With David Ramsay of BC Tomorrow What is watershed education? Why is it a critical component of place-based learning? How can we engage students of all ages in learning through a watershed lens? David Ramsay is well versed in using watersheds as an integrating context for learning, and he joined us to share both his tips for best practices as well as the ins and outs of BC Tomorrow’s new watershed simulator, with which students can look into the past, project the future, and take action. Water i...
May 09, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 35
With Lauren Madden of The College of New Jersey How did New Jersey become the first state in the US to include climate change standards across the K–12 spectrum? In what ways has teacher feedback contributed to this achievement? Why is community-based climate change education so critical? What are some high-impact individual actions and choices that can lead to systemic changes? How does this connect to systems thinking? Lauren Madden has been heavily involved with New Jersey’s innovative work o...
Apr 16, 2022•37 min•Ep. 34
With Aadil Nathani of Green Ummah Where can you find passages about respecting nature in the Quran? How does environmentalism fit into the Five Pillars of Islam? Why is it so important to focus on solutions to our various environmental challenges? Where does all of this fit into environmental education? Aadil Nathani, one of the co-founders of Green Ummah, joined us to discuss these questions, lead listeners through a sample lesson from the Green Ummah Curriculum on environmental racism, and sha...
Apr 02, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 33
With Jennifer Engbrecht of the Louis Riel School Division and Music Outside What’s it like to teach music outside in the temperate zone through all seasons? How cold is too cold to learn outdoors? Can drama and movement support students’ learning of complex musical elements like meter, rhythm, and form? What opportunities do outdoor settings afford educators and learners? How does the Orff approach fit into all this? Grade 2–5 teacher Jennifer Engbrecht took her students outside for all but 11 d...
Mar 27, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 32
With Sylvia Hadnot and Derek Hoshiko of E3 Washington How can we make environmental education a more equitable space? To what extent is citing limited resources a lack of creative, inclusive thinking? What is tokenism and how can it be avoided? Which narratives about equity are both inaccurate and counter productive? Sylvia Hadnot and Derek Hoshiko are the co-chairs of E3 Washington — the Washington state affiliate of the North American Association of Environmental Education — and they have been...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 31
With Patricia Sung and Alexander Dickson of McGill University and Mihskakwan James Harper of NRStor Inc. At what age did you first learn about climate change? How was it framed? Was there much talk of solutions? What is the true meaning of the word “sustainability”? How can it be more intricately woven throughout elementary and secondary education? When it comes to reciprocity, which books could be mandatory reading in certain university courses? Each member of our latest Gen-Z panel shares thei...
Mar 01, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 30
With Rosanna Ayers of The Biomimicry Institute When facing a design challenge, ask yourself, what would nature do? Or rather, what does nature do? How can the “three seeds of biomimicry” be applied to human design? Where does regeneration fit into this framework? How can we learn more from Mother Nature? This is where educators can play an important role in learners' development. Learners bring a lot of cultural knowledge to the design process, too. It's just a matter of unleashing it! In this d...
Feb 01, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 29
With Jade Harvey-Berrill of the Non-Profit Outdoor Learning Store , Take Me Outside , and Stoked on Science How can we make rocks and geology interesting when teaching on the land? What are some strategies for getting learners to comprehend geological time? Can anyone truly conceive what a billion years means? Geological processes comprise the foundation of our landscapes, yet rocks and geology often get overshadowed by living things during nature explorations. Outdoor educator and rock enthusia...
Jan 11, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 28
With Zack Gross of the Canadian Fair Trade Network and Fairtrade Canada Why are bananas such a great entry point for teaching fair trade? How can we champion fair trade in schools? What happens if you’re up against unsupportive administration? Zack Gross has been grappling with these questions for over five decades as a fair-trade activist throughout the world. To better educate the public about fair trade, Zack and co-editors Gavin Fridell and Sean McHugh produced The Fair Trade Handbook: Build...
Dec 01, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 27
With Brittney Oden of The Diverse Classroom Why is science so often an afterthought in special ed. classrooms? How can Problem-based Enhanced Language Learning (PBELL) be used to give 100% of your students access to 100% of your content? What does Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) have to do with any of this? Brittney Oden teaches special ed. using PBELL. She also loves bees. This convergence of practice and passion led her to creating a popular inquiry-based lesson on bee conservation that recentl...
