The large proportion of agricultural land (the majority) allocated for grazing of farmed animals doesn't equate to a large amount of nutrients/calories produced and is thus a misuse of land that could be re-wilded or used to grow nutrient dense crops. Host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Jennifer Molidor, Senior Food Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity to discuss how we can move toward more sustainable agriculture that allows for less grazing and feed crops, and more precious space d...
Jul 02, 2022•26 min•Ep. 46
Is the news helping us prevent future zoonotic disease pandemics by facilitating needed policy changes in animal and eco protection (namely the wildlife trade/hunting and agribusiness)? In Tune to Nature radio host and researcher Dr. Carrie Freeman, a professor of communication, shares her recent study in this 31-minute podcast analyzing the pandemic prevention solutions covered in the last 2.5 years of global news coverage of zoonotic disease and its relationship to meat (from wild animals hunt...
Jun 22, 2022•31 min•Ep. 45
This 25-minute interview features the whistleblower from The End of Medicine documentary (on Apple TV and itunes), former pig farm industry veterinarian Dr. Alice Brough in the UK who shares why she quit trying to reform animal ag from within, given its immense systemic problems with animal welfare, public health and antibiotic resistance, environmental racism, and environmental pollution and destruction. As a vegan, she now advocates for animal rights, human rights and public health, and enviro...
Jun 06, 2022•25 min•Ep. 44
Law professor Dr. Raj Reddy explains an important new global treaty for animal welfare and pandemic prevention called “Convention on Animal Protection” found at https://www.conventiononanimalprotection.org/ This is a first draft of a treaty prepared by Lawyers for the Convention on Animal Protection , following the passage of a resolution on animal protection by the American Bar Association House of Delegates in February 2021 which “urges all nations to negotiate an international convention for ...
May 09, 2022•27 min•Ep. 43
A highly pathogenic bird flu is causing the premature deaths of millions of birds in 2022, including wild birds but especially domesticated birds on industrial egg farms, since U.S. factory farms are conducting horrific mass killings of tens of millions of birds exposed to the virus. Unlike most news stories that focus on avian influenza from a human economic or agricultural perspective, we are going to talk about it from the perspective of those who are most affected and are suffering painful d...
Apr 27, 2022•27 min•Ep. 42
We discuss an undercover investigation (in Iowa) of the wild animal trapping industry in the U.S., conducted by Born Free USA and the Humane Society of the U.S., where the investigator witnessed how animals are beaten to death, if not dead already, when found suffering in leghold traps or snares (with callous disregard and even joking), along with the role that government agencies like the DNR play in protecting (poorly regulating) this cruel and unnecessary practice (much of which is to steal a...
Apr 12, 2022•23 min•Ep. 41
Women, especially women of color, are highly impacted by the climate crisis and the fossil fuel industry and also are leaders (and increasingly should be) in promoting a clean energy transition and healthy communities. Osprey Orielle Lake discusses the nonprofit she founded and directs -- WECAN -- Women's Earth & Climate Action Network International in this 25-minute podcast recorded in March 2022 (for Women's Herstory Month) for "In Tune to Nature" radio show, with host Carrie Freeman. http...
Mar 21, 2022•25 min•Ep. 40
Chris Bugbee, SW Conservation Advocate of the Center for Biological Diversity , discusses the ecological problems with cheap permits allowing cattle grazing across so many millions of acres of public lands in the U.S. West -- the largest commercial use of public lands. This is especially damaging in riparian zones along rivers, reducing biodiversity and threatening the other animals and plants who live there. We discuss how government land management agencies are not fulfilling a responsibility ...
Feb 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 39
This provocative discussion on Dr. Khazaal's book "Like an Animal" explores the intersection of immigration, discrimination, the problematic human/animal divide, and speciesism, within the context of advancing a mutual concern for human rights and nonhuman animal rights. In this 27-minute podcast, "In Tune to Nature" host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Natalie Khazaal, Assistant Professor in the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), discussing the book she ...
Jan 22, 2022•27 min•Ep. 38
Based on humanity's subconscious anxiety at admitting we are mortal animals, we seek immortality through a denial of death and our animality. Dr. Lori Marino discusses this topic in her research paper with Michael Mountain on terror management theory explaining studies showing that human recognition of our animality and our mortality (as fellow vulnerable creatures) makes us prone to creating out-groups and discriminating against them, particularly nonhuman animals (as a survival mechanism of so...
Dec 15, 2021•27 min•Ep. 37
Did you know that birds tend to migrate at night, and light pollution from our homes and buildings can mess up their navigation and cause deadly collisions? Birdcast.info is a website and a research/outreach project that has maps that forecast bird migrations across North America, which are especially prevalent in spring and fall. In this 25-minute interview, host Carrie Freeman talks with Project Leader Julia Wang of Birdcast as she explains how we can reduce light pollution across our cities t...
