby and her team in getting their film past the finish line—they are still raising funds to complete production.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Abby Martin is a journalist, filmmaker, activist who hosts, directs, and writes the YouTube show The Empire Files [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG29FnXZm4F5U8xpqs1cs1Q], an independent documentary & interview series - reporting on war & inequality from the heart of Empire. She is director of the film Gaza Fights for Freedom [https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/] and the upcoming documentary Earth's Greatest Enemy [https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/]. She also co-hosts Media Roots Radio [https://soundcloud.com/media-roots].Upstream Podcast [https://www.upstreampodcast.org/about] features co-hosts Della Z. Duncan and Robert Raymond offering a quarterly Documentary series and a bi-monthly In Conversation series exploring a variety of themes pertaining to economics — from an anti-capitalist perspective.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 236Photo credit: Jack Eidt
In this episode, we dive into the complex world of farming in the U.S. with award-winning writer, researcher, and podcaster Sarah Mock [https://sarahmock.substack.com/]. Join us as we discuss her provocative book, "Farm and Other F Words: The Rise and Fall of the Small Family Farm," and unravel the intricacies of the food and farm system. Sarah shares her journey from growing up on a small farm in Wyoming to becoming a leading voice in agricultural research and advocacy. We explore the myths and realities of farming, the impact of corporate farms, and the historical and ongoing issues of land ownership and consolidation. Don't miss this enlightening conversation that challenges our perceptions and offers a path to a more equitable food system.They say there’s only one thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for and worth dying for. It’s not love or money, not vengeance or virtue — It’s land. To understand how the existence, value and costs and benefits of Ag lands affects us all, Sarah Mock unravels the mystique of the farm landscape. We love the U.S. Farmer. We trust them to be part of children’s nursery rhymes, to provide the economic backbone of rural communities and to embody ideals of the “American” dream and yet we recognize “corporate” farms are disrupting the oft romanticized, agrarian way of life we admire. How do we preserve farmlands and the farms we love? In her book, Farms & Other F Words, Sarah Mock dismantles our misconceptions about farms in the U.S. and examines the who, what and why of small family farms. What works, what fails and why. Your house, your land and your concept of ownership have everything to do with the agricultural origins of the United States. Sarah Mock joins us now to offer an alternative perspective on agricultural history, reveal a path to a more equitable food system and re-examine the notion of private property for the benefit of future generations. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioSarah Mock is an award-winning writer, researcher, and podcaster whose work focuses on the food and farm system. She is a freelance food, agriculture, and rural issues writer and author of two books: Farm (and Other F Words): The Rise and Fall of the Small Family Farm [https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Other-Words-Small-Family/dp/1636768202/] and Big Team Farms: Growing Farms Differently [https://www.amazon.com/Big-Team-Farms-Growing-Differently/dp/B0B14HYW4R/]. She is also the host and producer of the podcast, The Only Thing That Lasts [https://ambrook.com/research/podcast/the-only-thing-that-lasts] which explores the profound significance of land in the United States, revealing how it has been a driving force behind work, conflicts, and aspirations throughout history.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 235Photo credit: Sarah Mock
In this episode, we delve into the historical and contemporary implications of the Monroe Doctrine and U.S. intervention in Latin America. Host Jack Eidt mixes excerpts from Rubén Darío’s poetry (Nicaragua) and Gabriel García Márquez’s fiction (Colombia) with an interview of Yale historian Greg Grandin by journalist Michael Fox. They explore how Simon Bolivar's legacy and the Monroe Doctrine have shaped U.S. imperialism in Central and South America. They trace the origins of Bolivar's fight for independence, the creation and evolution of the Monroe Doctrine, and its lasting effects on U.S. foreign policy. The interview originates from Michael Fox's podcast series "Under the Shadow," [https://therealnews.com/under-the-shadow] produced in collaboration with the Real News Network and NACLA, the North American Congress on Latin America [https://nacla.org/].For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Under the Shadow Podcast Episode: https://therealnews.com/he-legacy-of-monroe-under-the-shadow-bonus-episode-4 Simon Bolivar History From NBC News https://youtu.be/wxuxFg_8nkI?si=eZAH6W3FmCT6ZGYD Chilean folk music group, Inti Illimani doing the song Simon Bolivar from 1973https://youtu.be/AObTf9yOdoQ?si=7iRpeA3u8BQqQLt- Greg Grandin is the author of Fordlandia, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. A Professor of History at Yale University, Grandin has published a number of other award-winning books, including Empire's Workshop, The Last Colonial Massacre, and The Blood of Guatemala [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IQW9VI].Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/simon-bolivar-the-monroe-doctrine-and-us-intervention-in-latin-america/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 234
In this episode, We explore the fascinating world of J.G. Ballard's provocative works, what might later be known as Climate Fiction, written mostly last century. From his early novel "The Drowned World" to the controversial "Crash," we delve into how Ballard's dystopian visions have shaped the genre. We feature insights from a PBS show Hot Mess, a short BBC film Ballard appeared in 1973 exploring his experimental novel of linked short stories called “The Atrocity Exhibition,” and a 2006 South Bank Show interview. We discuss the psychological and societal impacts of Climate Fiction, and how it might inspire change in an era of environmental urgency.First we begin with a 2019 clip from Hot Mess from PBS, featuring Lindsay Ellis, of It’s Lit, and Amy Brady, the editor-in-chief of The Chicago Review of Books.Hot Mess | The Rise of Climate Fiction feat. Lindsay Ellis & Amy Brady | Episode 35 | PBShttps://www.pbs.org/video/the-rise-of-climate-fiction-feat-lindsay-ellis-amy-brady-2s2sxh/ The Atrocity Exhibition is J.G. Ballard’s instruction manual on how to disrupt mass media and recontextualize technology in a dystopian landscape overrun with industrial waste and technological white noise. The excerpt is from a 1973 BBC film directed by Harely Cokliss and features Ballard talking about car crash fetishism and the response to the bleak modern landscapes dominated by industrial monotony and the irrational violence of the technology-infused world which would coalesce into his controversial novel Crash, published in 1973. https://youtu.be/QRxpZ142lkI?si=gh5FjzV9BrUvs-r0 The next clip is a 2006 interview of JG Ballard by Melvyn Bragg on the South Bank Show, which also features prominent British authors Will Self, Iain Sinclair, and Martin Amis. https://youtu.be/le0tW1y609w?si=2DeFYxI-wqGe-Cu8 For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/j-g-ballard-atrocity-exhibition-modernist-motorcar-dystopia/ James Graham Ballard who lived between 1930 and 2009 was an English novelist and short-story writer known for psychologically provocative works that explore relations between human psychology, technology, sex and mass media. Ballard’s original climate fiction work from 1962 was the post-apocalyptic New Wave science fiction novel The Drowned World. He followed with the controversial 1970 short-story collection The Atrocity Exhibition, which includes the 1968 story "Why I Want to F- Ronald Reagan", and later the 1973 novel Crash (1973), a story about car-crash fetishists.In 1984, Ballard won broad critical recognition for the war novel Empire of the Sun, a semi-autobiographical story of the experiences of a British boy during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai;[4] three years later, the American film director Steven Spielberg adapted the novel into a film of the same name. From the distinct nature of the literary fiction of J. G. Ballard arose the adjective Ballardian, defined as: "resembling or suggestive of dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes, and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments." Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.
In this episode, we delve into the rich mythology of the K’iche’ Maya Kingdom of Highland Guatemala through the Popol Vuh, an ancient text that narrates the creation myth and the epic tales of two hero twins, Hunahpu (Blow-gun Hunter) and Xbalanque (Young Hidden/Jaguar-Sun). Join us as we explore the dawn of life, the trials of the hero twins, and the profound cosmological insights embedded in this sacred book. Discover how these ancient stories continue to resonate in modern-day Guatemala and the enduring legacy of the Popol Vuh.Popol Vuh, the creation myth of the Maya Kiche, animated in 1988 from paintings on pottery. Conceived, produced, directed, and written by Patricia Amlin. Narrated by Larry George of the Yakima Nation. Voices by Teatro Campesino. Music by Tod Boekilheide, Xochimoki, Mazatl Galindo and Jim Berenholtz. 60 minutes.The Popol Vuh : Mayan Creation Myth Animated Full Version: https://youtu.be/vOEQNo5m4rg?si=vx_zS2jYqyHaHHH0 For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/myth/popol-vuh-the-ancient-maya-dawn-of-life-and-overcoming-the-forces-of-awe/ Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 232
In this episode, we plunge into the restoration of water cycles with Alpha Lo, an investigator and researcher dedicated to global water cycle restoration [https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/]. Join us as we explore how rehydrating the earth and soil, replenishing groundwater, and transforming drought-fire- and flood cycles affecting various regions can slow down or reverse climate change. Listen in to learn about the small water cycle, the impact of deforestation on rain, and how nature-based solutions can be more powerful than technological interventions.Water, water everywhere. Or perhaps there used to be a great deal more water everywhere, particularly in the soil. The Climate Water Project started by Alpha Lo is a resource for understanding how we might restore the water cycle. It is possible and already happening around the globe in certain countries. While it is not yet happening at scale, we can aim our sights and actions toward this possibility. Restoring the water cycle, particularly through regenerating the soil and reforesting or greening the planet for longer, can indeed change the trajectory of this planet. For life to continue, it is imperative for us to participate in: slow water, the small water cycle, and restoration of groundwater, local watersheds and rainfall. Hear Alpha Lo of the Climate Water Project wax on about all things water and how we might participate in its return. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Alpha Lo publishes the Climate Water Project newsletter [https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/] and hosts the Climate Water Project podcast. He operates as an investigator and researcher into the interaction of ecology and climate via the water cycle. He studies how to restore our water cycles, and is working on numerous ecorestoration projects. He comes from a background in physics and permaculture, and teaches about water in Permaculture Design Courses. His substack and podcast focus on, of course, the water cycle, and how leveraging these forces helps with hydrating the earth and soil, replenishing groundwater, restoring rains in drought areas, lessening flooding, and slowing down climate change.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 231
The Churro Sheep remains an icon of resilience and adaptability in the Southwest. On this show we welcome Jennifer Douglass, Founder and Executive Director of Rio Milagro Foundation [https://www.riomilagro.org/], to discuss her work with the Churro on her farm in New Mexico. First introduced by Spanish conquerors, the Churro became a sacred part of the pastoral Diné or Navajo way of life and was also essential to various Indigenous tribes and Hispanic communities of New Mexico and Mexico, including the Pueblo and Tarahumara. The Churro Sheep has come to symbolize aspects of Diné cultural identity, nomadic lifeways and iconic traditions, including their long history of weaving. Both the Diné people and the Churro endured multiple threats and extermination campaigns and federal management policies which were akin to the genocidal attempts to eliminate Buffalo and the Plains Indians. By 1970, only 450 original Churro Sheep remained, however due to the combined efforts of Indigenous shepherds, researchers and instrumental people like Dr. Lyle McNeal and the Navajo Sheep Project, the Churro are still here. They are an essential part of regenerating dryland regions and fragile desert ecosystems, contribute to the health of biocrusts and bear cultural significance for the Diné and other Indigenous communities of the Southwest. Many are working to ensure the primitive Churro sheep will thrive well into the future. Jennifer Douglass is here to tell us more about this remarkable breed and why its inheritance matters for restoration ecology, cultural legacy and future generations. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKShttps://tilth.org/stories/threads-of-tradition/ Jennifer Douglass is a social practice artist, shepherd, and environmental activist that has devoted most of her life to protecting ecology in the West and creative ways of bridging ideologies between loss of biodiversity, and human impact. She is Executive Director for Rio Milagro Foundation [https://www.riomilagro.org/] and runs a women-led farm (Rio Milagro Farm [https://www.riomilagrofarm.com/]), dedicated to conservation in both restorative ecology and the preservation of the landrace primitive genetics of Churro sheep in the southwest. She has spent most of her adult life devoted to understanding the role landraces like the Churro have in carbon sequestering and soil regeneration in arid regions.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 230Photo credit: Jennifer Douglass
We embark on the first part of a series by Jack Eidt who joined the artistic residency of Osceola Refetoff, a Canadian-American visual artist and photojournalist, in Antofagasta, Chile. Supported by SACO Cultural Corporation, this residency places a spotlight on the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining. We delve into the environmental and social impacts of mining in this region, the historical context of Latin American exploitation, and the legacy of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Featuring poignant quotes from local authors and music that reflects Chile's cultural heritage, this episode is a profound exploration of eco-justice, history, and art.Historical Context and Colonial LegacyThe episode explores the economic motivations and political maneuverings that have led to the region's exploitation, including the devastating impact of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Eduardo Galeano's seminal work, "Open Veins of Latin America," serves as a guiding narrative, revealing the systematic stripping of the continent's resources and the resulting poverty and underdevelopment.Interview with Don Victor LoyolaWe interview Don Victor Loyola, a former miner who now works for the municipal museum in Maria Elena. His firsthand account provides invaluable insights into the history of mining in the Atacama and the devastating effects of the industry's boom-and-bust cycles. Indigenous Presence and GeoglyphsThe Atacama Desert is also home to a rich indigenous history, evidenced by the thousands of geoglyphs that dot the landscape. These ancient works of art, created by the region's early inhabitants, offer a glimpse into the spiritual and practical lives of the people who once thrived in this harsh environment. The episode explores the significance of these geoglyphs and their role in the transportation networks that connected ancient South American civilizations.A Call to ActionAs we reflect on the Atacama's past and present, it becomes clear that the region's future depends on a commitment to eco-justice and sustainable development. This episode serves as a call to action, urging listeners to consider the long-term impacts of mining and the importance of protecting both communities and ecosystems.Music FeaturedVioleta Parra “Gracias a la Vida.”Victor Jara “The Right to Live in Peace.”Illapu “Raza Brava”For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Victor Loyola has a thirty year history working in the mining industry in the Atacama Desert of Chile and presently works in tourism at the Municipal Museum in Maria Elena, Chile. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 229Photo credit: Osceola Refetoff
For Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Water is an Ancestor, a living entity to be communed with, revered and treated with sacred reciprocity. We spoke with Heni Unwin in 2023 as she shared her perspectives as a Maori descendant and marine scientist. Humanity has a primordial connection to water. For Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Water is an Ancestor, a living entity to be communed with, revered and treated with sacred reciprocity. We owe our lives to the oceans, rivers, lakes and streams of the world. And although marine ecosystems have often been viewed and studied through the abstract lens of economics or science, today, traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultural relationships with marine life and water in all its forms, are at the forefront of a new weaving that blends the ancestral past with the present. There is a growing wish to restore traditional concepts of marine and aquatic cultivation and care, to address climate change, microplastics, health of marine life, contaminants, and aquaculture. If water is an ancestor, what is our obligation to it? How do we restore a harmonious relationship with water, that supports future generations of life, and preserves the lifeways and worldviews of Indigenous peoples? What do the waters of the world ask of us? What should stewardship of marine ecosystems look like? What might we learn from the Māori, expert navigators of the waters, who have long held that their relationship to the land and waters is sacred. To them: Nature is everything. In this episode, join Heni Unwin, Kairangahau or Research Scientist with the Cawthron Institute [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/], in pondering these questions from her diverse perspectives as a Māori descendant and marine scientist. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Heni Unwin is a marine scientist in Te Kāhui Āio or Māori Research Team [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/our-people/heni-unwin/]. Her main role is to interweave science and Mātauranga Māori – the Maori world view – into research projects. She is passionate about caring for the taiao - the environment – that cares for her.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 197
The gut microbiomes of many if not most modern people have been devastated by highly processed diets, biocides and overuse of antibiotics, which has destroyed countless beneficial bacteria required for optimal health. The impacts are many, upon our mental health, moods, weight and behavior. Our guest in this show, Dr. William Davis, Cardiologist and Author of the books Wheat Belly, Undoctored, and Super Gut [https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/about/], exposes the problem with our wheat addiction and has connected the dots between gut health and common modern ailments and complaints. The ancient bacteria that keep our digestion highly functional have been dying, and replaced by harmful microbes that negatively impact our physical and mental wellness. Supergut draws on cutting edge research, to connect the dots between gut health and modern ailments including SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a silent and profound epidemic affecting 1 out of 3 people. Entire species of microbes have disappeared creating numerous health conditions that were uncommon 50-100 years ago. Digestive disorders, Parkinson’s, autism, ADD, ADHD, and neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s are more prevalent than ever before. Super Gut shows us how to eliminate bad bacteria and restore “good” bacteria and reprogram our microbiome. By addressing the root cause of gut flora disruption, we can improve health. Disease factors can be lessened or eliminated, and oxytocin levels can improve. Moreover, brain health, anti-aging, weight loss, mental clarity, and restful sleep can all be results of a healthy microbiome. In this episode, Dr. Davis will share how a restored microbiome is the key to lasting inner and outer health. He appeared on the show in 2023 which serves as a part one to this episode: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/wheat-belly-restoring-gut-microbiomes-and-planetary-health/ For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist and New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Wheat Belly book series [https://www.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Medical Director and founder of the Infinite Health program including the Infinite Health Inner Circle [https://innercircle.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Realize Therapeutics Corp. that is developing innovative solutions for the disrupted human microbiome and author of the book Super Gut: A 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.LINKSWheat Belly Series: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/wheat-belly/Super Gut: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/super-gut/ MORE INFO Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 228
We talked with Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times environmental reporter in 2023, as she delves into the realities and solutions to sea level rise in her book California Against the Sea, Visions for Our Vanishing Sea.Wherever land meets sea, global warming is wreaking havoc. As the ocean absorbs heat generated by the burning of fossil fuels and its attendant climate breakdown, its waters swell into overwhelming tides and city-engulfing storms. Glaciers melt, Pacific Islands shrink, Indonesians flee their seaside capital, and North Carolina’s beaches disappear with each passing supercharged hurricane. Sea level rise threatens low-lying coastal and estuarine zones which may have nearly one billion inhabitants worldwide by 2030. Thus, those residents will lose their homes and businesses, maybe their possessions and have to migrate to higher ground, if they survive the transition. To adapt, governments, industries, and communities must work collaboratively through integrated, multidimensional management schemes that cross the boundaries of natural sciences, environmental justice advocacy, and engineering. Sadly, in our short-term speculative real estate-centric world, we are nowhere close to working together…but there are some positive signs. Journalist and author Rosanna Xia provides an in-depth look at the complex challenges coastal communities face from rising seas. She draws on years of covering coastal management to unpack contentious issues like managed retreat, where communities acknowledge the ocean's inevitable reclamation of land. We discuss the plight of homeowners and businesses struggling to save their properties as well as innovative solutions like wetland restoration, Xia brings her extensive reporting to bear on how we can create more sustainable and resilient coastlines. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Rosanna Xia is an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/people/rosanna-xia] where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. Her work spans feature writing to investigative reporting and engages themes of climate and social justice. Xia’s reporting has uncovered the dumping of toxic DDT waste off the Los Angeles coast; set the record straight on the seizure of Bruce’s Beach from its Black proprietors (prompting an unprecedented reparative land return in 2022); explored the impacts of coastal gentrification; and articulated the dangers posed to shorelines by pollution and heating oceans. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting on sea level rise, which inspired the work that culminated in California Against the Sea [https://www.heydaybooks.com/catalog/california-against-the-sea/]. Her writing has been anthologized in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 200Photo credit: Rosanna Xia
We welcome Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) [https://www.wecaninternational.org/] to discuss her recent book The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis.It is a prescient time to return to Nature. To remember and act from ancestral, cosmological worldviews, indigenous perspectives and understandings about life that will foster the re-emergence and continuance of regenerative, Earth-centered communities for future generations. Many listeners are long familiar with the root causes behind the devastation of our times: ecologically, socially, even spiritually. Climate collapse is a symptom of our disconnection from Nature and how we have abandoned our original reciprocal relationship with Mother Earth. The Story is in Our Bones opens a portal to Indigenous cosmology and the collective knowledge of Earth-centered cultures that uplift restoration and justice. By weaving together ecological, mythical, political, and cultural understandings and her life experiences working alongside global leaders, systems-thinkers, climate justice activists, and Indigenous Peoples, Osprey Lake summons a new way of being and thinking in the Anthropocene that opens our capacity to transform the wake of colonialism, racism, patriarchy, capitalism, and ecocide into thriving Earth communities for all. Invoking the memory of our Earth lineages can help us usher and dream in the world we wish to see. Our is a time for both grieving and stepping forward to collectively participate in the Ancient Future rising. The Story is in Our Bones invites us to enact and embody a relational, Earth-conscious understanding of respect, reciprocity and regeneration. It is already here now, in the making. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSOsprey Orielle Lake Website: https://ospreyoriellelake.earthBuy Her Book: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Our-Bones-Worldviews-Climate/dp/0865719942Osprey Orielle Lake is Founder and executive director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) [https://www.wecaninternational.org/] and she works internationally with grassroots, BIPOC and Indigenous leaders, policymakers, and diverse coalitions to build climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a decentralized, democratized clean-energy future. She recently released her book The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 227Photo credit: Osprey Orielle Lake
On this show, we discuss how we can revolutionize architecture and landscape design by emulating Nature’s genius. From an interview we did in 2023, our guest Ecological Architect Carl Welty [https://carlweltyarchitects.com/], paints a picture of ancient cities oriented to the sun’s movements, capturing its energy without machines. Modern city design often ignores the natural context, the flow of water, sensitive ecological habitats, in favor of geometric patterns – with problematic implications for the complex web of nature’s closed-loop systems. Carl Welty sees solutions to our climate and environmental messes through ecological design.Employing simple passive solar design strategies like orienting buildings south, using overhangs and thermal mass, makes homes and offices 50% to 80% more efficient while costing the same.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Carl Welty. Ecological Architect and Principal of Carl Welty Architects [https://carlweltyarchitects.com/]. has over 35 years of experience in the field of architecture and is based in Southern California. Carl's experience includes projects with difficult sites and complex structural requirements; a passive solar house that is Certified LEED Platinum; a Water Education campus that embodies important and timely water issues. He designs buildings that are twice as energy-efficient as typical green buildings by incorporating simple, time-tested, climate-appropriate design principles.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 191
In this interview from 2023, we delve into the harrowing experience of wildfires and their aftermath with author and poet Margaret Elysia Garcia. Join us as we explore her poetic journey through loss, resilience, and the stark realities of climate change. Margaret shares her poignant poetry from her chapbook "Burn Scars" and discusses the impact of the Dixie Fire on her hometown of Greenville, California. Don't miss this powerful narrative on the intersection of environmental disaster and human spirit.Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ka3zeXnw2_M?si=y9KUvufWjr5V5W6IMargaret Elysia Garcia [http://www.margaretelysiagarcia.com/]is the author of the short story collection Graft, the poetry chapbook Burn Scars, and the debut poetry collection the daughterland poems. Shes the editor of the forthcoming Red Flag Warning Anthology. She teaches poetry with the Community Literary Initiative and writes a history column for High Country Life magazine in Northeastern California. Shes currently working on her second collection of poems, Watershed, also to be released by El Martillo Press [https://www.elmartillopress.com/margaretelysiagarcia].Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEp. 193
The Keya Wakpala Woicageyapi Housing Community is a "master-planned development" consisting of single family housing types designed to reflect and celebrate Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota culture. The Siċaŋġu see a world where health and wholeness of body, mind and spirit are connected to the earth, stars and all relations. Keya Wakpala is one example of living this world into being for this and future generations by providing culturally-relevant homes and a place where community and economic opportunities can flourish side by side for the benefit of the Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota people and the world of their inheritance. Keya Wakpala is being designed to foster community and honor the way Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota live, work, play and pray. From its inception, Keya Wakpala has been shaped and guided by community voices expressing their needs, wants and visions to preserve cultural legacy, ensure food sovereignty and security, and promote meaningful livelihoods. This 590+ acre site will eventually incorporate athletic facilities, sports fields, a network of walking, biking and hiking trails, small business incubators, retail, restaurants, as well as many other businesses and amenities. In this episode, join Chance Renville of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation and Amanda Morrisette, of the Sicangu and Oglala Lakota as they share the journey of Indigenous placemaking with Keya Wakpala Woicageyapi and accomplishing the 7Gen Vision. A visionary example of Indigenous sovereignty, Keya Wakpala aims to preserve traditional culture, community and Indigenous lifeways while fulfilling the physical needs and contemporary realities of today.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSKeya Wakpala Project Site: https://www.sicangu.co/keyawakpala Chance Renville, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation located in Northeast South Dakota. He is passionate about sustainability and the environment. As a husband and father, he is also an experienced hunter and chef who creates delicious meals for his family utilizing the ingredients he harvests and hunts from the lands. He has been active in construction since 2009 when he started doing renovations & remodeling. Amanda Morrisette, a Sicangu and Oglala Lakota woman, is a mother first and foremost. She has served her country as a veteran, and her experiences have shaped her into a dedicated advocate for her community. Amanda’s passion for uplifting her people drives her daily efforts, making her a respected and beloved figure within the Sicangu Lakota community.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 226Photo credit: Sicangu.co
In the words of Terence McKenna, since the rise of western monotheism the human experience has been marginalized. We have been told that we were unimportant in the cosmic drama when one considers the power of creation of the one God. But we now know as the global temperatures rise and glaciers melt from the burning of fossil fuels and the feedback mechanisms associated with the greenhouse effect: the impact of human culture on the Earth is massive. So how do we reverse the course of destruction created out of the human imagination? Some have postulated plant medicines learned from Indigenous societies of the Americas have a way to reintegrate humans into the processes of the Earth to heal the sickness and warming all around.In this show, we explore human symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals in the sacred peyote medicine used by the Native American Church in the US and in societies in the mountains of Mexico. We look at the work of several ethnobotanists who also studied the plants and the rites associated with ayahuasca or yage in South America. Richard Evans Schultes and Terence McKenna researched the ancient human relationship with chemicals that would open the doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. This show aims to explore the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness that can re-orient people to heal the fractured relationships with our communities and ecosystems.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Sacred Peyote Short documentaryCreed Spencer Filmwith Bryce Jarrett Appearing: Lisa Aldred PhDHartford Stops CrowDennis Holds - CrowAlexandra Witkin-New Holy PhD Montana State UnivLink: https://youtu.be/9rYdgHx8yrw?si=HWYDh8USmEEezLvC ----------Fred Wahpepah - About the Peyote Ceremony from 7 Circles Foundationhttps://youtu.be/7qa6N7anaV8?si=bNKuyXo_aTUT1IOp ----Benedict AllenPeyote the last of the medicine men - Huichol People of Mexicohttps://www.benedictallen.com/ —--Native Lens: Healing Through Peyote -- Rocky Mountain PBSAmber Lahabe Dine/NavajoVideo: https://youtu.be/Q7gR5oXARII?si=XxHb1OrkdAS5vTOu Icaros: https://youtu.be/hS21jI7p3hQ?si=QzRvHyvk2jhDRJTi Father of Modern Ethnobotany, Richard Evans Schultes Interview from 1990https://youtu.be/1lxtn7zbQfw?si=Z_5UXi0IOG-ml8Xg Terence McKenna Culture is Your Operating Systemhttps://youtu.be/9c8an2XZ3MU?si=kEfa47NLkh8-mZND Terence McKenna - Eros and the Eschatonhttps://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/terence-mckenna-on-shamanic-schizophrenia-and-cultural-healing/ Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 225Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
In this episode, we explore the controversial topic of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with insights from various experts and activists. We begin with excerpts from Taylor Brobrey’s keynote at the 2024 Bioneers Conference, where he shares his personal experiences growing up in North Dakota amidst the coal and oil industries. Next, we hear from climate thinker Gabrielle Walker, who discusses the necessity of carbon removals in her TED talk. Finally, energy expert and environmental activist Maury Wolfson joins Jack Eidt to debunk the myths surrounding CCS and discuss the reality of its implementation and cost. Tune in to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and false promises of carbon capture and storage.Most of us understand we are in a global climate emergency. Data confirmed last month was the hottest May on record, putting the Earth on a 12-month streak of record-breaking temperatures. What we need is to immediately transition away from the burning of fossil fuels toward renewable power sources, but also a focus on more efficient energy use, and most importantly, a comprehensive plan for massive conservation and rethinking the way we do business. But global corporations want to continue with their present business model focused on coal, oil, fossil gas, ethanol, and industrial agro-fueled biodiesel. And the way they do it is advancing “solutions” like Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Clip Taylor Brobry from Bioneers: https://youtu.be/17NNiLXQoaM?si=SC4qROI6KlpuAO8v What You Need to Know About Carbon Removal | Gabrielle Walker | TEDClip from TED Talk Gabrielle Walker: https://youtu.be/60e6u_1TEIs?si=Rm7HXkPPn1S51p9mResources/Articles:Info on Project Tundra in North Dakota: https://www.projecttundrand.com/ “The carbon capture crux: Lessons learned,” Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysishttps://ieefa.org/resources/carbon-capture-crux-lessons-learnedTaylor Brorby [https://taylorbrorby.com/] grew in the dynamic shortgrass prairie of western North Dakota, a youth that coincided with the brutal physical and psychic scarring of his surroundings by the coal and oil industry, a fate not made any easier by being a young gay boy enthralled by classical music, art, fishing, and poetry. From here, Taylor became a poet, writer and dedicated activist, an eloquent critic of the fossil fuel industry, penning, among other works, the memoir: Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land, the essays in Civil Disobedience, and co-editing: Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America. Morey Wolfson has spent his career in energy and environmental policy. He is a Former Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulator, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employee, and governors’ energy policy advisor.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 224Photo credit: Kanenori on Pixabay
We sat down with James Skeet, Executive Director of Covenant Pathways on his Spirit Farm in New Mexico. Along with our host Carry Kim and a group of fifteen people from Los Angeles, we visited Spirit Farm near Gallup, New Mexico in May of 2024. It was an amazing education in the Navajo-Diné World where we connected with the land, our hosts, and each other through the guidance of James and his wife Joyce.In the interview, we delved into the concept of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence from a Navajo perspective. Discover how ancient Native wisdom and biocosmology can reconnect us to the land, foster soil health, and promote a sustainable future. We learned about the challenges and triumphs of integrating Indigenous knowledge with modern practices to heal both the Earth and human communities. And the discussion went deeper into history of colonization, spirituality, sustainability, and the power of regenerating both ancestral traditions and the land in today's world.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSVideo Featuring James Skeet from New Mexico Community Capitalhttps://youtu.be/ZrhK1-DlOZk?si=wIWlwrZYxHQYWGi7 The Six Sacred Stones of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligencehttps://youtu.be/QYqjOYygQdU?si=kWfUobfNscpLt1bs James Skeet and his wife Joyce are the co-founders of Covenant Pathways [https://covenantpathways.org/], a 501c3 non-profit organization, and they operate Spirit Farm [http://spiritfarmnm.org/]. James is passionate about reconnecting all peoples to the land through Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence that integrates the ancient Native wisdom of the bio-cosmology to create a haven where soil health, nutrient rich foods, human health, and free markets can prosper for another 10,000 years. James’ heritage has assisted in grounding him in the work he does as a full-blooded Navajo – also known as Diné – Native American from Vanderwagen, New Mexico.James’s Diné (Navajo) clan name means “Red Cheek, Born of Leaning Tower.” He is full of energy, life, and wisdom. James worked for NGOs fostering childhood development and then served as a financial watchdog for the tribal government. In all of his systematic work with programs and regulations, he began to seek ways to express his spiritual understanding that “all things are sacred.”Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 223Photo credit: Sue Hudelson
On this show we take a journey through the challenges facing our world's forests. What does it take to protect tropical rainforests in places like the Amazon from illegal logging? What about the corporations profiting off the illegal logging trade? Host Jack Eidt speaks with Forest Policy Specialist Scott Paul on his transition from activism with Greenpeace to corporate sustainability with Taylor Guitars. Many of the woods traditionally chosen to make acoustic guitars are under pressure due to a range of factors, including rising global consumption patterns and land conversion, and too often in many parts of the world, a lack of dedicated governance. Stressing the importance of ethical wood sourcing for musical instruments, Scott Paul shares how Taylor Guitars' innovative projects in Cameroon and Hawaii are setting new standards for environmental responsibility in the music industry. We hope to uncover the intricate relationship between forests, guitars, and global sustainability. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://woodandsteel.taylorguitars.com/authors/scott-paul/ Scott Paul is Taylor Guitar’s Director of Sustainability [https://www.taylorguitars.com/about/sustainability]. Prior to this, the majority of his career was spent as a forest policy specialist and activist, including 14 years at Greenpeace. Scott has worked for The White House Office on Environmental Policy, participated in the UN forest policy dialogue since 1995, and has served on multiple boards of directors, including the Forest Stewardship Council. His work has taken him to the Amazon, the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia, the Canadian boreal, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. He is also the first person in over 100 years to have been arrested for Sailormongering.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 222Photo credit: Scott Paul
In this episode, we're joined by Della Duncan [http://www.dellazduncan.com], Renegade Economist, Post-Capitalist Consultant, and Right Livelihood Coach, who shares her insights on regenerative economics and the urgent need for a cooperative future. We delve into the heart of economics, challenging the notion of 'homo economicus' and exploring the transformative power of aligning our values with our economic actions. Della guides us through the principles of ancient-future economics, the urgency of the Great Turning, and the potential of movements like donut economics to redefine our measures of success. Whether you're already on the path of economic change or just starting to question the status quo, this episode is a beacon of hope and a call to action for a more just, sustainable, and interconnected world.Economics is often presented as a value-less science in modern times. E.F. Schumacher, German economist & author of the seminal book ‘Small is Beautiful: As if People Mattered’, long advocated that economic growth must be responsibly balanced with the needs of communities, meaning all living beings: flora, fauna and funga. There are no economic experts, economics is something that applies to all of us. Many of us are already engaging in alternative forms of economics including: the shared economy, gift economy, permaculture economy, donut economy, non-profit economy and many more. This Anthropocene Era asks each of us to question current economic realities and economic systems and whether they reflect our ethics and the world we wish to see. We can practice ancient future economics that nurture our right livelihoods, ecological health, inspired communities and genuine democracy. Della Duncan joins us today to dream in the cooperative and regenerative future that is not only possible, but is happening right now around the globe.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSDella Z Duncan guides journeys upstream to the root causes of the challenges of our time to empower us to realize and re-member who we are, why we are here and how we can contribute to the Great Turning. As a Renegade Economist and moral philosopher, plants in her regenerative livelihood garden include hosting the Upstream Podcast [http://www.upstreampodcast.org] which challenges mainstream economic thinking through documentaries and conversations including most recently The Green Transition: The Problem with Green Capitalism and The Myth of Freedom Under Capitalism, supporting individuals as a Right Livelihood Coach, helping transition businesses and organizations as a post capitalist consultant and teaching and facilitating courses and retreats on the Work that Reconnects and Regenerative Economics including the annual Regenerative and Cooperative Economic Design Course and the Cultivating Regenerative Livelihoods Course through Gaia Education.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 221Photo credit: Jennifer Richard
In this episode, we explored the transformative power of conservation storytelling with Jared Lipworth, the executive producer of the documentary series 'Wild Hope' from an interview in 2023. Discover how communities worldwide are forging new paths to environmental recovery, even in the face of extinctions, superstorms, and climate tipping points. From the restoration of New York Harbor with oysters to the rebirth of Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, these stories offer a beacon of hope and a roadmap for sustainable coexistence. Tune in to learn how local actions are making a global impact and why storytelling is an essential tool in the fight for a healthier planet.Some have even argued that storytelling is a sort of climate action. We spoke with Jared Lipworth, Executive Producer of a new documentary series called Wild Hope [https://www.wildhope.tv/] available on the web and on PBS, based on Andrew Balmford's book of the same name. It endeavors to tell the stories of ordinary people leading a collaborative environmental recovery in the face of extinctions, superstorms, and climate tipping points.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/jared-lipworth-88819214 Jared Lipworth is Executive Producer of Wild Hope [https://www.wildhope.tv/] and other productions at HHMI Tangled Bank Studios [https://www.tangledbankstudios.org/], including the recently-released Giant Screen film: “The Blue Whale: Return of the Giants.” Jared also heads up the outreach department at Tangled Bank, where he oversees national impact campaigns designed to foster better local appreciation and understanding of science and nature.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
We visit the world of soil and soul healing on a local level with Ilana Brown Dourado and Renato Dourado of Engkanto Garden Farm [https://www.instagram.com/engkantogardenfarm/]. Delve into the essence of Syntropic Farming, a revolutionary approach to agriculture that harmonizes with nature's own processes. Learn how this method, inspired by Indigenous practices and popularized by the Ernst Götsch [https://agendagotsch.com/en/our-videos/], nurtures ecosystems that are self-sufficient, resilient, and abundant. In this episode, we explore the principles of Syntropic Agriculture, its distinction from organic farming, and its potential to heal both the soil and the soul. Get ready to be inspired by a story of ecological stewardship, cultural heritage, and the profound connection between land and spirit.We feature a clip from a Syntropic Food Forest with Over 250 Plant Species | The Food Forest Farmers by Happen Films [https://youtu.be/YBPLrr9Hph0?si=2k6LZcpew3D-0Zxh}, on a farm called Permadynamics in Aotearoa New Zealand, featuring Frida Lotz-Keega and Klaus Lotz. Klaus was a student of Ernst Gotsch, the founder of the Syntropic Farming movement in Brazil.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKShttps://agendagotsch.com/en/our-videos/Ernst Gotsch is the "founder" of the movement so his organization has many videos! https://vimeo.com/146953911Life In Syntropy is a small documentary about the movementIlana Brown Dourado is a land-based spiritual practitioner, with Renato Dourado stewards the half-acre backyard of a ranch-style home, called Engkanto Garden Farm. Ilana, drawing from her multicultural - Filipino and Jewish - roots to create a practice that is first and foremost rooted in communion with the land, its spirits and ancestors. Her approach to farming and healing are the same: everyone eats. Ilana is the Hebrew word for tree, a namesake that she consistently strives to live up to. Renato Dourado [https://www.instagram.com/renatodourad/] is a fifth generation farmer from the Northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil. Growing up in a drought-ridden area of the country, Renato developed his own communication style with the plants, beings, and spirits early on. He is a student and practitioner of Syntropic farming, a form of dynamic agroforestry that aims to build self-sufficient ecosystems based on the principles of natural succession. Today Renato is putting his knowledge into practice at a consultant-level.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 220Photo credit: Engkanto Garden Farm
Join us as we celebrate the wisdom of eco philosopher, author, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy on her 95th birthday in this profound episode of Eco Justice Radio. We delve into Joanna's groundbreaking work, "The Great Turning," examining the transformative journey from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. With excerpts from a 2002 talk and a 2018 interview, Macy's insights on activism, spirituality, and deep ecology offer a beacon of hope and a call to action for a better world. Tune in to be inspired by Joanna Macy's vision for a sustainable future and her unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and environmentalism.We begin with an excerpt of a talk given at Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, in 2002, courtesy of the Salt Spring Video Channel. Following is an interview with Joanna Macy, by our co-host Carry Kim from 2018. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Joanna Macy and the Great Turning Talk in British Columbia 2002 https://youtu.be/ZB6YcL0vy74?si=cJgf_YC_NimYH1Bf Joanna Macy 2018 interview: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/ecojustice-radio-joanna-macy-and-the-great-turning-episode-10/ Joanna Macy is the Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change. She is an international spokesperson for anti-nuclear causes, peace, justice, and environmentalism, most renowned for her book, Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World and the Great Turning initiative, which deals with the transformation from, as she terms it, an industrial growth society to what she considers to be a more sustainable civilization. She has created a theoretical framework for personal and social change, and a workshop methodology for its application. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues, Buddhist thought, and contemporary science, and helps people transform despair and apathy into constructive, collaborative action. Learn more at: https://www.joannamacy.net/main The Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/ Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats2018 Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.Engineer: JP MorrisExecutive Producer: Mark MorrisInterview Music: Javier KadryEpisode 219Photo credit: Joanna Macy
This week, we focus on the enduring legacy of 94-year old elder Oren Lyons, Onondaga Chief and a beacon of Indigenous culture and environmental activism. We explore Oren's insights from the Bioneers conference, his reflections on the Haudenosaunee principles of peace, and his impassioned plea for a value shift towards communal living and environmental harmony. His keynote address was entitled To Survive, We Must Transform our Values. Discover the unwritten history of Turtle Island and the wisdom that could lead humanity to a more just and sustainable world.Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, they act as a hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.We also share Oren Lyons – “We are Part of the Earth” from the Sacred Land Film Project, part of Earth Island Institute. Oren Lyons also decodes the classic story "The Wizard of Oz", from a Native American perspective. L. Frank Baum’s tale as a Utopian American Dream soft-peddles an anti-nature-prejudice amid dazzling urban-industrial landscapes. This bias manifests at the expense of the Earth’s resources, and contributes to today’s environmental, economic, and social collapse.Finally, we include an excerpt from the Indigenous Forum at the Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California. Recorded by friend of the show Janet Sager in March 2024. The panel is entitled Listening to Wisdom Keepers. We feature the moderator, Alexis Bunten, co-director of the Indigeneity Program at Bioneers, a song from Greg Castro, and discussions from Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, and of course, Oren Lyons.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Bioneers Conference https://conference.bioneers.org/ Oren Lyons, “We Are Part of the Earth” Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/bSwmqZ272As?si=crGAyku6eCrFwbaC Oren Lyons on The Wizard of Oz, Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/t8ttzSwYFa8?si=43nbAQNXGPcz1ZuI More on Oren Lyons: https://wilderutopia.com/international/earth/oren-lyons-on-the-unity-of-the-earth/ Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan who serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee peoples), is an accomplished artist, social and environmental activist, and author; a Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo; a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples; and the recipient of many prestigious national and international prizes including The UN NGO World Peace Prize.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 215Photo credit: Sacred Land Film Project
In this episode, Landscape Architecture Professor Rod Barnett based in Aotearoa New Zealand shares his provocative insights on the role of landscape design in the Anthropocene with our host, Carry Kim. With a focus on indigeneity and community sovereignty, Rod delves into the history and future of landscape architecture, its impact on social ecologies, and the necessity of reimagining our relationship with the land. Listen as we unravel the threads of colonization and discover the emergent systems that could redefine our world.The word landscape derives from Dutch and originally meant “region or tract of land.” By the early 1500s, it came to also reference pictures depicting scenery on land in artworks. In this Anthropocene Era, we are encouraged to consider planetary environments and landscapes as systems that span a wide range of biomes, flora, fauna & funga. Landscapes can reflect regional networks of community empowerment where humans & “more-than-humans” become entangled within shared lifeways that respect and encourage diversity. Perhaps landscape architecture or design can be honestly understood as an evolutionary, contemplative and disruptive practice; one that considers the intersections of environmental justice, climate activism, community sovereignty and indigeneity that empowers local peoples and enhances and restores the landscapes in which they live. Indigenous design remains the key to the future of settler nation landscapes in the Anthropocene. Rod Barnett, founder of the non-profit landscape architecture practice, Kaihanga Awawhenua [Riverland Design https://www.nonlinearlandscapes.com/] joins us for a compelling discussion on the potential of landscape design to evolve generative landscapes that resonate with the aspirations of the local community. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSUtu in the Anthropocene (placesjournal.org) Utu, the Māori principle of reciprocity, accords all beings the same ontological status. It is profoundly interpersonal.https://placesjournal.org/article/redesigning-colonial-landscapes/?cn-reloaded=1Rod Barnett is a professor of Landscape Architecture based in Aotearoa also known as New Zealand. He runs a non-profit experimental landscape design practice, Kaihanga Awawhenua [which translates from the Maori to Riverland Design https://www.nonlinearlandscapes.com/], within the intersection of environmental justice, climate activism and community sovereignty. His aim is always to empower local peoples to enhance and restore the landscapes in which they live. Wherever he works across the world the values and practices of Indigenous peoples are his compass and guide Prior to heading the school of architecture at Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka, he served as chair of the graduate program in landscape architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 217Photo credit: Rod Barnett
"Toxic Exposure: The Monsanto Roundup Trials, and the Search for Justice," reveals the dark side of the world's most widely used herbicide. Jessica Aldridge interviewed Dr. Chadi Nabhan in 2023, who offered his expert insights on the link between glyphosate and cancer, the landmark legal battles against Monsanto, and the ongoing struggle for environmental justice. Tune in for a compelling narrative that exposes the failures of regulatory agencies and the courage of individuals standing up to agrochemical giants.Monsanto is now owned by Bayer, one of the largest agrochemical companies in the world. These companies and the EPA downplayed the health dangers of Roundup and the active ingredient glyphosate even after Monsanto lost numerous court cases (owing billions in judgements) and settled out of court for more than $11 Billion for more than 100K patients. In this interview we discuss the history of Roundup, the dangers of glyphosate, the trial stories and verdicts, and what the everyday person can do to fight for justice against this agricultural behemoth. Extended Interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dr-chadi-nabhan-84123670Dr. Chadi Nabhan is an expert in lymphoid malignancies and treating and diagnosing cancers. He is author of Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials and the Search for Justice [http://www.chadinabhan.com]. He received his medical degree from Damascus University in Syria. After performing basic science research at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, he completed his internal medicine residency as well as an MBA in Healthcare Management at Loyola University in Chicago. Dr. Nabhan maintains active medical licenses in five states, and has over 300 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. He is also a sought-after speaker, moderator, facilitator, and the creator and host of his own podcast, "Healthcare Unfiltered" [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjiJPTpIJdIiukcq0UaMFsA].Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Buy the book, Toxic Exposure: https://chadinabhan.com/mybooks/Salon Article: https://www.salon.com/2023/02/25/glyphosate-roundup-chadi-nabhan-interview/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Join host Carry Kim as she welcomes biomimicry expert Anne LaForti to discuss the transformative power of looking to nature for answers. Learn how biomimicry isn't just about emulating nature's aesthetics but understanding its functional mechanisms for survival and thriving. Unpack the principles of biomimicry, its implications for industries, and the ethical considerations of borrowing from nature's playbook.Biomimicry aspires to create a world mentored and inspired by Nature’s 3.8 billion years of infinite creativity and evolutionary ingenuity. Janine Beynus’s seminal book: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature defines biomimicry as a "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or draws inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems." Designing, creating, and innovating in a generous and abundant vs extractive way that regenerates and reciprocates life is a fundamental aim of biomimicry. Biomimicry and Nature’s intelligence can innovate a wide range of consumer products and services, biodegradable packaging, regenerative design, eco-friendly architecture, and building materials as well as influence social structures and organizations. Snakes and leeches can inspire better detergents, beetle wings, tortoise shells, and sea cucumbers can change the nature of packaging, kingfisher birds can inspire high speed bullet trains, ventilation systems can be modeled after termite mounds, a factory can be designed to function like a forest, arid landscapes can compel industrial development towards a regenerative model. Anne LaForti, Project Manager for Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net], a world-renowned biomimicry consulting group, joins us to illuminate the potential of biomimicry to help us collectively thrive and align with and for Nature. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKSJanine Benyus, from the film Biomimicry https://youtu.be/sf4oW8OtaPY?si=7W26J9cyuTayDTda Dayna Baumeister "Learning From Nature" Omega Institute for Holistic Studieshttps://youtu.be/2SvltP8IcTk?si=5cqOAduiyyK2M26O Janine Benyus, from a TED Talkhttps://youtu.be/k_GFq12w5WU?si=4i1ChxIT7q6xe1FR Anne LaForti is a soil nerd, myco (mushroom/fungi) enthusiast, and all-around biophile (nature lover). She has a Master's Degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University, and is a project manager supporting nature-based innovation in the built environment and beyond at Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net]. She is deeply interested in ITEK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge), regenerative agriculture and landscapes, and is constantly curious about how to grow nutrient dense foods. Anne was the 2022 Spring Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR) Fellow [https://nahr.it/] in Santa Ynez, CA, working on "Soil as Pattern Language: Emulating Healthy Soil Communities" and has been a NAHR Ambassador since 2022.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 216Photo credit: Anne LaForti
Step into the world of the Kumeyaay Nation as we delve into their ancient wisdom, survival skills, and cultural practices that have weathered the test of time. Learn how this Indigenous community has been living in harmony with the diverse geography of San Diego and Northern Baja California, Mexico, skillfully managing the land to prevent wildfires and survive droughts. This episode not only features an Emmy-nominated documentary from KPBS San Diego (2014) but also brings the Kumeyaay tradition to life through the storytelling of Dr. Stanley Rodriguez, offering a profound lesson on resilience and environmental stewardship.We have much to learn from the First Peoples of the Americas, and for that reason we share this documentary First People Kumeyaay, with Nick Nordquist, Director-Editor, and Michael R. Johnson and Bob Sly, Producers. Appearing in the show include: Frank J. Salazar III (Campo Kumeyaay) intro-outro poetry, Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita Kumeyaay), Johnnie Eagle Spirit Elliott (Manzanita), Mark Becker PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Stanley Rodriguez (Santa Ysabel Kumeyaay), Brian Williams Archaeologist, Daniel Tucker (Sycuan Kumeyaay), Jamie LaBrake (Sycuan), Veronica Santos (Manzanita), Rayleen Elliott (Manzanita), Leroy Elliott (Manzanita), George Prietto (Sycuan), Norma Meza (Juntas de Neji Kumiai), Ana Gloria Rodriguez (San José de la Zorra Kumiai), Dr. Jerry Schaefer PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Susan Hector PhD Anthropologist, Silent Rain Espinoza (Viejas Kumeyaay), Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita).For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: Explore San Diego: First People - KumeyaayKPBS San Diego https://www.pbs.org/video/kpbs-presents-first-people/ Kumeyaay Songs and Stories, As Told by Stan Rodriguez- Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy: https://youtu.be/BkqoUIUN438?si=FESsUC66V_vXXe7v Kumeyaay Sacred Mountain: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kuuchamaa-the-exalted-high-place-of-the-kumeyaay/ Kumeyaay Traditions: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kumeyaay-people-traditions-survive-in-baja-california/ Dr. Stanley Rodriguez has been President of Kumeyaay Community College since 2018. He serves as a Council Member of the Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Dr. Rodriguez to the California Native American Heritage Commission in 2021. Dr. Rodriguez is the developer of the accelerated language immersion program, serving as a Kumeyaay Language Instructor at Kumeyaay Community College since 2005. Dr. Rodriguez served as an E-5 in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1991. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Human Behavior from National University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California, San Diego.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 215Photo credit: Mural by Sergio Toledo and Erendira Cisneros, Tecate, BC, Mexico, Photo by Jack Eidt
In this transformative episode, Dr. Zach Bush [http://zachbushmd.com/] shares his insights on the intricate links between the health of our planet and the health of humanity. Learn about the light energy within us that has been dimming since the 1940s and its relation to the rise of chronic diseases. Delve into the ancient stories of human spirituality and their impact on our modern world with Host Carry Kim. This is a conversation that will change the way you see your place in nature.Ours is a time that requires fortitude, resiliency, introspection, observation, connection and action. We are aware of the multitude of things afflicting humanity and the world, much of which has been human-induced whether we speak of climate change, conflicts, injustice of all kinds, destruction of the ecosystem and our microbiomes, degradation of soil, loss of biodiversity or personal dis-ease and the deterioration of collective health. Dr. Zach Bush has devoted his life and research to the exploration of what harms and what heals ourselves, our food systems, waterways, the soil, and the often unseen world of microbiology. His journey has been a deep and collaborative dive into understanding and revealing root cause. How did we get here and how will we change to chart a better course not just for humanity, but for all inhabitants with whom we share this planet? This conversation is more inquiry than "answers." It is a pondering of our times and an asking of questions, without the resolution of "answers." It is an attempt to connect some of the dots between human and planetary health and to awaken our collective memories as intrinsic parts of Nature. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Zach Bush, MD [http://zachbushmd.com/]is a renowned, multi-disciplinary physician and internationally recognized educator on the microbiome as it relates to human health, soil health, food systems, and a regenerative future. He founded *Seraphic Group [http://seraphicgroup.com/] and the non-profit Farmer’s Footprint [http://www.farmersfootprint.us/] to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health. His education has highlighted the need for a radical departure from chemical farming and pharmacy, and his ongoing efforts are providing a path for consumers, farmers, and mega-industries to work together for a healthy future for people and the planet.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 214
