Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

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In season three of the podcast, we are dedicating a good number of our episodes to the exploration of environmental justice themes. In this episode we talk with Mathews Malata Jr., an environmental journalist and president of the Association of Environmental Journalists in Malawi. He and his colleagues are dedicated to bringing attention to serious environmental concerns, uncovering systemic corruption, and advocating for more just policies. Journalists like Mathews seek to make people more aware of the impacts of the ongoing climate crisis, and of the need for every Malawi citizen to work for the preservation and protection of their beautiful country. At the same time, Mathews points out that the struggle for environmental justice is a global one—since most of the catastrophic impacts of climate change in Malawi are actually caused by the harmful habits of nations in the global north.

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Guest: Mathews Malata's Twitter feed & Facebook page & Youtube channel
Mathews Malata's articles in The Nation

 Mentions:
Malawi's contribution to climate change is miniscule
COP26 in Glasgow
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 2022 report
UN's Sustainable Development Goals
Malawi's increasing extreme weather events
lack of access to clean energy in Malawi drives deforestation
Malawi's Nationally Determined Contributions to UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
Cyclone Idai devastates Malawi in 2019
Thin plastics co. (which have been banned in Malawi) shut down last year

 Keywords: COP 26, Malawi cyclone, climate disaster, global south, global north, climate injustice, earth justice, climate change adaptation, climate refugees, Anthropocene

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            In this episode we talk with Jimmy McGee, the CEO and President of the Impact Movement—an organization whose primary focus is to help develop students of African descent into leaders who impact the world for good. Part of that process involves helping students to become agents of justice whatever their vocations might be. For any of us who would dedicate themselves to seeking justice, McGee contends, we must resolve to do so for the long run.

 Guest: Jimmy McGee - CEO & President of Impact Movement - a non profit serving black college students

Mentions:
Historically Black Colleges & Universities
Jelani Day - student served by Impact at Illinois State University who went missing
Emmett Till - student whose murder prompted outrage and fueled the Civil Rights movement
Flint, Michigan - still no clean water
Book - The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
urban food deserts - no fresh food; children have adult teeth come in already rotten.
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia renovated
Milwaukee - most segregated  city in US
Impact Movement grad - Ryan Haygood - NCAAP Defense fund; President of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
Dr. C. T. Vivian - lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr.
Book: Eyes on the Prize; companion to the PBS series - Eyes on the Prize
John Stott - book: Between Two Worlds
Sankofa - image from West Africa - fetch from your past to know your future
Dave Dennis - long time civil rights activist
Diane Nash - civil rights activist
Freedom Rides

Keywords: earth justice, Flint Michigan, Black Lives Matter, racial reconciliation, food desert, poverty, gentrification, historically black colleges and universities, urban blight, health disparities, racial justice, Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Movement, Thurgood Marshall, Jim Crow, green spaces

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            Is it possible to think green even when it comes to burials and funerals? In this episode Forrest is with Sandy Gibson, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Better Place Forests—an organization that supports people in their end-of-life arrangements while conserving and protecting natural areas.  In doing so, they practice their core mission of “helping every person to write a better ending to their story.” The memorial forests that they are creating—as an alternative to cemeteries—literally makes it possible to leave this world a greener place when we’re gone!

 Got ideas for future guests? Leave a voice mail at www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers or email us at [email protected] 

Guest: Sandy Gibson - cofounder of Better Place Forests - a sustainable alternative to cemeteries 

 Mentions: 

• Desmond Tutu - his eco friendly aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation
• recomposition - body is composted, turns directly into soil 
• devil sticks 
• business partner - Brad Milne 
• Cradle to Cradle - book on creating business models that are good for the earth 
• One Tree Planted - Better Places Forests' Impact trees partner 
• Rothy's- shoes made from recycled materials 
• Chick Fil A - coffee supply chain works more directly with farmers 

Keywords: cemetery, memorial trees, gravestone, headstone, grave marker, celebration of life, funeral, burial, aquamation, alkaline hydrolysis, water cremation

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          In this episode Forrest talks with Jason Myers, Executive Director of the EcoTheo Collective—a virtual community of people devoted to exploring the possibilities at the intersection of art, spirituality, and ecology.  He is also Editor of the EcoTheo Review, a journal that publishes work exploring themes ranging from creation care to creativity, and earth justice to social justice. 

