EcoJustice Radio SoCal 350 Media

In this interview from 2023, we delve into the harrowing experience of wildfires and their aftermath with author and poet Margaret Elysia Garcia. Join us as we explore her poetic journey through loss, resilience, and the stark realities of climate change. Margaret shares her poignant poetry from her chapbook "Burn Scars" and discusses the impact of the Dixie Fire on her hometown of Greenville, California. Don't miss this powerful narrative on the intersection of environmental disaster and human spirit.

Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ka3zeXnw2_M?si=y9KUvufWjr5V5W6I

Margaret Elysia Garcia [http://www.margaretelysiagarcia.com/]is the author of the short story collection Graft, the poetry chapbook Burn Scars, and the debut poetry collection the daughterland poems. Shes the editor of the forthcoming Red Flag Warning Anthology. She teaches poetry with the Community Literary Initiative and writes a history column for High Country Life magazine in Northeastern California. Shes currently working on her second collection of poems, Watershed, also to be released by El Martillo Press [https://www.elmartillopress.com/margaretelysiagarcia].

Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Ep. 193

The Keya Wakpala Woicageyapi Housing Community is a "master-planned development" consisting of single family housing types designed to reflect and celebrate Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota culture. The Siċaŋġu see a world where health and wholeness of body, mind and spirit are connected to the earth, stars and all relations. Keya Wakpala is one example of living this world into being for this and future generations by providing culturally-relevant homes and a place where community and economic opportunities can flourish side by side for the benefit of the Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota people and the world of their inheritance.

Keya Wakpala is being designed to foster community and honor the way Siċaŋġu Lak̇ota live, work, play and pray. From its inception, Keya Wakpala has been shaped and guided by community voices expressing their needs, wants and visions to preserve cultural legacy, ensure food sovereignty and security, and promote meaningful livelihoods. This 590+ acre site will eventually incorporate athletic facilities, sports fields, a network of walking, biking and hiking trails, small business incubators, retail, restaurants, as well as many other businesses and amenities. In this episode, join Chance Renville of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation and Amanda Morrisette, of the Sicangu and Oglala Lakota as they share the journey of Indigenous placemaking with Keya Wakpala Woicageyapi and accomplishing the 7Gen Vision. A visionary example of Indigenous sovereignty, Keya Wakpala aims to preserve traditional culture, community and Indigenous lifeways while fulfilling the physical needs and contemporary realities of today.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

LINKS

Keya Wakpala Project Site: https://www.sicangu.co/keyawakpala



Chance Renville, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation located in Northeast South Dakota. He is passionate about sustainability and the environment. As a husband and father, he is also an experienced hunter and chef who creates delicious meals for his family utilizing the ingredients he harvests and hunts from the lands. He has been active in construction since 2009 when he started doing renovations & remodeling.



Amanda Morrisette, a Sicangu and Oglala Lakota woman, is a mother first and foremost. She has served her country as a veteran, and her experiences have shaped her into a dedicated advocate for her community. Amanda’s passion for uplifting her people drives her daily efforts, making her a respected and beloved figure within the Sicangu Lakota community.


Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.


Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt
Hosted by Carry Kim
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 226
Photo credit: Sicangu.co

In the words of Terence McKenna, since the rise of western monotheism the human experience has been marginalized. We have been told that we were unimportant in the cosmic drama when one considers the power of creation of the one God. But we now know as the global temperatures rise and glaciers melt from the burning of fossil fuels and the feedback mechanisms associated with the greenhouse effect: the impact of human culture on the Earth is massive. So how do we reverse the course of destruction created out of the human imagination? Some have postulated plant medicines learned from Indigenous societies of the Americas have a way to reintegrate humans into the processes of the Earth to heal the sickness and warming all around.

