Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers

Award-winning journalist and author Richard Louv helped transform how we think about our relationship with nature in his landmark 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, which introduced the term “nature-deficit disorder” and brought national attention to nature’s vital role in our health and well-being.

In his latest book, Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World, Richard invites us to go beyond simply spending time outdoors and rediscover the wonder of truly paying attention. From the effects of our screen-saturated lives to the challenges of climate anxiety, loneliness, and digital fatigue, he explores how deeper sensory engagement with nature can help us reconnect with ourselves and the world around us. He also introduces the concept of “bioenchantment”—the profound sense of wonder that emerges when science, mindfulness, and direct experience with the natural world come together.

Shownotes

• Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World by Richard Louv
• Richard Louv on Instagram
• Children & Nature Network
• Books by Richard Louv
• Serenbe Events Calendar 

Keywords: Richard Louv, Noticing, Last Child in the Woods, nature-deficit disorder, biophilia, biophilic design, nature and human health, nature and well-being, connection to nature, nature and mental health, bioenchantment, mindfulness, sensory awareness, nature connection, climate anxiety, digital fatigue, screen time, loneliness, attention restoration, environmental awareness, Richard Louv interview, Biophilic Solutions, nature and childhood, human-nature relationship, nature and creativity, planetary health

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We’ll be back next week with an exciting new interview, but this week, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite episodes with Tim Lenton, Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter and a founding director of the Global Systems Institute.

Tim is best known for his work on positive tipping points. When we hear the phrase “tipping point,” we tend to think of disaster and collapse. But Tim invites us to consider that tipping points can also work in the opposite direction. What if small, positive shifts could build momentum, reinforce one another, and spark rapid, transformative change? At a time when climate concerns, political polarization, and uncertainty about the future often leave us feeling overwhelmed, and hopeless, this idea offers something more meaningful than optimism alone: a reason to look for the changes already underway and understand how we can help them grow. 

In this episode, Tim, Jennifer, and Monica explore global movements that have changed the world for the better, the promising shifts already taking place in the UK and Norway, and why we don’t have to agree on everything to start moving in a better direction. 

Show Notes

• Professor Tim Lenton, University of Exeter
• Global Systems Institute
• Earth System Science: A Very Short Introduction by Tim Lenton
• Revolutions That Made the Earth by Tim Lenton and Andrew Watson
• Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by Jim Lovelock 
• Positive Tipping Points Could Save the Climate - This Man is Showing Us How (Positive.News)

Keywords: Climate Change, Tim Lenton, Climate Solutions, Tipping Points, Climate Tipping Points, Positive Tipping Points, Electric Vehicle, Clean Energy, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Biophilic Solutions, Social Movements, Social Change

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Death and decay are among the most natural processes that exist. And yet, we often approach them with fear rather than recognizing them as part of the natural world.

In her new book, Carrying the Bones: Rituals for a Dying World, writer, multimedia artist, and professor Eileen Elizabeth explores the ways we mourn, not only for the people we’ve lost, but for relationships, places, ecosystems, traditions, and even the world as we know it. This beautiful book weaves together memoir, cultural analysis, poetry, and reflections on ritual and asks what we might gain if we allowed ourselves to sit more fully with death and grief rather than rushing to move forward.

In this episode, Monica and Eileen talk about the role nature has played in mourning throughout history, the ways American culture and capitalism shape our relationship to death, and what it means to grieve not only those who have died, but those who are still living and the world itself. They also talk about creating personal rituals and whether grief can become not just an experience of loss, but a way of reconnecting with the natural world, with one another, and with what we still have to carry forward.

Show Notes

• Carrying the Bones: Rituals for a Dying World by Eileen Elizabeth
• Eileen Elizabeth on Instagram 
• Boshemia Magazine
• Biophilic Solutions on Substack 

Keywords: grief, mourning, death, death rituals, mourning rituals, ecological grief, climate grief, environmental grief, nature connection, environmental crisis, ritual, spirituality, secular spirituality, Indigenous traditions, capitalism, grief and capitalism, wilderness,Carrying the Bones, Eileen Elizabeth

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Asphalt and concrete. Not exactly the sexiest topics in the world, but think about it: pavement is everywhere we look. From roads and highways to schoolyards and massive parking lots, it’s such a ubiquitous part of our environment that we hardly even notice it anymore.

And there’s a reason for that. Pavement makes roads safer and provides ADA accessible sidewalks. But it also comes with a significant environmental cost. Dark asphalt can absorb as much as 80 to 95 percent of sunlight, contributing to the urban heat island effect and making our cities (and the people who live in them) hotter and more vulnerable as the climate warms.

