Ep16: Standing Up For Environmental Justice with Peggy Shepard

Our disconnection from nature has never been greater and this is resulting in not only a crisis for our planet but for our own well-being too. Ciara Byrne, the founder of Green Our Planet, has been using school gardens to help bridge this disconnect. Through her organization, these green spaces are more than just a cool project—they're a way to teach kids about taking care of our planet and each other. And it's working! She's helping to plant seeds of change and watching hope, connection, and environmental stewardship bloom right before our eyes.

 Highlights

• How did a school garden get a couple of kids to protect sea turtles?
• How did Ciara go from documentary film making to creating school gardens?
• What other benefits do school gardens bring?

 What YOU Can Do

• Take a walk outside. Even if it's just around your neighborhood. Observe the trees, the birds, the animals, and even the insects. Give yourself space to connect and enjoy it.
• Plant a garden, even if it's just some pots on your balcony.
• Advocate for getting school gardens and/or hydroponics at your local school.
• Inform others about the benefits of school gardens and share Green Our Planet's mission on social media to raise awareness.

Resources

• Green Our Planet Website: A resource hub for starting a school garden, with guides and success stories.  

Use discount code EXGREEN20 and receive a 20% discount for a full week or single-day registration to the EarthX Congress of Conferences this April! Hope to see you there! 

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What difference for the world are you going to make today?

There's magic in nature and all of us. T. A. Barron integrates this belief into his life as a bestselling author, conservationist, and host of the Magic & Mountains podcast. But, it's his work honoring young changemakers with the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, that really proves this notion to be true. These individuals are making significant contributions to environmental conservation and community improvement, despite the odds that may be stacked against them. And T. A. shines a light on their heroism and the power we all have deep inside.

If you need some inspiration to keep going with the great work you're doing (along with some practical guidance), you'll find it in this episode.

Since its inception, the Barron Prize has awarded more than half a million dollars to hundreds of young leaders and has won the support of the National Geographic Education Foundation, Girl Scouts of the USA, and the National Youth Leadership Council, among other organizations. When not writing or speaking, T. A. Barron serves on many boards including Princeton University, where he helped to create the Princeton Environmental Institute, and The Wilderness Society, which recently honored him with its highest award for conservation work.

Highlights

• Where can we find hope amid all the doom and gloom we hear of and experience?
• What's the biggest challenge that young changemakers face nowadays? (it's not what you think)
• What's the responsibility of creatives in today's world?

 How YOU Can Help

• Barron suggests that the best way to inspire others, especially young people, is through the example set by our own actions and choices.
• Share the good stories. The bad ones seem to always rise to the top so we need to counter them with stories of the good that people are doing in the world. It's surprising how effective simple storytelling can be in inspiring action.
• For those who are or know young changemakers, consider applying for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
• Echoing his advice for the main character in many of his books, Merlin, Barron urges listeners to recognize the unique magic within themselves and use that to create positive change in YOUR world. The ripple effects will follow.

Resources

• T. A. Barron website  
• Magic & Mountains: The T. A. Barron podcast 
• Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
• Inspiring Young Heroes – a video portal featuring more incredible stories of amazing kids.

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

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Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

We all know that plastics have become a problem, but there's even more to it than the litter you see thrown on the ground. Dr. Roopa Krithivasan is the Director of Research for Defend Our Health, an environmental health and justice organization. They recently released a report titled Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle which tracks the impact of plastic bottles on human health and climate change. Turns out, we can experience the hazards of our plastic use well before the items even end up in our homes- and afterward.

Highlights

• What's the untold story about plastics?
• What do we need to consider regarding our summer backyard activities?
• Why is recycling not the answer like we thought?

 
What YOU Can Do

• Look for refillable options for the items that you buy. And use a refillable water bottle.
• Buy versions of items with minimal packaging (do you really need that cucumber that's wrapped in plastic?).
• Don’t recycle canisters unless you fully rinse them out (ESPECIALLY bottles that contain chemicals or detergents).
• Use laundry sheets instead of bottles of detergent (less plastic use).
• Buy secondhand (to avoid having raw plastic needing to be made).
• Call out companies on social media.
• Write letters or sign petitions to companies and governments about reducing single-use plastics and plastic contamination.

Resources

• Sign Defend Our Health's petition asking Coca-Cola to clean up its plastic.
• Defend Our Health's website
• Learn about plastic alternative, Notpla, with this episode of The Healthy Seas Podcast (Crystal is the host of that show too!)
• In the show's outro, I mentioned my Action for Climate education program. If you know of a school who may want to empower its students with actions that experts are saying are the most impactful at reducing our carbon footprints, then let's connect!

