Where does a 5-ton elephant eat? Anywhere it wants to, including the fields of small farmers. Elephant incursions on small farms have often provoked violent attacks by humans protecting their livelihood, which often spurs counterattacks by elephants fighting for their own lives and families. The result: death all around.

This episode looks at creative actions in Assam, India, where violent blows between species are being replaced with a pragmatic intentional balance that allows elephants and humans to both thrive.

In the competitive process of being alive on Earth (even plants compete), it’s easy to lose sight of the competitive advantages that come from simple caring and cooperation. The preponderance of evidence shows that applied empathy can yield a form of wealth that neither gold nor Bitcoin can buy. It’s certainly making a positive difference in northeast India.

“The Good Seed” tells the story of 30-year-old Barney Swan, who launched an effort several years ago to regenerate 527 razed acres of Australia’s Daintree Rainforest. Born in London but reared among the wild things of the world’s oldest rainforest, a young Barney also accompanied his father – Robert Swan, OBE – on numerous Antarctic expeditions and ocean voyages before he turned 20.

As an adult, Barney had a mad idea (his words) to devote his life to land that was once rainforest, then cattle pasture, then banana farm, then meth-head haven – and restore it by combining modern digital technology with the ancient knowledge of indigenous peoples and more recent legacy family farmers. His ClimateForce team is creating an open-source model and template that can help restore other rainforests around the world.

In “The Sinking of Southern Quest: May Day M’aider Part 2,” Robert Swan and William Fenton share what happened after their ship was trapped in Antarctic pack ice in 1986 (the title is a bit of a spoiler). They also recount the James Bond-style resistance from government agencies that opposed the first private expedition to the South Pole in the modern era.

In spite of all obstacles, the “In the Footsteps of Scott” expedition lived up to the promises made to the sons of Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott as well as Jacques Cousteau. It’s a tale of incredible perseverance that continues to encourage and inspire people to this day.

It’s May Day — a time to honor the bounty of nature and hard work, and a distress call derived from French, m’aider ("help me"). So, this is a perfect day to launch Thin Ice, which celebrates nature and the hard work of preserving wild spaces while sounding an international plea for action.

Co-hosts Robert Swan (the first person to walk to both the South and North Poles) and Dan Smith share stories from the wild in hopes of inspiring people to appreciate and protect the remaining wild places on Earth, especially Antarctica.

Episode 1 features William Fenton, the first person to volunteer to help Robert ultimately raise (US) $5 million in the early 1980s to fund the first private expedition to the South Pole in the modern era.

Together, Robert and William didn’t make London Bridge fall down, but Southern Quest, their expedition ship, did bash into London’s Tower Bridge. And that was just the start of their entertaining yet death-defying adventure.

You can learn more and read our blog online and on Substack at thinice.earth. Thanks for tuning in!

The water is frosty but fine in this teaser episode introducing Thin Ice. Wet your whistle and jump on in!