EcoJustice Radio

On today’s show, we feature a mix of reports and interviews to expose the folly of this continuing NATO war using Ukraine as a proxy to weaken Russia. We’ll hear from Michael Hudson and John Mearsheimer both on the Glenn Diesen podcast.

Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Global Geopolitics Substack, Putin in his own words from Sept 26: https://ggtvstreams.substack.com/p/clear-and-concise-does-he-sound-evil?triedRedirect=true

The Heartlands Tribune on X sharing Ross Kemp’s Extreme World report on Ukraine from 2015: https://x.com/heartlandstrib/status/2112576186454798636

Michael Hudson on Glenn Diesen’s Substack: https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/michael-hudson-europe-falling-under

John Mearscheimer on Glenn Diesen’s Substack:

https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/john-mearsheimer-russias-existential

Michael Hudson [https://michael-hudson.com/] is President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall Street Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is the author of Super-Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire (Editions 1968, 2003, 2021), ‘and forgive them their debts’ (2018), J is for Junk Economics (2017), Killing the Host (2015), The Bubble and Beyond (2012), Trade, Development and Foreign Debt (1992 & 2009) and of The Myth of Aid (1971), amongst many others.

Glenn Diesen [https://glenndiesen.substack.com/] is a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), and Associate Editor at Russia in Global Affairs. Diesen's research focus is geoeconomics, conservatism, Russian foreign policy & Greater Eurasia.

John J. Mearsheimer [https://mearsheimer.substack.com/] is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982.

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer: Blake Quake Beats

Show music: Jack Eidt and Blake Quake Beats

Episode 296

Photo credit: dangraf art on pixabay

For over two thousand years we have overlooked the scientific and cultural impact of human feeling. USC neuroscientist Dr. Antonio Damasio argues feelings and emotions are what make up human intelligence, consciousness, and the capacity for cultural creation. Thus when we look to engineering and policy solutions to our ecological collapse based on computational brainpower and artificial intelligence, we get lost along the way. By adopting a biological understanding of feeling, we can create a framework to advance the resilience of living systems.

Threats to democracy, autonomy, diversity, and culture are evident around the globe, amidst a rise in autocratic leaders and the forwarding of globalist, nationalistic, corporate and/or elitist agendas. How to manifest the world of our dreams? How to advance the causes of justice, equality, freedom and true, compassionate regard for all life? How might we create systems of governance that actually support the common good?

Max Henning, Neuroscientist and Technical Specialist of Behavioral Science and Learning at Democracy International [https://www.democracyinternational.com/], and former Research Assistant for Dr. Damasio, sheds light in this 2023 interview on why the future of humanity depends upon our reconnection to and biological understanding of feeling and how it serves as the underpinning for a vibrant, resilient democracy and an engaged citizenry that supports it.

The Quest to Understand Our Consciousness, Antonio Damasio, TED 2011: https://youtu.be/LMrzdk_YnYY

How Our Brains Feel Emotions, Antonio Damasio 2011 - BigThink: https://youtu.be/KsSv1KzdiWU

Max Henning believes that a new model of human nature, based on recent research on emotion and feeling, is critical for building a flourishing and resilient future. Max began his career as a neuroscientist at USC, where he worked with Dr. Antonio Damasio, studying the molecular and evolutionary basis of feeling, emotion, and social behavior. Inspired by his research, about the potential for cooperative problem-solving, he founded Novus Think Tank, an organization for bottom-up, community-driven positive change. He is now working on bringing this model of bottom-up governance to the public sphere, and is currently a graduate student in Democracy and Governance at Georgetown University.

Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

More Info: https://maxahenning.medium.com/a-new-social-framework-can-be-based-on-a-biological-feeling-of-feeling-25c8c0d263c5

https://democracyandsocietynet.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/ds-31-henning.pdf

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Executive Producer: Jack Eidt

Hosted by Carry Kim

Intro By: Jessica Aldridge

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 160

Photo credit: Max Henning

In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, we focus on the enduring legacy of 95-year old elder Oren Lyons, Onondaga Chief and a beacon of Indigenous culture and environmental activism. We explore Oren's insights from the 2024 Bioneers conference, his reflections on the Haudenosaunee principles of peace, and his impassioned plea for a value shift towards communal living and environmental harmony. Discover the unwritten history of Turtle Island and the wisdom that could lead humanity to a more just and sustainable world.

Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet.

We also share Oren Lyons – “We are Part of the Earth” from the Sacred Land Film Project, part of Earth Island Institute. Oren Lyons also decodes the classic story "The Wizard of Oz", from a Native American perspective.

Finally, we include an excerpt from the Indigenous Forum at the Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California. Recorded by friend of the show Janet Sager Knott in March 2024. We feature the moderator, Alexis Bunten, co-director of the Indigeneity Program at Bioneers, a song from Greg Castro, and discussions from Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, and of course, Oren Lyons.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

More Info:

Bioneers Conference https://conference.bioneers.org/

Oren Lyons, “We Are Part of the Earth” Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/bSwmqZ272As?si=crGAyku6eCrFwbaC

Oren Lyons on The Wizard of Oz, Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/t8ttzSwYFa8?si=43nbAQNXGPcz1ZuI

More on Oren Lyons: https://wilderutopia.com/international/earth/oren-lyons-on-the-unity-of-the-earth/

Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan who serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee peoples), is an accomplished artist, social and environmental activist, and author; a Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo; a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples; and the recipient of many prestigious national and international prizes including The UN NGO World Peace Prize.

Casey Camp-Horinek, a member of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma, is a longtime activist, environmentalist, actress, and author. Her work has led to the Ponca Nation being the first tribe in Oklahoma to adopt a Rights of Nature statute and to pass a moratorium on fracking on its territory. Casey, who was instrumental in the drafting of the first International Indigenous Women’s Treaty protecting the Rights of Nature, works with Indigenous and other leaders and organizations globally and sits on the boards of WECAN, Movement Rights, and the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 218

Photo credit: Sacred Lands Film Project

In this episode, we welcome Matthew J. Pallamary, an accomplished author and expert on ayahuasca, to Ecojustice Radio. Join us as we explore the profound impact of sacred plant medicine and its role in traditional societies. Matthew shares his personal experiences and insights on the importance of integrating visionary experiences into daily life, the myths surrounding ayahuasca, and the significance of respecting the spirits of plants. Discover how ayahuasca serves as a bridge to higher consciousness and the challenges faced in a society that often misunderstands these ancient practices.

Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Mystic Ink Publishing: https://mysticinkpublishing.com/

Matt Pallamary Audio Appearances: https://mattpallamary.com/media/audio/

Matthew J. Pallamary [https://mattpallamary.com/aboutmatt/] is an Author, Editor, and Consciousness Explorer. He has published 23 books including thriller/adventure, historic fiction, science fiction, horror, creative non-fiction, short story collections, and memoir. His latest is AYAHUASCA: The Mother Of All The Plants And The Voice of Pachamama [https://mysticinkpublishing.com/ayahuasca-the-mother-of-all-the-plants-and-the-voice-of-pachamama/]

Matt’s work has appeared in multiple magazines, journals, anthologies, and newspapers. He has been featured on internationally syndicated radio broadcasts and podcasts, including being a regular on Coast to Coast with George Noory. He has won awards from prestigious literary societies and led writing workshops at conferences and festivals. He frequently visits the mountains, deserts, and jungles all over the Americas pursuing his studies of shamanism.

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer: Blake Quake Beats

Original Music: Blake Quake Beats and Jack Eidt

Episode 295

Photo credit: Matthew J. Pallamary

In this episode, we engage with environmental filmmaker Angelina Lee, who discusses her documentary "Making a Mini Forest." Angelina shares insights into the Miyawaki method, a revolutionary approach to reforesting the planet that emphasizes planting indigenous trees in dense clusters to restore ecosystems efficiently. As we confront the realities of climate change and biodiversity loss, learn how microforests can be a powerful tool for community engagement and environmental stewardship. Join us as we explore the vital connection between forests and human well-being, and discover how each of us can contribute to a greener future.

Given the essential value of forests for planetary health it is imperative that we protect, preserve and plant the forests of tomorrow today. The Miyawaki method, developed 50 yrs ago by renowned botanist, ecologist & researcher Dr. Akira Miyawaki, known as the Keeper of Forests. Instilled with an ethos of humility, this multi-layered method of densely planting indigenous trees and shrubs can rapidly restore native forests, habitat, and biodiversity, to address human-induced climate change and help rebalance the hydrological cycle. Rather than be devastated by continuing news of massive tree cover loss across the globe through human actions of permanent agriculture, wildfires, logging, clearcutting and road-building through precious forest ecosystems, we can plant microforests, especially in small spaces on degraded lands.