In this episode, we wander into the global 15-Minute City conversation that started with an urban planning vision of a world where schools, jobs, parks, and coffee shops are a short train or bike ride away. But amidst the green utopian dream, dystopian concerns have arisen. Voices like Joe Rogan [https://www.joerogan.com/] and Oh the Urbanity YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/c/OhTheUrbanity] weigh in, unpacking the fears of a society locked in by invisible and visible boundaries. Moreover, we hear from the practitioners, Professor Carlos Moreno [https://www.moreno-web.net/] who founded the concept for Paris, Data Scientist Angel Hsu [https://sternstrategy.com/speakers/angel-hsu/] who illustrates how urban living and climate harsh realities collide, and Canadian urbanist city planner Brent Toderian [https://toderianurbanworks.com/brent/] lays out the grand design. Will the 15-minute city liberate or incarcerate? Listen as we dissect an urban blueprint for tomorrow.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: 15-Minute City with Carlos Moreno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ2f4sJVXAIAngel Hsu https://www.ted.com/speakers/angel_hsu Oh The Urbanity - Prison Cities https://youtu.be/DpXqY_j1m1U?si=Id1Rs9ryzvkfb0EO An Evening with Brent Toderian https://youtu.be/fVVdmRGZ0hM?si=MwrPVxO-zfrRcP32 Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 213Photo credit: Pixabay
Can we trace where Western Civilization went wrong to the 1400s when Filippo Brunelleschi, known for his brazen duomo designs in Florence, Italy, invented the linear perspective that dominated Art, Architecture, and city planning ever since? This almost-photographic perspective of the world around us translated to cities and their people being separated from nature, and the ecosystems that nourish us all. Some European painters in the early 20th Century, like Picasso and Matisse, challenged this linear perspective and were called Fauves or wild beasts. But do we need more wild beasts, rather than just bad-boy white dudes, to overcome these linear perspective machines and heal our relationship with the Earth?On today’s show, Shana Nys Dambrot [http://sndx.net], art historian and culture writer from Los Angeles’ vibrant art scene, joins co-host Jack Eidt to guide us on a romp through these European art movements to trace how we got here and where we are headed. We delve into the question of how environmental and climate activism intertwine with artistic expression. Shana engages in a thought-provoking conversation about the role of art in shaping a better world, exploring the dreams and tangible enactments of new realities. Join us as we confront the big questions: Whose dream? Whose world? What does 'better' truly mean? This episode is not just an exploration of art, but a challenge to the status quo and an invitation to envision a future that includes everyone. Note: Jacques Derrida, French philosopher, referred to himself as a historian. He questioned assumptions of the Western philosophical tradition and also more broadly Western culture. Derrida called his challenge to the assumptions of Western culture "deconstruction.” On some occasions, Derrida referred to deconstruction as a radicalization of a certain spirit of Marxism. Shana applied the concept of deconstruction to the ideal of a "better world," which would then become a place that we never could have imagined or expected.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:https://www.laweekly.com/author/sndambrot/https://artillerymag.com/byline/shana-nys-dambrot/Related Interview: Designing Architecture and Landscapes with Nature’s Ecological Wisdom - Carl Welty https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/designing-architecture-and-landscapes-with-natures-ecological-wisdom/ On Geo-Fauvism: https://wilderutopia.com/sustainability/geo-fauvism-waking-to-the-wild-earth-through-visual-art/Shana Nys Dambrot [http://sndx.net] is an art critic, curator, and author based in Downtown LA who has been Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to the Village Voice, Flaunt, Artillery, and other culture publications. She studied Art History at Vassar College, and is the recipient of the 2022 and 2024 Mozaik Future Art Writers Prize, the 2022 Rabkin Prize for Art Criticism, and the LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Critic of the Year award for 2022. Her surrealist novel Zen Psychosis (Griffith Moon) was published in 2020.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 212
We sat down this week with Jay Levin, President of EQuip Our Kids, to explore the transformative power of emotional intelligence training. As society grapples with rising stress, anxiety, and a digital landscape that both connects and isolates, he discusses how Equip Our Kids is paving a path to mental wellness for children and teens. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone invested in shaping a future where emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of education and personal development.Most would agree our times are as tumultuous and unpredictable, as they are auspicious and potentiating. How we proceed in this era is ultimately a matter of choice and exploring the best ways forward. Over the last decade, mental health in among youth has been declining, in conjunction with increased levels of stress, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and depression. The pandemic years exacerbated feelings of isolation, loneliness, sadness and hopelessness among many youth globally. The prevalence of social media, cellphones, and digital addiction are impacting youth with greater access to national and global challenges whether it be: climate change, gun violence, racial injustice, gun violence or international or socioeconomic crises. According to a survey of tens of thousands of students conducted by University of Michigan researchers, 8th and 10th graders in 2021 spent an average of 3.5 hours daily on social media platforms. The Pew Center also reported that last year, 35% teens said they used social media “almost constantly.” Poor sleep, sedentary, indoor lifestyles, peer pressure, cyberbullying, and diminishing in-person vs. virtual social connections are all impacting the mental health of today’s youth for better or worse. How can we nurture emotional intelligence skills that equips youth with adaptability in changing times, fortitude and wellness tools that foster their innate gifts and potential? Jay Levin, President of Equip Our Kids [https://equipourkids.org] joined us to talk about the potential and need for social emotional learning and nurturing emotional intelligence to create greater balance, resiliency and a deep sense of connectedness among youth of all ages. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Infohttps://equipourkids.org/explaining-eq-sel/ Featured Video:Students Talk about Social and Emotional Learning's impact in school and in their life https://youtu.be/mV4t8hJG0d4 Jay Levin is the President of EQuip Our Kids! [https://equipourkids.org] whose mission it is to get emotional intelligence training in all US pre Kindergarten to grade 12 schools. The founder of the LA Weekly, which he grew to be the largest urban weekly newspaper in the country, he has also run five other media companies. A social entrepreneur, he has started six nonprofits dealing with social issues and has served on the advisory boards of three environmental organizations. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 211
In honor of the conclusion of Black History Month, we air parts of a documentary from Kansas State University, called Dawn of Day: Stories of the Underground Railroad [https://youtu.be/L5c6cDCTJNY?si=Asw3p9WGrBf81_Zj], produced by Dean Mercer, Directed by Rusty Earl, and narrated by the late Richard Pitts, who was Director of the Wonder Workshop in Manhattan, Kansas. Dawn of Day is a historical documentary about the Underground Railroad in Kansas that brings to light unsung heroes who worked in secret to deliver enslaved African Americans to freedom into the free states in the north. Featured on the show today are narrator Richard Pitts, Brad Burenheide of Kansas State, Madge McDonald of the Wamego, Kansas Historical Society, and Historian Michael Stubbs, interviewed in the famed Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in Wabaunsee, Kansas.The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century. The slaves who risked capture and those who aided them are also collectively referred to as the passengers and conductors of the "Underground Railroad.” One estimate suggests that, by 1850, approximately 100,000 slaves had escaped to freedom via the network.The most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman. After escaping slavery, she made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses between Maryland and Philadelphia, and after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1950, the destination was British North America, or what we know as Canada. John Brown was also prominent leader in the Abolitionist Movement, first reaching national prominence in the 1850s for his radical fighting in Bleeding Kansas, a state-level civil war over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave state or a free state. Brown was captured, tried, and executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for a raid and incitement of a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (today’s West Virginia) in 1859, an effort that was also assisted by Harriet Tubman.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/bleeding-kansas-and-stories-of-the-underground-railroad/Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 210Photo credit: Kansas State University
According to Dr Kristine Nichols, a soil microbiologist and regenerative agriculture expert, of the 900 million arable acres in the U.S., only about 1.5% is being farmed regeneratively. Yet, this continues to change, despite consolidation of farms, the majority of foods on this continent are still grown by small farmers. Regenerative is our future and also our past, as Indigenous peoples have long cared for this Earth, knowing it is our inheritance and responsibility. We owe a debt to how they have cared for the land through their culture, lifeways and connection to Mother Earth. Our guest today, Gabe Brown, Regenerative Farmer and Rancher out of North Dakota, and a Partner in Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com] and the Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/] is a leading voice reminding us to return to tend the land as stewards, relatives, and children born of the land. Regenerative farming promotes soil health, restores the water cycle, increases biodiversity and the holistic health of the ecosystem. Aligning with regenerative farms, and creating beyond sustainable local food systems, requires us to shift to a consciousness of caring for the Earth as Indigenous peoples have done since time immemorial. Understanding and undertaking this personally and collectively is key to the continuance of life. It all begins with the soil, whether we are talking about food security and sovereignty, climate change or the need to heal ourselves and the soil, so that all life from microbes to insects to plants, animals, and humans can thrive together. It is not a hierarchy but a circle and cycle of care that we must urgently attend to for future generations. Gabe Brown joins us now to share his journey and how we can collectively contribute to an abundant future with regenerative farming. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Featured Video:Understanding Ag: https://youtu.be/9yPjoh9YJMk?si=aclF95oje6IFq6EY Gabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on the regeneration of our resources. Gabe and his wife and son operate Brown's Ranch [https://brownsranch.us/], a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. Gabe was named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States and is also the author of the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.” He is a partner in Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com] and an instructor for Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/], which focuses on teaching others the power and importance of healthy functioning ecosystems.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 209
Two hundred years ago, before the Industrial Revolution, the rivers across North America ran clear and blue. Beginning in the 1800s, the growth of manufacturing and agriculture brought prosperity, but at the great cost of unmitigated pollution. While the food industry has been focused on profitability, their agricultural practices have resulted in rainstorms washing pesticides, fertilizers, feedlot manure, and bare soil into our waterways and oceans, turning rivers from clear reflections of blue skies to hues of greenish brown. And human health has suffered as well.Our guest John Roulac [https://johnroulac.com/], Founder of Nutiva and Executive Producer of the recently premiered documentary film, Common Ground, delivers the good news: there are profitable and earth-friendly ways to grow nutrient-dense food, draw down carbon to address climate chaos, and return our rivers to their natural blue appearance. He discusses his many nonprofit organizations and two documentary films focused on soil regeneration as an important way forward.John illuminates the harsh realities of our industrial agricultural practices and presents a compelling case for a regenerative revolution. From the loss of winged insects to the acidification of oceans, he paints a vivid picture of the ecological crisis at hand. We discuss how we can transform degraded lands into flourishing ecosystems, and why sustainable agriculture isn't enough. Learn about the power of regenerative agriculture to restore biodiversity, improve food security, and heal our planet. John’s message is clear – we must transition now from destructive farming to practices that could save our ecosystems and our personal health. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles:Pharma's Culture War - https://johnroulac.com/pharmas-culture-war-are-simple-cheap-effective-options-being-downplayed/Make America's Rivers Blue Again -https://johnroulac.com/making-americas-rivers-blue-again-connecting-the-dots-between-regenerative-ag-healthy-waterways/John Roulac, the founder of Nutiva, sourced and formulated organic superfoods that have generated over $1 billion in retail sales. John is a serial entrepreneur, investor, writer, philanthropist, and the Executive Producer of the Netflix hit film Kiss the Ground, and the latest Common Ground which focuses on regenerative agriculture. Furthermore, John has established six non-profit organizations, including Great Plains Regeneration, Agroforestry Regeneration Communities (ARC), and Forests Forever, showcasing his commitment to environmental and social causes.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 208Photo credit: John Roulac
Pastoralism. New (and Old Agrarians). Prescribed grazing. Adapting to our changing climate. Returning to ancient traditions for modern times. Throughout history, humanity has engaged pastoralism and grazing animals as a way of life, from Africa, to the Tibetan Plateau, the Eurasian steppes, to the Andes and Australia. As of 2019, 75% of all countries still maintain pastoral communities who graze animals for subsistence including cattle, camels, goats, yaks, llamas, reindeer, horses, and sheep. Diane Anastasio, Programs Manager of Shepherdess Land & Livestock [http://brittanycolebush.com/], based out of Ojai, California. joins us on this show to put the new generation of grazing on the land in perspective.Today, smaller ruminants such as goats and sheep are integral and essential to ecological restoration, regeneration, and reconnecting us to animals and the land itself. Ruminants help balance ecosystems and usher in biodiversity, when handled conscientiously, with the future in mind. Overgrazing has also led to land degradation and desertification worldwide, however, many view animals as a sacred key to revitalizing land and renewing our relationship to animals and Nature. Sheep and goats offer back end fertilization, food, fiber and help prevent fire hazards. Prescribed Grazing creates ecological resilience and healthier landscapes adaptable to the whims of climate change. In the US, pastoral practices and economies have virtually been eradicated due to colonization, industrialization, and the individualization of livestock production. Ours is a time for renewing pastoralism culturally and economically, in order to foster a life of balance and reverence upon the lands, in connection with all life. Diane Anastasio [https://www.dianeanastasio.com/] joins us to share the potentiality of prescribed grazing, ecological resilience and a pastoral life. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Featured Videos:Shepherdess Land and Livestock IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsB6F4mpXxD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link LATimes 404 IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C00TQb7Lpoh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Intro Video The Selby: https://vimeo.com/708353057 Diane Anastasio is a weaver, writer and shepherd currently working with prescribed grazing business, Shepherdess Land & Livestock [https://shepherdesslandl.co/] in Ojai, California. Diane arrived in agriculture through overlapping explorations of food systems, nutrition, education and a deep desire to carry on the work of their agrarian ancestors. Diane is passionate about creating accessible pathways into prescribed grazing and has been collaborating on the development of the Grazing School of the West [http://grazingschoolofthewest.com/] in order to support new generations of agrarians in the field.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 207Photo Credit: Pickhard for Shepherdess Land and Livestock
What is now known as Alabama and the environs of the Deep South, boast exceptional biodiversity and capture the imagination with its rich cultural and historical significance. It is the ancestral home of Cherokees, Choctaws, Muscogee or Creeks, and numerous lesser known Native nations and also the place where civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael planted the seeds of Black Power. Moreover, Dr. King famously marched from Selma to Montgomery, weaving along the Alabama River to manifest a dream of unity.Listen to rich stories of ecological restoration and preservation of places of civil rights history that is Alabama. In 2021, we spoke with Bill Finch of Alabama River Diversity Network and the Paint Rock Forest Research Center, and Phillip Howard, Project Manager of Civil Rights People and Places Initiative. They shared the vision and mission of these non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting the extraordinarily diverse natural and human heritage of this essential region.Bill Finch is the founding director of Paint Rock Forest Research Center [https://paintrock.org] and founding partner of the Alabama River Diversity Network [https://alabamarivernetwork.org]. Finch is author of Longleaf, Far As the Eye Can See, an exploration of the potential in North America’s most diverse forest ecosystem. He is former conservation director for the Nature Conservancy’s Alabama Chapter, and an award-winning writer on gardening, farming and environmental issues. Phillip Howard is Project Manager for The Conservation Fund’s Civil Rights People and Places Initiative. He recently produced a film about the Campsites of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail called 54 Miles to Home.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.54 Miles to Home: https://vimeo.com/591288364Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/conserving-civil-rights-history-and-biological-diversity-in-alabama/Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/Executive Producer: Jack EidtInterview by Carry KimIntro by Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 122Image: EJR with thanks to Bill Finch and Phillip Howard
We have an epidemic of chronic illness and degenerative disease on this continent. According to the NonGMO Project, the U.S. is by far the largest producer in the world of GMOs, 37.6% of all land globally dedicated to genetically modified crops is in the U.S. And until relatively recently, there were no mandatory labeling laws. Zen Honeycutt, Founder of Moms Across America & author of the book, Unstoppable, joined us to share about her journey as a mother who advocates about the current state of our world food supply, how it affects our children’s health, public health, the health of farmworkers and everyone we love. Through her realization of the numerous toxic chemicals we often unknowingly feed our loved ones, she has pursued the origin and effects of glyphosate, herbicides, pesticides and GMOs with renowned scientists. And she has met with and documented the stories of many farmers who wish to feed the world well, without destroying its inheritance. She has galvanized countless Moms who have shared the chronic and life-threatening health issues befalling their children, themselves, and other family members & how they reclaimed their lives and enacted change for their communities. There are true tales of corporate greed and government corruption—being traded for personal and public health. With autism projected to affect 1 in 2 children in the near future, changing how and what we eat and how we protect the waters, air, soil from harm is an imperative that involves us all. The future of our children matters immensely. And our future existence depends on each of us becoming activists and advocates for change. Zen Honeycutt shares how we can change things for ourselves, our families, our world. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Zen Honeycutt is the Founding Executive Director of the non-profit, Moms Across America [https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/], a National Coalition of Unstoppable Moms with the motto "Empowered Moms, Healthy Kids." She is also an international speaker and the author of UNSTOPPABLE Transforming Sickness and Struggle into Triumph, Empowerment, and a Celebration of Community [https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Transforming-Empowerment-Celebration-Community/dp/1986668266/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526656802&sr=8-3&keywords=unstoppable+transforming&pldnSite=1].Zen has been featured in over a dozen documentaries such as BOUGHT, Secret Ingredients, Modified, and Common Ground, in hundreds of podcasts, and other media outlets. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 206
First we share a report from Yurok country, in the Pacific Northwest. The largest dam removal in U.S. history has entered a critical phase, with the lowering of dammed reservoirs on the Klamath River, with members of the Yurok Tribe leading the effort. We use this as an example of why Indigenous people must be leading the efforts of conservation, which is the basis of the Land Back movement discussed in this show.We also include a brief report on the Northern California Hoopa Tribe’s relation to water from ABC10 in Northern California, featuring Merv George of the Hoopa Tribe.Then we air an interview from 2023 of Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, on how radical imagination is required to forge a new, and also perhaps ancient way out of the injustices and destruction inherent in settler colonialism with the Land Back Movement.In the third segment, we air an excerpt from 'Restoring The River with the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk' from KCET's Tending Nature, Season 2, Episode 3 [https://youtu.be/8kZac1ZCtcE?si=NTvrPPX2uycf-y46]. It features Rosie Clyburn the Yurok Tribe Heritage Preservation Officer, Bob McConnel, of the Yurok Tribe and Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council, Charley Reed, Karuk-Yurok-Hupa fisherman, and Tiana Williams, a Yurok Condor Biologist.Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy is the Co-Director of the Cal Poly Humboldt Native American Studies Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute. Her book: We Are Dancing For You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies received “Best First Book in Native American and Indigenous Studies,” at the 2019 Native American Indigenous Studies Association Conference. She is also the volunteer Executive Director of the Native Women's Collective [http://www.nativewomenscollective.org/], a nonprofit organization that supports the continued revitalization of Native American arts and culture. She is Hupa, Karuk, and Yurok and is enrolled in the Hoopa Valley Tribe.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.MORE INFO“Tending Nature: Indigenous Land Stewardship.” KCET documentary film series. https://www.kcet.org/shows/tending-nature/special/indigenous-land-stewardshipEpisode 19: Decolonizing Water Part I Water Talk Podcast https://www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/episode-19”Reviving Relationships with Our Foodways: A History of Indigenous Food Sovereignty in California and Beyond" by Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy and Dr. Kaitlin Reed (co-directors of the FSL). https://cooperationhumboldt.com/food-guide-2021/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
In this industrialized country, we have had a war on wild what we call "predators," helicopter gunners shooting wolves to “protect” caribou herds in Alaska. Every day is open season on mountain lions in Nevada. Between 2000 and 2021, at least 4,229 mountain lions were killed in Nevada by hunters, trappers, and the state’s lethal removal effort, according to data from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.Humans are the greatest threat to mountain lions. In California, close to 40 million people live within, or adjacent to, cougar habitat.In this show we air parts of a documentary series called California Mountain Lions, Legends of California, by UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center [https://youtu.be/GLvRuSjSYgo?si=wOMXEOB60EjdUpjd]. Featured speakers are Walter Boyce, UC Davis, Dave Garcelon, Institute of Wildlife Studies, T. Winston Vickers, Veterinarian, UC Davis, and Jessica Sanchez SoCal Puma Project, Eric Gagne, Post Doc, Colorado State Univ., Trish Smith, The Nature Conservancy, and Pablo Bryant, SDSU Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve.We also share from Indigenous stories and mythology about the importance of predators like the big cats, or jaguars in their southern relatives. We further include sections from an interview our host Jessica Aldridge did with Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, focusing on mountain lion populations, wildlife connectivity, and existing and planned transportation crossings as a solution to protect wildlife. [https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/room-to-roam-the-importance-of-wildlife-connectivity-crossings/] More Info: https://mountainlion.org/2022/03/02/mountain-lion-minutes-the-archaeology-of-americas-lion/ https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-01-07/california-has-fewer-mountain-lions-than-previously-estimated Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, joins us to discuss the importance of connectivity and wildlife crossings. She explains why they are an integral strategy in land and habitat conservation and why preserving biodiversity not only protects wildlife, but also all of us humans! Beth’s Website: http://www.bethpratt.com/Save LA Cougars: https://savelacougars.org/Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Stories read by Jack Eidt from “Old Man Coyote,” Crow/Apsáalooké People, in ‘Myths and Traditions of the Crow Indians’ by Robert Lowie, Univ of Nebraska Press, 1993. And “Origin of the Honey Festival,” Tembé People, in ‘From Honey to Ashes’ by Claude Levi-Strauss, Harper and Row Publishers, 1966.Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtCo-Host Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 204
Whisper Camel-Means shares her expertise on the pressing need to protect US wildlife ecosystems, now imperiled at an alarming rate. She offers an Indigenous perspective on the human-induced threats to our living relatives, from habitat loss to climate change. Tune in to learn how we can restore habitats, ensure the survival of endangered species, and honor the profound connection between Indigenous peoples and nature. As of February 2023, the Center for Biological Diversity stated that 40% of U.S. wildlife and ecosystems are imperiled. A new report on the status of U.S. wildlife conservation revealed that 40% of animals, 34% of plants and 40% of ecosystems nationwide are at risk. Indigenous peoples have always understood our interdependence with Nature, with flora and fauna and our rightful place as a mere part of the whole, living ecosystem. Our discussion today is on Indigenous Stewardship with Whisper Camel-Means, wildlife biologist and enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation [https://csktribes.org/] in Western Montana.In short order, Western society has decimated much of life on this planet. Conservation scientist David Wilcove estimates that there are 14,000 to 35,000 endangered species of flora and fauna in the United States alone; or roughly 7 to 18 percent of U.S. flora and fauna. Today wildlife on Turtle Island face multiple threats including: habitat loss, climate change, disease, pollution, invasive species and exploitation, the majority of which is human-induced. How might we change our behaviors to create healthy, balanced ecosystems in which all our living relatives can thrive and prosper in their sacred and unique ways? What do we owe to the Deer, the Elk, the Moose, the Black Bear, the Grizzly Bear, Otter, Wolverine, Bat, Turtle, Bison, Peregrine Falcon, Bighorn Sheep, Trumpeter Swan and the Gray Wolf to name only a precious few? How can we help restore the habitats and species who face extinction and ensure their presence for future generations? Join Indigenous wildlife biologist Whisper Camel-Means as she shares about her life as a wildlife biologist and how we might protect wildlife for generations to come. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/96181630?pr=true Whisper Camel-Means is the Division Manager of the Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation in the Natural Resources Department for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation [https://csktribes.org/] in Western Montana. She is a wildlife biologist by training and now an administrator over multiple disciplines including restoration of the Bison Range for the Tribes [https://bisonrange.org/about/]. She works on outreach projects and climate change planning. She is an enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-stewardship-the-future-of-wildlife-with-whisper-camel-means/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 203Photo credit: Whisper Camel-Means
Check out our special encore presentation of our interview with Human Rights Attorney Steven Donziger recorded in December 2020. We investigate the story of Chevron’s crimes in Ecuador with Mr. Donziger who represented Ecuadorian communities demanding justice in a $9.5 billion decision against them for one of the largest-ever oil disasters.In this episode, we investigate the story of New York based attorney Steven Donziger who represented Ecuadorian communities demanding justice from Chevron-Texaco for one of the largest-ever oil disasters, where they deliberately dumped more than 16 billion gallons of toxic wastewater, spilled 17 million gallons of crude oil, and left hazardous waste in hundreds of open pits dug out of the forest floor. In a historic judgment, Chevron was found liable by Ecuadorian courts and ordered to pay $9.5 billion. Chevron says it will never pay. Instead, they launched an extraordinary racketeering and extortion lawsuit against the Ecuadorian and U.S. attorneys, and various consultants alleging they were all lying about Chevron's pollution and that the entire case was "sham litigation." Chevron has turned our guest Steven Donziger into a corporate political prisoner, placed under house arrest, bankrupt, disbarred. We look into how Chevron, supported by US federal judges, is using retaliatory attacks against Mr. Donziger and the Ecuadorian Peoples, and how their actions set a dangerous precedent and represent a growing and serious threat to the ability of civil society to hold corporations accountable for their misdeeds around the world. Steven Donziger is a New York-based attorney, human rights advocate, and member of the international legal team that won the historic $9.5 billion Ecuador pollution judgment against Chevron. Steven spent 995 days in detention on what was at most a misdemeanor, both in house arrest and prison, after he refused what appears to be an unlawful order to turn over his computer and cell phone to Chevron as he fought to protect the rights and lives of his Indigenous clients, including their right to confidential communications with their own lawyer. He can be reached at the websites https://www.freedonziger.com/Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 16-year recycling industry and Zero Waste leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40. In her day job she is the Sustainability and Zero Waste Programs Director for Athens Services.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/criminalizing-activism-steven-donziger-vs-chevron-2/Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 84
The Maasai are Indigenous people from southern Kenya, renowned and revered for their pastoral, nomadic heritage. They inhabit and range across the African Great Lakes region, and have traditionally subsisted almost entirely on the meat, blood and milk of their cattle herds. While many may romanticize the traditional ways of the Maasai, their Earth-based wisdom and connection to the land, Maasai lifeways are now under threat of climate change, overpopulation, and global warming. On this show we talk with two Maasai youth activists working to make life better, Winnie Seuta Kisioki, founder of My Maasai Woman Community Based Organization that provides education to women, and Samuel Lekato, Founder and Chairman of Enduata Emaa Community Based Organization.In recent years, the Maasai have suffered the consequences of desertification, deforestation, drought and famine, forcing them to seek new ways to sustain themselves amidst crises of poverty, public health and malnutrition. Additionally, there are pressing societal issues in need of redress, particularly with regard to women’s rights and empowerment. Female genital mutilation has long been a traditional initiation practice that has caused physical injury and death, as well as cut short the dreams and aspirations of women in general. In this episode, Winnie Seuta Kisioki and Samuel Lekato share about the new dawn in Maasailand: the actions Maasai are undertaking in the realms of conservation, preservation, restoration, and female empowerment to ensure that the rich cultural heritage and legacy of the Maasai thrives on. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Winnie Seuta Kisioki is a young Maasai activist based in Kenya. She studied at Zetech University Community Development and Thika School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she completed her courses in Community Health. As an activist she advocates for women's rights by creating the community-based organization 'My Maasai Woman' [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552820355583]. She helps women and girls to know their rights and have courage to stand for themselves. Her particular focus is trying to stop Female Gential Mutilation, early marriages, teen pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence that tend to pull their girls' dreams down.Samuel Lekato is currently the Project Coordinator of Green Planet Ambassadors at Enduata Emaa Community-Based Organization [https://enduataemaacbo.com/] in Kenya. Enduata means vision in the Maasai language, and Emaa means the Maasai community. He is a member of YOUNGO, a youth action and climate change club. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and is a passionate Climate Activist. He is a young changemaker in Maasailand who is driving transforming the community to a sustainable future.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 202
On this show, Solstice Celebration Story: Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter. Co-host and Producer Jack Eidt, in his role as a Literary Fiction writer, reads an excerpt of his short story based on The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet, with an 1892 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet libretto was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Here we present Jack’s own pro-peace-environmental re-imagining of that story, called The Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter, published in 2022 in the Fifth Fedora Anthology of Weird Noir and Stranger Tales, Published by Borda Books. We also feature excerpts of Tchaikovsky's ballet, the Nutcracker, Opus 71, recorded by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek. The Fifth Fedora Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Fedora-Weird-Stranger-Tales-ebook/dp/B0BFFTG13DTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest - Complete concert in HD: https://youtu.be/tk5Uturacx8?si=lBvpwbPYTzas7N9KFor an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/solstice-story-nutcracker-and-the-shape-shifter/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Story by Jack EidtBackground Music: The Nutcracker, Opus 71, by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPerformance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 201
Wherever land meets sea, global warming is wreaking havoc. As the ocean absorbs heat generated by the burning of fossil fuels and its attendant climate breakdown, its waters swell into overwhelming tides and city-engulfing storms. Glaciers melt, Pacific Islands shrink, Indonesians flee their seaside capital, and North Carolina’s beaches disappear with each passing supercharged hurricane. On this show, we talk with Environmental Reporter from the Los Angeles Times, Rosanna Xia, as she delves into these issues in her book, California Against the Sea.Sea level rise threatens low-lying coastal and estuarine zones which may have nearly one billion inhabitants worldwide by 2030. Thus, those residents will lose their homes and businesses, maybe their possessions and have to migrate to higher ground, if they survive the transition. To adapt, governments, industries, and communities must work collaboratively through integrated, multidimensional management schemes that cross the boundaries of natural sciences, environmental justice advocacy, and engineering. Sadly, in our short-term speculative real estate-centric world, we are nowhere close to working together…but there are some positive signs. Journalist and author Rosanna Xia provides an in-depth look at the complex challenges coastal communities face from rising seas. She draws on years of covering coastal management to unpack contentious issues like managed retreat, where communities acknowledge the ocean's inevitable reclamation of land. We discuss the plight of homeowners and businesses struggling to save their properties as well as innovative solutions like wetland restoration, Xia brings her extensive reporting to bear on how we can create more sustainable and resilient coastlines. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Rosanna Xia is an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/people/rosanna-xia] where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. Her work spans feature writing to investigative reporting and engages themes of climate and social justice. Xia’s reporting has uncovered the dumping of toxic DDT waste off the Los Angeles coast; set the record straight on the seizure of Bruce’s Beach from its Black proprietors (prompting an unprecedented reparative land return in 2022); explored the impacts of coastal gentrification; and articulated the dangers posed to shorelines by pollution and heating oceans. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting on sea level rise, which inspired the work that culminated in California Against the Sea [https://www.heydaybooks.com/catalog/california-against-the-sea/]. Her writing has been anthologized in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/rising-tides-retreating-homes-california-against-the-sea/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 200
Nature is not fixed, but ever changing. Some of the world’s best known deserts were once fertile grasslands and forests, including the Sahara, the Mojave, the Kalahari, and Gobi deserts. Is it accurate to think of deserts as permanent? Ecosystem succession shows us that Nature can evolve from rock to forest as well as reverse itself back to dust or a barren state. According to National Geographic, drylands account for more than 40 percent of the world's terrestrial surface area. Human-caused desertification and soil erosion is changing the landscape of Earth, with Africa and Asia being particularly vulnerable; many in these regions rely on subsistence farming. Humans are accelerating the degradation of land through deforestation, urbanization, mining, monocrop industrial farming, and conventional ranching, however, turning land into desert is not a fixed or foregone conclusion. Our guest in this show, Alejandro Carrillo, Managing Partner, Grasslands Regeneration Project for Las Damas Ranch, has been working to green the Chihuahuan desert in northern Mexico.Droughts, floods and erosion need not be permanent realities if we change the behaviors that are causing them. We have the power to align with and assist Nature in a process of evolution that benefits and sustains life. Las Damas, Alejandro Carrillo’s 30,000-acre ranch, is one of the world’s best known examples of what is possible on dry land, these arid and brittle environments that receive low rainfall. Due to rotational grazing and other strategies, like supporting the work of dung beetles and termites, native grasslands have proliferated. Thus, water infiltrates into more productive soil, wildlife and plant diversity thrive, encouraging a microclimate where rainfall increases. Resiliency is possible and Alejandro is here to share his remarkable, regenerative journey. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/94153636?pr=true Alejandro Carrillo, Managing Partner, Grasslands Regeneration Project [https://www.desertgrasslands.com/], is a regenerative rancher in the Chihuahuan Desert in Northern Mexico. In the last ten years, he has been able to grow tremendous amounts of grasses, forbes, and legumes in a climate zone that receives only eight inches of rainfall, thanks to holistic, rational grazing management. This has benefited both his ranching endeavor and the life in general of all organisms below and above ground. He has also made rainfall more abundant by creating a microclimate for his ranch. Before joining his father’s cattle ranch called Las Damas in 2004, Alejandro worked for several years in the software industry in the financial sector in various countries in the Americas and Europe. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 199
Well, we all know we have a problem with waste, trash, single-use plastics, wrappers, plastic bags. Plastic has become ubiquitous in our daily lives thanks to its convenience and artificially low prices. But it comes with many costs, upstream and downstream, so to speak. Fossil fuels fracked and pipelined to produce it, petrochemical facilities polluting communities, ecosystems, and the climate. Millions of tons of plastic waste are dumped every year, much of which makes its way into the oceans, harming wildlife and ecosystems in the process. Yet the majority of all plastic that has ever been made, some say around 90 percent, is not recycled. But keep in mind that recycling has some value, and we will get to that. Our EcoJustice Radio co-host Jessica Aldridge, as most of our regular listeners know, has been working for the last sixteen years in the waste industry to bring a sustainability vision and provide solutions to this insane dilemma. We have invited her into the interviewee seat this week to give us an overview of what can be done to confront this problem. And joining us as interviewer this week is Auri Jackson, Environmental Journalist and a veteran of viral video news site BuzzFeed.For the extended discussion, click here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/93796201?pr=trueAuri Jackson [http://www.aurijackson.com/] is a director and storyteller that specializes in making sustainability and social impact relatable to inspire action and offer hope. She pioneered environmental content at BuzzFeed and created a myriad of viral videos about everything from plastic pollution to climate change. She knows what makes millions of eyes pay attention and she’s passionate about working with non-profits and brands who put people and planet first. She also makes compelling narrative work which has won audience awards at the Austin Film Festival and Outfest. Jackson has been quoted in Vox, profiled in Jr Hi the Magazine, has written an article for Shondaland about zero waste, and has spoken at community events, as well as at corporate events for Nike and BuzzFeed, about how to be an everyday environmentalist. Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 16-year recycling industry and Zero Waste leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40. In her day job she is the Sustainability and Zero Waste Programs Director for Athens Services.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEp. 198
Native people inhabited the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts for more than 10,000 years. It is the homeland of many First People, all related to one another. They are called the Sokoki, Pocumtuck, Nonotuck, Woronoco, and Agawam.Many other tribes visited and still visit this Native homeland. Among them are the Abenaki, Nipmuck, Wampanoag, Narragansett, Mohegan, Pequot, Mohican, and Mohawk. These tribes are recognized today by states or the federal government as sovereign nations.Our guest on this encore interview from 2022 is Jennifer Lee, Northern Narragansett Educator and Board member of the Nolumbeka Project [https://nolumbekaproject.org/], an organization dedicated to honoring the Northeastern Tribal Heritage of the Connecticut River Valley. The word Nolumbeka is Abenaki for “the calm waters between the rapids.” Included are two excerpts from the video series "Indigenous Voices," as well as commentary on the Wampanoag view of the story behind the Thanksgiving holiday.Historically, tribes gathered in this valley to trade, to fish, to plant, to participate in sacred ceremonies. The sad fact remains that during the wars waged in the colonial period, the Native people were driven from this valley. They blended into the Abenaki, Nipmuck, and Mohican tribes across the Northeast. Often, they integrated into the settler communities. Some were herbal doctors, basket makers, and carvers. They dressed like their European descendant neighbors, but kept the fire of their culture alive.Jennifer Lee, Grandmother, bark basket maker, and culture bearer, provides histories, insights and perspectives of Native Peoples of the Northeast. Jennifer grew up without knowledge of her Native ancestry which compelled her to seek out the true history and culture of the Northeast Woodlands Indigenous Peoples as an independent researcher. For roughly 30 years, she has held classes in her Eastern Conical Wigwam to tell the stories of Northeastern Native Peoples and share her cultural knowledge. She is co-producer with the Nolumbeka Project of the 10-part film series “Indigenous Voices'' [https://nolumbekaproject.org/indigenous-voices/]. She has been a bark basket maker [http://Barkbasketsbyjlee.com] for 40 years.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/indigenous-voices-from-the-northeast-past-present-and-future/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 156Photo credit: Jennifer Lee
Humanity has a primordial connection to water. For Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Water is an Ancestor, a living entity to be communed with, revered and treated with sacred reciprocity. We owe our lives to the oceans, rivers, lakes and streams of the world. And although marine ecosystems have often been viewed and studied through the abstract lens of economics or science, today, traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultural relationships with marine life and water in all its forms, are at the forefront of a new weaving that blends the ancestral past with the present. There is a growing wish to restore traditional concepts of marine and aquatic cultivation and care, to address climate change, microplastics, health of marine life, contaminants, and aquaculture. If water is an ancestor, what is our obligation to it? How do we restore a harmonious relationship with water, that supports future generations of life, and preserves the lifeways and worldviews of Indigenous peoples? What do the waters of the world ask of us? What should stewardship of marine ecosystems look like? What might we learn from the Māori, expert navigators of the waters, who have long held that their relationship to the land and waters is sacred. To them: Nature is everything. In this episode, join Heni Unwin, Kairangahau or Research Scientist with the Cawthron Institute [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/], in pondering these questions from her diverse perspectives as a Māori descendant and marine scientist. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio RELATED SHOW: https://wilderutopia.com/international/oceans/ecojustice-radio-waste-colonization-and-plastic-pollution-episode-19/Heni Unwin is a marine scientist in Te Kāhui Āio or Māori Research Team [https://www.cawthron.org.nz/our-people/heni-unwin/]. Her main role is to interweave science and Mātauranga Māori – the Maori world view – into research projects. She is passionate about caring for the taiao - the environment – that cares for her.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 197Photo credit: Heni Unwin
The Right to Repair our electronics and other materials sounds like a no brainer. But historically manufacturers have said otherwise and fought, with millions of dollars, to stop legislation that allows consumers access to the resources to repair items like cell phones, toasters, and even tractor trucks.On this show Right to Repair takes center stage with guests Liv Butler, Policy Associate for Californians Against Waste [http://www.cawrecycles.org] and Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability for iFixit [https://www.ifixit.com/]. From new legislation in California to the national and global movement and successes, we discuss how manufacturers are being required to provide repair tools, parts, and manuals and examine concern around manufacturer compliance. Right to Repair is an important element in combating planned obsolescence and empowers consumers and small businesses. Our guests provide a thought-provoking look at this intersection of environmentalism, economics, and consumer rights and access.You may be surprised to learn that fixing your own items doesn’t actually void the manufacturers’ warranty. We discuss this and much more.Liv Butler is a Policy Associate at the Sacramento-based environmental advocacy group, Californians Against Waste [http://www.cawrecycles.org]. There, she works on legislation related to Extended Producer Responsibility and recycling issues.Elizabeth Chamberlain heads iFixit's advocacy work, supporting Right to Repair legislation around the globe and pushing for more repair in green electronics standards. The role blends her commitment to climate action, her love of technology, and her doctoral work in digital rhetoric [https://www.ifixit.com/].Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Related Showhttps://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-right-to-repair-your-devices-the-corporate-stranglehold/ Articleshttps://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/video/right-to-repair-rally-held-at-the-california-state-capitol-in-sacramento/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/24/apples-surprising-about-face-right-repair/ Resourceshttps://www.repair.org/ https://pirg.org/campaigns/right-to-repair/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEp. 196
Many of us who are settlers now living on Turtle Island or anywhere in the world where colonization has taken place, recognize that ours is a time of truth and reconciliation. Forced assimilation and boarding schools established by the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 deliberately suppressed the use of Indigenous language and culture. We are haunted by histories where government policies, colonizers, missionaries, and the like, aimed to eradicate Indigenous peoples and their way of life, rather than celebrate the sacredness of diversity, our inter-relatedness, and shared values. FULL SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/posts/preserving-and-91943116 Because there are few speakers of the Lakota language under the age of 30, Sage Fast Dog answered his community’s call to create a Lakota Immersion School, Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci [http://www.sicangu.co/wakanyeja] that would empower youth and revitalize the Lakota way of life. In this episode he shares the journey of reclaiming the Sicangu education system and uplifting Lak̇ota language, culture, and Indigenous identity.Nowadays, elders are dying; living knowledge keepers, and fluent speakers of Native languages are fewer and fewer, making it incumbent upon us all to ask: what of the future? What will we regret or celebrate 100 years from now? What if Indigenous languages and lifeways are revitalized? What will return if Indigenous languages return? How will society at large change? Would the lands, waters, and all living beings be the better for it? Prophecies augur this time where Indigenous peoples and the youth will lead. The revitalization and continuance of Indigenous languages and the cosmological views embedded in them, are essential for the Ancient Future that looms on the horizon. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Sage Fast Dog, the Founder and Director of Sicangu Co's Lakota Immersion School, Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci [http://www.sicangu.co/wakanyeja], is a passionate educator dedicated to preserving the Lakota culture and language. Born and raised on the Sicangu Makoce, Sage helped establish the school to address the urgent need for language preservation. Through his unwavering commitment, he has created a vital institution that immerses children in Lakota language and traditions, ensuring their cultural legacy endures.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 195
Breathing clean air and drinking clean water are fundamental rights. However, these have been denied to many low-income communities and communities of color, who often live next to massive industrial facilities that pollute the air and water.Our guest from an encore presentation from early in 2023 is Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali {https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/] former EPA official and now Executive Vice President at the National Wildlife Federation and Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He has been working toward solving historical injustices that target certain communities for class- and race-based discrimination putting them in the path of harm from toxic exposure, climate disruption, and industrial accidents.In this show we discuss Dr. Ali's history of working at the EPA and why he had to leave that position. We talk about the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, OH; the EPA regulation of forever chemicals in drinking water; and vehicle pollution standards. We also discuss how the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gasses has been dialed back by a recent supreme court decision.Through his public advocacy, Dr. Ali shares his holistic approach to empowering and revitalizing vulnerable communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice. And how all of us can use our talents to be part of the larger change while also curbing climate anxiety and burnout.Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is a thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator. Dr. Ali serves as the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) [https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Leadership/Mustafa-Santiago-Ali]. He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies [https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/about-mustafa/], a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from surviving to thriving.Before joining NWF, Dr. Ali was the Senior Vice President for the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC), a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process. Prior to joining the HHC, Mustafa worked 22 years at the EPA and 2 years on Capitol Hill working for Congressman John Conyers, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He began advocating on social justice issues at the age of 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPAs Office of Environmental Justice.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Most would agree it is a farmer’s right to save, replant, share, breed, and sell seed. This fundamental right is rapidly eroding globally as multinational seed companies push for the worldwide expansion of restrictive seed laws, patents, and intellectual property rights. Multinationals–like Monsanto/Bayer, DuPont, and Syngenta--account for about half of all commercial food crop seed sales (also the singular largest producers of pesticides and herbicides) and continue to consolidate control. However, it is the independent farmer who has historically been the basis of food security for local communities; they are often the first line of defense against hunger. Many new vegetable varieties (especially lettuces) are now being patented; with use-restricted seeds, a farmer is unable to plant a new crop without purchasing new seed from an outside supplier. Do you wish to help an organic food system flourish? Do you want varieties that reflect the values and needs of organic gardeners and farmers rather than the interests of multinational seed companies— many of which are also the singular largest producers of pesticides and herbicides?Enter the global movement to maintain free access to plant genetic resources. The Open Source Seed Initiative or OSSI [https://osseeds.org/] was created to counterbalance the trend towards patenting and restricting the use of seeds and the ancient rights of farmers and gardeners who buy them. Buying seed of OSSI (or the Open Source Seed Initiative) varieties, gardeners support breeders, seed growers and seed companies that are collectively committed to freeing the seed from corporate control. They share a solemn vow to keep our food supply secure and genetically diverse for future generations. Join the movement for seed sovereignty and a diverse, open source, accessible food system for all. In this episode, Jack Kloppenburg shares how we can create and sustain an equitable food system that celebrates the legacy and potential of a single seed. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Jack Kloppenburg is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has studied the social impacts of biotechnology, the controversy over control of genetic resources, and the prospects for framing food sheds as an analytical basis for developing sustainable food systems. He is the author of First the Seed: The Political Economy of Plant Biotechnology from Cambridge University Press. He is currently inspired by the potential of food sovereignty and by the possible application of open source principles to plant breeding. He is a founder and board member of the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) [https://osseeds.org/] which advocates the use of ”copyleft” approaches to “free the seed” from corporate control.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Resources: available at https://osseeds.org/resources/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 194Photo credit: Jack Koppenburg
Margaret Elysia Garcia, author and poet published by El Martillo Press, has spent a couple of decades living in Greenville, a Gold Rush-era Northern California town, that no longer exists as it did in 2021. That’s because it was devoured by the Dixie Fire, one of the largest blazes in California history.Margaret began writing her poetry collection “Burn Scars” while waiting at traffic stops driving from her mother's house to her former hometown. She grappled with the destructive aftermath that began with a eulogy and ended with a 79 page poetry book memoir. On this show, we discuss with Margaret how poetry serves as a vehicle to process, mourn, and raise awareness around climate disruption while honoring those on the front lines. She shares her poetry and tells us how a town of marginal incomes, set in dense forests, was almost completely destroyed. Margaret relates how the fire started near a Pacific Gas and Electric power station and spread at an incomprehensible rate as a result of gusty winds and historically dry conditions. Thankfully no lives were lost. But the fire resulted in significant losses of property and livelihoods with major challenges for rebuilding. One thing’s for sure, lots of lessons were learned and stronger community bonds were built. Listen to the extended interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/margaret-elysia-90722908Margaret Elysia Garcia [http://www.margaretelysiagarcia.com/]is the author of the short story collection Graft, the poetry chapbook Burn Scars, and the debut poetry collection the daughterland poems. She’s the editor of the forthcoming Red Flag Warning Anthology. She teaches poetry with the Community Literary Initiative and writes a history column for High Country Life magazine in Northeastern California. She’s currently working on her second collection of poems, Watershed, also to be released by El Martillo Press [https://www.elmartillopress.com/margaretelysiagarcia].Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEp. 193Photo credit: Margaret E. Garcia
In the bestselling book, Drawdown, edited by Paul Hawken, enumerates solutions to our climate crisis in great detail. Of these, composting remains a top priority as it can reduce carbon emissions, as well as improve soil health and fertility, reduce air pollution, restore connection among communities and to Mother Nature. Composting is an essential way we can assist in the restoration and balancing of the hydrological cycle, improve water retention of soil, prevent erosion, and reduce runoff. While cities like Los Angeles have adopted measures that require citizens to separate and recycle organic waste, the great imperative is educating people, particularly the youth who will inherit the Earth, on how to compost successfully to empower our collective future with care and concern for our one and only home. Cecilie Stuart joins us to share her own journey as a climate advocate and the urgent need to uplift and educate youth as stewards of Earth. Education might take the form of self-expression through climate-related dance, arts and theater programs of Move the World or through composting and "closing the loop" with Full Circle Compost, a non-profit committed to reversing global warming by teaching youth and local communities to compost where they live, from schools to backyards. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/cecilie-stuart-90333429 Cecilie Stuart began her career as a professional dancer and actor and has been a climate educator and activist since 2012. She started two non-profit organizations, Move the World [https://www.movetheworldnow.org/], focusing on climate arts, solutions, and education, and Full Circle Compost [https://www.fccompost.org/], centered on community composting. Cecilie holds multiple sustainability certifications from Santa Monica College, has taught land stewardship for 10 years at Los Angeles public and private K-12 schools and is a climate consultant for Boys and Girls Club of Malibu and for the Santa Monica Malibu School District.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 192Photo credit: Cecilie Stuart
On this show, we discuss how we can revolutionize architecture and landscape design by emulating Nature’s genius. Our guest, Ecological Architect Carl Welty [https://carlweltyarchitects.com/], paints a picture of ancient cities oriented to the sun’s movements, capturing its energy without machines. Modern city design often ignores the natural context, the flow of water, sensitive ecological habitats, in favor of geometric patterns – with problematic implications for the complex web of nature’s closed-loop systems. Carl Welty sees solutions to our climate and environmental messes through ecological design.Employing simple passive solar design strategies like orienting buildings south, using overhangs and thermal mass, makes homes and offices 50% to 80% more efficient while costing the same. In fact, timeless techniques from ancient and Indigenous societies that mimic Nature’s design offer a resilience that is key to a truly sustainable, regenerative architecture. Thus we can build communities that generate – instead of consume – more resources (energy, water, and building materials), and at the same time restore native habitat.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/carl-welty-on-89880683 Carl Welty. Ecological Architect and Principal of Carl Welty Architects [https://carlweltyarchitects.com/]. has over 35 years of experience in the field of architecture and is based in Southern California. Carl's experience includes projects with difficult sites and complex structural requirements; a passive solar house that is Certified LEED Platinum; a Water Education campus that embodies important and timely water issues. He designs buildings that are twice as energy-efficient as typical green buildings by incorporating simple, time-tested, climate-appropriate design principles.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/designing-architecture-and-landscapes-with-natures-ecological-wisdom/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 191
On this show, we discuss ancestral foodways and the continuance as well as the reclaiming of authentic, Indigenous cuisine. Indigenous peoples often remind us: we are still here. Their lifeways and food creation have not "left," but are still present through the fierce devotion and commitment of intergenerational knowledge keepers. Food is a way of knowing, a cultural identity and a way to be connected to a community. The Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movement and the increasing prominence of Indigenous chefs across Turtle Island are inspiring many to rediscover and reclaim food as a central part of community health and empowerment. Founder of the educational, community outreach non-profit Wild Bearies [http://www.wildbearies.org], and Indigenous chef Elena Terry joins us to share from her Ho-Chunk lineage and how Native foods are a sacred means to heal, educate and mentor future generations in the preservation of culture and life itself.It is imperative for us to remember how Native foodways were deliberately decimated as part of the genocidal history on this continent, and that we can all play a part in supporting the thriving of Indigenous foodways for the benefit of local communities, future generations and the planet itself. Food is memory: a way of remembering that tethers us to Nature, the Ancestors and the entire web of life. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/elena-terry-of-89480427 Elena Terry is Executive Chef and Founder of the nonprofit, Wild Bearies [http://www.wildbearies.org], based in Wisconsin. After having been a traditional foods cook, she started the nonprofit Wild Bearies. She is passionate about representation and building a community around healing and educating through Indigenous foods. Some of her partnerships include the Smithsonian, Food and Ag Organization of the United Nations, Intertribal Ag Council, James Beard Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.LINKShttps://civileats.com/2022/11/22/this-mother-daughter-team-is-sharing-food-traditions-from-the-ho-chunk-nation/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elena-terry-voices-in-food_l_61717c33e4b079111a54349chttps://captimes.com/food-drink/chopped-challenges-wisconsin-chef-elena-terry-in-food-network-debut/article_5f437e1f-6da2-5026-86fa-553de8bdefbb.html Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 190Photo credit: Elena Terry
Freedom to Roam in Nature is an essential human right. For guest Chad Brown [http://www.Chadocreative.com], mother nature played a significant role in his healing from the war trauma he experienced as a navy service member. In his desire to activate healing through nature, art, and sport, he founded two non profits, Soul River Inc. and Love is King and explores storytelling through his photography and documentary filmmaking.
