Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

Send us a voice note

In this episode, Forrest talks with Zach Stein, co-founder of Carbon Collective. Carbon Collective is the first online investment advisor that is 100% focused on combatting climate change. They help individuals and organizations to invest in diversified, low-fee, climate-focused portfolios. By helping investors to know which companies are truly operating in ways that are in keeping with a zero-carbon future, Carbon Collective helps people who want to live greener lives to collectively focus their resources and their influence as consumers in ways that work for the good of the planet.

Forrest and his daughter Kayra and I did a “test drive” of Carbon Collective by making an actual investment—to see if the platform is easy to understand, easy to use, and up front about all costs and fees. If you want to watch a video of that process, we’ll send you a link to anyone on the Circlewood e-mail list. If you aren’t yet on that list, go to circlewood.online and add your name to our growing, global community of earthkeepers; use this link to join the Circlewood email list.

Guest: Zach Stein - co founder of Carbon Collective - online investment platform 

Mentions: 
zero carbon future
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe - Earthkeepers' interview
minimum of $5 trillion/year investment into climate solutions needed
Project Drawdown
Climate Policy Initiative
McKinsey - $9 trillion/year investment estimate
Vanguard -investment firm; MSCI - analyticscompany
Carbon Collective's investment strategy
As You Sow - nonprofit in Berkeley, California
Pacific Garbage Patch
2018 IPCC report - United
Nations' scientific body for climate change
2017 fire season in Bay area - San Francisco, California
fossil fuel industry in decline; fossil fuels get more expensive to extract
solar, wind & batteries get cheaper as manufacturing issues get resolved
Vanguard index funds - market innovation ; new ESG fund

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode we talk to Joel Pontius, Associate Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Education at Goshen College. Joel shares with us how place-based formational experiences—especially encounters with the natural world—help people to become more attuned to their contexts, and more aware of their unique role in caring for creation. He explains how this approach impacts not just his teaching, but his ways of parenting as well.

Guest: Joel Pontius - Associate Professor of Sustainability & Environmental Education at Goshen College
Essay: Hearts Like This in Christ & Cascadia

 Mentions:
Goshen College Merry Lea Environmental center & ecovillage
Goshen College sustainable farm
canoeing on the Elkhart river 
Lake Michigan
toxic forms of masculinity 

Environmental education, re-wilding, hunting, fishing, outdoor school, ecology, place-based learning

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode we talk with Abigail Fehrsen and Liesl Stewart—two women in South Africa who gathered together a small community of people in order to purchase food in bulk, directly from local farmers. From that initial small, alternative food network, the Food Club movement was born—and now there are many such groups throughout the country—communities of people seeking a more socially just and ecologically connected relationship to their food, to the land, and to the farmers who care for land. While they never set out to create a movement in South Africa, they model the principle that great things can come from simply taking small steps to meet the needs in front of you.

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode we talk with Tanya Machabeli, Director of the Nehemiah Project in Ukraine. Tanya is one of the courageous Ukrainians helping to provide shelter, food, and medical care to those who have been displaced by Russian aggression. Speaking to us from her war-torn country, she explains that some of the most profound costs of the war in Ukraine have to do with damage to the land itself, because the very identity of the Ukrainian people is so tied to the land. Tanya insists, though, that despite the current conflict, this connection between land and identity will endure—as it has endured other crises in Ukraine’s history.

Want to help Ukraine? Give to Tanya's work with Nehemiah Ukraine via Mission Dispatch. Select Donate and choose Tanya and Vasiko Machabeli – Nehemiah from the drop-down menu. 100% of your gift will be sent to Nehemiah Ukraine.

Guest: Tanya Machabeli - Nehemiah Project - Ukraine
Co-host: Lisa San Martin -  Northwest University MA International Community Development 

 Mentions:
Uzhhorod - near Slovakian border; map of Ukraine
Internally displaced people
Bandera/Nazis
war in Georgia; Serbia; Syria; Crimea
Chernobyl disaster ; Russian troops disturbed contaminated forest around Chernobyl
Zaporizhzhia - nuclear facility 4x the size of Chernobyl
Ukrainian agricultural exports
Seaports are blocked; mines in the fields
Soviet occupation

• Not allowed to own land; 
• Not allowed to learn their own history
•  Forcibly   moved to Soviet Union

Trypilska culture -ancient civilization in Ukraine
Hydrogen fuels - new tech
Gas reserves in Ukraine 

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this special encore of a recent webcast, we’ll be in conversation with Brian McLaren about his book called Do I Stay Christian: A guide for the doubters, the disappointed, and the disillusioned. I’ll be cohosting with Victoria Loorz of the Wild Church Network, and Kate Davis from the Center for Transforming Engagement at The Seattle School. Together we’ll pay particular attention to the Brian’s ideas about something Brian calls “re-wilding.” As he describes it in his book, re-wilding is all about re-aligning and re-orienting our hearts, minds, and bodies with the natural world. Re-wilding is about re-connecting to the earth as our teacher, and seeking the wisdom that is found in wilderness.