Got ideas for future guests? Leave a voice mail at www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers or email us at [email protected] 

Guest:
Jason Myers - Executive Director of EcoTheo Collective
Editor in Chief of EcoTheo Review
LOGOS readings
Curate for Holy Family Church - Houston, TX

Mentions:
Jason's colleague Han Vanderhart
Christ in Cascadia - regional journal that Forrest Inslee edits
antiphonal - definition
Mary Oliver
Lucille Clifton
W.S. Merwin
Candler Creation Keepers
Buechner quote: "Where your deep gladness ..."
Emma Marris - books - "Rambunctious Garden" & "Wild Souls"
Wendell Berry - quote: "There are no unsacred places, just sacred and desecrated places."
Rev. Melanie Mullen - Dir. Reconciliation, Justice & Creation Care, Episcopal Church
Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church
Kaveh Akbar - interviewed in the Autumn 2021 issue of EcoTheo Review
David Naimon -  Between the Covers podcast; entry in the Summer 2021 issue of EcoTheo
John Muir  (plus NY Times article on Sierra Club acknowledging racism of John Muir)
Henry David Thoreau
Theodore Roosevelt - National Parks system
Lucille Clifton quote

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In this episode, Forrest and James do some looking back at the last six months, talking about the need to stay hopeful even when confronted with the hard facts of climate change—and also about the possibility that a little bit of 'guilty conscience' can drive us to make changes in the way we live. They consider some of the themes they heard and the lessons they learned from the last six months of episodes, and talk about where the podcast will be going in the new year.

Got ideas for future guests? Leave a voice mail at www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers or email us at [email protected]

Keywords:
Indigeneity, indigenous, Randy Woodley, Katherine Hayhoe, Vidhya Chintala, Sashi Chintala, Mary Dejong, Ridwell, Jay Matenga, Courtney Christenson, Casa Adobe, Johann Ruiz, Erika Alvarez, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica, Eloheh, Sparks and Matches, Waymarkers, Alex Bailey, Black Outside, Celtic worldview, Celtic Christianity, COVID

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            In this episode we talk with Mary Dejong, founder of Waymarkers. Our conversation focuses on the upcoming solstice on December 21—that day when the northern hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun; it is the shortest and darkest day of the year, and traditionally marks the start of winter. Mary, she helps us understand how solstice can be a time for wholeheartedly embracing the change of seasons—and even learning to love the dark days of winter. All of us, whether we are in the north or the south, can learn to hear what the earth is speaking—in a language of darkness and light—to those who have ears to hear.

Guest:
Mary DeJong - founder of Waymarkers.net
Mary's blog
Wild Winter course
Mary's first interview on Earthkeepers' podcast

Mentions:
Duwamish people
immanent- definition
Imago Dei - definition
Japanese sakura tree
Mary's model of a Rewilding Year based on the concept of Wheel of the Year
Cardinal directions
example of a circular calendar
examples of a liturgical calendar - Catholic & Lutheran
Western Red Cedars dying because of June heat dome
baby hawks leave nests due to heat dome 

Suggestions: 
·     reverse Advent candle lighting tradition - start with 4 candles and remove one each week.
·    unplug one electrical appliance per day leading up to the solstice and use candles instead. 
·    plant bulbs and contemplate the darkness in which they reside until spring. 
·    set up a nature altar 

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            In this episode we talk with Randy Woodley about his new book, Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth.  Randy and his wife Edith lead Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice, and their work touches the lives of Native people and non-Native people alike. As Randy points out, everyone has indigenous connections to some place in the world. One of the core purposes of his new book is to help people to discover their own indigenous roots, even as they seek to learn from the Native people wherever they now live. 

Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth

            You can order this book anywhere, but we suggest that you do so at www.randywoodley.com and click on new books. There you’ll find an option to order the book in such a way that a percentage of purchase goes to support Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice. You can pre-order your copy now to receive it right away when it is released on January 4th. If you are interested in reading the book in a group guided by Randy, find out how to join it on his Facebook page called Randy Woodley Author.

