108-Philosophy of Nature with Martin Bunzl

108-Philosophy of Nature with Martin Bunzl

Nature. What is it? Where does Nature end and Human-made begin? Where do we draw the line? Why would we draw the line? Questions like this keep Philosopher Dr. Martin Bunzl busy. Martin says the point of philosophy is to get us to question our assumptions. By questioning our assumptions, we are able to re-imagine our reality and dig deeper into the truth. By challenging our most fundamental pre-conceived notions of nature, and our relationship with it, we might discover a deeper meaning, and perhaps some answers to our most challenging questions.

#107-Honouring Truth with Michael Gubbels

#107-Honouring Truth with Michael Gubbels

As stewards of the land, it is the duty of all environmental professionals to look after all forest values forever. We have gotten good at managing for plants and animals, water, and recreation. Unfortunately, Indigenous values have been left behind. Indigenous people have been left behind. The only way we can properly account for Indigenous values and needs is to understand where they come from and what they have been through. We must look into the dark depths of Canada’s past and accept it for what it is. Perhaps when we all understand we can seek to forge a new path forward together. If we want forest management to succeed, we need Indigenous people to succeed. Let’s start by hearing their story.

#106-Glyphosate and Biodiversity with John Nash and Matthew Olson

#106-Glyphosate and Biodiversity with John Nash and Matthew Olson

We ask a lot of our forests. We demand food, water, and wood for shelter, but we also ask it to be natural, biodiverse, healthy, and ever-lasting. To many, these things seem at odds. How could we extract resources while maintaining healthy and sustainable ecosystems? With extensive research, forethought, and the right tools we can balance all these values at once. Albeit that balance often treads the knifes edge. This is why we need every proven tool at our disposal to assist us with that balance. Herbicides may be one of these tools. To find out how it measures up we speak to ecologists and researchers about its ecological impact in the long term. We must follow the science if we want all values to persist. No values have to suffer if all values are considered equal.

#105-The Trouble With Wilderness with Ben Cosgrove

#105-The Trouble With Wilderness with Ben Cosgrove

How does music impact your life? Does it make you happy or sad, giddy, or intense? Does it make you relax or reflect on life? Does it change the way you think about and relate to reality? It does all those things for me. So, I wanted to explore the intersection between art and science and how one can make us think differently about the other. Ben Cosgrove’s art is inspired by nature and our relationship with it, so who better to speak to.

#104-Defining Land Reclamation with Anne Naeth

#104-Defining Land Reclamation with Anne Naeth

Humans love the outdoors. We love to observe it, recreate in it, listen to it, and we depend on its resources to drive our economy and build cool stuff. Unfortunately, the way we go about extracting some of these resources can sometimes leave nature worse for wear. In comes land reclamation to save the day! Reclamation of environmental resources is a tricky, complex, and fascinating science. From building soils like Anthroposols (human-made soil) to fixing waterways, land reclamation is one very cool way to rebuild what was lost.

#103- Women In Wood with Jessica Kaknevicius

#103- Women In Wood with Jessica Kaknevicius

What does true equity look like? Why is it important? How do we accomplish it? Jessica has spent her career looking for answers to these questions. Turns out, it’s on us. We have to do the hard work to make true equity and diversity a reality. We have to look our own bias in the face and allow it to change us. We need to ask the hard questions and get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Only then can we all recognize the benefits of true equity.

#102-Waking The Sleeping Giant with Jake Kheel

#102-Waking The Sleeping Giant with Jake Kheel

Sustainability can be confusing. We all want it, but how do we achieve it? Jake Kheel makes it understandable. In his new book “Waking The Sleeping Giant: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Business to Save the Planet” Jake details one companies sustainability journey. Jake explains how chasing sustainability has changed not only their business but the local environment, economy, and communities for the better. In the end, it is just about solving problems.

