Climate Action Figures

Host John Whidden introduces young guest Camille on Climate Action Figures and shares a “Quick Fix” from Glenda about recycling crushed ceramic toilets as road filler in Germany. Camille discusses her family garden, favorite crops, and a sweet potato sprout experiment, and says she hopes to become a fruit and vegetable farmer (and possibly work in food or photography). Heading into grade seven, she’s excited about school options like foods (using a school garden), outdoors learning in a forest classroom, an eco club, and a science course on climate change. She bikes or walks to school via a supervised “bike bus,” notes her family composts, and mentions turning off her dad’s unused lights. Camille explains eco-anxiety, worries most about greenhouse gases driving warming and impacts like melting ice and flooding, and believes raising awareness is key. Her climate action is carpooling to soccer, and she finds hope in many small environmental actions and community efforts.

00:00 Welcome To The Show

00:27 Quick Fix Toilet Recycling

01:14 Camille Loves Gardening

01:49 Sweet Potato Sprout Experiment

03:08 Future Farmer Dreams

03:56 Food And Photo Careers

04:26 New School New Opportunities

05:46 Outdoor Classroom And Eco Club

07:03 Biking To School Bike Bus

08:26 Family Habits And Climate Talk

09:53 Eco Anxiety And Worries

12:11 Climate Awareness Across Ages

14:03 Inspiration And Spreading Awareness

15:23 Climate Action Carpooling

16:00 Hope And Farewell

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Host John Whidden interviews 16-year-old Teja from Hyderabad, India, after a Quick Fix from Vaibhav about the mental-health benefits of spending time with soil. Teja says climate change isn’t widely discussed in Hyderabad, though youth involvement is growing through efforts like the Center for Green Revolution, and he describes worsening heat and heatstroke since 2016. He explains founding his youth-led nonprofit Climateyc (Youth Collaborative) to research climate change, run accessible events, and support projects such as “smog to soil” and portable direct air capture with mentorship sought from IIT Hyderabad. Teja recounts attending COP30 as a 14-year-old student delegate via earlier projects like gray water recycling, notes Indian youth often lack funding compared to other countries, and encourages networking through social media and local events. He shares personal actions—stopping red meat and building a terrace garden—and says youth engagement gives him hope.

00:00 Welcome Teja

00:27 Quick Fix Soil Therapy

01:45 Hyderabad Climate Reality

03:05 Launching Climateyc

03:52 Smog to Soil Project

04:18 Why Youth Collaborative

05:17 COP30 Inspiration

06:07 Funding Barriers for Youth

07:25 Lessons From COP30

09:12 Networking Tips for Youth

10:46 Direct Air Capture Work

11:27 Tech as Climate Solution

12:30 Developing Country Mindset

14:18 Personal Climate Actions

14:41 Hope and Farewell

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Host John Whidden welcomes Ben to Climate Action Figures and shares a Quick Fix from Linda advising bamboo and compostable partyware, noting composting challenges without proper bins. Ben describes Edmonton’s Paths for People, which advocates for walking, rolling, and cycling through city council engagement and community events featuring guests like YouTuber CityNerd and author Anna Zivarts, with a key takeaway that about a third of people don’t drive. They discuss tensions and compromises between car and active transportation, Ben’s reasons for biking (enjoyment, cost, environment, parking), and concerns about potential provincial legislation reducing bike lanes and related safety risks. Ben explains the Missing Links campaign crowdsourcing gaps in crossings, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure. He’s starting a master’s in urban and regional planning at the University of Alberta, is a triathlete, and his climate action is driving less by biking or taking transit; his hope comes from more friends starting to bike commute.

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:25 Quick Fix Compostables

01:17 Meet Paths for People

01:58 Community Events Highlights

02:34 Who Cities Leave Behind

03:11 Cars Versus Bike Lanes

04:17 Why Ben Bikes

05:32 Province Threatens Bike Lanes

07:06 Missing Links Campaign

08:01 Masters in Urban Planning

09:23 Triathlon Side Quest

10:17 Ben's Climate Action

11:09 Hope and Farewell

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In the season four premiere of Climate Action Figures, host John Whidden introduces guest Brittney and shares a “Quick Fix” from Genevieve in Medicine Hat: building “bug snugs,” tripod shelters filled with dried organic material for insects to overwinter. Brittney discusses her master’s research in the Bow Valley, funded in part by the Biosphere Institute, using interviews, walk-and-talks, and a photo-voice gathering to explore young adults’ work toward socioecological justice, and notes the Biosphere’s $1,000 youth microgrant. She recounts being named one of Canada’s top 75 youth environmental change-makers at the Starfish Changemaker Summit in Squamish, emphasizing climate justice, burnout prevention, and Indigenous land-based learning. Brittney then describes her documentary/honours thesis on the Crowsnest Pass coal fight, arguing people act to defend identity and love of place—especially clean water from the Eastern Slopes—while outlining Y2Y’s wildlife-corridor work and her hope to release the film in 2027.

