#MUNIonThis: If you were nature, what would you say to humans?

In this episode,  you'll hear contributions from three women who participated in the Letters from Nature, a project we launched after Earth day with our friends from Agam Agenda, Habilin and Forest Foundation Philippines, to help us pause and reflect on lessons from nature.

Listen to Alex Paredes' letter from the Philippine hornbill or Kalaw, as they are locally known, Thea Serad's letter from soil, and Maye Padilla's Liham Mula sa Kalikasan, and our reflections on the role of mindfulness and presence in connecting to the more than human world.

After listening, we invite you to view the online gallery of contributed works compiled by Habilin via bit.ly/LettersFromNature-ArtGallery. You may also be inspired to write your own letter from nature via bit.ly/LettersFromNature or by posting on Instagram with the #lettersfromnature and tagging @muni_ph, @agamagenda and @habilin_.

This episode features a segment of the live recording of Muni's Letters From Nature gathering in partnership with Agam Agenda, Habilin and Forest Foundation Philippines. You'll hear a piece written by Padma Perez (our guest in our Writing Climate Stories episode) from the perspective of a seed, as read by spoken word artist Jam Pascual. The full length version of Padma's work is featured in the book Makisawsaw: Recipes and Ideas, edited by Mabi David (also our guest for Writing Climate Stories) and Karla Rey, published by Gantala Press. After Jam's reading, Mabi interviews Padma about her piece, her creative voice, inspiration, and then Padma also delightfully turns the tables and asks Mabi some questions, with some questions from some of our guests during the gathering.

You can contribute your own letter from nature via bit.ly/LettersFromNature or by posting on Instagram with the #lettersfromnature and tagging @muni_ph, @agamagenda and @habilin_, and view the online Letters From Nature gallery via bit.ly/LettersFromNature-ArtGallery.

#MUNIonThis: What is the role of stories in tackling our climate crisis? How might we think about writing the stories we choose to tell?

In this episode, we have a conversation with Padma Perez, strategist for creative collaborations of Agam Agenda - a place to reimagine climate conversations through stories and art, and host of the Agam the Climate Podcast (which Muni's Jen Horn joined for an episode), and Mabi David, co-editor of Makisawsaw, a collection of essays on food and political involvement, and the partnerships and advocacy lead of Good Food Community. Together, we explore how writing can be used as a tool to bring people together, not only to acknowledge our fears, but also help us imagine better futures.

After listening, you may be inspired to take part in our #LettersFromNature project, and join us on 15 May 2021, 4:00-5:30pm for Letters From Nature: a reflective & creative session together with Padma and Mabi and our other friends from Agam and Habilin. Sign up to join this gathering here.

Find Muni elsewhere online via linktr.ee/muni_ph.

This episode is brought to you by Forest Foundation Philippines, a nonprofit that supports projects that empower people to protect and grow our forests, and restores our connection with the natural world. Learn more about them and how you can make your project happen via forestfoundation.ph.

#MUNIonThis: What's it like being a woman in conservation? And what difference does it make when women lead?

In this episode, we have a personal conversation with two compassionately powerful guests: KM Reyes, co-founder of the women-led, youth environmental nonprofit, Centre for Sustainability PH, and Maya Quirino, advocacy coordinator of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center leading the #GreenprintPH campaign. We chat with them about gender and how that influences the power they wield in their work in environmental conservation, restoration and policy.

Furthermore, women leaders create so much impactful change within their families and communities in ways that are not always acknowledged or valued. So on 27 March 2021 we're also holding space for womxn working in ecosystem restoration—whether in conservation or regenerative agriculture, in advocacy or environmental policy, in community development, in environmental education, in art and storytelling, and so on—with the hopes that by connecting or reconnecting with one another, we can support each other in appreciating our strengths as women and reclaiming our power. Express your interest to join this event here. Guest list will be finalized by 25 March 2021.

Find Muni on Telegram: channel [t.me/muni_ph], group [t.me/municommunity]; and Instagram [@muni_ph].

This episode is brought to you by Forest Foundation Philippines, a nonprofit that supports projects that empower people to protect and grow our forests, and restores our connection with the natural world. Learn more about them and how you can make your project happen via forestfoundation.ph.

What has 2020 been like for you? And what lessons are you bringing in from the past year into your intentions for 2021? In this episode, we talked about living slow, connecting with nature, dealing with difficult truths, embracing imperfection, being present and having courage, among other insights. 

Using reflection prompts to share our thoughts and feelings with each other, we also invite you to use these prompts, and spark more meaningful conversations with yourself, and maybe your friends and loved ones too. 

You can also join us for an evening of reflection on January 29, 6-8PM for Reconnect & Regenerate, an intimate Muni community gathering where we'll be holding space for introspection, active listening and sharing, to help you reconnect with yourself, others and the planet. Express your interest to join this event here. Guest list will be finalized by January 25, 2021.

