Episodes
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A warming and drying climate is connected to the increased frequency, severity and duration of extreme wildfire weather conditions in Australia.
And in the months leading up to Summer, Australian’s are reminded of bushfire season and advised by government and community organisations to prepare.
Generally, the recommendations are for people who live in bushfire prone areas to prepare their homes and ensuring they have an evacuation plan. But I wanted to find out how our natural spaces are being prepared through appropriate land management.
So, I reached out to the team at Firesticks, a national Indigenous network that works with communities and organisations to help restore the cultural wellbeing and identity of their country.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Thungutti, Bundjalung and Mualgal man and Lead Fire Practitioner Leeton Lee. Leeton works across Southeast Queensland and brings a wealth of traditional knowledge to this episode on the climate and community benefits of cultural land management.
We had a great conversation discussing Country of Fire, where timed burns are used to improve the health of the land plus how local land management plays a critical role to reduce the risk of bushfires, improve natural areas for endangered animals and when it comes to reforestation, why plant selection is so important.
It was also a personal reminder of the incredible value in Indigenous voices whose traditional knowledge can help us rethink current climate policies and adapt to what is truly suitable for our survival.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can learn more about Firesticks through their website, donate or follow them on their socials below:
Facebook
Instagram
This audio was edited by Peter Magill.
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The funeral industry is one that has remained largely unchanged with many people seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional burials or cremation.
Current end of life practices can have a significant effect on the environment from energy use to greenhouse gases and soil pollution.
So, one of the alternatives will be introduced by my guest today who is Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of the world’s first human composting company, Recompose.
Founded in 2017, Recompose describes the process of human composting as natural organic reduction. Human composting has a host of environmental benefits which supports a return to nature and a reduction in carbon and energy.
At the time of recording, Maine became the 12th state in the U.S. to legalise human composting however it is not yet available in Australia.
But at the heart of today's conversation it's about more than a green solution, we’re exploring the opportunity for more choice with Recompose respectfully challenging the funeral industry and current practices.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can learn more about Recompose on their website or follow them on Instagram for updates.
This audio was edited by Peter Magill.
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Episodes manquant?
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While oil and energy garner the bulk of attention for the climate crisis, there is another major culprit - the fashion industry that is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions.
Impacts include water and plastic pollution and fashion is also a major human rights issue through fast fashion’s unethical production.
There is a lot of work to do for the industry to align with the Paris Agreements 1.5-degree pathway and in Australia, we are large fashion consumers. With a population of approximately 26 million, on average, Australian’s buy 56 brand new items of clothing a year.
So here to help me explore how we can all improve our fashion footprint is communication and brand specialist Tiffanie Darke.
With over 30 year’s experience in editorial sensibility and commercial strategy, Tiffanie is the co-founder of Ibiza’s luxury sustainability fashion boutique, AGORA and the creator of Rule of Five – a global movement where participants only buy five fashion items a year.
Tiffanie and I discuss what makes a garment truly sustainable from fabric and production to sale. She also offers advice on how to shop sustainably and even alter current items in our wardrobes to give our clothes longevity. We also discuss the sustainability concerns around new plant-based materials and the responsibility of designers to create fashion items with circularity.
Tiffanie’s transformation from luxury fashion consumer to one of sustainable fashion advocate is inspiring and achievable without costing the earth.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can follow Tiffanie via her Instagram and read her newsletters at:
Its Not Sustainable
Rule of Five
This audio was edited by Peter Magill.
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Forget what you know about slimy seaweed washing up ashore as seaweed is now the fastest growing food in aqua culture.
Seaweed is in fact a nutritious superfood and a very clever and climate friendly plant with high carbon sequestering qualities.
Helping me explore the potential of the seaweed sector is Cam Hines, who is Owner and Co-Founder of Southern Seagreens who run regenerative commercial seaweed farms in Flinders, Victoria.
Southern Seagreens are growing sustainable seaweed for human consumption along with supporting marine ecosystems.
Cam runs the daily operations at Southern Seagreens and today we discuss how he moved from an entrepreneurial journey in craft beer to seaweed. We discuss how they grow and harvest seaweed plus behind the scenes details on the business from their lab, diving for wakame and what he believes the future looks like for this power plant.
You can learn more about Southern Seagreens and make a purchase via their website or connect with them via their Instagram.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
This podcast is edited by Peter Magill.
