Olive Shoot: Recent Episodes
Audio Mint
Olive Shoot is a series by Elsa Barron that seeks to answer the difficult question: how do we find hope in the midst of the climate crisis? It does so through an examination of different lenses and angles of environmental peacebuilding, illustrated by expert opinions and stories from around the world. By the end of the series, we’ll grasp hold of some of the first shoots of hope: an olive branch to extend to our ecosystems and to each other.
Conservation is critical for the future of all life on planet Earth, yet it comes with its own set of concerns. In the recent past, conservation has been entwined with colonialism, leading to the displacement of people from the very lands they care for. In this episode, Elsa talks with the researcher, peacebuilder, conservationist, NGO founder, and thermal drone pilot, Mirali Shukla about bio-cultural conservation, which focuses on the preservation of both human and non-human communities. Come learn more about aligning conservation with an ethic of peacebuilding.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
What is faith-based environmental peacebuilding and how is it practiced through dialogue and action? In this episode, join Elsa Barron as she talks with Dori Chandler, the most recent Executive Director of the interfaith environmental organization, Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light, now merged with Faith in Place. Along the way, hear also from Cailyn Raper and Pastor Danielle Parish about their faith and climate convictions.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
In this episode, originally aired on The Kroc Cast under the title, “Reflections on Environmental Peacebuilding, COP26 and Faith-Informed Work,” Elsa Barron talks with Notre Dame professor and founder of Bethany Land Institute, Fr. Emmanuel Katongole. They discuss theories of spirituality, the environment, and what it means to actually get your hands dirty in the work of peace. Join Elsa in this special feature.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
For more from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, check out The Kroc Cast: Peace Studies Conversations on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other podcast platforms.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
The outbreak of war in Ukraine has shaken the world and of course, most devastatingly, the people of Ukraine. For those who care deeply about people, planet, and peace, war is a nightmare scenario that does little but destroy. For Tatiana Shauro, a Russian climate activist, this act of aggression by her home country is a horrifying one. She and many others have been resisting Putin’s regime for decades, but they face harsh consequences. Join me as I talk more with Tatiana about the pain of war, the challenge of resistance, and the humanity that prevails.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Learn more about the #weCANconnect project and watch our original conversation here: https://caneurope.org/european-year-of-youth-we-all-can-and-have-to-connect-with-youth/
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
One powerful tool for hope, and for change, is storytelling. Today on Olive Shoot, we’re going to hear from two storytellers who, in their own ways, are painting visions of environmental justice and peace. The first is Mojeri Coker, the filmmaker behind the documentary Pipe Dreams. The second is Kasha Sequoia Slavner, the creator of 1.5 Degrees of Peace. As you tune into this episode, prepare to be inspired by some incredible tales and learn how to tell your own.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org. Learn more about the films discussed today at pipedreamsdocumentary.com or 1point5degreesofpeace.com.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
For many of us, taking action to protect the environment is challenging, but it’s not dangerous. Yet, some environmental defenders are willing to risk their lives for the protection of the land they call home and the people with whom they share it. In this episode, we hear the story of Roberston Basan, co-founder of Friends of the Umngi River and Saviba Ecotourism, who was nearly killed for his defense of the environment in Meghalaya, India. He survived the violence, found a welcoming village on the other side, and has a thing or two to teach us about community peacebuilding. We also hear perspectives from youth activist Marinel Ubaldo about how to keep going in the face of fear and danger; the key is to ground ourselves in purpose.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
The Arctic is one of the most climate-affected areas on Earth, and it’s warming at a much faster rate than the rest of the world. Vast and diverse communities call that land/ice home. In it, they face the dual challenges of climate change and colonialism. In this episode, I talk with Michaela Stith, author of “Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities,” about her experience growing up in Alaska and working with Indigenous communities across the Arctic. With her favorite expression, “welp,” Michaela reminds us that even amidst structural violence and injustice, we can keep moving forward, and even find reasons to laugh along the way.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music. Special thanks to Michaela Stith for writing boldly and vulnerably and making space for youth and BIPOC voices.
From Colombia to Indonesia, this episode explores environmental conflict resolution as a peacebuilding practice. Elsa talks with Carolina Matamoros Ferro, Andiko Mancayo, and Bernd Unger. We learn that it’s important to get the methods right- matching the peacebuilding solution to the context of the problem, whether that be armed conflict or a community dispute. These conversations will give you a better idea of what environmental conflict resolution can look like and how it might be applied to contexts around the world, including your own front lawn.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music. Special thanks to Bernd Unger for his mentorship through the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.
Some of you might still be wondering, what is environmental peacebuilding anyway? In this episode, Elsa talks with Annika Erickson-Pearson of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform about her work convening this multifaceted, diverse field. There doesn’t seem to be one authoritative definition for environmental peacebuilding, but there are a whole lot of people doing it. So, let’s see what they’re up to.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram at @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music. Special thanks to Annika Erickson-Pearson for encouraging me to create Olive Shoot just a couple of months ago.
In this episode, Elsa examines one of the most controversial issues of the COP26 negotiations: article six. Article six creates a carbon market mechanism where developed countries can invest in emissions reduction projects in less-resourced nations and then count those emissions reductions as their own, creating the term “net-zero.” Is this mechanism a helpful way forward or an all-too-familiar iteration of colonialism? Join Elsa as she talks with COP26 negotiator, Yasmine Ben Miloud of Zero Waste Tunisia, and Professors of Law, Sharon Mascher and David V. Wright of the University of Calgary, as we dig deeper into the subject of carbon markets and environmental peacebuilding.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
In this episode, I highlight the voices of the people for peace at COP26, the UN conference on climate change. There’s not much that I can add to the powerful convictions of Te Maia Wiki, Benoit Musabyimana, Yaz Ashmawi, and Sarah Halvorson. I’m truly blown away by their perspectives. Through this episode, I hope I can give you a little glimpse into both the frustration and the hope that was present in Glasgow over these past two weeks.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
The UN conference on climate change, COP26, begins this week and Filipino youth climate activist Marinel Ubaldo will be there on the ground in Glasgow advocating for climate justice for her home community and beyond. In this episode, I talk with Marinel about her experience as a survivor of the world’s largest hurricane, Super Typhoon Haiyan, how that disaster has shaped her community at home and her activism around the world, and her ethic of global climate justice. Don’t forget to follow Marinel @mrnlsmkbld over the next two weeks as history is made in Glasgow.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our networks' website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
Climate change is an issue of enormous scale, but how does it affect us and our ability to find peace at an individual level? In this episode, I talk with my good friend, Kate Flanagan about her experience of environmental loss and climate grief. Then, I break it down from grief to solastalgia with Dr. Dorothy Boorse, professor of Biology at Gordon College. In the midst of an overwhelming world, how do we work towards the peaceful processes of healing and care?
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our networks' website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
One of the biggest challenges to finding hope in the fight against climate change is the severity and breadth of the crisis before us. In this episode, we tackle one of the most terrifying risks of climate change head-on: conflict. Join Elsa as she talks with Dr. Patrick Regan, former Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Hon. Sherri Goodman, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense in Environmental Security, and Lidya Abreha, Notre Dame Student who calls Ethiopia her home. Even with the severity of the threats, we still might get our first glimpse of hope.
If you enjoy the show, give us a follow on Instagram @oliveshootpodcast, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Also, check out our network's website at audiomint.org.
Thanks to bensound.com for the intro/outro music.
Olive Shoot is a series by Elsa Barron that seeks to answer the difficult question: how do we find hope in the midst of the climate crisis? It does so through an examination of different lenses and angles of environmental peacebuilding, illustrated by expert opinions and stories from around the world. By the end of the series, we’ll grasp hold of some of the first shoots of hope: an olive branch to extend to our ecosystems and to each other.
Thanks to bensound.com for our Intro/Outro music.