*Since the taping of this episode, Dr. Roopa Krithivasan is no longer the Director of Research for Defend Our Health.

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

First, the tadpoles and frogs disappeared; then the bats and the songbirds left. Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn, a honey bee veterinarian and environmental health scientist, soon realized the bees—the vital pollinators of fruits, plants, and vegetables—were dying. Everything went still and silent. In 2017, after a large flood, most of the teeming life on her beloved family farm in North Carolina had vanished in a matter of weeks. As a scientist and a naturalist, Hilborn set about to get answers and shares her story in her riveting book, Restoring Eden, and in this episode.

No matter where you live- even if it's a city far from farmland- if you drink water and eat food, you are going to want to listen to this episode.

Highlights

• The alarming findings about pesticides, particularly Roundup and neonicotinoids, on the environment, wildlife, and human health.
• Why some pesticides cannot be washed off.
• Strategies for individuals to minimize exposure to harmful pesticides and support a healthier ecosystem.

What YOU Can Do

• Get in the know by buying her book, Restoring Eden
• Support local agriculture, agroecology,  regenerative agriculture, and organic agricultural practices in the food you buy, when possible.
• Mow less and plant native flowers (grown from uncoated seed) to support wild pollinators.
• Leaving soil undisturbed and leaving leaves when they fall are ways to support our beneficial insects.
• The Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting comments about treated seed. Leave a comment in support of regulations. (find other petitions to sign once this comment period is over or create your own)

Resources

• Visit Elizabeth's website
• Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen List 

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

The recent COP28 climate change conference concluded with mixed feelings from many stakeholders. Despite this, a noteworthy optimistic takeaway was the emphasis by top scientists on the urgent need to prioritize the protection and restoration of wild ecosystems within global climate strategies, highlighting the necessity of biodiversity conservation.

 Alison Zak from the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund champions the crucial role of beavers in mitigating the effects of climate change. Her advocacy aims to enhance the acceptance and appreciation of beavers, recognizing the enormous benefits they bring to an area- for people and other species.

 
Highlights

• How are beavers important to other species, including many endangered ones?
• What do beavers and climate change have to do with one another?
• How can humans coexist with these animals on their property?

What YOU Can Do

• Learn more about beavers. Apps like iNaturalist and iBeaver are great places to start.
• Talk to others about their benefits and about the ways to, more conveniently, coexist with them.
• Visit their habitat. This can help you to grow an appreciation for what they are capable of doing.
• Donate to the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund

 
Resources

• Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund  
• Alison's personal website   
• Wild Asana book   

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

What happens when you have a constitutional right that's being violated but you're too young to vote for the constituents who might fix it? These kids asked the courts to step in.

Today's guest, author Elizabeth Rusch, has captured this gripping story in her latest book, The Twenty-One. We dive into how, in 2015, twenty-one young Americans, ages 8-19, filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government. In this ongoing landmark case, Juliana VS. United States, the plaintiffs claim that the government’s support of the fossil-fuel industry is actively contributing to climate change and, therefore, violating the young generation’s Fifth Amendment rights. They insist that having life, liberty, and property are intrinsically linked to a stable climate. Many legal experts initially thought the case wouldn't go anywhere, however, over the past eight years it has become a potential legal game-changer for our environmental future. 

If you're a fan of the underdog giving "the big guys" a run for their money, you won't want to miss this episode.

Elizabeth Rusch is also the author of You Call This Democracy?, a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, and more than a dozen acclaimed children’s books, including picture books, middle-grade, fiction, nonfiction, and a graphic novel. In a starred review, Kirkus calls her book, THE TWENTY-ONE, “a nail-biting account of a still unresolved landmark case”. 

Highlights

• How a small-town lawyer created a case that could have global repercussions.
• What evidence do the plaintiffs have that their rights, and yours, are being violated?
• How does the recently successful case of Held v. Montana compare to this one and can it help?

What YOU Can Do

• Call, Email, or Tweet the Department of Justice for your support of the case.
• For a list of other ideas on how you can get involved, go to the Our Children's Trust website.   

Resources 

• Buy the book, The 21  
• Elizabeth Rusch's website  
• Twitter/X
• Instagram
• Facebook

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

As the world makes strides toward a green economy, the U.S. State of New Jersey is determined to be a leader in the movement. And, the First Lady of New Jersey, Tammy Murphy, is ensuring that citizens are prepared. She has spearheaded the initiative of integrating climate change into school curriculum. New Jersey is now the first State to require the topic be taught across all disciplines in the K-12 grade levels. With the consequences of global warming affecting us all, there's no better time to ensure that students understand the complexities of this issue. By providing them with the knowledge of how and why things are happening, students will be better equipped to tackle the challenges they will face and succeed in the opportunities being created to address them.