Find Muni on Telegram: channel [t.me/muni_ph], group [t.me/municommunity]; and Instagram [@muni_ph].

This episode is brought to you by Forest Foundation Philippines, a nonprofit that supports projects that empower people to protect and grow our forests, and restores our connection with the natural world. Learn more about them and how you can make your project happen via forestfoundation.ph.

What journeys do we take towards healing, and what role does reconnection play in that? Coming from our previous episode on Stories of Self-love, we journey further into mental health and well-being, with two women who spoke to us openly about their experiences with depression and suicide. Psychologist and farmer Elizabeth de Castro, and entrepreneur and freediver Gela Petines share their experiences with mental health, and finding healing by reconnecting with themselves, with others, and with nature.  

DISCLAIMER: We'll be exploring some sensitive topics in this episode, so if you don't feel like you're in the best headspace to handle it at the moment, you may consider listening to this episode at another time when you are more able.

Find Muni on Telegram: channel [t.me/muni_ph], group [t.me/municommunity]; and Instagram [@muni_ph].

This episode is brought to you by Forest Foundation Philippines, a nonprofit that supports projects that empower people to protect and grow our forests, and restores our connection with the natural world. Learn more about them and how you can make your project happen via forestfoundation.ph.

How might we be a bit more compassionate towards ourselves? The pandemic has changed life as we knew it, and we might think of this same time last year, and it feels like a whole other lifetime. The struggle we face in trying to function like our pre-COVID selves is an invisible and ongoing one for many.  So for this episode, we took some time to look inward, and invited three women working in sustainability to join us -- in doing a mental cleanup, not just to keep thoughts that spark joy, but to make peace with thoughts that don't serve us.

Timestamps: 00:36 - Introductions and stories by Jen Horn and Ayen dela Torre; 06:41 - Information Overload by Denise Alcantara; 09:49 - Reconnecting with Myself and Others by Jamie Dichaves; 12:40 - The Ultimate Act of Resistance by Bea Tulagan

Join the Muni Telegram channel [t.me/muni_ph] or group [t.me/municommunity].

You can also tell us your story of self-love this month via muni.com.ph/shareyourstory.

This episode is brought to you by Forest Foundation Philippines, a nonprofit that supports projects that empower people to protect and grow our forests, and restores our connection with the natural world. Learn more about them and how you can make your project happen via forestfoundation.ph.

What new types of activism are we seeing even while under quarantine? And how does today’s digital activism stack up to protests on the ground?

In this episode, we listen to stories of individuals whose activism is ignited by their rage and frustration with the state of the nation, but it is also fueled by hope and love for our country and its people.

We speak to actress Ria Atayde, whose career began with ABS-CBN, about the value of speaking up and influencing our circles to do the same, and then we talk to Katrina Stuart Santiago of @pagasa.ph about the necessary struggles of nation building. Between these interviews, you'll also hear briefly from political satirists and online personalities Macoy Dubs a.k.a. Auntie Julie and Dora Dorado about their stories of modern activism.

For access to our show notes and links to people and referenced mentioned in this episode, visit: muni.com.ph/post/podcast_ep11.

Find us on Instagram @muni_ph, and connect with us on Facebook via the MUNI Community page and MUNI Community group. This episode was brought to you by arete.ateneo.edu.

How can art bring us closer to nature, help us find psychological well-being, and give us an outlet to express the causes we believe in? 

We speak with two women artists who both found refuge and flow in creating art inspired by our natural environment, and then used their work to spread the love for nature and the need to protect it. Anina Rubio is a visual artist and muralist endeavors to create art that doesn't harm nature and creates less waste, insofar as the medium allows for it; while watercolor artist Cynthia Bauzon-Arre paints to give our own Philippines native trees, fruits and flowers the appreciation they deserve. Co-hosts Jen Horn and Ayen dela Torre also have their own personal realizations on the need to create for one's self, and how this helps enable us to show up for others and better speak out for the planet. Access the references cited in this episode here: muni.com.ph/post/podcast_ep10.

Find us on Instagram @muni_ph, and connect with us on Facebook via the MUNI Community page and MUNI Community group. This episode was brought to you by forestfoundation.ph.

The show's main producers / writers / hosts Jen Horn and Ayen dela Torre tell you what the show is about -- our way of dealing with our personal and collective distress about the state of our planet. And we feature voices of environmental advocates from several episodes -- sharing the struggles they face, but also the hope that endures. We hope this clip encourages you to explore our show to help you learn about their challenges, but also to help you find more reasons to hope and more motivation to act. Learn more about MUNI via muni.com.ph or via Instagram @muni_ph.