We can humbly assist Mother Earth in bringing back diverse ecosystems and be a positive force for the planet. The best kept secret is that millions of human beings are right now acting to regenerate and reforest the Earth. Angelina Lee joins us to encourage us to plant the Trees of tomorrow now. As the saying goes…the best time to plant a tree is yesterday and the second best time is today.

Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

RESOURCES

Trailer for upcoming mini-forest documentary: https://vimeo.com/1186356912

Read autobiography “Forests for the Future” by Dr. Akira Miyawaki himself: https://japhy.or.jp/article/activity/detail-319.html

Read “Mini-Forest Revolution” by Hannah Lewis: https://hannahlewis.org

Learn more about Japan’s Miyawaki forest making: (Instagram handles) @dondon.gfwp, @inochi.no.mori2020, @renafo_eu

Get involved with Los Angeles micro-forests: https://lamicroforests.com

Angelina Lee is an environmental documentary filmmaker with Punk Pebble Productions based in Los Angeles. She directed the feature-length documentary Making a Mini-Forest, [https://punkpebble.com/films/mini-forest/] which celebrates the extraordinary global movement to plant Miyawaki “mini-forests" of trees that fight climate change and renew local biodiversity. This is based on the work by Akira Miyawaki (1928-2021), Japanese botanist and expert in plant ecology. The film premiered at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification's COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and has been screened in ten countries.

Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt

Hosted by Carry Kim

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 294

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of J.G. Ballard's provocative works, what later may be known as Climate Fiction, written mostly last century. From his early novel "The Drowned World" to the controversial "Crash," we delve into how Ballard's dystopian visions have shaped the genre. We feature insights from a PBS show Hot Mess, a short BBC film Ballard appeared in 1973 exploring his experimental novel of linked short stories called “The Atrocity Exhibition,” and a 2006 South Bank Show interview. We discuss the psychological and societal impacts of Climate Fiction, and how it might inspire change in an era of environmental urgency.

The Atrocity Exhibition is J.G. Ballard’s instruction manual on how to disrupt mass media and recontextualize technology in a dystopian landscape overrun with industrial waste and technological white noise.

The excerpt is from a 1973 BBC film directed by Harely Cokliss and features Ballard talking about car crash fetishism and the response to the bleak modern landscapes dominated by industrial monotony and the irrational violence of the technology-infused world which would coalesce into his controversial novel Crash, published in 1973.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

https://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/j-g-ballard-atrocity-exhibition-modernist-motorcar-dystopia/

James Graham Ballard who lived between 1930 and 2009 was an English novelist and short-story writer known for psychologically provocative works that explore relations between human psychology, technology, sex and mass media. Ballard’s original climate fiction work from 1962 was the post-apocalyptic New Wave science fiction novel The Drowned World. He followed with the controversial 1970 short-story collection The Atrocity Exhibition, which includes the 1968 story "Why I Want to F- Ronald Reagan", and later the 1973 novel Crash (1973), a story about car-crash fetishists.

In 1984, Ballard won broad critical recognition for the war novel Empire of the Sun, a semi-autobiographical story of the experiences of a British boy during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai;[4] three years later, the American film director Steven Spielberg adapted the novel into a film of the same name. From the distinct nature of the literary fiction of J. G. Ballard arose the adjective Ballardian, defined as: "resembling or suggestive of dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes, and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments."

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 233

Photo credit:

In the words of Terence McKenna, since the rise of western monotheism the human experience has been marginalized. We have been told that we were unimportant in the cosmic drama when one considers the power of creation of the one God. But we now know as the global temperatures rise and glaciers melt from the burning of fossil fuels and the feedback mechanisms associated with the greenhouse effect: the impact of human culture on the Earth is massive. So how do we reverse the course of destruction created out of the human imagination? Some have postulated plant medicines learned from Indigenous societies of the Americas have a way to reintegrate humans into the processes of the Earth to heal the sickness and warming all around.