 Comments or questions?  Send us an email: [email protected]

 Guests:

Brian McLaren

• His new book Do I Stay Christian? A guide for the doubters, the disappointed, and the disillusioned

Victoria Loorz

• Her new book Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred
• Seminary of the Wild & Wild Church Network

Kate Davis

•  The Center for Transforming Engagement

 Mentions:  

Dr. Miguel De La Torre - theologian
Greta Thunberg - activist
Janus faced - definition
Ilia Delio - Franciscan nun & theologian
Karenna Gore - Union Seminary
vision quest definition
J. Drew Lanham - biologist & poet
Randy Woodley
Richard Twiss
Robin Wall Kimmerer - scientist, author, 
Mark Charles - writer
Kaitlin Curtice - poet & writer 

Key Words:

re-wilding, wild church, forest church, nones and dones, earth stewardship, yoga, outdoor church, post-evangelical, creation theology, Josh Packard

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode we talk to Dominic Frongillo, a young climate advocate, politician, and teacher from New York State. Dominic was the youngest person ever elected to serve on the City Council in Caroline, New York, and one of the youngest deputy mayors in the U.S. He is also the cofounder and executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America—an organization whose mission it is to create a safe, prosperous, and healthy planet by supporting and mobilizing “elected officials and civic leaders to protect the environment, and fight climate change.” In our conversation, Dominic helps us understand that real change can happen when courageous individuals help motivate whole communities around the common cause of environmental and social justice—at the local or the global level.

Upcoming event:  live webinar with Brian McLaren on May 17th, 7pm PST. 

To donate to the relief work in Ukraine being done by a trusted friend of ours, 1. go to https://www.missiondispatch.org/tanya-vasiko-machabeli 2. click the “TO DONATE” button 3. choose “Tanya & Vasico Machabeli — Nehemiah” from the drop down of options

Guest: Dominic Frongillo - executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America
Former council member & deputy Mayor of Caroline, New York.  

Mentions:  
UN climate negotiations - Bali, Indonesia (2007)
Forrest’s cousin, Washington state governor Jay Inslee
Costa Rica - deforestation history
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
Greta Thunberg - climate activist
Island of Kiribati - climate change threat
Naomi Klein - book: This Changes Everything
fracking 101
NY state fracking ban
Study on dictatorships unable to stay in place when just 3.5 % of population is actively resisting
Vladimir Putin - example of a fossil fuel dictator; Russia supplies 40% of Europe's gas; 
Elected Officials to Protect America press conference calling on President Biden to invoke Defense Production Act 

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode, we are in conversation with members of the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice in Bellingham, a small city in the north of Washington State. We hear from Deb Cruz from the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, Steve Hansen—a Buddhist from the Insight Meditation Society, and Andrea Shupack from Congregation Beth Israel.  Rooted in a sense of spiritual and moral responsibility to protect the Earth, the mission of the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice is to engage and connect different faith and wisdom traditions in responsive, collaborative community.

Upcoming event: https://www.circlewood.online/wisdom-from-wilderness-webcast
Free live webinar with Brian McLaren, hosted by Forrest Inslee, Victoria Loorz (Wild Church Network) & Kate Davis (Center for Transforming Engagement) on May 17th, 7pm PST. 
Brian McLaren's new book: Do I Stay a Christian?

Guests: Deb Cruz - Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
Steve Hansen - Bellingham Insight Meditation Society
Andrea Shupack - Congregation Beth Israel
Multifaith Network for Climate Justice 

 Mentions:
Theravada Buddhism
JUUstice Washington - a Unitarian Universalist State Action Network
The 7 Principles of Unitarian Universalism
Joanna Macy - deep ecology - definition
Bhikku Bodhi - 2019 UN address
b'tzelem Elohim - made in the image of God
Paul Ehrlich - author of The Population Bomb
1st Earth Day - 1970
Green Sanctuary process
MNCJ legislative review for WA state legislature - Jan. 2022
Earth Ministry
Year of the Shmita - 7th year
Shabbat
Lummi Nation
BIPOC = Black, Indigenous & People of Color
Dan Jones aka SaSuWeh - former chair of the Ponca tribe in Oklahoma, U.S. 
Ethics of Our Fathers - "it's not incumbent on us to finish the work, but we must do our part."
Katharine Hayhoe - book: Saving Us 

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

When it comes to living in better relationship to the rest of creation, one aspect of our lives that we don’t talk about enough is money. How we earn it, how we spend it, how we save and how we invest—these subjects aren’t often thought of as aspects of earthkeeping. In fact though, if we aren’t thoughtful and intentional about our finances, the way we use and keep money has the potential to do harm to others and to the community of creation. In the same way, money used wisely and strategically has the power to enact much good in the world. The same could be said, really, when we consider how we invest our time and our talents. In this episode we’ll get some insight on wise and ethical investing from Trevor Thomas, who works for a company called Ethinvest, based in Australia. 

