Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

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This special episode features  a guest host from Uganda, Dr. Edward Olara, who Forrest interviewed in episode 71. Edward was once Forrest's student and has become a friend; they’ve worked together in Uganda to encourage and empower development professionals. Recently, Edward published a book called The Elephants and the Farmers. 

As the HOST of this episode, Dr. Olara interviews a Ugandan friend and colleague, Mr. Victor Ochen, the founder and Executive Director of the African Youth Initiative. Born in northern Uganda, he spent his first 21 years surviving a violent conflict that in the end displaced over three million people. In that conflict, the Lord’s Resistance Army forcefully recruited or abducted 60,000 children to serve as soldiers—and among them was Mr. Ochen’s own brother, who has never been returned.  

Since then, Mr. Ochen has worked for peace and healing—especially for victims of the war. In 2015, Forbes Magazines named him one of the ten most influential men to give new hope for Africa, and in that same year he became the youngest-ever African to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. More recently, he was awarded Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s prestigious African Young Leaders Award for his role in promoting the culture of dignity, peace and reconciliation.  

Guest Host: Edward Silas Olara 

• Book: The Elephants and the Farmers 

Guest: Victor Ochen 

• Director for African Youth Initiative Network 
• Facebook 
• Nobel Peace Prize Nominee 
• Accomplishments 

 Mentions: 

• LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) 
• Shea trees 
• Wangari Maathai 

 Keywords: environment, youth, politics, policy, war, conflict, trauma, healing, social justice, hate, intergenerational trauma, sustainability, tolerance, government, poverty, hope, education, information, society, inclusivity, resources, peace, conflict resolution, coexistence, farms, climate change, activism, economy, green energy, future, global cooperation, faith 

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In the last episode, we talked about the enormous impact that relatively mundane choices like what we eat have on the health of the planet. In this episode, we talk about another part of our everyday habits that we might not normally think about in earthkeeping terms: what we wear—and the impact of the clothing choices we make on the planet as a whole. To get us thinking about our OWN fashion habits, let me ask you a couple of questions: First though, pick just one item of clothing you are wearing right now. Do you know where that garment was made, and how far it had to travel to get to you? Or let me ask this: Do you know anything about the people who actually made the fabric this item is made of . . . . or anything about the people who stitched all the pieces together . . . or how much they were paid to do it? Do you even know what this item of clothing is made of—or importantly, what impact the making of that material had on the environment?  

I think a lot of us would be hard pressed to answer even one of those questions. But for those of us who long to become better at loving and caring for all creation, these are the kinds of questions we need to ask of ourselves and of our habits. And that is why we talked with Kathleen Audet, owner of an image consulting firm called Allegory. She has made it her mission to promote awareness about the things we wear—and to think about social and environmental justice when it comes to buying, owning, and even getting rid of clothing. Also, as part of our focus on “greening all vocations” in this season of the podcast, Kathleen shares the story of how she has found ways to do good for people and planet through her work as an image consultant.” 

Guest: Kathleen Audet 

• Allegory Styling 
• LinkedIn 

Mentions: 

• The True Cost  
• Rana Plaza collapse 
• Stewards of Eden by Sandra L Richter 
• James Speth 
• For Days 
• Allegory Resource Page 

Keywords: image consulting, sustainability, spirituality, religion, style, fashion, fashion industry, personal image, pollution, waste, consumers, affordability, ethics, fair labor, child labor, traceability, social justice, awareness, fast fashion, greening, scripture, creation care, capsule wardrobe, environment 

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While most listeners to this podcast have found ways to make changers in their lives in order to live in more earth-sustaining ways, how often do we pay attention to what we eat as a critical factor for an earthkeeping lifestyle? Think about the foods that made up the last meal you ate: Do you know where those foods came from? How they were produced? How those foods impacted your carbon footprint?  

In this episode, Forrest talks to nutritionist Leslie Aaron—a person who helps people answer such questions for a living. Leslie works to promote community nutrition in places all around the world. She and her husband Douglas also work as contractors with global nonprofits in disaster relief and have their own organization called Fulcrum Missions, which supports local churches and ministries through context-appropriate projects. In one of their most recent endeavors,  they’ve been working in Nicaragua  to set up aquaponics systems—an approach to farming both fish and vegetables in sustainable, environmentally sound ways.    