Soul River Inc. [https://soulriverinc.org/about/] focuses on forging strong connections between at-risk inner city youth and veteran mentors, inspiring both confidence and purpose through their programing. We will discuss how they use cultural expeditions, called deployments, to bring these teams to threatened wild spaces, providing mission-driven experiences where advocacy and outdoor education meet.
For his nonprofit Love Is King [https://loveisking.org/], Chad’s vision is to eliminate the fear of marginalized communities being in nature while developing diverse environmental leaders whose voices are part of natural policy making decisions, such as being at the table of white lead conservation groups. The programing has made them an active voice with the Alaska Wilderness League on protecting the Arctic and their Indigenous communities from oil drilling and development.
Chad is also a documentary-style portrait and adventure photographer, with assignments leading him all over the world, and in particular into the Alaskan Arctic. He also makes films; one in particular is called Blackwaters [https://blackwatersfilm.com/], which follows five black outdoorsmen of diverse backgrounds into Gates of the Arctic National Park.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Links: https://www.pdxmonthly.com/travel-and-outdoors/2023/08/blackwaters-documentary-film-premiere-chad-brown-soul-river-inc
https://flylordsmag.com/new-film-blackwaters-with-chad-brown-james-mills/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 189 Photo credit: Chad Brown
How should we respond to – or better yet, cope with the extreme climate weirding and environmental collapse we keep seeing and reading about everywhere? In lieu of an immobilizing depression we must look to what is ALSO happening out there - the conservation and environmental justice success stories. Movements and advocacy that we frankly try to cover on this show every week, although we plead guilty to sharing some of the gloom and doom. But what about the communities banding together to heal the land and their relationship with it? Restoring ecosystems that benefit people in their neighborhoods, wildlife in their habitats, as well as energize government and private industry – maybe actually working together for a change.Some have even argued that storytelling is a sort of climate action. We spoke with Jared Lipworth, Executive Producer of a new documentary series called Wild Hope [https://www.wildhope.tv/] available on the web and on PBS, based on Andrew Balmford's book of the same name. It endeavors to tell the stories of ordinary people leading a collaborative environmental recovery in the face of extinctions, superstorms, and climate tipping points.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Jared Lipworth is Executive Producer of Wild Hope [https://www.wildhope.tv/] and other productions at HHMI Tangled Bank Studios [https://www.tangledbankstudios.org/], including the recently-released Giant Screen film: “The Blue Whale: Return of the Giants.” Jared also heads up the outreach department at Tangled Bank, where he oversees national impact campaigns designed to foster better local appreciation and understanding of science and nature.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsPhoto credit: Wild Hope TV
The fossil fuel industry has been promoting hydrogen as a reliable, low carbon, next-generation fuel to power cars, heat homes, and generate electricity. However, currently 99% of the annual supply of hydrogen comes from fracked methane gas. So will switching to hydrogen only lock us into continued fossil fuel use and additional investments in fossil fuel infrastructure?
Proponents argue that when hydrogen is made using renewable power it can cut climate-warming industrial carbon pollution from the steel, oil, and agricultural industries. However, does hydrogen measure up when compared to powering our cars and homes with alternative renewable energy generated directly from wind and solar?
In this encore presentation, Ashley Kosak, 2022 Research and Project Management Fellow with FracTracker Alliance [https://www.fractracker.org/], explains how hydrogen is generated, transported, stored, and burned; the environmental and social impacts; and what it means for the future of clean energy.
Listen to the extended interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ashley-kosak-on-77020057
Ashley Kosak is a mechanical engineer who started her career as an engineer at SpaceX. She is an advocate for decarbonization for energy and aerospace, consumption reduction, and social advocacy. She worked with FracTracker Alliance to distill complex emerging technologies into a simple process that can be understood by anyone who wishes to be informed of shifts within the clean energy movement.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info/Resources:
Greenwashing Hydrogen Webinar with Ashley: https://halttheharm.net/2022/12/greenwashing-hydrogen-understanding-the-climate-risks-of-blue-hydrogen/
Ashley on her time at SpaceX: https://www.lioness.co/post/at-spacex-we-re-told-we-can-change-the-world-just-don-t-try-to-stop-the-sexual-harassment
Related Shows: On Building Decarbonization/Home Electrification: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/zerohouz-ditching-fossil-fuels-for-a-zero-emissions-home/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-truth-about-hydrogen-green-fuel-or-greenwash/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Guest: Ashley Kosak Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Regeneration is a common theme these days. But does it go far enough? What of the Spirit, bio-cosmology, connection to the land, to our good hearts, and our original ancestral ways? Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence points to this reunification of that which has become separated through colonization, an extractive economy and a reductionist, industrial mindset, focused on production, self-interest and consumerism.
Native cosmology connects us to the land and focuses our energy; by embodying it, we naturally work with the environment from a place of sensitivity, cooperation and understanding from the heart. James Skeet, Executive Director of Covenant Pathways and Spirit Farm, joins us to share from his Navajo (Diné) perspective the depths of his own Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence and remind us why we must all embody an organic, indigenous mindset where all things are sacred.
Our future depends upon us personally and collectively returning to and remembering our original, indigenous regenerative intelligence in order to assist Mother Earth in becoming balanced once again. What has been despoiled and degraded can be transformed, revitalized, and renewed as we collaborate and cooperate for common purpose and once again live in service to Nature and the continuance of life itself.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/88037430
James Skeet with his wife Joyce are the co-founders of Covenant Pathways [https://covenantpathways.org/], a 501c3 non-profit organization, and they operate Spirit Farm [http://spiritfarmnm.org/]. James is passionate about reconnecting all peoples to the land through Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence that integrates the ancient Native wisdom of the bio-cosmology to create a haven where soil health, nutrient rich foods, human health, and free markets can prosper for another 10,000 years. James’ heritage has assisted in grounding him in the work he does as a full-blooded Navajo Native American from Vanderwagen, New Mexico.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 187 Photo credit: James Skeet
Ahupua’a. The ancient Hawaiian system that honors the interconnectedness of the land, waters, clouds and all living things. The system is inherently based in sacred reciprocity, sustainability, collaboration with and responsibility to others: to the lands, waters, and life itself, thriving from the mountains to the sea.
The destruction of the Lahaina Fire is an example where the connections between people and the land had become broken and out of balance to the detriment of all. Within the Ahupua’a, the people would practice: aloha (respect), laulima (cooperation) and malama (care or stewardship) in order for the whole to be pono or in sacred balance.
The system encompasses culture, spirituality, hydrology, aquaculture, forestry, land regeneration, and caring for watersheds. Ahupua’a is a living example of ancestral wisdom, innovation and well-being where the people take care of the land and the land in turn, takes care of them. Kumu Mikilani Young [http://mikilaniyoung.com], Co-Founder of the nonprofits, United Pillars of Aloha and Kaiapuni Ho’ola Piha Sanctuary, joins us on this show to share the essence of the Ahupua’a system as a global example of how we can unify, be abundant and fulfill our shared responsibility to Mother Earth.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Discussion with Mikilani on youth advocacy in 2021: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/kiai-up-the-rise-of-empowered-youth-with-mikilani-young/ Discussion with Mikilani on stopping Mauna Kea in 2018: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/ecojustice-radio-ku-kiai-mauna-the-mauna-kea-movement-to-protect-sacred-sites-ep-25-part-i/
Mikilani Young is a Kanaka Maoli (or Hawaiian) traditional kumu hula and cultural practitioner who lives and walks a spiritual path set by her ancestors and guided by ke Akua (which means Creator/God). She has been a teacher for 26 years, where her approach to the practice and teaching of Indigenous Hawaiian ways is suited to the challenging times we live in. Her path is a discerning one to not exploit or diminish the mana of her own knowledge while maintaining and honoring the Creator of the Universe. The work she has done as a co-founder of the nonprofits (United Pillars of Aloha and Kaiapuni Ho’ola Piha Sanctuary) [http://mikilaniyoung.com], is in service of Mother Earth and the unborn generations.
Carry Kim is Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 186 Photo credit: Mikilani Young
Is a 100% clean, renewable energy future by the year 2050 possible? Our guest, Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson proposes that the most efficient and socially and environmentally just way is to replace fossil fuels through a combined implementation of Wind, Water, and Solar energy solutions.
Are these solutions perfect? No. However, when compared to other so-called energy solutions like nuclear, biofuel, biomass, waste to energy, and hydrogen (just to name a few) these three (Wind, Water-Geothermal, Solar) show significant promise. As our guest explains, real solutions must always be BOTH clean and renewable, rapidly deployable, low cost, and carry with them very few side effects.
In this encore interview from early 2023, Professor Jacobson responds to his detractors and also debunks some myths, while getting at the solutions. What about the intermittency of wind and solar? Is there enough battery storage? Are wind turbines dangerous to wildlife? What is the real cost of battery mining and disposal? Why don't small nuclear reactors make the cut and how are they dangerous even to global security? How do the proposed costs-benefits of these solutions pencil out when compared to other options and the fossil fuel industry?
In his latest book, No Miracles Needed, How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air, Professor Mark Z. Jacobson [https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/] lays out a clear framework based on peer reviewed studies, and he does so in a way that is easy to understand. Professor Jacobson has developed computer models and roadmaps that illustrate how countries, states, cities, and towns can transition to 100% renewable energy for all their energy needs. He is a man with a clean energy plan, one with a stable and efficient grid that would provide reliable electricity at lower cost while creating new jobs.
Mark Z. Jacobson is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and Director of their Atmosphere/Energy Program.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info/Resources:
Public course on 100% renewables: Clean, renewable energy & storage for a sustainable future: https://online.stanford.edu/courses/xeiet100-clean-renewable-energy-storage-sustainable-future New book: "No Miracles Needed": https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/WWSNoMN/NoMiracles.html Stanford Solutions Project infographic map https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/wws-roadmaps/home
Related Shows:
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Mark Z. Jacobson Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 165
Humans are eating more seafood than can ever be replenished, a vital source of protein for 3.3 billion people.
There are many different ways to feed people while conserving our marine ecosystems without overfishing and industrial fish farming. Unfortunately, the US government and multinational corporations are pushing offshore industrial fish farming as a way to keep people eating their salmon and shrimp. In fact the US government is fast tracking industrial fish farms in federal waters, in underwater or floating net pens, pods, and cages. International agribusiness companies are pushing legislation that would open the floodgates for US offshore factory fish farms (think Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on the ocean).
Our guest, Andrianna Natsoulas from the Don’t Cage Our Oceans coalition campaign [https://dontcageouroceans.org/], says no to these industrial fish farms, while advocating for community-centered seafood supply chains. We talk about the impacts to public health and the environment from these massive open net-pens. She also advocates for the alternatives: sustainably managed wild-caught seafood and aquaculture fish farming practices that are embedded in social, economic, and environmental values.
Andrianna Natsoulas is the Campaign Director of the coalition Don’t Cage our Oceans [https://dontcageouroceans.org]. She has worked on agricultural and fisheries issues in varying capacities and venues for over two decades. She has been an independent consultant and worked for organizations, such as Food & Water Watch, the North American Marine Alliance, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. Andrianna wrote the book, Food Voices: Stories From the People Who Feed Us, which is a collection of personal stories from farmers and fishermen who are part of the food sovereignty movement.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Photo credit: Andrianna Natsoulas
According to the USDA, wheat ranks third after corn and soybeans with regard to its acreage, production, and farm receipts and is grown on roughly 37 million acres. Since its peak in 1981, wheat is now declining in acreage, down some 45 million acres which is perhaps the good news. Typically 1,000 acres in size, the average wheat farm is highly industrialized; as of 2020, some 150 different pesticides and herbicides were commonly sprayed on winter and spring wheat. Given the industrial scale of corn, soy, wheat, and cotton crops, heavy chemical usage of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides has become business as usual.
Our guest in this show, Dr. William Davis, Cardiologist and Author of the books Wheat Belly, Undoctored, and Super Gut [https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/about/], exposes the problem with our wheat addiction and has connected the dots between gut health and common modern ailments and complaints. He observed over 80% of the people in his cardiology medical practice were pre-diabetic or diabetic. In an effort to reduce blood sugars, he had patients remove all wheat products from their diet based on the simple fact that foods made of wheat flour raise blood sugar higher than nearly all other foods.
In 1958, approximately 1.6 million people were diagnosed with diabetes; that figure has skyrocketed now to 36 million people in 2023. It is estimated that roughly 75% of the population suffers from either insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or diabetes. The source of diabetes can often be traced back to the opioid-like addictive qualities of wheat and grains. Inflammation, obesity, celiac disease, heart disease, insulin resistance, cataracts, accelerated aging, skin issues, and neurodegenerative diseases constitute just some of the myriad problems that can arise from continued consumption of modern wheat and the supposed "healthy whole grains" that we've been encouraged to eat for a balanced diet. Dr. Davis shares how eliminating wheat and restoring our gut microbiomes are the means by which we might reclaim our personal, collective and ecosystem health.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist and New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Wheat Belly book series [https://www.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Medical Director and founder of the Infinite Health program including the Infinite Health Inner Circle [https://innercircle.drdavisinfinitehealth.com/]. He is Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Realize Therapeutics Corp. that is developing innovative solutions for the disrupted human microbiome and author of the book Super Gut: A 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
LINKS Wheat Belly Series: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/wheat-belly/ Super Gut: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/super-gut/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 184 Photo credit: Dr. William Davis
The upcoming documentary ‘Feeding Tomorrow’ explores the intersection between the food we eat, our personal and community health, and protection and regeneration of ecosystems. In today’s interview, Oliver English, Co-Founder & CEO of Common Table Creative [http://www.commontablecreative.com] and Filmmaker, Chef, and Food Advocate, shares the stories of visionary leaders in agriculture, healthcare, and education working to build a more just food system in their local communities - giving rise to a new global vision for Feeding Tomorrow.
Oliver illustrates tangible, working examples of regenerative farming methods that not only grow healthy food, but also heal both the land and the people. As a professional chef that grew up in a restaurant family, he makes the case for why restaurants and chefs must have an intimate knowledge of their food system impact and how they can be part of the solution. All that and more on this show.
Oliver English [http://olivertenglish.com/] is the Co-Founder & CEO of Common Table Creative (CTC), an impact-driven production and hospitality company specializing in advancing global food, sustainability, and social justice issues. Common Table Creative [http://www.commontablecreative.com] works with the world's leading NGOs, non-profits, and innovative food companies to tell stories about the power of food, and drive change through inspiring individual action. He co-created CTC’s signature documentary, ‘Feeding Tomorrow’, and launched WE UNITE, a short-form documentary, together with the United Nations & the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. He grew up in a family restaurant business, and has worked for some of the most prestigious global hospitality companies, including Alain Ducasse Enterprise in Paris, France, Eleven Madison Park in New York, and for Celebrity Chef Daniele Boulud.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Photo credit: Oliver English
As momentum continues to grow around the Land Back movement and Indigenous stewardship worldwide, the value of hearing from Elders who have long studied Indigenous traditions and lifeways, whether adopted or of their heritage, is a growing imperative. Their lived wisdom is essential, a gift and treasure for future generations, and continues the cycle of dynamic, intergenerational learning in the traditional way — the way of direct, felt experience and deep listening.
This is an encore presentation of our 2022 conversation with Payoomkawish (Juaneño/Luiseño) Elder Richard Bugbee [https://www.indigenousregeneration.org/]. Hear him share insights from his decades of studying the way of plants. He emphasized the importance of reclaiming our ways of seeing, being and understanding the world by reclaiming Native languages and observing the world more closely. Enjoy provocative insights from an elder who has devoted his lifetime to the study of plants and their uses, re-learning of language, and the practice of material culture.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/ethnobotany-fire-68593058
Richard Bugbee is Payoomkawish (also known as Payómkawichum Juaneño/Luiseño) from northern San Diego County. Richard has ties with multiple Indigenous nations including the Kumeyaay. He is an Instructor of Kumeyaay Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology at Cuyamaca College through Kumeyaay Community College [http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/]. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS) [https://aicls.org/]. Richard is on the boards of Indigenous Regeneration (Mata’Yuum), Climate Science Alliance, and Inter-Tribal Fire Stewardship.
Richard was the Curator of the Kumeyaay Culture Exhibit at the Southern Indian Health Council, the Associate Director/Curator of the San Diego American Indian Culture Center & Museum, and the Indigenous Education Specialist for the San Diego Museum of Man. He was a member of the Native American Council for California State Parks, California Indian Basketweavers Association ((CIBA), the Land ConVersation, and the Elders’ Circle for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Richard has been learning traditional plant uses of southern California and the Kumeyaay language from Jane Dumas, a Kumeyaay Elder from Jamul Indian Village from 1980 to 2014. He was the ethnobotanist for the Traditional Indian Health Program through Riverside-San Bernardino Indian Health providing information on the interactions between traditional plant and pharmaceutical medicines. He teaches indigenous material cultures and traditional plant uses of southern California at many museums, botanical gardens, and reservations, and is an instructor for summer cultural programs for several Kumeyaay tribes. His goal is to use knowledge to serve as a bridge that connects the wisdom of the Elders with today’s youth.
Listen to our related show on Indigenous Regeneration from 2022: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-regeneration-remembering-the-past-to-inspire-the-future/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/ethnobotany-cultural-fire-and-indigenous-stewardship-with-payoomkawish-elder-richard-bugbee/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Episode 140
There is a movement among the business community and their political representatives to remove the regulatory barriers that they argue impede infrastructure projects and vastly inflate their costs. The Debt Ceiling Bill passed to avert a financial crisis earlier this year included a suite of permitting reforms that supposedly would make it easier to green-light clean energy and infrastructure projects, so badly needed to confront the climate crisis. But are the environmental regulations at fault for the slow uptake of say, energy transmission projects?
We discuss the impact of the reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (called NEPA) in the debt ceiling bill. This law requires federal agencies to assess the potential environmental effects of development projects, public works, and other major government actions.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is an environmental and public health bill of rights that is like NEPA for Californians. This should be the law of the land in all 50 states, but that is not happening. And multiple chamber of commerce, business, and development interests now want to weaken these laws as well. We discuss these issues with two community activists from Southern California. Host Jack Eidt talks with Gloria Sefton, Vice President of Orange County California’s Friends of Harbors Beaches and Parks, and Conner Everts, Executive Director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance and Co-Chair of the Desal Response Group.
Gloria Sefton is a long-time environmental advocate and a solutions-focused attorney. She is Vice President of Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks (FHBP) [https://fhbp.org/], working to protect and enhance open spaces, natural preserves, and historic sites in Orange County. She is also co-founder of the Saddleback Canyons Conservancy [http://www.saddlebackcanyons.org/], established in 2001 to preserve Orange County’s rural canyons. Through conservation activism, she has helped protect several hundreds of acres as natural open space in the canyons.
Conner Everts has spent a lifetime in pursuit of clean water, first as a Southern California steelhead fisherman and then in the quest of the Human Right to Water. He is currently co-chair of the Southern California Water Dialogue [https://www.socalwaterdialogue.org/], the Green LA Water Committee and as an Board member to the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water [https://ejcw.org/] and Amigos de los Rios [https://amigosdelosrios.org/].
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
More Info/Resources: Part One: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/do-environmental-regulations-stop-clean-energy-and-affordable-housing
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 182
Dr. Scott Coffin joined us in this encore presentation from 2022. As a toxicologist and Research Scientist at California State Water Resources Control Board, he speaks about how microplastics are entering our environment, how to assess risk and implement precautionary solutions.
Microplastics, small, micro-sized plastic fragments are showing up in our water sources, rain, drinking water, and beverages like beer. It is in food, salt, and seafood. Moreover, it has recently been found in human breast milk, placentas, human lungs, and blood. One report indicated that blue whales are consuming 10 million pieces of microplastic particles a day.
As plastic fragments, it continues to shed fibers smaller than a strand of human hair. Most of the time we are unaware how and when this happens. Did you know, when you open a plastic cap on a bottle, you release thousands of particles. But then there is also our clothing, roads, artificial turf, food packaging, tea bags, or plastic that comes in contact with friction, hot liquid, or hot food.
For the extended discussion with Dr, Coffin, click here: www.patreon.com/posts/more-on-and-with-74660652
Dr. Scott Coffin [https://scottcoff.in/] is a research scientist and subject-matter expert for microplastics at the California State Water Resources Control Board, where he leads the agency’s efforts to monitor and manage microplastics pollution in drinking water and the environment. Dr. Coffin holds a PhD in environmental toxicology from the University of California, Riverside.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info:
https://www.sccwrp.org/about/research-areas/additional-research-areas/trash-pollution/microplastics-health-effects-webinar-series/history-california-microplastics-legislation/
https://www.plastiverse.org/
https://www.springeropen.com/collections/sccwrp
Related Show:
The EcoJustice Radio Plastic Plague Series: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-future-solutions-policy-resistance-around-plastic-plastic-plague-pt-7/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/microplastics-are-everywhere-whats-the-risk/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Guest: Dr. Scott Coffin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Green Building. Organic Architecture. Regenerative Design. These concepts have come to prominence recognizing the built environment as one of the largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions, using toxic materials that can damage human health as well as pollute the environment. Following Nature's design process, our guest this week has developed an organic approach to design with an eye toward innovative buildings that embody ecological & social responsibility.
Organic architecture, coined by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright, unifies every element of the building—from windows to doors and even floors and furniture—with Nature. Biomimicry has become an important advance in this movement, harnessing functional design elements from—mimicking—Nature. Our guest, award-winning Architect Eric Corey Freed, 12-time Author, and Director of Sustainability for CannonDesign, has made this central to his work when designing buildings.
On this show we discuss Eric's approach to designing for the human systems, our senses, cycles, and signals, to engage people through using biology as a technology. We explore his process in how to build a non-toxic building that can also increase our connection to the natural world. If that sounds abstract, Eric Corey Freed is here to walk us through the work he has been doing for decades now.
Eric Corey Freed is an award-winning architect, author, and global speaker. As Principal and Director of Sustainability for CannonDesign [https://www.cannondesign.com/people/eric-corey-freed], he leads the healthcare, education, and commercial teams toward low-carbon, healthy, regenerative buildings for over 30 million square feet a year. For two decades, he was Founding Principal of organicARCHITECT [http://www.organicarchitect.com/about/ecf.html], a visionary design leader in biophilic and regenerative design. He serves on the board of Design Museum Everywhere, whose mission is to “bring the transformative power of design to all.” Eric is the author of 12 books, including "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies” and "Circular Economy for Dummies." In 2012, he and his firm were named one of the 25 "Best Green Architecture Firms" in the US, and one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Green Architects."
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info/Resources:
https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/
Fossil fuel firms owe climate reparations of $209bn a year, says study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/19/fossil-fuel-firms-owe-climate-reparations-of-209bn-a-year-says-study Oil and gas health impacts cost $77 billion per year, study finds https://www.axios.com/2023/05/10/oil-gas-health-impacts-study
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Photo credit: Eric Corey Freed
We have long been hearing about various threats to bees and other pollinators, including Colony Collapse Disorder, new pathogens and bee pests, environmental and nutritional stressors, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Impacts to Queen Bees and their genetics are also a concern. According to the non-profit organization, HoneyLove, cities are apparently the last refuge for the Honeybee. HoneyLove [http://honeylove.org] is dedicated to urban beekeeping, educational outreach, and advocating for the health and well-being of honey bees. This week, we welcome Ceebs Bailey, HoneyLove's Factotum, and Kristy Pace, their Volunteer Director.
We owe a debt to bees as they pollinate 80-90% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables. One out of every three or four bites of food you eat was made possible by bees and the honeybee is responsible for $15 billion in U.S. agricultural crops annually. While some are concerned about the health of bees for economic reasons and threats to food production on this continent, the reality is our fate is directly connected to bees and their giveaway to the ecosystem at large, in vitalizing the growth of trees, flowers, and a host of other plants; they are essential to creating and sustaining biodiversity on the planet.
The average human on this continent consumes roughly 1.31 lbs of honey per year which translates to a bee visiting 2+ million flowers and flying 55,000+ miles. May we offer up more love, gratitude and respect to the Honeybee and learn how we can contribute to their continuance.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
HoneyLove.org [http://honeylove.org] is a Los Angeles-based educational non-profit focused on teaching the public about honey bees and aspiring hobbyists about safe and respectful urban beekeeping.
Ceebs Bailey is a writer in West L.A. who started out a few years ago with a modest tumbling composter outside the kitchen door and now has raised beds in the front yard, a flock of chickens and six beehives around the city. Kristy Pace has been cultivating community through theatre, artivism, and volunteerism for over 20 years. She is a teacher and environmental activist associated with SoCal 350, Climate Reality San Fernando Valley, and of course, Honey Love.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 180 Photo credit: HoneyLove
For years, Monsanto declared that their product Roundup, the world's most widely used weed killer, was safe. But in 2015, scientific studies concluded that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is probably carcinogenic. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Monsanto disagreed with the findings, as scientists worked to understand the link between glyphosate and cancer.Dr. Chadi Nabhan's book, Toxic Exposure [https://chadinabhan.com/mybooks/], tells the true story of his role as an expert physician witness who testified in multiple state and federal trials against Monsanto. His book recounts the heartbreaking stories of numerous patients who developed the cancer non-Hodgkin lymphoma, after regularly using Roundup on yards and school grounds. Monsanto is now owned by Bayer, one of the largest agrochemical companies in the world. These companies and the EPA downplayed the health dangers of Roundup and the active ingredient glyphosate even after Monsanto lost numerous court cases (owing billions in judgements) and settled out of court for more than $11 Billion for more than 100K patients. In this interview we discuss the history of Roundup, the dangers of glyphosate, the trial stories and verdicts, and what the everyday person can do to fight for justice against this agricultural behemoth. Listen to the Extended Interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dr-chadi-nabhan-84123670Dr. Chadi Nabhan is an expert in lymphoid malignancies and treating and diagnosing cancers. He is author of Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials and the Search for Justice [http://www.chadinabhan.com]. He received his medical degree from Damascus University in Syria. After performing basic science research at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, he completed his internal medicine residency as well as an MBA in Healthcare Management at Loyola University in Chicago. Dr. Nabhan maintains active medical licenses in five states, and has over 300 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. He is also a sought-after speaker, moderator, facilitator, and the creator and host of his own podcast, "Healthcare Unfiltered" [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjiJPTpIJdIiukcq0UaMFsA].Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Buy the book, Toxic Exposure: https://chadinabhan.com/mybooks/Salon Article: https://www.salon.com/2023/02/25/glyphosate-roundup-chadi-nabhan-interview/ Related Show: Kelly Ryerson - Glyphosate Girl - https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/glyphosate-an-herbicide-that-kills-more-than-weeds/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsPhoto credit: Dr. Chadi Nabhan
Nina Simons is Co-Founder of Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] and Author of ‘Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership’ [https://bioneers.org/ncs/]. She leads the Bioneers Everywoman’s Leadership program. Bioneers is a nonprofit that uses media, convening, and connecting to lift up visionary and practical solutions for many of our most pressing social and ecological challenges, revealing a regenerative and equitable future that’s within our reach today. Nina speaks and teaches internationally at schools, conferences, and festivals, and co-facilitates transformative workshops and retreats for women that share practices for regenerative leadership through reclaiming wholeness and relational mindfulness. Her personal website is https://www.ninasimons.com/.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 178
Breathing clean air and drinking clean water are fundamental rights. However, these rights have been denied to many low-income communities and communities of color, who often live next to massive industrial facilities that pollute the air and water. Our guest is Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali [https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/] former EPA official and now Executive Vice President at the National Wildlife Federation and Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He has been working toward solving historical injustices that target certain communities for class- and race-based discrimination putting them in the path of harm from toxic exposure, climate disruption, and industrial accidents. In this show we discuss Dr. Ali's history of working at the EPA and why he had to leave that position. We talk about the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, OH; the EPA regulation of forever chemicals in drinking water; and vehicle pollution standards. We also discuss how the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gasses has been dialed back by a recent supreme court decision.Through his public advocacy, Dr. Ali shares his holistic approach to empowering and revitalizing vulnerable communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice. And how all of us can use our talents to be part of the larger change while also curbing climate anxiety and burnout.LISTEN to the Extended Interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dr-mustafa-ali-83445663Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is a thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator. Dr. Ali serves as the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) [https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Leadership/Mustafa-Santiago-Ali]. He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies [https://www.mustafasantiagoali.com/about-mustafa/], a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from “surviving to thriving.”Before joining NWF, Dr. Ali was the Senior Vice President for the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC), a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process. Prior to joining the HHC, Mustafa worked 22 years at the EPA and 2 years on Capitol Hill working for Congressman John Conyers, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He began advocating on social justice issues at the age of 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://www.gq.com/story/mustafa-ali-epa-interviewPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Guest: Dr. Mustafa Santiago AliExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 177
While we continue to hear of and experience the perils of global heating and climate disruption, some of us fundamentally understand that the ecosystem is not broken. Rather it is human connection to Nature that is in dire need of a correction. Or better stated, a re-connection. According to the World’s Soil Resources Report from the UN of the top 10 threats to soil, soil erosion ranks number one, because it is happening globally. Although desertification intensifies at an alarming rate, and narratives of fear and scarcity dominate, the truth is human beings can restore our ecological memory, mimic and align with Nature, and commit to making the Earth green again. It remains the best kept secret that a regenerative mindset can and will heal the world. World-renowned soil scientist and conservation agronomist Ray Archuleta, Founder of Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com] and the Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/], joins us to tap his many decades of experience working with the soil to motivate us to green the Earth once again. Regeneration requires an understanding of relationships, a willingness to learn how Nature functions, and a shift in how and what we think. By adopting an ecological consciousness of Oneness, emulating Nature and applying Nature’s principles to the soil, we can once again live a balanced, interdependent and harmonious life. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with the Soil Science Society of America and has over 30 years’ experience as a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist, and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). After his retirement from the NRCS in 2017, Ray founded Understanding Ag, LLC [https://understandingag.com], and Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/], to teach Biomimicry strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil function on a national scale. Ray also owns and operates a 150-acre farm near Seymour, Missouri that he operates along with his wife and family.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
The transition from a fossil-fuel economy to a clean-energy economy is going to require the United States to build a lot of solar, wind, geothermal, energy storage and transmission and distribution systems as soon as possible. We also must consider the infrastructure necessary for building resilience and adaptation to climate change, such as sea walls, flood protection systems, and water storage systems.Some argue one of the biggest barriers to building all this is the time and costs associated with obtaining the necessary permits and approvals from regulatory agencies. The complexity of the process gives motivated individuals the ability to drag out the approval process, which can be a significant hurdle for energy companies looking to invest in renewable energy projects.Further, some assert we should repeal/reform the National Environmental Policy Act (called NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These laws require federal and state/local agencies to assess the potential environmental effects of development projects, public works, and other major government actions, and involve the public at important steps in the process. On this show, we talk with Dustin Mulvaney, Professor, Environmental Studies Department, San José State University, and Lydia Poncé, Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, and Coordinator of Earth Justice.Dustin Mulvaney is a Professor in the Environmental Studies Department at San José State University and a Fellow with the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. His research includes work on just transitions, solar energy commodity chains, and natural resource development. He is the author of Solar Power: Innovation, Sustainability, Environmental Justice published by the University California Press in 2019, and Sustainable Energy Transition: Socio-Ecological Dimensions of Decarbonization out with Palgrave-MacMillan in 2020.Lydia Poncé is an Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, co-founder of Idle No More SoCal and Coordinator of Earth Justice. She hosts a show called Be a Better Relative, Tuesdays on KPFK Los Angeles.Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 172
Water security. Water quality. Access to water. The threat of water privatization. Our relationship to water and how we value it. Ours is a future where the preciousness of water is being tested. Every drop counts. Will humanity act as if water is a gift rather than as an entitlement, a “right” or an exclusive commodity to profit from? Our guest this week, Boris Ochoa-Tocachi, CEO and Senior Hydrologist of ATUK Consultoría Estratégica out of Ecuador [https://atuk.com.ec/profesionales/boris-ochoa-tocachi/], shares with us his view of creating a positive relationship with water. Water sowing and harvesting methods including: albarradas in Ecuador, sand dams in Africa, wetland management and infiltration systems in Spain and the Andes work with nature to “sow” water for storage in soils, river sands, and groundwater, making water available for harvesting during times of water scarcity. These traditional systems inherently protected and replenished watersheds thereby creating sustainable cultures, aligned with Nature. Hear Boris Ochoa-Tocachi share valuable insights on traditional knowledge and nature-based approaches to local and global water security.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Boris Ochoa-Tocachi is a civil engineer and a PhD and MSc in Hydrology from Imperial College in London, UK. He is the CEO of ATUK, an environmental consultancy company in Ecuador [https://atuk.com.ec/], and hydrological advisor for Forest Trends, DC, USA. He investigates the role of nature-based solutions and traditional water infrastructure and local knowledge for water security.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.LINKSORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4990-8429ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Boris-Ochoa-TocachiGoogle Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=hbB-_hwAAAAJ&hl=enScopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57190878695MORE INFO Ochoa-Tocachi BF, et al. (2019), Potential contributions of pre-Inca infiltration infrastructure to Andean water security. Nature Sustainability 2: 584–593. Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0307-1.epdf?sharing_token=ERQVk8DQIQyzIQEeCfBsAtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NtleI5LoK83AlTKkx4Q_5ufrknj0v3Gwu4McyxOPVdbnyBzKNmxoe-CvTyDUMpBaAWRygytBZ5tB7GD1lf4X5AkwTrAGQys7DcT55S1PwrIHysM9d8Sbf50AcrA5W2N0Kk8n-b6T11SG9TPWcBNUieoga9NcXJ1OHV94lkTNEtw3y0QN0zXNo5GsD-_9_L9vY%3DOchoa-Tocachi BF & Buytaert W (2020), Ancient water harvesting practices can help solve modern problems, The Science Breaker: Science Meets Society, Vol: 06. Link: https://www.thesciencebreaker.org/breaks/earth-space/ancient-water-harvesting-practices-can-help-solve-modern-problemsEos Science News by AGU. Pre-Inca Canal System Uses Hillsides as Sponges to Store Water. By: Rachel Fritts, 30 Dec 2019. Link: https://eos.org/articles/pre-inca-canal-system-uses-hillsides-as-sponges-to-store-waterBBC Future. Why Peru is reviving a pre-Incan technology for water. By: Erica Gies, 18 May 2021. Link: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210510-perus-urgent-search-for-slow-waterPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 174Photo credit: Erica Giles
Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion ice and permafrost melting, release of more greenhouse gases, more heat and storms – these are feedback loops, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control.In this show, we sat down in 2022 with Susan Gray, Director and Bonnie Waltch, Senior Producer and writer of the five-part documentary series, “Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops.” [https://FeedBackLoopsClimate.com] Narrated by Richard Gere, this series of five short films features twelve leading climate scientists, who explore how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We also learned why natural warming loops have scientists alarmed—and why they feel we have less time to correct climate disruption than previously thought.The series is subtitled in 23 languages and can be paired with an educational science curriculum for students in grades 6-12. The films can be viewed in full at https://FeedBackLoopsClimate.comFor an extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/feedback-loops-64015141Susan Gray is the award-winning director and co-writer of Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, & Earth Emergency. She began her career as an environmental political activist and now makes documentary films about the pressing social issues of our times. Her films have been aired on major television networks around the world.Bonnie Waltch is a Boston-based freelance producer/director/writer for documentaries and museum exhibit media and the award-winning senior producer and writer of Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, & Earth Emergency. Other recent work include a short film about super reefs for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and media for the Pikes Peak Visitor Center in Colorado.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Resources/Articles: https://www.woodwellclimate.org/ WOODWELL CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER;https://www.oneearth.org/who-we-fund/media-advocacy-grants/project-drawdown-100-solutions-to-reverse-global-warming/ PROJECT DRAWDOWN: 100 Solutions for Global WarmingPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/feedback-loops-climate-changes-most-critical-dynamic/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 131
As house prices escalate, the concept of living in smaller homes has gone viral. Whether fixed to land or portable, the tiny house movement has swept across the US. Yet, what is the day-to-day reality of living the downsized life?Our guests this week, Lindsay Wood - The Tiny Home Lady [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] - and Teresa Bradley from Tiny Green Adventures [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure3464], bring a dose of reality to the challenge, but also the splendor, of living simply with few belongings in a tiny home. Can you really save money by going tiny? Is it a net positive for the environment? And what about zero waste, is that possible? Are tiny homes the way to tackle the housing crisis across the United States?Tiny Homes, although lauded as a green way forward in a world covered in wasteful McMansions and debt enslaving rent payments, must overcome land and building regulations (that in many places) still consider this form of housing either illegal or difficult to approve. We go into all these points and more on this show. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Lindsay Wood, "The Tiny Home Lady" [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] is on a mission to develop 100,000 Tiny Homes as attainable and affordable houses in California and across the US. Lindsay has been investing in Real Estate since 2015 and believes Tiny Homes are a solution to the housing and climate crisis. Lindsay consults and guides people dreaming of going Tiny through The GO TiNY! Academy, GO TiNY! Showcase and the GO TiNY! VIP Tours [https://www.youtube.com/@GOTINYTV] . Teresa Bradley is the founding Director of Race to Zero Waste [http://racetozerowaste.org] and lives with her partner, daughter and cat who all live a low waste lifestyle while traveling most of the year in a 24-foot Class C Motorhome. She and her partner travel for environmental project work throughout California and showcase their lifestyle on their Instagram & YouTube channel called Tiny Green Adventure [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure3464] .Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/press.htmlhttps://garageshedcarportbuilder.com/tiny-homes-a-big-idea/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 172Photo credit: The Tiny Home Lady
On this show we feature the late writer and activist Mike Davis, labeled an “urban historian,” who further took on geography, politics, economics, sociology and literature. His focus was the dislocation and separation brought on by capitalist society: people from land, work from ownership, individuals from each other, all in the service of profit. And he showed how this dislocation resulted in climate, environmental, and social disasters. His solution was communities connecting together and to the land. Mike Davis was a true intellectual visionary, who was down to get into the streets and walk his talk.I met Mike Davis as a graduate student when he taught at UCLA in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. At the time, he was writing his incendiary and prophetic shadowing of the social and environmental calamities that the city of Los Angeles, and our world at large, continues to face. We begin with an introduction of Mike Davis and will come back to a question and answer by Vijay Prashad, an Indian Marxist historian and commentator. This is from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst History Department Feinberg Lecture Series from 2020.We also feature a lecture by Mike Davis about his book Planet of Slums, which investigates the increasing inequality of the urban world. According to the U.N., more than one billion people now live in extreme poverty in mega-cities facing environmental and social collapse from perpetual and worsening climate disruptions. Mike Davis explores the meaning and the future of this radically unequal and unstable urban world.The lecture comes from a talk given at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, in 2015.For a reading of an excerpt of Mike Davis' 'City of Quartz', and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/excerpt-of-city-81328874Mike Davis, [https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/5214-the-works-of-mike-davis] who passed away in 2022, was a writer, political activist, urban theorist, and historian based in Southern California. Once a meat cutter and a truck driver, he was Professor Emeritus at University of California, Riverside, a Macarthur Fellow, and the author of more than 20 books. He is best known for his investigations of power and social class in works such as City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles (1990) and Late Victorian Holocausts (2001).Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. In addition to his work with SoCal 350 and EcoJustice Radio, he is Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com/], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 171Photo credit: Annie Wells, LA Times
In the coming decades, at least thirteen million coastal U.S. residents will have to pack their bags and move from their homes, rising sea levels and superstorms put lives at risk and cause billions of dollars in damages. In the popular tourist town of Charleston, South Carolina, climate denial, widespread gentrification, over development, and racial issues compound. The city, like so many other coastal regions across the world, has no workable plan to relocate its most vulnerable populations away from the path of harm.Harvard Law Professor and Author Susan Crawford tells the story of a city that has played a central role in this country's painful racial history since the early 1800s and now, as the waters rise, the city stands at the intersection of climate and race. In her book, 'Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm' [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Charleston/Susan-Crawford/9781639363575 ], Susan Crawford puts out a well-researched call for climate adaptation and mitigation, guided by Black community leaders whom she documents with in-depth narratives.Some say a sea wall is the answer, others find the suggestion to be an expensive undertaking that falls short of impending climate predictions. So what would it mean to uproot an entire town due rising sea levels and flooding neighborhoods? In this show we discuss the issues Charleston and other similar cities face and how long term planning and respectful engagement and treatment of local communities of color can result in necessary solutions. BUY THE BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1639363572?tag=simonsayscomFor an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/author-susan-on-80990896 Susan Crawford is the John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of ‘Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm’ [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Charleston/Susan-Crawford/9781639363575 ]. She previously was Obama’s special assistant to the president for science, technology, and innovation policy and co-led the FCC transition team between his and the Bush administrations. Earlier in her career, Crawford was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. As an academic, she teaches courses about climate adaptation and public leadership. Crawford is the author of several books, including Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age and Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution and Why America Might Miss It.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Coastal Flood Resilience Project: https://www.cfrp.info/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 170Photo credit: Susan Crawford
Biodynamics emerged through the work and passions of Austrian philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). It began with his infamous lectures in 1924 which inspired farmers to a new yet ancient way of integrating scientific understanding with a recognition of spirit in nature. Stewart Lundy, Education and Media Manager of the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics [http://www.jpibiodynamics.org], joins us to discuss Steiner’s legacy in the advancement and growth of restorative and regenerative biodynamic agriculture.Rudolf Steiner was an architect, social reformer, and esotericist, who also founded the Anthroposophical spiritual-scientific movement. Following World War I, Steiner was engaged in the Waldorf education movement which now has over 1,000 schools on six continents, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.Stewart Lundy notes the principles and practices of biodynamics are alive and well, thriving in thousands of gardens, farms, vineyards, ranches, and orchards. Biodynamics is accessible to anyone and its wisdom and guiding principles can be applied wherever food is grown, by thoughtfully adapting to scale, landscape, climate, and culture. Akin to the views of Indigenous peoples worldwide, biodynamics reminds us that science and the spiritual aspects of Nature are not mutually exclusive, but rather part of a holistic cosmological view. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Stewart Lundy is a biodynamic farmer in Virginia {http://www.perennialroots.com} where he raises cattle and sheep and runs a small market garden with his wife Natalie. Together they have been farming since 2010. He consults with regenerative growers around the world. The Josephine Porter Institute {http://www.jpibiodynamics.org] is a national producer and distributor of biodynamic preparations – the enlivening forces that work dynamically within the soil, compost, and plants to ultimately provide us with healthier foods, healthier bodies, and a healthier planet.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.MORE INFOhttps://www.perennialroots.com/mediaPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 169Photo credit: Stewart Lundy
Multiple banks have pledged to clean up their fossil fuel funding with net-zero carbon commitments, but they continue business-as-usual, pushing for profit by championing destructive projects responsible for driving climate chaos.The 2022 annual report, Banking on Climate Chaos [http://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org], revealed that fossil fuel financing from the worlds 60 largest banks has reached nearly $4.6 trillion in the six years since the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement, with $742 billion in 2021 alone.On this show recorded in 2022, we delve into the Banking on Climate Chaos report with Ruth Breech from Rainforest Action Network [https://www.ran.org/], one of the organizations that authored the report. She discusses how these findings underscore the need for banks to immediately implement policies that end their financing for fossil fuel expansion. Moreover we highlight some of these projects causing climate chaos and the worldwide movement of communities coming together to demand that the financial sector get out of the oil and gas business altogether.We also feature special reports from Producer Jack Eidt on Liquified natural Gas expansions on the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the recently approved Willow drilling project on Alaska's North Slope.Listen to the extended version of the show: https://www.patreon.com/posts/banking-on-chaos-66503029Ruth Breech is Senior Campaigner, of Rainforest Action Networks Climate and Energy team. She is responsible for organizing corporate accountability campaigns on financial institutions, supporting front line communities impacted by fossil fuels and climate change, partnering with Indigenous leaders and working with grassroots networks across the country to Defund Climate Chaos.Ruth brings 20 years of on-the-ground-work with environmental justice frontline communities. She is the recipient of the 2009 Healthy School Heroes Award for her leadership in relocating an elementary school in Ohio away from a plastics plant and its cancer causing emissions. She serves on the board of Crude Accountability International & Earth Guardians.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/banking-on-climate-chaos-the-fossil-fuel-finance-report/Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
We’ve been “saving the planet” for decades and environmental crises just continue to compound. All this Tesla driving, green-roofed corporate headquarters, and carbon trading seems to accomplish little to nothing — all while low-income communities of color continue to suffer the worst consequences.Jenny Price is an ardent advocate for increasing public environmental access, activism, and effectiveness in solving the myriad of challenges we face. She joined us in 2022 to talk about her latest book, 'Stop Saving the Planet, An Environmentalist Manifesto' [https://www.jennyjjprice.net/stop-saving-the-planet]. Its message is that environmental advocates must do better. She suggests a plan with 39 steps to get to cleaning up the toxic messes and rolling back climate change.Buy the Book: https://www.jennyjjprice.net/stop-saving-the-planet#Jenny Price is a writer and public artist, and a Research Fellow at the Sam Fox School at Washington University-St. Louis. She tells stories about the environment and public space, and deploys a wide variety of public arts and humanities formats to do so. Her writings include Stop Saving the Planet: An Environmentalist Manifesto (2021); Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America; “Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in L.A.” and other essays; op-eds in the NY Times and LA Times; and her not-quite advice column “Green Me Up JJ.”She has created, co-created, and sometimes stumbled into public art projects to work for environmental justice, as well as to de-privatize essential public spaces. She has co-founded the LA Urban Rangers collective, led tours of the concrete LA River, designed the alternative Nature Trail in Laumeier Sculpture Park, co-launched the "What Are You Doing?! (stop saving the planet!)” video series, and co-created the popular Our Malibu Beaches mobile phone app.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/stop-saving-the-planet-an-environmentalist-manifesto-ep-125/ Support the Podcast: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=urlHosted by Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtEpisode 125Photo credit: Igor Heifetz
The fashion industry contributes to roughly 10% of all global carbon emissions (releasing 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year). It is also the world’s second worst offender in terms of water and plastic pollution, seeing that the majority of our clothes are made from plastic and contribute to microplastic pollution.In this show, our guest Dr. Joanne Brasch, Special Projects Manager for California Product Stewardship Council, walks us through the current state of disposal, shares what prime solutions must exist, and how their organization and others are pushing on policies and legislation that will hold manufacturers accountable, create transparent industry practices, and address social and environmental justice concerns. It is estimated that 100 billion garments are produced each year, while 92 million tons end up in landfills. That is the equivalent of one trash truck full of clothes being dumped into the landfill every second. In 7 years, it is expected that the 92 million discarded tons will increase upwards of 148 million tons according to Fashion Revolution. In the United States, wasted clothing and textiles make up almost 8% of all landfill waste. Many times, textile waste isn’t recycled due a complex web of issues from mixed material types to lack of sorting and processing infrastructure. Undesirable clothing donated to thrift stores or dropped off in parking lot collection bins could very well be disguised as second hand clothing that is exported to and dumped on other countries, such as Ghana, Kenya, Chile and more. A recent documentary revealed that 300m items of junk plastic clothing from around the world are dumped in Kenya every year. So what needs to happen to turn the tide on the textile dilemma? Dr. Joanne Brasch holds a PhD in Textile Economics and Environmental Analysis from the University of California, Davis, where she also received a Master’s degree in Textile Science and a Bachelor’s degree in International Agricultural Development. She currently works as Special Project Manager at the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) [https://www.calpsc.org/textilestewardship] and has worked for its national spinoff, the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC). Dr. Brasch is appointed by the state agency CalRecycle to two advisory committees for carpet and mattress recycling where she serves as the chair on both. She made Waste360’s 2021 “40 under 40” awardees list.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB707Related Shows: Circular Fashion: Designing for Equity & Environmenthttps://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/circular-fashion-designing-for-equity-environment/The Steep Environmental and Social Costs of the Fashion Industryhttps://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-steep-environmental-and-social-costs-of-the-fashion-industry/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Dr. Joanne BraschExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 167
Land Back, the movement to return the stolen lands of the USA, also known as Turtle Island, to the original Indigenous peoples who inextricably belong to them, has been accelerating for some time now. Indigenous peoples have "lost" roughly 99% of the lands they once inhabited, according to a 2021 data set published in Science. 42% of tribes in historical records have no recognized land base today. Radical imagination is required to forge a new, and also perhaps ancient way out of the injustices and destruction inherent in settler colonialism. As our guest Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy [http://cutcharislingbaldy.com], Associate Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, reminds us, decolonization IS land back. Knowing we live on occupied lands, what are we compelled to actually do or change? What is our personal responsibility to the Indigenous peoples and lands where we have "settled?" The time is ripe for actions over tokenism and superficial gestures. Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy is the Co-Director of the Cal Poly Humboldt Native American Studies Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute. Her book: We Are Dancing For You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies received “Best First Book in Native American and Indigenous Studies,” at the 2019 Native American Indigenous Studies Association Conference. She is also the volunteer Executive Director of the Native Women's Collective [http://www.nativewomenscollective.org/], a nonprofit organization that supports the continued revitalization of Native American arts and culture. She is Hupa, Karuk, and Yurok and is enrolled in the Hoopa Valley Tribe.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/cutcha-risling-79318587 MORE INFO“Tending Nature: Indigenous Land Stewardship.” KCET documentary film series. https://www.kcet.org/shows/tending-nature/special/indigenous-land-stewardshipEpisode 19: Decolonizing Water Part I Water Talk Podcast https://www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/episode-19”Reviving Relationships with Our Foodways: A History of Indigenous Food Sovereignty in California and Beyond" by Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy and Dr. Kaitlin Reed (co-directors of the FSL). https://cooperationhumboldt.com/food-guide-2021/Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 166
