Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! After a powerful series of conversations recorded at the EarthX Conference in Dallas, Texas, Forces for Nature host, Crystal DiMiceli, is taking this moment to pause, reflect, and share what she's carrying forward as the season ends. In this solo episode, she talks about the common themes that emerged across the EarthX series, the value of having all stakeholders in the room—even those we may not always agree with—and why it’s...
Apr 11, 2025•10 min•Season 5Ep. 96
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! Welcome to another episode of the EarthX Conference series! When you think of ocean conservation, coral reefs likely come to mind. But what if the real unsung hero of the sea is something far less glamorous—and far more vital? Filmmaker Adam Hussain brings us into the underwater world of kelp forests in his upcoming documentary Seaforestation. These underwater ecosystems cover more area than coral reefs, support an astonishing...
Mar 29, 2025•23 min•Season 5Ep. 95
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! What if the way we approach learning could shape not just our own success, but the future of our planet? In this episode, I sit down with James Keyes—former CEO of 7-Eleven and Blockbuster—who believes that education isn’t just about getting a degree; it’s the key to freedom, progress, and solving some of our biggest challenges. But here’s the catch: m...
Mar 12, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 94
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! The health of our oceans is critical—not just for marine life, but for our economy and future sustainability. Enter Ocean Exchange, an organization dedicated to accelerating solutions that improve ocean health and coastal resilience. And, one of only four groups in the United States that was awarded the recent NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerator grant! I...
Feb 26, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 93
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! What if nature itself could help clean up our most toxic messes? That’s the promise of bioremediation, a groundbreaking process that uses living organisms—like microbes, plants, and fungi—to restore polluted environments. In this episode, we’re joined by two guests who are leading the charge in this field: Cheyne Robertson, founder of Ergofito Bio, who...
Feb 12, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 92
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! As the president of the United Nations Association – Orange County Chapter - Dave Rice is committed to localizing the UN's global Sustainable Development Goals. To effectively achieve this, Dave founded the nonprofit Sustainable Impact Alliance (SIA), and its for-profit counterpart, Sustainable Impact Alliance Solutions International (SIASI). Through h...
Jan 29, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 91
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! What if your home could do more than provide shelter—what if it could help heal the planet? In this episode, Eric Amyot, co-founder of Issho House, Oliizoi, and ReGen Earth Studio, talks about his visionary approach to sustainable and regenerative living. We explore groundbreaking innovations in home design, including self-sufficient, closed-loop syste...
Jan 15, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 90
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! What does it mean to truly live a life of purpose, one that not only fulfills us but also helps regenerate our world? Lynne Twist, a legendary activist, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance, has an answer. Lynne shares powerful stories from her work alongside indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest and explains how each of us can contribute to creating a more just and thriving planet. Through her in...
Dec 31, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 89
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! How can the landscapes around us play a direct role in reducing carbon emissions? In this episode, we talk with Jim Blackburn, the CEO of BCarbon, about nature-based carbon sequestration. Jim shares how BCarbon is helping landowners restore prairies, forests, and wetlands to store carbon naturally, and why the voluntary carbon market could play a pivot...
Dec 17, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 88
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! Daniel Cardenas is the founder of CarbonEx, a Native American-owned carbon solutions firm. With over 20 years of experience in the carbon management field, Daniel shares his insights into one of today’s most polarizing climate solutions—technological carbon capture. As a member of the Pit River Tribe, Daniel brings a unique entrepreneurial and Indigeno...
Nov 24, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 87
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! Julie Thorstenson is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation and the Executive Director of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society. Julie's deep connection to the land began in her youth, growing up on her family’s ranch in South Dakota, where she developed a love for nature that would shape her career. Now, she works tirelessly to ensure tha...
Nov 12, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 86
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! We're never going to create the healthy and humane world we want to see if we continue to be so divided from one another. Manu Meel is working to bring us together. He is the founder of BridgeUSA, an organization that empowers young people to foster constructive dialogue across political and ideological divides. With the United States feeling more pola...
Oct 29, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 85
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! Eleanor LeCain is the visionary behind the Solutions Summit, a groundbreaking event on Capital Hill that brings together bold thinkers and decision-makers to tackle some of today’s biggest challenges such as climate change, democracy, economic security, and health. During our conversation, Eleanor shares insights on how the Solutions Summit connects th...