That’s why we’re excited to speak with Malena Marvin, Executive Director of Depave, a Portland, Oregon-based grassroots organization that works with communities to remove underutilized pavement and replace it with permeable, living green spaces. For example, an empty parking lot can become a public gathering space filled with trees and native plants, or a place where rain can return to the soil instead of rushing into storm drains. 

Depave’s work is especially powerful because it connects environmental restoration with community health and agency, climate resilience, and environmental justice. 

Show Notes

• Depave
• The Depave Crew
• Depave Resources
• Urban Heat Islands

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

How do we continue to care for the living world when so much around us feels uncertain? On this episode of Biophilic Solutions, Monica Olsen talks with Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, author of Mother, Creature, Kin: What We Learn from Nature’s Mothers in a Time of Unraveling.

Chelsea’s book asks us to rethink what it means to care for each other, for the places we call home, and for the more-than-human world. Her journey began with becoming a mother herself, which opened up a deeper understanding of how caring for one life can expand into caring for an entire web of life.

Monica and Chelsea explore what it might mean to think of ourselves as “mothers” of the living world, along with ideas of entanglement, sacred place, axis mundi, and the powerful sense of awe and belonging we can find in certain places. And while Chelsea doesn’t shy away from ecological loss and uncertainty, she reminds us that we still have agency. By paying closer attention to the places and creatures we love, we can find ways to care, connect, and take action, even when it feels like the world is unraveling around us. 

Show Notes

• Mother, Creature, Kin: What We Learn From Nature’s Mothers In A Time of Unraveling
• Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder
• Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder on Instagram 
• The Entwinement (Substack)

Keywords: Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, Mother Creature Kin, Biophilic Solutions, biophilia, nature, motherhood, ecology, environmentalism, climate change, nature connection, biodiversity, ecological grief, sacred places, axis mundi, awe, entanglement, regenerative living, environmental responsibility, nature and motherhood

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

What can mushrooms teach us about becoming better humans? How can doula work, in the literal and metaphorical senses, help us navigate the uncertainty of the near future? These are just two of the compelling questions we’re exploring today alongside Madison Murphy Barney. 

Madison is a Two Spirit Shoshone sister, a doula, author, and a public-health storyteller. She holds a master’s degree from Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health and has become a sought-after voice, using storytelling as a tool for building more just and connected communities. 

In her new book, Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms, Madison makes the case that mushrooms – and the vast, unseen networks beneath them – have much to teach us about how to live. Themes like humility, adaptability, nourishment, creativity, protection, and even mystery become guides for rethinking how we relate to ourselves, to each other, and to the planet.

In this conversation, Monica and Madison talk about mushrooms, ancestral wisdom, the power of embracing your weird, and what the natural world is trying to teach us about how to live together. 

Show Notes

• Our Ancestors Want Us To Be Mushrooms by Madison Murphy Barney
• Terracotta (Substack)
• Madison Murphy Barney Website
• Biophilic Solutions on Substack 

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

This week on the podcast, we’re revisiting a 2022 conversation with urban policy expert Diana Lind, author of Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing. In this episode, we explored the rise of the single-family home and the many challenges that come with it: the isolation created by large homes on expansive plots of land, outdated zoning, high energy use for relatively few people, and a built environment that makes cars a necessity. 

Almost four years to the day after its original release, these themes are as relevant as ever but the context around them has changed. More and more people seem to be recognizing the connection between urban planning, the environment, and our own wellbeing. Young creators like Luke Hillman are getting hundreds of thousands of views and likes for videos about land use, walkability, and freeing ourselves from auto-dependence. That growing public awareness of how we shape our communities, particularly among a younger audience, is incredibly encouraging.

But there’s another reason this conversation feels timely: data centers. Communities all over the country are confronting the enormous demands for the land, energy, water, and new utility infrastructure that data centers require. New transmission lines and grid expansions also put pressure on residential land, in some cases power companies are using eminent domain to acquire property. And that’s to say nothing about immense concerns over noise and air pollution.

That’s why Diana’s ideas are now more important than ever. The challenges may be evolving, but the underlying question remains the same: What kind of places do we want to build and what would it take to build them differently?

