What We Need Now: Recent Episodes
Greenpeace USA
"What We Need Now," the new monthly podcast by Greenpeace USA, is where you can learn about the work grassroots leaders are doing from the leaders themselves.
Each episode, the hosts explore a different topic related to the intersections of climate, racial and environmental justice, and our movement for a green and peaceful future, and pass the mic to local leaders who are fighting for the world we want to see.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.
Join hosts Rico and Tanya as they explore the powerful intersection of art and environmental activism. Featuring stirring original poetry from Jamaican artist Ann-Margaret Lim, and What We Need Now Alum Tamera Adams, this episode is a celebration of the ways that creative expression fuels movements for change.
It's been a minute! In our season opener, hosts/producers Tanya Brooks, Geniro Dingle, Jeffrey Harris and Rico Sisney review significant milestones achieved by Greenpeace, its allies, and the broader movement throughout the past year- from pivotal legal victories to groundbreaking international treaties. The episode also features insights from Greenpeace chief Program Officer Tefere Gebre about what the historic union victories of 2023 mean for the broader movement going forward.
In this episode, Tanya and Rico discuss the 10 principles of Disability Justice and hear from India Harville, founder of Embraced Body, about how Disability Justice helps us reclaim our full humanity, embrace our own bodies/minds/emotional states, and makes space to hold everyone that way.
Earlier this month, Ebony Twilley Martin became the sole executive director of Greenpeace and we are revisiting an interview from Season 3 that captures some of her vision, challenges and personality. Join us for a walk down memory lane...
Tamera Adams and Tanya Brooks discuss Ocean Justice and the Global Oceans Treaty with Jason Jarvis and Jon Russel of the North American Marine Alliance (NAMA) - a fishermen-led organization building a broad movement toward healthy fisheries and fishing communities.Our oceans are the cornerstone of life on Earth containing 50 to 80% of all life on the planet, helping regulate the world's climate and temperature, providing food for millions of people. Protecting the oceans is critical to ensuring we all have a liveable planet.
For our Season Finale, What We Need Now hosts and producers, Tanya Brooks, Rico Sisney, Shanta Farrington, Tamera Adams and Avery Raines interview each other about burnout, self-care and how they sustain themselves as Black folks workng in the environmental movement.
We are back! Dr. Kelley Page Jibrell, global strategist, professor and enstooled Queen Mother and Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, Founder and C.E.O of W.A.N.D.A (Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture) discuss the factors that impact Black health and wellness, including our diet and various social and economic issues and highlight the role individuals and organizations can play in reducing health disparities and improving the health of Black communities.
For more information and to support their work, visit the W.A.N.D.A website: https://www.iamwanda.org/fund
The history of Black people in the United states is inextricably connected to the land and agriculture, so why do Black people make up such a small percentage of farm operators in the United States?
Rico and Tanya speak with Ivy Lawrence-Walls, a changemaker and CEO of Ivy Leaf Farms in Houston Texas, who is working to increase sustainable food access and wellness in her community. They discuss the challenges faced by Black farmers, their role in addressing food injustice/ food apartheid, and the importance of having more Black-Women-farmers across the country.
Visit ivyleaffarms.com to support Ivy and learn more.
Ish and Avery interview the first Black Woman Co-Executive director of a national legacy environmental organization, Greenpeace USA's very own Ebony Martin. Ebony shares the struggles and triumphs of her journey and her vision for what the future looks like.
As we celebrate Black History Month and kick off our 3rd season, hosts Rico Sisney and Shanta Farrington are joined by Greenpeace USA's Democracy Campaign Director, Folabi Olagbaju to discuss the barriers to a healthy, people-powered democracy and What we Need Now to achieve that reality
For our season finale, we have all of the What We Need Now Season 2 co-producer's and co-hosts (including alumni Jonathan Butler and Lauren Wiggins) interviewing each other in the form of a conversational mixtape.
Track 1 - White Supremacy Culture Still Ain't cool Interlude Track 2 - What brings you to THEE Work? Interlude - Mic Check Track 3 - Behind the Scenes Interlude - In the Wild Track 4 - If We Could Say this Without Losing our Jobs.. Track 5 - The Afterparty
Though we hear a great deal about the impacts of Climate Change and Covid, we dont hear enough about the amazing work that Black, Indigenous and other communities of color are doing to not just navigate these crises, but to build long-term solutions rooted in their own needs and traditions.
On this episode we interview Kern Collymore of Sixth World Solutions and hear about their work with building sustainable housing and solar water filtration in their community in the Navajo Nation.
On this episode of What We Need Now, Writer and Producer Jasmine Conwell (she/her) from the Greenpeace Data Team steps out from behind the scenes to explore a topic close to her heart: Data Justice. In the interview with Robb King and Hamilton Martin from Data 4 Black Lives (@data4blacklives) explore how Data Activism can empower communities to reclaim their data and tell their own stories.
This episode includes additional music by Devin C. Reilly .
Instead of a full episode this month, we're taking you all on a journey through all of the parody ads from Seasons 1 and 2. The playlist is exclusively available on Soundcloud.
Next month, we'll be back with another full length episode.
This month we are taking a closer look at both the history and contemporary implications of the Juneteenth holiday and exploring what liberation looks, feels, and sounds like through the music of Angele Anise, poetry of M’reld Green and in conversation with Sophia Benrud, environmental justice organizer and co-founder of Black Visions Collective.
Far too often marginalized communities face marginalized options when it comes to the diversity of food options, ability to afford healthy foods, and their access to food on-the-whole. On this minisode(mini-episode of course), host Ish Herod interviews Katy Turner(@_thefakevegan) about food accessibility and food apartheid.
Lauren and Rico interrogate the positive impact, inaccessibility and white supremacy culture in mainstream veganism and interview Vegan Chef Jenna Chanel (a.k.a The Teasin' Vegan) and life coach Sie Savage Chambers from (Hyer Wellness, Create the Space)about how they make this lifestyle more accessible.
On this What We Need Now minisode, artist, organizer motivational speaker and mentor K Love shares some of her spoken word poetry and how she trains herself to find the good in tragic situations or as she puts it, "the sugar in the salt."
Our second season's first episode –– hosted by Greenpeace’s own Democracy Campaigner Jonathan (they/them) and Actions Team Member Rico (he/him) –– kicks off answering questions of not only what we need now, but what we expect now. The show features special guest Brittny Baxter (she/her), Movement Building Coordinator and Trainer with the Democracy Initiative.
On the season finale of What We Need Now, the full production team behind the podcast (Rico Sisney, Lauren Wiggins, Jasmine Conwell, Jonathan Butler and Ishmael Herod) looks back at the overarching themes of Season 1 and shares their hopes for the new year.
This month Rico, Lauren and guest Brianna Gibson, Director of Action Strategy and Training for The Blackout collective, discuss non-violent direct action and how it is and has been a critical part of pushing our movements forward.
On this episode we discuss youth activism and leadership across the occupied United States. Rico speaks with Isha Clarke and Dulce Arias from Youth Vs. Apocalypse about their work to tackle climate change and how they're using music to connect the 2020 election to their long term agenda, with their new song and video, "This is the Time."
On the first episode of What We Need Now, we explore Environmental racism and how Covid has made its impacts even greater. We interview multi-disciplinary performance artist, activist/community organizer and writer Adwoa Addae about why we need to feel to get through it all.
Greenpeace USA's new podcast invites grassroots leaders and directly impacted communities who are doing the work to do the talking. Learn more about the upcoming show in this trailer and by texting "What We Need Now" to 877-877