Please check out the companion Substack article that goes with this episode to see a bit of storytelling. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please check out the companion Substack article that goes with this episode to see a bit of storytelling. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

To best follow along, please subscribe to our Substack. You can do so for free, or if you'd like to help us grow this regenerative storytelling ecosystem, you can donate.https://open.substack.com/pub/awakeninglands/p/building-it-in-public-awakening-lands?r=3cr1x3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sylvin Ashbrook is a true a weaver in the Erie Niagara region. They are a Land Stewardship Coordinator at Grassroots Gardens WNY, working directly with community members across a network of community gardens in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. This experience aligns well with their dream of community-owned regeneration, and allows them to embed themselves in the area. They also focus their attention in supporting and uplifting the many different nonprofits doing work on the ground. Whether it is attending events, serving on boards, finding unique ways to collaborate, or giving plenty of shout outs in podcasts like this one, Sylvin embodies the prosocial mentality needed to weave whole-systems approaches. And they are part of a larger team that promotes this co-creative, collaborative framework for the betterment of social wellbeing in the urban setting. In this episode, we discuss environmental education, Grassroots Gardens and other innovative collaborations which we are sure to visit again in future episodes!If you would like to learn about or support some of the work Sylvin does, check out and donate to the following organizations:Grassroots Gardens Western New York: grassrootsgardens.orgPollinator Conservation Association: pollinatorconservationassociation.orgWestern New York Native Plant Collaborative: wnynativeplants.orgOther organizations doing phenomenal work in Erie Niagara mentioned in this episode include:Buffalo Women of Environmental Leardning and Leadership (BWELL): bwell.communityBuffalo Niagara Waterkeepers: bnwaterkeeper.orgNiagara River Greenway Commission: niagararivergreenway.comBlack Rock Riverside Alliance: brralliance.orgWestern New York Environmental Alliance: wnyea.orgSome of the courses that Sylvin took that helped them along their path were through the following organizations:State University of New York at Cortland Outdoor Recreation majorUniversity at Buffalo M.A. in Sustainability DevelopmentCenter for Native Peoples and the EnvironmentSylvin would love to share a list of books that have been incredibly helpful to them:A Wetland Walk by Sheri Amsel (This was the first picture book that got me into nature and plants)Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (A big part of why I became an Environmental Educator)Place-Based Education: Connecting classrooms & communities by David Sobel (He's a prolific writer and expert on place-based pedagogy) Braiding SweetGrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (The quintessential book on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and how we can use that indigenous way of knowing to come to a better understanding of the natural world)The Nature of Oaks by Doug Tallamy (A wonderful entomologist and advocate for backyard conservation efforts through Homegrown National Park)Meander: Making Room for Rivers by Margaret Wooster (This was the most recent book I've read and it set me up for a wholistic environmental look at WNY)Networks that Sylvin has been involved with in various capacities include: The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)The Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA)The New York State Outdoor Education Association (NYSOEA)Some songs Sylvin would like to share include: My Roots Go Down (This was a song I used in grounding exercises when I taught Forest Preschool) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZJfRunmd8c The Rainbow Connection (This song is just good vibes all around haha) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS3Lkc6GzlkYou can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we speak with Lynda Schneekloth, one of the founding members of Friends of the Buffalo River (now Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper), founder of the Western New York Environmental Alliance, and Professor Emerita at the University at Buffalo. She came to Buffalo to teach landscape architecture at UB in the 80s, and fell in love with the city. Lynda is a placemaker, providing valuable insight into the history and culture of Buffalo, what makes this place so special, and how the land has shaped the culture of this post-industrial city. She has been weaving environmental and social activism in this region for decades and has a particular interest in supporting pathways for younger generations to get involved. Like so many of the regenerative leaders we interview, she also sees the importance of fostering the spiritual side of this work, and, in addition to being part of the Interfaith Climate Justice Community, has been holding a space monthly for others in the community to come together to support each other in active hope.Here are some words from Lynda herself:Buffalo Niagara Bioregion is blessed with many organizations and individuals working to protect and restore the natural and cultural heritage of this unique place on the Great Lakes. These groups most often work within the practice outlined in the seminal book, Active Hope (2022) - Stop Bad Things; Do Good Things; and Shift Culture. The groups below are just a few that have significantly impacted our community through their efforts in environmental and social justice.Western New York Environmental