Shaun Lee is an Auckland-based designer, illustrator and photographer. Shaun started his career as a web designer and then co-founded Auckland’s foremost business-to-business design studio. Shaun now only works on environmental initiatives and has dedicated his life to improving the state of the planet. A true eco-warrior in every sense.

His environmental advocacy work is extensive and varied, including serving as Co-Founder and Trustee of Revive Our Gulf, New Zealand’s only large-scale, active marine restoration initiative. In this conversation, Shaun shines a light on the damage done to the Hauraki Gulf, and the causes, and also discusses the ambitious plans of Revive our Gulf for large-scale restoration of the area.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Shaun’s background and passion for saving the planet!
• Shaun’s creative advocacy work including MOST New Zealand and NZ Tracker
• The importance of visual mediums in communicating climate concerns
• The water quality degradation and ecosystem decline of the Hauraki Gulf
  • The current state of the water quality
  • What’s contributing to the Gulf’s decline
  • Green-lipped mussels fishery collapse
  • Impacts of trawling and dredging on marine life
  • Bottom trawling and sediment plumes
  • The potential for dead zones within the Gulf
  • Scientific trawling conducted by fisheries in New Zealand
• Revive our Gulf – restoring the mussel reefs that once dominated the Hauraki Gulf
• The benefits and logistics of ‘re-musseling’
• How listeners can get involved in active restoration

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

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To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Chloe Price is a freshwater ecologist and environmental scientist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Chloe has an interdisciplinary academic and professional background in freshwater and terrestrial ecology and is passionate about ecological restoration and regeneration, catchment enhancement, and fostering collaboration within and between communities.

Outside of her day job Chloe is also a member of Project Blue, a New Zealand not-for-profit organisation with the purpose of raising awareness of the harms of plastic pollution on our environment and the failures of Western recycling systems. Chloe brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to this fascinating chat and leaves us with examples of actions we can all take to help make this world a little cleaner and greener.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Chloe’s background and passion for environmentalism
• Biodiversity offsets and the true effectiveness of these measures
• The main causes of degradation to New Zealand’s waterways
• Project Blue, their mission to reduce the harms of plastic pollution and their recent documentary ‘For The Blue’
• Limitations of current recycling systems
• The enormous scale of our rubbish problem, resulting in the offshore processing of waste
• Community engagement, education, and advocacy for driving effective change
• Environmental restoration projects and how to get involved

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Dr Emily Flies is an award-winning science communicator and researcher in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Tasmania.  Emily has co-founded two successful Science in the Pub non-profit organisations (in Adelaide and Hobart), is the founder and director of Tasmania's Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellowship Program and co-leads the Healthy Landscapes research group at UTAS.

As a health ecologist, Emily blends field, molecular and statistical techniques to understand how the environment shapes human health, particularly the health benefits of engaging with biodiverse natural habitats. Emily brings a wealth of knowledge to this conversation, including some practical pointers on how we can all reap the benefits of immersing in, protecting and restoring the natural world.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Emily’s impressive background and a keen interest in the health benefits of nature exposure
• The profound importance of a biodiverse environment
• Biodiversity concerns in Australia and New Zealand
• Australia’s Strategy for Nature: Australia’s national biodiversity strategy and action plan
• Managing and connecting with nature in both urban and rural environments
• How and why immersing in nature supports our mental and physical health
• Biodiverse environments, the human microbiome and immune function
• Benefits of participating in ecological restoration programs
• Backyard Biodiversity: How to make your backyard more biodiverse

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Harrison Talarico is a Field Ranger with the New Zealand Department of Conservation, working as a member of the Southern New Zealand Dotterel/Tūturiwhatu Recovery Team on Rakiura.

For long-term listeners however, Harrison will be a familiar name, as he first joined us in season 2 episode 43 – at that time as an honours student with Adrift Lab, where he studied acoustic indices and their usefulness in tracking the migratory arrival of short-tailed shearwaters.

From one bird species to another, Harrison is now focused on helping save the critically endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel. Being found only on Stewart Island and with less than 145 birds left in the wild, this is a crucial race against the clock.

