Why “No Farms, No Food” is a Biophilic Rallying Cry

Time and time again, we’ve seen that spending time in nature has profound effects on our physical and mental wellbeing, but did you know that the outdoors are also uniquely suited for imparting leadership skills? This week, we’re chatting with Sandy Colhoun, the President of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School), a global nonprofit wilderness school that is dedicated to stewardship & sustainability, diversity in the outdoors, education, leadership, safety, and community. Their programs range from expeditions for young students and semester-away programs to executive leadership and even NASA training courses. 

In this conversation, we chat with Sandy about his own formative experience in a NOLS program, discovering yourself in the wild, and we define a core tenet of the NOLS philosophy, expedition behavior.

Show Notes

• NOLS
• About Sandy Colhoun
• NOLS Stewardship & Sustainability
• NOLS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 
• NOLS Programs & Courses
• Resources
• Follow NOLS on Instagram
• Chattahoochee Hills Charter School
• Walk Your Way Calm: A Guided Journal for Uncluttering Your Mind with Every Step by Jennifer Walsh

Key Words: NOLS, Outdoor Education, Leadership, Outdoor Adventure, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature Based Solutions, Nature Based Learning, Wilderness, Wilderness Medicine

E.O. Wilson once said, “if insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos”- and he wasn’t wrong. In fact, our entire food system depends on the energy that tiny bugs transfer to vertebrates. So, what’s the issue? Insects themselves depend on native plants and larger portions of our outdoor spaces have been overtaken by non-native, invasive species and resource-intensive, environmentally futile lawns. 

It sounds dire, but there are plenty of solutions according to today’s guest Douglas Tallamy, the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. Dr. Tallamy has dedicated much of his career to raising awareness about the significance of native plants and outlining the simple, common-sense solutions that everyone can use to improve biodiversity in their own backyard. In this conversation, we chat with Doug about the promise of keystone species, the amazing progress he’s made reintroducing native plants on his own Pennsylvania property, and the nonprofit he founded to encourage private landowners to join the movement.

Show Notes

• About Douglas Tallamy
• Homegrown National Park
• Homegrown National Park: Native Plant Resource Directory
• Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Living Landscape by Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy
• Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy
• Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the Wild on Your Backyard (Smithsonian)

Key Words: Native Plants, Pollinator Garden, Oak Trees, Keystone Species, Ecosystem, Ecosystem Restoration, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Crisis, Douglas Tallamy, Doug Tallamy, Food System, Biophilia, Biophilic Design 

Our guest today, Shelby Stanger, believes that a little bit of outdoor adventure is the key to a full and happy life. In fact, Shelby credits her own experiences surfing and escaping her comfort zone with catapulting her into a totally new life path. Today, Shelby is the host of the Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast and the author of Will To Wild: Adventures Big and Small to Change Your Life, a field guide of sorts for anyone interested in seeking more adventure. The best part? For Shelby, deep transformation doesn’t require an expensive retreat or tons of self-help books - simply getting outside on a consistent basis can completely shift your perspective and lead to meaningful growth.

In this episode, we chat with Shelby about the power of awe, a few particularly inspiring stories from her amazing book (seriously - we can’t recommend it enough!) and the magic you find out on the trails. 

Show Notes

• Will to Wild: Adventures Big and Small to Change Your Life
• Wild Ideas Worth Living Podcast
• About Shelby Stanger
• Shelby Stanger on Instagram

Key Words: Nature, Adventure, Wildness, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Wellness, Self Help, Recreation, Outdoor Recreation, Surfing, Surf, Nature, Nature Based Solutions

Our guest today, Robert Hammond, has dedicated his life to creating vibrant public spaces that foster human connection, wellbeing, and bring out the best in our communities. In the late 90’s, Robert, alongside business partner Joshua David, co-founded New York City’s iconic High Line, transforming an abandoned rail line into a lush greenway that connects 1.5 miles of Manhattan. After over two decades at The High Line, Robert took on a new role as President and Chief Strategy Officer at Therme US, a global company that is revolutionizing the ancient practice of thermal bathing in order to bring wellness to people from all walks of life. 

In this episode, we chat with Robert about his incredible career, the importance of public spaces that foster social infrastructure, and his ultimate goal to democratize wellness (and make it a little more fun in the process).

Show Notes

• The High Line
• High Line Co-Founder Robert Hammond to join Therme Group
• Therme Group: A Global Wellbeing Leader
• Therme Sustainable Technology
• A magical, green walk along Paris’ Promenade Plantee (Guardian)
• Robert Hammond on Instagram

Key Words: High Line, Friends of the High Line, New York, New York City, Green Infrastructure, Social Infrastructure, Therme, Thermal Bathing, Wellness, Biophilia, Biophilic, Nature Based Solutions, Nature

Thoughtful and creative design can change the world, from the products we use every day to innovative and climate-resilient buildings, to entire cities that prioritize the health and vitality of the people who live in them. Our guest today is Dr. Ellen Bassett, the John Portman Dean of the College of Design at Georgia Tech, where such innovation is taking place on a daily basis. Ellen’s background lies in urban planning with areas of expertise in land use planning and law, sustainability, health and the built environment, and international development particularly in the Global South. 

In this interview, Monica and Jennifer catch up with Ellen about where her interest in urban planning began, the importance of using biophilic design across disciplines, and the impactful years she spent abroad working in Kenya. 

Show Notes

• About Ellen Bassett
• Ellen Bassett Research
• Georgia Tech College of Design
• Conversations with Cabrera: Ellen Bassett (YouTube)
• Solar Decathlon 
• SimTrigate Design Lab, School of Architecture, Georgia Tech
• Front Lawns, Biodiversity, and Bylaws with Nina Marie Lister (Biophilic Solutions)
• Atlanta Beltline

Key Words: Georgia Tech, Design, College of Design, Urban Planning, Land Use, Land Planning, Land Law, Kenya, Africa, Architecture, Built Environment, Urban Sprawl, Atlanta, Nature, Nature Based Solutions, Climate Change, Climate Resilience, Biophilia, Biophilic Design 

It’s officially cozy season! This week, Monica and Jennifer are back with another roundup of biophilic holiday reads, perfect for gifting or curling up with by the fireplace. So, whether you’re looking for a beautiful coffee table book, inspiring looks at the science of spirituality, or words of wisdom inspired by nature, keep on listening. 

Shownotes 

• Biophilic Solutions on Bookshop.org
• The 2024 Biophilic Leadership Summit 
• Wild: The Naturalistic Garden by Clare Takacs and Noel Kingsbury
• Design a healthy home by Oliver Heath
• How to Be More Tree: Essential Life Lessons for Perennial Happiness by Potter Gift and Annie Davidson
• Thin Place Design: The Architecture of the Numinous by Dr. Phillip James Tabb
• The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science by Alan Lightman 
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
• The Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape by Katie Holten 

Key Words: Biophilic, Biophilia, Nature, Nature Based Solutions, Reading, Holiday, Gifts, Book, Book List, Science, Spirituality, Trees, Garden, Gardening, Natural Garden, Thin Places, Creativity, Literature, Landscape, Clare Takacs, Noel Kingsbury, Oliver Heath, Potter Gift, Annie Davidson, Phil Tabb, Phillip James Tabb, Alan Ligthman, Rick Rubin, Katie Holten

Everyone should live within 10 minutes of a public park. Why? Because public green space improves overall health, strengthens community ties, combats climate change, and - when implemented correctly - reduces inequality. Our guest today is George Dusenbury, Vice President Southern Region and the Georgia State Director at the Trust for Public Land, an organization whose mission is to expand access to the outdoors by creating public parks and protecting public lands. In this episode, we explore exciting TPL initiatives like green schoolyards in New York City and the exciting Chattahoochee RiverLands Project that promises to transform the Atlanta metro area and beyond. We also discuss greenspace as essential infrastructure, the importance of local input,, and the resources available for anyone who wants to expand access to nature in their own communities. 

