Great.com Talks With...

Old growth forests are home to some of the oldest and tallest organisms living on the planet and still exist today in British Columbia. Nearly 55,000 hectares of these forests are being logged every year, leaving 3% of Canadian old growths still in existence. We spoke to Andrea Inness from Ancient Forest Alliance, about what is happening to old forest trees in B.C., why they’re endangered and how to get involved.

Want to support the Ancient Forest Alliance? https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/

We spoke to People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) an organization that has been standing up for wildlife all over the world for over 40 years now. The interview took place with Ian White, a passionate dormouse conservationist. It turns out this small, adorable creature proves to be particularly valuable in all kinds of conservation work.

Want to support PTES? https://ptes.org/

In this episode, David Molden from ICIMOD explains that you can actually see the effects of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, with the ice there melting. Temperatures are rising 2-3x times faster there, which threatens to affect rainfall patterns, locals’ agriculture and 87% of its’ biodiversity. 

Want to support ICIMOD? https://www.icimod.org/

“It's not that hard to make a change is it? Just bend down and pick it up!” That’s what Erik Ahlström, founder of plogga.se and plogging itself, told us in this 20 minute interview.

Plogga is an environmental and health movement with a very special and fun approach, that started in Sweden in 2016. 'Plogging’ comes from a combination of the Swedish word for ‘pick up’ - ‘plocka upp’ - and jogging.

Want to support Plogga? https://www.plogga.se/

When we think about the destruction of forests worldwide, we often don’t consider the driving forces of their destruction, such as policies, consumption patterns and unsustainable production. We spoke to Global Forest Coalition, advocates of forest conservation policies to meet the needs of local communities that live in and depend on these natural spaces.

Want to support Global Forest Coalition? https://globalforestcoalition.org/

Nature Canada is an organisation formed of naturalists and specialists who respect nature, appreciate its wonders and do everything they can to act in it’s defence. Their work supports individuals, organisations and the Canadian government in defending and restoring natural ecosystems. We spoke to their executive director, Graham Saul, about their cause.

Want to support Nature Canada? https://naturecanada.ca/

The mission of a Doctor is to attend to human health. But since human health now is affected by environmental health, one of the best ways doctors can help humans, is to advocate for a clean environment. 

We talk with Robin Edger, the Executive Director and CEO of CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment). 

Want to support Cape? https://cape.ca/

In 2030 we might have more cigarette butts than fish in the sea. These small items of litter contain over 150 toxins and can take up to 15 years to decay. These are exactly the kinds of problems World Cleanup Day is trying to solve.

Want to support the World Cleanup Day? https://www.worldcleanupday.org/

According to the UN world hunger is due to inequitable distribution; Why is there an inequitable distribution? Food for Life Global, who provide 2 million vegan meals a day to people in need for 25 cents a meal, is trying to tackle this in an unique way.

Want to support Food For Life Global? https://ffl.org/

How worried should we be about the world’s wild cats? Well, it turns out we’re not the only ones struggling with environmental changes and dwindling resources. Panthera is the only organisation in the world that focuses exclusively on wild cat conservation and in today’s episode, we learn more about some of their work across the globe.

Want to support the Panthera? https://www.panthera.org/