In this episode we discuss:
• Harrison’s background and update on his honours project
• The complexities and usefulness of acoustic monitoring in ecology
• Important advice for students considering a research pathway
• Harrison’s work and internship with the not-for-profit Arid Recovery
• Current work with the Department of Conservation
• The critically endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel
• Dotterels and issues with pests, pets, genetic diversity and human interactions
• Plans moving forward to help save this important bird species and other wildlife

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Lauren Sandeman is a dedicated ocean campaigner, whose current work focuses on transforming Australia's shark culling programs into scientifically-supported non-lethal mitigation programs as the campaign head of Sea Shepherd's Shark Defence Campaign.

Lauren is also a TEDx speaker and co-founder of Cosplay Clean Up Global, inspiring people to embrace their inner superheroes to combat marine plastic pollution and support marine conservation through everyday changes. As if that’s not enough, Lauren also serves as Operations Director for Envoy: Shark Cull. It’s safe to say Lauren is a shark expert!

Sea Shepherd’s Shark Defence Campaign sheds much-needed light on the destructive nature of state-sanctioned shark ‘control’ programs in Australia, and here we chat with Lauren about why we should all love sharks and what their loss would mean for ocean biodiversity. There are many important take-home messages in this chat, including how every single one of us can use our voice or our actions to elicit change – even if the task at hand is a big one.

In this episode we discuss:
• Lauren’s background and love of the ocean
• Founding Cosplay Clean Up Global
• Lauren’s involvement in Envoy: Shark Cull
• Sea Shepherd’s mission, significant wins, and current campaigns
• The enormous extent of marine plastic pollution
• Why sharks are critical for the health and biodiversity of our oceans
• The realities of current shark control measures and shark-human interactions
• Alternative shark protection methods
• The value of media for driving change
• The United Nations high seas treaty
• Australian shark conservation – what needs to change
• The importance of individual actions – becoming an everyday superhero
• How you can support Sea Shepherd’s work

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Associate Professor Martin Brook is a Chartered Geologist (CGeol) and director of the Master of Engineering geology degree at the University of Auckland. Martin was part of the landslide emergency response team for the Gisborne state of emergency in November 2021 and has published over 80 journal articles with many focusing on landslide investigations and satellite monitoring, particularly on urban landslides in New Zealand’s North Island.

Following the deadly storm, and consequent widespread damages, that impacted Auckland and its surrounds earlier this year, Martin penned several thought-provoking articles on just why so many landslides occurred and what can be done moving forward for the anxious communities recovering from these tragic events. We discuss this and more.

In this episode we discuss:
• Martin’s background in Applied Geology and land stability assessment
• Geology basics
• Soil variability and risks of geohazards
• Seasonal changes, climate change and the risk of landslides
• Land use change and increased geohazards – the impact of forestry and agriculture
• Previous and current policies and planning acts and the lack of consideration for geohazards
• Potential changes to insurance policies moving forward
• Lessons not learnt from past geohazard events
• The need for spongy cities
• Climate change adaptation and how to build back smarter

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Professor Corey Bradshaw is the Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology at Flinders University, Director of the Global Ecology Laboratory and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. Corey is a master communicator and prolific researcher, having hundreds of scientific papers to his name.

Here we discuss a paper Corey recently co-authored with Giovanni Strona, examining the extent of climate change on species extinction and the consequent potential for food web collapse. The heavy impact climate change and land use change have had, and will continue to have, on biodiversity really places us in uncharted waters – Corey puts a strong argument forward as to why we should all give a shit about biodiversity loss, and what we can do about it.

This is Corey’s second full episode and third appearance on the show – so if you haven’t listened yet, do go back and check out Season 2 Episode 10 and his contribution to our Season 2 Wrap-Up for more of his wise words.

In this episode we discuss:
• Corey’s background and work in Ecology
• Biodiversity basics and the important ecosystem services provided
• The interconnectedness of species and the concept of co-extinctions, zombie species and extinction debts
• The concerning rate of current extinctions compared to previous mass extinction periods
• Climate Change vs Land Use Change for species loss
• Loss of mammals and birds in Australia and New Zealand
• What the high rates of species loss could mean for humanity – from food shortages to political instability
• Corey’s hope for the future and what we can all do to cultivate positive change

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Dr Niyati Sharma is a Dermatologist with a sub-speciality in paediatric dermatology, extensive clinical experience with skin of colour and a Master of Public Health where she specialised in nutrition, policy and advocacy. Dr Sharma is also the founder of Inside Out Dermatology clinic in Melbourne. Given her diverse training and qualifications, Niyati helps patients approach their skin concerns in a truly holistic manner.