Alliance www.wnyea.orgBuffalo Niagara Waterkeeper www.bnwaterkeeper.orgSierra Club Niagara Group www.niagarasierraclub.orgNative Plant Collaborative www.wnynativeplants.orgPollinator Conservation Association www.polinatorconservationassociation.orgPUSH Buffalo www.pushbuffalo.orgOur Outer Harbor Coalition www.ourouterharbor.orgClean Air Coalition of WNY www.cacwny.orgInterfaith Climate Justice Community (if interested, contact me at lhs1@buffalo.edu)These and many more are active in the public and environmental life of our region through their projects and campaigns. And, in many diverse ways, they are also seeking to ‘shift culture’ through these actions. We know that without a radical cultural shift that the work that we do will not be effective in stopping climate change and species extinction. That is, frankly, a terrifying thought, but not as terrifying as the harm we do to the earth and each other in the name of our culture now. We seek a new understanding of life and our species and individual position in; we seek an end to the myth of separation and human superiority.Every child knows that the earth is alive.  Every child knows that they are a part of everything.  Even children born into western, industrial cultures know this for the first years of their lives.  You have to be carefully taught that this is not true.  At least, not true if you want to be accepted and successful in this modern world.  It doesn’t take long for the awe and mystery of a living earth to be overshadowed by thebelief that most things on the earth are ‘not-alive’, that we are ‘separate’ and the most important because we are conscious, intelligent. . . you can list the reasons. Believing our uniqueness carries privilege, we act as if we have the right to use whatever ‘resource’ we need.  This belief of separation is literally killing us and the earth through our exploitation and extraction of other life and other places. “The trouble with the eagerness to make a world is that, because the world is already made, what is there must first be destroyed” (Shepard 1995*).  And we have andcontinue the destruction. We may believe we are so smart, but science now tells us that intelligence does not belong to humans, but is distributed and exists in all life, from the cells to plants to all animals.  We have been living in a bubble of ‘fake news’ beliefs and like all fake news, there are serious consequences.   Our crisis is not really about climate, or extinction, or governance.  Our crisis is deeply cultural.  We have to unlearn, or relearn what we knew, that we live in a mystery, that life is divine and our consciousness is a miracle. We experience ourselves as separate because we are moving aware beings, but we are totally dependent on the rest of the planet and solar system and universe for the blessing of our individual lives. Each life is unique, and each is just a small fragment in the spiral of evolution. How do we ‘see through’ this story of separation to understand the interdependence of all beings, of all elements, of the gifts of the earth and the sun?  If we understood interdependence as a culture, we would not be in the process, as a species, of committing terracide and leaving such a mess for our children. In theological language, we have sinned against the earth and future generations.  There is great need for forgiveness and redemption.We have responsibilities to act in the world, to work with others to stabilize the climate, to halt species extinction, and to ensure that justice and democracy continue.  But this will only happen if we shift our culture from the story of separation to the story of interdependence.  What voices can help us see through the density of culture?  What imaginal tools do we have to help - tools like the concept and existence of bioregionalism and non-violence and yes, love.Below I share a few voices that have helped me see dimly through the density of culture to guide me and so many others in the enormous task before us.  These writings are from my lifetime and span over 40 years, and are in no way comprehensive.  But they do reveal that there have been teachers in our culture who have tried to alert us for a long time of the danger of living in the myth of separation and offer us paths to see ourselves differently. James Bridle (2022), Ways of Being, Animal, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary IntelligenceJoanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, Active Hope:  How to Face the Mess We’re in with UnexpectedResilience and Creative Power (2012, 2022)Charles Eisenstein (2013), The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible.Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013), Braiding Sweet Grass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and theTeachings of PlantsDavid Abram (2010), Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology.T. Roszak, M. Gomes and A. Kanner, editors (1995). Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing theMind. See esp. James Hillman, “A Psyche the Size of the Earth: A Psychological Forward” and founder ofarchetypal psychology; and Shepard,* “Nature and Madness”Paul Shepard (1998), Coming Home to the PleistoceneRobert Pogue Harrison (1992).  Forests: The Shadow of Civilization.Brian Swimme (1984), The Universe is a Green Dragon.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.c...

