PROTECT

When COVID-19 forced the world to stop, our natural world breathed a sigh of relief. Cities were quiet, air pollution dropped and birdsong could be heard outside an apartment window. Bodies of water tarnished by human activity returned to their beautiful blue hues.

However, it was also the change in people during the pandemic who found a new respect for Mother Nature and the climate crisis was as clear as ever.

Today's guest, global futurist Victoria Redshaw brings us a thoughtful and inspiring conversation where she details these societal changes and how consumers, designers, creators and retailers are moving forward and have been redirected by a pandemic into a future where nature is truly at the forefront.

Victoria is the Lead Futurist at trend forecasting agency Scarlet Opus, who are dedicated to providing trend forecasting services to the interiors sector internationally, and are headquartered in the UK.

Victoria and I move into a larger conversation on a return to naturalness, zero-waste materials, the environmental mindset of consumers, the circular economy and just how we got to this exciting place and will evolve from here.

On a very deep and physical level, I think there's a widespread appreciation, a realisation even that we're just a small part of a much bigger ecosystem, and that we need to live in harmony with nature ~ Victoria Redshaw, Scarlet Opus.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Learn More

You can reach out to Victoria and her team for more information at Scarlet Opus or on their social platforms below.

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Wildlife conservation, protecting forests, fighting off poachers and armed militia is just a day in the life for a wildlife ranger.

Except many of them don't have the training, the equipment, the remuneration or the protection to do their job safely and successfully.

From homicides, to animal conflict to natural disasters, some of the rangers die on the frontline protecting the animals and spaces we love.

Over 1,000 rangers have been killed in the line of duty in the past 10 years and standing behind these fallen rangers and their families is The Thin Green Line Foundation.

A foundation that Protects Nature's Protectors by providing vital support to Park Rangers and their communities who are the front-line of conservation. They work predominantly in developing nations and conflict zones, and with Indigenous Park Rangers within Australia and abroad.

Today I speak to The Thin Green Line Foundation's Founder and Director, Sean Willmore, also a former Australian park ranger who has travelled to and worked with rangers in over 50 countries on six continents, where he has been ambushed, held at gunpoint, charged by elephants and avoided armed military.

Today he shares the stories of the Rangers, what really happens on the frontline and the ongoing challenges and anxiety they are subject to in order to stand by our wildlife.

Our conversation has some really inspiring stories from the frontline but there is also information on ranger livelihood and violence they've encountered that some listeners may find distressing.

If this episode connects with you and you have the means to give, you can donate directly to The Thin Green Line Foundation here.

Or help us spread the word, share the stories and their fight and help us stand up and honour the people doing this dangerous yet critical work #westandwiththeworldsrangers

Find Thin Green Line on the below social platforms.

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

NASA recently recorded low Arctic sea ice, which is declining at a rate of 13.1% per decade. And today's guests aptly describe the Arctic as the ground zero of global warming, as three quarters of our planet's freshwater is frozen, and it is melting fast.

So I'm honoured to introduce you to the Arctic's two biggest activists, Melissa Schäfer and Fredrick Granath, who are photographer and producer partners in life and work. They are based in Stockholm, Sweden, which is a Norwegian Arctic town in Svalbard region and the world.

They are also the authors of a new book called Polar Tales. A book that brings their fieldwork, Arctic documentation, and the fascinating story of the polar bear to beautiful life.

Melissa and Fredrick have seen first hand the detrimental effects of climate change on the ice with polar bear populations and other wildlife in decline.

Today is a message from Melissa and Fredrick direct from the polar bear, that we are all connected wherever we are in the world and that we are at the tipping point of climate change. But we are here today to share stories, to inspire and to ignite action to turn this around.

Visit Melissa and Fredrick at The Mother Bear where you can find out more about expeditions or buy their book.

You can also follow Melissa and Fredrick on their Instagram pages for beautiful imagery, climate news and stories.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Sustainable communities can help slow the effects of climate change while lowering your carbon footprint.

A sustainable community is an area made up of healthy buildings, active green spaces, local engagement and a sharing economy.

Sounds like a nice place to live, right?

Well, unfortunately in Australia we're severely lacking in them as we continue to build homes that perform poorly and public spaces that are uninspiring.

But today, we have a guest who has been building and advocating for sustainable communities for 35+ years and is confident we can turn things around.

Brett McKenzie, a Master Builder and CEO of Sustainable is passionate about creating sustainable homes and communities that reflect and respond to their environment.

Today we delve deep and discuss the elements that make up a sustainable home, community, recycling and how these healthy spaces will benefit everyone from the occupants to the environment - we're all in this together.

You can contact Brett at Sustainable or follow the team and see their work on YouTube or Instagram.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

From high energy use to poor indoor air quality, many of us are living in homes that don't perform very well to our health or the external environment.

Imagine instead, living in an airy, light-filled space with mild temperatures all-year-round.