Nov 13, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 26
With Markham Hislop of Energi Media How can we remain hopeful amid accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss? In short, it’s hard. But it’s also possible — and necessary. Though we still need immediate action on these twin crises, we have all the tools we need. In fact, many of them have been around for years. In this wide-ranging discussion with Energi Media’s Markham Hislop, hear about the seemingly utopic near future envisioned by Tony Seba of RethinkX — a future where remarkable disr...
Oct 24, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 25
With Kelsey Brasil, Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky, and Brennan Strandberg-Salmon How can post-secondary institutions better support students who are seeking meaningful work in the green economy? What can government-funded programs do to ensure that access to stepping-stone jobs is equitable? Is a youth climate corps a viable option? Where in the private sector are we seeing exciting green innovations? In Part 2 (of 2) of our roundtable with three Gen-Z youths, we answered these questions and more (w...
Oct 21, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 24
With Kelsey Brasil, Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky, and Brennan Strandberg-Salmon We’re rapidly shifting toward a green economy, yet many youths feel left in the dark about how to get involved. Some think that they’ll be left out if they don’t have STEM qualifications. As the three members of our panel of passionate Gen-Z change-makers assert, we need to re-think the definition of a green job and wake up to the fact that many different skillsets are and will increasingly be needed. In Part 1 (of 2) o...
Oct 01, 2021•42 min•Ep. 23
With Nazish Qureshi of GreenLearning How do recycling and a circular economic model differ? What are the ecological benefits of the circular model? Does it present any financial opportunities? Where does biomimicry fit into the discussion? How can teachers engage students in meaningful learning about a circular economy? Nazish Qureshi joined us to answer these big questions. She also shed light on the exciting innovations happening right now in the realm of a circular economic model. Some of the...
Sep 07, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 22
With Haley Higdon of Natural Curiosity How can inquiry-based learning be used in addressing heavy topics like climate change? Why is it so critical to lead with learners' questions and theories? What steps can all educators take to engage with millennia-old Indigenous wisdom? How can Indigenous and non-Indigenous people collaborate on a path toward reconciliation? Haley Higdon, Managing Editor of Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition, joined us to unpack these questions, while also sharing her insights ...
Aug 28, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 21
With Mary Clark of Agents of Discovery What does the research say about using mobile apps and augmented reality (AR) to connect students to the outdoors in engaging and meaningful ways? How do these digital tools impact learners’ conservation ethic? Can they have intergenerational appeal even though the average tech generation is only three tears? What does all of this mean for the future of experiential guides and nature interpreters in parks and other green spaces? Agents of Discovery CEO Mary...
Aug 18, 2021•47 min•Ep. 20
With Laura Frost and Scott Lenhart of Project Dragonfly , Ecoteach , Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist program , and Boardman Glenwood Junior High You can push students beyond their comfort zones by taking them abroad to work in a rustic biological station tucked into dense rainforest. You can also do it at your nearby creek just by implementing an inquiry-based teaching method in an outdoor setting. Laura Frost and Scott Lenhart honed their craft at Miami University’s Project Dragonfly and th...
Jul 31, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 19
With Karen Lai of the City of Vancouver and inclusionaccessibility.com Does inclusion mean “everyone belongs”? Why do so many organizations aim for a segmented rather than blended population? What role does personal vulnerability play in this discussion? Inclusion and Accessibility Consultant Karen Lai joined us to talk about how to navigate the messiness and complexity of accommodating many-layered people in outdoor settings. There’s no one-size-fits all approach, but with open communication, o...
Jul 23, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 18
With Marianne Larned of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute What makes the challenges of today especially daunting for young people? How can we foster in youths a sense of hope that is also grounded in reality? Why are meaningful green jobs going unfilled? What role do schools play in preparing students for a sustainable future? We discussed these questions in depth with Marianne Larned of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute, while also exploring some of the 100 stories in her latest book Stone ...
Jul 16, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 17
With Bridget Booth and Leah Higgins of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and the MiPINES app How can we connect people to outdoor spaces in their state or province? An app might not be the first thing that comes to mind, as so many are looking for ways to decrease screen time and increase green time. But maybe a bit of screen time on a carefully constructed app like MiPINES can ultimately get more people outdoors. How do these technologies impact experiential ...
