Ecosystem Member Rick Evans

Today’s guest is a special one. For Earth Day, we couldn’t think of a better guest than Hila the Earth, an eco-rapper who embodies Mother Earth when she performs.



On this episode, we talk about why she dons Mother Earth for performances, her transition from Hila the Killa to Hila the Earth, the process of creating one of her songs, and creating a new vision for how we support community and care for each other.



One of the reoccurring themes in the episode is collaboration. From Hila’s dream to collaborate with Robin Wall Kimmerer to writing songs with scientists, Hila the Earth is an amazing example of how unique collaborations can bring mainstream attention to often complex issues facing the future of humans and the living beings we share Planet Earth with.



Make sure to check out Hila on Instagram and follow her on your favorite music streaming platform.



Finally, I want to give a shout out to the Patagonia Action Works platform. It is a platform created by Patagonia with Catchafire to help skilled people like you connect with environmental non-profits that could use your skills. So if you’re a designer, a lawyer, an accountant, a business strategist, a copywriter - literally almost any skill that you apply in your day job, you can use it to help a non-profit doing amazing work. I’ve completed more than 15 projects over the past few years and they are as rewarding for me as I hope they are for the non-profit. So if you do one thing in recognition with Earth Day, visit the Action Works website and search for a project using your skills.



In honor of Hila and my own appreciation of Robin Wall Kimmerer, I’ll share this quote from ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ before we get to the episode:



“We can starve together or feast together. All flourishing is mutual.”



Links



Hila the Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hilatheearth/



Hila the Earth on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/77NNum4ZBx4kmUF9eanJpS



Hila the Earth on Apple Podcasts - https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/hila-the-earth/1682028368



Patagonia Action Works - https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/home/choose-location/

Today's guest is David Stover, the co-founder of a company called Bureo that I've been tracking for quite a while now. I first came across Bureo through Patagonia, which was an early backer and customer for its products. Now Bureo has brand partners across the apparel and outdoor space from YETI and REI to Rivian and Outerknown. And if you've listened to our episode with Outerknown co-founder John Moore, Outerknown goes the extra mile to partner with only responsible suppliers.



As you'll hear David explain, Bureo is tackling the problem of discarded fishing nets in our oceans by working with local communities and governments to set up collection points and create end of life solutions to turn those discarded fishing nets into a recycled material suitable for everything from hat brims and skateboards to gear like rain jackets and Patagonia's iconic Baggies shorts.



We start at the start, hearing about how David connected with the ocean as a child on Block Island and how maintaining that connection with the ocean helps him think clearly and operate efficiently as an entrepreneur.

Despite some scary stats about the levels of virgin plastic production, I think you'll come away hopeful that there are people and companies taking steps to challenge some of the biggest problems our world is facing today.



Links



Bureo website - https://bureo.co/



Bureo on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bureo/



Bureo film from Patagonia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LHMZmtpZdg

Our guest for this episode is Anthony Owosekun, founder of EMPOCA, the only organization in Europe that connects Black kids and teens with nature. 



On the episode we talk about how Anthony’s experience in the Boy Scouts in Northern Germany influenced his connection with nature and drove him to start EMPOCA, how creating safe spaces to help children connect with nature can help cultivate key life skills like self-reliance, confidence and leadership qualities, and how forming that positive connection with nature can help ensure that they’ll want to act to protect it into the future. 



The work EMPOCA is doing is really important to make sure outdoor spaces feel welcoming for everyone. As we discussed with Keme Nzerem, co-founder of Opening Up the Outdoors, a few episodes ago this isn’t about exclusion, it’s about making sure all people feel safe in outdoor spaces, especially those people who have historically felt unwelcome. 



Huge thanks to Anthony for engaging in such an open and honest conversation. Especially since he was generous enough to conduct the interview in English rather than his native tongue, German, of which I haven’t not studied since I graduated from high school far too many years ago.



We did experience a few small audio issues, so please bear with us as this conversation is an important one and EMPOCA is an organization worthy of your support. Make sure to visit their website at empoca.org and yes there is a version in English for those of you like me who are not as skilled as our multi-lingual friends. 



Links



EMPOCA Website - https://www.empoca.org/ 



EMPOCA on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/e_m_p_o_c_a/

Our guest is Mikkel-Lau Mikkelsen, head of the foraging program at MAD, a non-profit founded by Chef Rene Redzepi of Restaurant Noma to inspire and empower the global hospitality industry to create sustainable change and transform food systems for the future.

Foraging is something I am super interested in, but have always been a little hesitant to engage in directly. This conversation answered all of my concerns.