Well, Architect Jane Cameron Finlay is here today to introduce us to the world of passive house - a voluntary ultra-low building standard developed in Europe and now seeing high-uptake in Australia.

Jane is a certified Passive House designer and runs her own practice. Over the last 10 years she has delivered high performance, ultra-low energy, comfortable and healthy residential new builds, alterations, renovations and extensions in Melbourne and regional areas.

Jane delves into the design considerations that make up passive house including its affordability, suitability, and how we can start designing and advocating for energy efficient and healthier spaces.

You visit Jane at Jane Cameron Architects (JCA) or connect with her on Instagram or Facebook.

A story that is so inspiring, so actionable and so kind - Animals Asia is an organisation that is devoted to ending bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia.

Today, I speak to the founder and CEO of Animals Asia, Jill Robinson, who has been a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia since 1985 and she founded the organisation in 1998 five years after an encounter with a cage bear on a farm in southern China changed her life forever. And she talks about this today.

Jill and I delve deep into the cruel and unfathomable world of bear bile farming. We cover the inception of Animals Asia, memorable bear saves, government news and why it's crucial this captive practice comes to an end and how we can all help.

Animals Asia is also working hard to build a third bear sanctuary by the end of this year so if you're able to help, you can donate or shop on their website.

Also join Animals Asia on their social pages for news and updates.

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy the episode.

Plastic is mother nature's non-renewable resource, time is ours. Let's not waste either one ~ Anita Vandyke

Today's guest is Anita Vandyke aka @rocket_science who is passionate about living a zero waste lifestyle. She is an advocate for making simple switches to reduce plastic consumption and being an environmentalist in everyday life.

From stopping plastic pollution to stripping the climate of non-renewable resources, we discuss Anita's journey to advocate for a cleaner, healthier planet and how zero waste moves beyond our consumption of "things" to ensuring we're not wasting our lives as well. I hope you enjoy our chat!

You can follow Anita for sustainable living tips on Instagram and you can purchase her new book, A Zero Waste Family in 30 Days here.

Life for captive whales and dolphins is nothing like the ocean. In artificial captivity, these highly intelligent animals battle with mental and physical health, social isolation, aggression and much shorter lives.

Today I have a fascinating conversation with a lifetime advocate for the protection of these beautiful animals, Lori Marino who is a world renowned neuroscientist and expert in animal behaviour and intelligence and she's also the Founder and President of The Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia.

Lori and I discuss the innate attributes of whales and dolphins, what life is really like for them in captivity and how The Whale Sanctuary is preparing to protect and rehabilitate these animals in a natural, seaside environment.

Visit The Whale Sanctuary Project where you can receive updates, read stories on whales across the globe or donate to this exciting initiative.

The Whale Sanctuary Project also provides updates across social media so can you follow them below:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whalesanctuaryproject/

Twitter https://www.instagram.com/whalesanctuaryproject/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whalesanctuaryproject/

As the climate crisis continues to deepen, today's podcast will look into one of the world's largest industries for overconsumption- fashion.

From draining water sources to fossil fuels and the exploitation of workers, the fashion industry and its loyal consumers are accountable for some disastrous environmental statistics including sending 85% of clothing to landfill.

Today I speak to one of Australia's strongest advocates for ethical fashion, Nina Gbor. Nina is the founder of Eco Styles and also Clothes Swap & Style and is an award-winning sustainability advocate, ethical fashion speaker, climate activist and educator.

Nina brings her exceptional knowledge of the industry's environmental accountabilities to our conversation today whilst also celebrating style and providing actionable advice so we can continue to enjoy fashion with a lighter footprint.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can find Nina's articles and services at Eco Styles and connect with her on Instagram or Facebook.

Other websites and resources we discussed today are below:

• Upparel
• Ethical Clothing Australia
• Freedom United
• PayUp Fashion
• Labour Behind the Label
• Global Slavery Index

In our final episode for Season 1, we are talking about what the world urgently needs for positive environmental progress and happy human health. The future of entrepreneurship, the need for common good and encouraging creativity in an economic world that is sometimes cautious to change.

To help me with this topic is the wonderful Gunter Pauli, the entrepreneur, global speaker and author of The Blue Economy whose activities span business, culture, science, politics and the environment.

Gunter is also the founder of ZERI, the Zeri Emissions Research and Initiatives at the United Nations University in Tokyo and also established the global ZERI network as a foundation where they redesign production and consumption into clusters of industries inspired by natural systems which are designed to be zero waste.

In today's episode, Gunter reminds us of possibility and we discuss the current climate and some of his projects including full circle coffee production to removing and repurposing mining dust.

Gunter has delivered time and time again for the environment, his imagination and action continue to demonstrate what can be done and needs to be done urgently. I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can learn more about Gunter Pauli here and further links of our discussion are below:

ZERI https://www.gunterpauli.com/zeri.html

The Blue Economy https://www.gunterpauli.com/books1.html