We chat with Dr Sharma about all things diet and skin and dispel some common myths and misconceptions about various beauty products, including an important conversation around sun exposure and sunscreen. Niyati will also be a speaker at the upcoming Doctors For Nutrition, Nutrition in Healthcare conference in Melbourne, February 17-19th.

In this episode we discuss:
• Niyati’s globetrotting background and journey to Dermatology
• The importance of taking a holistic approach to skin health (or any health condition!)
• Being your own health advocate
• Niyati’s contribution to Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice
• Traditional diets vs western diets and their impact on skin health
• Dietary and lifestyle factors in the development of acne and rosacea
• The growing research linking skin conditions and the microbiome
• Resistant starch and the hungry microbiome
• Beauty products worth your time vs ones you could leave on the shelf
• Sunscreen 101 – dispelling myths, what to look for and how to use it
• The upcoming Doctors For Nutrition conference

For our listeners, we have an exclusive discount to attend the Australasian Nutrition in Healthcare Conference, virtual or in person. Use the code DFN25NIHC for 25% off registration.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Dr Michael Greger is a licensed general practitioner specialising in clinical nutrition He is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine, and a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. In 2017 Dr Greger was honoured with the Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award and became a diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr Greger is the founder of the very popular website NutritionFacts.org and author of  New York Times bestselling books 'How Not to Die' and 'How Not to Diet', 5 books in total, with a 6th due to be published later this year.

In this episode we discuss:
• What we can expect from Dr Greger’s presentation at the Nutrition In Healthcare Conference
• The importance of a whole food plant-based diet for effective and safe weight loss
• Other lifestyle measures that impact one's health
• An update on the Blue Zones
• The relevance of a plant-based diet for our planet
• A teaser to the upcoming book ‘How Not to Age’
• The motivation behind NutritionFacts.org and the immense research required to maintain its creditability

Some valuable resources:
• The Broad Study
• Lifestyle Heart Trial
• Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen

Dr Greger will be one of the leading experts on whole food plant-based eating that will be presenting at the Nutrition In Healthcare Conference, hosted by Doctors For Nutrition, in Melbourne on 17–19 February.
For our listeners, we have an exclusive discount to attend the conference, virtual or in person. Use the code DFN25NIHC for 25% off registration.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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We’re rounding out season three with a bang, marking our 100th podcast episode!
We have two popular return guests joining us and one fresh face; we speak to our favourite freshwater ecologist and science communicator Dr Mike Joy as well as zero-waste extraordinaires Hannah Blumhardt and Liam Prince. Hannah is a Senior Associate at the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington and Liam is Chair of Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance, and together they founded The Rubbish Trip in 2017.

This year on the podcast we’ve covered some heavy climate science, and for many, the sense of urgency around climate change is so great it almost seems tangible. Yet enacting the necessary changes remains difficult. So, in this episode, our esteemed guests give their two cents on how we can go about translating environmental science into real-world action.

While there are no simple solutions or one size fits all approaches, when we work together collectively, we can live the change we want to see. We end this season with the words of Greta Thunberg: ‘When we start to act hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope - look for action. Then the hope will come.’

In this episode we cover:
• The background of our guests
• How The Rubbish Trip came to be and their car-free journey around Aotearoa
• The Takeaway Throwaways campaign and the call for the government to ban single-use service ware for NZ food and drink establishments
• An update on Mike’s latest work and award-winning research
• The huge environmental cost of every glass of milk
• Limitations for behaviour change within our current economic and business paradigms and the need to reduce GDP to achieve climate targets
• Greenwashing traps to watch out for
• Issues with the current academic model: Pressure to publish and issues with industry funding in climate and agricultural science
• Effective climate advocacy and framing of narrative – it’s not a one size fits all approach
• The importance of community - using the skills you have to build coalitions and connections, ultimately enhancing climate action and outcomes
• Not staying quiet -the need to have those uncomfortable climate conversations

We hope you find value in this 100th episode, our last of season three. To all our listeners a huge thank you again for joining us on this ride so far. Stay safe and well over the break and we’re looking forward to joining you all again next year for more important conversations around personal and planetary health.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.