EcoJustice Radio SoCal 350 Media

Join us as we celebrate the wisdom of eco philosopher, author, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy on her 95th birthday in this profound episode of Eco Justice Radio. We delve into Joanna's groundbreaking work, "The Great Turning," examining the transformative journey from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. With excerpts from a 2002 talk and a 2018 interview, Macy's insights on activism, spirituality, and deep ecology offer a beacon of hope and a call to action for a better world. Tune in to be inspired by Joanna Macy's vision for a sustainable future and her unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and environmentalism.

We begin with an excerpt of a talk given at Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, in 2002, courtesy of the Salt Spring Video Channel.

Following is an interview with Joanna Macy, by our co-host Carry Kim from 2018.

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
More Info:
Joanna Macy and the Great Turning Talk in British Columbia 2002 https://youtu.be/ZB6YcL0vy74?si=cJgf_YC_NimYH1Bf


Joanna Macy 2018 interview: https://wilderutopia.com/landscape/spiritual/ecojustice-radio-joanna-macy-and-the-great-turning-episode-10/


Joanna Macy is the Founder of the Work That Reconnects, a groundbreaking framework and methodology for personal and social change. She is an international spokesperson for anti-nuclear causes, peace, justice, and environmentalism, most renowned for her book, Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World and the Great Turning initiative, which deals with the transformation from, as she terms it, an industrial growth society to what she considers to be a more sustainable civilization. She has created a theoretical framework for personal and social change, and a workshop methodology for its application. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues, Buddhist thought, and contemporary science, and helps people transform despair and apathy into constructive, collaborative action. Learn more at: https://www.joannamacy.net/main

The Work That Reconnects sees the world reality told in three stories: Business As Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. The third story, the Great Turning is the epochal transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.

More information: https://workthatreconnects.org/




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.


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 Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
2018 Interview by Carry Kim from EcoJustice Radio.
Engineer: JP Morris
Executive Producer: Mark Morris
Interview Music: Javier Kadry


Episode 219
Photo credit: Joanna Macy

This week, we focus on the enduring legacy of 94-year old elder Oren Lyons, Onondaga Chief and a beacon of Indigenous culture and environmental activism. We explore Oren's insights from the Bioneers conference, his reflections on the Haudenosaunee principles of peace, and his impassioned plea for a value shift towards communal living and environmental harmony. His keynote address was entitled To Survive, We Must Transform our Values. Discover the unwritten history of Turtle Island and the wisdom that could lead humanity to a more just and sustainable world.



Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, they act as a hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.



We also share Oren Lyons – “We are Part of the Earth” from the Sacred Land Film Project, part of Earth Island Institute.


Oren Lyons also decodes the classic story "The Wizard of Oz", from a Native American perspective. L. Frank Baum’s tale as a Utopian American Dream soft-peddles an anti-nature-prejudice amid dazzling urban-industrial landscapes. This bias manifests at the expense of the Earth’s resources, and contributes to today’s environmental, economic, and social collapse.


Finally, we include an excerpt from the Indigenous Forum at the Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California. Recorded by friend of the show Janet Sager in March 2024. The panel is entitled Listening to Wisdom Keepers. We feature the moderator, Alexis Bunten, co-director of the Indigeneity Program at Bioneers, a song from Greg Castro, and discussions from Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, and of course, Oren Lyons.


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

More Info:
Bioneers Conference https://conference.bioneers.org/

Oren Lyons, “We Are Part of the Earth” Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/bSwmqZ272As?si=crGAyku6eCrFwbaC

Oren Lyons on The Wizard of Oz, Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/t8ttzSwYFa8?si=43nbAQNXGPcz1ZuI

More on Oren Lyons: https://wilderutopia.com/international/earth/oren-lyons-on-the-unity-of-the-earth/

Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan who serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee peoples), is an accomplished artist, social and environmental activist, and author; a Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo; a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples; and the recipient of many prestigious national and international prizes including The UN NGO World Peace Prize.


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 215
Photo credit: Sacred Land Film Project

In this episode, Landscape Architecture Professor Rod Barnett based in Aotearoa New Zealand shares his provocative insights on the role of landscape design in the Anthropocene with our host, Carry Kim. With a focus on indigeneity and community sovereignty, Rod delves into the history and future of landscape architecture, its impact on social ecologies, and the necessity of reimagining our relationship with the land. Listen as we unravel the threads of colonization and discover the emergent systems that could redefine our world.

