Ecosystem Member

We’re back with a new episode with a really fascinating guest - Professor Marc Berman, who runs the Environmental Neuroscience Lab at the University of Chicago, which studies how the physical environment affects the brain and behavior. 

You’ve probably heard Marc’s name before as he has been one of the go-to experts over the last few years when it comes to understanding how time in nature can improve our cognitive capabilities.

This was an interesting chat as Marc came to nature through education, through research with Dr. Steve Kaplan, who specialized in environmental psychology, while he was a student at the University of Michigan. 

In the episode, we talk about some of the psychological and cognitive benefits of interacting with nature, the difference between voluntary and involuntary attention, the type of natural experiences that are beneficial (spoiler - they can be as simple as your local park) and how some of these benefits can be derived by simply looking at pictures of nature.  

We also talk about an amazing app that Marc has been working on. If you are a software developer or in the tech world, make sure to listen to the end. 

Links

Dr. Marc Berman in The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/nov/27/the-nature-cure-how-time-outdoors-transforms-our-memory-imagination-and-logic

Dr. Marc Berman on CNBC - https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/13/nature-activities-for-20-minutes-a-day-can-boost-mood-and-productivity.html

Dr. Marc Berman in APA - https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Today’s guest is a special one. For Earth Day, we couldn’t think of a better guest than Hila the Earth, an eco-rapper who embodies Mother Earth when she performs.

On this episode, we talk about why she dons Mother Earth for performances, her transition from Hila the Killa to Hila the Earth, the process of creating one of her songs, and creating a new vision for how we support community and care for each other.

One of the reoccurring themes in the episode is collaboration. From Hila’s dream to collaborate with Robin Wall Kimmerer to writing songs with scientists, Hila the Earth is an amazing example of how unique collaborations can bring mainstream attention to often complex issues facing the future of humans and the living beings we share Planet Earth with.

Make sure to check out Hila on Instagram and follow her on your favorite music streaming platform.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to the Patagonia Action Works platform. It is a platform created by Patagonia with Catchafire to help skilled people like you connect with environmental non-profits that could use your skills. So if you’re a designer, a lawyer, an accountant, a business strategist, a copywriter - literally almost any skill that you apply in your day job, you can use it to help a non-profit doing amazing work. I’ve completed more than 15 projects over the past few years and they are as rewarding for me as I hope they are for the non-profit. So if you do one thing in recognition with Earth Day, visit the Action Works website and search for a project using your skills.

In honor of Hila and my own appreciation of Robin Wall Kimmerer, I’ll share this quote from ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ before we get to the episode:

“We can starve together or feast together. All flourishing is mutual.”

Links

Hila the Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hilatheearth/

Hila the Earth on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/77NNum4ZBx4kmUF9eanJpS

Hila the Earth on Apple Podcasts - https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/hila-the-earth/1682028368

Patagonia Action Works - https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/home/choose-location/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Today's guest is David Stover, the co-founder of a company called Bureo that I've been tracking for quite a while now. I first came across Bureo through Patagonia, which was an early backer and customer for its products. Now Bureo has brand partners across the apparel and outdoor space from YETI and REI to Rivian and Outerknown. And if you've listened to our episode with Outerknown co-founder John Moore, Outerknown goes the extra mile to partner with only responsible suppliers.

As you'll hear David explain, Bureo is tackling the problem of discarded fishing nets in our oceans by working with local communities and governments to set up collection points and create end of life solutions to turn those discarded fishing nets into a recycled material suitable for everything from hat brims and skateboards to gear like rain jackets and Patagonia's iconic Baggies shorts.

We start at the start, hearing about how David connected with the ocean as a child on Block Island and how maintaining that connection with the ocean helps him think clearly and operate efficiently as an entrepreneur.

Despite some scary stats about the levels of virgin plastic production, I think you'll come away hopeful that there are people and companies taking steps to challenge some of the biggest problems our world is facing today.

Links

Bureo website - https://bureo.co/

Bureo on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bureo/

Bureo film from Patagonia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LHMZmtpZdg

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Our guest for this episode is Anthony Owosekun, founder of EMPOCA, the only organization in Europe that connects Black kids and teens with nature. 

On the episode we talk about how Anthony’s experience in the Boy Scouts in Northern Germany influenced his connection with nature and drove him to start EMPOCA, how creating safe spaces to help children connect with nature can help cultivate key life skills like self-reliance, confidence and leadership qualities, and how forming that positive connection with nature can help ensure that they’ll want to act to protect it into the future. 

The work EMPOCA is doing is really important to make sure outdoor spaces feel welcoming for everyone. As we discussed with Keme Nzerem, co-founder of Opening Up the Outdoors, a few episodes ago this isn’t about exclusion, it’s about making sure all people feel safe in outdoor spaces, especially those people who have historically felt unwelcome. 

Huge thanks to Anthony for engaging in such an open and honest conversation. Especially since he was generous enough to conduct the interview in English rather than his native tongue, German, of which I haven’t not studied since I graduated from high school far too many years ago.

We did experience a few small audio issues, so please bear with us as this conversation is an important one and EMPOCA is an organization worthy of your support. Make sure to visit their website at empoca.org and yes there is a version in English for those of you like me who are not as skilled as our multi-lingual friends. 

Links

EMPOCA Website - https://www.empoca.org/ 

EMPOCA on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/e_m_p_o_c_a/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Our guest is Mikkel-Lau Mikkelsen, head of the foraging program at MAD, a non-profit founded by Chef Rene Redzepi of Restaurant Noma to inspire and empower the global hospitality industry to create sustainable change and transform food systems for the future.

Foraging is something I am super interested in, but have always been a little hesitant to engage in directly. This conversation answered all of my concerns.

In the episode, Mikkel-Lau outlines his background growing up in Copenhagen and finding a connection with nature through more of a kitchen out approach. We discuss how our industrialized food system creates what he calls interfaces that keep us separate from our food, and that foraging can enable a direct connection that can influence how we think about the food we consume, wherever it comes from. We also talk about the method of foraging and the app that MAD developed that combines both the deep knowledge of some of the best foragers in Denmark with some of the best chefs in Copenhagen to give you a one stop shop for getting started on your foraging journey.

Huge, huge thanks to Mikkel-Lau for taking time to chat. I think his work and the work of MAD more generally is incredibly important and I am glad he was able to take some time away to share his connection with nature through foraging with us. Make sure to check out the links below for where to download the app, follow Mikel-Lau and his foraging activities on social media and also where to subscribe to MAD's epic email newsletter.


Links

VILD MAD - https://vildmad.dk/dk

VILD MAD App - https://apps.apple.com/dk/app/vild-mad/id1230602644?l=da

VILD MAD on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vildmaddk/

MAD Newsletter - https://madfeed.co/

Rene Redzepi on the Launch of VILD MAD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1xTPi8KA9A

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

This episode takes us to the Cornish coast, hence the change of intro sounds for this episode and the inclusion of some wails from a hungry grey seal pup. Grey seals are globally rare and the UK is lucky to have a third of the global population. They are particularly near and dear to my heart after I did a project with the fantastic Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust a few years ago and our efforts got some great public support from a Cornwall-based brand called Finisterre. Make sure to check out the organization through the link in our show notes.

Our human guest for this episode is the great Hugo Tagholm.

Hugo is a massively influential voice and leader in ocean activism in the UK and was my way in to understanding the issues facing the oceans and waterways of my new home in England after moving here a few years ago. He led Surfers Against Sewage into becoming a full fledged charity and one of the most respected and trusted voices when it comes to water issues in the UK. After an incredible run at SAS, Hugo became the Executive Director for the UK at Oceana.

In this episode, we talk about the ocean as a great leveler, working with nature rather than against it, how we can spur a just transition to transform our economy and culture for a more environmentally friendly future, and even a little bit of what Hugo talked about with His Majesty the King, King Charles, when he was the Prince of Wales and became a patron of Surfers Against Sewage. At the time of this recording, the King’s cancer diagnosis was not known and so myself and I am sure Hugo wish him a full and lasting recovery. King Charles has been and continues to be a powerful voice in the UK and globally on environmental issues.

Many thanks to Hugo for taking time to chat. Make sure to check out the links for a link to Oceana’s latest campaign video in support of banning bottom trawling in our Marine Protected Areas.


Links

Hugo Tagholm on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-tagholm-2a544235/

Hugo Tagholm on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hugotagholm/

Oceana UK Bottom Trawling Campaign Video - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7166784418081140736/

Oceana UK Website - https://uk.oceana.org/

Finisterre article on the Grey Seals and Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust - https://finisterre.com/blogs/broadcast/cornwall-seal-group-research-trust

Thanks to 'schaarsen' for the Grey Seal pup audio. https://freesound.org/people/schaarsen/sounds/662556/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Today's guest is Renee Patrick, a thru hiker, long distance trail consultant, and an environmentalist.

Renee is awesome for two specific reasons.

One, she's hiked some incredible long distance treks including the Triple Crown in the US, that's the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.

And two, she actually designs trails. Yes, Renee designs trails and how people experience them.

I am sure many of you are sort of like me and just assume trails appear as people walk repeatedly along the same path, and then some very nice folks come along and help maintain them and somebody maps them. Or maybe at the very least you just didn't really know exactly how your favorite trails got there, but Renee is one of those people who actually helps bring them to life in an intentional way.

Make sure to check out the episode and then check out Renee on Instagram @wearehikertrash (https://www.instagram.com/wearehikertrash/) to follow her amazing adventures and to see her latest projects.

She also hosts a forum called Intentional Hiking (https://www.intentionalhiking.com/) that we talk about in the episode that is well worth your time to check out.

As a reminder, if you like this or any of our Ecosystem Member episodes, please share them. As you've probably noticed, we don't have ads on the podcast and this project is entirely self funded so by sharing this episode, you effectively become the advertising that we don't really have the budget for. It is really, really appreciated. And I get a smile every single time I see someone share an episode.

Links

• Renee on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wearehikertrash/


• Intentional Hiking https://www.intentionalhiking.com/


• Ecosystem Member on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ecosystemmember


• iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

This episode’s guest is the incredible Keme Nzerem, a journalist, presenter and all around awesome guy here in the UK who I came across when he emceed a Patagonia Oceans event in 2023. His energy is infectious and his wisdom plentiful, so I was really excited when he agreed to record an episode.

Not only is Keme an award-winning journalist, he also is the co-founder of a really important organization called Opening up the Outdoors, which is a not-for-profit initiative that focuses on the continued inclusion, education, and enjoyment of outdoor spaces by people of the global majority.

In this episode, we talk about Keme's work as a journalist, with Opening Up the Outdoors and as a father helping instill a positive relationship with the outdoors and nature in his children. We also find out that Keme actually learned to ski in South East London, and for those listeners who like me have lived in South East London, you might be scratching your head as to what stop on the tubes the slopes are, so make sure to keep listening for the full story.

As a reminder, if this episode connects with you, please share it. And if you're really enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform. This helps people find the show, and it helps me great the most interesting guests possible by boosting the credibility of the show.

On to the latest episode of the ecosystem member podcast with Keme Nzerem.

Follow Ecosystem Member on Instagram - @ecosystem member

Keep up with Keme's adventures on Instagram - @nzerem

Check out Opening Up the Outdoors at https://openinguptheoutdoors.com

Audio Credits
White Crown Sparrow (Creative Commons 0) - Zott820 on Freesound.org
Merced River in Yosemite Valley (Creative Commons 0) - cbmontes on Freesound.org
Great Horned Owl (Creative Commons 0) - Sclolex on Freesound.org

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Hello folks, thanks for tuning in to the latest episode of the Ecosystem Member podcast. You may have noticed that the run time is a little longer than normal, and that's because I simply couldn't cut a minute of the amazing chat with today's guest, Melanie Challenger.

I found Melanie through her book "How to Be Animal" and then read her other incredible book, "On Extinction". In addition to being an amazing writer, Melanie edited a new book called "Animal Dignity", and is the Vice President of the RSPCA, UK.

Links

Melanie Challenger - https://www.melaniechallenger.com

'How to Be Animal' - https://bookshop.org/a/96865/9780143134350

'On Extinction' - https://bookshop.org/a/96865/9781640094635

'Animal Dignity' - https://bookshop.org/a/96865/9781350331679

Melanie on The Ezra Klein Show - https://youtu.be/M3Wxyec3FjY?si=bkRIfc8ravPk54g_

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com

Today on the Ecosystem Member podcast, we have Guy Singh Watson, the founder of Riverford Organic Farmers.

For our non-UK listeners who maybe haven't heard of Guy, he's a bit of a business and farming legend in the UK. After growing up on his family's dairy farm and then becoming a management consultant, Guy returned to the farm and created Riverford Organic Farmers, which in two stages, he actually completely sold to employees - probably for less than he could have gotten from outside buyers - so the company could stay true to its values.

I've been a subscriber to Riverford's veg boxes since I got to England a few years ago. Riverford is in no way paying for or sponsoring this episode, Guy just created a company with full respect for nature and I really admire his leadership on key issues related to healthy food production for people and planet.

Links

Riverford Organic Farmers - https://www.riverford.co.uk

The Guardian on Guy's Sale of Riverford - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/19/veg-box-riverford-staff-owned-founder-sells-stake-guy-singh-watson

Guy on Industrial Agriculture - https://youtu.be/96_CyHSNLXo?si=C5Z4b1WSJWUhHfmA

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ecosystemmember.com