In this show, we explore human symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals in the sacred peyote medicine used by the Native American Church in the US and in societies in the mountains of Mexico. We look at the work of several ethnobotanists who also studied the plants and the rites associated with ayahuasca or yage in South America. Richard Evans Schultes and Terence McKenna researched the ancient human relationship with chemicals that would open the doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. This show aims to explore the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness that can re-orient people to heal the fractured relationships with our communities and ecosystems.


For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:
Sacred Peyote Short documentary
Creed Spencer Film
with Bryce Jarrett
Appearing: Lisa Aldred PhD
Hartford Stops Crow
Dennis Holds - Crow
Alexandra Witkin-New Holy PhD Montana State Univ

Link: https://youtu.be/9rYdgHx8yrw?si=HWYDh8USmEEezLvC

----------

Fred Wahpepah - About the Peyote Ceremony from 7 Circles Foundation

https://youtu.be/7qa6N7anaV8?si=bNKuyXo_aTUT1IOp


----

Benedict Allen
Peyote the last of the medicine men - Huichol People of Mexico
https://www.benedictallen.com/

—--

Native Lens: Healing Through Peyote -- Rocky Mountain PBS

Amber Lahabe Dine/Navajo

Video: https://youtu.be/Q7gR5oXARII?si=XxHb1OrkdAS5vTOu


Icaros: https://youtu.be/hS21jI7p3hQ?si=QzRvHyvk2jhDRJTi

Father of Modern Ethnobotany, Richard Evans Schultes Interview from 1990

https://youtu.be/1lxtn7zbQfw?si=Z_5UXi0IOG-ml8Xg


Terence McKenna Culture is Your Operating System
https://youtu.be/9c8an2XZ3MU?si=kEfa47NLkh8-mZND

Terence McKenna - Eros and the Eschaton
https://wilderutopia.com/performance/literary/terence-mckenna-on-shamanic-schizophrenia-and-cultural-healing/

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.


Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 225
Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov on Pexels

In this episode, we explore the controversial topic of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with insights from various experts and activists. We begin with excerpts from Taylor Brobrey’s keynote at the 2024 Bioneers Conference, where he shares his personal experiences growing up in North Dakota amidst the coal and oil industries. Next, we hear from climate thinker Gabrielle Walker, who discusses the necessity of carbon removals in her TED talk. Finally, energy expert and environmental activist Maury Wolfson joins Jack Eidt to debunk the myths surrounding CCS and discuss the reality of its implementation and cost. Tune in to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and false promises of carbon capture and storage.

Most of us understand we are in a global climate emergency. Data confirmed last month was the hottest May on record, putting the Earth on a 12-month streak of record-breaking temperatures. What we need is to immediately transition away from the burning of fossil fuels toward renewable power sources, but also a focus on more efficient energy use, and most importantly, a comprehensive plan for massive conservation and rethinking the way we do business. But global corporations want to continue with their present business model focused on coal, oil, fossil gas, ethanol, and industrial agro-fueled biodiesel. And the way they do it is advancing “solutions” like Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Clip Taylor Brobry from Bioneers: https://youtu.be/17NNiLXQoaM?si=SC4qROI6KlpuAO8v

What You Need to Know About Carbon Removal | Gabrielle Walker | TED
Clip from TED Talk Gabrielle Walker: https://youtu.be/60e6u_1TEIs?si=Rm7HXkPPn1S51p9m

Resources/Articles:
Info on Project Tundra in North Dakota: https://www.projecttundrand.com/
“The carbon capture crux: Lessons learned,” Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
https://ieefa.org/resources/carbon-capture-crux-lessons-learned

Taylor Brorby [https://taylorbrorby.com/] grew in the dynamic shortgrass prairie of western North Dakota, a youth that coincided with the brutal physical and psychic scarring of his surroundings by the coal and oil industry, a fate not made any easier by being a young gay boy enthralled by classical music, art, fishing, and poetry. From here, Taylor became a poet, writer and dedicated activist, an eloquent critic of the fossil fuel industry, penning, among other works, the memoir: Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land, the essays in Civil Disobedience, and co-editing: Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America.

