Sustainability, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Politics, Activism, Biodiversity, Carbon Footprint, Wildlife, Regenerative

The Creative Process
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The story of our environment may well be the most important story this century. We focus on issues facing people and the planet. Leading environmentalists, organizations, activists, and conservationists discuss meaningful ways to create a better and more sustainable future. Participants include EARTHDAY.ORG, Greenpeace, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, PETA, European Environment Agency, Peter Singer, 350.org, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Earth System Governance Project, Forest Stewardship Council, Global Witness, National Council for Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership, Marine Stewardship Council, One Tree Planted, Polar Bears International, EarthLife Africa, Shimon Schwarzschild, and GAIA Centre, among others. Interviews conducted by artist, activist, and educator Mia Funk with the participation of students and universities around the world. One Planet Podcast Is part of The Creative Process’ environmental initiative. www.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info INSTAGRAM @creativeprocesspodcast

  1. A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls with Veteran Environmental Journalist FRED PEARCE

    APR 27

    A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls with Veteran Environmental Journalist FRED PEARCE

    After 40 years of reporting on the world's most pressing ecological crises, you might expect Fred Pearce to be a cynic. Instead, he’s one of our greatest advocates for hope. If you follow the news about the environment, it’s easy to feel a sense of impending doom. We hear about accelerating extinctions, collapsing water cycles, and climate tipping points. But my guest today, environmental journalist Fred Pearce, says that if you look at the "ground-truth"—the stories of nature and people he has encountered—there is a surprising, even radical, case for hope. His work has taken him to more than eighty countries, from the logging concessions of Borneo to the radioactive exclusion zones of Chernobyl. He is the environment consultant for New Scientist and a regular contributor to The Guardian. In his latest work, Despite It All: A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls, he challenges the prevailing narrative of environmental collapse. He argues that the "population bomb" is being defused, that we are approaching "peak stuff" in developed nations, and that nature possesses a staggering capacity for resilience that we often ignore. He says that a "Good Anthropocene" is not only possible but is already beginning to take shape through a combination of ancient wisdom and modern technical fixes. We’ll talk today about his life as a journalist and why pessimism may be the greatest enemy of progress. (0:00) The Radical Case for Climate Optimism (2:46) Traveling the World to Find Environmental Resilience (5:08) Fixing the Anthropocene and Escaping Despondency (10:22) Indigenous Wisdom and Local Stewardship (15:28) Rewilding and Trusting Nature's Adaptability (21:10) The Renewable Energy Transition in China and Beyond (23:56) Peak Stuff and Redesigning the Cities of the Future (34:01) Defending Democracy and Environmental Protestors (36:12) Drinking Radioactive Vodka in Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone (41:29) When the Rivers Run Dry and Water Scarcity (50:37) Why the Population Bomb is Defusing (55:36) The Origins of an Environmental Journalist (1:03:15) The Future of Journalism in the Age of AI (1:13:27) Generational Hope and the Next Industrial Revolution Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    1h 17m
  2. We Are Becoming Earth: Scientists, Writers, Musicians, Environmentalists & Indigenous Voices on the Living World

    APR 22

    We Are Becoming Earth: Scientists, Writers, Musicians, Environmentalists & Indigenous Voices on the Living World

    Today, on Earth Day, we explore the Living World—a reality where we are not merely on a planet, but are a moving part of its very metabolism. We travel from the High Sierras with Paul Hawken to the forests of Costa Rica with Thomas Crowther. Guided by Merlin Sheldrake and David George Haskell, we explore ecology, policy and music with guests Paula Pinho, Hans Bruyninckx, Bill Hare and Alice Schmidt. Alongside Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Tom Chi, Erland Cooper, Rebecca Tickell and Britt Wray, we ask what happens when we stop trying to dominate and start trying to collaborate with the Earth? (0:04) TIOKASIN GHOSTHORSE Founder, First Voices Radio (2:05) PAUL HAWKEN Founder, Project Regeneration, Project Drawdown, Author (24:25) (4:57) THOMAS CROWTHER Founder, Restor, Co-chair UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (5:51) MERLIN SHELDRAKE Biologist, Author, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds (8:23) DAVID GEORGE HASKELL Biologist, Author, How Flowers Made Our World (10:43) HANS BRUYNINCKX Fmr. Director European Environment Agency (11:39) REBECCA TICKELL (Director, Kiss the Ground) Soil Health (26:27) (13:32) TOM CHI Founding Partner, At One Ventures, Author, Climate Capital (14:44) PAULA PINHO Chief Spokesperson, European Commission (16:08) BILL HARE Founder/CEO, Climate Analytics, Physicist (18:03) ALICE SCHMIDT Global Sustainability Advisor, Author (19:18) ERLAND COOPER (Composer) Earth as Collaborator (22:38) BRITT WRAY Author, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod IG @creativeprocesspodcast

    30 min
  3. Why Do We Listen to the Talkers More Than the Builders Saving the Planet? - Physicist, Designer, Investor TOM CHI - Highlights

    APR 17

    Why Do We Listen to the Talkers More Than the Builders Saving the Planet? - Physicist, Designer, Investor TOM CHI - Highlights

    Why does our economy treat environmental destruction as an inevitable side effect rather than a massive design flaw? How can shifting our focus from polarizing "talkers" to practical "builders" literally save the planet? We are repeatedly told that the climate crisis is too vast and volatile to solve, but what if the true obstacle is simply bad design? Tom Chi is a physicist, designer, inventor, and investor whose work has shaped everything from Google Glass and rapid prototyping at Google X to some of the most ambitious climate technologies being built today. He’s now the founding partner of At One Ventures, where he invests in deep-tech companies focused on a bold goal: a world where humanity is a net positive to nature. Tom’s new book, Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future, reframes economics itself—not as a fixed law, but as a design discipline that can be reimagined to align with the physical realities of our planet. Drawing on science, systems thinking, and lessons from nature, the book offers a grounded, practical framework for moving beyond both climate doom and empty optimism—and toward real, regenerative solutions. Today’s conversation is about what Tom calls the 4Cs: Capital, Compassion, Climate, and Community—but also about agency, responsibility, and what becomes possible when we stop treating the future as something that happens to us and start designing it deliberately. 0:00) Build Integrity: Choosing Builders Over Talkers Why prioritizing those who physically create solutions over those who merely debate them is essential for systemic change (1:21) Overcoming Powerlessness Through Creativity, Critical Thinking, Community Compassion Utilizing a specific framework of portable skills to move from climate anxiety into meaningful, iterative action (2:22) Capital Misallocation: Taxing What We Want to See A critique of current tax structures that burden labor while under-taxing capital and failing to serve societal needs (3:47) The Volatility Gap: Why Average Temperatures Mislead Understanding why increasing climate volatility—rather than just average temperature rise—is the true driver of human distress (6:19) Economics As Design: Redesigning The Global Engine Moving beyond "physics envy" in economics to treat the global market as a discipline that can be redesigned for better outcomes (9:11) Depth Over Breadth: Reforming Education Through Experience (13:30) Local Resilience: How Cities Can Lead The Transformation Practical, block-by-block strategies for urban adaptation, from expanding tree canopies to improving household efficiency (16:33) AI and Robotics in Agriculture (19:12) Human-Centric AI: Flipping The Priority Of Automation (20:18) Thinking In Pictures: A Language Beyond Words Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    23 min
  4. Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future - TOM CHI, Google X Co-founder, Founding Partner At One Ventures

    APR 17

    Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future - TOM CHI, Google X Co-founder, Founding Partner At One Ventures

    “In the book I spend a bunch of time basically teaching skills and teaching frameworks of thinking. Not to indoctrinate, it's not a framework like an ideology where you need to believe exactly these things. This is a lot more about how does one use their minds effectively to solve problems that have been solved before. Of course, I work on things that have to do with investment and climate and the future of the economy and automation. The main things I'm trying to teach in the book are skills around creativity, critical thinking, community compassion and frameworks around how to go and use that on problems that should be relatively portable to a bunch of problems that are meaningful to you. The way that education needs to change is that people need to actively be working on things that truly matter to them so that over time they end up being able to go make that difference.” Tom Chi is a physicist, designer, inventor, and investor whose work has shaped everything from Google Glass and rapid prototyping at Google X to some of the most ambitious climate technologies being built today. He’s now the founding partner of At One Ventures, where he invests in deep-tech companies focused on a bold goal: a world where humanity is a net positive to nature. Tom’s new book, Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future, reframes economics itself—not as a fixed law, but as a design discipline that can be reimagined to align with the physical realities of our planet. Drawing on science, systems thinking, and lessons from nature, the book offers a grounded, practical framework for moving beyond both climate doom and empty optimism—and toward real, regenerative solutions. Today’s conversation is about what Tom calls the 4Cs: Capital, Compassion, Climate, and Community—but also about agency, responsibility, and what becomes possible when we stop treating the future as something that happens to us and start designing it deliberately. (0:00) Overcoming Powerlessness through Creativity, Critical Thinking, Community Compassion Why broad hopelessness about the future is a purposeful tactic to maintain the status quo. (7:16) How average temperature metrics fail to communicate the true danger of extreme climate volatility. (11:54) Economics as Design (17:11) Multi-disciplinary Learning Centered on Real-World Impact (26:12) Local Resilience (31:15) Tax & Capital Misallocation (36:52) Build Integrity (45:32) AI and Robotics in Agriculture (51:08) The First Honeybee Vaccine (56:11) The Entropy Curve of Pollution (1:15:31) Human-Centric AI Flipping the priority of automation to serve the collective good rather than enriching a select few (1:20:59) Thinking in Pictures How learning to communicate and problem-solve without language fueled a career in deep tech invention Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    1h 27m
  5. Listening to the Living World: Ami Vitale, Yann Martel, Carl Safina, David George Haskell & Others on Climate Change & The Rights of Nature