Margaret Wooster is a Buffalo native who embodies regenerative leading and weaving. She has used her PhD in English and Master's degree in Urban and Environmental Planning to teach at the local University at Buffalo, write 3 books about restoring waterways in Western New York, and to inform her life of advocacy. Margaret has been central to several efforts in the revitalization of the Erie Niagara bioregion. She was a founding member of the grassroots group, Friends of the Buffalo River, which eventually grew into Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, the largest waterkeeper organization in the world, which provides community education and engagement, apprenticeship opportunities for young stewards, water quality and resiliency studies, and large-scale restoration projects around the watershed. Margaret was the Executive Director of Great Lakes United, an international collaborative of nonprofit and conservation groups from the United States, Canada, and multiple First Nations, leading the charge for funding and projects to protect and restore the Great Lakes Basin. In this episode, she discusses this work as well as her love of degraded landscapes, where she sees so much potential. From the oxbow separated from the Buffalo Creek to the de-industrializing of the Outer Harbor, to her focus on bioregional land protection through the Western New York Environmental Alliance, Margaret is championing the return to wilding in the post-industrial Buffalo, NY. And finally, Margaret, as an Ally of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, calls for uplifting Indigenous voices. She shares a bit of the recent fight occurring against the development of a manufacturing park threatening Tonawanda Seneca territory and wetlands in the area; the Big Woods.And the four-word slogan Margaret wants to promote to shift the way people of the region think about restoration:  "PROTECT FIRST - RESTORE SECOND."  You can learn more about Margaret by going to her website (margaretwooster.com) and can support her work by checking out and donating to:Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper (bnwaterkeeper.org)Buffalo Outer Harbor Coalition (ourouterharbor.org)Western New York Environmental Alliance (wnyea.org)Great Lakes Ecoregion Network (greatlakesecoregionnetwork.weebly.com)Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation (alliesoftsn.weebly.com)You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at patreon.com/awakening_lands. Please help us out so that we can bring you and our landscapes more stories from the leading edge of the regenerative movement! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we’re talking to Marcus Rosten, an accomplished, young, and outgoing regenerative leader and weaver bringing a whole lot of love and pride to the Erie Niagara bioregion. Marcus was the recipient of the 30 under 30 award from the American Association of Environmental Education for the long list of hats he’s worn over the years: ecology teacher, interpretive park ranger for national parks and forests, leader of environmental education and stewardship programs with non-profit organizations, and fish and wildlife technician. He’s been featured in Scholastic News, Nike Journal, BirdNote, and PBS Nature for his work in connecting people with nature.  He is very passionate about accessibility and diversity in the environmental movement, and is one of the organizers of Black Birders week. He also serves on the board of Birds on the Niagara with Awakening Lands host and fellow Buffalo native, Anna Purpera. He recently became the Director of the Western New York Wildway program through the Western New York Land Conservancy, working on building connecting corridors for animal migration through Western New York as part of the larger Eastern Wildway. Oh, and he has also won a grammy for singing with the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. Did we mention he’s not even 30??You can learn more about Marcus by following him on Instagram (@mrosten) and can support his work by checking out and donating to:Western New York Land Conservancy (https://wnylc.org)Birds on the Niagara (http://birdniagara.org) Black Birders week through Black AF in STEM (https://www.blackafinstem.com/) Check out the map of the Western New York Wildway that Marcus talks about in this episode at https://www.wnylc.org/wnywildway! You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. Please help us out so that we can bring you and our landscapes more stories from the leading edge of the regenerative movement! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Richard Coates works in healthcare, regeneration, and community co-creation in Purley-on-Thames in the River Thames watershed.He is a neuropsychologist and works as an independent practitioner with clients with severe traumatic brain injuries and their families. His discovery of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) transformed the way he delivers services to his clients by helping them learn with psychological flexibility, which means mindfully moving towards values while being aware of difficult thoughts and feelings that will show up. Richard has helped clients rediscover their capabilities and passions. One of the several inspiring projects he’s helped to bring to life is the site Inspire Others, where individuals with traumatic brain injuries are able to share their victories in overcoming limitations. Richard embodies psychological flexibility in his own life as well. He eventually found Prosocial, which incorporates ACT at the group and community level. Prosocial has also helped him to develop his perspective on evolutionary leadership. I (Anna) even attribute my introduction to Prosocial and the regenerative space to Richard.All of this has helped him to cultivate a unique and valuable voice in the regenerative movement which he’s been stepping into and serving a role in connecting together in the UK and beyond over the past several years.You can learn more about Richard's work by checking out the Purley-on-Thames sustainability group at https://www.purleysustainability.co.uk/ or on Instagram @purley_sustainability.If Richard's story inspired you, check out some recommendations he shared when asked about influential resources, learnings, and