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Mike Coots grew up on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The lifestyle fuelled his obsession with the ocean along with an aspiration to be a professional bodyboarder.
When he was 18 years old, Mike and his teammates took to the water one morning looking to catch a wave at Majors Bay where Mike was almost killed by a Tiger Shark. Mike’s survival instincts helped him paddle back to shore and with the help of his friends and passersby who witnessed the attack, Mike survived but underwent emergency amputation surgery losing his leg.
But instead of turning his back on the water, Mike went from shark survivor to shark supporter. Mike began to learn about sharks – their behaviour, their quirks and their environmental challenges.
He has since spent his life advocating for their protection and has turned his hand to photography in a bid to share sharks’ beauty and their critical place in the oceans ecosystem.
Today, Mike and I discuss his recovery, shark conservation and his new book, Shark Portraits. To create this captivating book, Mike travelled the globe, free diving and scuba diving, often without a cage to record sharks.
Mike has turned his adversity into activism and his respect for sharks and the ocean is contagious and inspiring. I hope you enjoy his story today.
You can find out more about Mike via his website or Instagram or purchase a copy of Shark Portraits here.
Two documentaries are also mentioned during this podcast. One is Shark Water and the other is Envoy – Shark Cull.
This audio is edited by Peter Magill.
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Today we’re taking an audio visit to Volcanoes Safaris where you can trek to see mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in the forests of Rwanda and Uganda.
This once in a lifetime wildlife experience is as magical as it sounds and Volcanoes Safaris have been at the heart of reviving gorilla and chimpanzee tourism since 1997.
I’m delighted to bring you my conversation with Volcanoes Safaris COO, Kevin James as we explore what we’ll find on the property and what it’s like to see a gorilla for the first time. And as he defines it: “You really are connecting to something of our past.”
We discuss how Volcanoes Safaris are contributing to the protection of these incredible primates, offering respectful and educational wildlife experiences along with how the organisation is working with local community and what makes a truly sustainable operation when it comes to tourism.
You’ll also love the insight Kevin offers on gorilla behaviour and their family life. It’s no wonder they share 98% of our DNA.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can find out more about Volcanoes Safaris via their website and follow their social pages for some stunning visuals on what a visit looks like.
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
I’ve also linked through to the Ted Talk from Praveen Moman on Saving Gorillas.
This audio was edited by Peter Magill.
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Women in wildlife conservation just make sense and continue to demonstrate that they are key to protecting nature and their communities. Patrolling the critical areas of the Greater Krueger National Park is South Africa’s first all-women anti-poaching unit, The Black Mambas.
The Black Mambas are women who are selected, trained and deployed rangers which avoid a gun-first approach instead working to deescalate conflict towards potential poachers protecting The Big 5 and countless other animals.
Today on the podcast, I speak to the founder and director of Transfrontier Africa and founder and manager of the Black Mambas, Craig Spencer.
Craig discusses his innate traits to protect nature along with the growing success of The Black Mambas since founding the team in 2013. The team have a gruelling schedule patrolling the African landscape but are also creating sustainable incomes for their families and communities including supporting, feeding and teaching children the importance of wildlife conservation through the Bush Babies Environmental Education Program.
We discuss the traits that women possess to see them successfully disrupt the poaching space without the violence helping create a happy and peaceful landscape.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can support The Black Mambas here or follow them on Instagram for updates.
Learn more about Transfrontier Africa here including the Bush Babies Environmental Program.
This audio is edited by Peter Magill.
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Many animal lovers will seek out wildlife encounters when they travel. Sometimes tourists are sold a once in a lifetime experience to pet a tiger cub, have breakfast with an orangutan or ride an elephant.
But it’s important to note that these experiences often have a dark side with animals in these venues subject to degrading entertainment, cruel training methods and horrendous living conditions – deprived of their right to live a full, wild life.
So how do we know this? Well, today’s guest spends his days documenting these difficult stories in the hope that we can bring urgent change to wildlife tourism.
In today’s episode we speak to internationally-acclaimed photojournalist and film-maker, Aaron Gekoski.
Aaron specialises in human-animal conflict and for more than 15 years he has travelled the globe to report on our complex relationship with wildlife.
Covering issues from the illegal wildlife and pet trade, to deforestation, marine conservation and wildlife tourism.
He is also a previous winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, and many others.
His documentary, Eyes of The Orangutan has received multiple award nomination and is a four year investigation that documents orangutans in wildlife tourism and the not so ethical experiences they are subject to.
Aaron details his journey to wildlife photography and film, we talk about Eyes of the Orangutan, wildlife tourism, and how to avoid contributing to the industry.
Plus, if you're an aspiring photographer or filmmaker, Aaron offers some sound advice on documenting a cause you're passionate about so the world can see it.
I hope this episode brings you learning and value ~ Angela
We've entered this state whereby we think that animals are there simply for us to exploit or to enjoy ~ Aaron Gekoski
You can visit Aaron’s website or follow him on Instagram for updates.
You can also learn more about Orangutans through Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation.
This audio is edited by Peter Magill.
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Have you been to or seen photos of the Arctic?
It’s unparalleled beauty with magnificent blue glaciers, maybe a whiskered seal moving through its crystal waters or a polar bear trekking across the ice.
But this beautiful region is being challenged with temperatures in the Arctic rising faster than anywhere on Earth. The effects of climate change are seeing the tampering of weather, melting ice, rising sea levels and threatened wildlife.
To help me unpack what’s happening in The Arctic is today’s guest, Dr. Kimberley Miner, who is a climate scientist and program manager at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Her research on climate risks have taken her to the planet's extreme environments from the North Pole to Antarctica and Mount Everest.
From rising temperatures, thawing permafrost, wildlife and a core culprit – fossil fuels, Dr. Miner details where the Arctic sits from a climate perspective and how we can help protect it.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can learn more and connect with Dr. Miner on her website.
This audio is edited by Peter Magill.
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Climate change is challenging our oceans ecosystems when it comes to seafood.
We’ve got unsustainable fishing practices such as overfishing, bycatch, unethical fish farming and even microplastics but seafood has quite the market.
The Nature Conservancy reports that fish and other seafood products provide vital nutrients for more than three billion people around the globe and supply an income for 10 to 12% of the world's population.
So how do we sustainably meet a demand like that and avoid depleting our oceans?
Well, in a bid to create an ocean-friendly alternative, today I speak to AQUA Cultured Foods who have created healthy, scalable fish-free seafood.
I speak to AQUA Cultured Foods CEO and Co-Founder Anne Palermo and their CGO and Co-Founder, Brittany Chibe.
Anne and Brittany detail their environmental and business journeys to create AQUA with products that flawlessly resemble in both texture and taste to your favourite seafood items such as scallops, tuna and calamari.
It’s a very clever system which has a climate initiative at its heart, and I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can learn more about Aqua Cultured Foods through their beautiful website here or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
This audio is edited by Peter Magill.
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Following a year of animal welfare campaigns, on the ground demonstrations, fundraisers, petitions and political briefings, World Animal Protection are celebrating some significant wins for 2023.
Today, I welcome back Ben Pearson who is World Animal Protection’s Country Director Australia and New Zealand. Ben manages programmes for animals on farms and animals in the wild with a key campaign on wildlife tourism. He has more than 24 years experience advocating for the environment and animals.
Ben reveals some incredible wins for animal welfare here in Australia and we also get an update on what the team is working on from crocodiles to chickens in the year ahead.
It’s an encouraging conversation on how much we can achieve when we advocate for the kind and ethical treatment of all animals. Whether we bring our voices, our signatures or just our kind selves, change happens.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can find out more, donate or get campaign updates at worldanimalprotection.org or follow their social pages.
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
As mentioned on the episode today, if you're interested in my last conversation with ben on How To Be A Friendly Animal Traveller, you can listen here.
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Earlier this year, Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales in Australia received more than a year's worth of rainfall in a week. One town, Gympie had its highest flood in over a century with over 1,000 properties completely submerged in water.
The Insurance Council has reported that the actual claims costs from 197,000 claims across both states is estimated to have cost $3.35 billion in insured losses.
It is a devastating time for these communities and unfortunately we're dealing with this natural disaster as we always have.
Little to no government support and like for like building replacements which are costly, unsafe and ineffective for changing weather patterns.
So what else can we do?
Well I'm delighted to invite Brett Mckenzie, CEO of Sustainable back to the podcast with a very insightful look into what it takes to build and rebuild for resilience.
Brett and his team are renowned for building with nature rather than against using a 25-year lifecycle model. Sustainable constructed a property during the 2020 pandemic called the "Hidden Gem" in Fingal Head, whose tailored build survived four floods. It stands as an example of what's possible but Brett delves a little deeper today into the opportunity for a restructure of local government, incentives for rebuilding for the future and redesigning and moving entire communities from disaster prone areas - it's certainly possible.
