PODSHIP EARTH

What happens when one person no longer has use for an object, and yet that product still has a lot of life left in it?  The possibilities are endless: from building materials, to amazing furniture, to a used Hello Kitty clock, to second hand vinyl. We go to Urban Ore, a reuse mecca in Berkeley to meet Ida Belisle and Max Wechsle, then travel to Building Resources, a treasure trove of deconstructed home parts, where I meet Ed Dunn and Kevin Drew.

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We talk with “Jesús Garcia” who at 19 left his home and family to escape violence in Mexico. He crossed into the U.S. by swimming at night into the Pacific ocean for eight hours - first west, then north - with just a wetsuit and change of clothes.  Jesús is now three years into his life in California, showing both the challenges and the power of making a dream come alive.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Carl Safina explores non-human feelings. Dr. Safina an ecologist and author of many best selling books. Safina’s Book, Beyond Words; What Animals Think and Feel, has according to the New York Times Review of Books, “the potential to change our relationship with the natural world.” As Carl so eloquently says, only through achieving dignity for all life will we be able to maintain a planet capable of supporting life for all.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I meet up with Amelia Gonzalez to find out where our love of chocolate comes from? After a career in radio, Amelia took her savings and founded Casa de Chocolates in Berkeley.  By infusing her chocolates with love and culture and the flavors and history of the Americas, taking one small bite becomes a transformative experience.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our human relationship to birds is complex. They’re wellbeing is our wellbeing. Since 1970, US bird populations have plummeted by 3 Billion birds - that’s an insane 30% of all birds - gone forever! Luckily, the 60 million birdwatchers in the US alone are ready to help. Dr. Meredith Williams takes me on my maiden birdwatching adventure. Connecting to nature is the most powerful force we have in defense of the planet and birdwatching establishes a link to our past and present with profound immediacy.

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Lisa Jackson grew up in New Orleans, trained and worked as an environmental engineer and was chosen by President Obama to lead EPA from 2009 to 2013. Lisa is now the Vice President for Environmental, policy and social initiatives at Apple. We talk about the influence of Parliament-Funkadelic, the power of faith, the importance of rebuilding EPA after four years of Trump’s vandalism, and how to make sure environmental justice impacted communities are given the resources to reshape their future.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At 18, my Grandfather was drafted into the German Army, and served as an ambulance driver in World War One. He wrote down the entire truly bizarre story with a great deal of irony and dark humor. Erwin attempts to escape from military service (to meet his Dutch sweetheart), serves as an accountant in a military-sanctioned Red Cross brothel, was awarded the Iron Cross (for teaching his Sergeant French), and is witness to a butchery of horrific proportions. Erwin’s trials reinforce the insanity of the human condition and yet, no matter how cold, how hungry and how barbaric the world around him, he just kept going.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thousands of years of tribal ecological practice is the key to reconnecting us to the planet. We talk with Matthew Teutimez, tribal biologist with the Kizh-Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, the aboriginal tribe of the Los Angeles basin, about plants, health and spirituality.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2015, 21 young people filed a climate lawsuit called Juliana v. United States, asserting that the government violated their rights to life, liberty, and property. We talk with plaintiffs Aji Piper and Tia Hatton; and journalists: Christi Cooper and Lee Van Der Voo about the ups and downs of this amazing lawsuit and the community it created.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Mark Hyman uncovers the path to personal and planetary health. For Mark, health is about connecting the soil, with the farmer, with the grocer, with our diet. We talk with Mark about his health-focused fixes to the food system.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.