Is a 100% clean, renewable energy future by the year 2050 possible? Our guest, Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson proposes that the most efficient and socially and environmentally just way is to replace fossil fuels through a combined implementation of Wind, Water, and Solar energy solutions. Are these solutions perfect? No. However, when compared to other so-called energy solutions like nuclear, biofuel, biomass, waste to energy, and hydrogen (just to name a few) these three (Wind, Water-Geothermal, Solar) show significant promise. As our guest explains, real solutions must always be BOTH clean and renewable, rapidly deployable, low cost, and carry with them very few side effects. In this interview, Professor Jacobson responds to his detractors and also debunks some myths, while getting at the solutions. What about the intermittency of wind and solar? Is there enough battery storage? Are wind turbines dangerous to wildlife? What is the real cost of battery mining and disposal? Why don't small nuclear reactors make the cut and how are they dangerous even to global security? How do the proposed costs-benefits of these solutions pencil out when compared to other options and the fossil fuel industry? In his latest book, No Miracles Needed, How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air, Professor Mark Z. Jacobson [https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/] lays out a clear framework based on peer reviewed studies, and he does so in a way that is easy to understand. Professor Jacobson has developed computer models and roadmaps that illustrate how countries, states, cities, and towns can transition to 100% renewable energy for all their energy needs. He is a man with a clean energy plan, one with a stable and efficient grid that would provide reliable electricity at lower cost while creating new jobs. Mark Z. Jacobson is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and Director of their Atmosphere/Energy Program.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Public course on 100% renewables: Clean, renewable energy & storage for a sustainable future: https://online.stanford.edu/courses/xeiet100-clean-renewable-energy-storage-sustainable-futureNew book: "No Miracles Needed": https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/WWSNoMN/NoMiracles.htmlStanford Solutions Project infographic map https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/wws-roadmaps/homeRelated Shows: Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Mark Z. JacobsonExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 165
A simple life. Many of us dream of this. Especially those living separated from the natural rhythms of nature in favor of endless technological conveniences and gadgetry. We are bombarded by a daily onslaught of unnatural sights, sounds, smells, and superfluous information. The fascination with what Henry David Thoreau wrote about his living experiment in simplicity on Walden Pond continues for those perhaps disheartened by the ways of the modern world. But what does it take to actually live a simple life…as Nature? Yves Zehnder tells how he ended up off-grid, off-road and offline in a quest to do just that: live simply — to be a conscious contributor, rather than an extractive consumer, a homesteader with a far smaller than average footprint. He co-founded Sacred Sueños [https://sacredsuenos.wordpress.com/] in 2004, a mountain regeneration project, close to Vilcabamba in the Andes mountains of southern Ecuador. He recounts his journey to create a home defined by: regeneration, biodiversity, and an abundant, thriving ecosystem. Through permaculture, analog forestry practices, restoring soil fertility, natural building, appropriate technologies, regenerative design and agriculture systems, animal integration, agro-ecology & intentional community. Becoming one with and adapted to Nature by being as Nature, is a life-transforming journey, you just may wish to undertake yourself. Yves Zehnder is Steward of the Sacred Sueños Reserve, and Amateur of all trades at the Sierra y Cielo homestead [https://sierraycielo.org/]. He follows a philosophy integrating regenerative design in all aspects of life. He loves creating edible forests and gardens, and raising animals, using ecological mimicry to increase biodiversity and productivity. He still lives on the mountain, raising a young family, and taking his first steps towards ecology inspired consulting and education.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/yves-zehnder-on-78646489 Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 164Photo credit: Sierra Y Cielo
From the late 1800s to the early decades of the 1900s, African Americans started to occupy and steward recreational sites and public spaces throughout the United States, and thus challenged racial hierarchies while expressing Black identity on the social landscape.In her book, ‘Living The California Dream: African American Leisure Sites During The Jim Crow Era’, our guest historian Alison Rose Jefferson [http://www.alisonrosejefferson.com] examines how African American leisure sites were a catalyst for economic individualism, political perspectives, and self confidence and broader sense of community for Black society.In our discussion, Alison demonstrates how Black communal practices and economic development around leisure confronted the politics of racial exclusion in recreational spaces. She shares with us some unique stories of these leisure sites, their rich history, and the influence they still have today. Alison Rose Jefferson is a community engaged independent historian and heritage conservation consultant. a third generation Californian, her research interests focus on United States history, the African American experience, historical memory, social justice, and cultural tourism. She is the author of the book, ‘Living The California Dream: African American Leisure Sites During The Jim Crow Era’. in her work she aims to engage broad audiences through applied history projects in the struggle for social justice.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Publications: https://alisonrosejefferson.com/about/publications/ Belmar History+Art Project: https://alisonrosejefferson.com/belmar-history-art-a-santa-monica-commemorative-justice-initiative-continues-rolling-out-2020-2021/ Thanks to Penny Elia and her tireless work on coastal access for all for inspiring this interview.Related Shows: Civil Rights History Conservation in Alabama: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/conserving-civil-rights-history-and-biological-diversity-in-alabama/ Black-Indigenous History in the US: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/intersection-of-black-and-indigenous-resistance-justice-in-the-united-states-ep-123/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Alison Rose JeffersonExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 163Photo Credit: Alison Rose Jefferson
Glyphosate " one of the most common ingredients in herbicides and the main ingredient in Bayer/Monsanto's infamous weedkiller: Round Up. RoundUp is one of the worlds most widely used herbicides with various applications including: weed control in agriculture, vegetation control, as a crop desiccant, in consumer home gardens and lawns, and in massive aerial spraying to control illegal crops. It is also used extensively in home gardens and lawns, landscape, ornamental nursery, forestry, roadside and turf management. Join Kelly Ryerson as she reveals truths about glyphosate, what we need to do about it, and how we can create the better world we seek.In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic in humans"; studies had confirmed it caused cancer in lab animals. However, the EPA maintains that glyphosate is safe for human use, despite multiple studies demonstrating otherwise. RoundUp and glyphosate-based products have had devastating impacts on our food systems, agriculture, public health, and ecosystem in the broadest sense.While glyphosate continues to be a planetary health emergency, we as a collective, can catalyze change by making informed consumer choices and advocating against chemical products and farming practices that cause irreparable harm. While several plaintiffs have recently succeeded in winning massive verdicts in court, to redress harms they suffered from Roundup, it will take many more of us to fully eradicate not only Glyphosate, but all toxic chemicals for the sake of planetary health.Kelly Ryerson, Founder of Glyphosate Facts [http://www.glyphosatefacts.com], works at the intersection of agriculture, nutrition and health as a writer, speaker and policy consultant. She started the news site Glyphosate Facts as an educational resource to help spread awareness of the health impacts of chemical agriculture. She has a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 162Photo credit: Kelly Ryerson
Fueled by influencers, celebrities, and a wellness community, white sage has become a hot commodity from body products to the infamous smudging sticks of bundled dry leaves. However, most people are unaware that most white sage is poached from the wild and sold on the black market. White sage, also known as salvia apiana, only grows naturally from Southern California to Baja Mexico where it is stolen from the wilds and sold all over the world in boutiques, big box stores, and online. But at what cost? White Sage is deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of Indigenous communities within its native range. Barbara Drake, a Tongva elder who passed away in 2020, called it a sacred grandmother plant, a relative.Our guest, Deborah Small, along with Rose Ramirez and the California Native Plant Society, have made the award-winning documentary Saging the World [https://www.cnps.org/conservation/white-sage]to raise awareness and call for action around the protection of white sage.Deborah Small [http://deborahsmall.wordpress.com/] is a gardener, artist, writer, and Professor Emerita in the School of Arts at CalState University San Marcos. She is co-writer of The Ethnobotany Project with Rose Ramirez, and Cooking the Native Way with the Chia Cafe Collective. She is Co-Director and Co-Producer of the Saging the World documentary and campaign.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: Flora, the White Sage CNPS magazine issue: https://www.cnps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Flora-v5n3-Spring-LR.pdf Saging the World Trailer: https://vimeo.com/694109001 “Saging the World” article: https://deborahsmall.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/saging-the-world/Al Jazeera's 13 minute new video,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_KvbfczDQk Samantha Morales-Johnson, Gabrielino-Tongva https://www.instagram.com/native.illustrator/?hl=en andHow Celebrities Are Causing a Black Market for White Sagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_KvbfczDQk United Plant Savers Species At-Risk Downloadable List (includes White Sage as one of the at-risk plants)https://unitedplantsavers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/22229-UpS-Species-At-Risk-List-2022-rev-7-22.pdf Related Shows: On Protecting the Joshua Tree and climate change in the desert https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/climate-change-in-the-desert-with-ecologist-james-cornett/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Deborah SmallExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
For over two thousand years we have overlooked the scientific and cultural impact of human feeling. USC neuroscientist Dr. Antonio Damasio argues feelings and emotions are what make up human intelligence, consciousness, and the capacity for cultural creation. Thus when we look to engineering and policy solutions to our ecological collapse based on computational brainpower and artificial intelligence, we get lost along the way. By adopting a biological understanding of feeling, we can create a framework to advance the resilience of living systems.Threats to democracy, autonomy, diversity, and culture are evident around the globe, amidst a rise in autocratic leaders and the forwarding of globalist, nationalistic, corporate and/or elitist agendas. How to manifest the world of our dreams? How to advance the causes of justice, equality, freedom and true, compassionate regard for all life? How might we create systems of governance that actually support the common good? Max Henning, Neuroscientist and President of Novus Think Tank [https://www.maxahenning.com/], and former student of Dr. Damasio, is here to shed light on why the future of humanity depends upon our reconnection to and biological understanding of feeling and how it serves as the underpinning for a vibrant, resilient democracy and an engaged citizenry that supports it. Max Henning believes that a new model of human nature, based on recent research on emotion and feeling, is critical for building a flourishing and resilient future. Max began his career as a neuroscientist at USC, where he worked with Dr. Antonio Damasio, studying the molecular and evolutionary basis of feeling, emotion, and social behavior. Inspired by his research, about the potential for cooperative problem-solving, he founded Novus Think Tank, an organization for bottom-up, community-driven positive change. He is now working on bringing this model of bottom-up governance to the public sphere, and is currently a graduate student in Democracy and Governance at Georgetown University.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio More Info: https://maxahenning.medium.com/a-new-social-framework-can-be-based-on-a-biological-feeling-of-feeling-25c8c0d263c5 https://democracyandsocietynet.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/ds-31-henning.pdfPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 160Photo credit: Max Henning
The fossil fuel industry has been promoting hydrogen as a reliable, low carbon, next-generation fuel to power cars, heat homes, and generate electricity. However, currently 99% of the annual supply of hydrogen comes from fracked methane gas. So will switching to hydrogen only lock us into continued fossil fuel use and additional investments in fossil fuel infrastructure?Proponents argue that when hydrogen is made using renewable power it can cut climate-warming industrial carbon pollution from the steel, oil, and agricultural industries. However, does hydrogen measure up when compared to powering our cars and homes with alternative renewable energy generated directly from wind and solar?Our guest, Ashley Kosak, Research and Project Management Fellow with FracTracker Alliance [https://www.fractracker.org/], and CEO of Green Aero [http://greenaero.org], will explain how hydrogen is generated, transported, stored, and burned; the environmental and social impacts; and what it means for the future of clean energy.Ashley Kosak is a mechanical engineer who started her career as an engineer at SpaceX. She is an advocate for decarbonization for energy and aerospace, consumption reduction, and social advocacy. She now works with FracTracker Alliance to distill complex emerging technologies into a simple process that can be understood by anyone who wishes to be informed of shifts within the clean energy movement.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Devil's urine. That's what Dupont employees called PFAS. These toxic, human made forever chemicals are now in the blood of almost every human on the planet. They are found in drinking water around the world, even Antarctica. And they are used in a broad range of consumer products, like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant clothing, waterproof items, dental floss, and even medical masks. These are only a few examples of many.This group of toxic chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), permanently concentrates in your body and the environment. You can't get rid of them. In fact, they bioaccumulate, meaning they get worse and worse. The public awareness from uncovering of the truth behind Dupont’s misdeeds now contaminating much of the planet is tantamount to this generation’s Silent Spring.Our guest Rob Bilott is very much a Rachel Carson sort of figure who has stood up to the chemical industry as the lead attorney to bring light to the dangers of PFAS and its many variations. He fought and won a 20+ year battle against Dupont for the poisoning of over 70,000 people in West Virginia and Ohio. His work was even captured in the 2019 feature film, Dark Waters where he was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. In this interview from Summer 2022, we explore the history of PFAS, what exposure means, where it can be found, and what we can do.For an extended discussion, click here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/extended-with-on-70223811Rob Bilott is a partner in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices of the law firm, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP [https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott], where he has practiced in the Environmental and Litigation Groups for over 31 years. During that time, Rob has handled and led some of the most novel and complex cases in the country involving damage from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), including the first individual, class action, mass tort, and multi-district litigation proceedings concerning the toxic chemical, recovering over $1 billion for impacted clients. In 2017, Rob received the Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his decades of work on behalf of those injured by PFAS chemical contamination. Rob is the author of the book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Exposure/Robert-Bilott/9781501172823]and his story is the inspiration for the 2019 motion picture, “Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo. Rob’s story and work is also featured in the documentary, “The Devil We Know.” Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info: Book: Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Exposure/Robert-Bilott/9781501172823Feature Film: Dark Watershttps://www.focusfeatures.com/dark-waters Documentary: The Devil We Know https://www.amazon.com/Devil-We-Know-Bucky-Bailey/dp/B07J35G3P4Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/exposing-pfas-global-contamination-one-lawyers-battle-for-justice/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioGuest: Rob BilottHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtEpisode 145
The proliferation of suburban sprawl, built where wildlife live and thrive, threatens the safety and genetic diversity of wild animals and plant species. Migrating wildlife of all shapes and sizes must contend with humans driving on the 4.8 million miles of roads in the US, facing the danger of colliding with vehicles.Aside from driving less, one strategy to mitigate these accidents has gained bipartisan acceptance: providing wildlife crossings that facilitate connectivity for a diverse group of species. Not all wildlife crossings are simple bridges or tunnels, and our guest Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, has been championing for years what will become the world’s largest urban wildlife crossing, planned for suburban Los Angeles. And she worked for years to support the most famous mountain lion ever, P-22, who had to be euthanized this month after he lost his long battle for survival navigating freeways and suburbia in the Los Angeles hills.Beth Pratt joined us earlier this year to discuss the importance of connectivity and wildlife crossings. She explained why they are an integral strategy in land and habitat conservation and why preserving biodiversity not only protects wildlife, but also all of us humans.Beth's Website: www.bethpratt.com/Save LA Cougars: savelacougars.org/Beth Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than twenty-five years, and in two of the biggest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. As the California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, she leads the #SaveLACougars campaign to build the largest wildlife crossing in North America—and potentially the world—to help save a population of mountain lions from extinction. Her work has been featured by the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, BBC World Service, CBS This Morning, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR. She is the author of three books, the most recent, Yosemite Wildlife, will be released in 2023.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Beth PrattExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 126
In 1830 the U.S. government implemented the Indian Removal Act, which led to the infamous Trail of Tears (1837-39), the removal or forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation. Thus, roughly 15,000 Cherokees were removed from their homes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and other states under both U.S. military force and state militias. Despite these acts of genocide and the resulting criminalization of cultural traditions and lifeways, the Cherokee and so many other Indigenous peoples, have suffered greatly, persevered, thrived against all odds, and actively sought to preserve their lifeways, language and traditions. Today, the revitalization of ancestral ways which includes food, medicine, and the stories around them continues with the spirit of true sovereignty, dignity and pride. We’re thrilled to have Nico Albert Williams (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), founder and Executive Chef of Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods and Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness joining us on the show today to share her personal and collective journey to revitalize culture, Indigenous foods and wellness through sovereignty.Nico Albert Williams, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a chef, caterer and student of traditional and modern Indigenous cuisines. As the founder and owner of Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods [https://www.burningcedar.com], a catering & consulting company, Chef Nico devotes her time to the revitalization of Indigenous cuisine to promote healing and wellness in the Native American community. She is also the Founder/Board President of Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness [https://www.burningcedar.org/sovereignwellness], a nonprofit organization whose mission is to address socioeconomic disparities, health crises, and cultural disconnection affecting Indigenous communities by re-establishing ancestral foodways, birthing practices, and traditional medicine, while educating future generations of Indigenous cooks. Chef Nico’s work has been featured by Cherokee Nation's OsiyoTV, Smithsonian National Museum, PBS, Gilcrease Museum, Philbrook Museum, BBC, and Food Network, among others.Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack EidtHosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsEpisode 158Photo credit: Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods Facebook Page
What would it take to transform a 100 year old house sitting near oil fields into the most sustainable clean energy zero-emissions house? That was the challenge our guest, architect Avideh Haghighi, took up with her personal project she named ZeroHouz [http://www.zerohouz.com].We discuss whether people should consider replacing - and how to replace - their “natural” gas (or some call it fossil gas) stove, furnace, air conditioning, and water heater. We also look into why a transition to clean energy in your personal home or apartment is not a one-size-fits-all question, with significant costs, expertise, time, and effort involved. Meaning is this switch accessible and affordable to all. Does Net Zero Energy have a Net Benefit for the climate and our personal health? What happens when our homes become a place for climate action and environmental responsibility by promoting energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Avideh Haghighi is a Registered Architect with a passion for transforming the built environment towards a net positive impact. She has a decade of experience and a diverse portfolio of work spanning public and private sectors, including the State’s largest Net Zero Carbon building currently under construction. Recently she has turned her attention to the single family housing market, recognizing the need for resources and innovation to decarbonize the existing housing stock. She is applying her knowledge from designing and constructing zero energy commercial buildings to the all-electric deep green retrofit of a 99 year old house dubbed 'Zerohouz'.Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.More Info/Resources: https://switchison.org/ https://www.cleanenergyconnection.org/ https://www.redwoodenergy.net/research/a-pocket-guide-to-all-electric-retrofits-of-single-family-homesPodcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Guest: Avideh HaghighiExecutive Producer: Jack EidtHost and Producer: Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
The UN has classified at least 40% of the Earth’s land as degraded. That figure is estimated to be somewhere between 1 billion, even up to 6 billion hectares of degraded land. Much if not most of this degradation can be attributed to human activity, particularly that of modern agriculture, its impacts & methodologies. Land degradation affects the physical health of all life, biodiversity, the nutrient cycling of plants, the quality of our air, water and food and our access to them.World-renowned soil biologist Dr. Elaine Ingham and her Soil Food Web Approach [https://www.soilfoodweb.com/] has successfully been implemented to restore ecological functions of soils on more than five million acres of farmland around the world. She joined us to share deep insights about how to ensure the continuance of life on this planet by turning to Nature and using biological vs. toxic, chemical approaches to heal and balance soil. By working with beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the soil, we can support Nature in transforming inert, degraded dirt into life-giving soil. Learn how freeing rivers from channelization and using biocomplete compost instead of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides can activate the immune systems of plants and restore balanced nutrient cycling of soil and water. Proper ratios of beneficial microorganisms in the soil improves our own microbiome and ensures vital, disease-free, nutrient-dense plants and crops. The key to regenerating the world's soils begins with feeding microbiology and properly nurturing the Soil Food Web. In this episode, Elaine reviews the ins and outs of thermophilic compost, applications of compost teas and extracts, the functions of beneficial microorganisms, the interrelationship of soil and water, and the genuine potential of restoring soil faster than we are degrading it.Dr. Elaine Ingham, Founder and President of Soil Food Web Inc. and Director of the Soil Food Web School, has advanced the knowledge about the Soil Food Web for nearly four decades and since has been conducting pioneering research and advocacy empowering ordinary people to bring the soils in their community back to life. Her Soil Food Web Approach has been used to successfully restore and regenerate the ecological functions of soils on six continents. The Soil Food Web School’s curriculum was designed to be accessible to individuals who wish to train and embark on a meaningful and impactful career that will help ensure the survival of all life. Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/soil-food-web-dr-69258576 Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/healing-the-worlds-ecosystems-with-the-soil-food-web/Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradioHosted by Carry KimIntro by Jessica AldridgeEngineer and Original Music: Blake Quake BeatsExecutive Producer: Jack EidtEpisode 142Photo credit: Elaine Ingham
The Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas face a petrochemical and fracked gas export boom. Super-heat-charged hurricanes strike almost every year. As a result, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Low-Income Communities, face an interrelated number of issues including environmental justice; voting suppression; and access to housing, healthcare, clean water, energy, and safe fresh produce, just to name a few.
In this encore presentation, our guest, Roishetta Ozane, started the Vessel Project of Louisiana [https://www.vesselprojectoflouisiana.com/] to assist the most vulnerable communities by meeting their emergency needs in times of crisis.
As an organizer for the nonprofit Healthy Gulf [https://healthygulf.org/team-member/20227/], her work includes stopping a rush of new fossil fuel facilities slated for the Southwest Louisiana region. If the fossil fuel companies get their way, 17 new Liquefied Natural Gas export terminals would be built nationwide, most of them in the Gulf of Mexico, which will guarantee more climate chaos for the entire planet.
Roishetta's mix of building community, inspiring mutual aid, and organizing in solidarity with environmental justice leaders and regional and national nonprofits, brings hope to overcoming this managed chaos.
For an extended interview with Roishetta, go here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/vessel-for-ep-69539449
Roishetta Sibley Ozane has over a decade of experience representing organizations as a community outreach specialist. Not only is she the founder, director and CEO of The Vessel Project of Louisiana, she is the Clean Energy Organizing Director with Healthy Gulf [https://healthygulf.org/] for the Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas region. Roishetta is also She Leads Fellow alum and Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice [https://powercoalition.org/], where she empowers women of color to go out into their communities and make positive change.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Roishetta Ozane Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 143 Photo Credit: Roishetta Ozane
Native people inhabited the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts for more than 10,000 years. It is the homeland of many First People, all related to one another. They are called the Sokoki, Pocumtuck, Nonotuck, Woronoco, and Agawam.
Many other tribes visited and still visit this Native homeland. Among them are the Abenaki, Nipmuck, Wampanoag, Narragansett, Mohegan, Pequot, Mohican, and Mohawk. These tribes are recognized today by states or the federal government as sovereign nations.
Historically, tribes gathered in this valley to trade, to fish, to plant, to participate in sacred ceremonies. The sad fact remains that during the wars waged in the colonial period, the Native people were driven from this valley. They blended into the Abenaki, Nipmuck, and Mohican tribes across the Northeast. Often, they integrated into the settler communities. Some were herbal doctors, basket makers, and carvers. They dressed like their European descendant neighbors, but kept the fire of their culture alive.
Our guest on this show is Jennifer Lee, Northern Narragansett Educator and Board member of the Nolumbeka Project [https://nolumbekaproject.org/], an organization dedicated to honoring the Northeastern Tribal Heritage of the Connecticut River Valley. The word Nolumbeka is Abenaki for “the calm waters between the rapids.”
Jennifer Lee, Grandmother, bark basket maker, and culture bearer, provides histories, insights and perspectives of Native Peoples of the Northeast. Jennifer grew up without knowledge of her Native ancestry which compelled her to seek out the true history and culture of the Northeast Woodlands Indigenous Peoples as an independent researcher. For roughly 30 years, she has held classes in her Eastern Conical Wigwam to tell the stories of Northeastern Native Peoples and share her cultural knowledge. She is co-producer with the Nolumbeka Project of the 10-part film series “Indigenous Voices'' [https://nolumbekaproject.org/indigenous-voices/]. She has been a bark basket maker [http://Barkbasketsbyjlee.com] for 40 years.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Intro By: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 156 Photo credit: Jennifer Lee
Microplastics, small, micro sized plastic fragments are showing up in our water sources, rain, drinking water, and beverages like beer. It is in food, salt, and seafood. Moreover, it has recently been found in human breast milk, placentas, human lungs, and blood. One report indicated that blue whales are consuming 10 million pieces of microplastic particles a day.
As plastic fragments, it continues to shed fibers smaller than a strand of human hair. Most the time we are unaware how and when this happens. Did you know, when you open a plastic cap on a bottle, you release 1000s of particles. But then there is also our clothing, roads, artificial turf, food packaging, tea bags, or plastic that comes in contact with friction, hot liquid, or hot food.
Our guest Dr. Scott Coffin [https://scottcoff.in/] has been studying plastic since 2014. He is a toxicologist and Research Scientist at California State Water Resources Control Board speaks about how microplastics are entering our environment, what solutions are being put in place to assess risk and implement precautionary solutions, and how we might limit our own exposure.
The biggest human body entry point for micro plastics isn’t our water, food packaging, or clothing (which are still of great concern), it is the air we breathe.
Plastics and their chemical additives can be toxic, of the more than 10,000 unique chemicals used in plastics, more than 2,400 are of potential concern, most of which are unregulated.
So should we be worried about micro plastic in the environment and our bodies? What is the average level of human exposure? And is there enough evidence to prove that a health risk exists?
Dr. Scott Coffin is a research scientist and subject-matter expert for microplastics at the California State Water Resources Control Board, where he leads the agency’s efforts to monitor and manage microplastics pollution in drinking water and the environment. Dr. Coffin holds a PhD in environmental toxicology from the University of California, Riverside, and has been studying plastic's impacts on the environment since 2014.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
For the extended discussion with Dr, Coffin, click here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/more-on-and-with-74660652
More Info:
https://www.sccwrp.org/about/research-areas/additional-research-areas/trash-pollution/microplastics-health-effects-webinar-series/history-california-microplastics-legislation/
https://www.plastiverse.org/
https://www.springeropen.com/collections/sccwrp
Related Show:
The EcoJustice Radio Plastic Plague Series: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-future-solutions-policy-resistance-around-plastic-plastic-plague-pt-7/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Dr. Scott Coffin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
The Earth’s water cycle, carbon cycle, and nutrient cycle depend on a healthy soil sponge, which is created and maintained by the ongoing work of other species. By restoring and nurturing the soil sponge, humanity has a unique opportunity to unify and come into balance with all life, particularly the world’s essential workers: Plants, fungi, bacteria, worms, insects, and other often unseen underground workers. These beings together create the soil sponge, the basic infrastructure or living matrix that makes life on land possible.
Listen to Didi Pershouse [https://www.didipershouse.com/], founder of the Land & Leadership Initiative [http://www.landandleadership.org], share how we might allow Nature to lead to restore global soil health, collaborate with other species, and ensure the soil sponge remains healthy and functional for future generations. In doing so, the world’s most pressing challenges can be resolved.
When the soil sponge fails on a small scale, local farms and small ecosystems collapse. When it fails on a large scale, whole regions and societies collapse. Regenerating the health of the world’s soils in the time of extreme climatic disruption means: fewer floods, droughts, and wildfires; improved air quality; less need for irrigation; cleaner and more abundant water; more moderated weather patterns; less erosion; greater biodiversity; and less spending on public health and disaster recovery.
Didi Pershouse is the Author of two books. The first is The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities. Her second is Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function. A well known writer and teacher, she specializes in how to grow what is called the Soil Sponge – a way to provide abundant water and food for all life, while establishing resilience to flooding, drought and wildfires [http://www.rehydratecalifornia.org]. She understands other plants, animals, bugs, and microbes as "Essential Workers," stressing the vital role of the biological workforce in regulating the out-of-control climate.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/more-on-global-74380345
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer and Intro By: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 154 Photo credit: Didi Pershouse
Just as we analyze the impacts of our food and energy use, equally important is understanding from where our clothes originate, their environmental and social impacts, and how to dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner.
According to a 2017 Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, every second on this planet, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing and textiles is landfilled or burned.
On this show we interview Karri Ann Frerichs, CEO and Founder of Circular Fashion LA [http://www.circularfashionla.com/] whose mission is to give new life and add more value to clothing and to help customers keep loving the clothes they already own for much longer.
Circular fashion moves away from single use products and services that don’t reflect the true cost of an item; spoiler there is no such thing as a truly $10 t-shirt. Circular fashion is a system where the design of our clothing and personal belongings considers both the production of an item and the end of its life as of equal importance. It rethinks the linear “take-make-dispose” model and instead asks the industry to prioritize responsible materials, manufacturing, labor, use, and end-of-life for every garment.
Karri Ann Frerichs has been a fashion industry entrepreneur and innovator since 2008, working in retail management, wholesale distribution, brand development and apparel manufacturing, with a focus on zero-waste, regenerative product development. She has taught the Business of Fashion to university students since 2010 and in her current position at Woodbury University, has also spearheaded the addition of Circular Economy curriculum since 2019. In 2020, she became an Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Pioneer and mentor to the From Linear to Circular Programme, and also launched the Los Angeles Chapter of the Circular Economy Club.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info: http://laincubator.org/startups Related Show: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-steep-environmental-and-social-costs-of-the-fashion-industry/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Kari Ann Frerichs CEO and Founder of Circular Fashion LA, A Social Purpose Corporation. Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Board Operator: J.P. Morris
Some 12,000 years ago, our ancestors in the Fertile Crescent turned from being hunter-gatherers to farming. Today, agriculture consumes one-third of global land use and food production creates roughly15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We have become dependent upon farming; and how we choose to farm now, will surely determine the future of humanity.
By increasing biodiversity through using cover crops, integrating wild and domesticated animals, and minimizing or eliminating tillage, Regenerative Farming creates healthy soil that keeps water and carbon in the ground as part of their natural cycles. Our guest, Chef Mollie Engelhart of Sage Plant Based Bistro & Brewery, Sow a Heart Farm [http://sowaheart.com], and the regenerative farming organization, Kiss the Ground, joins us today to relate her experience starting as a chef and restaurant owner to running her own farm.
By supporting food production biologically without toxic chemicals, Regenerative Agriculture serves the ecosystem and the health of all living things. Some assert it can reverse climate change which is no surprise to those who understand soil and its vital importance to planetary health. The Regenerative Organic Alliance has a motto: Farm like the world depends on it.
Mollie Engelhart is an organic vegan chef from Los Angeles who founded Sage Plant Based Bistro [http://sageveganbistro.com] that became committed to managing the organic waste from her restaurant so she started her own regenerative farm called Sow a Heart. Mollie recently purchased a 200 acre ranch in Bandera, Texas, to continue her commitment to food sovereignty and create community around resilient local food systems.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/extended-with-73721242
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 152 Photo credit: Sow A Heart Farm
The poetry of Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] -- a fearless, challenging and at times even confrontational blend of humor, history and political theory -- is at times a shot in the arm of pure revolutionary adrenaline. It also is a sobering call for the fundamental restructuring of society in the interest of people not profits. Passionate, analytical, humorous and above all sincere, Matt's poetry revolution is a clarion call for those who know a new world is not only possible but inevitable.
Matt Sedillo has been described in ROAR Magazine as one of the most important working-class intellectuals of our time. On this encore presentation, Matt discusses his latest book, City on the Second Floor, published by Flowersong Press [https://www.flowersongpress.com/store/poetry]. He is a Poet and Writer in Residence at Re Arte and also author of 'Mowing Leaves of Grass'.
Author Paul Ortiz wrote "Matt Sedillo's poetic work is full of history, struggle, tragedy, anger, joy, despair, possibility and faith in the struggles of working class people to overcome the forces of capitalism and racism.
Matt Sedillo also has been called the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Listen to the Extended Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/poetry-and-with-73402113
He is also a returning guest of EcoJustice Radio; check out episode 105 where he and fellow poet Awa Ndiaye discuss Spoken Word: Challenging Mainstream Discourse on Climate. https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/spoken-word-challenging-mainstream-discourse-on-climate/
To buy Matt Sedillo's latest book, 'City on the Second Floor': https://www.amazon.com/City-Second-Floor-Matt-Sedillo/dp/1953447899
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 129 Image: Matt Sedillo
Synthetic herbicides often contain carcinogenic glyphosate and are used largely to eradicate weeds for aesthetic purposes on college campuses and school grounds. Institutions such as these are notorious for utilizing chemicals that have been linked to a host of diseases including: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Parkinson’s, asthma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, cancer and leukemia. These deleterious health impacts can be avoided or prevented by implementing and exploring organic options and regenerative land care that promotes the health of groundskeepers, students, faculty, and the community at large. Prioritizing aesthetics over health promotion by using synthetic herbicides comes at the expense of student and community health.
Regenerative design can create landscapes that support ecosystem health, biodiversity and a balanced climate vs. aesthetics and ornamentalism, which necessitates the use of toxic inputs for maintenance. The organization Re:wild Your Campus [https://www.rewild.org/rewild-your-campus] empowers students to convert campuses and schools to organic land care across the continent and they are succeeding. The entire University of California system has banned the use of glyphosate, and herbicides have been banned by all public schools in Hawai’i. Join Rose Williamson and Sheina Crystal of Re:wild Your Campus as they share their aims to continue until toxic herbicides have been eliminated at every school on this continent.
Rose Williamson graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in International Relations and Economics in 2021. While in school, she led an Herbicide-Free campaign at LMU, working with the grounds crew to develop an organic space on campus and passing student resolutions for organic land management. At Re:wild Your Campus, she serves as the Development Specialist and Curriculum Manager in order to further the campaign through new initiatives and strategies.
Sheina Crystal graduated from UC Santa Barbara with degrees in Environmental Studies and Sociology and while there, she worked with groundskeepers and restoration management as she advocated for the reduction of herbicide use on campus. She also worked with the non profits Food and Water Action and Beyond Pesticides to fight against environmental toxins. As Director of Communications and Campaigns at Re:wild Your Campus, Sheina supports campus fellows as they advocate to make their university grounds safer and healthier spaces for all living beings.
Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/re-wild-your-73137251
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Episode 151
On this show we explore the world of Shelterwood Collective [http://www.shelterwoodcollective.org], a Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ-led community forest and retreat center that seeks to heal people and ecosystems through active stewardship and community engagement.
Recently they took on the role of stewards for 900 acres of forest in Sonoma County, California, on Unceded Kashaya and Southern Pomo territory. Our guest is Layel Camargo, Co Founder & Co Executive Director of Shelterwood Collective.
We explore what it means and why it is important to heal self and environment through land management, shaping culture change, and narrative shifting (also sought by story telling). Shelterwood Collective believes that ecosystem health can only be achieved by communities who are in deep relationship with the Earth and with one another.
The work of Shelterwood Collective extends beyond the forest edge through training & programming focused on antiracism, decolonizing conservation, inspiring resilient leadership, promoting artistic expression, and community health.
Layel Camargo is a non binary and trans person uses they/them pronouns . They are an indigenous descendant of the Yaqui and Yoeme tribes of the Sonoran Desert. Co founder and co executive director of Shelterwood Collective, a land stewardship project building a retreat center and artist residency. In the last 10 years they have been a champion of Zero Waste, veganism, and a cultural organizer and producer for podcasts such as 'Did We Go Too Far?' & 'Climate Woke'. In 2020 they were named on the Grist Fixers List of Climate Activists to follow.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
More Info:
Grist: https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/2021-intersectional-future-for-the-climate-movement/ Cultural Power: https://www.culturalpower.org/stories/trail-ahead-layel-camargo/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Layel Camargo Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt
Two countries in Latin America have had elections where after decades of US-influenced, multinational corporation dominant governments have lost to insurgent leftist candidates, Xiomara Castro in Honduras, and Gustavo Petro in Colombia.
One other country in the Caribbean, Haiti, has faced the same sort of right-wing neoliberal interventionist governments, a recent example ending up with an assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Right now massive protests have gotten to the point of anarchy over fuel hikes and US-UN intervention on behalf of corporations and their wealthy Haitian overlords. How did we get here and where do we go from here?
Today we feature excerpts from the UCSB radio program No Alibis Third World News Review [https://spinitron.com/KCSB/show/169197/No-Alibis] with host Elizabeth Robinson, Jack Eidt, EcoJustice Radio Executive Producer, and commentators Gerard Pigeon, Katia McClain, and Hector Javkin.
Jack Eidt discusses new government transitions in Honduras and Colombia.
Professor Gerard Pigeon covers the history of Haiti, and why we have seen this international-interventionist mess before. Unless many nations work together to support a Haitian-led solution, where the business and corporate interests and their US and UN military power step back, nothing will improve there.
We also included a commentary by Prof. Katia McClain, calling for a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and fiction writer. In addition to co-founding SoCal 350, he publishes the website WilderUtopia [https://www.wilderutopia.com/]. He has written about Latin American issues for decades.
Gerard Pigeon is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Black Studies at UCSB [https://www.blackstudies.ucsb.edu/people/gerard-pigeon], and specializes in Francophone African and Caribbean literature, language, and cultural traditions. He gives us a comprehensive rundown on Haiti’s history since they became an independent republic, the first modern state in the Americas governed by people of African descent. And he covers what is happening today since the assassination of their president and ongoing political instability. He has published many books including Favelas (Les Editions St. Germain), Le Choix, Edition St. Germain; and Frontiere (Oswald, Paris, 1976).
Katia McClain is a Lecturer in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at UCSB [https://www.gss.ucsb.edu/people/katia-mcclain].
More Info: Rights Action: https://rightsaction.org/ Reviving Democracy in Honduras: https://jacobin.com/2022/07/honduras-socialist-president-xiomara-castro-democracy-libre-party Repression in Cayos Cochinos: https://elfaro.net/en/202207/centroamerica/26304/The-Survivors-of-Cayos-Cochinos.htm Total Peace in Colombia: https://nacla.org/petro-new-peace-plan-colombia Struggles Over Oil in Arauca: https://nacla.org/dirty-war-oil-arauca-colombia
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Intro and Executive Produced by Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 149 Photo credit: Jack Eidt
Native peoples have used the tool of fire as medicine. Fire was understood to be a spirit, a healer and sacred in its own right. Traditional Native controlled burning, called cultural fire, utilizes ancient agro-forestry practices, technology developed through time by the Karuk tribe and Indigenous Peoples around the world.
Elizabeth Azzuz, Secretary of Cultural Fire Management Council, discusses in this interview from 2020 her work using Traditional Native Karuk methods of prescribed burning to protect forests, heal degraded ecosystems, and reestablish forest-grown food, medicine, and products.
With global climate heating turning the West Coast of the US into an arid tinderbox, this has been another year of the megafire. Thus, the cultural fire practice of Elizabeth Azzuz on the North Coast of California sets an important example on how to protect and regenerate forests for the people and wildlife who call them home using traditional ecological knowledge.
Elizabeth Azzuz is a cultural fire practitioner. She gathers and propagates traditional food and medicinal plants. Of Yurok and Karuk descent, she comes from and lives in her traditional territory where the Trinity River flows into the Klamath on the North Coast of California. Elizabeth is a mother and grandmother; at the age of 4 she learned about burning from her grandfather.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulturalFire Website: http://culturalfire.org/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Music: Javier Kadry Episode 83 Photo courtesy Kiliii Yuyan
Many people are aware of the Victory Gardens that were hallmarks of WWI and WWII, where people in the United States and in other countries were growing food at home to supplement rations, reduce pressure on the food supply and lift morale.
We are in a similar, yet different moment now, having experienced food security and supply chain issues during the pandemic, the urgency of climate change as evidenced by flash floods and intensive wildfires, as well civil wars, economic and humanitarian crises. Uncertainties about energy, overburdened and aging power grids, and rising food costs are all perfect motivations to grow food at home. During the pandemic, a quiet gardening boom began. Now, it is estimated that roughly 42% of people are growing their own food. Food forests are a means to reconnect to the world around us, establish resilient communities, benefit the ecosystem overall, vitalize our health, and restore habitat for pollinators and our animal relatives.
In this episode, Jim Gale, CEO and Chief Storyteller of the organization Food Forest Abundance [https://foodforestabundance.com/], shares about the potential of thriving food forests to meet and transcend the issues of our times.
After planning the concept of abundance gardening for over 15 years, Jim Gale launched his Food Forest Abundance program on Earth Day 2021. Gale, a permaculturist, encourages everyone to ditch their grass-filled front and back lawns and replace them with an edible forest. Food Forest Abundance works with many institutions across the US and fifteen countries including schools, universities, hospitals, community centers, parks, as well as homeowners associations, restaurants, and others.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/extended-with-of-71909164
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/how-to-establish-a-food-forest-with-jim-gale/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Episode 148 Photo credit: Food Forest Abundance
Unbeknownst to many, the United States is soon to be the largest exporter of oil and gas. With increased drilling and fracking in the Texas Permian Basin and multiple oil and gas pipelines headed for the Gulf of Mexico Coast, the neighboring communities are at the nexus of climate change disasters and community resistance. Port Arthur Texas is home base for the largest oil refinery in North America and a dizzying toxic array of fossil fuel and chemical facilities. But the people are stepping up to say - NO MORE. Port Arthur Community Action Network (also known as PACAN) is raising the alarm, holding the polluters accountable, and paving the path to transition away from an extractive economy to one that supports restorative justice.
Our guest on this encore presentation is John Beard, Jr., Founder and CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network [https://www.pa-can.com/], is helping to mobilize his community of Port Arthur and the Southeast Texas region. As a former oil employee turned advocate for environmental justice in the place he has lived all his life. John has been fighting for health and safety protections on the refineries, export terminals, petrochemical plants, and leading efforts against deepwater ports, each of which could export an estimated 2 million barrels of crude oil per day.
He is the recipient of the 2021 Rose Braz Award for Bold Activism from the Center for Biological Diversity. This year he helped lead October’s historic People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action in Washington DC, and he brought a powerful voice to November’s U.N. climate talks in Glasgow.
More: https://www.portarthurcan.org/
The Plastic Plague Series by EcoJustice Radio: https://socal350.org/ecojustice-radio-on-kpfk-90-7-fm-in-los-angeles/plastic-plague-series/
Break Free From Plastic on EcoJustice Radio: https://www.wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/break-free-from-the-plastic-death-cycle/
News Sources https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/01/congress-lifted-crude-export-ban-2015-us-has-dropped-climate-bomb-world
https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/john-beard-jr-honored-with-rose-braz-award-for-bold-activism-2021-12-08/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/who-will-protect-communities-of-color-from-climate-disaster/ar-AA11kdQE
https://grist.org/climate-energy/war-ukraine-increase-pollution-oil-gas-communities-us/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/27/climate-permitting-sacrifice-zone/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/port-arthur-texas-community-resistance-vs-the-climate-change-nexus/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 121 Photo credit: John Beard
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association recently reported that half of the mainland U.S. is currently undergoing drought. The West is experiencing the worst megadrought in 1,200 years, the onset of which began some twenty years ago. Regardless of dire conditions, drought is not a fixed conclusion: it is a sign. A sign of imbalance in our relationships to soil and the water cycle. Drought reflects the consequences of wasteful personal and farming practices, infrastructure that has turned floodplains into farmland, channelized river flows, and climate change, to name a few.
Wasteful irrigation in agriculture is often blamed as a primary culprit of water misuse and abuse. However, in reality, responsibility around water and soil begins at home. The collective actions of many human beings can effectively regenerate soil, nourish microbiology, and stabilize the water cycle as a whole. In this episode, learn what each of us can do locally to become better stewards of water and soil. Transforming concepts of scarcity, shortages, and lack will require all of us to align with rather than against the cycles of nature. Join Keisha and Casey Ernst of Catalyst BioAmendments to learn practical, regenerative approaches that honor water and soil, while mitigating against drought. Individual changes remain the key to catalyzing global change that fosters abundance, balance and restored ecosystems at home.
Keisha and Casey Ernst are microbe farmers with a strong background in permaculture, a love for food forests, and an obsession with microscope adventures. After finding that most commercial compost was void of beneficial life, they founded Catalyst BioAmendments, a biologically focused compost company in Nevada City, CA.
They are founding members of the Sierra Soil Biology Association. A non-profit organization of biology focused soil food web consultants, compost producers, lab techs, and community influencers who promote the regeneration of soil.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Check out their appearance on the show in 2021: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/the-art-science-of-microbe-farming/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 147 Photo credit: Keisha and Casey Ernst
The truth about the US Indian boarding school policy has largely been written out of the history books. Started in the 1800s across the US and Canada, Indian Boarding schools were government-funded and often church-run. The goal? Forced assimilation of Native children into white society under the belief of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” which still contributes to how we see and treat Indigenous Peoples today.
Sadly, the marked and unmarked graves of children have been found in the residential school systems of both Canada and the US. The total is now over 6,500 indigenous youth, having died amid accusations of abuse and neglect.
Our guests, SunRose IronShell and Manape LaMere, update us on the current situation and the history of this generational trauma, and how bringing home the remains has become a way to tell the children's stories and hold to account these schools.
Listen to Part 2 of this discussion: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/lost-children-of-turtle-island-part-2/
Check out their 2020 Appearance on EJR: https://www.wilderutopia.com/landscape/culture-landscape/tribal-sovereignty-and-self-determination/
Manape LaMere has relinquished his U.S. citizenship and is a Government Representative of the Sioux Nation of Indians and an U.N. Economic and Social Council committee member to the United Nations. Manape is currently working to rebuild all social and economic development for his nation and provide proactive approach in response to genocide and 150 years of economic sanctions.
SunRose IronShell, Is an Artistic Visionary Dreamer. Hailing from the Missouri River valley area in Sioux City Iowa. SunRose is Sicangu and Oglala Lakota of the Titowan band of the Oceti Sakowyn - the Seven Council fires, Internationally known as the Sioux Nation of Indians. She is a cultural bearer and High School teacher. She was featured in the documentary, Women of the White Buffalo [https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/cast/6/] soon to be released. You can catch her every Friday for Native News in 10 on Woman of the White Buffalo Facebook page.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 116 Image: Courtesy Manape and SunRose
Lithium is essential to all battery technology currently in use and development worldwide. Due to the transition to renewable solar and wind energy and electrification of vehicles and homes to reduce fossil fuel dependency and address climate change, the appetite for lithium is growing exponentially. While touted as part of a clean and green technology, many are rightfully crying “greenwashing" in response to lithium production and fast tracking mine permits. There is a dark underbelly of lithium mining that is impacting Indigenous communities and People of Color: their cultural heritage, lifeways, sacred sites, and the totality of their health.
In this episode, Gary McKinney, Spokesman for The People of Red Mountain and Lead Scout for the American Indian Movement-Northeast Nevada, reveals the true cost of lithium and what we might do to protect the Northern Paiute & Western Shoshone sacred site of Pee’hee Mu’huh to ensure Indigenous peoples and their legacies are not irreparably harmed by the world’s growing hunger for lithium.
The People of the Red Mountain [https://peopleofredmountain.com/] are an Indigenous led grassroot organization, comprised of Paiute and Shoshone peoples, surrounding Indigenous nations, and supporters working to protect Pee’hee Mu’huh (Thacker Pass) from the possible construction of the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine in northwest Nevada. If the mine is built it would be the United States largest source of lithium supply generating 60,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually.
The People of the Red Mountain are calling for support in demanding the U.S. Department of the Interior to rescind the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project Final Environmental Impact Statement, Record of Decision, and Plan of Operations. Lithium Nevada Corp. is a subsidiary of the Canadian corporation Lithium Americas Corp. which proposes to build the open pit lithium mine with a project area of almost 17,933 acres that will use 5,200 acre-feet per year of water (equivalent to an average pumping rate of 3,224 gallons per minute) in one of the driest regions in the nation.
Lithium Nevada Corporation characterizes the mine as a “green” project, despite estimates the mine will produce an estimated 152,703 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year and will cause irreversible harm to the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Nation, ancestral massacre sites, the water, air, medicines, culturally important wildlife relations, and everything else the land and waters culturally sustain for the Peoples. The Bureau of Land Management approved the mine on January 15, 2021, without adequately consulting tribal members.
Gary McKinney is a Western Shoshone/Northern Paiute tribal descendant, born and raised in Indian-Treaty-Territory. For over a decade Gary has been involved with Indian Rights and upholding traditional value & culture. Today, he is also a spokesman for the People of Red Mountain, a band of Paiute-Shoshones representing a portion of the Tribal Cultural Landscape threatened by Mining Exploitation.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 146 Photo credit: Gary McKinney from Cultural Survival
Devil's urine. That's what Dupont employees called PFAS. These toxic, human made forever chemicals are now in the blood of almost every human on the planet. They are found in drinking water around the world, even Antarctica. And they are used in a broad range of consumer products, like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant clothing, waterproof items, dental floss, and even medical masks. These are only a few examples of many.
This group of toxic chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), permanently concentrates in your body and the environment. You can't get rid of them. In fact, they bioaccumulate, meaning they get worse and worse. The public awareness from uncovering of the truth behind Dupont’s misdeeds now contaminating much of the planet is tantamount to this generation’s Silent Spring.
Our guest Rob Bilott is very much a Rachel Carson sort of figure who has stood up to the chemical industry as the lead attorney to bring light to the dangers of PFAS and its many variations. He fought and won a 20+ year battle against Dupont for the poisoning of over 70,000 people in West Virginia and Ohio. His work was even captured in the 2019 feature film, Dark Waters where he was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo.
Rob has continued his groundbreaking work and is looking at the potential of a nationwide class action lawsuit as newer versions of PFAS emerge, unregulated and as dangerous as ever.
In this show, we explore the history of PFAS, what exposure means, where it can be found, and what we can do.
Rob Bilott is a partner in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices of the law firm, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP [https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott], where he has practiced in the Environmental and Litigation Groups for over 31 years. During that time, Rob has handled and led some of the most novel and complex cases in the country involving damage from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), including the first individual, class action, mass tort, and multi-district litigation proceedings concerning the toxic chemical, recovering over $1 billion for impacted clients.
In 2017, Rob received the Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his decades of work on behalf of those injured by PFAS chemical contamination. Rob is the author of the book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Exposure/Robert-Bilott/9781501172823] and his story is the inspiration for the 2019 motion picture, “Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo. Rob’s story and work is also featured in the documentary, “The Devil We Know.”
More Info: National academies of Science: https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2022/07/new-report-calls-for-expanded-pfas-testing-for-people-with-history-of-elevated-exposure-offers-advice-for-clinical-treatment https://www.ewg.org/what-are-pfas-chemicals
Watch the Documentary: https://youtu.be/NJFbsWX4MJM
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1501172824?tag=simonsayscom
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Rob Bilott Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 145 Photo Credit: Rob Bilott
Our times are demanding that we reconnect to Nature and the place where we live. Given the impacts of the sixth great extinction, it is our personal and collective responsibility to support the return of biodiversity and native habitat. The World Wildlife Fund recently announced that we are losing 10,000 species a year to extinction, primarily due to habitat loss. Despite this, the U.S. has turned over 40 million acres of native-habitat into high-maintenance, lifeless and toxic lawns.
According to Beyond Pesticides, suburban lawns and gardens receive more pesticides per acre than in agriculture, to the tune of 90 million pounds per year. Regrettably many people are now turning to fake grass or synthetic lawns for instant green gratification; however, these can be costly over their lifespan, potentially include harmful ingredients such as microplastics or recycled tires, and inhibit biodiversity. Our guest this week, David Newsom, Founder of The Wild Yards Project [https://www.wildyardsproject.com], asserts that all lawns can be reclaimed, regenerated and repurposed into habitat where the tens of thousands of displaced, native and threatened species could once again thrive. Combining award winning filmmakers, esteemed botanists, biologists and native plant landscapers, the Wild Yards Project is here to remind us that: One yard can save a species, but many yards can transform the world.