networks he has come across over his lifetime.Networks:Association of Contextual Behavioral Science: https://contextualscience.orgUK Bioregional Community of Practice: https://bioregion.org.uk/project/uk-bioregional-community-of-practice/ProSocial World: https://prosocial.worldRegenesis Institute, The Regenerative Practitioners course: https://www.regenerat.esPower of Place course and Community with Jenny Andersson: https://reallyregenerative.orgBooks:Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Productive, Equitable, and Collaborative Groups, by Paul Atkins, David Sloan Wilson, and Steven HayesACT Made Simple (Second Edition), by Russ HarrisMindfulness for Two, by Kelly Wilson and Troy DuFreneInto the Magic Shop, by James DotyRegenerative Development and Design: A Framework for Evolving Sustainability, by Pamela Mang and Ben HaggardThe Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, by Charlie MackesyThe Design Pathway for Regenerating the Earth, by Joe BrewerYou can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we’re talking to Jay Burney, someone who is very well-known for the work he does in and around Buffalo, NY.  He is a writer, photographer, educator, naturalist, husband and father, project and business developer and manager with over 40 years of experience in media, ecology, habitat, community engagement, and education. He has been called "the region’s most important strategic conservationist” by the local Buffalo News and Buffalo Spree.Jay has been responsible for initiatives around watershed management and restoration, pollinator habitat installations, regional coalitions, state-wide newsletters, conferences, educational programming, and festivals and celebrations that combine art, community, and local ecology. He is an expert weaver and connector, focusing on community engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion in his work. All of this has been focused on regenerating eastern Lake Erie and the Niagara River corridor. I’m lucky enough to serve on boards for the WNY Environmental Alliance and Birds on the Niagara with Jay, and I have to say, he moves through life with energy and a sense of urgency, all the while building trusting and resilient relationships. The network of support that he has built is truly inspiring.You can learn more about Jay by following him on Twitter (@jayburney1), Instagram or Youtube (@jayburney), or Facebook and can support his work by checking out and donating to:Pollinator Conservation Association (pollinatorconservationassociation.org)Birds on the Niagara (birdniagara.org)Friends of Times Beach (friendsoftimesbeachnp.org)Western New York Environmental Alliance (wnyea.org)And here is the stick figure graffiti that can be seen spreading love around Buffalo that Jay references in his interview: https://stickfigureguy716.com/. You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Brandon Letsinger is here to talk to us about something he is very passionate about: bioregionalism and the Cascadia movement. He has spent his life working to change systems for the better, and he feels that focusing on bioregionalism is the most sustainable and regenerative form of creating a better world. In this episode, Brandon shares the pathway he took to finding bioregionalism and how it has evolved over time - from founding CascadiaNow! to co-organizing Regenerate Cascadia. His journey to learn more about democratic ways of living, human rights and sustainability have taken him around the world, from ecocamp and medical infrastructure building in Germany and Scotland, to living in Tunisia after the Arab Spring, to living and working in Beijing for the French and German Chambers of Commerce.You can learn more about Brandon at brandonletsinger.com, or support his work by checking out Regenerate Cascadia at regeneratecascadia.org or Cascadia Department of Bioregion at cascadiabioregion.org. You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Clare Attwell skillfully weaves community through the process of creating art. Really, she holds the space and the creative process does the weaving. It’s in between the phases of first collectively envisioning the concept and eventually sharing it with the community that Clare says relationships and community building actually happens. In the creation of things like large scale textile wall hangings, she’s facilitated the exploration of things like complex systems, place-based identity, and spirituality. Clare is also an outspoken advocate for the role of the community weaver, which for the sake of the common language we’re using on this podcast, we might say they are a kind of landscape leader. She’s seen time and again the invaluable services they provide to their people and place, and the often unfortunate ways that they are overlooked and under-appreciated. We’re trying to do something about that here and Clare is a huge inspiration for that.Her perspective on community weaving began in the beginning, during her childhood in South Africa where she grew up under apartheid with parents who were dynamic weavers. Her house played host to some of the main characters of that time and place. She grew up listening to conversations about social systems change in a place of profound need for it.She moved to Canada as a young adult but remains deeply influenced by her early years growing up in South Africa. She is also especially interested in exploring what makes complex systems functional. I think Clare is a systems thinker, but even more so she’s a systems feeler. She is also a really skilled gardener. Maybe this is partly how she intuitively incorporates an ecological view into her approach.You can learn more about Clare by checking out her personal website (https://clareattwellartist.wordpress.com/) or follow her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/clareattwellartist). And of course, check out Regenerate Cascadia at https://regeneratecascadia.org/.If Clare’s story inspired you, check out some recommendations she shared when asked about influential resources, learnings, and networks she has come across over her lifetime.Useful resources for helping with Community Cultural Development:What is Creative Placemaking? - short videoCultural Democracy In Practice - toolkitMapping our Common Ground - a community And Green Mapping Resource GuidEach one of these books have come at critical points in Clare's development, becoming part of her unfolding, self-guided educational pathway.  There was no education plan that she knew of that could take her to where these books lead her. She is so grateful to those who shared their wisdom with me through these pages. Books: Small Is Beautiful - EF SchumacherWeb Of Meaning - Jeremy LentPatterning Instinct - Jeremy LentIshmael - Daniel QuinnSystems View Of Life - Fritjof CapraWeb Of Life - Fritjof CapraTao Of Physics - Fritjof CapraThe New Science - Margaret WheatleyA.W.E. - Mathew FoxCosmogenesis - Brian SwimmeThe Chalice And The Blade - Riane EislerBraiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall KimmererSacred Instructions - Sherri MitchellSand Talk - Tyson Yankaporta Hospicing Modernity - Vanessa Andriotti Myth Of Normal - Gabor MatteThe Design Pathway For Regenerating Earth - Joe BrewerKeeping The Hours: my mother, Evelyn Cresswell wrote this book, with a forward by Desmond Tutu, that told the story of apartheid through the lens of a relatively small underground network of people, including a faith community in Lesotho, known as the Society of The Precious Blood, that helped to shape the new post-apartheid South Africa.  Some of the stories that she referenced during the podcast are included in this book.  Courses that helped shape her:Riane Eisler, Center For Partnership Studies - Caring EconomyFritjof Capra - Capra Course, based on A Systems View Of LifeEarth Regenerators - various learning journeysPermaculture and Social Permaculture (CDP) - Starhawk & Charles WilliamsDesign School For Regenerating Earth - various learning journeysWork & leadership experiences that helped shape her path as a weaver and community artistBC Festival of The Arts - Visual Arts project managerAssembly of BC Arts Councils - Board and Executive CouncilProvince of BC, Cultural Services Branch - Contractor: researched & wrote a Discussion Paper on Community Cultural Development: models for implementationTarget Theatre (community theatre for seniors) Executive DirectorArtist in Residence and visual arts project manager - Cadboro Bay UnitedFreelance community artistTextile artist - local and international juried exhibitsVarious local school and community boards and committeesEarth Regenerators - Bioregional Catalysts, Culture CentreDesign School For Regenerating Earth - Leadership Council, Cascadia HubRegenerate Cascadia - Co-Founder, Co-AdministratorFormal educationGrant MacEwan University, Edmonton, CanadaArts Administration University of Kwa-Zulu, Natal, South AfricaPartially completed Fine Arts degreeBachelor of Arts in English & History of ArtPodcasts are an important source of learning for her, her current batch include:Great Simplification - Nate Hagens Rebel WisdomClimate Critical - Rachel System Update - Glenn GreenwaldThe Real News Network - Chris HedgesCBC - Massey LecturesYou can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Elliott is a native of Burlingtin, ON, but was raised in the Netherlands and has lived in Sweden and the British Columbia Interior. After working for a decade as a chef, carpenter, and farmer, he eventually settled into the environmental field and graduated from Sir Sandford Fleming's Forest Tech Program with the Indigenous Designation Perspective. He has since started his own consulting business focusing on forestry and ecological restoration, and cooperatively manages sustainable forestry efforts across two land trusts in Ontario. He enjoys leading bioregional learning processes in his community, including guided nature hikes and kinship walks, black ash workshops, and creek and forest cleanups. He has conducted assessments and analyses of local watersheds and regional supply chains, and hosted talks with youth and students about community-based learning and local resources to connect with the land.Support Elliott’s work by supporting the work of Ontario Woodlot (https://ontariowoodlot.com/) and the Kawartha Land Trust (https://kawarthalandtrust.org/). A word from Elliott: Acknowledgements to many other people and organizations that I work with. To honour those relationships I offer that people can instead of or in addition to checking out those links above reach out to me personally and efficiently describe (an aspect of) what they are working on and I may be able to provide similarly personal and efficient links that may be of interest to them.You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.Support Anna and Benji weaving stories through Awakening Lands at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today, we are chatting with Kiran Topiwala! Kiran is an artist, someone who is learning to walk the pathway of regeneration, a seeker of the right way to be humans together on Earth.He believes in the power of collaboration, innovation, and conscious design to create a positive impact on the world. He is the founder of Kula, which is doing some very inspiring things to make regenerative practices and land connection accessible for more people. He’s also the creative director at Unorthodox publishing, a community art and storytelling initiative.A pivotal moment in Kiran's life was when he chose as a practicum in his master's program through Emory to work for a grassroots organization in Dharamshala, India called EduCARE. It was at EduCARE that