Solve For Nature

When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected she’d be a temporary presence. But Alfie’s feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family. Carl and Patricia began to realize that the healing was mutual; Alfie had been braided into their world and was now pulling them into hers.

Alfie & Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, by Carl Safina, Ph.D., is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives.

Find Carl Safina online:

• Carl Safina's Homepage⁠
• Buy Alfie & Me online

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Sara Turner, Sustainability Manager at Nexii Building Solutions is back to talk about how her challenge went that she decided to take on during our first recording.

Was she able to take the plunge? Listen in and find out!

Find Sara Turner and Nexii online:

• ⁠Nexii Homepage⁠
• ⁠Sara Turner on LinkedIn⁠

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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First, the tadpoles and frogs disappeared; then the bats and the songbirds left. Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn, a honey bee veterinarian and environmental health scientist, soon realized the bees—the vital pollinators of fruits, plants, and vegetables—were dying. Everything was still and silent. In 2017, after a large flood, most of the teeming life on her beloved family farm in North Carolina had vanished in a matter of weeks.

As a scientist and a naturalist, Hilborn set about to get answers: RESTORING EDEN: Unearthing the Agribusiness Secret That Poisoned My Farm Community (Chicago Review Press; August 8, 2023) is her story.

With her farm suddenly lifeless, Hilborn was disoriented, bereft, and determined to understand. She documented the trail of death, taking water samples, scouring the internet, and calling every environmental expert, government agency, and agricultural consultant she could find. She got her first solid clue when she learned that a neighbor's tractor had been submerged in the floodwaters.

What caused the sudden collapse of life on her farm? How was Dr. Hilborn able to unravel the mystery? Today we hear her story! Listen in!

Find Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn online:

• Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn's Homepage⁠
• Restoring Eden: Unearthing the Agribusiness Secret That Poisoned My Farming Community

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Following a February 10, 2022, court order, gray wolves in the contiguous 48 states and Mexico – with the exception of the Northern Rocky Mountain population – are now protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and listed as threatened in Minnesota and endangered in the remaining states. After being nearly eradicated in the 1990s, the gray wolf has made an astonishing comeback in Washington state, delighting conservationists but infuriating ranchers. Eli Francovich is a journalist who covers the environment, conservation, and outdoor recreation in Washington for the Spokesman-Review, the state's second-largest newspaper.

In his new book, The Return of Wolves: An Iconic Predator’s Struggle to Survive in the American West, Francovich combines interviews, extensive research, and on-the-ground reporting to reveal the deep social and political struggles at the core of this debate over the endangered species. Ultimately, he endeavors to find a solution that will appease both parties—and perhaps mend an ever-widening division in American culture.

What can our relationship with wolves teach us about our relationship with nature as a whole? About our society? Listen to find out!

Find Eli Francovich online:

• The Return of Wolves, An Iconic Predator’s Struggle to Survive in the American West
• Eli Francovich on Twitter
• The Spokesman-Review

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Sara Turner is a Sustainability Analyst at Nexii Building Solutions, a company dedicated to innovating and creating breakthrough building systems that prove that planet-friendly solutions aren’t a sacrifice — they’re an improvement in every way over the status quo.Sara has been contributing to the green building industry since 2017, through previous roles that include building science engineering, energy modeling, and renewable technology analysis. At Nexii, Sara leads annual carbon accounting of the company’s operations, coordinates and tracks progress of Nexii’s sustainability commitments, and has been working to implement embodied carbon analysis into product development.
Find Sara Turner and Nexii online:

• Nexii Homepage
• Sara Turner on LinkedIn

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Buffy Cushman-Patz is the founder and executive director of SEEQS (School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability) Charter School, where students are learning to become stewards of planet Earth and healthy, effective citizens of the world. On top of standard core learning in math, science, social studies, English, and the arts, students combine concepts with project-based experiences that allow students to apply what they have learned to real-world situations.

"Everything we do at SEEQS is with the intent of trying to create the kind of community that we want to be a part of. I work at SEEQS because I love this community of students, teachers, and ʻohana and the work we're doing to try to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others."

Buffy Cushman-Patz, SEEQS's Founder, has explored teaching and learning through the lenses of theory, policy, leadership, and through first-hand experiences as a teacher in both conventional and unconventional settings. Buffy completed her EdM in School Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in May 2012 , with School Development as her concentration. She earned an M.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a B.S. in Geology from the University of Florida.