The word landscape derives from Dutch and originally meant “region or tract of land.” By the early 1500s, it came to also reference pictures depicting scenery on land in artworks. In this Anthropocene Era, we are encouraged to consider planetary environments and landscapes as systems that span a wide range of biomes, flora, fauna & funga. Landscapes can reflect regional networks of community empowerment where humans & “more-than-humans” become entangled within shared lifeways that respect and encourage diversity.


Perhaps landscape architecture or design can be honestly understood as an evolutionary, contemplative and disruptive practice; one that considers the intersections of environmental justice, climate activism, community sovereignty and indigeneity that empowers local peoples and enhances and restores the landscapes in which they live. Indigenous design remains the key to the future of settler nation landscapes in the Anthropocene.


Rod Barnett, founder of the non-profit landscape architecture practice, Kaihanga Awawhenua [Riverland Design https://www.nonlinearlandscapes.com/] joins us for a compelling discussion on the potential of landscape design to evolve generative landscapes that resonate with the aspirations of the local community.


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

LINKS

Utu in the Anthropocene (placesjournal.org) Utu, the Māori principle of reciprocity, accords all beings the same ontological status. It is profoundly interpersonal.
https://placesjournal.org/article/redesigning-colonial-landscapes/?cn-reloaded=1

Rod Barnett is a professor of Landscape Architecture based in Aotearoa also known as New Zealand. He runs a non-profit experimental landscape design practice, Kaihanga Awawhenua [which translates from the Maori to Riverland Design https://www.nonlinearlandscapes.com/], within the intersection of environmental justice, climate activism and community sovereignty. His aim is always to empower local peoples to enhance and restore the landscapes in which they live. Wherever he works across the world the values and practices of Indigenous peoples are his compass and guide

Prior to heading the school of architecture at Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka, he served as chair of the graduate program in landscape architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

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 217
Photo credit: Rod Barnett

"Toxic Exposure: The Monsanto Roundup Trials, and the Search for Justice," reveals the dark side of the world's most widely used herbicide. Jessica Aldridge interviewed Dr. Chadi Nabhan in 2023, who offered his expert insights on the link between glyphosate and cancer, the landmark legal battles against Monsanto, and the ongoing struggle for environmental justice. Tune in for a compelling narrative that exposes the failures of regulatory agencies and the courage of individuals standing up to agrochemical giants.

Monsanto is now owned by Bayer, one of the largest agrochemical companies in the world. These companies and the EPA downplayed the health dangers of Roundup and the active ingredient glyphosate even after Monsanto lost numerous court cases (owing billions in judgements) and settled out of court for more than $11 Billion for more than 100K patients.

In this interview we discuss the history of Roundup, the dangers of glyphosate, the trial stories and verdicts, and what the everyday person can do to fight for justice against this agricultural behemoth.

Extended Interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dr-chadi-nabhan-84123670

Dr. Chadi Nabhan is an expert in lymphoid malignancies and treating and diagnosing cancers. He is author of Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials and the Search for Justice [http://www.chadinabhan.com]. He received his medical degree from Damascus University in Syria. After performing basic science research at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, he completed his internal medicine residency as well as an MBA in Healthcare Management at Loyola University in Chicago. Dr. Nabhan maintains active medical licenses in five states, and has over 300 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. He is also a sought-after speaker, moderator, facilitator, and the creator and host of his own podcast, "Healthcare Unfiltered" [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjiJPTpIJdIiukcq0UaMFsA].

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.

More Info/Resources:
Buy the book, Toxic Exposure: https://chadinabhan.com/mybooks/
Salon Article: https://www.salon.com/2023/02/25/glyphosate-roundup-chadi-nabhan-interview/

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

Join host Carry Kim as she welcomes biomimicry expert Anne LaForti to discuss the transformative power of looking to nature for answers. Learn how biomimicry isn't just about emulating nature's aesthetics but understanding its functional mechanisms for survival and thriving. Unpack the principles of biomimicry, its implications for industries, and the ethical considerations of borrowing from nature's playbook.

Biomimicry aspires to create a world mentored and inspired by Nature’s 3.8 billion years of infinite creativity and evolutionary ingenuity. Janine Beynus’s seminal book: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature defines biomimicry as a "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or draws inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems." Designing, creating, and innovating in a generous and abundant vs extractive way that regenerates and reciprocates life is a fundamental aim of biomimicry.