 For information about the sound editing position, write to: [email protected]

 Co-host: Christine Sine - founder of Mustard Seed Associates, parent org of Circlewood and author of Godspacelight.com
Guest: Trevor Thomas, Managing Director of Ethinvest in Australia
Australian Impact Investments- Ethinvest's Impact investing subsidiary 

 Mentions: 
Pax World Fund - world's first fund set up to use social criteria in investing
ESG investing- Environmental, Social, Governance risk assessments
social impact investing
UN - Sustainable Development Goals
social impact bonds - definition and example of 1st social bond - Peterborough jail in UK
Australian Farmland Funds
ethically based portfolios perform similarly to traditional portfolios
TCFD - Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure
Ethical Advisors Coop - in Australia 

Suggestions
find a local ethical investor advisor
Use the peak bodies to find one in your region:
US - US Social Investment Forum
UK - Social Investment Forum or UK Sustainable Investment and Finance
Association
Australia/NZ - Responsible Investment Association Australasia 

Keywords: Greenwashing, green investing, ethical investing, social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility, Impact Investing, climate justice, financial advising, index funds, social impact investing, B Corp, ESG Investing, ESG Risk Management, impact washing, greenwashing, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

In this episode, we talk with Nathan Aaberg, Director of Conservation and Working Lands at the Liberty Prairie Foundation—an organization that is committed to building a world in which food production regenerates the soil and land conservation heals the planet. Nathan lives at Prairie Crossing, a conservation community that respects the environment and enables residents to experience a strong connection between community and the land. A big part of the work Nathan involves equipping and supporting farmers in the American midwest who are committed to sustainable, restorative approaches to farming that respect the land.

Guest:
·       Nathan Aaberg – Director, Conservation & Working Lands for Liberty Prairie Foundation
·       He lives in the planned community Prairie Crossing in Illinois, U.S.
·       He also runs NE Illinois FarmLink – linking regenerative-minded farmers & landowners
·       Nathan's blog: WholeFaithLivingEarth.com 

Mentions:
·       Wallace Stegner - author & environmentalist
·       North Park Village Nature Center
·      Friends of the Chicago River
·       North Park Theological Seminary
·       Parker Palmer - book: Let Your Life Speak (Amazon link)
·       Dr. Katharine Hayhoe - environmental scientist and author
·       social infrastructure
·       Community Supported Agriculture
·       Wendell Berry quote: "eating is an agricultural act" 
·       Suggestion: start with thinking about your diet. 3x per day your choices impact the earth. 

Keywords: Nones and Dones, regenerative agriculture, regenerative farming, young farmer, theology of the land, intentional community, Amish, environmental education, farming cooperative

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Send us a voice note

            In season three of the podcast, we are dedicating a number of our episodes to the exploration of environmental justice themes. In this episode we talk with Ray Williams, Director of Black Farmers Collective, and Yeawa Asabi, a volunteer at Yes Farm—an urban community project that the Collective has established in the heart of Seattle. Yeawa has also been a student in the graduate program where Forrest served as a professor. As is the case with so many of his students, Forrest learned new things from Yeawa—such as the restorative power of farming to heal the social wounds of her generation.

Guests:

• Ray Williams - cofounder and director of Black Farmers' Collective 
• Yeawa Asabi - volunteer at Yes Farm - urban community farm run by Black Farmers' Collective Small Axe - 2nd teaching farm started by Black Farmers' Collective 

Mentions: 

• Northwest University MA in International Community Development (where Forrest teaches and Yeawa is earning her master’s)
• food sovereignty 
•  housing segregation's continued effects in the U.S.; Brookings Institute: The Great Real Estate Reset 
• affinity groups - Example: Racial Affinity Group Guide for schools 
•  Black Lives Matter 
•  BIPOC = Black, Indigenous & People of Color 
• BSU = Black Student Union 

Keywords: food justice, food desert, urban agriculture, safe spaces, Seattle, environmental justice, social justice, Black Lives Matter, ally, race and identity, community development, Northwest University

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple