Aalayna Green (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University majoring in Zoology. Her research focuses on the nexus between conservation criminology and women's studies. She's specifically studying the gendered implications of urban wildmeat trafficking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A self-proclaimed intersectional conservationist, Aalayna has plans to attend graduate school and focus on wildlife conservation, community sustainability, and women's empowerment. See Show...
Nov 03, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Dr. Lee Ann Woolery, is an educator, researcher, scholar, and practicing artist of over 30 years. She pioneered Art-Based Perceptual Ecology, an art-based field research method to study ecological change. Dr. Woolery has accomplished a diverse array of actions varying from designing and facilitating arts programming for communities, schools, etc., to working with multicultural and intergenerational constituencies in several states, to developing a multi-disciplined community-based creative arts ...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 36
Vasu Sojitra is a professional adaptive athlete. His main passion is for skiing as well as for mountain sports ranging from trail running, rock climbing to packrafting and everything in between. Vasu has climbed peaks like the Grand Teton and climbed and skied peaks in Montana’s Beartooth and Bridger mountain ranges. When Vasu was only nine months old, he was diagnosed with septicemia, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. Since then, Vasu has not looked back; with the help of his pare...
Oct 20, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Dr. Dominique Lazarre has been an Associate Research Scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Saint Petersburg, Florida, since 2017. At FWRI, she leads a data management team that provides fisheries data to state and regional partners for stock assessments. Dominique also has experience working in academia: she is currently an adjunct professor for the Department of Biological Sciences at University of South Florida Saint Petersburg and was previously a visiting professor in Envi...
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 34
Ari Copeland works at Black & Veatch Corporation as an Operations Specialist. Ari has a BS in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Masters in Environmental Engineering from University of Cincinnati. Ari has been a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and has been in the water and wastewater industry for 16 years. Ari is a queer, transgender man who transitioned on the job in 2011. Ari is passionate about inclusion efforts within the water industry and a...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 33
Rabiah Nur is an Indigenous healer, activist, storyteller, speaker, ceremonialist and daughter of the Great Mother. Her work in the world is to heal and empower women through connection to nature, to spirit, and to their innate wisdom. She works to facilitate a rebirth of a new and healthy society where women are valued, empowered, whole and are held as the sacred beings that they are. If women are unhealthy, the whole society is unhealthy.Currently, Rabiah consults with and teaches at conferenc...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 32
Dr. Diego Román is an Assistant Professor in Bilingual/Bicultural Education at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fall 2019). Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in Teaching and Learning at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Román holds a B.S. degree in Agronomy from Zamorano University in Honduras and a M.S. degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned a M.S. de...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 31
Sarika is a first generation Indian-American, who grew up in the suburbs of Rochester NY. Her family comes from the foothills of Himachal Pradesh. Sarika was deeply influenced and inspired by the East Bay Area’s rich activist traditions while studying at the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned dual degrees in Peace and Conflict Studies and Conservation and Resource Studies. Before returning to graduate school, she worked for several years with her partner to build Restorative ...
Sep 15, 2020•54 min•Ep. 30
Andrew Kricun is a Senior Director with Moonshot Missions, a non-profit focused on providing technical assistance to water utilities in underserved communities. He is also a Senior Fellow with the US Water Alliance working on their national water equity initiative. He is also working as a Senior Advisor at the Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania on various projects related to the Delaware River watershed. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the Camden ...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 29
Whitney Tome is the former Executive Director of Green 2.0. Prior to joining The Raben Group as a principal, Whitney served as the director of diversity and inclusion at the National Parks Conservation Association where she led, defined, and crafted metrics and measures for the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Whitney has advised complex ocean stakeholder processes as a Program Manager and Mediator at the Meridian Institute including facilitating public meetings for regional ocean...
Sep 01, 2020•58 min•Ep. 28
Alyssa Perez is many things but among the most important are a mother, an environmentalist, and the founder of Stay Blooming. She's a Puerto Rican and has lived in the Bronx, New York her entire life. She has had a passion for our natural world since young and found herself wanting to protect these spaces over the years. Environmental awareness, education, and stewardship encompass much of her professional and personal lives. Stay Blooming reflects these values. She has also worked with Queens B...
