There’s no denying that the current moment is grim, for the environment, civil rights, and plain old human decency. But I once heard a wise man say that cynicism is the real enemy of progress. So now more than ever we must find ways to keep ourselves from falling into a cynical frame of mind. One way to do that is to reflect on the accomplishments of the brave people who have come before us to fight for justice and topple seemingly unstoppable Goliaths. This week on Sea Change Radio our guest is Larry Nielsen, a Professor of Natural Resources at North Carolina State and the author of a new book called Nature’s Allies. The book profiles some of the heroes that shaped the modern environmental movement, from famous figures like John Muir and Rachel Carson to lesser known activists like Ding Darling and Billy Frank, Jr. Then we dip into the Sea Change Radio archives to hear from an MIT grad turned knife-maker extraordinaire.