• Art can speak to people in meaningful ways that really does call on us to respond to this differently. So wherever you are, anywhere in the world, you will almost certainly have some kind of creative cultural allegiance and how do we use that in a purposeful way is a critical question for us all…

alison tickell, conscient podcast, october 2019, ottawa

Meet UK musician and climate change activist and CEO of Julie’s Bicycle Alison Tickell.

Alison is a colleague and friend who I first met at the National Arts Centre’s Summit on Theatre and Climate Change in April 2019. 

She is CEO of Julie’s Bicycle, a UK based charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability. Julie’s Bicycle believes that the creative community is uniquely placed to transform the conversation around climate change and translate it into action.

I had the pleasure of going for a walking interview with Alison on parliament hill in Ottawa on October 26, 2019. 

I asked Alison how the arts contribute to environmental awareness, about the relationship between art and the public and the work of Julie’s Bicycle. We then got into a philosophical conversation about art, life, Buddhism and many other things as we descended the stairway from Parliament Hill to the shore of the Ottawa river... 

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.

Your feedback is always welcome at [email protected] and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on January 9, 2026