Future Mending Radio

Matt Lie - Paehlke
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Things could be better.  Future Mending Radio profiles the people, organizations and businesses that are already building a better future. Clothing swaps, farmers’ markets, pay-it-forward restaurants, independent authors, repair cafes, DIY bike shops, sustainable chocolate shops and more.   Future Mending happens when we meet our daily needs in a way that saves money, improves our wellbeing and also strengthens healthy social systems -- instead of padding the profits margins of giant corporations. In short, relaxing episodes, we'll seek out alternatives and explore them together.

  1. Slow Saturdays

    07/30/2025

    Slow Saturdays

    Do grown-ups also need a 90s kid summer? Matt delves into nostalgia for a world before the internet, a world that felt more uncertain and open, but also more full and resonant. The internet isn't all bad of course -- that's how I share these episodes -- but turning off the wifi for 24 hours every Saturday has been a luxurious indulgence. This episode explores why and how we've been appreciating Slow Saturdays for the past few months and includes plenty of space to think and feel and breathe... I'm taking August, and probably September, off and will be back with Season 2 of Future Mending Radio in the fall.  In the meantime, I urge you to slow your summer down by participating in Slow Saturdays. Slow Saturdays Resources: I'm so into this new ritual that I went so far as to put up a blogpost and some shareable graphics in case you want to spread the word.  Or just post on your own social media in your own style to give your mutuals a gentle nudge. Credits and Notes: The 90s kid summer audio clip is from tiktoker and youtuber 'The Nomad Dream.'  The full clip is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkojK_HLssk The term 'Great Mystery' is one proposed translation for the Lakota phrase 'Wakan Tanka', which is also translated as the 'Great Spirit.'  Other North American Indigenous groups refer to a similar all-powerful creator, such as the Objibwe 'Gitchi Manitou.' Music Credits: Nothing gives me nostalgia for a 90s summer quite like 'Fluffy Little Clouds' by the Orb. I only used a few seconds, but please go Listen to the full song on Spotify or whatever music provider you prefer. 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

    21 min
  2. Bike Party

    07/02/2025

    Bike Party

    Find out how and why hundreds of people are cycling around Toronto on mystery routes with big, booming beats. Matt attends Bike Party Toronto and interviews one of the co-founders and they discuss the difference between attending an event and being the event, something we have nearly forgotten how to do in our culture of consumption. Bike Party Toronto Links: https://linktr.ee/bikepartytoronto Drum and Bass on the Bike: https://www.youtube.com/@DomWhiting Toronto Cruisers: https://linktr.ee/torontocruisers Bike Pirates: https://bikepirates.com/ Hamilton Glow Riders: https://www.instagram.com/hamiltonglowriders/ Denver Cruisers: https://denvercruiserride.com/ Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. 'Everyday' by Ripple. Released under a creative commons license. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 If you're looking for our secret episode, it's here: https://www.futuremending.com/topsecret

    30 min

  3. 06/11/2025

    5 Meals for a Dollar

    How much food is wasted in Canada?  Where does food waste happen and why?  What are some potential solutions? This episode takes a quick look at two for-profit solutions to food waste – the Odd Bunch produce delivery box and Sobey’s Food Hero app -- and concludes with an inspiring interview with Mike Layton of Second Harvest, a food rescue charity in Toronto that turns every dollar in donations into five meals for hungry people. Donate to Second Harvest Here: https://www.secondharvest.ca/donate Plan a party with Echoage: https://echoage.com/charities/secondharvest Download the Food Hero App: https://www.foodhero.com/en/download Order a box from Odd Bunch: https://www.oddbunch.ca/pages/boxes Second Harvest Report on Food Waste in Canada: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6618114bae6895cc12d3dc1d/678fef92d23e957f68c00aee_ACFW_Roadmap2024_Digital_compressed.pdf Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

    23 min
  4. Good News, Everyone!

    05/21/2025

    Good News, Everyone!

    Matt interviews Yara El Murr, the Managing Editor of the Green Line, an innovative Toronto news outlet that is making community-driven, hyper-local news. Our information ecosystem is full of misinformation and news fatigue and Yara shares insights on how journalists can produce useful and compelling journalism that responds to these growing challenges. Learn about the 4-step action journey that structures their monthly reporting. Learn More:  The Green Line: https://thegreenline.to/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegreenlineto Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tglhelps/ Videos used in this episode: St. Clare's Housing Organization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoNeqKPMh84 Third Spaces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4tMHhsUTDc Books: The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Good_Place_(book) Trust in Numbers by Theodore Porter: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208411/trust-in-numbers I tried super-hard to identify the book I read about the big 3 networks and the evening news, but I read it 20 years ago and it is lost to history. Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio. Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