    APR 11

    Listening to the Living World: Ami Vitale, Yann Martel, Carl Safina, David George Haskell & Others on Climate Change & The Rights of Nature

    Today, we hear from writers Yann Martel, Carl Safina and David George Haskell on the practice of listening to the living world. Tom Chi discusses the dangerous volatility of a one-degree shift. Clayton Aldern explores how climate change alters brain health and behavior, while Ami Vitale,Osprey Orielle Lake and Martín Von Hildebrand remind us of the kinship we share with nature. Fred Pearce discusses 40 years as a journalist reporting on climate from around the world, while Richard Black of the environmental think tank Ember and Paula Pinho, European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson, talk about policy, hope and the radical empathy required to protect the planet for future generations. (0:00) Clayton Page Aldern – Finding awe and beauty in the world (0:40) David George Haskell – On consequences of humans tuning out the sounds of the living world (2:11) Yann Martel – How animals ask us to step out of our humanity (3:12) Carl Safina – The interior lives of non-human animals (5:08) Ami Vitale – Environmental collapse and human conflict (6:37) Martín von Hildebrand – Indigenous views of nature (8:00) Richard Black – Transition to clean energy vs. massive fossil fuel subsidies (10:01) Tom Chi – Climate destabilization (11:07) Paula Pinho – Europe’s vision for energy independence (14:04) Osprey Orielle Lake – Māori concept of "I am the river and the river is me” (16:08) Bill Hare – On limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees (17:19) Fred Pearce – Finding hope in nature’s resilience To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews. Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod IG @creativeprocesspodcast

    20 min
  6. Listening to the Living World: Biologist DAVID GEORGE HASKELL on Flowers, Forests & Songs of Nature - Highlights

    APR 11

    Listening to the Living World: Biologist DAVID GEORGE HASKELL on Flowers, Forests & Songs of Nature - Highlights

    Step into the deep time of the forest floor, where a single fallen leaf contains the history of the world, and invisible fungal networks hum with ancient conversations. Biologist and acclaimed author David George Haskell reveals a staggering truth: we are completely dependent on the botanical world, and our belief in strict human individuality is a biological illusion. Haskell has spent much of his life training himself to see the universal within the infinitesimally small. He's famously sat for a year in a single square meter of Tennessee's forest, a mandala experience that revealed the deep history of the world through a single fallen leaf. He's a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his books The Forest Unseen and Sounds Wild and Broken, and he received the John Burroughs Medal for The Songs of Trees. His work often focuses on what he calls the unwaged labor of the natural world, the complex biological communities that sustain our planet without a monetary ledger. And his latest book is How Flowers Made Our World. In it, he argues that we are essentially grass apes dependent on the ancient innovations of flowering plants for two-thirds of our daily calories. (0:00) How Flowers Made Our World (1:33) Networked Connection is the Foundation of Life (2:00) Contemplating the Small (4:07) Consciousness, Intelligence & Memory in the More-Than-Human-World (4:18) We Are Grass Apes (5:41) Memories of His Childhood in Paris & Wild Orchids (6:34) The Networked Intelligence of Forests (7:45) The Earth in Full Song (8:46) The Practice of Listening (10:11) Escaping the Screen: Real Connections in the Classroom (11:35) The True Cost of AI (12:11) Transforming Ourselves (14:23) Silence Without Expectation (15:32) A Sensory Legacy for the Future Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    18 min
  7. How Flowers Made Our World: DAVID GEORGE HASKELL on Deep Time, Plant Intelligence & Listening to the Living World

    APR 11

    How Flowers Made Our World: DAVID GEORGE HASKELL on Deep Time, Plant Intelligence & Listening to the Living World