Shownotes

• Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing by Diana Lind
• About Diana Lind
• Luke Hillman on Instagram
• Against the White Picket Fence (New York Times)
• WATCH: Five Things Diana Lind taught us about housing (Philadelphia Citizen)
• Ideas We Should Steal: Treat Homelessness as a Health Issue by Diana Lind (The Philadelphia Citizen)

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Research suggests we spend close to 90% of our lives indoors. While we all need more time outside, there's another part of the solution: designing the places where we live and work to better support our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Monica Olsen sits down with two of the UK's leading voices in biophilic design: Oliver Heath, an expert in regenerative and wellbeing-led design for the built environment, and Dr. Vanessa Champion, founder of the Journal of Biophilic Design and host of the podcast of the same name.

Together, they explore how thoughtfully designed spaces can improve our physical and mental wellbeing, the formative project that first inspired Oliver to connect nature with health, why diverse minds need diverse spaces, the exciting innovations emerging in fields like biomimicry, and the growing body of evidence demonstrating the value of biophilic design.

Whether you're an architect, designer, developer, or simply curious about creating healthier places, this conversation offers an inspiring look at how nature can transform the built environment—and the people who inhabit it.

Show Notes

• Oliver Heath Design
• Journal of Biophilic Design
• Journal of Biophilic Design Podcast
• Oliver Heath Design: Case Studies
• Design a Healthy Home: 100 Ways To Transform Your Space For Physical and Mental Wellbeing by Oliver Heath

Biophilic design, regenerative design, nature-inspired design, wellbeing, healthy buildings, healthy spaces, built environment, sustainable design, architecture, interior design, biomimicry, biophilia, wellness design, environmental psychology, human-centered design, natural materials, natural light, biodiversity, placemaking, Oliver Heath, Vanessa Champion, Journal of Biophilic Design, design innovation, resilient communities, wellbeing-led design, people and planet

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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After five seasons of Biophilic Solutions, which ideas have stood the test of time?

In this special compilation episode, Monica Olsen revisits some of the most impactful conversations from the podcast to uncover the common thread connecting the most powerful solutions to today's biggest challenges. From climate scientist Tim Lenton's hopeful vision of positive tipping points to Helena Norberg-Hodge's call for localization, economist Edward B. Barbier's rethinking of nature's economic value, ecologist Douglas Tallamy's practical approach to restoring biodiversity, urban planner Jeff Speck's vision for walkable communities, environmental justice leader Jacqueline Patterson's unexpected perspective on systems change, and Tracey Osborne's insights on Indigenous stewardship, each conversation offers a different piece of a larger puzzle.

Together, they reveal that the most transformative solutions rarely solve just one problem. Like healthy ecosystems, they create ripple effects—strengthening communities, restoring nature, improving health, and building resilience all at once.

Show Notes:

• Tim Lenton on Positive Tipping Points
• Helena Norberg-Hodge on the Power of Localization
• Edward B. Barbier on Shifting to a Green Economy
• Doug Tallamy on Keystone Species and Ecosystem Restoration
• Jeff Speck on Walkable Cities
• Jacqueline Patterson on the Impact of  Environmental Injustice
• Tracey Osborne on Indigenous Leadership and Climate Justice 
• Dive deeper by visiting Biophilic Solutions on Bookshop 

Biophilia, biophilic design, nature-based solutions, positive tipping points, sustainability, climate resilience, biodiversity, conservation, regenerative communities, localization, natural capital, environmental economics, walkability, urban planning, placemaking, Indigenous stewardship, systems change, environmental justice, community resilience, ecological restoration, wellness, nature connection, climate solutions, resilience, regenerative living

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

What can our evolutionary past teach us about living healthier, more connected lives today? In this episode, Monica sits down with Andie Edwards, creator of the popular Instagram account Ancestral Habits, to explore how hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution continue to shape our bodies, minds, and relationship with the natural world.

Together, they discuss evolutionary mismatch, our biological need for nature, the importance of honoring natural rhythms, and what it means to apply ancestral wisdom in a modern world. They also explore the responsibility of communicating science on social media and Andie's perspective on artificial intelligence. It's a fascinating conversation about using our deep history not to return to the past, but to build a healthier, more aligned future.

Show Notes

• Ancestral Habits Website
• Ancestral Habits on Instagram 
• Ancestral Habits on Substack 
• Ancestral Habits at Home (PDF)

biophilia, nature connection, human evolution, ancestral health, ancestral habits, anthropology, evolutionary mismatch, evolutionary biology, human behavior, natural rhythms, circadian rhythms, modern life, well-being, mental health, physical health, environmental psychology, science communication, social media, artificial intelligence, AI, biology, evolutionary medicine, ecology, resilience, holistic health, outdoor living, health and wellness, connection, sustainability

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.
 
#NatureHasTheAnswers