Morey Wolfson has spent his career in energy and environmental policy. He is a Former Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulator, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employee, and governors’ energy policy advisor.


Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.




Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 224
Photo credit: Kanenori on Pixabay

We sat down with James Skeet, Executive Director of Covenant Pathways on his Spirit Farm in New Mexico. Along with our host Carry Kim and a group of fifteen people from Los Angeles, we visited Spirit Farm near Gallup, New Mexico in May of 2024. It was an amazing education in the Navajo-Diné World where we connected with the land, our hosts, and each other through the guidance of James and his wife Joyce.

In the interview, we delved into the concept of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence from a Navajo perspective. Discover how ancient Native wisdom and biocosmology can reconnect us to the land, foster soil health, and promote a sustainable future. We learned about the challenges and triumphs of integrating Indigenous knowledge with modern practices to heal both the Earth and human communities. And the discussion went deeper into history of colonization, spirituality, sustainability, and the power of regenerating both ancestral traditions and the land in today's world.


For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

LINKS

Video Featuring James Skeet from New Mexico Community Capital
https://youtu.be/ZrhK1-DlOZk?si=wIWlwrZYxHQYWGi7

The Six Sacred Stones of Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence
https://youtu.be/QYqjOYygQdU?si=kWfUobfNscpLt1bs

Interview with James Skeet in 2023: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/indigenous-regenerative-intelligence-a-navajo-perspective


James Skeet and his wife Joyce are the co-founders of Covenant Pathways [https://covenantpathways.org/], a 501c3 non-profit organization, and they operate Spirit Farm [http://spiritfarmnm.org/]. James is passionate about reconnecting all peoples to the land through Indigenous Regenerative Intelligence that integrates the ancient Native wisdom of the bio-cosmology to create a haven where soil health, nutrient rich foods, human health, and free markets can prosper for another 10,000 years. James’ heritage has assisted in grounding him in the work he does as a full-blooded Navajo – also known as Diné – Native American from Vanderwagen, New Mexico.

James’s Diné (Navajo) clan name means “Red Cheek, Born of Leaning Tower.” He is full of energy, life, and wisdom. James worked for NGOs fostering childhood development and then served as a financial watchdog for the tribal government. In all of his systematic work with programs and regulations, he began to seek ways to express his spiritual understanding that “all things are sacred.”

Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.


Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url

Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt
Hosted by Carry Kim
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 223
Photo credit: Sue Hudelson

On this show we take a journey through the challenges facing our world's forests. What does it take to protect tropical rainforests in places like the Amazon from illegal logging? What about the corporations profiting off the illegal logging trade? Host Jack Eidt speaks with Forest Policy Specialist Scott Paul on his transition from activism with Greenpeace to corporate sustainability with Taylor Guitars.

Many of the woods traditionally chosen to make acoustic guitars are under pressure due to a range of factors, including rising global consumption patterns and land conversion, and too often in many parts of the world, a lack of dedicated governance. Stressing the importance of ethical wood sourcing for musical instruments, Scott Paul shares how Taylor Guitars' innovative projects in Cameroon and Hawaii are setting new standards for environmental responsibility in the music industry. We hope to uncover the intricate relationship between forests, guitars, and global sustainability.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:
https://woodandsteel.taylorguitars.com/authors/scott-paul/

Scott Paul is Taylor Guitar’s Director of Sustainability [https://www.taylorguitars.com/about/sustainability]. Prior to this, the majority of his career was spent as a forest policy specialist and activist, including 14 years at Greenpeace. Scott has worked for The White House Office on Environmental Policy, participated in the UN forest policy dialogue since 1995, and has served on multiple boards of directors, including the Forest Stewardship Council. His work has taken him to the Amazon, the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia, the Canadian boreal, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. He is also the first person in over 100 years to have been arrested for Sailormongering.


Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.




Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 222
Photo credit: Scott Paul