Hear David Newsom share about the rewards and challenges of re-creating urban and suburban cultivated spaces into abundant, biodiverse, resilient and equitable spaces with native plants, native stewardship and compassion. Wild Yards Project is inspiring globally, transforming built-spaces locally, and providing resources for people worldwide to begin where they are in restoring and healing the lands where they live.
With over 25 years in film and television, David combines storytelling, community outreach and on-site consultation/installation to inspire globally, transform built-spaces locally, and provide the resources for people everywhere to begin restoring and healing the land where they live and work.
Published Content Sunset Magazine: https://www.sunset.com/home-garden/landscaping/native-plant-lawn-guide Cultivating Place: https://www.cultivatingplace.com/post/2019/08/08/where-the-wild-things-are-wild-yards-project-david-newsom Mr Feelgood: https://mrfeelgood.com/articles/where-the-wild-things-are David Newsom- Seminar for Portland Horticultural Society: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/iGpozmQ47PvKbvK3HKVLjiSPY2RWp-IrhnQWe6CTNEOHpRJX7p5W-dpXWocNS1xBZmYHXBzZfK7w6IcI.yz82G26RfwzNAOjA?startTime=1649351696000
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 144 Photo credit: Wild Yards Project
The Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas face a petrochemical and fracked gas export boom. Super-heat-charged hurricanes strike almost every year. As a result, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Low-Income Communities, face an interrelated number of issues including environmental justice; voting suppression; and access to housing, healthcare, clean water, energy, and safe fresh produce, just to name a few.
Our guest, Roishetta Ozane, started the Vessel Project of Louisiana [https://www.vesselprojectoflouisiana.com/] to assist the most vulnerable communities by meeting their emergency needs in times of crisis.
As an organizer for the nonprofit Healthy Gulf [https://healthygulf.org/team-member/20227/], her work includes stopping a rush of new fossil fuel facilities slated for the Southwest Louisiana region. If the fossil fuel companies get their way, 17 new Liquefied Natural Gas export terminals would be built nationwide, most of them in the Gulf of Mexico, which will guarantee more climate chaos for the entire planet.
Roishetta's mix of building community, inspiring mutual aid, and organizing in solidarity with environmental justice leaders and regional and national nonprofits, brings hope to overcoming this managed chaos.
Roishetta Sibley Ozane has over a decade of experience representing organizations as a community outreach specialist. Not only is she the founder, director and CEO of The Vessel Project of Louisiana, she is the Clean Energy Organizing Director with Healthy Gulf [https://healthygulf.org/] for the Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas region. Roishetta is also She Leads Fellow alum and Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice [https://powercoalition.org/], where she empowers women of color to go out into their communities and make positive change.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Check out our related interview with activist John Beard on Port Arthur, Texas: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/port-arthur-texas-community-resistance-vs-the-climate-change-nexus/
More Info: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-6-winter/feature/halting-gas-export-boom https://lailluminator.com/2022/07/12/as-peak-hurricane-season-looms-banks-bolster-cozy-relationship-with-fossil-fuel-industry/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Roishetta Ozane Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 143 Photo Credit: Roishetta Ozane
The UN has classified at least 40% of the Earth’s land as degraded. That figure is estimated to be somewhere between 1 billion, even up to 6 billion hectares of degraded land. Much if not most of this degradation can be attributed to human activity, particularly that of modern agriculture, its impacts & methodologies. Land degradation affects the physical health of all life, biodiversity, the nutrient cycling of plants, the quality of our air, water and food and our access to them.
World-renowned soil biologist Dr. Elaine Ingham and her Soil Food Web Approach [https://www.soilfoodweb.com/] has successfully been implemented to restore ecological functions of soils on more than five million acres of farmland around the world. She joined us to share deep insights about how to ensure the continuance of life on this planet by turning to Nature and using biological vs. toxic, chemical approaches to heal and balance soil. By working with beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the soil, we can support Nature in transforming inert, degraded dirt into life-giving soil.
Learn how freeing rivers from channelization and using biocomplete compost instead of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides can activate the immune systems of plants and restore balanced nutrient cycling of soil and water. Proper ratios of beneficial microorganisms in the soil improves our own microbiome and ensures vital, disease-free, nutrient-dense plants and crops. The key to regenerating the world's soils begins with feeding microbiology and properly nurturing the Soil Food Web. In this episode, Elaine reviews the ins and outs of thermophilic compost, applications of compost teas and extracts, the functions of beneficial microorganisms, the interrelationship of soil and water, and the genuine potential of restoring soil faster than we are degrading it.
Dr. Elaine Ingham, Founder and President of Soil Food Web Inc. and Director of the Soil Food Web School, has advanced the knowledge about the Soil Food Web for nearly four decades and since has been conducting pioneering research and advocacy empowering ordinary people to bring the soils in their community back to life. Her Soil Food Web Approach has been used to successfully restore and regenerate the ecological functions of soils on six continents. The Soil Food Web School’s curriculum was designed to be accessible to individuals who wish to train and embark on a meaningful and impactful career that will help ensure the survival of all life.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/69258576
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 142 Photo credit: Dr. Elaine Ingham
The act of composting ensures that food scraps and green waste are never wasted, but returned to enrich the soil. It sequesters carbon, and helps to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Furthermore, it also enriches the community, creating cooperative human networks, inclusive spaces, and green jobs.
Our guest Michael Martinez, Founder and Executive Director of LA Compost [http://www.lacompost.org], illustrates how composting should and can be available to everyone (no matter if you are in an apartment or single family home). We explore how his organization has grown a successful urban composting model by developing spaces and collaborations with a wide variety of partners including the community, nonprofits, business, and city departments.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/soulful-to-urban-68931890
LA Compost cultivates community through their extensive network of accessible compost hubs including food-scrap drop-off locations and urban composting sites. They have even set up infrastructure at Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America.
Composting is an act of social justice; supporting food security and localized food systems. This, in turn, improves the environment by implementing restorative practices, which can mitigate negative health impacts and empower communities.
Michael Martinez, Founder and Executive Director of LA Compost - Michael is a former elementary school teacher, a father of two, and the Founder and Executive Director of LA Compost. Michael has grown LA Compost from a group of volunteers collecting organics using bikes, to a decentralized network of community compost hubs that span the most populated county in the country. LA Compost now oversees over 40 compost hubs, all in partnership with existing communities, nonprofits, and organizations committed to healthy ecosystems , while also honoring the community's perspective, lived experience, and leadership.
Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Listen to our interview from 2018 on Urban Farming and Composting in Los Angeles, featuring Michael Martinez: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/ecojustice-radio-empowering-community-through-urban-farming-episode-15/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Michael Martinez Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 141 Photo Credit: LA Compost
As momentum continues to grow around the Land Back movement and Indigenous stewardship worldwide, the value of hearing from Elders who have long studied Indigenous traditions and lifeways, whether adopted or of their heritage, is a growing imperative. Their lived wisdom is essential, a gift and treasure for future generations, and continues the cycle of dynamic, inter-generational learning in the traditional way — the way of direct, felt experience and deep listening.
Hear Payoomkawish (Juaneño/Luiseño) Elder Richard Bugbee [https://www.indigenousregeneration.org/] share insights from his decades of studying the way of plants. He emphasizes the importance of reclaiming our ways of seeing, being and understanding the world by reclaiming Native languages and observing the world more closely. Enjoy provocative insights from an elder who has devoted his lifetime to the study of plants and their uses, the reclamation of language, and the practice of material culture.
Richard Bugbee is Payoomkawish (also known as Payómkawichum Juaneño/Luiseño) from northern San Diego County. Richard has ties with multiple Indigenous nations including the Kumeyaay. He is an Instructor of Kumeyaay Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology at Cuyamaca College through Kumeyaay Community College [http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/]. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS) [https://aicls.org/]. Richard is on the boards of Indigenous Regeneration (Mata’Yuum), Climate Science Alliance, and Inter-Tribal Fire Stewardship.
Richard was the Curator of the Kumeyaay Culture Exhibit at the Southern Indian Health Council, the Associate Director/Curator of the San Diego American Indian Culture Center & Museum, and the Indigenous Education Specialist for the San Diego Museum of Man. He was a member of the Native American Council for California State Parks, California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA), the Land ConVersation, and the Elders’ Circle for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Richard has been learning traditional plant uses of southern California and the Kumeyaay language from Jane Dumas, a Kumeyaay Elder from Jamul Indian Village from 1980 to 2014. He was the ethnobotanist for the Traditional Indian Health Program through Riverside-San Bernardino Indian Health providing information on the interactions between traditional plant and pharmaceutical medicines.
He teaches indigenous material cultures and traditional plant uses of southern California at many museums, botanical gardens, and reservations, and is an instructor for summer cultural programs for several Kumeyaay tribes. His goal is to use knowledge to serve as a bridge that connects the wisdom of the Elders with today’s youth.
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/ethnobotany-fire-68593058
Listen to our related show on Indigenous Regeneration from earlier this year: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-regeneration-remembering-the-past-to-inspire-the-future/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 140 Photo credit: Richard Bugbee
This week we look into the truth about compostable foodservice and packaging with Erin Levine, Resource Recovery Manager at World Centric [https://www.worldcentric.com/]. We delve into environmental concerns, what is actually biodegradable, how fossil fuel dependence fits into the game, and whether we should focus instead on reusable cups, bags, flatware, etc.
We also talk about organics waste, which includes yard waste and plant trimmings, food scraps, and food soiled paper. At approx. 40%, organic matter is the largest contributor of material in the landfill. Waste food makes up around 20%. When this material starts to slowly decompose it creates the 3rd largest source of human related methane emissions in the USA according to the EPA. Methane is a climate super pollutant up to 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Diverting wasted organics away from landfills and into systems like compost can not only reduce methane emissions, it supports healthier soils, stronger plants, and cleaner air through carbon sequestration. Composting is a climate oriented solution that we need and can enact immediately.
That being said, business and public participation in accurately separating organic waste so that it can be composted is key to collecting and processing this material, especially wasted food.
So by using compostable foodware can we divert more food from landfill, reduce ghg emissions, and lessen the consumption of single use plastics?
*Erin Levine is the Resource Recovery Manager at World Centric, manufacturer of compostable products. Erin has been involved with resource recovery for 18 years and in the last decade has focused specifically on the sales and marketing of finished compost. She has supported commercial compost facilities throughout the West Coast and has worked closely with the end users of compost, particularly the agricultural industry. Erin is a Certified Composting Professional through the US Composting Council and a Certified Compost Programs Manager through the Solid Waste Authority of North America.
*Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Guest: Erin Levine, Resource Recovery Manager at World Centric. Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 139 Photo Credit: Down2EarthMaterials.ie
Wetlands are vital to our existence and benefit the ecosystem at large by providing essential habitat for countless species of birds, fish and mammals, slowing water flows, reducing soil erosion, storing water, recharging groundwater, aiding nutrient cycling, and mitigating floods. Host Carry Kim will be interviewing John Villa, Executive Director of the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy [http://hbwetlands.org/index.php], on the Orange County Coast of California. He is working with local, state and federal agencies and property owners to acquire, restore and manage the coastal wetlands in the coastal zone.
Forming some of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, including salt marshes, seagrass beds and mangroves, roughly 40% of the world’s species depend upon wetlands for sustenance and shelter, rest stops during long migrations or as breeding grounds. It is estimated that more than 25% of all wetlands plants and animals are at risk of extinction. Some studies calculate wetland loss rates in California at a staggering 90%. The La Cienega Wetland Complex has been compromised by urbanization, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, by agriculture and flood protection, the San Pablo Bay, by gold mining and diking, and the Central Valley by turning floodplains into farmland.
Urban development and corresponding infrastructure, oil extraction, groundwater withdrawals, and pollution can all erode wetlands that might include vernal pools, riparian habitat, and coastal wetlands. At the time of Spanish colonization, it is estimated that roughly 7 million acres of vernal pools once existed in California; today less than 13% remain.
In a 2018 article, the UN Climate Change News stated that wetlands, essential regulators of global climate, are disappearing three times faster than forests. The urgency continues for us to preserve Nature’s delicate balance and the remaining wetlands of the world. Listen to John Villa, Executive Director of the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy share his insights about the essential value and urgent need to protect local and global wetlands.
John Villa has an MBA with an emphasis in Technology Management. The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy is a non-profit founded in 1985 with the goal of acquiring, restoring, and protecting the coastal wetlands on the Orange County coast for future generations. The Huntington Beach Wetlands is part of a system that once spanned nearly 3,000 acres; a precious 180 acres now remain in southeast Huntington Beach, where the Santa Ana River meets the Pacific Ocean.
He is also the appointed Commissioner for the Huntington Beach Public Works Department, and Board Member for Visit HB, Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, Huntington Beach Council on Aging, and the Orange County River Park Group.
Listen to our related show on The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center from earlier this year: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/caught-in-the-crossfire-rehabilitating-releasing-native-wildlife
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 138 Photo credit: Banning Ranch Conservancy
EcoJustice Radio Executive Producer Jack Eidt shares speeches and discussions from multiple street actions on national and international climate, environmental, and social justice issues. The main action we feature is in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples fighting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline now under construction on the West Coast of Canada.
The Royal Bank of Canada is financially supporting a 416 mile gas pipeline through Indigenous Wet'suwet'en territory in British Columbia. They are also the parent company of City National Bank, 25% of whose business is connected to Hollywood celebrities and productions. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo are now taking action among many others, creating the No More Dirty Banks [https://www.nomoredirtybanks.com/] campaign in support of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in British Columbia, as well as signing a letter to City National Bank and their parent company Royal Bank of Canada demanding that the banks cut financial ties with and stop funding the Coastal Gas Link Pipeline.
We present a speech from Climate Scientist Peter Kalmus [https://peterkalmus.net/] on building the movement for a stable climate.
We also share testimony from movie writer & director Adam McKay of the recent film Don't Look Up [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11286314/] and his calls for the Hollywood film and music industry to divest from City National Bank and their parent company, the Royal Bank of Canada, who are funding the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
We hear from Indigenous and Environmental Rights activist Lydia Ponce, a Mayo-Quechua Indigenous leader and social justice activist, member of AIM (American Indian Movement), and organizer with Society of Native Nations and SoCal 350.
Other Speakers: Jay Ponti - environmental/social justice organizer.
George Funmaker - Red Earth Defense
Keya Chaudhuri - Extinction Rebellion Youth LA and national coordinator of Extinction Rebellion Youth US.
Stephanie Mushrush - American Indian Counseling Center
Sim Bilal - Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles
Josiah Edwards - Sunrise Movement LA
We also feature excerpts of the documentary Your Voice, Our Future from the Office of the Wet'suwet'en [https://vimeo.com/user7141394] on the similar struggle in 2011 against a different pipeline, the Northern Gateway Tar Sands Pipeline by Enbridge, which was rejected by all the first Nations and eventually by the government of Canada.
Speakers include: Klaseet - Violet Gellenbeck Chief Madeek - Jeff Brown Virginia deWit Chief Na'moks - John Ridsdale - The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have maintained their use and occupancy of their lands and hereditary governance system for thousands of years. Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs are the Title Holders and maintain authority and jurisdiction to make decisions on the unceded Wet’suwet’en lands. Chief Na’moks, along with his fellow Hereditary Chiefs, have been standing up for their Yintah - their land, and for Wet’suwet’en sovereignty, his entire life.” Karen Nyce - Haisla Dzi Ggot - Ron Austin Lloyd Spencer Morris Jr David deWit Dolores Alfred music Martin Naziel Caryssa Nikal Wila'at - Susie Alfred Chief Samooh - Herb Naziel Chief Gisdaywa - Dr. Alfred Joseph Mike Ridsdale
To hear all speakers listed, listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67706478
More Info: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/coastal-gaslink-pipeline-divest-fossil-fuels-climate-1343046/
Host and Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Intro and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 137 Photo credit: Jack Eidt
The Joshua tree is an icon and ecological keystone of the California deserts. However, climate disruption with hotter, drier summers and more frequent brush fires, threatens that some day soon Joshua Tree National Park will no longer have any of their namesake trees.
In fact, many other important desert plants and animals face an uncertain future. There exist so many unique symbiotic relationships, from the ocotillo blossoms and migrating hummingbirds to the spiny teddy bear cholla and the innovative woodrat.
We discuss these systems and investigate what solutions are needed. Are solar farms in the desert an appropriate renewable energy solution, or do they cause more harm than good? What about the consequences of lithium mining in Death Valley for electric vehicles? Did you know it is not a wise idea to grow your own Joshua Tree from imported seeds?
Our guest, James Cornett [https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001K84BWE], is an ecologist and principal biologist at JWC Ecological Consultants. He is one of the West's most prolific writers with more than forty-four books published as of 2021. As former Director of Natural Sciences at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, he continues to share his love of natural history through writing, teaching, and lecturing. He is the first professional naturalist to have visited all nine of the world's great deserts and is writing a book on his travels and research in each.
This is an encore presentation of our interview from 2021. For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 111 Image: Stephanie Lemus
Each US resident creates an average of 4.5 to 4.9 pounds of trash per day. For many, once it’s in the garbage can, it’s out of sight, out of mind. However, what if we lived our daily lives walking around with the waste we created? Not throwing it into a trash or recycling can, but having to carry our waste with us wherever we go. Would this change our perception?
For 30 days, Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield [http://robgreenfield.org/] has been doing just that, wearing a suit that holds the waste he creates on a daily basis. He has set out to walk the streets in his suit to bring awareness to the amount of trash people create and inspire others to reduce, reuse, repair, refill, recycle, and of course, let the food scraps rot. His message is also one of rethinking – change the system that has made plastic ubiquitous and also encourages a throw away mentality.
Rob has become a social media sensation by undertaking living experiments to inspire people to live sustainably and take personal and collective responsibility in solving environmental challenges. He has documented his bike rides across the US and South America; built and lived for years in tiny houses in San Diego, CA and Orlando, FL; and subsisted for a year growing his own food.
Rob Greenfield is an activist and humanitarian dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world. He embarks on extreme projects to bring attention to important global issues and inspire positive change. In a time when many feel disempowered, he believes that our actions really do matter and that as individuals and communities we have the power to improve the world around us. He is wearing the 30 days of his trash to bring awareness to the amount of waste created on a daily basis.
Jessica Aldridge, co-host of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She has worked for 15 years as a Zero Waste professional, a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and is a recipient of the inaugural Waste Expo 40 Under 40 award.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast - Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Created by: Mark and JP Morris Episode 136 Photo credit: Jack Eidt
Many witnessed the unprecedented loss of ancient Giant Sequoia groves in the Castle Fire in Sierra Nevada, California, the only natural habitat for Sequoias on Earth. They are the world’s largest trees, spanning up to 36 feet in diameter and more than 250 feet in height. And they have been known to live for 3,400 years. Unfortunately, the wildfire damage was so severe, experts estimated, that almost a fifth of the planet’s sequoias died or suffered terminal burns during the blazes. Another old growth giant, Coastal Redwoods, were also impacted by lightning-induced fires. We must act fast to reforest our wild spaces and protect our imperiled old-growth forests.
The Biden Administration has taken action, with an executive order aimed at protecting forests, especially old-growth. Among other things, the order directs a forest inventory to identify the threats to these trees along with ways to better safeguard them. The order also sets targets for reforesting federal lands by 2030 and helping curb deforestation around the world.
Unfortunately, the order stops short at outright banning the logging of old-growth forests on federal lands. Thus, robust reforestation is all the more necessary.
Our guest, David Milarch, Co-Founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive and Champion Tree Project [https://www.ancienttreearchive.org/] expounds upon why reforestation with ancient species like sequoias and redwoods is an important solution to climate change and ecosystem health, and provides inspiration for future generations.
David Milarch is a fourth generation Nurseryman with over 40 years of experience in growing and supplying landscape trees for resale for the national market in Northern Michigan. David and his sons co-founded Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in 2007. The project is dedicated to leading society towards sustainability by propagating ancient, old growth trees, archiving and preserving their genetics, and reforesting their living legacies worldwide. aiming to restore our arboricultural heritage.
This is an encore presentation of our interview from 2021.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast - Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 110 Image: Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
Multiple banks have pledged to clean up their fossil fuel funding with net-zero carbon commitments, but they continue business-as-usual, pushing for profit by championing destructive projects responsible for driving climate chaos.
The 2022 annual report, Banking on Climate Chaos [http://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org], revealed that fossil fuel financing from the world’s 60 largest banks has reached nearly $4.6 trillion in the six years since the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement, with $742 billion in 2021 alone.
On this show, we delve into the Banking on Climate Chaos report with Ruth Breech from Rainforest Action Network [https://www.ran.org/], one of the organizations that authored the report. She discusses how these findings underscore the need for banks to immediately implement policies that end their financing for fossil fuel expansion. Moreover we highlight some of these projects causing climate chaos and the worldwide movement of communities coming together to demand that the financial sector get out of the oil and gas business altogether.
More Links:
-Climate Town Video I Your Money is Cheating on You with the Fossil Fuel Industry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ7W6HFHPYs
-Green America's Better Banking https://www.greenamerica.org/better-banking
-Take Action with Stop the Money Pipeline https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/action/
-Book: All We Can Save: Truth, Courage & Solutions for the Climate Crisis https://www.allwecansave.earth/anthology
*Ruth Breech is Senior Campaigner for Rainforest Action Network’s Climate and Energy team. She is responsible for organizing corporate accountability campaigns on financial institutions, supporting front line communities impacted by fossil fuels and climate change, partnering with Indigenous leaders and working with grassroots networks across the country to Defund Climate Chaos.
Ruth brings 20 years of on-the-ground-work with environmental justice frontline communities. She is the recipient of the 2009 Healthy School Heroes Award for her leadership in relocating an elementary school in Ohio away from a plastics plant and its cancer causing emissions. She serves on the board of Crude Accountability International & Earth Guardians.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 135 Photo credit: Ruth Breech
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey and Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors of Detroit Hives [https://detroithives.org/].
Urban bee farms of Detroit are not only rebuilding honey bee populations, they are also rebuilding the city and uplifting the community. Since 1950, 61% of Detroit’s population has moved away in hopes for better opportunities. Whole neighborhoods in the inner-city have been abandoned, leaving overgrown lots and social issues for those who chose to stay.
Urban beekeeping happens to be one of the solutions forging a new path in Detroit. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson of Detroit Hives are generating a lot of buzz by activating vacant lots in the inner city and turning those spaces into urban bee farms. And doing so in a way that uplifts long-term residents and doesn’t lend to furthering gentrification.
Through their conservation and awareness efforts, educational programs, and health based initiatives, Detroit Hives is creating a safe home for bees and the community to live, feed, and thrive.
Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey are both lifetime Detroiters. Their non-profit organization Detroit Hives works to create sustainable communities and bee populations by transforming vacant lots into pollinator friendly spaces. Nicole is devoted to altering negative stigmas about bees by informing people of their crucial roles and benefits to the environment. She also teaches children about apiology. Timothy, comes from a background of photography and advertising. He is focused on making Detroit a bee city by repurposing vacant land into pollinator habitats. The overarching goal is to improve the quality of life not only for native plants and insects, but for the surrounding community.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 102 Image: Detroit Hives
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Regeneration continues to gain momentum globally as more human beings awaken to the urgent state of the planet. A clear choice lies before us to either unite and reconnect to the lands, waters, relatives and Ancestors, or face greater peril physically, socially, economically and spiritually. Many people say we are all “indigenous” to somewhere. The times demand that we find out how to belong to the land once again.
Today we talk with Lacey Cannon, Founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Re-Generation [https://www.indigenousregeneration.org/], based out of San Diego County, California. Her organization works with Native communities to achieve re-indigenization and true Tribal sovereignty through a re-generative approach to food cultivation, medicinal farming, lifestyle and culture, and eco-village education programs.
Listen to Lacey Cannon share how Indigenous Regeneration is dreaming in the future by empowering the present. Lacey Cannon is from The Cherokee Nation and is the founder and Executive Director for Indigenous Re-generation. Lacey was married into the Waipuk Clan on the San Pasqual Reservation of the Kumeyaay Nation for 17 years and has 2 Kumeyaay sons from the Clan. Lacey has overseen and designed 17 acres of educational land restoration projects on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation. Her regenerative design work with Payomkowishum Elder Richard Bugbee in a featured exhibit at The Museum of Design in Atlanta Georgia through Summer 2022.
Listen to our related show on regenerative farming in San Diego County from last year: 1000 Tiny Farms: A Regenerative Network https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/1000-tiny-farms-a-regenerative-network/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 134 Photo credit: Indigenous Re-generation
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Indigenous, social justice, and environmental groups have come together in a caravan to speak out against destructive mega-projects and mining across eight states in Central and Southern Mexico. Our guests are Victorino Torres Nava, Professor of the Náhuatl language [http://www.kalmekak.org] at the Anahuacalmecac Academy and Marcos Aguilar, Head of School of Anahuacalmecac Academy [http://www.dignidad.org] and Executive Director of Semillas del Pueblo. The Caravan has been traveling from town to town, making visible the local and regional struggles for clean water and the defense of territories. It began on International Water Day March 22nd in the state of Puebla and will arrive in the state of Morelos, south of Mexico City, at the end of April.
The Caravan has called for a time of Rebellious Dignity, to build a new nation by and for all, to strengthen the power of the people. The mega-projects include privatization of water wells and aquifers, construction of highways and rail lines, oil and gas pipelines, and massive rare-earth mineral mining projects that will have an irreversible impact on human health, Indigenous cultures and autonomy, and ecosystems across the region.
On this show we discuss how Indigenous Peoples of Mexico are participating in the Caravan for Water and Life to bring awareness to environmental and social rights struggles they are experiencing.
Victorino Torres Nava, Professor of the Náhuatl language at the Anahuacalmecac Academy, and a resident of the village of Cuantepec in Morelos, Mexico.
Marcos Aguilar, Masewalli Mexicano, co-founder and Executive Director of Semillas Sociedad Civil, Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory of North America and of the American Indian Resurgence Initiative. Formerly Los Angeles collective coordinator for the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico, Marcos most recently became a community-nominated Commissioner to the National Forum of Mexico on Constitutional Reform for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Afromexicans held in Mexico City in August 2019-2021.
Support for the Nahua community of Cuentepec: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Cuentepec22
More Info https://youtu.be/Q1ZoGaxItX8 https://earthfirstjournal.news/2022/04/04/caravan-for-water-and-life-in-mexico/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 133 Image: Witness
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Kerry Maeve Sheehan, US Policy Lead for iFixit [https://www.ifixit.com/] and Nathan Proctor, U.S. PIRG Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director [http://uspirg.org/repair].
If you own something, shouldn’t you be able to take it to a technician of your choice or fix it yourself and be given access to the parts, tools, and service information necessary? Seems like a reasonable ask, but this isn’t always the case. Large corporations, like Apple, have enacted a trillion dollar lobbying campaign against the consumers ability to repair their own devices, fueling the fastest growing waste sector in the world, Electronic Waste.
On this show, we discuss the Right to Repair movement, the social and environmental implications, the opposition’s efforts, and how and why we must move the needle.
Kerry Maeve Sheehan is the U.S. Policy Lead at Ifixit where she advocates for Right to Repair at the state, federal, and international levels. She has also worked for Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, focusing on public interest issues in intellectual property law and technology policy.
Nathan Proctor is a 15-year veteran on public interest advocacy campaigns, and also is the associate director of US PIRG New Economy Program, seeking to craft an economy that works for people and the planet. He is a member of the 2020 Grist 50 Fixers, emerging leaders championing a sustainable future.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 112 Image: iFixit
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Wizipan Little Elk, CEO of Rosebud Economic Development Corporation.
The Lakota people are reclaiming and regenerating Indigenous Ecosystems while exercising their sovereignty as the original stewards of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The Wolakota Buffalo Range [http://www.rosebudbuffalo.org/], a project of the Rosebud Economic Development Corp. (REDCO) [http://www.sicangucorp.com/], is fulfilling the vision of reconnecting buffalo (bison) to their rightful place on the Great Plains, and people of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Nation).
Listen to our discussion with guest Wizipan Little Elk (CEO of REDCO) as we dive into how he and his team are converting 28,000 acres of Rosebud Sioux Tribal lands from cattle to bison. The return of the bison will protect and strengthen the prairie ecosystem and create cultural opportunities, and will benefit the next Seven Generations.
Wizi Little Elk is a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe where he serves as CEO of REDCO and its ecosystem of organizations that promote socioeconomic prosperity for the Lakota people of the Rosebud Reservation. Wizi’s previous experience includes political and legal work for a leading firm in Washington, DC, and serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. He received his B.A. from Yale and his law degree from the University of Arizona.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 101 Image: Pixabay
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Dr. Miguel De La Torre [http://drmigueldelatorre.com/], Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology [https://www.iliff.edu/]. He speaks on how racism and climate change intersect with the migration crises affecting countries throughout the world,
Missing from most conversations on the current immigration crisis is the role that racism and climate change play on people rendered unable to subsist and prosper due to the degradation of their lands and waters.
We must also consider the history of military dominance and regime change in these hard hit countries as a means to facilitate trade and resource extraction for multinational corporations.
On this show we take a deeper look into the intersection of environmental racism and the crisis at the US Border. And explore the impact that the shifting climate has on global populations whose lands are being devastated by hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and rising seas.
Our guest today is Dr. Miguel De La Torre [http://drmigueldelatorre.com/], Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology [https://www.iliff.edu/]. He has authored over a hundred articles and published forty-one books. He is also leading a conference by the Center for EcoJustice at Iliff, called “Shifting Climates, Shifting People,” on October 21-22 [https://www.iliff.edu/centerforecojustice/conference2021/].
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 115 Image: Miguel De La Torre
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
We are in the midst of an accelerating sixth mass extinction of wildlife on Earth. This can be attributed to a number of causes: burgeoning human population, destruction of habitats, wildlife trade, pollution, and the ongoing climate crisis. Since 1971, following the blowout on a drilling rig off Santa Barbara, California, there have been numerous oil spills across the Pacific Coast and Gulf of Mexico. These disasters have impacted the survival and habitats of thousands of animals. Some species and their wetlands and beaches have already been irreversibly damaged. There are, however, important interventions necessary to protect wildlife and their habitats.
On this show, Caught in the Crossfire: Rehabilitating & Releasing Native Wildlife, Debbie McGuire and Dr. Elizabeth Wood of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center [http://wwccoc.org/] join us to discuss their shared commitment to protecting native wildlife and how we might respond to the urgent call of our animal relatives.
Listen to our show on the Orange County Oil Spill last year: Deadly Waters – Oil Spills & The Future of Offshore Drilling https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/deadly-waters-oil-spills-the-future-of-offshore-drilling/
Debbie McGuire's life was forever changed after encountering the tragedy of oil-soaked birds following the 1990 American Trader Oil Spill. At that time, no permanent facility existed to rehabilitate and assist impacted birds. After retiring from 25 years as Hospital Administrator at a veterinary hospital, Debbie, who has a Masters of Business Administration, became the Executive Director of Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center of Huntington Beach.
Dr. Elizabeth Wood is the Staff Veterinarian and Medical Director for Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center. She attended veterinary school at Western University of Health Sciences and obtained her undergraduate degrees from UC Santa Cruz. She has experience in local and international wildlife programs and has always had a passion for conservation and environmental activism. She and Debbie work together to rescue and rehabilitate native wildlife, particularly those animals which have been injured, orphaned or "oiled," and restore them to their native habitats.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 132 Photo credit: WWCC
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion ice and permafrost melting, release of more greenhouse gases, more heat and storms - these are feedback loops, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control.
In this show, we sit down with Susan Gray Director and Bonnie Waltch, Senior Producer and writer of the five-part documentary series, “Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops.” [https://FeedBackLoopsClimate.com] Narrated by Richard Gere, this series of five short films features twelve leading climate scientists, who explore how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We also learn why natural warming loops have scientists alarmed—and why they feel we have less time to correct climate disruption than previously thought.
The film series had its official launch as a webcast with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists. The series is subtitled in 23 languages and can be paired with an educational science curriculum for students in grades 6-12. The films can be viewed in full at https://FeedBackLoopsClimate.com
Susan Gray is the award-winning director and co-writer of Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, & Earth Emergency. She began her career as an environmental political activist and now makes documentary films about the pressing social issues of our times. Her films have been aired on major television networks around the world.
Bonnie Waltch is a Boston-based freelance producer/director/writer for documentaries and museum exhibit media and the award-winning senior producer and writer of Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, & Earth Emergency. Other recent work include a short film about super reefs for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and media for the Pikes Peak Visitor Center in Colorado.
Resources/Articles: https://www.woodwellclimate.org/ WOODWELL CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER; https://www.oneearth.org/who-we-fund/media-advocacy-grants/project-drawdown-100-solutions-to-reverse-global-warming/ PROJECT DRAWDOWN: 100 Solutions for Global Warming
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 131 Image: Climate Emergency Feedback Loops Documentary
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Earth Medicine, healing trauma and anger by literally going into the Earth, is called by our guest this week, Queen Hollins, as Earthlodging. Black Southern Indigenous communities have integrated this Earth medicine for generations, with a mix of ritual, ceremony, and herbal healing traditions.
These traditional nature-based spiritual practices have been the foundation of the Earthlodge Center for Transformation [https://www.earthlodgecenter.org/] in Long Beach, California. They provide space for people to connect and build together, and tend the earth and herbs. The work aims to heal trauma, both collective and personal, as a means toward restoration, re-connection, and rejuvenation.
Growing up in Mississippi during the tail end of Jim Crow, Queen Hollins discusses her life's work helping others heal trauma, advocate for the Earth, and forge the journey beyond racism and prejudice. Hear her share the broad vision and purpose behind Earthlodge.
Queen Hollins is Founder of Earthlodge Center for Transformation. Over the last 30 years, Queen and the Earthlodge community have provided spiritual sanctuary (both physically and virtually) to a community of over 10,000 people. She is author of the upcoming book titled "Earth Doula" which will be available at the end of March 2022. She has an online course, "Finding Your Soul's Journey Using Earth Medicine" and an instructional DVD "Afrikan Dance as Medicine."
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 130 Photo credit: Queen Hollins
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] has been described in ROAR Magazine as “one of the most important working-class intellectuals of our time.” On this show, Matt will discuss his latest book, City on the Second Floor, published by Flowersong Press [https://www.flowersongpress.com/store/poetry]. He is a Poet and Writer in Residence at Re Arte and also author of 'Mowing Leaves of Grass'.
Author Paul Ortiz wrote "Matt Sedillo's poetic work is full of history, struggle, tragedy, anger, joy, despair, possibility and faith in the struggles of working class people to overcome the forces of capitalism and racism.”
Cambridge Professor, Thomas Jeffrey Miley called his poetry “electric, like a lightning bolt” and sees the work as a foray into Sociology, into Marxist Geography, as Sedillo roams the streets of Los Angeles, reporting what he sees and relaying what he knows. Famed journalist Greg Palast summed it up: “Sedillo is Vengeance — the one we’ve been waiting for."
Matt Sedillo also has been called the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He is also a returning guest of EcoJustice Radio; check out episode 105 where he and fellow poet Awa Ndiaye discuss Spoken Word: Challenging Mainstream Discourse on Climate. https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/spoken-word-challenging-mainstream-discourse-on-climate/
To buy Matt Sedillo's latest book, 'City on the Second Floor': https://www.amazon.com/City-Second-Floor-Matt-Sedillo/dp/1953447899
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 129 Image: Matt Sedillo
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Due to modern farming practices and human caused climate change, we have degraded a majority of the world’s soils. Numerous places around the world once fertile, are now desertified, including the Saharan Desert, the Fertile Crescent and in modern times, parts of the Great Plains, the Midwest and even the central valley of California.
In this week’s show, Allen Williams of Understanding Ag [https://understandingag.com/] and the Soil Health Academy [https://soilhealthacademy.org/] discusses the importance of abiding by healthy, regenerative soil principles in agriculture. He has worked for years to deepen our current ecological understanding and advance soil care practices in line with biological processes to ensure a plentiful food supply and healthy ecosystems amid a changing climate. These efforts support the transition of conventional, industrial farms to regenerative agriculture and ensure a sustainable legacy of farming for future generations.
Allen Williams is a sixth generation family farmer and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, LLC, Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy. He has consulted with more than 4,000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 128 Photo credit: Allen Williams
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Spoken Word Artists Awa Ndiaye and Matt Sedillo, one of our most popular shows of last year.
Spoken-word poetry can be a powerful art form of personal testimony, of protest, of activating on social and environmental concerns.
On this show, we look into poetry artivism, the mixing of art and activism, where words can become catalysts intended to change the way people envision their world and act within it.
Awa Ndiaye [https://www.humanitei.art/about] is a spoken word poet whose work explores various themes including identity, social justice, and climate change. With an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford, she combines her formal education with her art to explore and amplify perspectives often silenced in the mainstream conversation on climate.
Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others.
To buy Matt Sedillo's latest book, 'City on the Second Floor': https://www.amazon.com/City-Second-Floor-Matt-Sedillo/dp/1953447899
Their spoken word demands a rethinking of popular narratives on environment and climate, mainstream narratives that often minimize or erase the experiences of the very people at the forefront of the climate crisis.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 105 Image: Matt Sedillo-Awa Ndiaye
Indigenous Cultural Monitoring is an important step in acknowledging Native peoples' historic and spiritual relationship to stewardship of public and private lands. An Indigenous Cultural Monitor is someone from local Tribal Nations trained in archeological methods, Indigenous Protocols, and traditional teachings who monitors archeological assessments conducted within affected lands. Those assessments include potential environmental impacts and artifacts uncovered during the work.
In the last few years, momentum has been increasing around the Land Back movement, an Indigenous-led initiative to return both public and private lands to Native peoples that claim them historically, spiritually and culturally. It is a movement for restitution and restoration of Indigenous rights, decision making power, sovereignty and self-determination with regard to land.
We acknowledge that the lands here were first “stolen” and continue to be sold to the highest bidder. How might we change the existing system? How to approach the lands in a good way, a better way?
On this week’s show, Joe Calderon shares his insights on Indigenous protocols, archaeological analysis, and properly approaching the land. He is a Cultural Monitor representing the Chumash, Tongva, and Chicano Peoples. He works to protect his Ancestors, Sacred Sites, Artifacts and Cultural Resources, as well as doing his best to care for the environment, water, and lands. He is also a singer, instrument maker, and composer of songs and enjoys sharing traditional teachings with others.
His monitoring company, Sacred Grounds, can be reached at sacredgroundstm@gmail.com.
We also interviewed Joe's wife and daughter in 2019, Tina and Jessa Calderon. Listen to the interview: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-legacy-intergenerational-wisdom-for-our-times/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 127 Photo credit: Joe Calderon
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
The proliferation of suburban sprawl, built where wildlife live and thrive, threatens the safety and genetic diversity of wild animals and plant species. Migrating wildlife of all shapes and sizes must contend with humans driving on the 4.8 million miles of roads in the US, facing the danger of colliding with vehicles.
Aside from driving less, one strategy to mitigate these accidents has gained bipartisan acceptance: providing wildlife crossings that facilitate connectivity for a diverse group of species. Not all wildlife crossings are simple bridges or tunnels, and our guest this week has been championing for years what will become the world’s largest urban wildlife crossing, planned for suburban Los Angeles.
Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation, joins us to discuss the importance of connectivity and wildlife crossings. She explains why they are an integral strategy in land and habitat conservation and why preserving biodiversity not only protects wildlife, but also all of us humans!
Beth's Website: http://www.bethpratt.com/ Save LA Cougars: https://savelacougars.org/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 126 Photo credit: Living Habitats
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Moein Nodehi of the architectural firm Biotonomy, one of our most popular shows of last year.
Biotonomy [https://www.biotonomy.com/] is an architectural design firm based out of Spain that uses a holistic & nature-based approach for buildings & cities to address the climate and biodiversity emergency. They provide groundbreaking and nature-based design principles that go beyond passive & green-building certification standards. Together with their international network, they work to accelerate the transformation to autonomous development with nature-based solutions. They assert that this transformation is one of the most important steps in our evolution to become sustainable inhabitants of this planet. Their mission is to help make buildings and cities become a force for restoring the natural world.
We had an in-depth discussion with Moein Nodehi, the founder, CEO, and Lead Architect for the firm Biotonomy about his unconventional approach to solving design and environmental problems and connecting people to the land and their community.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 94 Image: Biotonomy
For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
We’ve been “saving the planet” for decades and environmental crises just continue to compound. All this Tesla driving, green-roofed corporate headquarters, and carbon trading seems to accomplish little to nothing — all while low-income communities of color continue to suffer the worst consequences.
Jenny Price’s latest book, 'Stop Saving the Planet, An Environmentalist Manifesto' [https://www.jennyjjprice.net/stop-saving-the-planet] says, enough already! She suggests a plan with 39 steps to get to cleaning up the toxic messes and rolling back climate change.
Buy the Book: https://www.jennyjjprice.net/stop-saving-the-planet#
Jenny Price is a writer and public artist, and a Research Fellow at the Sam Fox School at Washington University-St. Louis. She tells stories about environment and public space, and deploys a wide variety of public arts and humanities formats to do so. Her writings include Stop Saving the Planet: An Environmentalist Manifesto (2021); Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America; “Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in L.A.” and other essays; op-eds in the NY Times and LA Times; and her not-quite advice column “Green Me Up JJ.” She has created, co-created, and sometimes stumbled into public art projects to work for environmental justice, as well as to de-privatize essential public spaces. She has co-founded the LA Urban Rangers collective, led tours of the concrete LA River, designed the alternative Nature Trail in Laumeier Sculpture Park, co-launched the "What Are You Doing?! (stop saving the planet!)” video series, and co-created the popular Our Malibu Beaches mobile phone app.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 125 Photo credit: Igor Heifetz
For an extended version of this interview, join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Since the pandemic began, and long before then, many would concur that capitalism in its current form is failing, here and globally. Rooted in inequity, exploitation, profiteering, and social injustice, capitalism exacerbates inequality, disempowerment, and poverty by benefiting only the few.
Currently, one out of every ten dollars spent in this country, goes to the top 1% without them ever "laboring" for it. But rather than demonize the 1%, we can change the paradigm by practicing renegade economics in our daily lives. We can choose differently. We can participate less in capitalism and instead, expand and vitalize alternative, non-capitalistic forms of economic activities that currently exist, whether that means: supporting worker-owned or energy cooperatives, forming land trusts, public or communal vs. private ownership, non-profits, rejecting growth as an absolute, consuming less, engaging in negative-interest, care, sharing, gift, New or Solidarity economics or simply purchasing from those dedicating 100% of earnings to causes and organizations benefiting the planet.
The options continue to grow. A primary catalyst is recognizing that capitalism is not an inevitability, nor are we resigned to its ruthless aspects. We can each become renegade economists and astute, wizened managers of our individual and planetary households. Ours is an opportune and urgent time to invoke systemic, inspired change.
In this show we interview Della Z. Duncan, Renegade Economist [http://www.dellazduncan.com], who invites all to ponder what is the purpose of the economy? What is capital? What is value? How is wealth created & sustained? Are we engaged in meaningful work that promotes planetary health? Can economics be woven into the social and spiritual fabric of our lives vs being treated as something academic existing outside of ourselves? How might we use our gifts, contribute to society, meet our basic human needs & thrive individually and collectively? Hear Della Duncan share provocative insights from the growing movement to revolutionize our perceptions, understanding and practice of renegade economics in our lives.
Della Z Duncan hosts the Upstream Podcast [http://www.upstreampodcast.org], uplifting stories of regenerative economics. She supports individuals working to align their values with their work as a Right Livelihood Coach. She is a Work that Reconnects facilitator, a Senior Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, the Course Development Manager of Fritjof Capra’s Capra Course on the Systems View of Life, a Gross National Happiness Master Trainer, a founding member of the Doughnut Economics California Coalition (DECC), a former faculty member of Ecological Economics at Schumacher College, and a current faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies and Gaia Ed. She works with organizations as a cooperatives economic consultant, and facilitates courses and retreats around the world.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 124 Photo credit: Della Z. Duncan
In his book “An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States,” Kyle T. Mays [https://www.kyle-mays.com/], Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA, argues that the foundations of the United States are rooted in Anti-Black racism and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue today.
In his discussion with EcoJustice Radio, he explores how Black and Indigenous peoples (sometimes together, sometimes apart) have always sought to disrupt, dismantle, and re-imagine US democracy. He uses examples of the Black Power and Red Power movements of the 60s and 70s, as well as collaborations for the Standing Rock Sioux and Black Lives Matter. Dr. Mays’ work seeks to illuminate how we can imagine and put into practice a more just world.
Kyle T. Mays is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) writer and scholar of US history, urban studies, race relations, and contemporary popular culture at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Mays is an author of 3 books, 'Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes: Modernity and Hip Hop in Indigenous North America' (SUNY Press, 2018), 'An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States' (Beacon Press, 2021), and 'City of Dispossessions: Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, and the Creation of Modern Detroit' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022).
Order 'An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States': http://www.beacon.org/An-Afro-Indigenous-History-of-the-United-States-P1731.aspx
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 123 Photo credit: Kyle Mays
This is an encore presentation of Part One of our Amazon Defenders series from the end of 2020.
The Amazon River Basin of South America is home to half of the world's tropical forests, with 33% of all plant and animal biodiversity thriving in impenetrable wildernesses. In this episode, we focus on the Western Amazon to understand how activists are confronting the dirty legacy of oil extraction, stopping the expansion of new oil leases, and protecting the rainforest biodiversity.
Oil corporations and their governmental enablers are pushing to drill deeper into the rainforest by building roads and railroad lines, cutting old growth trees, and invading indigenous sovereign territories and protected biospheres.
Yet the international resistance is building and communities are fighting back. Can this incredible ecosystem be protected, allowing Indigenous societies and wildlife to thrive?
On this show, guest Paul Paz y Miño, Associate Director of Amazon Watch [https://amazonwatch.org/] provides an overview of the rich significance of the Amazon, expands upon what is happening in the Western Region and the connection to California and Texas, and speaks to the growing resistance protecting the rainforest and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Paul Paz y Miño has been at Amazon Watch since 2007. He has been a professional human rights, corporate accountability and environmental justice advocate since 1993. He has worked with various human rights NGOs including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch/Americas. Paul has lived in Chiapas, Mexico and Quito, Ecuador, promoting human rights and community development and working directly with Indigenous communities.
Links: Amazon Watch: https://amazonwatch.org/ Chevron Toxico: https://chevrontoxico.com/ Make Chevron Clean Up Their Ecuador Mess: https://www.makechevroncleanup.com/
More Information On Misrepresentation of Steven Donziger's case against Chevron in Ecuador: https://medium.com/@paulpaz/response-to-nov-6-2021-dealbook-article-about-steven-donziger-by-joe-nocera-6a3bbb076b72 Donny Rico: https://youtu.be/CjxGALDuuc0
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Original Music: Javier Kadry Episode 82 Photo credit: Paul Paz y Mino
This is an encore presentation of an interview we did with Dr. Gary Shapiro from 2020.
Palm Oil is touted as a “miracle ingredient,” found in more than 50% of all packaged products consumed in the US. It renders makeup smooth, keeps ice cream from melting, and moisturizes our hair and skin. It is a hot commodity; giving rise to plantations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. At 66 million tons annually and 10% of permanent global cropland, palm oil is a prevalent, economically appealing crop.
Although popular, the cultivation and expansion of this supposed cash crop can come at the expense of the Indigenous peoples, critical habitat, endangered species, and the climate. Almost 90% of the world's oil palm is grown on a few islands in Malaysia and Indonesia, home to the most bio-diverse tropical forests found on Earth.
Can palm oil can be produced in a responsible, sustainable, and regenerative manner that protects the environment, bio-diverse species, and communities where it is cultivated?
On this episode, we discuss what is happening in Indonesia and elsewhere around Palm Oil extraction, expansion, and exploitation. Dr. Gary Shapiro has been involved with orangutans for 46 years and has been working to secure and protect the orangutan populations through creating more regenerative and equitable solutions around Palm Oil production.
We welcome Dr. Gary Shapiro, President of Orang Utan Republik Foundation & The Orangutan Project-USA. https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/ https://www.theorangutanproject.org/ https://www.facebook.com/OrangUtanRepublik/ http://twitter.com/OURF
Gary L. Shapiro, Ph.D. has dedicated most of his life to understanding and supporting the well-being of individual and populations of critically endangered orangutans through research, conservation, advocacy and education. He was the first person (1973-1975) to teach a symbolic communication system to an orangutan and the first person to have taught sign language to orangutans in their natural environment, the forests of Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesian Borneo (1978-1980; 1981). Shapiro further assisted in the rehabilitation efforts of dozens of orangutans confiscated from the illegal pet trade and monitored the phenology of local rain forest ecosystem.
Shapiro received his doctorate in Zoology in 1985 from the University of Oklahoma then returned to Indonesian Borneo (1986) to conduct post-doctoral freshwater ecology studies in Tanjung Puting National Park. He spent 28 years as a government scientist and retired in 2014. Shapiro was the co-founder and vice president of the first orangutan support organization, the Orangutan Foundation International, from 1986-2004 where he administered and oversaw the activities supporting research and conservation in and around Tanjung Puting National Park. In late 2004, Dr. Shapiro and his Indonesian wife, Inggriani, were inspired to create the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative (OUREI), a nonprofit project, in response to the education needs underscoring the Critically Endangered status facing orangutans today, particularly in Sumatra. In 2007, the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) was established as a legal organization to support the programs of OUREI in Indonesia. In 2015, OURF partnered with The Orangutan Project (TOP) to serve as their US chapter. Shapiro also serves on the board of TOP and administers the funds collected and distributed to dozens of organizations conserving orangutans.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 50 Phot Credit: Dammer Saragih
What is now known as Alabama and the environs of the Deep South, boast exceptional biodiversity and capture the imagination with its rich cultural and historical significance. It is the ancestral home of Cherokees, Choctaws, Muscogee or Creeks, and numerous lesser known Native nations and also the place where civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael planted the seeds of Black Power. Moreover, Dr. King famously marched from Selma to Montgomery, weaving along the Alabama River to manifest a dream of unity.
Listen to rich stories of ecological restoration and preservation of places of civil rights history that is Alabama. We welcome Bill Finch of Alabama River Diversity Network and the Paint Rock Forest Research Center, and Phillip Howard, Project Manager of Civil Rights People and Places Initiative. They share the vision and mission of these non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting the extraordinarily diverse natural and human heritage of this essential region.
Bill Finch is the founding director of Paint Rock Forest Research Center [https://paintrock.org] and founding partner of the Alabama River Diversity Network [https://alabamarivernetwork.org]. Finch is author of Longleaf, Far As the Eye Can See, an exploration of the potential in North America’s most diverse forest ecosystem. He is former conservation director for the Nature Conservancy’s Alabama Chapter, and an award-winning writer on gardening, farming and environmental issues.