• How did she do it?
• What does it look like in classrooms?
• How can other schools and States do the same?

• Talk about what New Jersey is doing with others and encourage your local schools to do the same. They can find help from the resources below.

• New Jersey Department of Education Climate Change Education Resources
• New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub 

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

**This episode first aired in October 2021. Listen to an update from Nina at 26: 27 about the next round of EWCL open to applicants now.

The field of wildlife conservation has some of the most passionate and determined people in the world. Building a career protecting animals requires professionals in this field to have a diverse and complex toolbox of skills and knowledge. However, as happens in many other professions, academic training is only the beginning of the learning journey and often does not fully cover the wide range of challenges and opportunities that individuals will face in the real world. Recognizing this gap, Nina Fascione (Exec. Director, International Rhino Foundation) and Jeffrey Flocken (President, Humane Society International), created the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) program in 2005 to afford early-career wildlife conservationists an opportunity to become better-rounded professionals. Through EWCL, participants in the program are equipped with a gamut of skills, techniques, and approaches to wildlife conservation, and are connected to an extensive network of peers worldwide. We talk about the program, its evolution, and the future, diving into some very amusing stories of how EWCL came to be and continues to change people's lives straight from the start.

Highlights

• The borderline nutty dedication to getting EWCL off the ground. ;)
• What kinds of impacts has EWCL had throughout the world?
• How can someone become a part of this fantastic network?

What YOU Can Do

If you're an early career conservationist, apply to join the next EWCL class! Tell them Forces for Nature sent you! Applications will be accepted from October 1st-31st of 2023.

Resources 

• Application
• Website 
• Instagram 
• Facebook 

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

**This episode originally aired in May 2021. You can find an update from Julio at 24:19.

Today's guest is Julio Prieto. He's an Ecuadorian lawyer working with the Union of People Affected by Texaco, the organization otherwise known as UDAPT. He has been a key player in one of the most well-known battles for environmental justice- the case of Ecuador vs. Chevron-Texaco. After 20 years of litigation, Julio's team won the case that found Chevron to be guilty of egregious pollution and irresponsibility in the Ecuadorian rainforest. However, 10 years later, he is still fighting for the settlement that would benefit the tens of thousands impacted. We talk about his lessons learned, his most recent victory, and why, despite the impossible odds, he will never give up.

Highlights

• What were the allegations brought against Chevron-Texaco?
• What happened after they were found guilty?
• His most recent victory was a case brought by nine indigenous girls. What did that involve?
• Advice he shared if you find that an existing or proposed project in your community raises environmental, social, or animal welfare concerns.

What YOU Can Do

•  Join Julio and his team by using #antichevron and #beyondchevron in your social media posts in order to bring more visibility to the issue. 
• In the episode, Julio mentioned how a community in Richmond, California is also fighting against Chevron. He has asked that we support their efforts as well in order to decommission the refinery there. You can do so by writing support letters to officials and/or to editors and posting on social media to increase the case's visibility. You can learn more about these efforts on their website.

Resources

• Union of People Affected by Texaco website
• Facebook
• Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate and review! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?

*This episode first aired in April 2021 and Chris's title mentioned in the show has changed since.

Climate change and environmental protection haven't always been as politicized as they are today. And, unfortunately, in being so, progress on these fronts gets hindered. Chris Barnard is helping to change that. He's the VP of External Affairs of The American Conservation Coalition, a group founded by political conservatives working to transform the narrative of denialism in order to get more voices to the table. We talk about how these issues shouldn't be political, how you can find allies across the political spectrum, and which solutions may satisfy all.

Highlights

• How have conservatives, at least stereotypically, come to be labeled as anti-environment or even anti-science?
• What does Chris think is missing from the current environmental conversation?
• What kind of work has his organization done to bridge the political divide on climate change and other environmental matters?

What YOU Can Do

• Decide to be pro-environment over pro-X political party.
• Have healthy discussions with others who may not necessarily share your political views. As long as your end goal is the same regarding protecting the environment, discussion and compromise can move us so much further, together.
• Have an open mind to solutions you may have disregarded before.
• Educate yourself. Chris, for example, recommends resources such as the Market Environmentalism Academy.

Resources

• American Conservation Coalition website
• ACC Instagram
• ACC Twitter
• ACC Facebook

Use EXGREEN20 discount code and receive a 20% discount to a full week or single day for the Congress of Conference registration!

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!

What difference for the world are you going to make today?