#101-Digging Into The Past with Kurtis Blaikie-Birkigt

#101-Digging Into The Past with Kurtis Blaikie-Birkigt

Archeological finds in the boreal forest have exploded in the past 5 years. Hundreds of new sites have been located with evidence of vast populations of Indigenous people living deep into the boreal forest, not just on the fringes like what was previously hypothesized. This changes the way we think about the boreal. It was never an untouched landscape. People are deeply rooted in this land and the forest itself evolved with people as part of the ecology. These new findings paint a picture that should cause us to reflect on our relationship with nature, and how we interact with it. Kurtis is an Archeologist with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the boreal forest. He came on to discuss how Archeology is changing our future.

#100-Recycling Is Dead with Raz Razgaitis

#100-Recycling Is Dead with Raz Razgaitis

Water security is not something most of us have to worry about in developed countries. But we do have to worry about our footprint when it comes to the water we choose to drink. Plastic water bottles are largely discarded, despite the exhaustive decade-long campaigns to get people to recycle. And much of those that do get recycled end up in our oceans and landfills anyway. We have potable water only steps away, in most of North America, yet we go out of our way to buy single-use plastic water bottles. Why? Flowater is a company that wants to help us fall in love with our tap water again. They were founded on the basis of a fundamental human right: that everyone deserves access to clean, safe drinking water without the environmentally destructive effects of single-use plastic water bottles. The conversation today is one example of how business can make the world a better place.

#99-Our Next Evolution with Laura Calandrella

#99-Our Next Evolution with Laura Calandrella

Finding solutions to our ever-lengthening list of environmental management problems can seem nearly impossible. We have a desire to solve an issue, create opportunity, make the world a better place, but we don’t know how, or where, to begin. Collaboration is the key. But how do we begin collaboration in a way that will create a meaningful and lasting relationship? A relationship that can withstand disagreement and different perspectives, but at the end of the day is there to make the right decisions to further sustainability and in turn humanity. Laura Calandrella has dedicated her life to building these relationships and she is here today to talk about her experience. Her book “Our Next Evolution” details how to create collaborative leadership that lasts.

#98-Project Forest with Mike Toffan

#98-Project Forest with Mike Toffan

We all want to go to sleep at night knowing we did the right thing. Knowing the decisions we made were true to our values. Knowing we can hold our head high because we didn’t compromise and did something to make the world a better place. Project Forest is one organization that is trying to give companies the means to put their money where their mouth is and invest in something that will improve our world. Project Forest is rewilding Canada one forest at a time by planting forests on non-productive agricultural land. By planting forests, they allow their investors to stay true to their values of environmental and social responsibility by sequestering carbon, building habitat, and creating a sustainable forest legacy.

#97-Regenerating Forests with Milo Mihajlovich

#97-Regenerating Forests with Milo Mihajlovich

How do we ensure sustainable forests forever? Not just the trees, but the wildlife, water, soil, recreation opportunities, etc. Forests are moving targets, and we can’t possibly expect to control every aspect. So we try to control the ones that are easier to measure. One such control is the trees. We know all there is to know about the trees. How many, what species, their age, their height, and their location. We even understand the balance of how many of each species should exist across a broad landscape to maintain ecological function. Now, all we need to do is make sure that balance is maintained through good forest regeneration practices that consider all of the values we want in the forest. This episode is about the tools, tactics, and concepts that are allowing us to grow forests as sustainably as possible. Spoiler alert, herbicide might be one of them.

#96-Forests for Wildlife with Daniel Harrison

#96-Forests for Wildlife with Daniel Harrison

Wildlife is probably the most relatable aspect of nature. We all want to see squirrels, deer, bears, and lynx. But do we know how best to manage a working landscape to ensure those species continue to thrive? That is the question we talked about today. How do we begin to look at forest management from the perspective of the critters? How do we incorporate wildlife values into forest management so we always have plenty of cool creatures to see when we are out with our family in the great wide open.

#95-Valuing Forests With Milo Mihajlovich, Robert Wagner and Daniel Harrison

#95-Valuing Forests With Milo Mihajlovich, Robert Wagner and Daniel Harrison

What is a forest? How do we define it? Is it the trees? The wildlife? The soil or the water? What about a place to find food or a spiritual connection? Forests are all of these things. So when we talk about sustainable forest management shouldn’t we be talking about all of these factors? Today’s conversation was about how to move forest management into the future. It was about how we can ensure that our forests are sustainable for everyone forever.