Kiran met a true community weaver, one might also say landscape leader. This was a man named Harjeet, who has since strongly informed how Kiran thinks about community and landscape regeneration. It was Harjeet that introduced him to “regenerative flows” of value, resources, and connection that run throughout communities everywhere, always available for aware, engaged, and creative weavers to weave with...Kiran also likes fishing and photography. You can learn more about Kiran by following him on Instagram @topiloveschai, going to his website for his photography work https://kirantopiwala.com/, or checking out the Kula webpage (in development) at https://www.kula.earth/If Kiran’s story inspired you, check out some recommendations he shared when asked about influential resources, learnings, and networks he has come across over his lifetime.Some of the books that have inspired and guided him:- The Bhagavad Gita (and Upanishads) (transl. by Eknath Easwaran),- Jiddu Krishnamurti's "Education and the Significance of Life" and "Freedom from the Known."- "One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka- "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer- "The politics of waking up" by Indra Adnan- "The Argumentative Indian" by Amartya Sen- Various works by Rabindranath Tagore- Of course, Joe Brewer's "Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth" !!!And some of his favorite musical influences:- "Chaap Tilak Sab Cheen" sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan- "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" by Fela Kuti- "Savanne" by Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin- "Yeh jo des hai tera" by A.R. Rahman- "Floated by" by Peter Cat Recording Co.- "Snake Charmer" by Raf Saperra and Sukshinder Shinda- "Where My Wild Things Are" by Ryan Bingham- "The Maker" by Willie Nelson- "What's the use?" by Mac Miller- "Texas Sun" by Leon Bridges and KhruangbinKiran sends a special shoutout to his family... Rajan, Rohit and Shilpa Topiwala. You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today we talk to the dynamic and relentless seeker for how we all can better care for the Earth, Heidi Steltzer. Heidi knows that a just, equal, and sustainable world is possible. She is an environmental scientist and explorer, and finds awe and wonder in places on Earth that many people never see. She has some stories about places like Antarctica and remote alpine landscapes. It is her many travels to high latitudes, to the poles, where she has been able to bear witness to our changing earth. Her approach to sciencing is refreshing; her priority is not prestige, but something bigger. She wants to help others so we can use science as a tool to make decisions and engage in practices that are good for all. She is an advocate for identifying common ground and mutual understanding, bringing people of all backgrounds together for gathering, connection, and celebration. Most of the time, you can find Heidi somewhere in the mountains or deserts surrounding Cortez or Durango Colorado. She is a resident of the San Juan watershed, part of the Colorado River Basin. Follow Heidi on social media @HeidiMountains.  If Heidi’s story inspired you, check out some recommendations she shared when asked about influential resources, learnings, and networks she has come across over her lifetime.1) Believe in yourself, trust your intuition & find people who support you being you. This may take some time. Allow for this to take time & be different than you think. Where/how to go about this in a culture that doesn’t often provide the space…you know where…the Earth. She is wise & here to guide us. 2) I have a PhD in ecosystem science, which is a systems way of thinking. The systems way of the thinking can be developed many ways without formal education. I believe it is something we can all do. Look at what is and think ‘huh, I wonder why’. Why are the trees dead, the fish gone, the soil bare. And why is that shrub thriving, that soil so dark brown, that flower blooming now. Then lol past what we first notice to what else is going on. The subtle that may be the secret to figuring out why. Shift our attention to a different location nearby, a different moment in time, a person or being other than a human who shows up to offer a tidbit of insight. A piece of the puzzle we are working to assemble. For ourselves & then to share with others. Are our puzzles looking similar, cool! Different, also cool. Integrating different viewpoints is critical to systems thinking.3) Talk with others about your ideas, passions, work. Talking with just a few, growing that into more. Relationships are key. Not being right. Let ideas go so new ones can arrive. Step into spaces that challenge us to listen, knowing that our ideas may be different. I have learned so much by this. Towards understanding a whole, big, wide-open of what I haven’t yet considered. 4) lived-experience! Doing something & all we have already done. Make a pamphlet, give a talk, plant a tree, pick up trash. Each and all or experiences are rich! See beyond the action itself to what showed up in us during the activity. Especially if it didn’t go well. I hosted an event this fall that was not well attended. I thought, hmmm. And took the time to meet one-on-one with each person who came. The lesson was to invest more in who comes without concern about who didn’t come. And to provide more notice so more folks could choose to come. 5) an impartial list: Association for Contextual & Behavioral Science Climate Justice & Action Special Interest group, Voices for Science & the Thriving Earth Exchange with the American Geophysical Union, local public health department, local center for science education (a museum), women in the mountains groups, local conservation land trust, staying connected with students in my