    33 min

  5. 04/30/2025

    Scarborough's Hidden Gems

    Matt goes treasure hunting in Scarborough (a suburb of Toronto), using the amazing maps produced by the Scarborough Environmental Association. After visiting a restaurant, a second-hand clothing shop and a repair cafe and clothing swap organized by the Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA), Matt sits down with SEA's co-founder Krissan Veerasingam. Krissan shares insights into effective community organizing which could help politicians win back public trust and respect. Check out SEA's Scarborough maps here: https://www.scarbenv.ca/#resources Follow SEA on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/scarb.env.asc/ Repair Cafe Toronto: https://repaircafetoronto.ca/ If you enjoyed our Solarpunk episode, you should buy the Bright Green Future's Anthology here: https://susankayequinn.com/books/bright-green-futures-2024-solarpunk-anthology Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio. Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

    28 min
  6. Put Your Eggs in Several Smaller Baskets

    04/09/2025

    Put Your Eggs in Several Smaller Baskets

    Karma Coop has been selling ethical, organic food in Toronto for more than 50 years. Matt visits the store and interviews its General Manager, Zach Weingarten. Zach explains how they source products and why having a wide variety of smaller producers and sellers increases the resilience of our food system. Find out more on their website: https://www.karmacoop.org/ The subreddit Zach mentions is https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/ The article is Follow the Thing: Papaya by Ian Cook.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2004.00441.x Art Credit: The image for this episode includes a slice of Wandy Cheng's mural on the Karma Coop building.  See the full mural here: https://www.wandycheng.com/publicart#e-11  Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. 'Summer Vibes' by Pold. Released under a creative commons license. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 Sound Effects: Brightness by sonically_sound -- https://freesound.org/s/632762/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 20110503_clucking.00.wav by dobroide -- https://freesound.org/s/120582/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    33 min
  7. The Four Reminders for Individuals

    03/26/2025

    The Four Reminders for Individuals

    Mending the future will require system change and personal change. And we can start with nudges in the right direction, because much of what we need already exists. The 4 reminders for individuals can help us live better and spend less time in the more toxic areas of modern society. 1. Be Where You Are 2. The Entire World is Real 3. Find the Others 4. Plant Trees This episode is a companion to the 'Four Factors for Organization' which laid out the guidelines Matt uses to pick organizations. Find the others by joining our discord: https://discord.gg/mDBuWYtwMh Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 Shizuka by Aerohead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8VmUFPEg_w Verdure by Kaizan Blue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJaHkR_8ehk Poetry Credits: Warsan Shire. 'What they Did Yesterday Afternoon' in Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth. (2011) https://bookshop.org/p/books/teaching-my-mother-how-to-give-birth-warsan-shire/7604734?ean=9781905233298&next=t&next=t Sound Effects: Digging with Shovel OWI.wav by Allen2001 -- https://freesound.org/s/595105/ -- License: Attribution 3.0 Atmos chords c min.wav by LogicMoon -- https://freesound.org/s/645688/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

    22 min
  8. Swoop! There it is.

    03/12/2025

    Swoop! There it is.

    Spring is here and the birds are returning.  You can hear them if you slow down and listen.  In this episode, Matt and his old friend Alex play and discuss the calls of a dozen common birds that you can see and hear even in the city. Alex Eddington is a composer, sound designer, theatre artist and amateur birder.  Learn more about Alex and his work here: https://www.alexeddington.com/ Bird Resources: https://www.bird-sounds.net/ https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home Birdnet App: https://birdnet.cornell.edu/ Ebird: https://ebird.org/home Migration map: https://explorer.audubon.org/ Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 Sound Effects: Black-capped chickadee - Mesange a tete noire.flac by micndom -- https://freesound.org/s/27387/ -- License: Attribution 3.0 Cardinal.wav by CGEffex -- https://freesound.org/s/96217/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Other bird recordings by TRP: https://freesound.org/people/TRP/ who is also online here: https://thomasryderpayne.bandcamp.com/ Gentle waves on a lake by TheFlyFishingFilmmaker -- https://freesound.org/s/614299/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    41 min
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Things could be better.  Future Mending Radio profiles the people, organizations and businesses that are already building a better future. Clothing swaps, farmers’ markets, pay-it-forward restaurants, independent authors, repair cafes, DIY bike shops, sustainable chocolate shops and more.   Future Mending happens when we meet our daily needs in a way that saves money, improves our wellbeing and also strengthens healthy social systems -- instead of padding the profits margins of giant corporations. In short, relaxing episodes, we'll seek out alternatives and explore them together.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Lie - Paehlke
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Future Mending Radio
  • Show Website
    Future Mending Radio