#94-Canada, A Treaty Story with Matthew Wildcat

#94-Canada, A Treaty Story with Matthew Wildcat

What is the story of Canada? Discovery? Conquest? What about Treaty? Most of us think of Treaty as a different set of laws and rights pertaining only to Indigenous people. Turns out, it affects and includes all of us. Treaties are the story of how this country came to be. Treaties stand as a symbol of how sovereign nations can form bonds of mutual agreement to live and prosper together. At least that is what they are supposed to be. How did it get so messed up? And how can we make it about cooperation and prosperity again? First, we have to understand the history of how treaties came to be and what they really are. Only then can we move into the future and grow together as partners in this experiment we call Canada.

#93-An Indigenous Perspective with Fabian Grey

#93-An Indigenous Perspective with Fabian Grey

We all want healthy forest ecosystems, clean water, and vibrant communities. We can achieve these goals through sustainable forest management (SFM). However, we need to continue to push the boundaries of what SFM is in order to ensure we don’t miss something. This means constant research, consultation and not being afraid to change how we do things in order to protect all values for all people, forever. SFM means managing all values equally. It means thoughtful and comprehensive decision making, asking “what is the best use of this land”. Unfortunately, some values have been missed. Indigenous values have not been truly accounted for, until they have, we are not truly sustainable. We need to find a way to help indigenous communities feel heard and respected, so they can feel safe to share and help us all move towards a better system of forest management. Decades of poor communication and distrust have made seeing eye to eye difficult. It is time we fixed this relationship.

#92-BioEconomy 2.0 with Darrel Fry

#92-BioEconomy 2.0 with Darrel Fry

Plastics in the ocean, plastics in the soil, non-renewable petrochemical products are found littered across the globe. These products are toxic to the environment and add to the already problematic human carbon footprint. What if we can make plastics from a sustainable and renewable resource? What if it could be cost-effective? What if those products could be carbon neutral, or even carbon negative? What is this miracle product? WOOD baby!! Wood PLASTICS and wood CARBON FIBER exist and are knocking on the door of opportunity.

#91-Living with Fire with Mike Flannigan

#91-Living with Fire with Mike Flannigan

We have all seen the news footage of wildfires raging through our wild places, threatening homes and lives. Many of us have even been impacted by the threat of these fires or lost our homes to them. Others will have experienced the mid-afternoon blanket of smoke that blots out the sun and turns on the streetlamps. As a society, we are becoming more and more aware of wildfire as a threat. But how did we get here? Why are fires so rampant today? And how do we learn to live in this new reality? How can we learn to live with fire?

#90-Back in the Day with Kendrick Brown and Tamara Fletcher

#90-Back in the Day with Kendrick Brown and Tamara Fletcher

Ever wonder what your backyard looked like 10,000 years ago? 100,000 years ago? 1,000,000 years ago? I did, so I went looking for someone with some answers. The boreal forest covers 33% of the world’s forested area making it the biggest forest in the world. Canada contains 28% of the world’s boreal forest and I wanted to learn how it came to be the way we see it today. How fast did things change? How much change was there? Learning from our past is a great way to help us understand our future. What better way to understand the rate of our changing climate than to look at how it compares to climates of the past.

#89-An Outside Perspective with Tony Kryzanowski

#89-An Outside Perspective with Tony Kryzanowski

We speak to a lot of researchers and environmental professionals on this podcast. I thought maybe it was time to get a different perspective. Someone who is familiar with the goings-on but does not have a direct stake in the game, perhaps allowing for a more objective view. Tony is a journalist and has been writing about forestry, renewable energy, and sustainability for 30 years. He has some interesting thoughts and ideas that provide some great food for thought. We discussed the true sustainability of the forest industry, the deal with the softwood lumber agreement, private vs public land forestry, tree farming to fight climate change and strengthen the economy, consumerism as a tool to fight climate change, and building solar farms on abandoned oil and gas wells.

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