courses, local churches, Climatebase, Center for Snow & Avalanche Studies…community-centered groups in my region have been more important than prestigious institutes. More folks looking for what can work & people I will see more often in person & in many settings. (Check out this great seminar she gave on her story at ProSocial World).6) new experiment is theology school at the Iliff School of Theology. A space to learn with others about connection to the Divine & what religion is & can be. 7) books! I read a lot as a way to connect with brilliance of ideas across the ages. Much is not new and can be developed more efficiently with the insights of wise folks of other eras, other cultures, races, beliefs. Best way I can describe my journey. I welcome interest in the soon-to-exist newsletter/blog I’ll be doing. Folks can email to let me know their interest. I’ll be sharing resources through it.You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode we are joined by Landscape Leader Gwen Garcelon. Gwen’s career path has included community organizing, social entrepreneurship, sustainability consulting, local food systems development, and executive coaching. Gwen is oriented towards seeing the big picture. She is an advocate for listening to and seeing the wholeness of local landscapes, for engaging with the full spectrum of human emotion and experience, for bringing whole communities to the table, for making room to be the best mom she can be, and for fun! Her focus through all of this is also how we as communities, as humans, are called to evolve in this moment of great adaptive pressure. The planet needs us to become more than we as a collective have been and from what we've seen Gwen embodies a beautiful response to that call. You can follow and support Gwen’s work by visiting her website and checking out her podcast and facilitation offerings at https://www.gwengarcelon.com/.  If Gwen’s story inspired you, check out some of the resources that guided her learning path below:The Landmark Forum, a very powerful work for evolutionary leaders: https://www.landmarkworldwide.com/the-landmark-forumGwen is a Senior Fellow at the American Leaders Forum, founded by Joseph Jaworski, who wrote “Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership”: https://www.alfnational.org/about-us/overview-mission/Gwen received an accreditation in Community Resiliency from the Post Carbon Institute: https://www.postcarbon.org/Gwen worked for 10 years with international citizen action group RESULTS and cites them as formative in her training experience: https://results.org/ Gwen created her own degree path, receiving an M.A. in Community Leadership from Regis University: https://www.regis.edu/academics/majors-and-programs/index Gwen co-authored the book, “Strategies for Active Citizenship”: https://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Active-Citizenship-Kateri-Drexler/dp/0131172956 You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Roberta is an all weather outdoor enthusiast, field ecologist, an exuberant gardener, a fearless cook, a lifelong learner, musician, and dancer. She and her husband are firmly rooted in the gardens, orchards, fields and woodlands that grace their beloved Irish Hill in Buckfield, Maine. Roberta has been helping Mainers and their communities protect the ecological systems they depend on for the past three decades. With a special passion for the lakes of her region, she has been a leader in the development of some of the state's most enduring lake education programs, has led watershed restoration and resiliency efforts, and has trained and mentored thousands of citizen scientists and stewards. She is the author of a host of print and online resources supporting citizen engagement in the protection of Maine waters. And she is keenly aware of our precious moment in history and the urgent need to restore balance to local and global ecosystems. She's thoroughly committed to the work of ensuring a better world for the future generations and grateful for having found a loving and supportive community to help her in this work at CEBE, the local Center for an Ecology-Based Economy. Support Roberta by following her work with CEBE as the new Bioregional Coordinator: ecologybasedeconomy.org.   If Roberta’s story inspired you, check out some of the resources that guided her learning path below:When I decided to go back to school to gain the knowledge and skills I needed to set off on my path “saving life on earth” there was no degree program, locally, for me to plug into, nor was online learning really a thing.  So I started talking to professors at nearby University of Southern Maine and gleaning what help and guidance I could from those conversations, I designed my own interdisciplinary major in “Environmental Studies” with a concentration in ecology and education.  Given that my goal was to learn all I could about how we got here and how to move beyond our current predicament as swiftly and gracefully as possible, my coursework included everything from classical economics (where I ended up learning how to articulate compelling arguments that called into question pretty much everything I was being taught), to earth science, biology and ecology, philosophy of education and science, feminism and more. That path led me to an internship at one of Maine’s first and largest regional watershed associations, where I learned not only a great deal about ‘how lakes work,’ but also gained a deep appreciation for their embeddedness in the land and the climate system that surrounds them, and the value of carefully monitoring lake health over time as an effective means of supporting local and statewide stewardship efforts.   Though my position and employer affiliation shifted a number of times, I continued to work in the lake-centered, non-profit/quasi-municipal sector for about 30 years.  