Jul 07, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 16
With Samuel Levac-Levey from Solutions the Game and Work on Climate We know we need to spend time in the “solutions space” when teaching about climate change, but how do we go about this? Can we leverage the popularity of gaming? Samuel Levac-Levey thinks so, so he’s created the board game Solutions, inspired by Project Drawdown . In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss the advent of the game as well as the awesomeness of human potential, disinformation about renewable technologies like elec...
May 31, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 15
With Gabriel Gitter-Dentz, Kevin Zhou, and Adam Rudt of Hunter College High School and the Bridging the Carbon Gap podcast How can students make up for lost time when they haven’t learned much about climate change at school? When is the right time to introduce climate education? How should it be handled? Can gaming be an effective educational tool? These are all top-of-mind considerations for Hunter College High School seniors Gabriel Gitter-Dentz, Kevin Zhou, and Adam Rudt. This trio of teens j...
May 18, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 14
With Guy Walton from guyonclimate.com Have you entered the world of cli-fi yet? If not, join us for this lively conversation with meteorologist and children’s cli-fi author Guy Walton. Guy shares his insights on climate anxiety, “malevolent molecules,” misinformation versus disinformation, balancing hope and reality, and how his series’ central character Thermo came to be. Little Shop of Horrors came up in discussion, too, but you’ll have to listen to find out why… Transition music: "Call to Adv...
May 01, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 13
With Mike Harding of Applefun Puppetry and two of his puppet pals How can puppetry be used in educational settings? What’s the right balance between entertainment and education in a puppet show? Which recycled materials make for great puppets? In this special two-part episode for Earth Week 2021, Ian chats with puppeteer Mike Harding before having an oceanside conversation with his two new puppet friends, Lobert the lobster and the Purple Pirate. There’s also talk of muppets (Kermit impression i...
Apr 20, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
With Todd Beasley of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and University of South Carolina Why is horticulture misunderstood in so many schools? What is the largest barrier to sustained success with school gardens? How can botanical gardens become more culturally relevant? To what extent do non-profit board composition and recruitment practices impact the cultural relevance of botanical gardens? These are some of the big questions that Todd Beasley joined us to discuss in ou...
Apr 15, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 11
With Louis Yuen and Charlie Kistler of Infinity Eight Productions Making research studies on topics like climate change, microplastic pollution, and biodiversity loss relevant and interesting for children is… well… hard. How can it be done without making eco-anxiety worse? Louis Yuen, Charlie Kistler, and the team at Infinity Eight Productions have a solution: comic books! Join us for this wide-ranging discussion about everything from striking the right tone and navigating pushback to finding th...
Mar 16, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 10
With Monica Wiedel-Lubinski of the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools (ERAFANS) How can educators and guardians best guide and facilitate hands-on nature play among children? It starts with being hands-off and letting kids explore, experiment, inquire — heck, even make a few mistakes — in an unstructured outdoor environment, big or small. Nature play expert Monica Wiedel-Lubinski joined us to talk about these ideas and more, including the differences between risks and hazard...
Mar 02, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 9
With Roy Jantzen and Laura Choo of the School of Tourism Management, Capilano University How do wildlife-viewing guidelines differ from one place to the next? What can ecotourism companies do to be more climate responsible? What role do consumers play in this? Roy and Laura discuss these matters as well as share their insights about equitable engagement with local Indigenous communities. Also hear some stories about whales, sea-otters, and dippers! Guests: Roy Jantzen is a professor of Natural H...
Jan 22, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 8
With San Patten of the College of Sustainability, Dalhousie University and San Patten and Associates How can non-profits fill in the gaps that public and private bodies can't address in our local, national, and international response to climate change? What can we learn from how NGOs helped shift the conversation around HIV and AIDS? How does this apply to the climate crisis? San Patten addresses all this and more, while sharing one of the many impactful stories from her two decades of on-the-gr...
Jan 06, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 7
With Aria Luna of Aria Luna Art Artist Aria Luna chats about the origins of Bogo Mogo, how the story can be used to help protect oceans from plastic pollution, and why coloring books are such great tools for drawing readers into the creative process. She also tells us about a particularly unique Oregon Junco , her paintings for social justice , and the upcoming Amazonas exhibit. Guest: Aria Luna is one of the world’s youngest exhibiting artists. Her traveling exhibit Fusion Tide tells the story ...
Jan 06, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 6
