What Are You Doing Here ?

... an inspiring and mighty cooperative of humans that are BEING the change we need in the world.

Our guest is Abiodun (Abbey) Henderson, Founder and Executive director of The Come Up Project, whose program includes Gangstas to Growers which is apart of a cooperative community model in Atlanta, Georgia that is centered on living, playing, working, hurting, healing, offering and Black liberation.  

Abbey’s vision brings together two important facets of the modern urban revival—the locavore food movement that has become a fixture of gentrifying cities across the country, and an awakening recognition that gentrification was leaving behind, or even displacing, a significant portion of the population.

Simultaneously, Gangstas to Growers also teaches young people the importance of building wealth in historically disinvested communities in Atlanta. Despite Atlanta’s reputation as a Black Mecca, the city’s low-wealth youth have less of a shot to move up the income ladder compared with other major American cities.

Urban agriculture is a tool that can restore and revitalize communities. Abbey says… “These young people are looking for love, understanding and empowerment as soon as we concentrate on giving them those three things, the sooner crime will decrease, and we’ll see these people soar.” 

Gangstas to Growers is saying that everyone is worthy of love, knowledge, and economic empowerment.

You can experience the goodness of "Gangstas to Growers" hot sauce "Sweet Sol " here https://webuyblack.com/gangstastogrowers

And stay in touch and in tune with "The Come Up Project" here https://linktr.ee/thecomeupprojectatl

Our guest is Kaylee Brzezinski, sustainability maven for One Tree Planted. As an environmental charity, they are on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees.

Did you know ?

A single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants. Depending on the kind of food and shelter they need, different forest animals require different types of habitat. Without trees, forest creatures would have nowhere to call home.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. 

visit www.onetreeplanted.org and get some dirt under your nails.

Have you ever thought about being a beekeeper ? or want to really understand the role bees play in our world? Well, here is your chance even if you don't think it's for you, to learn the ins and outs of beekeeping. Our guest on this episode is Madison Newman. She is a 22 year old beekeeper born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from California State University Northridge. Madison started her beekeeping profession working as a honey salesperson right out out of high school, and has worked her way up to beekeeper. When she isn't beekeeping you can likely find her hiking, brewing beer, or practicing martial arts. Madison reminds us of the integral part that all of the pollinators play in our ecosystem. Her English literature studies has taught her how to take an analytical approach to the way she handles the many different bee scenarios that she might be up against as a beekeeper, this approach is very beneficial when it comes to managing bee colonies, keeping bees alive and safe for the public. You can check out Maddog's adventures and truly learn a lot by dropping into her IG @maddog586. And if you want to learn more about beekeeping, join a community, or get yourself some local honey be sure to visit www.thevalleyhive.com  ... from tasting honey to viewing bees in a fully functional glass hive, it is the only place of its kind in Southern California. 

Pro-women, pro-girl and pro-family approach to integrated conservation and development make this national park truly “A Park for the People”.

The Gorongosa Project sees people and conservation as two sides of the same coin. Their mission is to advance an integrated multi-partner approach to conservation and to people - centered development.

We will be speaking to Dominique Goncalves, she is a Mozambican ecologist focused on elephant conservation in Gorongosa National Park. Her interest in biodiversity protection and human population increase inspired her to earn her MSC in Conservation Biology at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at University of Kent. Gonçalves currently serves as Manager of the Elephant Ecology Project where she investigates elephant movement and range expansion in relation to habitat use and Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). Working with law enforcement and sustainable development colleagues, she hopes to build coexistence between communities and wildlife throughout the buffer-zone surrounding the park. In addition to this, Gonçalves works closely with park Girls’ Club programs; promoting education and health to prevent early marriage.

The Gorongosa Project protects the Park’s biodiversity and ecosystem services and unlocks its economic potential for the community inhabitants of the Gorongosa Buffer Zone, Sofala Province, Mozambique and further afield. At a time of increasing fragmentation of wild landscapes across Africa, we have an historic opportunity to create an immense, unfenced, connected mosaic of Protected Areas in central Mozambique, comparable in size to the Serengeti Ecosystem.  This landscape is hailed by E.O. Wilson as one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.  This healthy landscape will serve as an engine of sustainable economic growth to the people who live around the Park. By adopting a 21st Century conservation model of balancing the needs of wildlife and people, we are protecting and saving this beautiful wilderness, returning it to its rightful place as one of Africa’s greatest parks.

Chloe Buiting, DVM. is an Australian veterinarian and wildlife conservationist who is passionate about our natural world and all the species that inhabit it. Part of her childhood was spent growing up on Australia’s beautiful Lord Howe Island, and it is this time that inspired her to pursue a career in the field of conservation. She serves as Director of Outreach for Loop Abroad, a student travel organization that began with a singular mission: provide the best hands-on study abroad for students pursuing careers working with animals. And just recently, Jungle Doctor Conservation Scholarship funded 71 Maasai students to go on safari to see their wildlife for the first time. Chloe is translating her passion into opportunities designed to benefit and inspire future generations. Buckle up this is one wild ride as Chloe takes us through some of whys of the current universal malaise we are experiencing, including the state of the koala population after the catastrophic Australian bush fires last summer. There are many brilliant minds offering solutions and we will learn about some that are taking place, such as, innovative programs in the fields of 3d printing, green cities, animal translocation and initiatives such as the 30X30 initiative that looks to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030, and mountain gorilla vaccinations to prevent the spread of shared diseases We also unpack why there is an urgent need to end the illegal wildlife trade. It is a lot to digest, but stick it out… we promise to make you laugh (or cry) when Chloe tells us the funniest if not a tad bit harrowing story of catching a wild giraffe. Chloe is passionate about highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation, and shares her adventures on Instagram as @jungle_doctor and through her website jungledoctor.org

Let's face it sometimes humans make things complex and downright messy. On this episode "these are shoes wear them on your feet" we are talking about communication in the digital world,  zoos educating via virtual reality, the rediscovery of our humility and our need to recognize that we are immersed in Nature. Without Nature there is no existence for Humanity. Our guest is Blane, he grew up in New Zealand and studied and now lives in Australia, He is an architect turned digital conservationist. After many years of study, a couple degrees and some serious reflection on his life... Blane turned a corner. By wanting to help create a better world for the future, bring about awareness to our environment and get others involved with conservation at scale, he created earth.offline. His vastly growing digital world and conservation tribe is a great place to start on a journey for anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge in all things conservation.

Come on thru as we chat it up with conservationist, Erika Teng Gui. This trailblazing 16yr advocate for all things wild has spent a good portion of her teens already working in sanctuaries in her home country of the Philippines. She fell in love with a bird named Brown while caring for the raptor as it recovered from a stroke and was subsequently confined to a life in sanctuary and needing to be hand fed. Erika walks us through some of the day to day activities as well as educates us on some of the dangers the wildlife in the Philippines face as a result of climate change and habitat loss. In this touching conversation Erika shares with us why she maintains her hope for a better world and reminds the youth to have the courage to protect our natural world no matter what other people might think.

Volunteering is great fun, educational and can also be transformative, especially when your subjects are rescued wildlife. Marley and I are chatting it up with Jennie and Aron from "Jennie of the Jungle." A volunteer conservation travel company. We are going to dig deep into the state of conservation and travel these days as well as share with you some very important things to know before visiting a true accredited sanctuary or rescue center, and how there is probably something close at home that you too can be doing for wildlife conservation. 

Be sure to check out www.jennieofthejungle.com when looking for your next volunteering for wildlife experience.