Green Dreamer: Sustainability From Ideas To Life With Eco Pioneers, Revolutionary Thinkers, Leading Creatives

As the President of the Society of Wetland Scientists and an advisor to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, wetland ecologist Max Finlayson has participated in global environmental assessments and site-based appraisals and written extensively on wetland management. Notably, he has expertise on the relationship and interconnectedness of water pollution, agricultural impacts, invasive species, climate change, human well-being, and our wetlands.   On this podcast episode, Max sheds light on how cities were often built on flood plains and wetlands where the flooding was essential to supporting their biodiversity of life; why the preservation and restoration of our wetlands are key to stabilizing our climate; how wetlands impact people's livelihoods and our public health; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/157 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support  Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Terry Spahr is a documentary filmmaker (8 Billion Angels), environmental activist, and the Executive Director of Earth Overshoot, a nonprofit working to make ecological limits central to all personal and public decision-making through targeted education and advocacy. On this podcast episode, Terry sheds light on what a truly sustainable lifestyle with seven billion people on earth should really look like; why population growth has been the elephant in the room that needs to be discussed more openly as a solution to lessening our environmental impact; how we can work with the nuance that people in "developing countries" have less of an ecological footprint compared to those living in "developed countries"; and more. Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/156 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com  Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support  Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Raja Dhir is a life sciences entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Seed, a venture-backed microbiome company pioneering the application of bacteria for both human and planetary health. After our groundbreaking interview with his co-founder, Ara Katz, on Green Dreamer's episode 109, we knew we had to bring Raja on the podcast as well to learn from his complementing scientific expertise leading Seed's research and development, academic collaborations, technology development, clinical trial design, supply chain, and intellectual property strategy. On this podcast episode, Raja sheds light on common misconceptions of what "probiotics" are and what a healthy microbiome should look like; why we perhaps need to learn from how the Amish people live; how our knowledge of probiotics can be applied to address ecological challenges such as our honey bees' colony collapse disorder; and more. Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/155 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com  Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support 

Aviva Rahmani is an ecological artist who exhibits and publishes internationally. She's known, in particular, for her Trigger Point Theory—the idea that small points of carefully selected intervention might effect large systemic transformations—and she exemplifies this through her artwork, including Trigger Points/Tipping Points, Ghost Nets, and Cities & Oceans of If. One of her more recent works, her Gulf to Gulf Project, integrates art and science to address climate change, aiming to help re-green the earth by 36% by 2030. On this podcast episode, Aviva sheds light on what the role of art is in environmental conservation; what future generations may deduce of our time based on the artwork we leave behind; why we need to find points of sensitivity (or trigger points) to focus our efforts on in order to drive the drastic changes we need today; and more. Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/154 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.in

Brendan Synnott is the CEO of PACT, where he's leading his team to disrupt the apparel industry for the better by using organic and fair-trade cotton as the foundation for addressing the labor and environmental issues that surround clothing. On this podcast episode, Brendan sheds light on what it takes to shake up existing, extractive corporations to render them obsolete or hold them accountable to their social and environmental impacts; why fighting for more transparency within the fashion supply chain must be the first step to bringing about positive change in the industry; and more. Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/153 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

We're joined by two guests today from Quail Springs Permaculture, an organization that empowers people with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration that are essential to cultivating ecological and social health. Janice Setser is its Executive Director, and Sasha Rabin is its Natural Building Director as well as the founder of her own natural building organization, Earthen Shelter. After they each came to their own awakenings of how modernization has strayed from providing experiences that that truly bring joy, abundance, meaning, and wellness, they set out to explore alternative ways of living that put social connection and earth stewardship first. On this podcast episode, Janice and Sasha shed light on why we need to go past sustainable living to regenerative living; what is problematic about our binary and linear view of societal advancement; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/152 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Jay Siegel is the founder of Ground Up Impact and the creator of Sustainability Defined, the award-winning podcast that defines sustainability "one topic (and one bad joke) at a time." On this episode, Jay sheds light on why sustainability can't be defined by a standard dictionary; the root causes driving environmental degradation no matter what industry we're speaking of; what it takes to reach the general public with our messages beyond the niche of people who already care; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/151 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Debra Prinzing (@dkprinzing) is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for American Grown Flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, including SlowFlowers.com (@myslowflowers), Slow Flowers Podcast, and American Flowers Week, she has convened a national conversation that stimulates consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. On this podcast episode, Debra sheds light on why we need a slow flowers movement; the environmental impacts of growing flowers with an artisan mindset versus a commodity mindset; the vital role of flowers in our food production; how our collective loss of knowledge on seasonality helped drive agrobiodiversity loss; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/150 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Maria Abadilla is the Founder and Chairperson of Orangutan Alliance (@orangutanalliance), an independent, industry-based nonprofit organization promoting the reduction of unsustainable palm oil in consumer products through their palm oil free certification program. On this podcast episode, Maria sheds light on the primary global threats from the palm oil industry; the evolution of how we commodified palm oil to the point where rainforests are cleared for its plantations; how we can navigate the over two-hundred alternative names that palm oil is masked under on ingredient labels; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/149 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Tamara Lim is the founder and CEO of The Wally Shop, America's first zero-waste grocery delivery service that sources from local farmers, markets, and bulk shops.   On this podcast episode, Tamara sheds light on how our current consumption model and waste management methods are setting us up for failure when we're striving to address our waste issues; what structural and systemic shifts we need in order to render disposable packaging obsolete; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/148 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Rosalinda Guillen is a recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. She's also the Executive Director of Community to Community (C2C), a women-of-color led, grassroots organization redefining power in order to end settler colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy in their external and internalized forms. Fueled by inspiration from her parents growing up and fed up with the systemic oppression in our food system, Rosalinda is working to build support for rural communities and sustainable agriculture policies that ensure equity and healthy communities for farm workers. On this podcast episode, Rosalinda sheds light on how settler colonialism continues to play out in our food system today; how the lack of work authorization for undocumented farm workers—which make up 48%-70% (or more) of our total number of farm workers in the U.S.—impacts labor standards; how food justice is related to immigration issues; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/147 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instag

