Everything's Changing

Just in time for National Monarch Butterfly Day, Rebecca and Juliet are chatting with Dr. Rebecca Snyder, curator of conservation and sciences at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Dr. Snyder helped found the Oklahoma Monarch and Pollinator Collaborative, also known as Okies for Monarchs, which involves 50 organizations around the state, in increasing habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. Check out this week’s episode to learn more about these majestic creatures, what we can do to revitalize populations and the wonderful world of zoo conservation efforts!

The climate crisis brings with it a plethora of human emotion: shame, grief, hope and much more. Dr. Rebecca Nestor, an organizational consultant, facilitator and coach is looking to help build communities that offer people places to tackle all these emotions — alongside a nice slice of cake. In this episode, Rebecca and Juliet chat with Dr. Nestor about how she’s helping to build climate cafes, what they offer people and how — or why — to set up one in your own community.

We all know that sea-level rise, pollution and degrading ecosystems are bad for the planet, but are they bad for us, too? Yes, says Jessica Schiff, graduate student at Harvard who works with the Harvard Center for Climate Health and Global Environment, or Harvard C-Change. In this episode, Juliet and Rebecca chat with Jessica about the intersection between health and climate change and Harvard C-Change’s work to explore the direct and indirect impacts of global climate change on human mental and physical wellness.

If you’re looking for a way to level up your walk in the woods look no further than forest bathing (no water involved), a mindfulness practice of engaging with nature that began in Japan with the aim to combat burnout and help inspire people to save the forests. In this episode, Rebecca and Juliet chat with Tam Willey, a certified forest therapy guide about the history of the practice and how it can help to heal and rebuild our connection to nature and ourselves.

If you thought environmental activism was a job just for the young, think again. In this episode, Rebecca and Juliet chat with Jeff Haverly, Leader of the Heartland Chapter of Elders Climate Action, an organization of climate activists committed to non-partisan efforts to end the climate crisis and build and just and sustainable future for their children and grandchildren. They discuss the importance of collective action, why climate deniers aren’t crazy and how we can engage with them in a more respectful and meaningful way, and more!

How do you connect women’s empowerment, environmental justice and art, all while creating community around the climate crisis? If you’re Monica Jahan Bose, you do it with saris. In this episode, Rebecca and Juliet speak with the artist and former environmental lawyer about how she tapped into her heritage by partnering with women in her ancestral town in Bangladesh to launch an interactive art project called “Storytelling with Saris” that aims to empower women and connect international communities in the fight against climate change.

SALT! We love it on our food but what about in our water, corroding our bridges and harming our wildlife? While the 20 million tons of salt used on roads and sidewalks help keep us safe in winter months, it also ends up in our streams, drains, drinking water, and has real consequences for our infrastructure and environment. In this episode, Juliet and Rebecca chat with Emily Bialowas of Winter Salt Watch about the harmful impact of road salt and what we can do to minimize it.

From Iceland to Kenya, Nikhil Bahl’s work as a nature photographer has taken him across the world and back again, capturing and witnessing the beauty of our planet — and how it’s changing. On this episode, Juliet and Rebecca kick off season two by digging into Nikhil’s life and work, his experience of the rapidly altering landscapes he works with, and the realities of trying to plan for and understand a world in flux.

Did you miss all nine other episodes this season? You’re in luck — in this episode, Rebecca, Juliet and Veronica talk through their favorite highlights and guests from season one. They touch on “courageous radical imagination,” the importance and difficulty of community action around climate, and, among other things, why Veronica thinks everyone who doesn’t use a top sheet is a sociopath (Yeah, it’s a hot take but we’re edgy and that’s how we roll). Check it out, take care, recycle, compost, think empathetically about mushrooms and hang in there — we’ll see you next season!

In this episode, THE CICADAS ARE COMING and Veronica is excited. She, Rebecca and Juliet also catch up with Susie Wang, a researcher focusing on environmental psychology, who looks into how people feel about climate change. Susie talks about her forays into environmental neuroscience and behavioral research and offers advice on how we can all be communicating more effectively on the topic -- spoiler alert, the key is remembering that we're all not so different after all. Check it out!