In this show from 2024, we explore human symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals in the sacred peyote medicine used by the Native American Church in the US and in societies in the mountains of Mexico. We look at the work of several ethnobotanists who also studied the plants and the rites associated with ayahuasca or yage in South America. Richard Evans Schultes and Terence McKenna researched the ancient human relationship with chemicals that would open the doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. This show aims to explore the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness that can re-orient people to heal the fractured relationships with our communities and ecosystems.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Sacred Peyote Short documentary

Creed Spencer Film

with Bryce Jarrett

Appearing: Lisa Aldred PhD

Hartford Stops Crow

Dennis Holds - Crow

Alexandra Witkin-New Holy PhD Montana State Univ

Link: https://youtu.be/9rYdgHx8yrw?si=HWYDh8USmEEezLvC

----------

Fred Wahpepah - About the Peyote Ceremony from 7 Circles Foundation

https://youtu.be/7qa6N7anaV8?si=bNKuyXo_aTUT1IOp

----

Benedict Allen

Peyote the last of the medicine men - Huichol People of Mexico

https://www.benedictallen.com/

—--

Native Lens: Healing Through Peyote -- Rocky Mountain PBS

Amber Lahabe Dine/Navajo

Video: https://youtu.be/Q7gR5oXARII?si=XxHb1OrkdAS5vTOu

Icaros: https://youtu.be/hS21jI7p3hQ?si=QzRvHyvk2jhDRJTi

Father of Modern Ethnobotany, Richard Evans Schultes Interview from 1990

https://youtu.be/1lxtn7zbQfw?si=Z_5UXi0IOG-ml8Xg

Terence McKenna Culture is Your Operating System

https://youtu.be/9c8an2XZ3MU?si=kEfa47NLkh8-mZND

Terence McKenna - Eros and the Eschaton

https://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/terence-mckenna-on-shamanic-schizophrenia-and-cultural-healing/

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 225

Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov on Pexels

In this episode, we engage in a discussion about the preservation of forests with Chad Hanson, a research ecologist and director of the John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute and Maya Khosla, biologist and writer who actively documents and explores biodiversity of post-fire forests. They share their insights on the urgent need to protect giant sequoia forests and the misconceptions surrounding forest management practices. We delve into the impact of logging and biomass industries on forest ecosystems and explore the significance of natural fire cycles in promoting biodiversity. Join us as we uncover the truth behind forest health and the critical role these majestic ecosystems play in our environment.

Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Many of these so-called forest restoration and wildfire resiliency policies are misguided and highly destructive to the very forests and forest dwellers that they claim to protect.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

RESOURCES

John Muir Project, Click on TAKE ACTION: www.johnmuirproject.org

The Great Big Giant Sequoia Scam film: https://www.bing.com/search?q=the%20great%20big%20giant%20sequoia%20scam%20film%20you%20tube&FORM=ARPSEC&PC=3FPX&PTAG=53030277

Maya Khosla [https://www.mayakhosla.com/] is a biologist and writer who began exploring the biodiversity of post-fire forests in 2014. She is currently working with Sequoia ForestKeeper. Her work on giant sequoias after fire, conducted in collaboration with many other independent scientists, has been featured in Ecology and Evolution and in FIRE. Her books include “All the Fires of Wind and Light” (poems from Sixteen Rivers Press), “Keel Bone” (poems from Bear Star Press), and “Web of Water: Life in Redwood Creek” (nonfiction from Golden Gate Parks). Her work has been featured in documentary films including “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” and “Village of Dust, City of Water,” which included her poetry.

Chad Hanson [http://www.johnmuirproject.org/] is a research ecologist and the director of the John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute. Dr. Hanson has a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California at Davis, with a research focus on fire ecology in conifer forest ecosystems, and he is the author of the 2021 book, “Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate”. He is also the co-editor and co-author of the 2024 book, “Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature’s Phoenix” (Elsevier, Inc.). He has published several dozen scientific studies and articles in peer-reviewed journals pertaining to forest and fire ecology, and climate change.

The New York Times (August 6, 2017) described Dr. Hanson works on “the cutting edge of ecological research” (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/06/science/let-forest-fires-burn-what-the-black-backed-woodpecker-knows.html ). Dr. Hanson regularly authors opinion-editorial articles that are published in national newspapers.

Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt

Hosted by Carry Kim

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 293

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of neon signs with Corrie Siegal, Executive Director of the Museum of Neon Art and neon artist-craftsman and educator Michael Flechtner. Discover the history, artistry, and cultural significance of neon as we discuss its evolution from a symbol of class and modernity to its outlaw status and eventual resurgence as a cherished part of Americana and new expressions of glowing art. Join us as we delve into the intricate process of neon sign creation and the stories behind some of the most iconic signs in Los Angeles and beyond.

Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Neon Dreams: The Art and History Behind a Glowing Culture, PBS SoCal: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/neon-dreams-the-art-and-history-behind-a-glowing-culture

Corrie Siegel (she/her) is Executive Director of the museum of Neon Art (MONA) [https://www.neonmona.org/] in Glendale, California. As Co-Founder and Director of Actual Size Los Angeles, Siegel championed contemporary art and audience engagement for over a decade. In addition, she worked in museum education and administration at multiple art, music, and culture institutions in Los Angeles.

Michael Flechtner [https://www.flektro.com/index] is a neon artist based in Los Angeles, employing his mastery of three-dimensional sculpture, employment of visual puns, and his mentorship of future generations of neon benders. Born in Tiffin, Ohio, Flechtner had an early interest in colored light and electronics while a Bachelors of Fine Art student at Columbus College of Art and Design and during his Masters of Fine Art studies at Wichita State University.

In 1991 Flechtner presented his first solo exhibition at MONA. The exhibition was titled Ecce Signum, Latin for “Behold the Sign.” The title was emblematic of the artist’s play with a medium often associated with signage as well as his interest in symbols. Now, thirty-four years later, the title for his follow-up exhibition translates as “Behold the Craftsman.” The title serves as a testament to the simultaneous humility and staggering skill neon craftspeople cultivate in order to create their works.

Flechtner’s best-known public work in Los Angeles is the Neon Aquarium at Olympic and Sawtelle completed in 1998. In 1999 he became a J. Paul Getty Trust Fund Fellow. He was commissioned by the US Postal Service in 2011 to design a stamp for the Forever series: the Celebrate! Stamp. The original work of art is held in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

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Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

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Featured Guests: Corrie Siegel, Michael Flechtner

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer: Blake Quake Beats

Show music: Jack Eidt and Blake Quake Beats

Episode 292

Photo credit: Osceola Refetoff in PBS SoCal

In this episode, we journey into the profound world of art, storytelling, and connection with the remarkable Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the United States. Through her insightful keynote from the 2025 Bioneers Conference, Harjo shares her experiences and wisdom on the importance of listening, creativity, and the interconnectedness of all beings. We also feature a discussion with Cara Romero, Program Director of the Bioneers Indigeneity Program and a Chemehuevi artist and photographer. Join us as we explore the power of art in healing and community, and discover how we can cultivate a deeper relationship with the world around us.

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For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Joy Harjo keynote at the 2025 Bioneers Conference: https://youtu.be/syx6U3igUE4?si=up6aheCdvGGF5Yiu

https://bioneers.org/art-and-healing-a-conversation-with-joy-harjo-and-cara-romero/

Once the World was Perfect by Joy Harjo: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/141846/once-the-world-was-perfect

Joy Harjo [http://www.joyharjo.com/] the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and member of the Muscogee Nation, is the author of ten books of poetry, several plays, children’s books, two memoirs, and seven music albums. The author of eleven books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed, Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years, several plays, children's books, and non-fiction works, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior.

Her many honors include Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Cloud Runner, Harjo's twelfth book of poetry, will be published by W.W. Norton in Fall of 2026.

She is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she lives.

Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Program Director of the Bioneers Indigeneity Program, previously served her Mojave-based tribe in several capacities, including as: first Executive Director at the Chemehuevi Cultural Center, a member of the tribal council, and Chair of the Chemehuevi Education Board and Chemeuevi Headstart Policy Council. Cara is also a highly accomplished photographer/artist.

Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist and designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/].

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Featured Guest: Joy Harjo, Cara Romero

Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer: Blake Quake Beats

Show music: Jack Eidt and Blake Quake Beats

Episode 291

Photo credit: Joy Harjo/Matika