I remain grateful for every bit of experience I gained there, from teaching learners of all ages to program, project development and management, from developing print and online learning aids to creating opportunities for collaborative endeavors where participants may come together around an issue of concern, imagine new possibilities and work together to bring them to fruition. Most exciting to me personally was witnessing time and time again how supporting learning through direct meaningful on-the-ground (or on-the-lake) engagement creates the conditions for leadership to emerge and flourish. I am a voracious learner and reader so it would be very hard to capture much of that path even in a massively pared-down list.  However, a few books that I have read recently that stand out as particularly helpful, beyond Joe Brewer’s The Design Pathway to Regenerating Earth (which is a must of course,) are:Doughnut Economics by Kate RawsworthBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererSacred Instructions by Sherri MitchellThe Dawn of Everything  by David Graeber and David WengrowBecoming Animal by David AbramAt Work in the Ruins by Dougald HineOne book that not only fits into this category but also reflects my own learning journey in many ways, is Jeremy Lent’s The Web of Meaning. I also listen to lots of podcasts.  Most directly relevant to this work perhaps are:The Great Simplification with Nate HagensDoomer Optimism with Jason Snyder, Ashley Colby and othersFor the Wild with Ayana YoungCrazy Town with Rob Dietz, Asher Miller and Jason Bradford. As for recent online courses and events, again too numerous to name, but a couple of the more recent in- depth courses that I have found helpful and encouraging are:The Pachamama Alliance’s Game Changer Intensive coursePost Carbon Institute’s Think Resilience courseHighest among these online learning and networking experiences by far has been my involvement with The Design School for Regenerating Earth.  It is there that I have found not only access to the learning I need to carry out my work as a landscape leader as effectively (and joyfully) as possible, but also a community of wonderfully knowledgeable and generous kindred spirits with whom to share this brilliant emergent learning process.You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Chris Casillas is founder of Regenerating Sonora, a Superior based nonprofit that’s nurturing local potential for a resilient and regenerative future. He also helps build leaderful organizations as co-founder of The Development Dojo, and is a board member at the Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange. Chris has a background in tech where he played a key role in helping scale a business from startup to becoming a multibillion dollar publicly traded company. We met Chris through the Design School for Regenerating the Earth and really enjoy collaborating and talking with him. He’s a pretty cool guy so we are very excited to have him as our first interview. Support Chris' work by visiting and donating to Regenerating Sonora at regeneratingsonora.org. Regenerating Sonora shares a lot of their events on social media: Youtube, Facebook, TikTok. Folks can also have a look at www.thedevelopmentdojo.com  if they're interested in leadership development offerings.Chris has shared some resources that helped to guide his learning pathway, including inspiring books, supportive networks, and educational material. If Chris’ story inspired you, we encourage you to take a look!Education Groups:https://www.regenerat.es/  - Their The Regenerative Practitioner (TRP) training is a MUSThttps://seed-communities.com/changeagentmenu/ https://thecynefin.co/Spiritual:https://thepowerpath.com/ https://garchen.net/ https://www.facebook.com/nine.sided.circle https://www.noeticsociety.org/pierre-grimes https://www.vesica.org/ Books:The 4 Agreements7 Habits of highly effective peopleNonviolent Communication: A Language of LifeThe Magic of Thinking BigSwitch: How to Change Things When Change Is HardIn the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter KingsleyAdditional resources Chris referred to in this episode:Chris’ ProSocial World Seminar: https://youtu.be/-ob9-4c_FdU?si=Ir6OmOh1t9HmA4aJ Haudenosaunee thanksgiving address (gratitude practice): https://danceforallpeople.com/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving-address/ Different types of capital, Community Capitals Framework: https://pascalobservatory.org/sites/default/files/capitalsextension_extra.pdf Relocalize Creativity: https://relocalizecreativity.net/view/about-relocalizecreativitynetCarol Sanford and Capabilities Development: https://carolsanford.com/2021/09/176-capability-development-as-the-best-change-management-strategy/ You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji to continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Our introduction to what we're all about - uplifting the stories of bioregions and the people that steward them. From the Landscape Leaders, those devoted to their community and place who are largely invisible and unfunded, to the aspiring who are just starting to uncover their story, to the larger narrative of the bioregionalism movement as a whole. We aim to bring visibility to and create the scaffolding to support regeneration work and help all who want to get involved do so. We want bioregionalism to become a household topic of conversation.Join us as we tell the stories of Awakening Lands.You can follow along as we continue to weave this story on our Substack at awakeninglands.substack.com.If you'd like to support Anna and Benji as we continue weaving stories through Awakening Lands, you can do that from our Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/awakening_lands. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★