Phillip Howard is Project Manager for The Conservation Fund’s Civil Rights People and Places Initiative. He recently produced a film about the Campsites of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail called 54 Miles to Home.
54 Miles to Home: https://vimeo.com/591288364
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 122 Image: EJR with thanks to Bill Finch and Phillip Howard
The communities of the Gulf of Mexico are at the nexus of climate change and community resistance. Port Arthur Texas is homebase for the largest oil refinery in North America and a dizzying toxic array of fossil fuel and chemical facilities. But the people are stepping up to say - NO MORE.. Port Arthur Community Action Network (also known as PACAN) is raising the alarm, holding the polluters accountable, and paving the path to transition away from an extractive economy to one that supports restorative justice.
Our guest today, John Beard, Jr., Founder and CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network [https://www.pa-can.com/], is helping to mobilize his community of Port Arthur and the Southeast Texas region. As a former oil employee turned advocate for environmental justice in the place he has lived all his life. John has been fighting for health and safety protections on the refineries, export terminals, petrochemical plants, and leading efforts against deepwater ports, each of which could export an estimated 2 million barrels of crude oil per day.
He is the recipient of the 2021 Rose Braz Award for Bold Activism from the Center for Biological Diversity. This year he helped lead October’s historic People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action in Washington DC, and he brought a powerful voice to November’s U.N. climate talks in Glasgow.
More: https://www.portarthurcan.org/ https://youtu.be/00upOJrPn2o
The Plastic Plague Series by EcoJustice Radio: https://socal350.org/ecojustice-radio-on-kpfk-90-7-fm-in-los-angeles/plastic-plague-series/
Break Free From Plastic on EcoJustice Radio: https://www.wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/break-free-from-the-plastic-death-cycle/
News Sources https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/01/congress-lifted-crude-export-ban-2015-us-has-dropped-climate-bomb-world https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/john-beard-jr-honored-with-rose-braz-award-for-bold-activism-2021-12-08/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 121 Photo credit: Bianka Csenki / Artivist Network
Permaculture is an integrative design system for sustainable, resilient, and abundant living. It emulates ecological relationships from wild nature and aims to protect and preserve water supply, agricultural land, and the greater environment. The practice encompasses architecture, horticulture, energy, waste management, and urban planning.
In this episode, hear renowned permaculture and resilience designer Warren Brush contemplate with us, the world as it might yet become. Warren has worked for over 30 years in agroecological education and regenerative system design for communities, private and public organizations, households, farms, and conservation properties worldwide. Warren is Co-Founder of True Nature Design [http://permaculturedesign.us] and Quail Springs Permaculture [https://www.quailsprings.org/]. He talked with EcoJustice Radio on his variety of international resilience design and food security projects.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 120 Image: Warren Brush
Can cities build new parks in park-poor neighborhoods without displacing low-income residents? These projects aspire to provide green space in neighborhoods that historically have little to no access to parks, but they can also lead to increased housing and living costs -- green gentrification. Some might even wonder whether such investments are a good idea, if they threaten to displace the very people they were intended to serve. Think of the iconic High Line in New York City or the 606 in Chicago, where abandoned rail tracks were transformed into linear elevated parks that are now flanked by multi-million-dollar condominiums. Can we improve upon or create new green spaces and still protect the existing communities?
Our guest, UCLA professor Jon Christensen [http://christensenlab.net/] has been studying the threat of green gentrification around the country — and how cities, agencies, nonprofits, and residents are responding with anti-displacement strategies applied where public spaces are added to historically disenfranchised neighborhoods.
Jon Christensen teaches and conducts multidisciplinary research at UCLA focusing on equity and the environment, strategic environmental communication, and journalism, media, and storytelling. He is an adjunct assistant professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the Luskin Center for Innovation [https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/person/jon-christensen/]. He is also a producer of KCET’s award-winning “Earth Focus” documentary series. And he serves on the board of directors of the Liberty Hill Foundation in Los Angeles.
More Info https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-02-21/los-angeles-river-master-plan-gateway-cities-frank-gehry-gentrification-equitable-development https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/reviving-the-l-a-river-without-green-gentrification
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 119 Photo courtesy Anacostia Riverwalk Trail Washington DC
Coming on the heels of the US pullout from Afghanistan, it is imperative to consider the role and purpose of veterans, and regenerative farming has proven an excellent alternative. There is great potential to tap into the skillsets, selflessness, and service-oriented mindset of veterans. They seem to be perfectly suited to the adaptability, determination, tenacity, and innovation required of farmers. On this show, filmmaker Dulanie Ellis, Director of 'Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields', discusses how returning combat veterans are reclaiming a sense of purpose through sustainable and regenerative farming and changing the world.
Dulanie Ellis launched her documentary film company, Walk Your Talk Productions [https://walkyourtalk.tv/], in 2000. What started as a burning desire to help protect world-class farmland in Ventura County, became a career in films about ecological farming. Her award-winning documentary focuses on multiple stories of veterans who are called to the land, to farm, ranch and heal. The Ground Operations social action campaign used the film to help build a national movement of new farmer-veterans.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 118 Image: Ground Operations Film
A thick coat of oily crude from Platform Elly off Orange County, California has destroyed critical habitat for endangered seabirds, soiled popular public beaches, poisoned fisheries, and wasted millions of dollars spent on ecosystem restoration in local coastal wetlands. Just six years earlier, we had a similar story off Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. Our addiction to oil has us drilling in sensitive ocean ecosystems for some of the dirtiest crude, coupled with lack of safety measures from aging, corroding underwater pipelines. Sadly, this can make for a deadly mix.
On this show, Emily Parker, Coastal and Marine Scientist with Heal the Bay [https://healthebay.org/] and Jack Eidt, Urban Planner and Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action [https://socal350.org/], discuss impacts of drilling disasters to our coastal ecosystems and communities living and playing on these soiled beaches, wetlands, and tidepools. Who pays for the clean up? Do we really need to drill oil offshore and how can these rigs be decommissioned? Really the question must be broadened to when will we stop drilling for oil and gas onshore and offshore, as the time is now to decarbonize our economy and way of life to solve the climate crisis. Who will pay for that?
Emily Parker works to keep our oceans and marine ecosystems healthy and clean by advocating for strong legislation and enforcement both locally and statewide. She focuses on plastic pollution, marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and climate change related issues.
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. In addition to his work with SoCal 350 and EcoJustice Radio, he is Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://www.wilderutopia.com/], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 117 Photo courtesy US Coast Guard
Check out our special encore presentation of our interview with Human Rights Attorney Steven Donziger recorded in December 2020. We investigate the story of Chevron’s crimes in Ecuador with Mr. Donziger who represented Ecuadorian communities demanding justice in a $9.5 billion decision against them for one of the largest-ever oil disasters.
In a move calculated to shield Chevron and deter other lawyers from suing giant corporate polluters, Donziger was sentenced on October 1 of this year to the maximum of six months in prison for criminal contempt. While the case is being appealed, he continues to live under house arrest with the threat of prison hanging over his head.
He joined us to talk about the case, what actually took place, the historic retaliation against himself and the Ecuadorian Peoples, and how Chevron's actions set a dangerous precedent and represent a growing and serious threat to the ability of civil society to hold corporations accountable for their misdeeds around the world.
Links: Donate to Steven Donziger's Defense: http://donzigerdefense.com Amazon Watch: https://amazonwatch.org/ Chevron Toxico: https://chevrontoxico.com/ Make Chevron Clean Up Their Ecuador Mess: https://www.makechevroncleanup.com/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDonziger
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 84 Photo courtesy Steven Donziger
Part 2 of the discussion on Indian Boarding Schools with our guests, SunRose IronShell and Manape LaMere. They continue to discuss Indian Child Welfare Act, the Keystone XL Pipeline and other issues.
Check out Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/lost-children-of-turtle-island-the-impact-of-indian-boarding-schools
Check out their 2020 Appearance on EJR: https://www.wilderutopia.com/landscape/culture-landscape/tribal-sovereignty-and-self-determination/
Manape LaMere [http://www.siouxcountry.org], has relinquished his U.S. citizenship and is a Government Representative of the Sioux Nation of Indians and an U.N. Economic and Social Council committee member to the United Nations. Manape is currently working to rebuild all social and economic development for his nation and provide proactive approach in response to genocide and 150 years of economic sanctions.
SunRose IronShell, Is an Artistic Visionary Dreamer. Hailing from the Missouri River valley area in Sioux City Iowa. SunRose is Sicangu and Oglala Lakota of the Titowan band of the Oceti Sakowyn - the Seven Council fires, Internationally known as the Sioux Nation of Indians. She is a cultural bearer and High School teacher. She was featured in the documentary, Women of the White Buffalo [https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/cast/6/https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/cast/6/] soon to be released. You can catch her every Friday for Native News in 10 on Woman of the White Buffalo Facebook page.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 116 Image: Courtesy Manape and SunRose
The truth about the US Indian boarding school policy has largely been written out of the history books. Started in the 1800s across the US and Canada, Indian Boarding schools were government-funded and often church-run. The goal? Forced assimilation of Native children into white society under the belief of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” which still contributes to how we see and treat Indigenous Peoples today.
Sadly, the marked and unmarked graves of children have been found in the residential school systems of both Canada and the US. The total is now over 6,500 indigenous youth, having died amid accusations of abuse and neglect.
Our guests, SunRose IronShell and Manape LaMere, update us on the current situation and the history of this generational trauma, and how bringing home the remains has become a way to tell the children's stories and hold to account these schools.
Listen to Part 2 of this discussion: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/lost-children-of-turtle-island-part-2
Check out their 2020 Appearance on EJR: https://www.wilderutopia.com/landscape/culture-landscape/tribal-sovereignty-and-self-determination/
Manape LaMere [http://www.siouxcountry.org], has relinquished his U.S. citizenship and is a Government Representative of the Sioux Nation of Indians and an U.N. Economic and Social Council committee member to the United Nations. Manape is currently working to rebuild all social and economic development for his nation and provide proactive approach in response to genocide and 150 years of economic sanctions.
SunRose IronShell, Is an Artistic Visionary Dreamer. Hailing from the Missouri River valley area in Sioux City Iowa. SunRose is Sicangu and Oglala Lakota of the Titowan band of the Oceti Sakowyn - the Seven Council fires, Internationally known as the Sioux Nation of Indians. She is a cultural bearer and High School teacher. She was featured in the documentary, Women of the White Buffalo [https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/cast/6/] soon to be released. You can catch her every Friday for Native News in 10 on Woman of the White Buffalo Facebook page.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 116 Image: Courtesy Manape and SunRose
Missing from most conversations on the current immigration crisis is the role that racism and climate change play on people rendered unable to subsist and prosper due to the degradation of their lands and waters.
We must also consider the history of military dominance and regime change in these hard hit countries as a means to facilitate trade and resource extraction for multinational corporations.
On today's show we take a deeper look into the intersection of environmental racism and the crisis at the US Border. And explore the impact that the shifting climate has on global populations whose lands are being devastated by hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and rising seas.
Our guest today is Dr. Miguel De La Torre [http://drmigueldelatorre.com/], Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology [https://www.iliff.edu/]. He has authored over a hundred articles and published forty-one books. He is also leading a conference by the Center for EcoJustice at Iliff, called “Shifting Climates, Shifting People,” on October 21-22 [https://www.iliff.edu/centerforecojustice/conference2021/].
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 115 Image: Miguel De La Torre
With growing interest in farming and regeneration of the soil using compost, now is the time to get back to the land -- and simultaneously mitigate greenhouse gases by utilizing excess food waste and yard trimmings. Nevertheless, with most people residing in cities, largely disconnected from Nature coupled with the inter-generational loss of ancestral traditions and practices around growing food and tending the land, many of us now seek to reclaim that lost knowledge.
Much of the soil on this continent has been degraded by industrial farming, monocropping, overgrazing, rototilling, the use of pesticides, herbicides and toxic chemicals, negligence and ignorance. It is a great undertaking to nurture and sustain soil as a vital, thriving ecosystem and we would do well to undertake it as a species. Hear the insights of Keisha Wheeler & Casey Ernst, co-founders of Catalyst BioAmendments [http://www.catalystbioamendments.com] as they share how you too can become a Microbe Farmer and regenerate the soil!
Keisha Wheeler and Casey Ernst are microbe farmers with a strong background in permaculture, a love for food forests, and an obsession with microscope adventures. They spent many years off-grid building earthen structures, growing plants, creating compost, and teaching travelers how to bring regenerative principles into their own lives.
The two shifted their life path to study under the amazing Elaine Ingham. After graduating the Soil Foodweb courses, they began to discover that most commercial compost was void of beneficial life. From this revelation, Catalyst BioAmendments was born, a biologically focused compost company in Nevada City, CA. They produce diverse soil microorganisms to be used in soil regeneration. It is a working model of how composting practices can be altered to quickly produce diverse microorganisms at scale.
Keisha and Casey are founding members of the Sierra Soil Biology Association. A non-profit organization of biology focused soil food web consultants, compost producers, lab techs, and community influencers who promote the regeneration of soil. They aim to raise the quality of food through increasing microbial biomass in agricultural soils.
They also started Catalyst BioLogical Solutions, a consultation company where they help small to large-scale farmers, homesteaders and gardeners understand how to create, apply, and increase soil fertility on-sites with waste materials from the local area.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 114 Image: Catalyst BioAmendments
Many times the needs of non disabled people are prioritized, leaving the disabled community the last to be considered. During times of crisis such as climate change, intensified storms, droughts, and fire or conflict driven migration issues, those with disabilities can lack accessibility and have some of the greatest challenges to evacuation, adaptation, and financial and structural needs.
In environmental and social justice movements, when advocacy and solutions do not consider the needs of the disabled community, or those with disabilities are not invited to be at the table, those are not inclusive or just solutions.
Our guests today are both filmmakers who have helped create the The Slamdance Unstoppable Film Festival [https://slamdance.com/], which promotes disability and diversity inclusion in film. We welcome Juliet Romeo, disability advocate and Founder of Media Jules Production [https://www.mediajules.com/] and Slamdance Unstoppable, and Taylor Miller, Festival Manager of Slamdance Unstoppable and Slamdance Miami.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 113 Image: Slamdance Unstoppable
If you own something, shouldn’t you be able to take it to a technician of your choice or fix it yourself and be given access to the parts, tools, and service information necessary? Seems like a reasonable ask, but this isn’t always the case. Large corporations, like Apple, have enacted a trillion dollar lobbying campaign against the consumers ability to repair their own devices, fueling the fastest growing waste sector in the world, Electronic Waste.
Today we discuss the Right to Repair movement, the social and environmental implications, the opposition’s efforts, and how and why we must move the needle.
Kerry Maeve Sheehan is the U.S. Policy Lead at iFixit [https://www.ifixit.com/] where she advocates for Right to Repair at the state, federal, and international levels. She has also worked for Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, focusing on public interest issues in intellectual property law and technology policy.
Nathan Proctor is a 15-year veteran on public interest advocacy campaigns, and also is the associate director of U.S PIRG [http://uspirg.org/repair] New Economy Program, seeking to craft an economy that works for people and the planet. He is a member of the 2020 Grist 50 Fixers, emerging leaders championing a sustainable future.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 112 Image: iFixit
The Joshua tree is an icon and ecological keystone of the California deserts. However, climate disruption with hotter, drier summers and more frequent brush fires, threatens that some day soon Joshua Tree National Park will no longer have any Joshua trees.
In fact, many other important desert plants and animals face an uncertain future. There exist so many unique symbiotic relationships, from the ocotillo blossoms and migrating hummingbirds to the spiny teddy bear cholla and the innovative woodrat.
We discuss these systems and investigate what solutions are needed. Are solar farms in the desert an appropriate renewable energy solution, or do they cause more harm than good? What about the consequences of lithium mining in Death Valley for electric vehicles? Did you know it is not a wise idea to grow your own Joshua Tree from imported seeds?
Our guest today, James Cornett [https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001K84BWE], is an ecologist and principal biologist at JWC Ecological Consultants. He is one of the West's most prolific writers with more than forty-four books published as of 2021. As former Director of Natural Sciences at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, he continues to share his love of natural history through writing, teaching, and lecturing. He is the first professional naturalist to have visited all nine of the world's great deserts and is writing a book on his travels and research in each.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 111 Image: Stephanie Lemus
Many witnessed the unprecedented loss of ancient Giant Sequoia groves in the 2020 Castle Fire in Sierra Nevada, California, the only natural habitat for Sequoias on Earth. Coastal Redwoods were also gravely impacted by lightning-induced fires in August 2020. We must act fast to reforest our wild spaces and protect our imperiled old-growth forests.
Our guest today, David Milarch, Co-Founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive and Champion Tree Project [https://www.ancienttreearchive.org/] expounds upon why reforestation with ancient species like sequoias and redwoods is an important solution to climate change and ecosystem health, and provides inspiration for future generations.
David Milarch is a fourth generation Nurseryman with over 40 years of experience in growing and supplying landscape trees for resale for the national market in Northern Michigan. David and his sons co-founded Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in 2007. The project is dedicated to leading society towards sustainability by propagating ancient, old growth trees, archiving and preserving their genetics, and reforesting their living legacies worldwide. aiming to restore our arboricultural heritage.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 110 Image: Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
California's most distinctive wildland hosts a wide array of plant and animal life found nowhere else on Earth. It stretches from the coastal foothills to the interior mountains.
But these rugged woody shrublands are undervalued and underappreciated, and repeated and ongoing attempts have been made to eradicate chaparral from the landscape. Why? Some believe it not aesthetically pleasing, others fear it as fuel for fires, both misnomers that our guest proves wrong. Public underappreciation of chaparral is made worse by the unfortunate construction of poorly planned housing developments.
On this episode we consider how people can foster deeper connections with the chaparral and how public education can lead to minimizing wildfire dangers, and protecting and restoring this important native habitat.
Our guest today, Richard Halsey is the Director of the California Chaparral Institute [http://www.californiachaparral.org], a non-profit, research and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of California's native chaparral ecosystem and supporting the creative spirit as inspired by Nature. Check out his book Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 109 Image: California Chaparral Institute
Green banking, responsible investing in ecosystem protection and planting projects, provides immense environmental benefits. Moreover, it creates livelihoods and gives communities a chance to move toward economic independence, making it a win-win solution for both people and our planet.
Listen to the interview with Tom Duncan, CEO & Founder of Earthbanc [https://earthbanc.io/] the world’s first sustainable finance and carbon reduction investment platform, that pays dividends to contributors while funding communities to restore and conserve ecosystems, and sequester carbon.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 108 Image: Pixabay
Modern conveniences have real consequences. In order to accommodate the massive increase in online shopping, Big Retailers like Target, Amazon, Walmart, Ikea, have necessitated a fossil-fueled goods movement industry, shipping manufactured goods from abroad into ports on the coasts (like Los Angeles and Long Beach). Via diesel-spewing trucks and trains, products are then transferred to sprawling warehouse projects far inland where real estate is cheaper. One such project we will talk about today (which was recently approved in Southern California) is the size of 700-football-fields. And with this and other projects come significant impacts to the air, land, and human rights.
Our guests today, Dr. Joe Lyou, President & CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air [https://www.ccair.org/] and Commissioner for the California Transportation Commission, and Adrian Martinez, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice [https://earthjustice.org/], have been working for decades to clean up the air and hold polluters accountable. They speak to how communities have pushed back and demanded solutions from major manufacturers and air quality regulatory agencies and why we must keep moving toward 100% zero emissions transportation.
Dr. Joe Lyou has worked for more than 30 years to improve public health and environmental conditions in California’s most polluted and disadvantaged communities. Dr. Lyou serves as President and CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air, a state-wide organization dedicated to protecting public health, improving air quality, and preventing climate change. He works with a wide range of stakeholders advocating for effective public policies and clean air technologies.
Adrian Martinez, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, has been a leader in advancing zero-emissions transportation and clean air policies for nearly two decades. Before Earthjustice, for nine years he worked as a smog and healthy communities attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He sits on the board of Communities for a Better Environment and the Climate Change Law Foundation and serves as an adjunct professor of law at the University of California Los Angeles.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 107 Image: Coalition for Clean Air
Oceans cover roughly 70% of planet Earth, and they are in rapid decline. Impacted by human-induced climate change, pollution, dredging and overfishing, the world’s oceans are crying out for our attention.
On today's show, we consider seaweed and the potential of stewardship-driven, regenerative ocean farming or ocean restoration through marine permaculture. We speak with Leslie Booher, Co-Founder of Sunken Seaweed [https://www.sunkenseaweed.com/], California’s first regenerative ocean farm.
Leslie is a marine ecologist who learned about the importance of kelp forests at a time when kelp was facing a catastrophic decline. Leslie dedicates her time to ending exploitation of marine ecosystems, and reinforcing a healthy relationship with our coastline by farming sea greens in the Pacific Ocean.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 106 Image: Sunken Seaweed
Spoken-word poetry can be a powerful art form of personal testimony, of protest, of activating on social and environmental concerns.
On this show, we look into poetry artivism, the mixing of art and activism, where words can become catalysts intended to change the way people envision their world and act within it.
Awa Ndiaye [https://www.humanitei.art/about] is a spoken word poet whose work explores various themes including identity, social justice, and climate change. With an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford, she combines her formal education with her art to explore and amplify perspectives often silenced in the mainstream conversation on climate.
Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others.
Their spoken word demands a rethinking of popular narratives on environment and climate, mainstream narratives that often minimize or erase the experiences of the very people at the forefront of the climate crisis.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 105 Image: Nickie Black-Awa Ndiaye
Now more than ever, we need ancestral wisdom and ancient skills to balance our technological lifestyles, and stir up a new way of being human. Our guest Chris Morasky, one of the top Stone Age skills experts in the US and co-founder of the Wisdom Keepers School [https://www.wisdomkeepers.us], works to inspire contemporary humans to create regenerative lifestyles and build communities engaging in bushcraft, learning from natural systems, and practicing cultural activism.
Chris has lived most of the past 30+ years in the wilderness and small communities of British Columbia, Idaho and Utah. He has homesteaded along the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest, the most remote mail route in the lower 48 states. He has led Stone Age expeditions and worked in the most dangerous job in the world (single-stem logging). Chris’ workshops focus on awakening instincts, ancient skills and deep nature connection as doorways to understand more fully who we are, why we’re here and where we could be headed.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 104 Image: Wisdom Keepers School
Communities of color facing racial prejudice and social injustice are looking to urban farming to solve problems of food insecurity and mass incarceration. Alma Backyard Farms [https://www.almabackyardfarms.com] fosters a connection to the land as a new kind of re-entry restorative justice for formerly incarcerated people, their families, and the communities in which they live.
In this episode, Richard D. Garcia and Erika L. Cuellar of ALMA Backyard Farms discuss their work to re-purpose land into productive urban farms, and re-imagine disenfranchised communities in LA as a hub for transformation through their job training program, place-based youth education, and organic farmstand. According to ALMA, growing food is the “ultimate rehabilitation.”
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 103 Image: ALMA Backyard Farms
Urban bee farms of Detroit are not only rebuilding honey bee populations, they are also rebuilding the city and uplifting the community. Since 1950, 61% of Detroit’s population has moved away in hopes for better opportunities. Whole neighborhoods in the inner-city have been abandoned, leaving overgrown lots and social issues for those who chose to stay.
Urban beekeeping happens to be one of the solutions forging a new path in Detroit. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson of Detroit Hives [https://detroithives.org/] are generating a lot of buzz by activating vacant lots in the inner city and turning those spaces into urban bee farms. And doing so in a way that uplifts long-term residents and doesn’t lend to furthering gentrification.
Through their conservation and awareness efforts, educational programs, and health based initiatives, Detroit Hives is creating a safe home for bees and the community to live, feed, and thrive.
Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey are both lifetime Detroiters. Their non-profit organization Detroit Hives works to create sustainable communities and bee populations by transforming vacant lots into pollinator friendly spaces. Nicole is devoted to altering negative stigmas about bees by informing people of their crucial roles and benefits to the environment. She also teaches children about apiology. Timothy, comes from a background of photography and advertising. He is focused on making Detroit a bee city by repurposing vacant land into pollinator habitats. The overarching goal is to improve the quality of life not only for native plants and insects, but for the surrounding community.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 102 Image: Detroit Hives
The Lakota people are reclaiming and regenerating Indigenous Ecosystems while exercising their sovereignty as the original stewards of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The Wolakota Buffalo Range [http://www.rosebudbuffalo.org/], a project of the Rosebud Economic Development Corp. (REDCO) [http://www.sicangucorp.com/], is fulfilling the vision of reconnecting buffalo (bison) to their rightful place on the Great Plains, and people of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Nation).
Listen to our discussion with guest Wizipan Little Elk (CEO of REDCO) as we dive into how he and his team are converting 28,000 acres of Rosebud Sioux Tribal lands from cattle to bison. The return of the bison will protect and strengthen the prairie ecosystem and create cultural opportunities, and will benefit the next Seven Generations.
Wizi Little Elk is a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe where he serves as CEO of REDCO and its ecosystem of organizations that promote socioeconomic prosperity for the Lakota people of the Rosebud Reservation. Wizi’s previous experience includes political and legal work for a leading firm in Washington, DC, and serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. He received his B.A. from Yale and his law degree from the University of Arizona.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 101 Image: Courtesy of Wolakota Buffalo Range
On our 100th episode, we discuss how adopting queer ecology principles can assist in the healing of relations with people and planet, uniting of movements, and solving the climate emergency facing us today. In order to solve social and ecological problems, environmentalists (et al) must disrupt heterosexist notions and reimagine nature, biology, and sexuality.
Queering ecology is the act of broadening our understanding of and re-evaluate our relationships with the larger world – a world that is more than human and an ecology that is not binary or dualistic. However, current narratives within the environmental movements can be restrictive, create divides, and stunt our ability to move forward.
Tune in to Episode 100 with guest Miles Lewis (public artist, organizer, and educator) [http://mileslewisstudio.com] as we dive into why Queer Ecology is vital to climate and social justice movements.
More Info: https://theyearsproject.com/learn/news/queer-ecology/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 100 Image: Miles Lewis art
Listen to our discussion with Danielle Stevenson, applied mycologist and founder of DIY Fungi [https://diyfungi.blog/] - she teaches and consults on growing mushrooms for food, medicine, and Earth Renewal. In this episode, Danielle discusses the innovative potential of mycoremediation to digest, transform or hyperaccumulate the toxicity of heavy metals, radioactive metals, "forever" chemicals, diesel, and even mundane pollutants including cigarette butts, bike lubricants and diapers.
Danielle Stevenson is currently a Ph. D. student in Environmental Toxicology at the University of California, Riverside, where she studies mycorrhizal fungi in soil remediation and sustainable agriculture. She is also founder and advisor to the Healing City Soils project, a ‘Future Leaders’ fellow with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture and a board member with CoRenewal and the Association for Women in Science in Riverside.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 99 Image: Courtesy of Danielle Stevenson
Can a major metropolitan city offer the blueprint for 100% clean, renewable energy portfolio, all the while ensuring that their climate efforts elevate community demands? Are the solutions affordable to all and ensure worker justice and well-paying jobs?
Listen to our discussion on achieving the Los Angeles goal of 100% renewable energy by the year 2045 (or even 2035) and starting the first ever Climate Emergency Mobilization office with our guests Jasmin Vargas, Senior Organizer for Food and Water Watch [https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/] and Andy Shrader, Director of Environmental Affairs for Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz [https://councilmemberpaulkoretz.com/] and first ever Climate Emergency Mobilization Department of a city.
More Info: https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/los-angeles-100-percent-renewable-study.html
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 98 Image: Unsplash
Listen in to our discussion with Greg Reese, co-founder of Sea + Soil [https://www.seaandsoil.org/] and creator of the 1000 Tiny Farms project [http://www.1000tinyfarms.com/]. A program working to cultivate a regional regenerative network of market gardens, share resources between farmers, and encourage people who have a desire to farm but don’t know how to start their own tiny farm.
*Greg Reese is a Southern California agrarian with a passion for growing regenerative, organic food by building healthy soils and biodiverse landscapes. His expertise in small-scale urban farming and no-till market gardening allows him to offer the highest quality produce in areas that need it the most. With a background in rainwater harvesting systems, native landscapes, orchard care, and permaculture, Greg aims to use his decade of experience to fight against social injustices in the food system.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 97 Image: Leia Marasovich
Have you heard of the Death Cycle of Plastic (vs the life cycle)? Our guests talk solutions and actions from current Congressional legislation and to a new report shining a light on the environmental justice impacts. What about Zero Waste; should it be reclaimed and restructured? And how do we decipher real solutions from false (that just promote more waste and social impacts)?
Plastic seems to be everywhere and in everything (including our bodies). Plastic also comes from somewhere and it carries with it a sordid history of environmental racism and climate disruption, starting with the extraction and refinement of fossil fuels, then moving to the manufacturing, transportation, consumer use, and final disposal of plastic. Our guests today explain why this should no longer be considered the “life cycle of plastic,” but instead a more accurate reflection in the Plastic Death Cycle.
Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder & Executive Director of Azul [http://www.azul.org] and Melissa Aguayo, Member Engagement Officer for Break Free From Plastic US [http://breakfreefromplastic.org/pollution-act] and Co Chair of Reusable LA [http://reusablela.org]
For more on the plastic pollution conundrum, check out our seven-part series, "The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots Between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution" - https://socal350.org/ecojustice-radio-on-kpfk-90-7-fm-in-los-angeles/plastic-plague-series/
RESOURCES AND ARTICLES https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/takeaction/ https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/pollution-act
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 96 Image: Jack Eidt
The 51-mile Los Angeles River, more known for its barren stretches of concrete, is undergoing a long-term Master Planned greening and revitalization. Big questions remain about how to restore biodiversity, provide water resiliency in the face of climate disruption, and protect the local neighborhoods from green gentrification that has already presented problems along sections of the river.
On this show, our host Jessica Aldridge is joined by representatives from a coalition of organizations, Friends of the Los Angeles River [http://folar.org], Heal the Bay [http://www.healthebay.org], and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) [http://eycej.org/]. The coalition has concerns with the plan’s vision, lack of community input, human rights, and environmental protections.
*Liliana Griego serves as Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Engagement for Friends of the LA River. Having grown up along the Arroyo Seco in Los Angeles, she has had an intimate relationship with LA’s living waterways and uses her story and scientific background to advocate for a healthy, resilient, and equitably accessible LA River.
*Katherine Pease, Director of Science & Policy for Heal the Bay, has a background in biology, receiving her undergraduate degree from Barnard and her PhD from UCLA. She became passionate about protecting our local rivers and streams through her graduate research on tadpoles in the Santa Monica Mountains and visits to the LA River. Katherine has been at Heal the Bay for nine years, working to make our coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy, and clean.
*Jessica Prieto, Community Stability Policy Organizer for EYCEJ, was born and raised in East Los Angeles and has a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA Luskin. She has extensive experience working at the grassroots level on various planning issues and their impact on communities of color. She has been an EYCEJ member since 2015, and currently leads EYCEJ's community stability efforts throughout Southeast LA cities.
-Comment portal for the Master Plan: https://folar.org/county-plan/ -Link to Facebook recording of advocacy training by HtB, FoLAR, EYCEJ: https://www.facebook.com/295656805868/videos/3706811629406761 -Guardian piece highlights how CBOs like East Yard need to hold polluters and agencies accountable. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/19/citizen-regulators-epa-pollution-environment -LA Times write-up on the action at the federal courthouse after the Exide bankruptcy was announced: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-19/exide-cleanup-bankruptcy-march -Article: http://folar.org/county-plan
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 95 Image: William Preston Bowling
LISTEN to our discussion with the lead architectural designer for the firm Biotonomy [https://www.biotonomy.com/] using a holistic and Nature-based approach for buildings and cities to address the climate and biodiversity emergency.
Rather than abandon crowded urban areas for sustainable living, great potential remains in re-envisioning buildings and cities in ways that work with, rather than against, Nature. Preferable to continuing the crash course of suburban sprawl that takes more than it gives, we can opt to embrace design and lifestyle principles that recycle and innovate with Nature-based solutions that address the climate, biodiversity and social justice crises.
In this episode, learn how to respond to the turbulence of our times creatively, collaboratively and harmonize with Nature in how we choose to live and build. Carry Kim talks with Moein Nodehi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/moein-nodehi-a5a3a9143], the founder, CEO, and Lead Architect for Biotonomy. With an international team of designers, their mission is to make buildings and cities become a force for restoring the natural world.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 94 Image: Biotonomy
We are seeing a burgeoning interest in all things fungi, from consumption to materials-making, mushroom cultivation, fungal ecology and myco-remediation, particularly because fungi bear and represent resiliency, adaptability, and the potential to transform and utilize life as it is. Fungi possess the unique ability to decompose and recompose life itself.
This episode reveals interdisciplinary artist and mycologist Sam Shoemaker's venture into urban mushroom cultivation, and how his art has been informed by and become an exploratory collaboration with fungi. He speaks with our host Carry Kim.
*Sam Shoemaker [http://www.samkshoemaker.com/] is an interdisciplinary artist and mycologist based in Los Angeles, California. After receiving his MFA in sculpture from the Yale University School of Art in 2020, Sam started the urban mushroom farm Myco Myco. Sam's current work focuses on sustainable food for Los Angeles, experiments in biomaterial sculptural fabrication, and the cultivation of rare native and non native fungi.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 93 Image: Courtesy Sam Shoemaker
Given the state of the environment, whether discussing soil health, biodiversity, food production, air quality, the impacts of climate change, or sanity and solace, it is critical now for humanity to embrace trees. Trees are essential to restoration of ourselves and the planet. Many of us are acutely aware of forest degradation and widespread deforestation attributed to commercial agriculture (conventional cattle ranching, soybeans and palm oil, in particular) taking place globally. In addition, in 2020, we witnessed the loss of millions of acres of forest due to megafires in Siberia, Australia and the Western part of Turtle Island aka the U.S. We are urgently being asked to remember trees and the vital roles they serve in our lives and environments.
According to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization: Forests cover 31 percent of global land area. Approximately half the forest area is relatively intact; more than one-third is primary forest (i.e. naturally regenerated forests of native species, w/o visible signs of human disturbance). More than half of the world’s forests are found in only five countries (the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China) and two-thirds (66 percent) of forests are found in ten countries. The top 3 countries with the largest forest area are: Russian Federation followed by Brazil and Turtle Island aka the U.S.
Trees are essential to ecosystems worldwide and to the continuance of life itself. This show contemplates restoring our relationship to trees, as well as caring and maintaining them longterm in urban settings. As megacities rise and human beings continue to concentrate in larger numbers in dense environments, we need to explore myriad ways to nurture trees and ultimately foster a culture that respects and celebrates their innate value to our present and future.
*Lora May Hall, owner of Full Circle Gardening [http://www.fullcirclegardening.com/], is a horticulturalist, an ecologically oriented gardener, educator, and ISA Certified Arborist. She is an advocate for green space in urban areas and improving the quality of the urban environment for everyone who lives there. She is on the board of Hollywood Orchard [http://www.hollywoodorchard.org/].
"Humans co-evolved with trees, and our interactions with trees shaped our history, our foodways, our settlements, and our very cultures. It is deeply hardwired in us to live among trees, in mutually beneficial arrangements. We have been in these relationships with trees for much longer than we have lived in cities, and if we are to continue living in urban centers, we must make a space for trees, and continue participating in this human-arboreal relationship." - Cameron Miller
*Cameron Miller is the Ecological Program Manager at The BirdHouse [http://atthebirdhouse.org], an educational non-profit serving as a hub of exchange for those interested in caring for the land and people, through arts and ecology. He is a student in Tree Care and Landscape Design at Mt. San Antonio College, a permaculture practitioner, and arborist-in-training.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 92
What is meant by “Decolonization?” Not only of our institutions, but also of thoughts and behaviors directly influenced by the residuals of colonization. Listen to Marria Evbuoma of [https://racetozerowaste.org/] and Richmond District Rising [https://www.facebook.com/richmonddistrictrising/] as she explores the meaning and importance of decolonizing thoughts, actions, and spaces. How do we recognize and legitimately decolonize in order to ensure equity and build community for all? How do those who have been colonized go about decolonizing?
Marria Evbuoma is a mother, writer, and zero waste educator living in San Francisco. She is also the representative for her district for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Citizen Advisory Committee focusing on waste water.
She recommends you check out these books: "Farming While Black" by Leah Penniman of @soulfirefarm https://www.farmingwhileblack.org/ AND “Decolonize Your Diet” by Catrióna Rueda Esquibel and Luz Calvo
We begin the show with an Update from the Frontlines on the move to transition away from oil and gas drilling in the City of Los Angeles with Maro Kakoussian, Air and Climate Justice Associate from Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles and the coalition STAND-LA [https://www.stand.la/] - Standing Together Against Neighborhood Drilling Los Angeles.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Assoc. Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 91
In 2014, The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that global soils were degrading at an alarming rate and predicted that there might only be 60 harvests left before the world's topsoil and soil fertility was basically eradicated. While there is some disagreement around this assessment, most will concur that continuing soil degradation at current rates will further exacerbate climate change and exhaust our global capacity to grow food for the world's burgeoning 7 billion plus population.
We are losing the world's topsoil at an alarming rate of 30 football fields of soil per minute, which can largely be attributed to modern farming practices, especially the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as widespread deforestation. This episode explores ecological succession as a means to foster our deeper understanding of the cycle of & purpose behind regenerating soil. Given the state of our planet, understanding succession, can aid us in becoming more attuned and aware stewards, and more effective participants in restoring ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, balancing the hydrological cycle, and nourishing the soil food web.
Linda Gibbs is owner and principal land manager of The Gardens at the world famous Woodshed Recording Studio in Malibu [https://WoodshedRecording.com/]. Linda’s depth of knowledge and experience in using the six regenerative soil principles, is applied to her practice and teaching of Permaculture, Biodynamics, and the Wise Woman Tradition of Healing. She is an ardent soil advocate for Kiss the Ground, a founding member of the grassroots soil restoration group, Soil Sponge Collective [https://www.soilspongecollective.org/], and a former teacher of the Gaia School of Healing in California.
She serves as a presenter and speaker on ecosystem restoration and offers a weekly Zoom Q & A on soil. Her home burned down in the Woolsey fire of 2018, however, the gardens and studio survived. Following this event, Linda dedicated herself to teaching others about fire resilience in ecosystems and buildings, and how Woodshed Gardens and Woodshed Recording Studio remain a green oasis due to the Soil carbon sponge.
Website: http://woodshedgardens.com
Linda on EJR: https://www.wilderutopia.com/sustainability/regenerative-responses-growing-the-soil-carbon-sponge/ More: https://gardenerd.com/blog/field-trip-permaculture-biodynamic-garden/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 90 Photo courtesy of Linda Gibbs
“Sustainable Palm Oil” is deceiving and does not ensure ethical ingredients. Palm oil is everywhere – in our foods, cosmetics, cleaning products, and fuels. It’s a source of huge profits for multinational corporations, while at the same time destroying the rich biodiversity of tropical rainforests and the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and small landholders. Displacement of indigenous Peoples, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity are all consequences of our palm oil consumption.
Thus, the palm oil inherent in a purchase of a $5 box of Girl Scout Cookies is connected to child labor, deforestation and displacement, climate disruption, and human rights atrocities. But there are solutions. Our show’s guests are working to demand accountability from business and campaigning for solutions that support the climate, human rights, and indigenous self-determination.
Olivia Chaffin [https://girlsagainstpalmoil.wixsite.com/my-site] is a 14 year old Girl Scout, vegan, and activist. She became concerned about palm oil in 2016 when she learned about the issues surrounding its production. SIGN HER PETITION TO THE GIRL SCOUTS: https://www.change.org/p/girl-scouts-of-the-usa-remove-palm-oil-from-girl-scout-cookies
Daniel Carrillo is the Forest Campaign Director for Rainforest Action Network [http://ran.org]. Daniel has worked over a decade in organized labor. He also has worked on international corporate campaigns in Latin America and Southeast Asia to defend worker rights and the environment. RAN Keep Forests Standing Campaign: https://www.ran.org/campaign/keep-forests-standing/
More Info: AP: https://apnews.com/article/palm-oil-forests-indonesia-scouts-83b01f2789e9489569960da63b2741c4 RAN: https://www.ran.org/the-understory/destroying-lives-and-stealing-land/ More on Palm Oil: https://www.wilderutopia.com/international/earth/palm-oil-and-orangutans-the-oily-truth-what-we-can-do/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Assoc. Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 89
An agreement announced in November 2020 paves the way for demolition of four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Klamath River, the largest dam demolition in U.S. history. This would reopen hundreds of miles of waterway along the Oregon-California border to Chinook and Coho Salmon restoration, critical and sacred to tribes but have dwindled to almost nothing in recent years.
In this episode, Regina Chichizola, Co-Director of Save California’s Salmon [https://www.californiasalmon.org/] and Sammy Gensaw, a Yurok fisherman, youth activist & Director of Ancestral Guard [https://naturerightscouncil.org/ancestral-guard], share the heartbreaking and inspiring 20-year journey to undam the Klamath River, which has suffered from low water flows, toxic algal blooms, and fish populations that now face extinction, parasites and disease.
The Yurok, Karuk, and other tribes, along with fishing groups and environmentalists, had hoped to see demolition work begin as soon as 2022. The latest plan makes Oregon and California equal partners in the demolition with a nonprofit entity, called the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, and adds $45 million to the project’s $450 million budgets. Oregon, California and the utility PacifiCorp, which operates the hydroelectric dams and is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway, will each provide one-third of the additional funds -- and the Klamath will once again be dam-free.
Check out Guardians of the River: https://www.americanrivers.org/rivers/films/guardians-of-the-river/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 88 Photo courtesy of Save California's Salmon
In this episode, hear from emboldened and empowered youth activists, Alexis (Lex) Saenz and Yulu Wek of the International Indigenous Youth Council [http://www.indigenousyouth.org]. Listen to their stories of reclaiming and living into their cultural identities, empowering community, preparing for non-violent direct action, engaging in artivism, fulfilling the 7 Demands for 7 Generations, modeling circular leadership, prayerfully serving Mother Earth, and training up youth to potentiate themselves for the benefit of the collective's highest good.
In 2016, the Standing Rock Indigenous Uprising galvanized numerous Indigenous youth to protect their cultural lifeways, sacred lands and waters. Founded at Standing Rock by womxn and two-spirit peoples, The International Indigenous Youth Council (IIYC) empowers Indigenous youth to lead within their communities, prayerfully protect their heritage, incite social justice and effect global change for a better world.
Alexis Saenz is a mixed raced womxn, Indigenous and European. Although not sure of her direct Nations, she has been adopted to the Indigenous communities in the Diné and Oglala Lakota Sioux Nations. She organizes with the International Indigenous Youth Council LA Chapter as the chapter representative, fighting for Indigenous land sovereignty and climate justice. She also is Project Manager for March On Foundation and volunteers for the EmBrase Foundation.
Yulu Wek (they/them) is Nawakuskatanchanej, Lenca, and Galician and core organizer with the International Indigenous Youth Council LA Chapter. With mixed roots, Yulu has dedicated their lifetime to repairing interpersonal and collective relationships through understanding intergenerational trauma. Their work within IIYC LA includes facilitating talking circles, co-organizing cultural, educational, and art-based events as well as graphic design.
Resources/Articles: IIYC roots - ABC Doc Standing Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rz_TkpysKk&feature=emb_logo
Resource List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cXD4LlOHpYj6_Nfcdeq3gJ9N7zLFUrURkuYGrkQIFl4/edit
4 Directions Climate strike coverage - Indian Country Today - https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/indigenous-youth-council-s-four-directions-climate-strike-begU1BJ45Ey5fPUrZxNa7Q
Disney Spotlight: https://youtu.be/Ebzzp_RSqNw
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 87 Photo courtesy IIYC SoCal
TUNE IN to Part 3 of “The Amazon Defenders.” In this episode, we focus on the Eastern Amazon and the Brazilian Rainforest where the issues of deforestation, road development, forest fires, cattle ranching, land invasion, soy farming, mining, and COVID-19 are integrally impacting the health and viability of the rainforest and its peoples. We hear about the vital stewardship by an Indigenous-led movement for human and environmental rights, and efforts to demand accountability for the six US-based financial institutions funding the destruction.
Ana Paula Vargas, who goes by Paula, has been advocating for more than 20 years with communications and culture, human rights, and social justice in Brazil. As Program Manager at Amazon Watch [https://amazonwatch.org/], she has collaborated with international institutions to support and promote projects from popular associations, social movements, and grassroots organizations. Now, she is living in the Bay Area, California, where Amazon Watch is headquartered.
More info: https://complicityindestruction.org/ https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/0326-coronavirus-land-invaders-and-missionaries-out https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/0714-the-munduruku-and-kayapo-are-fighting-to-protect-their-past-and-future https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/0702-mining-on-indigenous-territories-brings-devastation https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/1210-resisting-another-record-breaking-year-of-deforestation-and-destruction-in-the-brazilian-amazon
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 86 Photo courtesy Amazon Watch
The urgency of our times is leading a “back to the land” consciousness shift inspired by Indigenous worldviews where urban people once again grow their own food and reconnect to the natural cycles of sun, water and soil. Regenerative agriculture refers to a type of farming that employs a culture of reciprocity, respect, and interrelations with all beings, going beyond organic to actively regenerate the ecosystem while supporting healthy, thriving communities.
Listen to Eric Tomassini and Ali Greer share their insights, successes and challenges farming an urban hillside in arid Southern California. Learn how regenerative farming restores the hydrologic cycle, promotes biodiversity, sequesters carbon, mitigates climate change, and accelerates the return of health and biology to the soil.
Avenue 33 Farm [https://ave33farm.com/] is a 1.2 acre hillside farm in Lincoln Heights, just outside of Downtown Los Angeles. They focus on selling nutritious produce and flowers, establishing healthy soil, and empowering others to grow food.
More Info LA Times - https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2019-10-10/avenue33-urban-farm-grows-in-los-angeles
Sierra Club - https://angeles.sierraclub.org/news/blog/2020/10/soil_to_table_introducing_avenue_33_farm
Ave 33 Farm on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave33farm/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 85 Photo courtesy Avenue 33 Farm
EcoJustice Radio celebrates the land and water protectors of the Amazon Rainforest in a Four-Part series called Amazon Defenders.
In Part Two, we investigate the story of New York based attorney Steven Donziger [http://donzigerdefense.com] who represented Ecuadorian communities demanding justice from Chevron-Texaco for one of the largest-ever oil disasters, where they deliberately dumped more than 16 billion gallons of toxic wastewater, spilled 17 million gallons of crude oil, and left hazardous waste in hundreds of open pits dug out of the forest floor. In an historic judgement, Chevron was found liable by Ecuadorian courts and ordered to pay $9.5 billion.
Chevron says it will never pay. Instead, they launched an extraordinary racketeering and extortion lawsuit against Mr. Donziger and the Ecuadorian attorneys and various consultants alleging they were all lying about Chevron's pollution and that the entire case was "sham litigation." Chevron has turned our guest Steven Donziger into a corporate political prisoner, placed under house arrest, bankrupt, disbarred.
We look into how Chevron, supported by US federal judges, is using retaliatory attacks against Mr. Donziger and the Ecuadorian Peoples, and how their actions set a dangerous precedent and represent a growing and serious threat to the ability of civil society to hold corporations accountable for their misdeeds around the world.
Links: Donate to Steven Donziger's Defense: http://donzigerdefense.com Amazon Watch: https://amazonwatch.org/ Chevron Toxico: https://chevrontoxico.com/ Make Chevron Clean Up Their Ecuador Mess: https://www.makechevroncleanup.com/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDonziger
More info: Vice Video: https://video.vice.com/en_uk/video/amazon-rainforest-oil-disaster-chevron/5f35d23cbfb3245f632e3449 David Sirota on Judicial Corruption in the Case: https://prospect.org/power/chevron-big-oil-power-prosecute-its-biggest-critic/ Chris Hedges on Corporate Tyranny: https://scheerpost.com/2020/08/25/how-corporate-tyranny-works/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 84 Photo courtesy Steven Donziger
Native peoples have used the tool of fire as medicine. Fire was understood to be a spirit, a healer and sacred in its own right. Traditional Native controlled burning, called cultural fire, utilizes ancient agro-forestry practices, technology developed through time by the Karuk tribe and Indigenous Peoples around the world.
Tune in to hear Elizabeth Azzuz, Secretary of Cultural Fire Management Council, discuss her work using Traditional Native Karuk methods of prescribed burning to protect forests, heal degraded ecosystems, and reestablish forest-grown food, medicine, and products.
With global climate heating turning the West Coast of the US into an arid tinderbox, 2020 has been another year of the megafire. Thus, the cultural fire practice of Elizabeth Azzuz on the North Coast of California sets an important example on how to protect and regenerate forests for the people and wildlife who call them home using traditional ecological knowledge.
Elizabeth Azzuz is a cultural fire practitioner. She gathers and propagates traditional food and medicinal plants. Of Yurok and Karuk descent, she comes from and lives in her traditional territory where the Trinity River flows into the Klamath on the North Coast of California. Elizabeth is a mother and grandmother; at the age of 4 she learned about burning from her grandfather.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulturalFire Website: http://culturalfire.org/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 83 Photo courtesy Kiliii Yuyan
EcoJustice Radio celebrates the land and water protectors of the Amazon Rainforest in a Four-Part series called Amazon Defenders.
We begin Part One in the Western Amazon to understand how activists are confronting the dirty legacy of oil extraction, stopping the expansion of new oil leases, and protecting the rainforest biodiversity.
Our guest Paul Paz y Miño, Associate Director of Amazon Watch [https://amazonwatch.org/], provides an overview of the rich significance of the Amazon, expands upon what is happening in the Western Region and the connection to California and the United States, and speaks to the growing resistance protecting the rainforest and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
The Amazon Basin is home to half of the world's tropical forests, with 33% of all plant and animal biodiversity thriving in impenetrable wildernesses.
Unfortunately, some of the world's most promising oil and gas deposits lie deep in these rainforests, especially in the Western Amazon. Moreover, governments and oil companies have opted for expediency and profit over environmental protection. Did you know that much of the Amazon crude is shipped to California to be processed? We will talk about that today.
The exploitation and destruction for a product responsible for breaking the global climate system continues today at a fevered pace. Oil corporations and their governmental enablers are pushing to drill deeper into the rainforest by building roads and railroad lines, cutting old growth trees, and invading indigenous sovereign territories and protected biospheres.
Yet the international resistance is building and communities are fighting back. Can this incredible ecosystem be protected, allowing Indigenous societies and wildlife to thrive?
Paul Paz y Miño has been at Amazon Watch since 2007. He has been a professional human rights, corporate accountability and environmental justice advocate since 1993. He has worked with various human rights NGOs including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch/Americas. Paul has lived in Chiapas, Mexico and Quito, Ecuador, promoting human rights and community development and working directly with indigenous communities.
