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In this episode I speak with James Fitzgerald, Research & Policy Manager at BCarbon, a carbon credit registry focused on nature-based solutions. We discuss:
• How the papaw tree and other evolutionary anachronisms reveal ancient relationships between extinct megafauna and modern plants.
• The evolving concept of "invasive species" in our increasingly globalized and interconnected world.
• The geological contrast between Long Island's climate vulnerability and New England's bedrock resilience.
• The century-long transformation of New England from farmland to forest, enabling the return of native megafauna.
• How Victorian "pteridomania" devastated native fern populations in Scotland and Wales, illustrating conservation challenges.
• The remarkable adaptation of black bears to human-dominated landscapes in New York City's suburbs.
• The complex interplay between human activity and natural systems in shaping modern ecosystems.
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In this episode I speak with David LaGreca, an environmental markets expert currently serving as a lead consultant at EcoEngineers, where he develops new methodologies for carbon dioxide removal projects. We discuss:
• How early mountaineering experiences in Colorado shaped his environmental commitment, including years as a dirtbag mountaineer.
• His 24 years of being a vegan.
• His transition from free-spirited outdoorsman to carbon market verifier.
• His view of verification as an unglamorous but essential function in carbon markets.
• The challenges of developing new carbon removal methodologies, particularly for novel approaches like ocean-based CDR.
• His assessment that biomass-based approaches, like biochar and BECCS, are the most promising near-term CDR solutions due to scalability.
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In this episode I speak with Sam Rosolina, an environmental chemist currently serving as Vice President of Applied Innovation at Microbial Insights, a laboratory that uses microbes to clean up environmental contamination. We discuss:
• How growing up in rural Northeast Tennessee shaped his love of nature.
• How witnessing the devastating 2008 Kingston coal ash spill motivated his pursuit of environmental chemistry research.
• His path from academic heavy metal detection to leading isotope analysis at Microbial Insights, tracking microbial breakdown of contaminants.
• The compelling parallels between microbial and human communities, particularly in their reliance on specialization and mutual support.
• His perspective on the balance between voluntary and compliance-driven environmental action, noting regulation's historic role in driving improvements.
• How finding stability in place and career has enabled broader thinking about research while maintaining deep regional connections.
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In this episode I speak with Brandon Craft, a product manager at Orbis, a forestry software company. We discuss:
• How a C.S. Lewis quote inspired his path from Christian ministry to forestry.
• His connection to Georgia's coastal plain ecosystem, where prescribed fire and forest management shaped his understanding of home as an ecosystem.
• How his humanities and biblical studies background provided crucial skills that enhanced his forestry career.
• The challenge of balancing legacy systems with new technology in forestry, requiring empathy to drive adoption in a conservative field.
• His exploration of the philosophical sublime through prescribed fire and harsh landscapes, finding both fear and beauty in nature's power.
• The value of developing vocabulary to help people connect with ecosystems rather than seeing them as empty spaces.
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In this episode I speak with Elias Ayrey, a forest carbon scientist and Chief Science Officer at Renoster, a carbon credit diligence firm. We discuss:
• How growing up in suburban New Jersey with a science teacher mother shaped his connection to nature and science.
• His move from ecology to forest remote sensing, and how it gives him a unique perspective on forests.
• His passion for paleobotany and early plant evolution.
• His realization that carbon market challenges stem primarily from human factors rather than technical limitations.
• How direct observation of carbon market projects revealed both transformative community benefits and serious human rights violations.
• His pragmatic view of carbon markets as a flawed but necessary climate solution given human nature.
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In this episode I speak with Ross Kenyon, former VP of Strategy at Nori, a carbon removal marketplace that recently shut down. We discuss:
• How his humanities background shaped his approach to climate work, bringing a generalist perspective focused on questioning assumptions.
• His engagement with Christianity through Tolstoy's radical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount.
• Why attributing ecological degradation to Christianity's concept of "dominion" oversimplifies both religious teaching and historical causation.
• The complex tension between altruistic and profit motives in scaling climate solutions.
• His view that climate change will likely increase global conflict and migration rather than cooperation.
• The importance of acknowledging human imperfection in climate work, advocating for pragmatic engagement with high-emitting industries.
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In this episode I speak with Roman Gonzalez, a product and design consultant through his company Rad Plant Man Consulting. We discuss:
• How growing up as a curious Mexican-American in Corpus Christi shaped his intellectual path.
• His spiritual evolution from Catholicism to atheism to developing a materialist ecological spirituality based on nature's intelligence.
• The creation of Gardenio, his startup focused on accessible home gardening, and how plant cultivation deepened his ecological awareness.
• His commitment to supporting underrepresented founders in tech entrepreneurship.
• His work at Literati connecting children with transformative books.
• His exploration of UFO phenomena as a window into human metaphysics and our relationship with the unknown.
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In this episode I speak with Caleb Meredith, a materials scientist currently working at TerraSafe Materials, an early-stage climate startup in the sustainable packaging space. We explore his vision of energy stewardship and discuss:
• His path from chemical engineering to materials science, sparked by early experiences exploring nature and fascination with micro-scale phenomena.
• The key distinctions between chemical engineering's industrial process focus versus materials science's structural relationships.
• How biological complexity initially drove him toward simpler physics before drawing him back to bio-derived materials.
• Why the "natural versus synthetic" materials divide misses the point in sustainable solutions.
• His vision of energy stewardship as the foundation for a circular materials economy.
• How studying materials at microscopic scales revealed increasing complexity, reshaping his view of human knowledge.
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In this episode I speak with Bryan Kam, a philosopher based in London and author of the forthcoming book Neither/Nor. We explore the fundamental question of what nature is and discuss:
• How ancient Greek concepts of phusis (nature) and nomos (human law) shape our understanding of the natural world.
• The tension between static and dynamic views of nature, from Parmenides to Heraclitus.
• Scientific materialism's struggle to establish nature's inherent value without religious frameworks.
• The Industrial Revolution's transformation of our relationship with nature.
• The challenge of preserving "wilderness" in a human-shaped environment.
• How urbanization may create an imaginary, disconnected view of nature.
• The philosophical tensions revealed in defining what counts as "natural" versus "artificial".
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In this episode, I describe my childhood fascination with nature, reflect on how I ended up working in nature and climate, and explain my spiritual motivations for striving to regenerate the Earth.
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In this episode I introduce Discern Earth, the podcast and newsletter that seeks to understand why nature professionals do what they do.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.discern.earth