Nov 15, 2021•25 min•Ep. 36
North America’s animals can’t be restricted to living within park boundaries and must migrate freely. The vision of Y2Y is an interconnected system of wild lands and waters stretching 2,000 miles from Yellowstone National Park in Montana to the Yukon region near Alaska in Northern British Columbia, Canada. The nonprofit’s U.S. Program and Adaptive Management Coordinator, Hannah Rasker, explains how the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) works with a network of partners, collabora...
Oct 10, 2021•23 min•Ep. 35
We talk about interspecies justice, animal rights, personhood, and earth jurisprudence from a legal and ecofeminist perspective, putting animal rights in context of intersectional social justice activism, with guest Dr. S. Marek Muller , Associate Professor of Rhetoric at Florida Atlantic Univ and author of the book “Impersonating Animals: Rhetoric, Ecofeminism, and Animal Rights Law” (Michigan State Univ Press). She ends by describing how a critical vegan rhetoric can be a transformative and in...
Sep 28, 2021•34 min•Ep. 34
Wildlife biologist and journalist Doug Chadwick talks with host Carrie Freeman about his latest conservation book “Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just might Save us All" promoting the genealogical kinship we have with fellow animals and even plants and microbes. This beautiful book (part photo book, part nonfiction natural science book, part biographical storytelling book) helps us gain a perspective as part of the animal kingdom and natural world in the hopes we might w...
Sep 17, 2021•28 min•Ep. 33
Award-winning animal photojournalism pioneer Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals Media tells us about the growing field of courageous animal photojournalists worldwide who visually tell the stories of nonhuman animals, by specializing in animal protection issues and undercover investigations of captive animals -- like in farms, zoos, aquariums, markets, and labs. You can see and use some of these compelling images on the We Animals stock photo archive https://stock.weanimalsmedia.org/ We Animals Medi...
Aug 29, 2021•26 min•Ep. 32
An investigation by the DeSmog Blog team & journalist Caroline Christen explains how giant meat companies "climate-wash" -- misinform the public and politicians to avoid being held accountable for their large contributions to the climate crisis. Caroline outlines misleading tactics from the meat industry playbook meant to delay a needed shift away from animal-based foods. In this 25-minute interview, Carrie Freeman (host of "In Tune to Nature") interviews journalist Caroline Christen, author...
Aug 17, 2021•26 min•Ep. 31
Author and animal activist Justin Barker shares his inspiring, true, coming-of-age, queer teen heroism story in "Bear Boy" ( www.bearboy.org ) of liberating Ursula and Brutus, two black bears languishing in a cage at a zoo in California in the 1990s. Through commitment and perseverance, he investigated and documented their conditions, garnered media attention, raised rescue funds across the nation, and held public officials accountable, to ultimately get this brother and sister bear pair moved t...
Jul 22, 2021•23 min•Ep. 30
Bunnies span the globe and may be in our yards or on our laps (and hopefully not on our plates). Author Mark Hawthorne explores the natural and cultural history of rabbits (a favorite animal companion of his) and ways to support them. In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews Mark, a long time animal advocate and author, in this 25 minute podcast about his new book "The Way of the Rabbit" (2021, Changemakers Books). His website is www.markhawthorne.com The "In Tune to Nature" radio show a...
Jun 28, 2021•25 min•Ep. 28
In this interview, biologist and animal advocate Dr. Balcombe helps us appreciate an ecologically beneficial group of animals who are buzzing all around us but whom we mostly ignore, malign, or swat away -- flies -- the topic of his new book “Superfly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects" (Penguin Press, 2021). For this "In Tune to Nature" show, host Carrie Freeman asks Dr. Balcombe to focus on the vital role of flies as pollinators of flowers and food crops (including ch...
Jun 21, 2021•26 min•Ep. 27
Law Professor Karen Bradshaw (Arizona State U) discusses the innovative biodiversity solution from her book "Wildlife as Property Owners: A New Conception of Animal Rights" (Univ of Chicago Press, 2020). www.wildlifeaspropertyowners.com This challenges the current system where only certain humans or nations are owners of the entire world. As part of the In Tune to Nature radio show, host Carrie Freeman questions Professor Bradshaw about why animals in nature need to (deserve to) be owners of the...
