Wild Talk Emily Kagan-Trenchard and Jay Erickson

Green-Wood Cemetery, in the middle of Brooklyn, feels unexpectedly wild. The 478 acres are alive with big old trees, flowers, bees, fungus, birds, wild and feral animals. Yes, it’s also full of dead people — the “permanent residents” of Green-Wood, as they refer to them, comprise a Who’s Who of 19th century New York: famous actresses and Civil War generals, industrialists, businessmen, developers.

What can cities do to prepare themselves for natural disasters brought on by climate change? Jainey Bavishi, one of the key leaders in climate preparedness for the Obama administration, discusses the resiliency work she’s led for New York City after Hurricane Sandy.

The pandemic has created a tremendous amount of isolation and distance between people. While digital tools and ways of gathering have helped us stay somewhat connected, they lack the capacity to help us relax, have fun, build trust and rapport and get to know each other in our more full selves. 
Organizations are struggling to find ways to gather that feel safe and meet this moment which is leading us to a new normal. It can be important to gather, at least occasionally, in person and what better way to do that than safely outdoors in the container of nature and the wild. 
We are social animals. We crave belonging - to each other, to family, to tribe, to team, to community. So when we have moments of connectivity, especially after being in isolation for so long, it rings a bell deep within us.  
Join Wild Talk host Jay Erickson and some of his colleagues at Modus, a digital agency, as they paddle on the Hudson River to Bannerman Island and visit a castle with an explosive history. They are meeting in person for the first time since the pandemic, lock downs and working from home. We can hear the excitement to be together in person and to be setting sail on a new chapter and adventure together. 
“We've been missing dimension. Everything's been very flat not just because the screen is flat and people are flat -we all just got there like very one dimensional. A lot of the beauty and  the messiness and the connections that all happen that you don't realize they're happening. The ones you can feel but not see.” - Abi Stock 
Transcript & photos: https://www.wildtalkpodcast.com/episodes/episode-09-rivers-castles-kayaks

 

What are the unique challenges facing Black women physicians in America? Dr. Omolara Uwemedimo joins us to discuss the impact racism has on doctors and patients alike, medical career burnout and healing communities with more than just medicine.

Chloe Cockburn is a lawyer, an activist, and an organizer. She currently leads strategy on criminal justice reform for Open Philanthropy, a research and grant-making foundation that identifies giving opportunities, makes grants, and publishes its findings publicly. Prior to joining Open Philanthropy, Chloe oversaw state policy reform efforts at the ACLU’s Campaign to End Mass Incarceration, and before that she worked with the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Sandy movements, which led her to better appreciate her role as a connector between funders and activists.

What can the wild world teach us about how to push through in tough times? And how can we use those lessons to help ourselves, and our kids, look towards a future none of us can yet define? In this episode, we craft a new ritual for finding ways to keep going.