Links: Amazon Watch: https://amazonwatch.org/ Chevron Toxico: https://chevrontoxico.com/ Make Chevron Clean Up Their Ecuador Mess: https://www.makechevroncleanup.com/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 82 Photo courtesy Amazon Watch
Today we seek to gain a broader understanding of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Though a Russia- and Turkey-backed ceasefire agreement was signed, the people of Armenia are unhappy as it cedes a significant portion of the southern part of the Republic of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh).
On Sept. 27, 2020 Azerbaijan attacked the disputed territory and a proclaimed independent region, the Republic of Artsakh. The historical and unresolved conflict over this mountainous region is long-standing. To fully understand the issues and what is needed for resolution, we dive into the history of these countries and the land occupation, how Turkey and Russia have influenced and benefit from an ongoing conflict, and why there exists an intergenerational, emotional connection for Armenians around the world. We will also explore the rich cultural significance of the region and Armenia, the role of the international community, and the connection to Climate change and oil politics.
In this episode we speak with Vaché Thomassian, Glendale Board Member of Armenian National Committee of America [http://www.ANCA.org] and Dr. Djene Rhys Bajalan, Assistant Professor at Missouri State University.
Djene Rhys Bajalan is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Missouri State University [https://history.missouristate.edu/drbajalan.aspx]. His research focuses on Middle Eastern affairs and he has previously taught and studied in the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Vaché Thomassian is a practicing attorney and international relations professional who has been an activist in the Armenian community for many years.
Articles by Dr. Djene Bajalan: https://www.jacobinmag.com/author/djene-bajalan More info from ANCA: https://anca.org/nagorno-karabakh-overview/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Emilia Barrosse Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 81 Photo courtesy Vaché Thomassian
Recently, the City of Los Angeles public utility admitted that its Valley Generating Station had been leaking methane gas into the community for three years. Pacoima Beautiful [https://pacoimabeautiful.org/], a grassroots organization that had been working for decades for environmental justice for the San Fernando Valley, stepped up to organize protests. Gas plant neighbors include Sun Valley and Pacoima which are predominantly people of color. The environmental contamination and health impacts from the leaking methane are compounded by area landfills, trains, airplanes, industry pollution, and freeways. The residents live in an area that ranks in the 98 percentile of CalEnviroscreen’s most polluted communities in Los Angeles. Meaning they breathe some of California’s worst air and suffer from asthma-related hospitalizations at rates far higher than most of the state.
These environmental justice stories are not out of the ordinary and continue to happen throughout Southern California and across the US. The LA public utility pledged a full fix to the leak, increased methane monitoring, and quicker and more transparent communication with the public about such issues--but only after their secret leak was revealed to the public. Pacoima Beautiful’s push to secure a clean energy future for the Northeast San Fernando Valley has resulted in LA Council President, Nury Martinez, submitting a motion calling for a sunset date for gas operation at the Valley Gas Plant.
Our guest, Veronica Padilla-Campos is the Executive Director for Pacoima Beautiful, who attended UCLA where she received her urban planning degree knowing that she would return to her community of the Northeast San Fernando Valley to help allocate the right resources they deserve, demanding environmental justice and accountability.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 80 Image: Pacoima Beautiful
This week we speak with Peter McCoy, Founder of Mycologos [https://mycologos.world/pages/founder], the world's first mycology school, and Founder and Creative Director of Radical Mycology, a mushroom and fungi advocacy foundation. He and host Carry Kim discuss the grassroots movement and social philosophy behind using regenerative natural mushroom farming to promote ecological restoration and create food and medicines.
Fungi are everywhere—in soil and air, flowing waters, on and within plants and animals, in food and clothing, and in the human body. Humans have partnered with fungi since the first loaf of leavened bread was baked and the first tub of grape must was turned into wine. Ancient peoples put the ravages of fungi to work in agriculture.
Radical Mycology seeks to forge transformative relationships between humans and fungi, seeing lichens as indicators of environmental health, and understanding the profound influences that fungi have held on the evolution of all life and human cultures. By symbiotically relating with fungi, we can engage in ecological restoration, myco-permaculture, mycoremediation after fire and oil spills, fermenting fungi for food, and promoting fungi medicines for the benefit of generations to come.
Peter McCoy is a mycology educator and farmer, author, and artist from Portland, Oregon. He is the visioneer behind the first annual Fungi Film Festival. In 2016, Peter published the book ‘Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing and Working With Fungi’ [https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Mycology-Treatise-Seeing-Working/dp/0986399604] detailing his nearly two decades of experience in promoting fungi for the health of people and the planet.
Radical Mycology Website: https://www.radicalmycology.com/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 79 Image detail from 'Radical Mycology' 'zine.
Listen to applied mycologist, educator, and ecosystem restoration practitioner Taylor Bright [https://www.instagram.com/symbiiotica/], speak in detail about post-fire remediation and regeneration, particularly mycoremediation, where fungi-based technology is used to decontaminate the environment and heal the water and soil.
Since August 2020, hundreds of fires have burned and are still burning in Oregon, Washington, and California. To date, over 4.5 million acres have burned.
Taylor Bright is currently an officer and researcher for Bay Area Applied Mycology [http://bayareaappliedmycology.com], as well as a project facilitator and educator for CoRenewal [https://www.amazonmycorenewal.org/lessons-learned-in-post-fire-bioremediation.html]. Both are applied mycology non-profit organizations that focus on community education and research, implementation of post-wildfire soil regeneration, and mycoremediation efforts in both California and Ecuador.
Taylor lives on occupied Southern Pomo/Coast Miwok territory (present day Sebastopol, CA), and holds classes on fungal ecology, cultivation and medicine making. She educates on topics that live at the intersection of plants, fungi, deep ecology, bioremediation, herbal/fungal medicine, ecopsychology, and environmental justice.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 78
Hear Permaculture Designer/Educator & consultant Matthew Trumm of Treetop Permaculture [http://www.facebook.com/ttpermaculture] discuss lessons learned during the Camp Fire which burned through the town of Paradise, California, in November 2018. At the time, it was the most devastating wildfire in California history, burning 240 square miles in its wake.
Given current wildfires burning now in Washington, Oregon and throughout California, particularly in the north, and the accelerating impacts of climate change, it is critically important to reestablish our connection to the forest as an essential ecosystem, and to restore its ecological function using regenerative principles.
Matthew discusses permaculture-based restoration efforts he and the local community engaged in Paradise, indigenous perspectives on the effectiveness of cool burns, remediating toxicity post-fires, and establishing the Camp Fire Restoration Project [http://www.campfirerestorationproject.org] as the premier "mobile" ecosystem restoration camp in the world modeled upon disaster recovery. Inspired by ecologist & filmmaker John Liu who we interviewed earlier this year on EcoJustice Radio, Matthew shows us how they overcame the massive wildfire disaster and are working to restore ‘Paradise’.
Matthew Trumm Owner and Founder of Treetop Industries is a Permaculture educator, designer, and consultant from Oroville, California, in Butte County. Since Matthew commenced his land-based studies in 2011, he has pioneered countless Permaculture projects including the nonprofit Camp Fire Restoration Project and nurturing a local food movement, all under the umbrella, Treetop Permaculture.
Related websites https://www.coopabox.com/ http://www.hearthstoneschool.net/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 77
Photo courtesy of Andreas Haslinger https://unsplash.com/@andreas_haslinger
The events of 2020, from the pandemic to the uprising, have made the upcoming election a pivotal moment in time. In particular, the Black and Brown communities of South Los Angeles, facing generations of systemic racism and growing inequality, demand a new way forward with political leaders having the opportunity to bring forward solutions to police violence, environmental injustice, and social and economic mismanagement and exploitation. But can political leaders overcome the corporate money that prioritizes industry over people, profits over community?
In this episode we get to know one of the candidates running for California Assembly for South Los Angeles, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair. The incumbent Assemblymember Mike Gipson was asked to be on the show but did return our requests.
Fatima’s campaign platform is founded on ending systemic racism by prioritizing clean air, water, and food; supporting affordable housing and ending homelessness; pushing for health care for all; and reforming our education system, criminal justice, and immigration. She says she is running to uplift the voices in her community, not the special interests that run the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the multiple oil refineries and drilling sites in the area, that have dominated business as usual in the district. Her goal is economic justice and a just transition to a green economy with full employment.
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, candidate for California Assembly District 64 [https://fatimaforassembly.com/], is a public school teacher in Watts, an immigrant, and a community advocate.
Essay by Fatima: https://knock-la.com/we-are-at-a-tipping-point-liberation-and-nothing-less-f7f4e4de30de
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 76
Our guests discuss the history of water upon Tongvalands aka Los Angeles: from free-flowing rivers to concrete-engineered flood control and back again.
Hear about the historical impacts of channelization, the formation of dams and the current movement toward dam removal across Turtle Island (aka. the Americas). Once an unbridled, seasonal river wending from the mountains to the ocean, by the 1960s, the entire length of the 51-mile long Paayme Paheight (aka. Los Angeles River) was concretized, destined to become infrastructure and a functional sewer. However, this is no longer the river's destiny as advocacy for freeing the river and its tributaries, restoring native habitat and wildlife grows.
Hahamongna is the rare spot in the Arroyo Seco at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California where the mountainous watershed meets the urban plain. Periodically floods roar into this basin. Hahamongna contains five unique habitat zones that only exist in alluvial canyons near the mountains. Most sites like this in Southern California have been destroyed. The word means "Flowing Waters, Fruitful Valley" in the native Tongva language. The Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena was so named by revered Chief Yanna (also known as Vera Rocha), a Gabrieliño Shoshone who taught the nursery's community indigenous life ways and how to "see" and care for Hahamongna.
More info on Saving Hahamongna: http://www.savehahamongna.org
Tim Brick is Managing Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation [http://www.arroyoseco.org], and has been involved in promoting environmental awareness and sustainability for many years. He served on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for 28 years including two terms as chair.
Parker Davis is Director of Marketing and Communications at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery [http://www.hahamongna.org]. A Pasadena native with a background in fine arts, he has an aesthetic obsession with California native plants. He works with volunteers, propagating plants for restoring natural areas & beautifying the local community’s neighborhoods and public spaces.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 75 Photo by One Arroyo Foundation
TUNE IN! Guests Andrea Leon-Grossmann from AZUL [http://azul.org/en/] and Conner Everts from Southern California Watershed Alliance discuss the proposal by Poseidon Water Company to build a $1 billion desalination plant in Huntington Beach, California. When the price tag is more than 2x the cost of our current water system, is desal necessary? Can existing and future conservation opportunities provide the solutions necessary to ensure local water resilience in California and elsewhere?
Paid for by taxpayers and ratepayers to privatize water, this industrial project would erode the #HumanRightToWater, kill marine life and it will run on dirty energy for decades to come. They already received $585 million from Trump's EPA and applied for $1.1 billion in CDLAC funds from California that usually go to build affordable housing.
More Info: https://www.smarterwaterla.org/
Andrea Leon-Grossmann, Director of Climate Action at AZUL, is a Mexican-born immigrant who works with the Latinx community to protect and conserve our coasts and oceans. She has always been passionate about fighting for environmental and social justice, and has been involved with immigrant rights, juvenile justice, animal rights, and of course, environmental groups, for nearly two decades.
Conner Everts, Executive Director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance [http://ewccalifornia.org/staff/] and Co-Chair of the Desal Response Group [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Desal-Response-Group/514608058614252], has spent a lifetime in pursuit of clean water, first as a Southern California steelhead fisherman and then in the quest of the Human Right to Water. He is currently co-chair of the Southern California Water Dialogue, the Green LA Water Committee and as an elder advisor to the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water and Amigos de los Rios.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 74
Tune in as we welcome Caroline Ward Holland, a Tribal citizen of the Fernandeño Band of Mission Indians or Tataviam Nation, as she speaks on the ongoing movement to topple controversial Mission monuments and mythologies. She recounts with host Carry Kim her Walk for the Ancestors [http://walkfortheancestors.org/] in 2015, a pilgrimage she embarked upon with her son, Kagen Holland, to honor the Ancestors at all 21 missions in California.
In 2015. When Pope Francis announced he would move forward with the canonization of Junipero Serra, Caroline set out on a 780 mile journey to honor the Indigenous Ancestors who suffered and perished throughout the Mission System. Walking from the last mission built in Sonoma CA to the first mission built in San Diego. This experience put her in a completely forward direction advocating for historical truth and promoting healing in truth. Caroline sits on the University of California's Critical Mission Studies advisory board, comprised of numerous Mission Indian Scholars as well as Tribal Leaders. Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians: https://www.tataviam-nsn.us/ Unmonumenting the Architects of Genocide, Enslavement and Mass Incarceration: https://bit.ly/unmonumenting
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 73 Photo by Erick Iñiguez / https://www.instagram.com/erickphotolenz/
Guest Kwazi Nkrumah from the MLK Coalition for Greater Los Angeles [http://mlkcoalitionforjobsjusticeandpeace.org/] discusses with host Jessica Aldridge how unity and mass mobilization across all movements is necessary for social change and an equitable future. He speaks to how we effectively do this in an inclusive manner across interests and issues that considers priorities, roadblocks, and better relationship building. We address concerns of derailment and demobilization, and look to how we can shield and grow from those movements.
~ Kwazi Nkrumah is the Co-Chair of MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles for Jobs, Justice, and Peace. Kwazi is a nationally respected community and labor organizer, and a human and environmental rights activist and advocate. Over the years he has been a successful leader for economic justice efforts on behalf of tenants, homeowners, and working people.
Further reading on anti-racist organizing: Robert L. Allen: "Reluctant Reformers: Racism and Social Reform Movements in the United States" - https://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Reformers-Racism-Social-Movements/dp/0882580264
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 72
Martha Arguello of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles [https://www.psr-la.org/] discusses with host Jessica Aldridge neighborhood oil drilling, the call for a 2,500 ft. health and safety buffer, and how community mobilization is addressing the climate emergency and ensuring public health and environmental protection. Martha leads the coalition Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling in Los Angeles [https://www.stand.la/]. They work in a statewide coalition dedicated to buffers as well called Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods [https://www.vision-ca.org/].
With California being one of the largest oil-producing states in the USA, community based solutions and industry accountability is vital to protecting the most vulnerable and building resilience. In Los Angeles, there are 759 active oil wells less than 1,500 feet from homes, schools, churches, and hospitals; these being predominantly in low-income and communities of color who face disproportionate health and safety impacts from their frontline exposure.
Martha Arguello is the Executive Director with Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles. For the past 32 years, she has served in the non-profit sector as an advocate, community organizer, and coalition builder. She joined PSR-LA in 1998 to launch the environmental health programs, and became Executive Director in November 2007. She is committed to making the credible voice of physicians a powerful instrument for transforming California and our planet into a more peaceful and healthy place.
Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/vote-yes-on-ab-345?source=direct_link&referrer=group-socal-350
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 71
Photo courtesy of STAND-LA
Hear Kumu Mikilani Young from United Pillars of Aloha [http://www.unitedpoa.com/] & her student, Kayla Session, discuss the momentum and ultimate purpose behind the current generation of youth rising up to protect Sacred Places, mountains, waters and indigenous lifeways.
A native Hawaiian, born and raised in Hawai'i, Kumu Mikilani has taught Hula and chanting classes for twenty years and is the founder of United Pillars of Aloha, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people worldwide about Mauna Kea — the need to protect it and all Sacred Places for future generations. She educates and empowers youth to become prayerful Kiai'i (kee-Ah-ee) or protectors, who dignify the practice of Kapu Aloha, hula and oli (traditional chanting). Through these practices youth are encouraged to engage the world as prayerful warriors and indomitable pillars upon which the future will stand.
Kayla Session is 10 years old and lives on Luiseño Territory of Southern California. Currently being trained in Hawaiian Traditions, Kayla is learning to appropriately honor and protect that which the creator, gods, ancient ones, and ancestors have left her.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 70
Coral Vita’s Sam Teicher discusses the urgent status of the world's coral reefs and how we can restore them by rapidly and effectively growing climate-change resilient coral. The world's first land-based coral farm, Coral Vita [https://coralvita.co/], aims to help scale up reef restoration globally using breakthrough technologies and nature-based solutions, including micro-fragmentation and assisted evolution. Learn about the critical role coral plays in marine ecosystems and how restoring it is essential to our collective future. Current and recent, unprecedented mass bleaching events affecting the Great Barrier Reef, highlights the importance of taking urgent action on behalf of our oceans and reefs worldwide. Act now while there is still time to turn the tide!
Sam Teicher is the Co-Founder and Chief Reef Officer of Coral Vita, a company that's working to scale reef restoration globally by growing resilient coral up to 50x faster, and transplanting them into sites degraded by warming and acidifying ocean currents. Previously, Sam worked to implement climate resiliency initiatives at the Obama White House. He has been in love with the ocean since becoming a scuba diver as a child.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 69
Reverend Eddie Anderson discusses the People’s Budget Los Angeles [https://peoplesbudgetla.com/] with our host Jessica Aldridge. He defines what it means to re-imagine policing and public safety, and how to ensure reinvestment back into Black communities. The institutions that run the USA continue to benefit from the repercussions of long-standing, systemic oppression and racism. How do we reinvent and re-imagine the power structures? How do we change the economic system and fund a budget that is community-centered? Tune in to find out more!
Reverend Edward L. Anderson is a social activist and ordained minister serving McCarty Memorial Christian Church [http://www.mccartychurch.org/] in West Adams, Los Angeles. Anderson is an active advocate for Black Lives Matter, a convener and Co-Chair of the New Poor People's Campaign in California and is a Bethany and Preston Taylor Fellow.
Black Los Angeles Demands: https://www.blmla.org/newsfeed/2020/4/16/black-los-angeles-demands-in-light-of-covid-19-and-rates-of-black-death
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 68
Listen to Rene Mims and Jaijae Kabasa, respected elders, community leaders and musicians coming to us from The World Stage [http://theworldstage.org/] in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park. They share with our host Carry Kim deep ruminations on the past 21 generations of African American enslavement, the seeds of racism, and how it continues unabated today. Rather than perpetuating and reciprocating with hate against "white oppressors" and white supremacy, they view love and unity of the human family as the ultimate way forward.
Rene Mims is a community leader, activist, and the founder of S.H.I.N.E. Muwasi Women's African Drum Circle. She founded this group to spread the knowledge and wisdom embodied by West African drum culture combined with healing, empowerment and inspiration.
Jaijae Kabasa is an accomplished musician, educator, activist, and griot or historian who "keeps record" of and for the African people who reside in Los Angeles.
Hear their insights and reflections on the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted in response to the unconscionable killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. They share their views on the ongoing oppression and prejudice against black people and the significant role US Europeans can play in healing the racial divide by honestly confronting the historic and current realities of racism in the U.S. and worldwide.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 67
Plastic Plague Series: PART 7 (of 7) THE FUTURE: how Solutions, Policy, & Resistance around plastic can elevate, inspire, and drive change at a systems-level approach.
Our guests, Matt Prindiville of Upstream Solutions, Sam Pearse of Story of Stuff, and Emily Parker of Heal the Bay, speak with our host, Jessica Aldridge of Adventures in Waste.
There is no one silver-bullet solution or intervention point. The story of plastic we knew from the 1970s and 80s is a different story than what we know today. The finger of responsibility no longer points only at the consumer, but we all have the opportunity to play our role when it comes to creating and demanding the future we want to see. We are up against a take and make economy where packaging is not the only disposable, but so is energy, water, resources, and PEOPLE! How do we create the change and connect the dots for everyone who uses, disposes of, or is in some way affected by plastic.
Matt Prindiville, Imagineer & CEO of Upstream [https://www.upstreamsolutions.org/], is a recognized thought leader within the plastic pollution community and advises the United Nations Environment Program on their plastic pollution strategies. He is one of the founders of the global Break Free from Plastic Movement and the founder of the Cradle2 Coalition and Take It Make It Campaign.
Sam Pearse, Lead Campaigner of The Story of Stuff Project [https://www.storyofplastic.org/], is working at the intersection of storytelling, plastics policy, and corporate campaigning. He comes from a background of campaigning on environmental, human rights, and security issues.
Emily Parker, Coastal and Marine Scientist for Heal the Bay [https://healthebay.org/], works to protect our coastal and marine resources. Her work focuses on plastic pollution, marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries management, and climate change.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste [adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 66
Photo Credit:
Ecosystem Restoration Camps, part of John D. Liu's "Great Work of Our Time," are a methodology to regenerate degraded lands on a planetary scale. Carry Kim speaks with John, Ecosystem Ambassador and Founder and Advisory Council Chair of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation.
The camps movement serves as a model for restoring ecological function while addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time including: poverty, hunger, refugee crises, climate change and the need to create resilient communities. There are now 23 camps spanning six continents, and the movement continues to grow exponentially.
John D. Liu is a filmmaker, environmental educator [https://knaw.academia.edu/JohnDLiu], and Founder and Advisory Council Chair of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation [https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/join-a-camp/]. He also serves as Ecosystem Ambassador of the Commonland Foundation [https://commonland.com/en]. As a filmmaker in 1995, the World Bank asked John to document the ecological restoration of the Loess Plateau in China. Since learning that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems, John has devoted his life to understanding and communicating about the potential and responsibility to restore degraded landscapes on a planetary scale.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.d.liu https://www.facebook.com/groups/1206960359323785/
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 65
Plastic Plague Series: PART 6 (of 7) THE PARADIGM SHIFT - we explore how reduction, recycling, and technology can create a paradigm shift that is solution oriented, equitable, and achievable.
Our guests include Claire Arkin, from GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres Institute, and Keng Baloco, of Athens Services.
There is too much plastic production for recycling to be the end-all-be-all solution to our problems, not to mention the inequity from its creation to disposal. However, waste-to-energy, chemical recycling, and plastic-to-fuel also have their concerns and might not be the winning silver bullet. Solutions best laid are community oriented and do not compromise the needs of future generations. So who is responsible for shifting the norm? Is it consumers, business, or manufacturers? How do we create community-based solutions? And how do these solutions around reuse and recycling weather issues and concerns related to virus spread and pandemics like COVID-19. Tune in to hear from the experts.
Claire Arkin is the Communications Coordinator at GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) [http://www.no-burn.org]. Her work has been featured in such outlets as The Guardian, Resource-Recycling and the San Francisco Chronicle. She recently coordinated a global investigative project called “Discarded” that documented impacts of the global plastic waste trade on communities in Southeast Asia.
Marcus Eriksen, 5 Gyres Institute [https://www.5gyres.org] – Research Director and Co-Founder. As an environmental scientists publishing the first global estimate of plastics in the world’s oceans, and co-discovering microbeads in the Great Lakes, Marcus and his team use research to inform campaigns aimed at changing the systems that pollute the planet and communities.
Keng Baloco, Commodity Sales and Logistics Manager, Athens Services [https://athensservices.com/] has 13 years of experience in the waste and recycling industry. She currently markets commodities to domestic and international markets, finding homes for post-consumer plastic, fiber, metal, glass and other commodities.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste [adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 64
Photo Credit: Adam Dean/GAIA
Now is the time to invest in a regenerative economy that supports climate finance at scale. Our banking and investment practices can proactively regenerate the planet and foster a clean, green economy that is both socially conscious and sustainable.
EcoJustice Radio discusses the rise of regenerative economy and green banking with Tom Duncan, CEO & Founder of Earthbanc, the world's first green digital banking platform [https://earthbanc.io/] that pays its customers to restore and conserve ecosystems, and sequester carbon. Our host, Carry Kim does the interview.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 63 Image: pakissan.com
Plastic Plague Series: PART 5 (of 7) THE BOTTLE SCAM - we connect the dots between the Water Bottle Scam and the fight for Land, Water, and Indigenous Rights.
Our guests include Stiv Wilson, Co-Director of Peak Plastic and Creator and Producer of the film, The Story of Plastic [https://www.storyofplastic.org/] and Raven Stevens, Board Member of W.A.T.E.R. (We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review) [http://cawater.net/]
The chain of environmental and social impacts is an embedded cost of bottled water, a resource that is supposed to give us life, but now arguably the process to extract, make, ship, store, and dispose seems to take from it.
Clean, reliable, and free water should be available to all. Companies want us to fear our tap water and sell us “solutions,” increasing our dependency on bottled water by providing something that was once free, but now costs us $2k times more. That isn’t a surprise when Pepsi has been quoted saying, “the biggest enemy is tap water.”
With a ½ billion bottles used and disposed of every week in the United States, while land and water resources are stolen and polluted it is time to close the tap on the Bottle Scam. The solution isn’t as easy as switching over to a reusable water bottle.
After seven years of controversy, Crystal Geyser Water Company announced in May 2021 that it had given up on opening its Mount Shasta facility. Raven Stevens advocacy was a big part of this massive victory.
Stiv Wilson, is an award winning activist, filmmaker, and educator working at the nexus of marine conservation, plastic pollution, petrochemical production and human rights. After completing 35,000 nautical miles sailing the world to study marine plastic pollution, Stiv co-authored the first ever global estimate of the abundance of plastics in all of the major five oceans in the peer reviewed journal, PLOS ONE. Stiv is the Co-founder of Break Free from Plastic [https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/] and Creator and Producer of the film, The Story of Plastic. Website: https://www.storyofplastic.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AgentStiv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peakplastic/
Raven Stevens is a Water Protector and Community Advocate, living in Mt. Shasta, California. She is working with W.A.T.E.R. (We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review) and the local community to stop industrial water extraction in and around Mt. Shasta. Raven Stevens is a spokesperson for the Gateway Neighborhood Association and representing W.A.T.E.R. for this interview. She kept up the fight and prevented Crystal Geyser from further harming the mountain and all life downstream by stopping their Mt. Shasta project. Website: http://cawater.net/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtshastawater/
Raven does not speak for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. They are a sovereign nation and speak for themselves. They can be reached at: https://www.winnememwintu.us/ for further information.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/] Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 62
Photo Credit: Cuyahoga Recycles Updated 22 September 2021
This is PART FOUR of a special seven-part series, called, “The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution.”
Plastic Plague Series: PART 4 (of 7) THROWAWAY SOCIETY – we investigate the economics & inequity of plastic consumption once thrown away. Does plastic truly get recycled and what is the burden of other countries? More than 300 million tons of new plastic is produced annually and less than 10% is recycled. 40% of the plastic produced is for packaging. China was the recycling destination for over 40% of the USA’s waste commodities. When they shuttered their doors to recycling imports, new opportunities popped up in other countries, but with it came the same issues of contamination, excess waste, and a dumping ground for the consequences of a “throwaway society.”
Our guests include Shibu Nair, India Coordinator for GAIA - Asia Pacific and Michael Doshi, Director of Partnerships for Algalita Marine Research & Education.
Shibu K. Nair is an environmental activist from South India with 20 years of experience in environmental education, conservation, movements, policy and advocacy campaigns. He is a former Saathi Fellow of Association of India’s Development and Bay area chapter and Zero Waste Fellow of GAIA and Ecology Centre in Berkeley, CA. http://www.no-burn.org
Michael Doshi is Algalita's Director of Partnerships, spearheading strategic partnership collaborations, engaging like-minded organizations working on innovative solutions to participate in educating youth through Algalita’s leadership programs. Doshi travels the world conducting waste investigations to experience where our plastic ends up in the environment and how it impacts humans. https://algalita.org/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 61
Photo Credit: Shibu Nair
On this episode, we visit with the members of an inspiring community garden and culture-space called The BirdHouse, in Hollywood, CA.
Creating the conditions to reconnect people and place, The BirdHouse serves as a hub of exchange for those attracted to caring for the land and community through arts and ecology. Its purpose is to engage members in finding creative solutions through permaculture, systems thinking, medicinal plants, art, singing, science and storytelling. The BirdHouse envisions a lush and vibrant urban landscape where people are cooperating with nature to attain health and well-being born of genuine concern for each other and the environment.
John Allen, with his wife Bella co-founded the BirdHouse. It is their intention to attract agents of change to address the question, “What will it take to live a life that the planet earth now demands?” John has extensive experience working as a musician, filmmaker, editor, and director.
Cameron Miller is Site & Projects Manager for the BirdHouse. He grew up in the industrial Midwest and went to university in Massachusetts, before landing in Los Angeles, working as an actor and writer. After years of work in Hollywood, Cameron answered to a different call and turned his focus to permaculture, landscape design, community building, and food systems, through his work at The BirdHouse and beyond.
Website: https://atthebirdhouse.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atthebirdhouse/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atthebirdhouse/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 60
This is PART THREE of a special seven-part series, called, “The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution.”
HUMAN HEALTH – On this episode, we will investigate the impacts plastics have on our personal health and quality of life. From our food packaging to our building material, we cover the toxins types, corporate responsibility, and how can we avoid exposure. We dive into what it means to support the efforts of frontline communities to minimize exposure by reducing these toxic chemicals. Did you know that after packaging, the #1 global use of plastic is building materials?
Our guests include Yvette Arellano, Policy Research & Grassroots Advocate for TEJAS, Dr. Julia Varshavsky, Reproductive Health and the Environment, UCSF Medical Center, and Bill Walsh, Healthy Building Network
Yvette Arellano, is a community organizer for TEJAS, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services. She focuses on the human health impacts of petrochemicals involved in plastics production, chemical clusters, risk of accidents and access to information in the 52-mile industrial corridor between Houston and Galveston.
Dr. Julia Varshavsky is a Postdoctoral Scholar in environmental epidemiology and biostatistics for the Research team, conducting biologically-based, population-level studies on exposure and health risks associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
Bill Walsh, has been working on issues related to plastics and environmental justice for more than 35 years. He founded the Healthy Building Network in 2000 to be the green building movement’s leader in product transparency, healthy materials and related issues of health equity and environmental justice. Prior to that he spent 15 years with Greenpeace USA.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 59
Photo Credit:
This is Installment Two of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed this year). Our guests are Meleny Thomas, Shashawnda Campbell, and Greg Sawtell all Leadership Organizers with United Workers in Baltimore, Maryland, speaking with our host, Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste. More Info: zwconference.org/
Baltimore, Maryland, is setting the standard for #ZeroWasteCities by ensuring social equity! Their racially and economically just Zero Waste Plan goes beyond the successful management of resources and waste by lifting up human rights values and ensuring that those communities who are historically burdened by the ill effects of our waste system are made a priority.
People in South Baltimore are living 15 years less than other communities in the same city. Their Bresco Incinerator is responsible for $55 million in health damages annually. “When you think of Zero Waste, you can’t have a dumping ground community; and we have that.” Meleny Thomas.
MELENY THOMAS is a published author and member of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. Her work focuses on mobilizing youth leadership and community leadership around environmental injustice and affordable housing.
SHASHAWNDA CAMPBELL is a member of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. She began as a high school student that co-founded Free Your Voice, an advocacy group that was successful in shutting down the proposal of an incinerator.
GREG SAWTELL also co-founded the Free Your Voice group. He has been instrumental in accelerating the Zero Waste movement in South Baltimore.
The National Zero Waste Conference is a two day educational and networking event organized by the National Recycling Coalition.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 58
Photo courtesy Meleny Thomas
This is PART TWO of a special seven-part series, called, “The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution.”
REFINEMENT - Once extracted, how does oil and gas become the resin that will eventually be the plastic we use in our daily lives? Then we buy these products, the social and environmental justice issues are covered up by cool marketing campaigns.
On this episode, we will breakdown how fossil fuels become plastic and follow the train of economic interests and irresponsibility. We will hear from front-line activists dealing with plastic manufacturing and the impact to their communities’ quality of life.
Our guests include Diane Wilson, Executive Director of San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper; Sharon Lavigne, Founding Director of RISE St. James; and Jim Vallette, President of Material Research L3C. Hosted by Jessica Aldridge.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Diane Wilson, Executive Director, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Social Media: @UnreasonableWoman http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/ Diane is a fourth-generation shrimper, mother of five, author of three books, and an environmental, peace, and social justice advocate who during the last 30 years launched legislative campaigns, demonstrations, hunger strikes, sunk boats, and even climbed chemical towers in her fight to protect her Gulf Coast bay. She is executive director of San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and recently won the largest ever citizen Clean Water suit against the plastic polluter Formosa Plastics, accruing $50 million in penalties against them and achieving zero discharge of plastics from their facility.
Sharon Lavigne, Founding Director of RISE St. James Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/risestjames/ Sharon is the Founding Director of RISE St. James, and founding executive member of the Coalition Against Death Alley. She is a dedicated activist committed to protecting her community of St. James, Louisiana. She was a teacher for 39 years and loves working with children. It is her conviction that God ignited this environmental justice fight with in her.
Jim Vallette, President, Material Research L3C Social Media: https://materialresearch.net/ Jim is President and co-founder of Material Research L3C. In 2019, they investigated the delivery of tar sands by rail through Portland, Oregon, the life cycle impacts of 20 toxic chemicals (with Earthjustice), and completed a global inventory of the chlorine industry, the source of many of the world's most problematic petrochemicals and plastics.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 57
Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Hear urban planner and anti-nuclear activist Torgen Johnson present information regarding the stranded nuclear waste situation at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station located at the northern end of San Diego County. Torgen discusses with co=host Carry Kim the inherent dangers and risks to the public and surrounding communities, the involvement of Congressman Mike Levin’s task force, and what the public can do to reduce those risks.
Additionally, learn about potential impacts to indigenous communities in New Mexico that could be imposed by the Holtec International C.I.S. waste plan. The nuclear waste issue at San Onofre presents the largest and most complex decommissioning of a nuclear power plant in the U.S. and will undoubtedly set a precedent of how we do or do not prioritize the public's safety regarding the containment and location of the waste on a national level.
More info: https://sanonofresafety.org/ Sign This Petition: https://www.change.org/p/san-onofre-nuclear-waste-recall-defective-storage-system
Torgen Johnson holds a professional degree in Architecture from the University of Southern California, and two Masters degrees in Urban Design and large Landscape Planning from Harvard University. He is the founder of Johnson Design in Solana Beach and formerly Paradigm Design in the U.S. Virgin Islands, both of which are multi-disciplinary design firms with services in urban design, urban planning, community-based planning, landscape design, and architecture. More recently Mr. Johnson has become involved in energy issues related to nuclear power in California, with outreach to Japan and the Northeastern U.S. He resides in Solana Beach with his wife and their four children.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 56
This is Installment Two of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed this year). Our guests are Mike Sangiacomo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Recology and Eric Potashner, Vice President & Senior Director of Recology, speaking with our host, Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste. More Info: https://zwconference.org/
What is the responsibility of the businesses creating the products we use, including packaging material? Should they share in the responsibility to ensure a product is truly recyclable or compostable in current markets? What is their role if a product they create cannot be readily recycled and composted? Should the product have a minimum recycled content in order to stimulate a healthy economy for recycled resin? Or is it alright for their responsibility to be completely abandoned once a product is sold and consumed?
On this show we dive into these questions and talk about what is happening with California legislation that is looking to reduce plastic pollution and support recycling and Circular Economy efforts. Ballot Measure website: https://plasticsfreeca.org/
MICHAEL J. SANGIACOMO has served as the Recology President & Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors since November 1990. Over the past three decades, under Mr. Sangiacomo’s leadership, Recology, an integrated resource recovery company, has expanded its operations from Northern California to include more than 60 operating solid waste processing companies and facilities across California, Washington, and Oregon. As the largest employee-owned company in the waste and recycling industry, Recology serves 140 communities along the West Coast. Website: https://www.recology.com/
ERIC POTASHNER joined Recology’s Corporate team in 2012. Eric is responsible for a team that executes on the company’s strategies for government affairs, permitting, planning, and community and media relations across California, Oregon, and Washington.
The National Zero Waste Conference is a two day educational and networking event organized by the National Recycling Coalition.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 55
Photo credit: Greenpeace USA
This is PART ONE of a special seven-part series, called, “The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution.”
As most people understand, plastic originates from oil and fracked natural gas. In order to limit the flow of plastic, we must look to the well from which it came, before it ever becomes waste.
The rapid growth of cheap fracked gas in the past decade has led to accelerating methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas planet warmer. Drilling and fracking leads to serious public health and safety impacts, poisoning and destroying public lands and wildlife, and contaminating our air and water.
The fight against the expansion of new oil development and the fight to reduce plastics pollution are inseparable. To stop the flow of plastic, you have to go to its beginning.
On today’s episode (part 1 of a 7-part series), we tackle the beginnings of plastic at the source of its initial social and environmental impacts.
Jane Patton is the Senior Campaigner, Environmental Health Program - Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Jane has been a campaigner, coordinator, and organizer for many years with global movements and organizations working to stop plastic pollution at the source, including in her home state of Louisiana. Social Media: https://twitter.com/ciel_tweets, http://www.ciel.org/, http://www.stopformosa.org/
Sharon Wilson the Senior Organizer, for Earthworks is a 5th generation Texan who pursued her dream of living in the country with her two sons surrounded by her animals. Her beautiful country farm turned into a fracking sacrifice zone and Sharon became @TXsharon (https://twitter.com/TexasSharon), a leading activist fighting against oil and gas. Blog: http://www.texassharon.com/
Ethan Buckner the Energy Campaigner of Earthworks is a longtime social movement organizer and singer/songwriter living in Los Angeles. As Earthworks’ Energy Campaigner, Ethan works alongside communities directly impacted by oil, gas, and petrochemical companies to fight for a fossil-free future. Social Media: Twitter https://twitter.com/ethanbuckner & Facebook https://www.facebook.com/earthworksaction/IG: @earthworksaction
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Producer: Georgia Tunioli Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 54
This is Installment One of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed this year). Our guest, Leslie Lukacs co-chair of the conference. More Info: https://zwconference.org/
From the time a resource is extracted and managed for product creation and consumption, to when it is consumed, disposed and then managed for extended use or burial, there are climate disrupting effects and potentials for climate loving solutions. How we create product (or what can be defined as soon to be wasted resources) and then how we manage said resources at end of life has a cumulative impact on climate change.
Our guest, Leslie Lukacs, Executive Director of Zero Waste Sonoma, formally known as the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, speaks with our host Jessica Aldridge, who also is the founder of Adventures in Waste [http://adventuresinwaste.com/].
Leslie has worked over 20 years in the solid waste and resource management industry. She has spent her career designing and implementing comprehensive sustainability and zero waste programs for large institutions, public agencies, venues, and events throughout California and the nation. Leslie serves on the board of directors of the National Recycling Coalition and Zero Waste International Alliance.
Websites: https://zerowastesonoma.gov/ https://zwconference.org/
Social: IG: https://www.instagram.com/zerowastesonoma/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_RecycleNow FB: https://www.facebook.com/zerowastesonoma/
The National Zero Waste Conference is a two day educational and networking event organized by the National Recycling Coalition
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 53
After generations of struggle, the imperative of Indigenous sovereignty over traditional lands and waters has crystallized as a growing movement in the Americas to counter the power of multinational corporations and the governments that enable them.
Native Nation self-determination has proven an effective way to steward and protect resources and develop a sustainable way forward in an era of ecosystem collapse and runaway climate disruption.
We welcome to Ecojustice Radio two people working toward a model of self-determination and a brighter future for the planet through Indigenous prosperity, Manape LaMere and SunRose IronShell. Jack Eidt, co-founder of SoCal 350 and publisher of WilderUtopia.com, does the interview.
Manape LaMere, who has relinquished his U.S. citizenship and is a government representative of his treaty nation (Sioux) and a representative at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Manape is one of the seven headsmen of the Oceti Sakowin, which is proper name for the people commonly known as the Sioux, meaning Seven Council Fires.
SunRose IronShell, of the Sicangu and Oglala, Lakota Nations, is a designer whose point of view reaches far beyond the realms of mere clothing. Her brand Warrior Status challenges the wearer to think and live as a modern-day warrior.
SunRose on IG https://www.instagram.com/livenwarriorstatus/
Interview by Jack Eidt Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 52
We speak with Chief Caleen Sisk, the Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, whose ancestral territory includes what is now known as the McCloud River watershed below “Buliyum Puyuk” aka. Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
Since 2000, Chief Caleen has helped maintain the cultural and religious traditions of the Tribe and continually advocates for salmon restoration, the Human Right to Water and protection of Indigenous sacred sites. She and her tribe are currently working with Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and federal fish biologists to return the now nearly extinct California Chinook salmon to the McCloud River.
Run4Salmon Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/run4salmon/
Interview originally recorded in 2017.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: JP Morris and Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 51
Palm Oil is touted as a “miracle ingredient,” found in more than 50% of all packaged products consumed in the US. It renders makeup smooth, keeps ice cream from melting, and moisturizes our hair and skin. It is a hot commodity; giving rise to plantations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. At 66 million tons annually and 10% of permanent global cropland, palm oil is a prevalent, economically appealing crop. But how would you know, it is not always clearly labeled in the products we purchase, identified by at least 25 ingredient names.
Although popular, the cultivation and expansion of this supposed cash crop can come at the expense of the indigenous peoples, critical habitat, endangered species, and the climate. Almost 90% of the world's oil palm is grown on a few islands in Malaysia and Indonesia, home to the most bio-diverse tropical forests found on Earth.
Can palm oil can be produced in a responsible, sustainable, and regenerative manner that protects the environment, bio-diverse species, and communities where it is cultivated?
On this episode, we discuss what is happening in Indonesia and elsewhere around Palm Oil extraction, expansion, and exploitation. Our guest has been involved with orangutans for 46 years and has been working tirelessly to secure and protect the orangutan populations through creating more regenerative and equitable solutions around Palm Oil production.
We welcome Dr. Gary Shapiro, President of Orang Utan Republik Foundation & The Orangutan Project-USA. https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/ https://www.theorangutanproject.org/ https://www.facebook.com/OrangUtanRepublik/ http://twitter.com/OURF
Gary L. Shapiro, Ph.D. has dedicated most of his life to understanding and supporting the well-being of individual and populations of critically endangered orangutans through research, conservation, advocacy and education. He was the first person (1973-1975) to teach a symbolic communication system to an orangutan and the first person to have taught sign language to orangutans in their natural environment, the forests of Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesian Borneo (1978-1980; 1981). Shapiro further assisted in the rehabilitation efforts of dozens of orangutans confiscated from the illegal pet trade and monitored the phenology of local rain forest ecosystem.
Shapiro received his doctorate in Zoology in 1985 from the University of Oklahoma then returned to Indonesian Borneo (1986) to conduct post-doctoral freshwater ecology studies in Tanjung Puting National Park. He spent 28 years as a government scientist and retired in 2014. Shapiro was the co-founder and vice president of the first orangutan support organization, the Orangutan Foundation International, from 1986-2004 where he administered and oversaw the activities supporting research and conservation in and around Tanjung Puting National Park. In late 2004, Dr. Shapiro and his Indonesian wife, Inggriani, were inspired to create the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative (OUREI), a nonprofit project, in response to the education needs underscoring the Critically Endangered status facing orangutans today, particularly in Sumatra. In 2007, the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) was established as a legal organization to support the programs of OUREI in Indonesia. In 2015, OURF partnered with The Orangutan Project (TOP) to serve as their US chapter. Shapiro also serves on the board of TOP and administers the funds collected and distributed to dozens of organizations conserving orangutans.
Shapiro returns to Indonesia each year to facilitate OURF’s programs in Sumatra and Borneo. He also conducts ecotours to Borneo and Sumatra. Shapiro also lectures to audiences of all ages in both English and Bahasa Indonesian.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 50
Image courtesy of OneGreenPlanet.org.
Hear Tina and Jessa Calderon, mother and daughter duo representing the Gabrielino Tongva and Ventureño Chumash Nations, share their personal experiences, stories and insights regarding growing up as indigenous women on their Native lands. They recount the trials, traumas and tribulations, as well as the creativity, pride and healing that ensued during their process of reclaiming their indigenous language, cultural life ways and themselves as empowered Native women. Carry Kim did the interview.
Jessa Calderon shares her song, 'Scars of a Warrior', a raw, universal reminder and personal telling of the legacy and walk of an indigenous child come empowered woman warrior and mother. Together as mother and daughter, Tina and Jessa are now fulfilling a spiritual calling to serve the local and global community by preserving their Native legacy for the benefit, education, and inheritance of future generations.
Gabrielino/Tongva - San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians: https://gabrielenotongva.org/ Jessa Calderon: https://www.instagram.com/jessa_songwriter1/ https://soundcloud.com/lady-sparkz https://twitter.com/TheeLovelyJessa https://www.youtube.com/user/KrazyLady818/videos Tina Calderon: https://www.facebook.com/tina.o.calderon
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 49
In recent years across the world, a groundswell of youth activism is growing, pressuring governments to stand up for social and environmental rights. It can be argued that a surge of youth activism this size has not been seen since the Vietnam War.
The reasons for unrest are diverse, from fears of worsening climate, violence in schools, political corruption, racial injustice, deportation. A recent UCLA survey found that 1 in 10 undergraduates nationwide expected to partake in protests while in college, the highest rate since 1967.
The youth are rising up and they demand their voices be heard and their presence taken seriously. The youth are the future. Well that future better be livable, equitable, and safe.
Today we discuss the power of youth-led activism and how our guest is helping to inspire change and build community. We welcome 19-year-old Youth Environmental Activist and one of the lead organizers for Youth Climate Strike LA, Kevin Patel.
Kevin J Patel is from Los Angeles, CA. As a climate activist for over six years, he is also the Founder and Executive Director for the youth-led climate movement, OneUpAction
Facebook: Kevin J Patel Instagram: @imkevinjpatel Twitter: @imkevinjpatel https://www.facebook.com/YouthClimateStrikeLosAngeles/
Resources https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/18/08/student-activism-20
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 48
Photo courtesy of Ben Goloff
In this episode, we discuss the struggle to protect the sacred lands and culture of the Wixárika people, also known popularly as the Huichol, an indigenous group inhabiting the remote reaches of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. Our guests are Andrea Perez, Indigenous Environmental Justice Advocate, and Susana Valadez Director of the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts. Jessica Aldridge did the interview.
Central to the ancient religion of the Wixárika is the yearly pilgrimage crossing the San Luis Potosí desert in the region of Real de Catorce to a sacred place called Wirikuta, the homeland of their ancestors. They would collect and ingest hikuri (the peyote cactus) as a tool to dialogue with the ancient spirits.
Their sacred Wirikuta has been invaded, private properties have encroached on traditional pilgrimage routes, and 78 mining concessions have been granted to First Majestic Silver Corporation out of Canada. While this project purports to bring some jobs and economic development to the area, it also drains and pollutes water resources and limits access to their ancestral homeland.
Andrea Perez Andrea Perez is a 23 year old, Indigenous Environmental Scientist and Geospatial Analyst. Her desire for people to build personal relationships with Earth is moved by her approach to the Climate Crisis as an Indigenous Environmental Justice Advocate. Her ancestral lands are currently under threat by foreign countries trying to exploit the rich land for profit. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protect_wirkuta/ https://www.instagram.com/arte_wixarika_tanuiwari/ https://www.instagram.com/for_the_love_of_earth/ (personal) Facebook: Congreso Regional de Wirikuta
Susana Valadez Nobel Peace Prize nominee and founder of the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts Biography: UCLA anthropology grad student from the 1970s who married into the Huichol (Wixarika) culture and has since then spearheaded a humanitarian organization in the mountains of Mexcio. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee that has dedicated her life the well-being of the tribe and the protection of their people, sacred plants and cultural legacy Web: www.thehuicholcenter.org, https://www.thehuicholcenter.org/shop-huichol.html https://decriminalizenature.org/ IG and Twitter: SUSANA_VALADEZ
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 47
Image art courtesy The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts
The Los Angeles Harbor community is starving for oxygen. Environmental Justice Activist Jesse Marquez speaks with EcoJustice Radio about the dangers of living around five oil refineries, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and hemmed in by the truck-clogged 710 and 110 freeways. Fresh air in the shadow of an industrial sacrifice zone is often in short supply for those who call those neighborhoods home.
Moreover, the Los Angeles Basin, home to 13 million people, has over 1,000 active oil drilling sites, pumping and emitting gases and noise next to schools, churches, and residences. How do these day-to-day operations affect our communities? What do people need to know to take appropriate action in the event of a refinery accident or oil spill?
AQMD data shows the five refineries in the immediate area — owned by Marathon (formerly Andeavor/Tesoro), Phillips 66, and Valero — reported releasing nearly 14 million pounds of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and so-called criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and fine particles. Oil refineries report only a fraction of the emissions they release, according to a 2016 study by Swedish academics, and the poisons in this brew can cause cancer and heart disease as well as asthma.
The sad reality is that the majority of L.A.’s industrial oil activity takes place in low-income and minority communities, where residents aren’t afforded the same regulatory protections as individuals living in affluent areas.
Jesse Marquez is the Executive Director of the Environmental Justice Organization the Coalition For A Safe Environment (CFASE) established in April 2001 in Wilmington, California, to eliminate, reduce and mitigate the negative community environmental, public health, public safety and socioeconomic impacts caused by International Trade Marine Ports, Freight Transportation Corridors, Petroleum and Energy Industries.
CFASE works to protect, promote, preserve, and restore our Mother Earth’s delicate ecology, environment, natural resources and wildlife.
More info (website under construction): cfase.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coalitionforasafeenvironment/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 46
Image thanks to Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
On Episode 45 of EcoJustice Radio our guest Reverend Oliver Buie, Minister of Community Engagement at the Holman United Methodist Church in South Los Angeles, speaks with Jessica Aldridge on the important relationship between faith and environmentalism and what his parish has been doing to promote environmental and social justice in their community.
As a member of the Steering Committee of STAND-LA, he speaks to the environmental justice movement to institute a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer between oil drilling and where people live, in particular motivated by the Murphy Oil Drilling site near his South Los Angeles church.
Reverend Oliver Buie is Minister of Community Engagement at the Holman United Methodist Church. He earned a Master of Divinity Degree in 2011 from San Francisco Theological Seminary. He has 25 years of valuable experience in carrying out ministry responsibilities both as a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel, including strong Biblical preaching and teaching, and worship leadership. His strong points have been organizational leadership, administration, and strategic planning, evangelism and church growth strategies, community outreach & relations, program development and team building, stewardship and fund development, ecumenical and collaborative relations and event planning & management. He is actively involved in environmental and social justice issues and is a Steering Committee for STAND LA (Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling).
LINKS Web: www.holmanumc.com IG and Twitter: @holmanUMC FB: www.facebook.com/HolmanChurch/
Other Resources: STAND-LA: https://www.stand.la/ Murphy Oil Site: www.stand.la/murphy.html
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 45
Weather extremes, soil degradation, and climate disruption have turned our attention to the potential of soil, carbon, and water cycling as a formidable and creative response to climate change.
Linda Gibbs is the Owner & Principal Manager of the gardens at Woodshed Recording Studio, growing food, medicine, and soil. She teaches at the Gaia school of healing and Earth education and is a soil advocate for Kiss the Ground. One week after her home burned down in the Woolsey Fire, she spoke on behalf of Kiss the Ground at the 73rd annual Conservation Resource Districts conference on soil and fire resilience. The urgency of our times and the loss of her home spurred her to begin offering free classes to educate and motivate people about what they can do right under their feet to regenerate the Earth and address climate change.