Oct 16, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 84
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! Theo E.J. Wilson is a TEDx speaker, social activist, and leader in fostering dialogue across cultural and ideological divides. While Theo may not come from a traditional environmental background, his work on social justice, understanding others' perspectives, and the interconnectedness of humanity makes him an ideal person to explore the link between s...
Oct 01, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 83
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This is another episode of the Forces for Nature, EarthX Conference series! Brooke Carter is not your average teenager. At the young age of 13, she's already making waves in the world of wildlife education and conservation. Growing up in the Bahamas and traveling to exotic locations across the globe with her family, Brooke has had the incredible opportunity to experience a wide range of animals and ecosystems firsthand. Now, t...
Sep 17, 2024•17 min•Season 5Ep. 82
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! In this special episode recorded live at the EarthX Conference , Crystal sits down with Chance and Sarah Katheryn Ruder from the Conservation Connection Podcast. They discuss the power of collaboration in conservation, the importance of bringing diverse perspectives together to address sustainability challenges, and share insights from their on-the-ground experiences in nature education and science communication. You get to he...
Sep 03, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 81
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! This new season of the Forces for Nature podcast is a special one! All interviews were done on location at the EarthX Congress of Conferences , an event dedicated to fostering sustainability and environmental action. Initially, though, I was hesitant about attending due to its surprising mix of sponsors and speakers, many of whom you would never expect to see at a conference about protecting the Earth. However, I chose to go w...
Aug 20, 2024•8 min•Season 5Ep. 80
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! Did you ever travel somewhere that left a deep impression on you? Join Crystal DiMiceli as she reflects on her recent adventure to Rwanda, where she fulfilled her dream of seeing gorillas. Turns out, they weren't the only things that left her speechless. Highlights The incredible influence of Dian Fossey. Recovering wildlife populations in the country's national parks. The country's resilient community spirit after a turbulent...
Jul 02, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 79
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! Get to know the host of Forces for Nature, Crystal DiMiceli, better! In this show swap, she joins Stephanie Manka on The Fancy Scientist podcast. Stephanie has a great show that helps wildlife conservationists navigate their careers and she also provides coaching and mentoring for those struggling and feeling stuck as to what to do next. Highlights How did Forces for Nature come to be? What was Crystal's conservation career pa...
Jun 17, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 78
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! It often feels like there's only bad news being reported these days. It's easy to feel that way but, if you dig a little deeper, you can find reports of hopeful things that are happening. Laura Sitterly is a climate reporter that you can trust to find the silver lining in her stories. We talk about three recent articles she's written- one about a youth climate summit in Upstate New York, another about the downfalls (yet easy s...
May 27, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 77
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! Conserving land doesn't have to be all or nothing. We don't have to choose between setting aside whole tracks of forests to protect them or cutting them all down for economic development. Laurie Wayburn, the co-founder and president of Pacific Forest Trust, has found a middle ground. Since 1993, Pacific Forest Trust has transformed over 350,000 acres of privately owned forests in California and Oregon into carbon-sequestering ...
May 07, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 76
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! Bonnie Monteleone is the Founder & Director of Science, Research, and Academic Partnerships of the Plastic Ocean Project (POP) whose mission is finding science-based solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis. In 2019, she was working on a documentary about the North Atlantic Ocean. However, its plot quickly went from one about a complex, impacted ecosystem into a "who done it," following the death of a newborn criti...
Apr 21, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 75
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! In a time where our planet's health is at the forefront of global discussions, understanding the intricacies of climate change is not just beneficial; it's imperative. Bryce Coon is the Director of Education Initiatives at Earthday.org and a passionate advocate for embedding climate literacy within our educational systems. He plays a central role in crafting the organization's overarching goals and roadmap to increasing climat...
Apr 01, 2024•25 min•Season 4Ep. 74
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 ...
Mar 11, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 73
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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, des...
Feb 18, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 72
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 o...
Jan 29, 2024•26 min•Season 4Ep. 71
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 ...
Jan 07, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 70
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 ...
Dec 16, 2023•26 min•Season 4Ep. 69
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 landmar...
Nov 27, 2023•27 min•Season 4Ep. 68
Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show! 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 con...
Nov 06, 2023•27 min•Season 4Ep. 67