Aug 25, 2020•41 min•Ep. 27
Jeremy Lin is an interpretive naturalist for California State Parks. Based at Donner Memorial SP, Jeremy is the lead interpreter for several parks in Sierra District. As lead interpreter Jeremy manages several park programs including nature education, docent volunteers, and infrastructural and long-range planning. Jeremy has been involved in creating a number of park programs to increase public engagement – California State Parks Backpacking Adventures (CASPBA) program, Wilderness Patrol volunte...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 26
Dr. Mariaelena Huambachano, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Society and Community Studies and Director of Biodiversity Protection and Indigeneity at UW, Madison. Dr. Huambachano’s work explores public policies for food sovereignty, social movements, sustainable development, and the role of Indigenous knowledge to improve food security and environmental policies. Dr. Huambachano utilises a novel theoretical approach by using the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) theory a...
Aug 04, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Bill Tripp is a Karuk Tribal Member and Interim Director of the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources. He began learning how to work with fire from the age of four from his Grandmother. His work to restore fire into the hands of Karuk People through an integrated Traditional Ecological Knowledge and western science framework has been instrumental in shaping state and federal policy changes in regards to prescribed fire. Show Notes Topics Discussed: Ecological Importance of Cultural Burns H...
Jul 28, 2020•54 min
Syren Nagakyrie (they/she) is a long-time disabled activist and community builder who is passionate about liberation through connection. Syren grew up with multiple invisible disabilities; they found connection with nature to be a source of comfort in times of social isolation. Syren is the founder of Disabled Hikers , (www.disabledhikers.com), an organization providing resources, events, and advocacy. Syren is a freelance writer, consultant, and presenter. They are the author of The Disabled Hi...
Jul 21, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Dr. Jonathan Hall is a wildlife ecologist by training with a broad interest in wildlife conservation, human/wildlife interaction, environmental justice, and species movement ecology. Much of his research experience is in the semi-arid environment of Western Rajasthan, India, focusing on the ecological and cultural relationships that exist between human populations and vultures. In addition to research in India he is also interested in understanding landscape and other environmental dynamics invo...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 22
Belinda’s environmental journey began when she was growing up in New York. As the first-born child of immigrant parents from south east China, Belinda found herself caught between two worlds. As a young child, she faced discrimination from white peers who saw her as “other” and faced the pressure of her parents’ desire to pursue a “respectable” and economically beneficial career path. To find solace from the pressure and the discrimination, Belinda would seek out the peacefulness of the wooded p...
Jul 07, 2020•50 min•Ep. 21
Traveling from New Jersey to North Carolina, Frances was able to experience urban city living as well as life in a rural area surrounded by hog farms. Through that, she and her family remained tight knit as her mother inspired her from all angles. With the house matriarch as a teacher and enthusiastic environmentalist, Frances was able to get the support she needed to obtain a BA in Sociology & Anthropology, Environmental Studies & Science Minor, from Spelman College, and currently worki...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Growing up in Ohio, Katie spent a lot of her childhood outside during the summer months. She spent a year at her grandmother’s house where she immersed herself in nature. Katie was able to take her love and interest for animals and nature into a career. While in attendance at Ohio University, she created her own bachelor’s special studies degree which she used to conduct research around snakes and then salamanders in Kentucky. After graduating, she worked at the OSU Stone Lab as a maintenance cr...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 19
Dr. Justin Dunnavant always had a passion for history and it was only after a study abroad trip to a Mayan site in a rainforest in Belize did he discover his love for archaeology. During that trip he realized that a lot of early history books are written from an archaeological perspective but that balck, indigenous, and people of color were not doing the work. And so, he saw it as an opportunity to bring his background and unique experiences to make a contribution to a profession that lacks raci...
Jun 02, 2020•53 min•Ep. 18
Dr. Shivani Bhalla is a fourth generation Kenyan Indian who grew up going on safaris with her family, which nurtured her obsessionwith wildlife. Her passion has always been big cats, in particular, Cheetahs. When Dr. Bhalla moved to Samburu to research cheetahs for her master’s project. But she never saw any cheetahs. Instead, she saw lions that tended to be solitary or in pairs, which piqued her interest because she was only familiar with seeing lions in large prides as a child. Dr. Bhalla was ...
May 26, 2020•38 min•Ep. 17
Journey Dr. Dr. Walubengo Walubengo is a Kenyan Forest/Natural Resources and Environment Management Specialist with experience in institutional capacity building, project planning, monitoring, evaluation and analysis, and engineering. With an emphasis on managing forests of Kenya, Dr. Walubengo has made huge strides in the realm of forestry, from establishing small, neighborhood forests through individual tree planting, to teaching local communities the importance of forests and empowering them ...
May 19, 2020•47 min•Ep. 16
Although still early in her environmental career, Valerie Nasoita is already making a large impact in conservation efforts towards vultures in Kenya. Originating from the Maasai tribe, Valerie is currently working hands-on as a Vulture Liaison Officer for The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the global conservation of birds of prey. In many parts of Africa, only 1-2% of previously abundant vulture populations remain today. This is a result of many agricultural producers poi...
May 12, 2020•55 min•Ep. 15
Sam Dindi has been working in the field of environment conservation for eight years now. As the co-founder of Mazingira Yetu, Sam is engaged in: Environment education and communication Community mobilization and training Ecosystem restoration Trained in sustainability development, tourism and wildlife management, Sam was awarded the Head of States Commendation (HSC) by the Government of Kenya for his exemplary service to the Republic of Kenya. He also received the IUCN-CEC award for his efforts ...
May 05, 2020•38 min•Ep. 14
Kristy Drutman is Jewish Filipino American environmental media host, activist, independent consultant and digital media strategist who created the podcast and media series known as Brown Girl Green. Forging her own path through the careers within environmentalism, Kristy is passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism and has used that passion to speak in front of thousands about the current climate crisis, facilitate workshops, and work with youth...
Apr 28, 2020•45 min•Ep. 13
Ariel Maldonado is a hispanic artist and environmental social media influencer/strategist with nearly 50K followers on instagram. Standing as an example that one does not have to have a nature-oriented childhood or education to become an environmentalist, Ariel did not post her first image on gogreensavegreen until the spring she graduated from college. With a newly developed interest in making budget-friendly environmental choices, she was able to use her lifelong passion of sharing information...
Apr 21, 2020•43 min•Ep. 12
Isaias Hernandez is the founder of the instagram page Queer Brown Vegan, and co-creator of Alluvia Magazine, a “publication highlighting the intersections of decolonized environmentalism through media”. Through his Instagram, Isaias educates his audience about the collegiate jargon associated with environmental topics related to climate change mitigation such as veganism, zero-waste, and environmental justice. His environmental narrative was influenced by his experience of growing up in a low in...
Apr 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 11
Author of the book There is Something in the Water, Dr. Ingrid Waldron is a powerhouse of a community activist and researcher. Using community based participatory research (CBPR) to examine environmental racism in Nova Scotia, Dr. Waldron took on the ENRICH Project in 2012. At first Dr. Waldron was hesitant as she didn’t know much about environmental racism. However, later on she realized that her research in “social, economic, and political inequalities that shape health outcomes in Indigenous,...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 10
Michael has developed a love for the world through many years of exploring Mother Earth’s beauty, respecting her gifts, and interacting with cultures across the globe. Hailing from the Southwest, Michael’s family is from both the Navajo reservation in northeast Arizona and also northern Colorado. Michael identifies as Dine’ or Navajo and describes himself as an “Urban Indian”, Michael spent all his vacations on the reservation with his grandmother, aunts, and other close family members. This cha...
Mar 31, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Jack Shu worked for California State Parks for 29 years, mostly as a Park Superintendent. With a great deal of time spent in the Office of Community Involvement, a unique section called Urban Services gave him insight into the value of outdoor recreation and education. “The kind of recreation, like hiking and backpacking, was just one part of the bigger picture of what recreation could provide. It was important for me to learn that and to realize that wilderness and outdoor recreation and the be...
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 8