Guest: Leslie Aaron 

• Nutritionist 
• Fulcrum Missions 
• LinkedIn 

 Mentions: 

• Bastyr University 
• USDA Organic Certification 
• Monocropping 
• Circlewood Ecological Christian Leadership Cohort 
• Find us on our website: Earthkeepers 

Keywords: food, nutrition, community, diet, local food, vitamins, creation care, harvesting, greening, simplifying, organic, globalization, availability, childcare, child nutrition, traditional diets, herbicides, pesticides, whole foods, processed foods, ultra processed foods, ingredients, monocropping, animal products, cage free, free range, imports, social justice, environmental justice 

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In this episode, we talk with TJ Fittis, owner of Camano Island Coffee Roasters. I became a fan of Camano Island Coffee way back in 2006, when I asked the company’s founder, my friend Jeff Ericson, to come lecture in a course I was teaching. This course was all about social entrepreneurship—and for those not familiar with that term, a social enterprise is a business that exists not just for financial profit, but also for social benefits that somehow make the world a better place. Jeff was a great person to help me teach social entrepreneurship because, in the year 2000, he had founded Camano Island Coffee Roasters as a means of supporting ethical farming practices, fair pricing and wages, and most importantly, the production of great tasting, all-organic coffee. To accomplish these social and environmental objectives, he partnered early on with a nonprofit called Agros—and organization that helps the very poor in Central America to gain access to land for farming, and to establish new cooperative villages. Eventually, Jeff sold the company to his son-in-law, TJ—who continues to pursue these founding values of making the world a better place by practicing good—and profitable—business principles.  

But even if you aren’t a business person, there is wisdom in this conversation that can help us to make more earth-wise choices as consumers. That’s where we started our conversation, in fact—with the ways in which Camano Island Coffee uses their subscription-based model they call the Coffee Club, to provide a high quality, organic product that is better for the coffee consumer, for farmers, and for the environment.

Guest: TJ Fittis 

• Camano Island Coffee 
• LinkedIn 

Mentions: 

• Camano Island 
• Fair Trade Certification 

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Keywords: coffee, coffee roasting, fair trade, Camano Island, farming, farmers social justice, environment, small business, local business, organic, sourcing, decentralization, community, consumers 

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We’re glad to have you back with us as we launch season five of the podcast in this new year. The format of this episode will be a bit different because, as is our usual custom, our Executive Producer, James Amadon, and Forrest reflect a bit on season four and look ahead to some exciting new directions for season five.

James Amadon 

• Executive Director of Circlewood 
• Twitter 
• LinkedIn 

Forrest Inslee 

• Associate Director of Circlewood & Earthkeepers Podcast host 
• Twitter 
• LinkedIn 

 Mentions: 

• Episode 76 
• Episode 90 
• Episode 82 
• Episode 73 
• Episode 78 
• Episode 88 
• Circlewood Village 

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers 

Support the Earthkeepers podcast 

Check out the Ecological Disciple 

Keywords: earthcare, creation care, earthkeeping, new year, community, climate crisis, youth, future, climate anxiety, hope, greening vocations, Camano Island 

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This special episode encourages ways we can reimagine our holiday practices. Forrest is in conversation with Abby Fehrsen of Capetown, South Africa talking about how she and her family have creatively adapted their celebration practices to become greener. Then, toward the end of this episode, we’ll hear some holiday greetings from a number of Earthkeepers all around the world. You might remember Abby from an Earthkeepers episode that she hosted earlier this year, and from an interview in season three in which she and Liesl Stewart told us about their work helping communities to source their food in sustainable, earth-honoring ways from local producers. 

Guest:
Abby Fehrsen 

• Homeschool educator 
• Co-founder of a Food Club in her hometown of Cape Town, South Africa 
• Prior guest and guest host on Earthkeepers Podcast 
• Earthkeepers Episode 87 
• Earthkeepers Episode 57  

 Mentions: 

• Check out some photos of Abby’s driftwood Christmas tree on our Instagram! 
• New Year Plant Hunt 
• Winter Spiral 

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Keywords: Christmas, holidays, food, gift giving, family, tradition, locally sourced food, simplicity, values, choices, spending, celebration, sustainability, creation care, community, New Year, Hannukah, Kwanza, solstice

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Every culture has core stories - mythologies that have everything to do with group identity. Sometimes those stories are connected to national holidays, as in the case of the American holiday called Thanksgiving. But who gets to determine what those core stories should be? In this episode we welcome two wise women who have made it their life’s work to serve as truth-tellers, and advocates for the stories of Native peoples that are seldom heard. Lenore Three Stars of the Oglala Sioux Band of the Lakota Nation, and Robbie Paul of the Nez Perce People, are here to help us to understand the importance of knowing, telling, and listening to each other’s stories--in ways that bring healing and restoration. 