I hope you find value in today's episode.
Brett and I spoke last year on Building Sustainable Communities. You can listen to that episode here.
You can also visit Sustainable's website or connect with Brett on LinkedIn to learn more about their work.
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In 2009, a documentary called The Cove was released to expose the not so secret annual capture and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.
Today, 13 years on, animal activist groups continue to fight to close The Cove and its hellish hunt practice including Hannah Tait, CEO of Action for Dolphins who joins me on the podcast today.
Hannah and I discuss the controversial drive hunt method of dolphins that sees them cruelly slaughtered in what is excused as cultural tradition. For the dolphins that do survive after the traumatic event, they will find themselves separated from their families and transported to marine parks across the globe - alone, confined and subject to entertaining humans daily until their death.
Sound horrific? It is...and while animal welfare is discussed today along with what actually happens over on the shores of Taiji, Hannah also reveals all of the incredible activism in progress to stop the hunt and how we can help.
Dolphins live rich, social lives in the wild - let’s keep them there.
To learn more about Action for Dolphins please visit their website here and you can also sign the petition
You can watch The Cove documentary on Stan in Australia or see other platforms for streaming in your country. https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-cove/
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As the destruction of natural resources and the carbon emissions generated from the fossil fuel industry continue to accelerate climate change, we are all at risk of losing our lives and our land with our indigenous and frontline communities at the most vulnerable.
Air pollution, temperature and sea level rise are wreaking havoc globally and in Australia, we unfortunately are moving at a poor pace to renewable energy despite being a country rich in natural resources to do so.
Today, my guest Jacynta Fa'amau is a Samoan Artivist based in Melbourne, Australia and is the Pacific Region Campaign Specialist with 350.org. She had been a part of the Pacific Climate Warriors network since the 2014 Canoe Blockade in Newcastle, NSW. In 2018 she joined the 350 Australia team as the National Organiser and Lead Trainer, and served as a member of the Council of Elders for the Pacific Climate Warriors Diaspora region.
Jacynta and I delve into the damaging industry that is fossil fuels and the sometimes-frustrating inaction of those accountable but also find refuge in the communities and countries who are responding to the fight with inspiring projects of climate resilience and ethical energy solutions.
Jacynta also reminds us of the power of storytelling in the fight against climate change and it’s never been so critical. I hope you enjoy and find value in today’s episode.
You can learn more at 350.org
Other useful sources Jacynta mentions are Marketforces and you can read about the Pacific’s Tokelau Nation that that runs 100% on renewable energy.
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Losing rainforests continues to wreak havoc on our climate and world leaders (yet again) have pledged to end deforestation. But waiting for policy makers is never the solution and today I sought to speak to someone who is doing ground work on reforestation.
I came across a brilliant charity, ReForest Now and am delighted to bring you my conversation with their CEO and Co-Founder, Maximo Bottaro.
ReForest Now is a young and fast-growing charity in Byron Bay and as their name suggests, they are working tirelessly to rewild bare paddocks to much needed rainforest cover in Australia.
Since 2018, the team has grown to 29 employees and they are on their way to achieve planting 250,000 trees by the end of 2021. The organisation is diversified into several categories of environmental work including rainforest nursery tree planting, bush regeneration, maintenance and partnership teams.
Like many people, I knew the basics around rainforests - they absorb carbon, produce oxygen, cool the planet, house animals but today, Maximo delves into the fascinating science behind rainforests and their ability to truly stabilise the climate.
Today Maximo takes us behind the scenes of ReForest Now and hot to design and protect a rainforest. We discuss the charity's incredible achievements in such a small amount of time and how they remain accountable to their donors. Maximo has a refreshing take on climate change activism as we discuss how we are all responsible to be of service to our environment.
I hope you enjoy today's episode with Maximo. He brings so much value to the climate conversation today and I hope it might encourage a new respect and desire to protect our much needed rainforests.
You can find out more about ReForest Now through their website and even get involved with tree planting.
You'll can also connect with them on Facebook or Instagram.
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Aligning your your passion with meaningful change in the world is not an easy feat but it is definitely achievable as demonstrated by today’s guest, Holly Budge.
