Join Nature in the Movies co-hosts Abby & Jackson at DCEFF! 💚🎬

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital has a mission to "harness the power of film and community to illuminate, celebrate, and inspire positive and lasting action for our planet."

In this episode, we talk about our experience attending the festival, volunteering with the organization and of course, review the three films we saw at the festival: Climate in Therapy directed by Nathan Grossman, Mother of Snow Cranes directed by Iiris Härmä, and The Last Dive directed by Cody Sheehy. We had a wonderful time and we are so excited to share our experiences with you! Enjoy 🌻🌿

Molly is an animal lover and paper straw advocate, who recently traveled to Australia and was inspired by their enthusiasm for wildlife and the planet. In this episode, we talk about the difference between seeing animals in captivity vs. in the wild. What can we learn/gain from both experiences? Listen to hear our thoughts! 🐨

Episode Highlights: Irwin family & positive conservation, taking baby steps to make a positive impact, how difference cultures/countries interact with nature & more!

 Mike lives in Western Pennsylvania and has worked in the conservation field for over 25 years. He enjoys playing the guitar, snorkeling, cycling, hiking, and spending time with his family 🤿

Episode highlights: snorkeling, working in Grand Teton National Park, sharing a love of nature with children, finding a balance between economic activity & conservation. Enjoy!

 Jackson & I invite you to 'attend' the first annual Nature in the Movies Awards 💚🎬

In this episode, we discuss and rank six movies from 2025 that have powerful environmental and nature themes:

🔥 Avatar: Fire and Ash, directed by James Cameron

🦄 Death of a Unicorn, directed by Alex Scharfman

🌳 The Legend of Ochi, directed by Isaiah Saxon

🚌 The Lost Bus, directed by Paul Greengrass

🏠 Rebuilding directed by Max Walker-Silverman

🧹 Wicked For Good, directed by Jon M. Chu

Listen to find out which film was awarded Nature With You Film of the Year! 🏆

I met Hailey as a student at Towson University, and she is such a wonderful individual. She is devoted to sharing her knowledge of sustainable farming and her love of nature 🪴

Episode Highlights

🏝️ activism on the beach

🐋 Maine trips & beauty

👩‍🌾 teaching sustainable farming on a college campus

📒 connecting to local nature through journaling

🌬️ nature’s brutality & resilience

💬⭐️ "You can make a difference. You can do it and a little goes a long way."

As always, Elisama brings her enthusiasm & vibrancy. We laugh and also get real about what it's like to live in Miami, Florida. Beaches, heat, constant construction, seagulls, hurricanes - you name it! Episode Highlights: commercialism & development in FL, hurricanes from a native Floridian's point of view, cheetahs & seeing wildlife, sharing family experiences in Nicaragua & Honduras and more. Enjoy!

Episode 35 is all about bugs 🐝🪱🐛🦋🐞🐜🪰🪲🪳🦟🦗🕷️

Age is but a number! Even as a kindergartener, Mabel has so much knowledge to share and a deep respect for nature. Her enthusiasm for bugs (especially the less loved critters like centipedes and spiders) and being nice to nature is contagious and sure to put a smile on your face.

In this episode, we talk about building a bug hotel, investigating an empty yellow jacket nest, why spiders are cool, and more!

Journey with co-host Jackson & me to a place where nothing is as it appears! 🏔️

Episode Highlights: amplify young voices & perspectives, build a relationship with nature, learn to live with the land, change is scary, but we have a responsibility to this planet, value of farming & role of farmers in creating solutions, and more.

A journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades - a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.

Directed by Don Hall, and co-directed & written by Qui Nguyen

Greg is a huge cephalopod nerd, enjoys traveling/appreciating the differences in the places he goes, and spends his free time exploring nature around Baltimore with his dog, Charlie 🐙

Episode highlights: cephalopods (specifically octopi), Iceland, clean energy, urgency to communicate environmental topics in accessible ways, and more. Enjoy! 🌻🌿

Emma is a sustainability advocate and content creator who focuses on free, easy, and fun ways to live a low waste life. Essentially, she's dedicated to making zero waste accessible for all! In her free time, Emma loves to read, hike, identify native plants, and partake in a variety of fiber arts. Join her on her mission to make the world a more eco place! Search The Simple Environmentalist ♻️🌎

Episode highlights: zero waste on a budget, intricacies of nature, living throughout the U.S., intersection of social and environmental issues, climate change on social media