In the episode, Mikkel-Lau outlines his background growing up in Copenhagen and finding a connection with nature through more of a kitchen out approach. We discuss how our industrialized food system creates what he calls interfaces that keep us separate from our food, and that foraging can enable a direct connection that can influence how we think about the food we consume, wherever it comes from. We also talk about the method of foraging and the app that MAD developed that combines both the deep knowledge of some of the best foragers in Denmark with some of the best chefs in Copenhagen to give you a one stop shop for getting started on your foraging journey.

Huge, huge thanks to Mikkel-Lau for taking time to chat. I think his work and the work of MAD more generally is incredibly important and I am glad he was able to take some time away to share his connection with nature through foraging with us. Make sure to check out the links below for where to download the app, follow Mikel-Lau and his foraging activities on social media and also where to subscribe to MAD's epic email newsletter.


Links

VILD MAD - https://vildmad.dk/dk

VILD MAD App - https://apps.apple.com/dk/app/vild-mad/id1230602644?l=da

VILD MAD on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vildmaddk/

MAD Newsletter - https://madfeed.co/

Rene Redzepi on the Launch of VILD MAD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1xTPi8KA9A

This episode takes us to the Cornish coast, hence the change of intro sounds for this episode and the inclusion of some wails from a hungry grey seal pup. Grey seals are globally rare and the UK is lucky to have a third of the global population. They are particularly near and dear to my heart after I did a project with the fantastic Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust a few years ago and our efforts got some great public support from a Cornwall-based brand called Finisterre. Make sure to check out the organization through the link in our show notes.

Our human guest for this episode is the great Hugo Tagholm.

Hugo is a massively influential voice and leader in ocean activism in the UK and was my way in to understanding the issues facing the oceans and waterways of my new home in England after moving here a few years ago. He led Surfers Against Sewage into becoming a full fledged charity and one of the most respected and trusted voices when it comes to water issues in the UK. After an incredible run at SAS, Hugo became the Executive Director for the UK at Oceana.

In this episode, we talk about the ocean as a great leveler, working with nature rather than against it, how we can spur a just transition to transform our economy and culture for a more environmentally friendly future, and even a little bit of what Hugo talked about with His Majesty the King, King Charles, when he was the Prince of Wales and became a patron of Surfers Against Sewage. At the time of this recording, the King’s cancer diagnosis was not known and so myself and I am sure Hugo wish him a full and lasting recovery. King Charles has been and continues to be a powerful voice in the UK and globally on environmental issues.

Many thanks to Hugo for taking time to chat. Make sure to check out the links for a link to Oceana’s latest campaign video in support of banning bottom trawling in our Marine Protected Areas.


Links

Hugo Tagholm on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-tagholm-2a544235/

Hugo Tagholm on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hugotagholm/

Oceana UK Bottom Trawling Campaign Video - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7166784418081140736/

Oceana UK Website - https://uk.oceana.org/

Finisterre article on the Grey Seals and Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust - https://finisterre.com/blogs/broadcast/cornwall-seal-group-research-trust

Thanks to 'schaarsen' for the Grey Seal pup audio. https://freesound.org/people/schaarsen/sounds/662556/

Today's guest is Renee Patrick, a thru hiker, long distance trail consultant, and an environmentalist.

Renee is awesome for two specific reasons.

One, she's hiked some incredible long distance treks including the Triple Crown in the US, that's the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.

And two, she actually designs trails. Yes, Renee designs trails and how people experience them.

I am sure many of you are sort of like me and just assume trails appear as people walk repeatedly along the same path, and then some very nice folks come along and help maintain them and somebody maps them. Or maybe at the very least you just didn't really know exactly how your favorite trails got there, but Renee is one of those people who actually helps bring them to life in an intentional way.

Make sure to check out the episode and then check out Renee on Instagram @wearehikertrash (https://www.instagram.com/wearehikertrash/) to follow her amazing adventures and to see her latest projects.

She also hosts a forum called Intentional Hiking (https://www.intentionalhiking.com/) that we talk about in the episode that is well worth your time to check out.

As a reminder, if you like this or any of our Ecosystem Member episodes, please share them. As you've probably noticed, we don't have ads on the podcast and this project is entirely self funded so by sharing this episode, you effectively become the advertising that we don't really have the budget for. It is really, really appreciated. And I get a smile every single time I see someone share an episode.



Links


Renee on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wearehikertrash/
Intentional Hiking https://www.intentionalhiking.com/
Ecosystem Member on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ecosystemmember
iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/