Jun 07, 2021•24 min•Ep. 26
In this interview, scientist and Saving Life on Earth campaign director Tierra Curry explains plans that the Ctr for Biological Diversity outlined for U.S. governmental protection of lands and waters (30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050) if Pres. Biden declares global extinction a National Emergency and dedicates $100 billion toward protection efforts (including establishing new parks/reserves, combatting introduced species and illegal wildlife trading, strengthening the Endangered Species Act and who i...
Apr 23, 2021•25 min•Ep. 25
Media Professor Dr. Debra Merskin and Sentient Media Executive Director Ana Bradley discuss a campaign (started by In Defense of Animals and supported by Jane Goodall and others) to encourage the Associated Press to update its journalism style guidelines to use pronouns like "they," "she," "he," or "he or she" to describe an individual animal, rather than calling him or her "it" (a word only fitting for an inanimate object). In this 26-minute podcast, we discuss the impact of media messages abou...
Apr 12, 2021•27 min•Ep. 24
Environmental Journalist Georgina Gustin of Inside Climate News discusses the findings of her March 2021 article "Big Banks Make a Dangerous Bet on the World’s Growing Demand for Food" with the subtitle "While banks and asset managers are promising to divest from fossil fuels, they are expanding investments in high-carbon foods and commodities tied to deforestation." (such as animal meat, cow's milk, and palm oil). This 25-minute interview by host Carrie Freeman for In Tune to Nature radio show ...
Mar 19, 2021•25 min•Ep. 23
This 26-minute interview features Dr. Helen Harwatt, one of the researchers of the 2021 report "Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss" by Chatham House, a research and policy institute in the UK. We explore what aspects of global agriculture and dietary practices, namely animal ag, are causing species extinctions at such high rates and discuss the three solutions/levers the report proposes: 1) shifting toward plant-based diets, 2) preserving existing habitats and rewilding some farmland, and ...
Mar 13, 2021•27 min•Ep. 22
Author and activist Aph Ko explains her novel and insightful ideas on race and animality to foster multidimensional liberation for all human races and animal species, based on her book Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out (Lantern Press: 2019) (Jordan Peele's movie Get Out is an inspiration here). In this 26-minute "In Tune to Nature" Podcast, host Carrie Freeman asks Aph to explain concepts from the book, such as how racism is a form of "zoological witchcraft" where "white su...
Feb 05, 2021•26 min•Ep. 21
Legal scholar Maneesha Deckha explains her novel category of "beingness" to raise the legal status of animals, in her new book "Animals as Legal Beings: Contesting Anthropocentric Legal Orders" (Univ of Toronto Press, 2021). In this 25-minute interview on In Tune to Nature, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Professor Deckha (Univ of Victoria, BC, Canada) explains how feminism, postcolonialism, and critical animal studies informs her less exclusionary and more universal notion of a legal "being" as oppos...
Jan 21, 2021•25 min•Ep. 20
This 25-minute podcast explains the 2021 Animals' Manifesto to prevent pandemics, signed by over 150 eco & animal protection NGOs to influence international policy-making in support of One Health & One Welfare holistic approaches to considering the mutual welfare interests of humans and other species. "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman interviewed Jessica Bridgers of World Animal Net in early January 2021 to explain the manifesto's origins from the covid crisis, its signatorie...
Jan 11, 2021•25 min•Ep. 19
In this 50-minute interview with author Dr. Carrie Freeman, fellow activist and host Melody Paris discusses the ideas within Carrie's newest book The Human Animal Earthling Identity: Shared Values Unifying Human Rights, Animal Rights, and Environmental Movements (2020, UGA Press) , such as: why identity and values matter to social change, how animal rights can be a bridge between human and nonhuman protection, common opponents and root causes of social and ecological problems, how empathy, respe...
Dec 22, 2020•52 min•Ep. 18
In this 25-minute podcast, the Exec. Dir. of Wild Animal Initiative explains their unique research mission to understand and improve the lives of wild animals as sentient individuals not just 'populations'. Animal welfare does not have to be limited to domesticated animals; Wild Animal Initiative hopes to facilitate "research and applied projects that will open the door to a clearer picture of wild animals’ needs and how to enhance their well-being. Ultimately, Wild Animal Initiative envisions a...
Dec 04, 2020•25 min•Ep. 17
Host Carrie Freeman provides ideas for green, vegan, natural, & affordable holiday gifts to support health and wellness during this pandemic. This 25 minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast was also broadcast on 89.3FM Atlanta on Radio Free Georgia, Nov. 25th 2020. She shares her nutrient dense smoothie seed mix, and recommends micro-green and herbal tea growing gifts, specific whole foods plant based diet cookbooks like Eat to Live, Forks Over Knives, How Not to Die, Plant Strong , Plant Pure Na...
Nov 22, 2020•26 min•Ep. 16