Note: If you or someone you know is suicidal, call one of the numbers listed on this website. If someone is in IMMEDIATE danger, please call your local emergency number. 

Lenore Three Stars 

• Oglala Sioux 
• Website 

Robbie Paul 

• Nez Perce Nation 
• Founding director of Native American Health Sciences at WSU Spokane
• Oregon Health Sciences University
• Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse Club
• LinkedIn 

Mentions:
National Museum of the American Indian
American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving
More resources about Thanksgiving: x, x, x, x, x
Doctrine of Discovery
Indian Removal Act
Nez Perce War
Standing Rock
Cheyenne River Agency
Pine Ridge
Little Bighorn
Manifest Destiny
Ghost Dance Religion and Wounded Knee Massacre
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Keywords: revisionist history, epigenetics, intergenerational trauma, Native boarding schools, residential schools, decolonizing theology, Manifest Destiny

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For many of us who are really committed to earthcare causes, it is easy to put all our focus on changemaking, on action, and on working for a more hopeful climate future. Sometimes though, we focus on taking action without really taking time to embrace the reality of what has already been lost due to climate change. Our guest in this episode makes the case that we need to allow ourselves to grieve what we have lost—and that this grieving will ultimately help us to become better, more honest earthkeepers. Hannah Malcolm is an assistant curate in the Church of England, a young mother, and the editor of a book of essays called "Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church.”

Guest: Hannah Malcolm 

• Church of England
• IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Board member at Operation Noah 
• Grieving the Earth as Prayer 
• Words for a Dying World 
• Twitter 

 Mentions: 

• Aquinas 
• Sycamore Gap 
• Landmarks by Rob Macfarlane 

Keywords: climate grief, climate anxiety, mourning ecological loss, lament, liturgies, Psalms, ministry, church, worship, children, climate change, ecological collapse, creation care, earth advocacy, ecology of place, language, generational grief, climate justice, climate inequity

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In the Earthkeepers podcast, we often talk about learning how to listen well—to the land, to the family of creation, and to Spirit. How, though, can we listen to our relatives who live under water? Our guest in this episode is Joe Olson, who has designed and built hydrophones – underwater microphones that he tailors specifically for hearing the voices of dolphins and whales. In fact, Joe recorded the voices of the whales at the opening of this episode. In this episode, we turn the tables and record Joe’s voice!

Guest: Joe Olson 

• Cetacean Communication , principal scientist 
• Cetacean Communication Instagram
• Cetacean Research Technology founder and past president

Mentions: 

• Springer 
• Namu 
• Namu Song
• Tokitae 
• Friends of Tokitae 
• Lummi Nation 
• WorldPop:  Facebook , Instagram, Twitter 

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Keywords: hydrophones, cetaceans, sound, water, noise pollution, orca whales, culture, conservation, animals, captivity, animal rescue, music, connection 

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What are the earthkeeping challenges in a place where human beings have been impacting the environment since the Paleolithic era? How does one think about restoring nature in a place known as the cradle of civilization? In this episode, we gain some practical wisdom from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. For that perspective, we welcome Mohammad Asfour, founding chair of WADI—an organization that advances water conservation and land stewardship practices in Jordan. He is also an environmentally conscious businessman and a skilled nature photographer. Among other things, Mohammad has fascinating proposals regarding the power of positivity psychology and mindful practice to help us become better earth keepers.

Guest: Mohommad Asfour 

• Founding chair of WADI 
• Businessman and nature photographer 
• Twitter 
• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

 Mentions: 

• Check out some of Mohommad Asfour’s photos; Jordan Photos 
• Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature 
• Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship 
• International Positive Psychology Association 
• NEXUS business, enterprise and philanothropy organization 

Keywords: water conservation, environmental activism, ecosystem restoration, restorative planting, native plants, sustainability, microclimates, stewardship, community, education, civil society, governance, entrepreneurship, carbon, culture, positive psychology,  

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
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