In this episode of EcoJustice Radio, host Jack Eidt speaks with Ryan Killackey, filmmaker of the award-winning documentary film set in the Ecuadorian Amazon, "Yasuni Man." Plus, Zoe Cina-Sklar, campaigner for the #EndAmazonCrude effort by Amazon Watch, shares how California communities can play a powerful role in the fight for a just transition off fossil fuels.

More Info: http://www.yasuniman.com/

YASUNI MAN is the award winning documentary feature about a conflict raging deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon. Once under siege by missionaries seeking to civilize them, the Waorani people battle oil industry operatives and their own government in a fight to survive. Join filmmaker Ryan Patrick Killackey and his Waorani friend Otobo as they embark on an expedition into the most biodiverse forest on Earth. Witness what may be lost as oil companies encroach, human rights violations run rampant, and a forest Eden is destroyed - all for the oil that lies beneath Yasuni.

Featured on National Geographic Radio and TV, BBC Radio, PBS and The Guardian, Killackey’s Yasuni Man traveled the world, earning 35 official selections, 23 nominations, and 15 award wins. The film screened in 16 countries worldwide and partnered with the United Nations CINE-ONU program. Translated into 7 languages for it’s streaming release, Yasuni Man continues its effort to raise awareness around the exploitation of indigenous peoples in the Amazon, biodiversity and habitat loss, and the unsustainable exploitation of non-renewable natural resources.

Supported by a diverse coalition of NGOs and a powerful group of celebrities, a portion of the film’s proceeds will go to the Amazon Emergency Fund, a fund created to fight the outbreak of COVID-19 in Amazon indigenous communities - https://www.amazonemergencyfund.org/

STREAM the Film:

GooglePlay

(in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese)

https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Yasuni_Man?id=DzYRWAUEknE.P&hl=en

Amazon

(in English and Closed Caption) 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08CVRTWBF/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/yasuni-man/id1523042123?ls=1

(in English and Spanish) 

Vimeo

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/yasuniman

(in English)

Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 and WilderUtopia

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Music: Javier Kadry

Episode 16

Watch "Yasuni Man" in upcoming film festivals near you: www.yasuniman.com

Join Amazon Watch's campaign to #EndAmazonCrude:

http://www.EndAmazonCrude.org

Follow EcoJustice Radio on KPFK 90.7FM, the weekly program brought to you by SoCal 350 Climate Action:

www.SoCal350.org

Learn how our "wasted resources" have direct social, economic and environmental impacts and how local groups are creating local solutions.

This episode's guests are tackling the environmental issues of soil health and wasted organics, all the while building community roots and social equity through local composting and thriving urban farms.

Guests:

- Derek Steele, Health and Equity Programs Director for Social Justice Learning Institute - www.sjli.org

- Michael Martinez Executive Director, LA Compost- www.lacompost.org

- Jessica Aldridge, Zero Waste/Sustainability Dir. and Founder of Adventures In Waste - www.adventuresinwaste.com

EcoJustice Radio on KPFK 90.7 is produced by SoCal 350 -- www.socal350.org -- and happens every Wednesday at 2:30 pm.

Episode 15

Hear from Woodrow Curry, lifelong resident and lead organizer for the grassroots coalition Uplift Inglewood, talking with host and executive producer of EcoJustice Radio Mark Morris about the ongoing community pushback against overdevelopment in the area. They discuss California's Assembly Bill 987, aiming to fast track development of a Clippers stadium on public land in Inglewood and ignoring the need for housing, green spaces and the public good.

Photo by: Unsplash//Kimson Doan

Uplift Inglewood: www.upliftinglewood.org

SoCal 350: www.socal350.org

Episode 14

Each year, up to 40% food in the United States is not eaten from production to plate contributing to the largest source of waste in our landfill (organics) and the second largest source of anthropogenic methane gas in California. All the while, there are 1.5 million Angelenos who are food insecure. Our guests are working to build healthier food environments and resilient communities by improving our regional food economy and making good food accessible to all.