    What if the defining revolution of Earth's history wasn't led by animals or humans, but by flowers? Are we truly individuals, or are our bodies and minds just walking ecosystems? Our guest today is David George Haskell, a biologist who has spent much of his life training himself to see the universal within the infinitesimally small. He's famously sat for a year in a single square meter of Tennessee's forest, a mandala experience that revealed the deep history of the world through a single fallen leaf. He's a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his books The Forest Unseen and Sounds Wild and Broken, and he received the John Burroughs Medal for The Songs of Trees. His work often focuses on what he calls the unwaged labor of the natural world, the complex biological communities that sustain our planet without a monetary ledger. And his latest book is How Flowers Made Our World. In it, he argues that we are essentially grass apes dependent on the ancient innovations of flowering plants for two-thirds of our daily calories. (0:00) How Flowers Made Our World The incredible ancient history of flowers on Earth (4:56) Contemplating the Small Expanding our world by restricting our gaze (14:30) The Illusion of Individuality Why atomism is false and interconnectedness is the foundation of life (26:08) We Are Grass Apes The evolutionary origins of humans and our dietary dependence on grass (33:32) Memories of His Childhood in Paris & Wild Orchids (38:55) The Networked Intelligence of Forests How trees communicate and share resources beneath the soil (44:00) The Earth in Full Song Tracing the sonic history of our planet (51:08) The Practice of Listening Why tuning in to the natural world is crucial for our survival (1:01:21) Silence Without Expectation Sitting with nature without demanding progress or enlightenment (1:11:01) Transforming Ourselves Why personal change matters in the fight for the climate (1:15:20) Escaping the Screen Finding real human-to-human connection away from technology (1:16:16) The True Cost of AI The devastating impact of data centers on our fossil fuel consumption (1:23:18) A Sensory Legacy for the Future What we must preserve for the generations not yet born Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    1h 26m
  8. The Environmental, Psychological, Emotional Impact of Occupation w/ Actress, Director CHERIEN DABIS

    MAR 19

    The Environmental, Psychological, Emotional Impact of Occupation w/ Actress, Director CHERIEN DABIS

    In this special environmental highlights edition, Dabis reflects on the "ecocide" occurring in Gaza—the loss of ancient orange trees, the contamination of 95% of the water supply, and the long-term chemical impact on the soil. She explores how this ecological destruction mirrors the "continuous Nakba" and the inheritance of generational trauma. My guest today is Cherien Dabis. She’s a filmmaker and actress who has spent much of her career trying to fill the silences in the American narrative. In 2022, she became the first Palestinian to receive an Emmy nomination. She has worked on everything from The L Word to Ozark, Only Murders in the Building to the hit Netflix series Mo, always with an eye toward breaking the one-dimensional mold that has historically defined Arab representation in the West. But her latest project is perhaps her most ambitious yet. It’s a film called All That’s Left of You. It follows one Palestinian family across three generations, beginning in 1948 and ending in 2022. It is a story of exile and memory, and it’s Jordan’s official submission for this year’s Academy Awards. (0:00) Ecological Loss in Gaza Dabis reflects on the devastating environmental impact of the conflict, from the destruction of ecosystems and food supplies to the severe contamination of water and soil (2:14) The Inheritance of Trauma An exploration of how the Nakba remains a collective, living trauma passed down through generations, shaping Palestinian identity regardless of direct lineage (4:01) Inherited Trauma: Identity And History The passage of trauma requires a multi-generational lens to truly understand how history and political events shape a people's humanity (4:24) The Moment Of Activation: Racism In Ohio Experiencing severe racism and death threats during the first Gulf War ignited Dabis's lifelong drive to challenge dangerous media stereotypes through authentic storytelling (6:49) Filming The Nakba: Art Imitating Crisis Evacuating Palestine weeks before shooting forced the crew into a state of crisis, resulting in a film where art and life merged amidst an unfolding tragedy (9:04) The Bakri Acting Dynasty: Collaborative Lineage Collaborating with four generations of the Bakri family—including the late Mohammad Bakri—brought immense authenticity and a real-world family dynamic to the screen (10:37) Previous Films, Television And Craft Directing episodes for acclaimed series like Ozark and Only Murders in the Building (11:28) Psychological Violence: Impact Of Humiliation The film moves beyond physical violence to examine how non-physical harassment and the humiliation of a patriarch leave devastating, permanent relational scars (13:50) Broken Distribution: Industry Gatekeepers Dabis addresses the systemic fear in Hollywood distribution and her decision to form an artist-driven model to bypass traditional gatekeeping (14:39) Truth Seekers: The Next Generation Episode Website www.creativeprocess.info/pod Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

    16 min
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The story of our environment may well be the most important story this century. We focus on issues facing people and the planet. Leading environmentalists, organizations, activists, and conservationists discuss meaningful ways to create a better and more sustainable future. Participants include EARTHDAY.ORG, Greenpeace, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, PETA, European Environment Agency, Peter Singer, 350.org, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Earth System Governance Project, Forest Stewardship Council, Global Witness, National Council for Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership, Marine Stewardship Council, One Tree Planted, Polar Bears International, EarthLife Africa, Shimon Schwarzschild, and GAIA Centre, among others. Interviews conducted by artist, activist, and educator Mia Funk with the participation of students and universities around the world. One Planet Podcast Is part of The Creative Process’ environmental initiative. www.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info INSTAGRAM @creativeprocesspodcast

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