Shannon Service is an award-winning, independent reporter and filmmaker who broke the story of slavery at sea for NPR’s Morning Edition in 2012. Her new feature documentary, Ghost Fleet, follows up on that story as she sets sail with a Thai abolitionist who is scouring remote islands for slaves who’ve jumped ship.   On this podcast episode, Shannon sheds light on the difficulties in regulating our global fishing industry; how overfishing is tied to human trafficking and modern-day slavery at sea; how to address "fish-laundering" and support more transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/146 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Gabe Brown is the author of Dirt to Soil and the owner and operator of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he and his family have been farming profitably without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for over twenty years.   Today, Gabe’s award-winning regenerative farming systems lead thousands of people to flock to his farm each year to learn how to implement them so they can support their own farms and ranches using similar practices as well.   On this podcast episode, Gabe sheds light on why we need to stop focusing on yield as the ultimate measurement in food production; the importance of having ruminants and animals on farmlands to support agroecology; problematic, existing farm programs and regulations that incentivize monocultures and extractive methods of agriculture that need to be amended; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/145 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Nicole Rycroft is the Founder and Executive Director of Canopy, an international nonprofit organization that works collaboratively with over 750 companies to protect our ancient and endangered forests.   On this podcast episode, Nicole sheds light on our urgency to protect our remaining ancient and endangered forests from further deforestation; why we need to be wary of buying new clothes and textiles made of rayon and viscose, even if they're sourced from sustainably managed forests; whether we should compost old paper or wood products into soil or recycle them into new material; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/143 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Abigail Dillen is the President of Earthjustice, an organization that uses the courts to protect our environment and people’s health.   Throughout her career, she's litigated many precedent-setting cases that have held polluters accountable and cleared the way for clean energy nationally, which is why we're honored to be able to share her expertise and thought leadership with you on this podcast episode.   In this conversation, Abbie sheds light on the implication of nature's place within our society based on the values the United States was founded on; how litigation can support the environmental movement; how environmental policies, laws, and regulations differ and how we can get involved in them; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/143 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Dave Chapman runs Long Wind Farm in Vermont and is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Real Organic Project. After unveiling how our current organic standards may be misleading consumers and falling short of what "organic" should mean, he now actively fights for integrity and transparency in the National Organic Program. On this podcast episode, Dave shares the shocking reality of how products from CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) and hydroponics can be certified organic by the USDA; why hydroponics should not be considered organic; how he's dealing with the challenges of going against big money and corporate influence; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/142 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Dr. Kris Nichols is the Chief Scientist at Pachaterrae and a world-renowned leader in the movement to regenerate soils for healthy food, healthy people, and a healthy planet. On this episode, Kris sheds light on the vital role of mycorrhizal fungi in indirectly supporting resilience against climate change; the importance of biodiversity in creating synergies that strengthen the health of our ecosystems; how soil microbiology impacts the bioavailability of the nutrients within our foods; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/141 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Shyla Raghav is the global climate change strategy lead for Conservation International, who's attended almost a decade of United Nations climate change negotiations and international conferences. On this episode, Shyla sheds light on her learning lessons from having attended these key negotiations; how competition for power, economic status, and technological advancement between countries impact our ability to collaborate on climate mitigation; what "422pm" means and how we can meaningfully lower greenhouse gases through nature-based solutions; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/140 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

David Katz is the founder of Plastic Bank, which is helping to make plastic waste a currency that transcends poverty while stopping the flow of plastic into our oceans. On this podcast episode, David sheds light on what sugar has to do with plastic pollution; why we need to address the fact that this global crisis is intricately linked to poverty; the importance of coming up with ways that keep plastics out of our oceans to begin with (e.g., turning off the tap) rather than focusing on retroactive cleanups (e.g., mopping the floor while it's still being flooded); and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/139 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Galahad Clark, a seventh-generation Clark of the Clarks shoe dynasty, is the co-creator of Shoespiracy and the founder of VIVOBAREFOOT, a global footwear brand that’s set out to be the most sustainable in the world. After learning about how the thick layers of support in our footwear are leading the muscles in our feet to atrophy, compromising sensory information and our bodily health, Galahad created a shoe that is wide, flexible, and sensory, allowing our feet to function they way they are supposed to! On this podcast episode, Galahad sheds light on this public health scandal around shoes, how our feet's strength impacts the health of our brains, joints, and body as a whole system, the environmental impact of the shoe industry and what it means to support sustainability as a footwear brand; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/138 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast