Roots to Reason: Recent Episodes
Sierra Franklin, Sarah Giffin, Cara Shepard, Damara Stewart, Rowan Ulrigg, and Abby Vogt
Roots to Reason was created by six University of Montana students who are a part of the Franke Global Leadership Initiative. This environmental podcast series uses research and interviews from people in the Missoula area with diverse backgrounds to demonstrate how people's beliefs, biases, and upbringing influence their interactions with the environment. Through reflecting on these conversations and oneself, the goal is for our listeners to develop an environmental self-awareness and sense of belonging in a global context. Listen closely as we get to the roots of what informs people's opinions about the environment that surrounds them.
We couldn't say goodbye without acknowledging our incredible mentor, Peter McDonough. He reflects on his experience watching the project come together, as well as tackle some of our common questions. Thanks for all you do, Peter!
To top off our capstone project, and undergraduate experiences, we got together and did some casual reflection. Thanks for sticking with us through the journey, we love you all.
Sarah Aronson is a climate aware therapist. In this concluding episode, she perfectly sums up the goal of our project. Listen as she beautifully explains who she is while guiding us to become more connected with ourselves, each other and the environment.
Cory Cleveland, Professor in Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, and Twila Old Coyote, Professor in Women and Gender Equity, give contrasting insights from a hard science and social science mind. These two individuals discuss how upbringing may shape a person in unexpected ways, and how we can combat the systematic biases that surround us. Get ready to flex your empathy muscles and open minds.
Talk about tugging on the heart strings. Claudia Medina, native Peruvian-turn-Missoulian talks about the loss of landscapes once flourishing and the precious connection between health and natural spaces. While we were catching this on the mic, Carrie Richer was catching the world of wildlife on film as Artistic Director of the International Wildlife Film Festival. With profound messages of how science based media and homelands change our lives, this episode is not one to miss.
Malou and Bart aren't your average country bumpkins. Familiar with traditional commodity practices, these two took wildly different paths to running more holistic cattle operations with their spouses, Malou in the Yellowstone Basin and Bart in the Bitterroot Valley.
Burke Holmes, Notorious P.I.G. restaurant owner, and Bob Giordano, founder of Free Cycles and MIST recount tales of a Yellowstone wolf encounter and a road rage hold up. Their passions for the environment and differing perspectives strike an intriguing balance between reluctant and enthusiastic attitudes toward challenging environmental conversations.
Welcome to the introductory episode of Roots to Reason! In this episode, we give you a sneak peek into what our podcast is about and give you a glimpse into the interviews and research we have conducted.