Biomimicry and Nature’s intelligence can innovate a wide range of consumer products and services, biodegradable packaging, regenerative design, eco-friendly architecture, and building materials as well as influence social structures and organizations. Snakes and leeches can inspire better detergents, beetle wings, tortoise shells, and sea cucumbers can change the nature of packaging, kingfisher birds can inspire high speed bullet trains, ventilation systems can be modeled after termite mounds, a factory can be designed to function like a forest, arid landscapes can compel industrial development towards a regenerative model. Anne LaForti, Project Manager for Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net], a world-renowned biomimicry consulting group, joins us to illuminate the potential of biomimicry to help us collectively thrive and align with and for Nature.


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

LINKS

Janine Benyus, from the film Biomimicry https://youtu.be/sf4oW8OtaPY?si=7W26J9cyuTayDTda

Dayna Baumeister "Learning From Nature" Omega Institute for Holistic Studies
https://youtu.be/2SvltP8IcTk?si=5cqOAduiyyK2M26O

Janine Benyus, from a TED Talk
https://youtu.be/k_GFq12w5WU?si=4i1ChxIT7q6xe1FR

Anne LaForti is a soil nerd, myco (mushroom/fungi) enthusiast, and all-around biophile (nature lover). She has a Master's Degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University, and is a project manager supporting nature-based innovation in the built environment and beyond at Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net]. She is deeply interested in ITEK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge), regenerative agriculture and landscapes, and is constantly curious about how to grow nutrient dense foods. Anne was the 2022 Spring Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR) Fellow [https://nahr.it/] in Santa Ynez, CA, working on "Soil as Pattern Language: Emulating Healthy Soil Communities" and has been a NAHR Ambassador since 2022.


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 216
Photo credit: Anne LaForti

Step into the world of the Kumeyaay Nation as we delve into their ancient wisdom, survival skills, and cultural practices that have weathered the test of time. Learn how this Indigenous community has been living in harmony with the diverse geography of San Diego and Northern Baja California, Mexico, skillfully managing the land to prevent wildfires and survive droughts. This episode not only features an Emmy-nominated documentary from KPBS San Diego (2014) but also brings the Kumeyaay tradition to life through the storytelling of Dr. Stanley Rodriguez, offering a profound lesson on resilience and environmental stewardship.

We have much to learn from the First Peoples of the Americas, and for that reason we share this documentary First People Kumeyaay, with Nick Nordquist, Director-Editor, and Michael R. Johnson and Bob Sly, Producers. Appearing in the show include: Frank J. Salazar III (Campo Kumeyaay) intro-outro poetry, Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita Kumeyaay), Johnnie Eagle Spirit Elliott (Manzanita), Mark Becker PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Stanley Rodriguez (Santa Ysabel Kumeyaay), Brian Williams Archaeologist, Daniel Tucker (Sycuan Kumeyaay), Jamie LaBrake (Sycuan), Veronica Santos (Manzanita), Rayleen Elliott (Manzanita), Leroy Elliott (Manzanita), George Prietto (Sycuan), Norma Meza (Juntas de Neji Kumiai), Ana Gloria Rodriguez (San José de la Zorra Kumiai), Dr. Jerry Schaefer PhD Archaeologist, Dr. Susan Hector PhD Anthropologist, Silent Rain Espinoza (Viejas Kumeyaay), Angela Elliott Santos (Manzanita).



For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
More Info:
Explore San Diego: First People - Kumeyaay
KPBS San Diego https://www.pbs.org/video/kpbs-presents-first-people/

Kumeyaay Songs and Stories, As Told by Stan Rodriguez- Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy: https://youtu.be/BkqoUIUN438?si=FESsUC66V_vXXe7v

Kumeyaay Sacred Mountain: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kuuchamaa-the-exalted-high-place-of-the-kumeyaay/

Kumeyaay Traditions: https://wilderutopia.com/traditions/kumeyaay-people-traditions-survive-in-baja-california/

Dr. Stanley Rodriguez has been President of Kumeyaay Community College since 2018. He serves as a Council Member of the Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Dr. Rodriguez to the California Native American Heritage Commission in 2021. Dr. Rodriguez is the developer of the accelerated language immersion program, serving as a Kumeyaay Language Instructor at Kumeyaay Community College since 2005. Dr. Rodriguez served as an E-5 in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1991. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Human Behavior from National University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California, San Diego.


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 215
Photo credit: Mural by Sergio Toledo and Erendira Cisneros, Tecate, BC, Mexico, Photo by Jack Eidt