Guest:

• Randy Woodley - author, speaker, activist, scholar
• New Book: Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth
• Highly recommended by and for all Earthkeepers: Shalom and the Community of Creation
• Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice
• Randy's author page on Facebook
• The Harmony Tree - Randy's children's book 

Mentions:

• James Baldwin quote: "history trapped in people" is from Notes of a Native Son (1955)
• Celtic spirituality

 Keywords: Indigenous, Native American, First Nations, earth-centered spirituality, Celtic, kindom, harmony way, eloheh

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            In this episode we talk with Sashi and Vidhya Chintala. Since moving to the US from India, this couple—along with their daughter Eva—have sought to “green” every aspect of their everyday lives. From their distinctively Indian cultural perspective, they offer unique and challenging insights into the nature of an earthkeeping lifestyle.

Connect with Earthkeepers' Podcast: 

• Ecological Disciple blog
• Email us @ earthkeepers.circlewood.online

Guests: Vidhya and Sashi Chintala

• Youtube channel: Wildly Wonderful World
• Vidhya's blog entry for Ecological Disciple

Mentions:

• Highland Covenant Church, Bellevue WA
• Offer Up - a secondhand buying & selling site
• soapnuts
• Courtney Christenson's practical steps episode
• heat pump
• Northwest University 's MA in International Community Development
• Genesis 2:15
• Hyderabad, India
• Kerala - Indian state
• 1,052 languages in India
• Ganges river granted legal personhood
• Matthew 6:26
• Lawn as sign of prosperity and colonialism - not a sustainable ecosystem
• companion planting
• A Rocha - Wild Wonder curriculum

Keywords: Hyderbad, lasagna mulching, micro clover, topsoil ecology, A Rocha Wild Wonder curriculum, Ganges River 

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In this episode we talk with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, author of the new book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. Katharine offers encouraging, practical advice about how to engage in conversations about earthcare and climate change with the people in our lives, finding common ground and avoiding politicized terms that can derail conversations. This interview was conducted before a live online audience, and was cosponsored by Village Books and the North Cascades Institute.

Guest: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe - climate scientist
Dr. Hayhoe's book: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
Dr. Hayhoe's website: KatharineHayhoe.com
Dr. Hayhoe's Tiktok account 

Mentions: 

• 2/3 of major cities within a few feet of sea level - UN Fact sheet (see page 6) 
• 86% of people not talking about climate change - Yale Climate Opinions Map 
• Washington State Ferry Electrification Plan 
• Washington state governor Jay Inslee 
• Carbon emissions from ferry system
• AP article on the effect of warming stream temperatures on salmon 
• Yale Program on Climate Change Communication 
• Yale study on dismissive, alarmed, concerned, cautious, disengaged and doubtful populations 
• Science Moms website 
• Survey on young people's anxiety about climate change 
• Greta Thunberg - School Strike for Climate 
• Infrastructure bill in US Congress - current status (10/19/2021); Congress.gov's status tracker for H.R. 3684 
• The Nature Conservancy 
• The Nature Conservancy's link to tell your congresspeople to support the Infrastructure bill 

Original interview sponsored by: Village Books in Bellingham, WA and The North Cascades Institute

Keywords: electric ferry, carbon emissions, orca, salmon, Cascade Mountains, Olympic Mountains, climate deniers, climate change, global warming, ecodespair, community development, environmental jus<

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In this episode we talk with Erika Alvarez and Johann Ruiz of Casa Adobe. Casa Adobe is an intentional community of people in Costa Rica working together to care for creation, build true relationships, and nurture their faith lives. At the heart of their values is their belief that environmental justice and social justice cannot be separated.

 Ecological Disciple blog

Book giveaway: Want to be in a drawing to receive a copy of Victoria Loorz’ book Church of the Wild? Leave a voice message telling us why YOU listen to the Earthkeepers podcast. Find the “We want to hear from you” button on the podcast website.

 Guests:
Erika Alvarez - LinkedIn profile (in Spanish) 
Johann Ruiz Michelson
Members of Casa Adobe—an intentional community in Santa Rosa,  Costa Rica (map) 

 Mentions:
University of Costa Rica
Rio Virilla (link in Spanish)—local river that's the focus of community programs
Casa Adobe's mission statement
90% of Costa Rica's electricity is generated by renewables 

Keywords: intentional community, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, mushroom farming, compost, faith community, water recycling

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