Linda Gibbs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linda.gibbs.1042 Allan Savory's site: https://www.savory.global/ Kiss the Ground: https://kisstheground.com/
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 44 Photo courtesy of Carry Kim
On today’s show we are discussing Urban Forestry’s Impacts On Climate Change and Social Equity. Jessica Aldridge speaks with Mark Kenyon, Executive Director of the nonprofit, North East Trees.
The horrific fires ravaging the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia have sparked massive interest about how these dense rain forests influence the global weather systems by creating microclimates that have macro effects. Ultimately, large-scale deforestation has an overall effect on global climate. However, what of our trees here at home? Do they impact our local weather? Does their existence play a role in mitigating climate change?
Today we will speak to the powerful effect urban forests have on the health and well-being of our communities and the climate in general. We will also look into programs that are working within those communities to provide equitable solutions, green jobs, and open spaces.
Mark Kenyon has been associated with North East Trees (NET - http://www.northeasttrees.org/) from its very first tree planting over 26 years ago and volunteered on many tree planting projects as well as working with the Founder, Scott Wilson, and NET's Board management oversight and strategic planning. Mark brings to NET a keen interest in native plants, habitat restoration, watershed management, and the use of natural spaces to connect with at-risk youth disadvantaged communities.
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 43
The Global Climate Strikes that happened from 20-27 September 2019, inspired a record 7.6 million people to head into the streets and strike for climate action. The biggest climate mobilization in history. From Jakarta to New York, Karachi to Amman, Berlin to Kampala, Istanbul to Québec, Guadalajara to Asunción, in big cities and small villages, millions of people joined hands and raised their voices in defense of the climate. The Global Climate Strike shows that we have the people power we need to create a just world and end the era of fossil fuels.
The September 20th Los Angeles Youth Climate Strike was organized by a coalition of groups and led by Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles. EcoJustice Radio's Jessica Aldridge and production team joined the action at Downtown LA's Pershing Square, where anywhere from 10-20,000 people gathered for speeches and music, and then all marched through the streets to City Hall. This caused absolute pandemonium on the crowded city streets, but all happened peacefully and with grace from all involved.
Following are a sampling of the diverse voices out in the streets to demand climate action and an end to the fossil fueled business as usual that is destabilizing the global climate systems, with heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, destructive hurricanes, melting of glaciers, and methane feedback mechanisms spinning out of control. We have to act NOW!
Jessica Aldridge spoke with:
Ash Rosas - Sunrise Movement Los Angeles Tina Calderon - Gabrielieno Tongva and Ventureno Chumash Paula Kahn - SoCal 350 Climate Action Daniel Lopez - Youth Activist Claire McCarthy - Greenpeace Diego Johansen - Greenpeace Former Sen. Kevin De Leon, President Emeritus of CA State Senate Jesus Villalba Gastelum - Youth Climate Strike LA - Earth Uprising LA
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 42
Photo courtesy of Mike Chickey - More: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10216860498399552&type=3
Susan V. Collins, President of Container Recycling Institute, speaks with host Jessica Aldridge about how California underwent a recent wave of redemption center closures (those places where consumers can drop off their recyclable beverage containers for cash). So what needs to happen to fix the California bottle bill?
Container Recycling Institute: http://www.container-recycling.org/
Hosted by Jessica Aldridge, Adventures in Waste Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 41
Image from Waste 360
Water is life. Clean, safe, reliable, affordable, and the future security of water is nonnegotiable. Los Angeles, California currently imports a whopping 70% of their water. And getting that water to LA is the largest use of electricity in the state of CA. When water is not captured and utilized within the system, it traverses through the city and out to the ocean. In order to shape a strong water future, we must manage the flow in way that ensures high quality, social equity, and solutions based in nature. Jessica Aldridge, interviews Annelisa Moe, Water Quality Scientist with Heal the Bay and Miguel Ramos External Affairs Outreach Coordinator with the Nature Conservancy.
This show aired on KPFK on Sept 12, 2019
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Aqueduct Terminus Cascades in Sylmar. Meghan McCarty - KPCC
Interview Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 40
Hear the wise words of Tongva Elder, Grandmother Gloria Arellanes, as she shares the heritage of the Tongva people, who inhabited and stewarded the area referred to as the "Los Angeles basin" as well as the Southern Channel Islands. Grandmother Gloria offers her insights about the state of our world, youth, elderhood and the intergenerational cycle of learning, as well as how we might honor proper protocols, First Nations and all that is Sacred, amidst the backdrop of increasing urbanity, and the numerous perils now facing our environment.
In December 2018, a 6-3 decision by the California Coastal Commission allowed a massive expansion of oil operations in the Los Cerritos Wetlands, near Long Beach. This includes the drilling of 120 new oil/water wells and the construction of a 2,200-foot pipeline to extend across the Newport-Inglewood fault. Water injection drilling methods could increase output from 300 to 23,000 barrels daily and emit 70,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually. The oil will be sent to local refineries poisoning working class communities, mainly people of color, in West Long Beach/Wilmington. In a worst-case scenario, this project could spill 2.8 million gallons of oil, destroying wetlands, bay, and ocean waters along the coast. This unfortunate project, promoted as "wetlands restoration," was approved using "overrides" even though it violates the Coastal Act. The Tongva and Acjachemen consider these wetlands to be a tribal cultural landscape and wildlife sanctuary. Many sacred and burial sites have been destroyed here already, very little is left.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineers: JP Morris and Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 39
Hear from David Lamfrom, Director of California Desert and National Wildlife programs at the National Parks Conservation Association, who will discuss the particular challenges of protecting and preserving our national parks in the Anthropocene era, including this current stage of global industrialization. David recounts the impact of the government shutdown on wildlife in national parks, including the financial cost for the remediation of destruction from unmonitored and unregulated human activity. He discusses the gaps in federal funding that impact conservation efforts. Listen to how we can best support biogeography, diversity and migration patterns of animals and whole ecosystems as we accelerate industrial production of renewable energy infrastructure to scale. David asserts that "empty space" is a myth, and elucidates how we can become more effective and connected stewards of the Earth while we seek alternatives for fossil fuels.
David Lamfrom from serves as the Director of the California Desert and National Wildlife programs for the National Parks Conservation Association, using his passion and knowledge of our natural, cultural and historical resources to inspire others to learn about and protect our national parks. David has extensive experience working with diverse wildlife and agriculture in the fields of: aquaculture, agricultural biology and herpetology. He volunteered time and expertise as a naturalist for the Wildlife Research Team, a non-profit organization who has had tremendous success utilizing non-mechanized mangrove restoration in Biscayne Bay, Florida. As a graduate of New College of Florida, David has had the opportunity to conduct significant study in the fields of ecology, herpetology, foreign languages, Native American studies, and art. Published both as an author and wildlife photographer in several issues of Wild South magazine, David is an avid naturalist, hiker, and photographer who spends his free time exploring wildlife and wilderness. For more info. and to support visit: https://www.npca.org/
Interview by Carry Kim Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineers: JP Morris and Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 38
Jessica Aldridge speaks with Ayla Suhail, Climate Change and Livelihood Project Coordinator at PODA, Potohar Organisation of development and advocacy in Pakistan. She is a graduate of mathematics from Comsats University in Islamabad and is finishing her up masters in Geographical Information System. Her thesis is based on "Analyzing the impact of Plastic Waste on the Urban Climate." She is also a teacher and a coach.
The effects of natural disasters and Climate change have disproportionate impacts to those most vulnerable, especially rural based women and marginalized groups. Empowerment of women is critical to personal well-being and self-sufficiency; that empowerment is also directly tied to how the community will handle crisis and build resiliency. In order to mitigate climate change, there must exist a fuller understanding of the social and economic issues that those on the front line bear, and what approaches need to be in place in order to create empowerment and solutions from within. With an increase in development including industrialization, urbanization, and motorization, the World Bank identified Pakistan’s top environmental issues as air pollution, inadequate supply of uncontaminated drinking water, and health deterioration of urban and rural populations.
That same report says Karachi’s urban air pollution is among the most severe in the world. That being said it is important to note that the majority of Pakistan’s population lives in rural areas and experiences high poverty rates. Those in urban areas suffer from significant damages to human health.
Ayla Suhail has been working for a Pakastani organization that tackles the issues of climate change by supporting solutions that are based in gender equity, economic justice, and human rights. They also have a stunning program that encourages entrepreneurism through art while protecting traditional cultural expressions.
More Info: https://poda.org.pk/
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: JP Morris and Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 37
Carry Kim talks with Rev. Adelia Sandoval, the Spiritual Leader for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians/Acjachemen Nation. The Acjachemen people are the indigenous people of Orange County in Southern California and have stewarded and inhabited this region for roughly 12,000 years. Adelia is also a Ceremonial Leader, Bear Dancer, Re-Burial Rites Ceremonialist, and Keeper of Songs she has been taught by Tribal Spiritual Leader, Ka'chi. She is the director of the Tribal women's singing group the Tushmalum Heleqatum (Hummingbirds that Sing).
Listen to Adelia offer wisdom from her lineage and lived experience as a spiritual leader for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians/Acjachemen Nation. She contemplates and wonders aloud about the efforts many are now making on behalf of future generations to preserve Earth-honoring traditions of indigenous peoples, flora, fauna, sacred places and life itself. She also discusses the imminent need to protect Qu'eespamay (aka. San Onofre) from the threat of unsafe nuclear waste storage upon sacred, ancestral Acjachemen lands. Be reminded of the importance of unity, sacred "activism" even in the apparent face of "failure," and our common human heritage as we navigate our times and learn to regard all living things in sacred reciprocity once again.
Interview by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 36
Carry Kim speaks with Doug Lindamood, from SonRise Ranch in San Diego County, California. He and his family own and operate this pasture based livestock operation dedicated to changing industrial, factory farming into a local, sustainable, integrity, food movement through education and outreach one family at a time.
According to SonRise Ranch, Management Intensive Grazing, regenerative agriculture, and the highest standards of animal husbandry are the best way to heal the planet.
SonRise Ranch: http://son-riseranch.com/ https://www.son-riseranchstore.com/Default.asp
Interview by Carry Kim Hosted by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 35
Photo courtesy of American Dairymen
In the spring of 2019, the Sunrise Movement, building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across the US, put on the Road To A Green New Deal Tour, visiting eight cities across the US to share what a Green New Deal would look like in different communities as well as spotlighting local politicians and organizers throughout the country.
A Green New Deal would address the interwoven crises of climate catastrophe, economic inequality, and racism at the scale that science and justice demand. It could combine quick action to get to net- zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2030 along with an “Economic Bill of Rights” – the right to single-payer healthcare, a guaranteed job at a living wage, affordable housing and free college education.
EcoJustice Radio joined KPFK-FM to interview the voices in and around the Green New Deal Tour in Los Angeles, and this is what our interviewer Jessica Aldridge with the sound team Kiyana Williams and Blake Lampkin found out.
Guests Josh Willis, oceanographer with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Hotpocalypse Podcast Aura Vasquez, former LA DWP Commissioner, environmental activist Loraine Lundquist, environmental scientist at Cal State Northridge D Garcia with Sunrise Movement LA Varshini Prakash, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sunrise Movement with Gabbi Pierce also with Sunrise
At the end, Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 interviewed Bill McKibben, author, educator, environmentalist, and co-founder of 350.org, and a global leader in the movement to solve the climate crisis along with several important books on global warming, along with Lydia Ponce from SoCal 350 and a member of American Indian Movement.
Photo Credit: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Interviews by Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Video Kiyana Williams Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 34
On this episode, Mark Morris speaks with Madeline Merritt, Core Organizer for Public Bank LA and Member of California Public Banking Alliance. She speaks about the campaign supporting AB 857, The Public Banking Act, in an unprecedented partnership between the grassroots and lawmakers. She is a water protector and community organizer who seeks to transform global systems to put the long term interests of people and planet over the short term interests of the few.
Public Banks and the Green New Deal: https://californiapublicbankingalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Public-Banks-and-GND.pdf
https://californiapublicbankingalliance.org/
https://publicbankla.com/
https://www.divestla.com/
Interview by Mark Morris Host: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 33
Over the past few years, there has been significant growth in US politics of women candidates (especially women of color) and for many this being their first run for office. As of today, there exists a record number of women in congress and more young women and women of color than ever in US History.
On this show, Jessica Aldridge talks with Aura Vasquez, Environmental and Social Justice organizer and Candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 10, on how we change the “old boys club” and what this could mean for bringing social equity to the table.
Bio Aura Vasquez is an Afro-Latina immigrant, community leader, fearless advocate for environmental and racial justice issues and running to be the first woman elected to represent Los Angeles Council District 10. As the first immigrant and the youngest to be appointed a Commissioner for the L.A. Department of Water and Power, Aura supported millions in investments in sustainable energy and incentives to lower power bills for all residents. In 2018, she coached Democratic candidates across the U.S. and helped flip the U.S. Congress to a Democratic majority. Her commitment is to give a voice to people who have been, historically unheard, and help them build a prosperous future for themselves and their families.
Learn more about Aura Vasquez Campaign for the People of District 10. https://www.aura2020.com Follow her journey in Social Media: Instagram: @Auravasquezofficial Facebook: @Auravasquezofficial Twitter: @Auramvasquez For questions, comments, and suggestions email Aura anytime! Info@Aura2020.com
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 32
Photo Credit: Christina House / Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles is the nation’s garment production capital and the city’s second largest manufacturing sector, yet workers face injustice, usually associated with the developing world, right here in one of the largest cities in the United States.
Unbeknownst to most, sweatshops are a reality in Los Angeles, California and are directly tied to some of the most notable and loved brands. However, accountability and human rights are not always being addressed by these brands and the manufacturers they use.
How are sweatshops and labor practices intrinsically tied to environmental issues?
Our host, Jessica Aldridge, interviews Mar Martinez from the Garment Worker Center a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to secure social and economic justice for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers.
Bio: With two garment workers as parents, Mar Martinez witnessed first-hand the harm that the garment industry creates due to low wages and unsafe working conditions. As Organizing Coordinator and Wage Theft Clinic Coordinator, Mar has helped recover over $900K in stolen wages for garment workers and fight for greater brand accountability in the garment industry in Los Angeles.
Garment Worker Center is a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to improve conditions for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers. Through direct organizing, GWC develops leaders who demand enforcement of strong labor laws and accountability from factory owners, manufacturers, and fashion brands. We center immigrant workers, women of color, and their families who are impacted by exploitation in the fashion industry.
Website: http://garmentworkercenter.org/
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 31
When we get dressed in the morning, most of us don’t consider the environmental costs and human rights issues that may be attached to the clothing on our bodies. Jessica Aldridge interviews two women who have made it their business to not only consider how to clean up the global fashion industry, advocating for environmentally-supportive and equitable solutions to water pollution, pesticides, microfibers, and waste associated with making, washing, and disposing of our clothing.
Bios: Andrea Plell - For over a decade San Francisco Bay Area based writer and sustainable fashion consultant, Andrea Plell, has fostered community in the effort of supporting systemic change in the apparel industry. In 2016, she co-founded The Sustainable Fashion Alliance a member-based organization designed to empower small and mid-sized sustainable brands with resources, shared opportunities and creative avenues to market. She is also the West Coast Regional Coordinator for Fashion Revolution, a not-for-profit international movement that calls for greater transparency in the global supply chain.
Jennifer Gilbert is a respected fashion recycling industry expert and is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of I:CO (short for I:Collect), a leading global solutions provider for the collection, sorting, reuse and recycling of apparel, footwear and other textiles. In her role, she works with some of the largest fashion brands to take on end-of-use product responsibility and help them transition towards a more circular fashion industry.
Resources: Instagram - @jenniferdgilbert @icospirit @Fash_revusa @sustainablefashionalliance @ecologiqfashion Website - http://ecologiquefashion.com/ https://www.fashionrevolution.org/ https://www.sustainablefashionalliance.com/ https://www.ico-spirit.com/en/
Books - Magnifeco: https://www.amazon.com/Magnifeco-Head-Toe-Ethical-Non-toxic/dp/0865717974 ECOrenaissance: https://www.amazon.com/ECOrenaissance-Lifestyle-Cocreating-Stylish-Sustainable/dp/1501123564 How to Shop for Shi(f)t: https://www.amazon.com/How-Shop-Shi-Shopping-healthier/dp/0692968709
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Engineer: Blake Lampkin Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 30
From the Personal Carbon Footprint to a Green New Deal
Massive climate disruption continues to strike all over the world, one disaster after another, droughts, wildfires, typhoons, mega-floods, with glaciers melting and methane escaping from deep under the permafrost. The UN IPCC said we have 12 more years to stabilize greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere to avoid runaway climate change. We need solutions to this problem to spark a climate revolution. Jessica Aldridge speaks with NASA climate scientist and author Peter Kalmus and Sam Berndt also a scientist and a coordinator of the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles.
Peter Kalmus is author of the book 'Being the Change: Live Well and Spark A Climate Revolution'. He is a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and he is speaking on his own behalf. Peter's main research interests are cloud physics and ecological forecasting. He's the recipient of NASA's Early Career Achievement medal and he makes an effort to avoid burning fossil fuel, in order to shift the culture and pave the way for policy-level change. He lives on about a tenth the fossil fuel of the average American, and he enjoys it! Peter's website: https://beingthechangebook.com/ Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Change-Spark-Climate-Revolution/dp/0865718539
Sam Berndt is an Engineer and the Coordinator for the Sunrise Los Angeles Hub. Sam recently moved from Michigan to LA in order to pursue his dream job as a software engineer at JPL. He is also speaking on his own behalf. When he heard of a direct action at Nancy Pelosi's DC office demanding a Green New Deal, he was inspired to take his own action and help found and organize the Sunrise Los Angeles hub. Check out Sunrise: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 29
Join Stephanie Mushrush and Carrie "Cc" Curley Strong as they share about the Apache Stronghold spiritual movement to Save Oak Flat (Chi'chil Bildagoteel). Apache Stronghold, led by Wendsler Nosie, Sr. for the last decade, is a spiritual movement to protect the Apache Way of life: their sacred sites and cultural and spiritual heritage. The movement is committed to preventing Resolution Copper, a foreign mining corporation & subsidiary of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, from desecrating the San Carlos Apache Nation's ancestral lands.
Resolution Copper proposes building an environmentally destructive "block cave" copper mine on Oak Flat, which would gravely threaten land, water, air quality, cultural and sacred sites, including areas with petroglyphs and burial grounds of the Apache. In 2015, a deceptive land swap hidden in the Defense Authorization Act, aimed to give the ancestral Apache lands of Oak flat to Resolution Copper.
Having been deemed "Forest Service land" as a result of colonization, Oak Flat was to be exchanged for private "conservation" lands throughout Arizona. Since 1955, due to the Oak Flat Withdrawal, Oak Flat had been protected from all forms of public appropriation as part of the Tonto National Forest. Oak Flat advocates assert that President Eisenhower initiated this withdrawal to effectively protect the area from mining due to its cultural and natural value. The Save Oak Flat Act, recently reintroduced in Congress (sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Representative Raul Grijalva in the House) would repeal the Oak Flat Land Exchange Act, and prevent Resolution Copper from developing and operating a large-scale copper mine on sacred territory of the Apache, essential to their practices of cultural and spiritual renewal.
Both diverse artists in their own right, Stephanie and Cc share how artivism informs the breadth of their activism and how their spiritual journeys marching to Oak Flat have distinctly empowered and forever transformed their own lives.
Stephanie Mushrush is a Co-Founder of Red Earth Defense, a grassroots indigenous-led LA community organization; a Many Winters Gathering Of Elders - Core Committee member; and an organizer with Apache Stronghold to protect Chich’il Bildagoteel aka. Oak Flat in Arizona. Stephanie is a member of the Washoe Tribe of NV & CA and identifies as an urban Native, as well as half Filipina. After working at Sherman Indian High School for nearly a decade, Stephanie earned her Master of Social Welfare from UCLA in 2013. She now works as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at American Indian Counseling Center for LA County. She is also a singer/musician under the artist name Sallee Free. Her debut album, inspired by intergenerational healing, will be released in early 2019.
Carrie "Cc" Sage Curley is a key member of the Apache Stronghold spiritual movement to Save Oak Flat, Chi Chil Bildagoteel. She resides on San Carlos Apache Reservation, and her clan is K'aitsehit'i'dn'. Cc is among the Stronghold that maintained an Oak Flat occupation that lasted over 1.5 years, extended from the first annual gathering in February 2015. As a longstanding artivist, Cc uses art as her “weapon” to support and engage people in the Apache Stronghold spiritual movement to “Save Oak Flat,” the movement to stop copper mining on the sacred ancestral lands of the San Carlos Apache Nation. She has murals across Indian Country, including a piece representing four generations of women, on Los Angeles' own Winston Street Alley, aka. Indian Alley. By depicting indigenous peoples, she educates and inspires others about Apache culture and their Earth-honoring wisdom traditions. Dedicated to her community, Cc teaches art to Apache children and contributes daily to an indigenous farm project.
Interview by Carry Kim Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 28
Erik Ohlsen is the director of the Permaculture Skills Center, a vocational training school that offers advanced education in ecological design, landscaping, farming, and land stewardship. Creator of the the Eco-Landscape Mastery School online training program, Erik is also founder of Permaculture Artisans which specializes in design and installation of ecological landscapes and farms throughout California. An internationally renowned, certified permaculture designer and practitioner, Erik has taught ecological landscape design and implementation to thousands of students and clients around the world since 1999. He has special expertise in water harvesting systems, food forest design, and community organizing. His primarily goal is helping people connect deeply with nature and themselves. He resides in Sebastopol, California with his wife Lauren, raising a family, building a homestead and running their businesses.
Website: https://erikohlsen.com/ More info: https://www.wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/creating-resilient-ecosystems-regenerating-the-planet-with-erik-ohlsen-ecojustice-radio/
Interview by Carry Kim Produced by Mark Morris Engineering and co-host J.P. Morris Original Music by Javier Kadry Ep. 27
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL or Rocketdyne), north of Los Angeles, burned in the November 2018 Woolsey Fire, threatening toxic exposures from contaminated dust, smoke, ash, and soil. In the 1940s, SSFL with its 10 experimental nuclear reactors was developed for research and weapons testing. In 1959, it suffered an uncontained partial meltdown of at least one sodium reactor referred to by experts as the worst nuclear disaster in U.S history, and the fourth largest release of iodine-131 in the history of nuclear power. Until 1979 the incident and the toxic waste byproduct that still pollutes the ground water, air, and soil was kept secret.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) denied risk from the fire that it created by delaying the long promised cleanup. Their statement failed to assuage community concerns given DTSC’s longtime pattern of misinformation about SSFL’s contamination and its repeated broken promises to clean it up.
Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste discusses the issues with Denise Duffield, Associate Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, and Melissa Bumstead, Mother and local advocate, and a founder of Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab.
No More Kids With Cancer: Clean Up the Santa Susana Field Lab Petition: https://www.change.org/p/no-more-kids-with-cancer-clean-up-the-santa-susana-field-lab
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 26
Photo: Getty Images/ Sandy Huffaker
Ku Kia'i Mauna: The Mauna Kea Movement to Protect Sacred Sites, Waters and Indigenous Legacies Worldwide Part 2 Kumu Mikilani provides an update on the status of Mauna Kea and the inspired movement to stop the construction of the 30-meter TMT telescope, anticipated to be the Northern Hemisphere's singular largest telescope sponsored by CalTech, University of California and the countries of India, Japan, and Canada. Twelve telescopes have already blighted what native Hawaiians consider their most sacred mountain and pinnacle of their origination cosmologically.
The proposed TMT telescope would disturb the fragile ecosystem of the summit which was traditionally accessible only by the high chiefs and priests on rare occasions as well as compromise cultural and spiritual practices of native Hawaiians. Construction of the proposed telescope favors astronomical advancement and development at the expense of designated conservation lands, and would gravely threaten unique flora, fauna and wildlife as well as potentially impact the water table. Mauna Kea is a precedent-setting movement, propelled largely by Hawaiian natives and cultural practitioners who are insisting upon land usage which respects, preserves and honors indigenous cultural and spiritual preservation, as well as protects the vast ecosystem in which their Ancestors live and thrive.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 25
Part 1 of 2
Ku Kia'i Mauna:
Kumu Mikilani Young discusses with Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio about the proposed, highly controversial 30-meter TMT telescope which would be built atop "ceded" conservation lands on Mauna Kea, considered the most sacred mountain for native Hawaiians or Kanaka Ma'oli. The TMT telescope would be the largest telescope in the Northern Hemisphere and is being spearheaded by the University of California, the California Institute of Technology as well as: Japan, China, India and Canada.
Mikilani also speaks on her aims and actions to unite First Nations of California as well as indigenous peoples globally to protect sacred ancestral territories, living waters and the heritage of indigenous peoples for future generations. In this episode, Kumu Mikilani shares the meaning of oli (prayerful chants of Hawai'i), intricacies and origins of the Hawaiian language, the sovereignty and "occupation" of Hawai'i, cultural appreciation vs. appropriation and a conversation about who is "indigenous." Learn more about the culture of "Aloha Aina," the "birthright" of Kanaka Ma'oli (native Hawaiians) and their living relationship to Ke Akua (Creator), Na Kupuna (Ancestors) and Na Aumakua (deified Ancestors) — their gods and Ancestors.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 25
As part of the incessant need for what some people call “growth” we inevitably destroy resources, especially when that “growth” happens to be sprawling land development. Is this type of growth necessary? Will it provide real housing opportunities to those most in need? However, when a development project does not make common sense, when it invades ecological integrity, destroys irreplaceable resources and it puts people in harm’s way, should the project be sent back for review?
Tejon Ranch Centennial Specific Plan (or Centennial) is a massive planned city in a unique, rare, fire-prone wilderness of grasslands and mountains, a residential and commercial development in LA County. Nick Jensen from the California Native Plant Society [https://www.cnps.org/tag/centennial], and Jack Eidt from Wild Heritage Partners [https://www.wilderutopia.com/] and SoCal 350, discuss the dangers to urban sustainability, fiscal health of LA County and the impacts on wild and endangered plants and animals with host Jessica Aldridge.
Located 70 miles NW of DTLA, Centennial would be accessed by Hwy 138 near Interstate 5, close to Gorman a small town with limited amenities. The project sits upon 270,000 acres of private property where they want to build 20K homes and 10 million sf of commercial and retail space (although a hospital does not exist in the current plan).
The planning of Centennial began 20 years ago, but it was approved by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in 2018. Since then, the California Native Plant Society and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed suit against the approval citing insufficient environmental review.
Sign the Petition: http://biodiv.us/keepcaliforniawild More information: http://cnps.org/centennial Check out this op-ed by Jack Eidt: https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/los-angeles/16717-tejon-ranch-s-centennial-a-fiscal-and-fire-disaster-waiting-to-happen-for-la-county
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste with Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 and WilderUtopia Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 24
Image of Tejon Ranch from Kyle Hanson, SoCal 360.
Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio talks with Lydia Ponce, a Mayo-Quechua Indigenous activist, member of AIM (American Indian Movement), and Co-Director of Idle No More SoCal. She also works as SoCal 350 Engagement Director.
Lydia will share updates about two controversial tar sands pipelines originating out of Alberta, Canada: TransCanada's Keystone XL and Enbridge's Line 3. Both projects pose numerous threats for indigenous peoples, their way of life and sacred territories, in addition to the devastating impacts they would have on Mother Earth and climate change. Tar sands crude oil [often called oil sands] remains one of the dirtiest, costliest and most reckless forms of fossil fuel extraction. Lydia will also inform listeners about the perils of indigenous women who go missing or are murdered, as a consequence of "man camps" established during pipeline construction. Hear the call to action, donate to the cause, and make a difference in stopping these pipelines. Hear how you can help preserve life in the north for future generations, and help protect the lives of indigenous women.
https://www.narf.org/keystone-xl/ http://www.honorearth.org/line_3_factsheet https://www.indiancountrynews.com/index.php/columnists/winona-laduke/14578-the-bad-decision-the-approval-of-enbridge-line-3 https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw/
Interview by Carry Kim Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 23
Photo: Alberta tar sands development, via Flickr user thekirbster
How California Legislation is Driving New Standards Hosted by Jessica Aldridge of Adventures in Waste and Co-founder of SoCal 350
Our guest today, Nick Lapis Director of Advocacy of for Californians Against Waste (CAW) is advocating at the state and local levels to create, promote, and implement the standards and policies necessary for waste reduction and recycling. Since joining CAW in 2007, Nick has led several campaigns to enact nation-leading waste reduction legislation and regulatory action in California. In addition to coordinating CAW's overall advocacy strategy, Nick leads the organization's efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change and recover organic wastes. He also engages in policy development and coalition-building, representing CAW on a variety of boards, committees, workgroups, and coalitions.
California leads in setting environmental standards and passing precedent-setting legislation that the rest of the country looks to for inspiration and emulation. Since the 1990s, California has been setting a high bar for waste diversion and recycling in the United States.
This September Governor Brown picked up his pen and signed off on his last set of bills under his reign as Governor. Brown had the opportunity to approve or veto a significant amount of historic waste and recycling legislation.
Gaining national attention, many of us heard about the “first statewide law to require straws upon request,” but this most recent round of legislation approval also brought with it a slew of other waste policies that protect environment and human health, all the while building the necessary groundwork to move forward in a new recycling paradigm.
Given the recent global shift in the recycling market (China and other global markets placing strict contamination limitations on recycling imports), the needs for recycling solutions can’t focus only on consumer behavior, but more importantly we must focus on design changes, manufacture & product responsibility, and overall reduction.
For details on recently passed waste and recycling legislation click here: https://www.cawrecycles.org/legislation/. Californians Against Waste: http://www.cawrecycles.org/ Adventures in Waste: http://www.adventuresinwaste.org/
Interview by Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 22
Cover Photo by Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Young people are mobilizing on climate change as the generation that will inherit its various outcomes and crises. They organized a national day of action called “This is Zero Hour” which seeks to amplify young voices who are working on environmental issues in their communities. Episode Hosted by Mark Morris with guests Arielle Cohen, Gavin Pierce, and Ryanne Mena.
The idea for a youth climate march arose after many of the local March For Our Lives organizers in Los Angeles were discussing ways that students could get active on climate. Arielle Cohen got in touch with the national This is Zero Hour organizers and initiated a sister march in Los Angeles. She discusses what the process was like, and what the next steps are, while Gavin - with SoCal 350 Climate Action - discusses how the organization got involved, and the significance of intersectional narratives on environmentalism. Ryanne Mena, a student journalist, covers how media and storytelling plays a role in getting young people active on climate change. Together, the episode focuses on a multi-faceted approach to the climate crisis led by young people.
http://thisiszerohour.org/
Episode 21
Since it closed for safety violations in 2012, the dangers of San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station (SONGS) between Orange County and San Diego have only continued to loom.
Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio interviews Charles Langley, Executive Director of Public Watchdogs & esteemed Board Member, Nina Babiarz. Public Watchdogs independently monitors energy and infrastructure regulatory agencies in California. It protects the public’s access to clean water and affordable, sustainable energy in order to sustain life, nourish human dignity, and encourage world peace. Public Watchdogs is one of the main organizations advocating for the removal of nuclear waste from San Onofre State Beach.
San Onofre was permanently shuttered in 2013, and is currently undergoing the lengthy process of decommissioning which requires the SAFE "disposal" of onsite nuclear waste and the removal or containment of any radioactive materials, including spent nuclear fuel, irradiated equipment and buildings.
Storing spent nuclear fuel in thin-walled canisters, "guaranteed" to last a mere 25 years by Southern California Edison, is considered by many in the local community and beyond, to be shockingly inadequate and a highly risky and unsafe proposition for the entire region from San Diego to Los Angeles. "Whistleblower" David Fritch and former Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chair, Gregory Jaczko, have also raised personal concerns about the site and the negligence with which SCE is handling the decommissioning process. As a consequence of recent revelations by David Fritch, the NRC is now conducting an investigation of procedures and safety issues at San Onofre.
https://publicwatchdogs.org/ https://www.wilderutopia.com/environment/energy/nuclear-energy/san-onofre-beach-as-permanent-nuclear-waste-dump/
Episode 20
PHOTO CREDIT: Blacklisted News
How do we confront the swirling gyres of plastic pollution dumped into our oceans? In this show, we examine the social and environmental implications of wasted resources, and follow two interrelated approaches to solving the problem from an indigenous woman doing exemplary work in New Zealand and an LA-based plastics pollution fighter.
Our guests include Tina Ngata, a Ngati Porou wāhine and mother of two from The Non-Plastic Māori, and Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute and author of 'Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution.' Interview moderated by Jessica Aldridge, from Adventures in Waste and SoCal 350 co-founder.
Engineered by JP Morris Produced by Mark Morris Episode 19
This originally aired August 22, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles.
Links: https://thenonplasticmaori.wordpress.com/author/tinangata/ https://www.5gyres.org/ https://www.marcuseriksen.com/ https://www.junkraft.org/ https://www.amazon.com/Junk-Raft-Activism-Plastic-Pollution/dp/0807056405 https://www.wilderutopia.com/international/oceans/waste-colonization-plastic-pollution-and-the-pacific-gyre/
Why is incineration in direct opposition with Zero Waste and social and environmental justice? Hear from local and international groups working together to fight this beastly issue.
Per the internationally recognized definition of Zero Waste, products should be managed in a way that avoids and eliminates toxicity, conserves resources and does not burn nor bury them. It also states that any and all elements there in should work to eliminate toxic discharges to land, water and air. Burning our waste falls short of this equation while negatively effecting front line communities!
Host Jessica Aldridge, of Adventures in Waste and SoCal 350, joins Ahmina Maxey of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, and Angelo Logan of the Moving Forward Network.
www.movingforwardnetwork.com www.no-burn.org www.adventuresinwaste.org www.socal350.org
Episode 18
One billion people do not have access to clean water or the privilege to purchase a filtration system to feed their reusable water bottles -- this is water equity. Our guests today are fighting for water equity in the Los Angeles County areas of Compton and Willowbrook, where the taps are running brown and bottled water has become a way of life.
Host: Jessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste. www.socal350.org | www.adventuresinwaste.org
Guests: Angel Jennings, LA Times Reporter Darik McGhee, 49-year-resident of Compton and community activist. Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, CA-44
Interview byJessica Aldridge from SoCal 350 and Adventures in Waste Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 17
In this episode of EcoJustice Radio, host Jack Eidt speaks with Ryan Killackey, filmmaker of the award-winning documentary film set in the Ecuadorian Amazon, "Yasuni Man." Plus, Zoe Cina-Sklar, campaigner for the #EndAmazonCrude effort by Amazon Watch, shares how California communities can play a powerful role in the fight for a just transition off fossil fuels.
More Info: http://www.yasuniman.com/
YASUNI MAN is the award winning documentary feature about a conflict raging deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon. Once under siege by missionaries seeking to civilize them, the Waorani people battle oil industry operatives and their own government in a fight to survive. Join filmmaker Ryan Patrick Killackey and his Waorani friend Otobo as they embark on an expedition into the most biodiverse forest on Earth. Witness what may be lost as oil companies encroach, human rights violations run rampant, and a forest Eden is destroyed - all for the oil that lies beneath Yasuni.
Featured on National Geographic Radio and TV, BBC Radio, PBS and The Guardian, Killackey’s Yasuni Man traveled the world, earning 35 official selections, 23 nominations, and 15 award wins. The film screened in 16 countries worldwide and partnered with the United Nations CINE-ONU program. Translated into 7 languages for it’s streaming release, Yasuni Man continues its effort to raise awareness around the exploitation of indigenous peoples in the Amazon, biodiversity and habitat loss, and the unsustainable exploitation of non-renewable natural resources.
Supported by a diverse coalition of NGOs and a powerful group of celebrities, a portion of the film’s proceeds will go to the Amazon Emergency Fund, a fund created to fight the outbreak of COVID-19 in Amazon indigenous communities - https://www.amazonemergencyfund.org/
STREAM the Film: GooglePlay (in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese) https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Yasuni_Man?id=DzYRWAUEknE.P&hl=en
Amazon (in English and Closed Caption) https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08CVRTWBF/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/yasuni-man/id1523042123?ls=1 (in English and Spanish)
Vimeo https://vimeo.com/ondemand/yasuniman (in English)
Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 and WilderUtopia Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 16
Watch "Yasuni Man" in upcoming film festivals near you: www.yasuniman.com
Join Amazon Watch's campaign to #EndAmazonCrude: http://www.EndAmazonCrude.org
Follow EcoJustice Radio on KPFK 90.7FM, the weekly program brought to you by SoCal 350 Climate Action: www.SoCal350.org
Learn how our "wasted resources" have direct social, economic and environmental impacts and how local groups are creating local solutions.
This episode's guests are tackling the environmental issues of soil health and wasted organics, all the while building community roots and social equity through local composting and thriving urban farms.
Guests: - Derek Steele, Health and Equity Programs Director for Social Justice Learning Institute - www.sjli.org - Michael Martinez Executive Director, LA Compost- www.lacompost.org - Jessica Aldridge, Zero Waste/Sustainability Dir. and Founder of Adventures In Waste - www.adventuresinwaste.com
EcoJustice Radio on KPFK 90.7 is produced by SoCal 350 -- www.socal350.org -- and happens every Wednesday at 2:30 pm.
Episode 15
Hear from Woodrow Curry, lifelong resident and lead organizer for the grassroots coalition Uplift Inglewood, talking with host and executive producer of EcoJustice Radio Mark Morris about the ongoing community pushback against overdevelopment in the area. They discuss California's Assembly Bill 987, aiming to fast track development of a Clippers stadium on public land in Inglewood and ignoring the need for housing, green spaces and the public good. Photo by: Unsplash//Kimson Doan
Uplift Inglewood: www.upliftinglewood.org SoCal 350: www.socal350.org
Episode 14
Each year, up to 40% food in the United States is not eaten from production to plate contributing to the largest source of waste in our landfill (organics) and the second largest source of anthropogenic methane gas in California. All the while, there are 1.5 million Angelenos who are food insecure. Our guests are working to build healthier food environments and resilient communities by improving our regional food economy and making good food accessible to all.
Host: Jessica Aldridge, Adventures in Waste and co-founder SoCal 350
Clare Fox, Executive Director, Los Angeles Food Policy Council. The Los Angeles Food Policy Council is a collective impact initiative working to build a Good Food system for all Los Angeles residents — where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable. In her role as Executive Director, she supports and collaborates with a large network of public, private, non-profit and community leaders to catalyze policy and systems change for a sustainable and fair food system.
Jose Ramirez, Executive Director, Saint Francis Center Los Angeles. For 45 years, St. Francis Center provides hunger relief to homeless and extremely low-income families and individuals in Los Angeles. In his role as Executive Director, he has provided the leadership necessary to help the Center expand its services and continue serving more communities in need.
Adventures in Waste on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adventuresinwaste/ Adventures in Waste on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventuresinwaste/
Los Angeles Food Policy Council: http://goodfoodla.org/ St. Francis Center: https://www.stfranciscenterla.org/
'Yasuni Man' The Movie: http://www.yasuniman.com/
Photo: Unsplash//Peter Wendt
Episode 13
Marcus Lopez Senior, member of the Barbareno Chumash Nation in California, speaks with Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 on climate chaos and the impacts on the Chumash people from fires, mudslides, colonization, land theft, gentrification, and offshore drilling. Marcus is also co-host and Executive Producer of American Indian Airwaves on KPFK, one of the oldest running Native American radio shows in the US.
The Lopez family were directly impacted by the deadly January mudslides in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, following the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California history, that charred almost 300,000 acres and destroyed over 1,000 homes.
Donate to help the Lopez family recover from the tragedy: https://www.gofundme.com/d5pnsv-lopez-family-in-montecito-mudslide
Mark Morris give the Words from the Front segment on the protests against the Trump Administration's move to open up most of the US's coastlines to offshore drilling.
Image shows a section of US 101 blocked by debris after January's mudslide in Montecito, California. Credit: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department/Handout/Reuters
Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 12
This originally aired February 2, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Is driving your car in LA destroying the Amazon rainforest? Hear Zoe Cina-Sklar, Campaigner for Amazon Watch, discuss the "End Amazon Crude" campaign and discover the numerous connections between LA's oil addiction and preservation of the rainforest.
Amazon Watch protects the rainforest and partners with indigenous and environmental organizations to promote human rights, corporate accountability and preserve the Amazon's ecological systems. The Amazon rainforest is part of the world's cultural and ecological heritage – and an irreplaceable source of “life.”
If you live and drive in LA or depend on oil in any way, find out how you can help reverse deforestation and displacement of Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Learn how your own oil consumption might be supporting the continued flow of Amazon crude in LA. Amazon Crude is now the second most imported oil in the U.S. from a single foreign country (after Saudi Arabia).
The majority of Amazon Crude gets refined in California and unfortunately, is driving expansion of oil operations in the rainforest. Amazon Crude is refined or destined to be refined in our backyard, at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo.
Rainforests regulate the global climate and are key to maintaining our broader ecosystem. We are dependent upon them for our survival. The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest and is larger than the continental U.S. It is home to: 1/3 of the Earth's plant and animal species; produces 1/5 of all its flowing fresh water; provides 1/5 of the world’s oxygen; and 30% of its biodiversity.
Nearly 400 distinct indigenous peoples depend on the Amazon rainforest for their physical and cultural survival. At current rates of deforestation, 50 percent of the Amazon could be devastated by the year 2020. Global deforestation contributes 20–25% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Educate yourself on this issue and help be the change!
Follow the money behind Amazon Crude and join the campaign to divest your own funds and help drive world divestment from the fossil fuel industry. Learn who's bankrolling oil companies operating in the Amazon, help #KeepTheOilInTheSoil and #OilMoneyOut. http://amazonwatch.org/assets/files/2017-stop-fueling-amazon-destruction.pdf
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 11
This originally aired January 26, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Join us for an inspiring interview with Joanna Macy, Eco-philosopher and Buddhist scholar. Listen to her share precious insights from her five decades as an activist, author and visionary teacher of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep ecology. A profound leader, grassroots organizer and compassionate voice, Joanna Macy has devoted much of her life to the movements for peace, justice, and ecology.
Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change, she has also authored numerous books, including 'Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy,' written with Chris Johnstone. Having empowered thousands of people worldwide to transform the despair and apathy caused by overwhelming social and ecological crises into constructive, collaborative action, she invites others to perceive the world in a new way that supports the continuance of life.
The Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.
More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/
Sabina Virgo from SoCal 350 does the Words from the Front, speaking on the Poor Peoples Campaign at the January 15 Martin Luther King Day Parade in Los Angeles.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 10
This originally aired January 8, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Learn about the visionary Half-Earth Project! Conceived by world-renowned biologist and Pulitzer prize winning author, E.O. Wilson, the Half-Earth Project is headed up by Dr. Paula Ehrlich, President & CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. This remarkable project proposes the goal of conserving half the Earth in order to protect 85% or more of species, including human beings. E.O. Wilson has been called the "father of biodiversity" for his lifetime commitment to this field. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation helps foster stewardship of the Earth, biodiversity research and education initiatives and protection of biodiversity worldwide. Voice your support the Half-Earth Project and help protect all life on Earth!
More info: https://eowilsonfoundation.org/half-earth-our-planet-s-fight-for-life/
David Landfrom from the National Parks Conservation Association gives 'Words from the Front' on the ongoing threats to National Monuments from the Trump Administration.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 9
This originally aired January 1, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Southern California Gas Company was responsible for a recent chemical spill in the Rancho Park area of West Los Angeles that caused a strong gas-like odor to blanket surrounding neighborhoods. The Los Angeles City Council directed various agencies to investigate, with area residents and two councilmen voicing heavy criticism of SoCal Gas's handling of post-spill communications.
Jack Eidt spoke with three major environmental justice advocates with experience working to protect communities from these health dangers. Andrea Leon-Grossmann is a Southern California Organizer with Food and Water Watch. A resident of the LA neighborhood of Rancho Park, she works on the campaign for a just transition to 100% clean, renewable energy in Los Angeles. Susan Gorman-Chang is a member of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council and leader for the community group Save Porter Ranch that has fought to expose the dangers to the community from the Aliso Canyon gas leak. Marta Segura, Climate Law Institute Southern California Engagement Director, builds and strengthens partnerships to protect communities, their health and the environment from oil drilling, oppose oil and gas projects, and support the enforcement of environmental protections in Southern California.
Words from the Front was done by Alicia Rivera from Communities for a Better Environment. She spoke on recent fenceline air quality monitoring regulations for petroleum refineries proposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 Climate Action and EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris
Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio speaks with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the voice of a generation, author of 'We Rise' and an inspiration to youth and activists worldwide. Envision and create the world as it "might be" with this indigenous eco hip-hop artist, activist and Youth Director of Earth Guardians, a global non-profit which empowers young people to protect the Earth for a healthy, just and sustainable planet.
A front-line activist and grassroots organizer since he was 6 yrs old, he’s addressed the U.N. on climate policy three times and now shares his message of empowerment through unity, environmental stewardship, climate justice and artivism worldwide. His new album 'Break Free' drops in February 2018. Listen to him rap live and hear his song, One Day, a call to dreaming in a new sustainable Earth.
https://www.earthguardians.org/xiuhtezcatl/ https://www.xiuhtezcatl.com/my-story/ https://www.amazon.com/We-Rise-Guardians-Building-Movement/dp/1635650674
Words from the Frontline features Timothy Murphy from Progressive Christians Uniting, talking about the launch of the Poor People's Campaign, and Andrea Leon Grossman, an organizer from Food & Water Watch, speaks on the leak of the dangerous chemical mercaptin, an odorant in natural gas, that happened in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Rancho Park recently, and about hearings to investigate the role of SoCal Gas in the spill.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 7
Honor and protect our national monuments! Listen to Ryan Henson, Senior Policy Director for The California Wilderness Coalition (aka. CalWild) as he shares how we can best steward and protect the designation of our national parks and monuments. A review was recently completed by Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, which could gravely impact the usage and designations of numerous pristine and sacrosanct monuments. Prevent our monuments (and parks) from becoming the province of corporate greed. Help them remain as intended — places of respite, education for children and communion with Mother Nature. Find out what you can do to protect the wilderness and biodiversity of these essential public lands.
CalWild protects and restores the state’s wildest natural landscapes and watersheds on public lands and is the only statewide organization dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the wild places and native biodiversity of California’s public lands.
Robert Pope from Public Watchdogs gives the Update from the Frontlines, speaking on the burial of nuclear waste at San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County by Southern California Edison (SCE).
Photo of a spring superbloom at the threatened Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. Courtesy of CalWild.
ProtectOurMonumentsAndParks #ForTheLoveofNature #NaturalistLifeForMe
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 6
This originally aired November 21, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
David Lamfrom, Director of the California Desert and Wildlife Programs from the National Parks Conservation Association, speaks on preserving the Mojave Desert and opposing the Cadiz Water Project aiming to mine and ship water through a pipeline and sell it to Southern California communities for more development.
Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 appears on Update from the Frontlines, talking about Labor Day and the movement to toward a just transition from fossil fuels toward efficient and clean energy economy with full employment.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 5
Photo from Monica Almeida in The New York Times
This originally aired September 4, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Carletta Davis from We Matter Eight Mile in Alabama, and Richard Mathews from Save Porter Ranch, talk with Leah Garland from SoCal 350 on parallel natural gas leak disasters in both Alabama and Southern California.
Jane Fowler from Save Porter Ranch gives the Update from the Frontlines on the Aliso Canyon SoCalGas Leak
Interview by Leah Garland from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris
This originally aired August 3, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Ashley Hernandez from Communities for a Better Environment (Wilmington), Jan Victor Andasan from East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (West Long Beach/Carson), join JP Morris of EcoJustice Radio to discuss youth organizing in under-resource communities, reflecting on the Los Angeles People's Climate March that happened in April 2017. Their communities face two major ports, five oil refineries and massive drilling sacrifice zones, major freeways, railyards, and all the contamination, noise, and environmental injustice.
Whitney Amaya did the Update from the Frontlines on the LA River Bicycle Toxic Tour with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice.
Photo of the Los Angeles People's Climate March in Wilmington, on April 29, 2017, courtesy of Luke Massman Johnson.
Interview by JP Morris from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 3
This originally aired August 2, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Ku Kia'i Mauna with SoCal 350 Climate Action stand for the love of a sacred mountain, Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Mahalo to Mikilani Young of Defenders of Mauna Kea and LA's Mauna Kea movement to stop the desecration of the mountain most sacred to native Hawaiians and their culture. The movement aims to protect sacred, conservation lands, wildlife and plant habitat, and the water table beneath Mauna Kea, all of which will be gravely impacted if the TMT (Thirty-Meter Telescope) project moves forward. At 30 meters high (18 stories) and 20 feet deep, it would be one of the largest telescopes in the world, requiring the destruction of 5 acres of sacred land. TMT's funding sources include: University of California, CalTech, the governments of China, India, Japan, Canada and the U.S. Align with the Hawaiian community and learn how to help protect and keep Mauna Kea sacred.
Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio. Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris Episode 2
This originally aired August 1, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
Leah Garland with SoCal 350 Climate Action and #EcoJusticeRadio interviewed Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director and co-founder of Restore the Delta [ http://www.restorethedelta.org/ ], a grassroots campaign to save the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary for future generations. She talked about the ecosystem of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta, why it should be saved, and the Delta tunnels boondoggle through a climate change framework.
The show begins with a commentary by SoCal 350 Co-Founder Jack Eidt on the California legislature's recent extension of Cap and Trade (AB 398 and associated bills). Instead of limiting CO2 emissions, it allows grave concessions to the oil industry. It ties the hands of local agencies ability to regulate greenhouse gases, which means more pollution for vulnerable communities, more use of extreme fossil fuels that ravage ecosystems with pipeline spills and oil train explosions and will put in jeopardy California’s ambitious climate goals. All this from "climate crusader" Governor Jerry Brown.
Host and Engineer: JP Morris Executive Producer: Mark Morris
This originally aired July 26, 2017 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.
SoCal 350's EcoJustice Radio debuted on KPFK 90.7 FM in LA on Earth Day, April 22nd, with guests Bill McKibben, Marta Segura, Andy Shrader, Dr. Alex Hall, and hosted by Leah Garland.
Bill McKibben, co-founder and Senior Advisor of 350.org Marta Segura - Climate Law Institute Southern California Engagement Director of the Center for Biological Diversity Andy Shrader - Director of Environmental Affairs, Water Policy & Sustainability for LA CD5 Councilmember Paul Koretz Dr. Alex Hall - Professor at UCLA's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Hosted by Leah Garland, Steering Committee member of SoCal 350
Additional commentary from Ashley Hernandez from Communities for a Better Environment
And finally, includes a poetic interlude in the spirit of Garrison Keillor with "Lake WildBeGone," by SoCal 350 Co-Founder Jack Eidt
This originally aired nationwide April 29, 2017 on the Pacifica Radio Network.