Find Buffy Cushman-Patz and SEEQS online:

• SEEQS School's Homepage
• SEEQS on Instagram

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Tim Sperry, the CEO of Carbon Limit, is a scientist entrepreneur who has founded two climate tech companies using novel Carbon Capture & storage technologies. After losing close family members as a child to lung cancer, he developed a strong passion for protecting nature and solving global CO2 pollution. He has found early success by creating effective yet efficiently adaptable solutions to solve the biggest problems in industries ready for disruption. Most importantly, he built a strong dedicated team and a deeply rooted company culture.

After years of trial and error, Tim secured a way to capture air pollution in one of the most important infrastructure components used in construction, concrete. Tim’s award-winning technology, being recognized by The United States Military, large corporations such as Google, and publications such as Boca Magazine, can permanently trap the main culprit of global warming (CO2) inside the concrete that uses his cement mixture. Concrete Structures built with Carbon Limit’s cement will be able to actively capture CO2 pollution directly from the air and store it permanently, improving air quality & promoting a healthier environment in our cities & communities.

Find Tim Sperry online:

• ⁠Carbon Limit Homepage

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Chris O’Brien is the Founder and CEO of Hungry Giant, a company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Austin, TX. Hungry Giant is a cleantech business commercializing waste management and recycling equipment. A revolution in food waste management, Hungry Giant solutions use new technologies that turn food waste into a useful, reusable resource. They recently launched their Bio-Dehydrator solution. The cutting-edge, proprietary technology turns food waste into a useful, useable, and valuable resource on-site at any facility that generates commercial volumes of food waste. Created by a longtime innovator in the waste management and recycling industry, the Bio-Dehydrator enables food providers to better address food waste and reduce their emissions by helping to eliminate food waste in landfills, the ocean, and other sources, while at the same time creating a valuable byproduct out of a waste. Their range of products includes the Bio-Dehydrator, Bio-Grinder, and Bio-Digester solutions all available to buy, rent, or lease. 

Find Chris O'Brien online:

• Hungry Giant Waste Systems Homepage
• Hungry Giant on LinkedIn

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Erin has been involved in resource recovery for 18 years and in the last decade has focused specifically on the sales and marketing of finished compost. She has supported commercial compost facilities throughout the West Coast and has worked closely with the end users of compost, particularly the agricultural industry. Erin is a Certified Composting Professional through the US Composting Council and a Certified Compost Programs Manager through the Solid Waste Authority of North America. Currently, Erin works as the Resource & Recovery Manager at World Centric.

As someone who's always been super excited about compost, I was really excited to talk to Erin and learn more about composting! I can't wait to talk to her again and continue discussing compost!

Find Erin Levine online:

• World Centric: Compostable and Zero Waste Products
• Erin Levine on LinkedIn

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠⁠
• Blog: ⁠⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠⁠
• Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠⁠or ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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Daniel Mandler is a Professor of Chemistry in the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University and the incumbent of Archie and Marjorie Sherman Chair in Chemistry. He holds also an adjunct Professorship at the Nanyang Technical University in Singapore.

His research interests span from analytical to physical electrochemistry sol-gel technology, thin films and polymers, coatings of medical devices, forensic science and nanotechnology. He has numerous patents and is very active in commercialization of various applications in numerous fields such as solar thermal coatings and medical coatings.

Today, we're here to talk about a new kind of technology he is developing: sustainable bricks made from salt! These salt bricks replace typical CMU blocks, but don't have nearly as big of a carbon footprint - not to mention they are made from excess, unneeded salt that builds up in the dead sea.

Find Professor Daniel Mandler online:

• Professor Mandler's page at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Salt blocks at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem homepage
• Article on Professor Mandler's salt blocks

Find me online:

• This Sustainable Life: Solve For Nature Podcast: ⁠https://anchor.fm/solvefornature⁠
• Blog: ⁠https://verdantgrowth.blog/⁠
• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/verdantgrowth⁠
• Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/VerdantGrowth⁠
• Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/realverdantgrowth⁠
• Instagram: ⁠http://instagram.com/verdant.growth ⁠or ⁠http://instagram.com/verdantgrowthofficial

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