00:00 Season Four Kickoff

00:34 Quick Fix Bug Snugs

02:11 Biosphere Research Project

03:39 Starfish Changemaker Summit

05:33 Indigenous Learning On Land

06:17 Coal Fight Documentary

08:47 Identity Drives Action

10:10 Eastern Slopes Water Stakes

12:09 Love Fear And Grief

17:16 Film Release Plans

18:41 What Y2Y Does

21:05 Her Climate Action Today

22:28 What Gives Her Hope

24:23 Closing And Call To Share

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In the season three finale of Climate Action Figures, host John Whidden welcomes back creative consultant Kayla, shares a Quick Fix from Linda in Rochon Sands about swapping chemical cleaners for vinegar and baking soda, and demonstrates homemade/refillable cleaning solutions. Kayla discusses an upcoming two-month trip to Japan, South Korea, and China and admiration for strong recycling and anti-littering cultures. John recounts attending the KEPA (Kainai Ecological Protection Agency) cross-cultural First Nations gathering and observing a tipi ceremony. They reflect on standout season three episodes, highlighting Piikani Nation guests, soil and agriculture conversations, returning guest Aryan, and Indigenous stewardship from multiple continents, and invite an Antarctica guest to reach all continents. John confirms season four will launch in the fall and mentions Cluck’s summer adventure. Kayla’s climate action focuses on sustainable travel (fewer flights, trains, packing light, filtration bottles, eco-tours), and her hope comes from Braiding Sweetgrass and the idea humans can positively impact the environment.

00:00 Welcome and Quick Fix

01:04 DIY Natural Cleaners

02:06 Refill and Reuse Tips

02:43 Kayla Travel Plans

04:34 KEPA Conference Highlights

06:19 Season Three Favourites

09:45 Global Guests and Continents

12:43 More Standout Episodes

15:55 Season Four Tease

18:22 Sustainable Travel Actions

21:51 What Gives Hope

23:39 Final Thanks and Sign off

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Host John Whidden welcomes Abhay to Climate Action Figures, beginning with Sophia’s Quick Fix on guerrilla gardening using indigenous plants. Abhay, a CBC What on Earth contributor on climate change and mental health, describes how a Students on Ice expedition to the Arctic and Greenland shaped his understanding of climate impacts, Inuit mental health challenges, and climate justice tied to colonialism. He explains how that experience led to founding Break the Divide, which began as high school video-call exchanges with northern youth and expanded into international connections, an art competition, and curriculum-based programming with mental health practitioners. Break the Divide now runs workshops and a Climate Education and Resilience program, training young facilitators and scaling across the prairies in September 2026. Abhay discusses naming climate emotions, building community, taking realistic local action, bikes in Regina, and finds hope in community across generations.

00:00 Welcome and Intro

00:31 Quick Fix Gardening

01:02 Meet Abhay

01:27 EcoStressSask Connections

02:42 CBC Column Origin

04:24 Arctic Trip Roots

06:34 Climate Anxiety North

08:33 Break the Divide Begins

12:07 Program Growth Worldwide

15:11 How to Get Involved

16:50 Naming Climate Emotions

19:18 Turning Feelings to Action

22:14 Small Actions Matter

24:00 Rebuilding Youth Connection

25:31 Personal Action Biking

26:25 Hope and Wrap Up

https://ecostresssask.ca/

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-429-what-on-earth/clip/16215089-how-kids-save-climate-anxiety

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/audio/1.7032612

https://soifoundation.org/en/

https://breakthedivide.net/

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Host John Whidden welcomes 13-year-old Indian environmentalist Prasiddhi, founder of Prasiddhi Forest Foundation, who has planted 200,000 trees toward a goal of 10 million and built a global following to spread hopeful, action-focused climate messaging. She describes starting after the 2016 Varadhah Cyclone in Tamil Nadu, learning fundraising, creating a seed-collecting “kids army,” and growing a nursery capable of 30,000 saplings. Prasiddhi discusses attending UN COP conferences (including COP29), her UN-accredited NGO’s work helping youth attend, and her two illustrated books—"Prasiddhi’s Amazon Rainforest Adventure" and "Prasiddhi’s Great Barrier Reef Adventure"—which each fund one planted tree per purchase. She argues for balancing reality, hope, and responsibility, redefining success beyond GDP, and showcases her green career-matching tool, greenbuzzai.com.