Host: Jessica Aldridge, Adventures in Waste and co-founder SoCal 350

Clare Fox, Executive Director, Los Angeles Food Policy Council. The Los Angeles Food Policy Council is a collective impact initiative working to build a Good Food system for all Los Angeles residents — where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable. In her role as Executive Director, she supports and collaborates with a large network of public, private, non-profit and community leaders to catalyze policy and systems change for a sustainable and fair food system.

Jose Ramirez, Executive Director, Saint Francis Center Los Angeles.

For 45 years, St. Francis Center provides hunger relief to homeless and extremely low-income families and individuals in Los Angeles. In his role as Executive Director, he has provided the leadership necessary to help the Center expand its services and continue serving more communities in need.

Adventures in Waste on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adventuresinwaste/

Adventures in Waste on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/adventuresinwaste/

Los Angeles Food Policy Council: http://goodfoodla.org/

St. Francis Center: https://www.stfranciscenterla.org/

'Yasuni Man' The Movie: http://www.yasuniman.com/

Photo: Unsplash//Peter Wendt

Episode 13

Marcus Lopez Senior, member of the Barbareno Chumash Nation in California, speaks with Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 on climate chaos and the impacts on the Chumash people from fires, mudslides, colonization, land theft, gentrification, and offshore drilling. Marcus is also co-host and Executive Producer of American Indian Airwaves on KPFK, one of the oldest running Native American radio shows in the US.

The Lopez family were directly impacted by the deadly January mudslides in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, following the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California history, that charred almost 300,000 acres and destroyed over 1,000 homes.

Donate to help the Lopez family recover from the tragedy: https://www.gofundme.com/d5pnsv-lopez-family-in-montecito-mudslide

Mark Morris give the Words from the Front segment on the protests against the Trump Administration's move to open up most of the US's coastlines to offshore drilling.

Image shows a section of US 101 blocked by debris after January's mudslide in Montecito, California. Credit: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department/Handout/Reuters

Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Episode 12

This originally aired February 2, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.

Is driving your car in LA destroying the Amazon rainforest? Hear Zoe Cina-Sklar, Campaigner for Amazon Watch, discuss the "End Amazon Crude" campaign and discover the numerous connections between LA's oil addiction and preservation of the rainforest.

Amazon Watch protects the rainforest and partners with indigenous and environmental organizations to promote human rights, corporate accountability and preserve the Amazon's ecological systems. The Amazon rainforest is part of the world's cultural and ecological heritage – and an irreplaceable source of “life.”

If you live and drive in LA or depend on oil in any way, find out how you can help reverse deforestation and displacement of Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Learn how your own oil consumption might be supporting the continued flow of Amazon crude in LA. Amazon Crude is now the second most imported oil in the U.S. from a single foreign country (after Saudi Arabia).

The majority of Amazon Crude gets refined in California and unfortunately, is driving expansion of oil operations in the rainforest. Amazon Crude is refined or destined to be refined in our backyard, at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo.

Rainforests regulate the global climate and are key to maintaining our broader ecosystem. We are dependent upon them for our survival. The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest and is larger than the continental U.S. It is home to: 1/3 of the Earth's plant and animal species; produces 1/5 of all its flowing fresh water; provides 1/5 of the world’s oxygen; and 30% of its biodiversity.

Nearly 400 distinct indigenous peoples depend on the Amazon rainforest for their physical and cultural survival. At current rates of deforestation, 50 percent of the Amazon could be devastated by the year 2020. Global deforestation contributes 20–25% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Educate yourself on this issue and help be the change!

Follow the money behind Amazon Crude and join the campaign to divest your own funds and help drive world divestment from the fossil fuel industry. Learn who's bankrolling oil companies operating in the Amazon, help #KeepTheOilInTheSoil and #OilMoneyOut.

http://amazonwatch.org/assets/files/2017-stop-fueling-amazon-destruction.pdf

Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Episode 11

This originally aired January 26, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.

Join us for an inspiring interview with Joanna Macy, Eco-philosopher and Buddhist scholar. Listen to her share precious insights from her five decades as an activist, author and visionary teacher of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep ecology. A profound leader, grassroots organizer and compassionate voice, Joanna Macy has devoted much of her life to the movements for peace, justice, and ecology.

Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change, she has also authored numerous books, including 'Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy,' written with Chris Johnstone. Having empowered thousands of people worldwide to transform the despair and apathy caused by overwhelming social and ecological crises into constructive, collaborative action, she invites others to perceive the world in a new way that supports the continuance of life.

The Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.

More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/

Sabina Virgo from SoCal 350 does the Words from the Front, speaking on the Poor Peoples Campaign at the January 15 Martin Luther King Day Parade in Los Angeles.

Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Episode 10

This originally aired January 8, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.

Learn about the visionary Half-Earth Project! Conceived by world-renowned biologist and Pulitzer prize winning author, E.O. Wilson, the Half-Earth Project is headed up by Dr. Paula Ehrlich, President & CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. This remarkable project proposes the goal of conserving half the Earth in order to protect 85% or more of species, including human beings. E.O. Wilson has been called the "father of biodiversity" for his lifetime commitment to this field. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation helps foster stewardship of the Earth, biodiversity research and education initiatives and protection of biodiversity worldwide. Voice your support the Half-Earth Project and help protect all life on Earth!

More info: https://eowilsonfoundation.org/half-earth-our-planet-s-fight-for-life/

David Landfrom from the National Parks Conservation Association gives 'Words from the Front' on the ongoing threats to National Monuments from the Trump Administration.

Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Episode 9

This originally aired January 1, 2018 on KPFK 90.7 FM, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.

Southern California Gas Company was responsible for a recent chemical spill in the Rancho Park area of West Los Angeles that caused a strong gas-like odor to blanket surrounding neighborhoods. The Los Angeles City Council directed various agencies to investigate, with area residents and two councilmen voicing heavy criticism of SoCal Gas's handling of post-spill communications.

Jack Eidt spoke with three major environmental justice advocates with experience working to protect communities from these health dangers. Andrea Leon-Grossmann is a Southern California Organizer with Food and Water Watch. A resident of the LA neighborhood of Rancho Park, she works on the campaign for a just transition to 100% clean, renewable energy in Los Angeles. Susan Gorman-Chang is a member of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council and leader for the community group Save Porter Ranch that has fought to expose the dangers to the community from the Aliso Canyon gas leak. Marta Segura, Climate Law Institute Southern California Engagement Director, builds and strengthens partnerships to protect communities, their health and the environment from oil drilling, oppose oil and gas projects, and support the enforcement of environmental protections in Southern California.

Words from the Front was done by Alicia Rivera from Communities for a Better Environment. She spoke on recent fenceline air quality monitoring regulations for petroleum refineries proposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Interview by Jack Eidt from SoCal 350 Climate Action and EcoJustice Radio.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio speaks with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the voice of a generation, author of 'We Rise' and an inspiration to youth and activists worldwide. Envision and create the world as it "might be" with this indigenous eco hip-hop artist, activist and Youth Director of Earth Guardians, a global non-profit which empowers young people to protect the Earth for a healthy, just and sustainable planet.

A front-line activist and grassroots organizer since he was 6 yrs old, he’s addressed the U.N. on climate policy three times and now shares his message of empowerment through unity, environmental stewardship, climate justice and artivism worldwide. His new album 'Break Free' drops in February 2018. Listen to him rap live and hear his song, One Day, a call to dreaming in a new sustainable Earth.

https://www.earthguardians.org/xiuhtezcatl/

https://www.xiuhtezcatl.com/my-story/

https://www.amazon.com/We-Rise-Guardians-Building-Movement/dp/1635650674

Words from the Frontline features Timothy Murphy from Progressive Christians Uniting, talking about the launch of the Poor People's Campaign, and Andrea Leon Grossman, an organizer from Food & Water Watch, speaks on the leak of the dangerous chemical mercaptin, an odorant in natural gas, that happened in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Rancho Park recently, and about hearings to investigate the role of SoCal Gas in the spill.

Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.

Host and Engineer: JP Morris

Executive Producer: Mark Morris

Episode 7