Holly is a working adventurer, an Everest summiteer (the first woman to skydive Everest) along with the founder and leader of international non profit, How Many Elephants and World Female Ranger Day to support female rangers in wildlife conservation.
Holly has raised over £400,000 for environmental projects with her charity working to educate a worldwide audience about the devastating impacts of the African elephant ivory trade.
Today on the podcast, we discuss some confronting statistics around elephant poaching plus Holly’s on the ground experiences with all female ranger teams, Akashinga and The Black Mambas in Africa.
Holly’s intuition, patience and drive has helped her to create a life where her work and her passion align with purpose and she hopes to encourage all of to think big and dream bigger.
You can contact or invite Holly to speak at your event at hollybudge.com
You can learn more or support her charity at How Many Elephants and find out how to get involved in World Female Ranger Day 2022.
All social handles are below:
How Many Elephants
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
World Female Ranger Day
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
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Today I am delighted to invite back Dr Leonardo Guida, Marine Biologist and Senior Shark Campaigner at Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Leo discusses outdated culling technology and the recent whale net entanglements that have seen mainstream media provide coverage of this cruel and outdated "protection" system.
He also reveals the physical distress and sometimes death that a shark will endure when caught at no fault of their own - by just being a wild animal. We also discuss the likelihood of our interaction with a shark and what measures are out there to help.
We also get an update from Leo on current campaign success, discuss his contribution to documentary, Envoy - Shark Cull and we do a little dreaming about what ocean policies he would change tomorrow if he could.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can connect with Leo on Twitter and learn more and put your support behind sharks through Australian Marine Conservation Society and Shark Champions.
If you haven't already, watch Envoy-Shark Cull and hear and see the research for yourself.
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Today I am delighted to invite back Lawrence Chlebeck, Marine Biologist and Senior Shark Campaigner at Humane Society International.
Lawrence reveals the reasons why shark nets are so ineffective as we discuss recent life-endangering net entanglements involving migrating whales and other marine life. He breaks down the outdated technology currently used in Australian waters and what we can do instead.
We also get an update from Lawrence on current campaign success, discuss his contribution to documentary, Envoy - Shark Cull and we do a little dreaming about what ocean policies he would change tomorrow if he could.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can connect with Lawrence on Twitter and learn more and put your support behind sharks through Humane Society International and Shark Champions.
If you haven't already, watch Envoy-Shark Cull and hear and see the research for yourself.
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As travel borders begin to open across the globe, many of us have a new mindset post-pandemic - an environmental mindset as we couldn't deny that the slowing of transport and production industries and human activity during lockdowns saw the earth recover some of our damage.
So when it comes to travel, how can we more more considerate of the environment when choosing our destinations, our method of transport or the activities we participate in on the ground?
Well, I'm delighted to introduce you to today's guest who will reveal if there is truly a way to reduce our carbon footprint and travel lighter and travel better.
Dr. Susanne Etti is the Environmental Impact Specialist at Intrepid Travel. Susanne leads Intrepid's climate action work including carbon performance, reporting and transitioning the business to the low carbon economy.
So if you're feeling a little eco guilt about your next flight, or you want to find out how you can offset your trip or take the steps to travel more responsibly, and give back, today's episode is for you.
You can visit Intrepid Travel and book your next carbon neutral trip on their website or learn more about their Climate Change commitments here.
You can also follow Susanne on Twitter to stay updated.
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Our planet depends on a future where sustainable design is prioritised. A single use economy has never made sense with human consumption of the earth’s natural resources at an all-time high. So, every industry, including design has a responsibility to consider how they create: from material to production and ensuring high quality products with the longest, most sustainable life cycle.
So I’m delighted to bring you today’s guest, Marlene Bruch who is the Co-Founder and Designer of PIZZycle and she is also the curator of the sustainable design news page, Green Designs.
Marlene studied at HfG Offenbach in Germany where PIZZycle, a reusable and recyclable pizza box was developed through her own observations of the rise of single use takeaway containers during the pandemic. Marlene and the team are currently exhibiting PIZZycle at trade shows and it has recently relaunched with a new design ready for production.
As a design student, Marlene’s passion for promoting and creating purposeful climate conscious designs is so encouraging as we discuss the current status of the industry, ethical materials, the circular economy, and of course behind the scenes of PIZZycle.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
You can visit PIZZycle on their website to learn more and follow Green Designs to stay updated on sustainable projects across the globe.
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