Show Notes

• Trust For Public Land
• About George Dusenbury 
• Chattahoochee RiverLands Project
• The Land & People Lab
• Policy & Legislation
• Resource Library
• SCAPE Studio 

Key Words: Trust For Public Land, Public Parks, Parks & Recreation, Green Space, Climate, Climate Change, Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee RiverLands Project, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature, Outdoors, Nature Based Solutions 

On the surface, you may not think that the military or professional baseball have much to do with fields like wellness, mindfulness, or biophilia - but that’s exactly where you’d be wrong according to today’s guest, Dr. Mark Campbell. Dr. Mark is a performance psychologist and consultant who works with clients across a wide range of challenging industries to optimize their wellbeing. He got his start  working as a lead for the US Army’s performance psychology and resilience program, worked closely on the DoD's Warrior Games and Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, and served as the Director of Mental Conditioning for the Washington Nationals. 

Throughout his impressive career, Mark noticed the transformative impact that nature had on every single one of his clients and has made the outdoors a hallmark of his approach. He even hosts a podcast on the topic called the Nature of Wellness (NOW). We were thrilled to catch up with Mark this week to explore his impressive career, how he brings more people into nature by meeting them where they are, and his ultimate goal to legitimize the term wellness. 

Show Notes

• Campbell Performance
• Nature of Wellness (NOW) Podcast 
• Mental Mechanics: The Impact of Nature by Mark Campbell 
• Mental Mechanics: The Beauty of Silence by Mark Campbell 
• Warrior Games
• Invictus Games

Key Words: Wellness, Psychology, Performance Psychology, Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans, Invictus Games, Warrior Games, Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Mindfulness, Sports, Athletics 

At this point, we all know that biophilia literally means the love of nature, right? But have you ever stopped to consider its opposite, biophobia? If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, we’d be willing to bet you haven’t - and to be honest, we hadn’t either until we met today’s guest, science journalist Emily Harwitz. Emily’s recent article, ‘Beware Creeping Biophobia’ was picked up by multiple outlets like The Atlantic, The Tyee, and Haikai due to its insightful breakdown of the cycle that begins when humans become irrevocably disconnected from the natural world. Basically, disconnection leads to fear, which leads to outright rejection and even destruction. 

We were thrilled to catch up with Emily to break down the cycle of biophobia, how we can convert the biophobic to the biophilic, and we also dive into the reasons why humans are drawn to collecting rare species. 

Show Notes

• Beware Creeping Biophobia (Haikai Magazine)
• Humans Fondness for the Odd and Rare Make Us Particularly Overwhelming Predators (Haikai Magazine)
• I’ll Go If You Go Podcast 
• Emily Harwitz Website
• Emily Harwitz Instagram 
• Jackson Wild Summit - 2023 Media Lab Fellows

Key Words: Biophobia, Biophilia, Nature, Outdoors, Journalism, Science Journalism, Ecosystem, Environment, Wildlife, Wildlife Restoration

The health benefits of biophilic design are well-established: reduced anxiety, improved focus, lower heart rate, and generally just better overall wellbeing. However, how do those health benefits translate to financial outcomes? How do we get more business leaders and policymakers to implement biophilic design on a broader scale? Enter the latest publication from Terrapin Bright Green, The Economics of Biophilia second edition. This new report, co-authored by today’s guests Bill Browning and Catie Ryan, looks at five sectors - offices, education, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and community - detailing the benefits of biophilic design interventions for each and then making the financial case in great detail. 

In this episode, Bill and Catie share how a flood of new research led them to update their original 2012 report, how businesses and policymakers can utilize biophilic design to meet their financial objectives, and why it really all comes back to long term thinking.  

Show Notes

• The Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature Makes Financial Sense, second edition by Bill Browning, Catie Ryan, and Dakota Walker
• Nature Inside A Biophilic Design Guide by Bill Browning and Catie Ryan 
• Terrapin Bright Green
• Interface

Keywords: Economics, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature Based Design, Nature Based, Finance, Architecture, Built Environment, Green Building, Nature, Finance