00:00 Welcome and QuickFix

01:05 Meet Prasiddhi and Mission

02:00 Passion School and Balance

03:07 Family Support and Social

04:31 Early Planting Journey

07:16 Cyclone Spark and 100K

09:39 COP Connections and Youth

11:01 Books That Plant Trees

14:17 Hope Reality Responsibility

16:50 Redefining Success and AI

19:54 Seeing Through Child Eyes

22:29 Countries Doing It Right

25:12 Future Purpose and Values

26:56 Climate Action Believe You

28:30 Hopeful Inspirations Closing

https://prasiddhiforest.org/

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=prasiddhi&crid=668OLOP0VJDH&sprefix=prasiddhi%2Caps%2C138&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://greenbuzzai.com/

https://thegreenpillar.com/books/

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Host John Whidden introduces a QuickFix from Janice in Calgary encouraging “no mow May” to protect invertebrates, then interviews Sophia, a third-year environmental engineering student focused on drinking water and microplastics. Sophia recommends boiling or filtering water and explains concerns about bottled water, including plastic-related endocrine disruptors and potential bacterial biofilms. She describes her microplastics research on how particle shape affects settling and treatment, noting flat plastics may slip through systems. Sophia also shares her youth transit advocacy, inspired by childhood mobility barriers, which helped make transit free for youth under 13 in Regina and expanded nationally. She discusses involving youth through leadership opportunities and funding strategies, reflects on awards and positivity in climate work, shares her own low-car lifestyle, and outlines steps for better, safer, more frequent transit systems.

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:27 QuickFix No Mow May

01:25 Meet Sophia

02:03 Drinking Water Tips

03:49 Microplastics Explained

05:55 Reducing Plastic Pollution

07:27 Youth Transit Advocacy

10:41 Scaling Youth Climate Action

13:17 Awards and TEDx Impact

14:47 Staying Hopeful

15:46 Car Free Climate Action

16:10 Building Better Transit

19:01 Hope and Farewellhttps://video.igem.org/w/8QuTT9pE784FakJrccZLYB

https://chem-eng.utoronto.ca/news/igem-toronto-engineering-biology-for-global-impact/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UPUWBpSS7po

https://www.fesplanet.org/

https://www.poparide.com/en-ca/

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In the 77th episode of Climate Action Figures, host John Whidden welcomes Alice, a Switzerland-based veterinarian who no longer practices clinically and instead works toward One Health through policy and research. Alice explains that veterinary careers extend beyond treating animals into areas like food safety, prevention, research, and education, and describes moving from clinical work in Italy to policy work in Brussels via a veterinary trade association, then to research in Switzerland to build expertise for future policymaking. She outlines One Health as the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health, citing food systems and climate-driven shifts in vector-borne diseases as examples, and argues that healthy humans depend on healthy environments and animals. Alice compares sustainability in Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland, shares her climate action of saving surplus perishable food through local initiatives, and says hope comes from connecting with committed advocates like Harshita.

00:00 Welcome to Episode 77

00:32 QuickFix Mailbox Hack

00:55 Meet Alice in Switzerland

03:22 Vet Without Patients

04:29 Finding One Health

07:41 Breaking Into Policy

09:38 One Health in Action

12:49 Moving for Sustainability

15:36 Harshita and Youth Advocacy

17:15 Food Saving Climate Action

19:23 Hope and Closing

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John  hosts a unique episode of Climate Action Figures featuring his daughter, Twila. The QuickFix highlights “Adopt Don’t Shop,” encouraging pet adoption and volunteering at local shelters. Twila shares her climate actions, including conserving and reusing water (collecting shower warm-up water and catching sink water for plants), thrift shopping, growing herbs, using reusable bags and cups, combining errands into one trip, and installing solar panels. They reflect on John’s long-running environmental habits while Twila was growing up—cool house temperatures, composting, walking to school for rewards, bringing reusable containers to restaurants, and hang-drying laundry for calculated energy savings—along with humorous stories about cooling leftovers outside and wildlife getting into food. Twila says hope comes from friends’ small changes and youth becoming more environmentally aware.

00:00 Meet Twila

00:43 QuickFix Adopt Don’t Shop

02:12 Why Twila Is Here

02:52 Twilas Climate Actions

04:47 Growing Up Eco

05:21 Cold House Stories

06:08 Early Eco Habits

09:03 Walking To School Bribes

11:03 Hang Dry Math

12:34 Twila Grills Dad

14:42 Cooling Food Outside

16:53 Wrap Up Hope

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