Future Ecologies

Mendel Skulski, a podcaster, discusses podcasting, art, music, hope, and more. They delve into their journey into podcasting and the surprising need to tell their own story. They also explore the power of local choices in reducing consumption and reflect on heritage, ritual, and spiritual struggles. Additionally, they discuss revitalizing indigenous languages and the harmful effects of polarization.

A story of memory, ghosting, and fire: how we can change the place we call home, and how it too can change around us.Another version of this story, along with many other works of art, can be found in the pages of Fire Season II– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patronsYou'll get exclusive bonus content, access to one of the best discord servers out there, stickers, patches, early episode releases, and more! Find credits, citations, transcript, photos, and more at futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-7-phase-change

What does it mean to live on an island? Is it to be independent from, or inexorably dependent on the rest of the world? And when the ecosystem's physical limitations are so clearly circumscribed, do people behave more "environmentally"?In this episode, we visit Adam's home island of Galiano, and find out just how big its ecological footprint really is.– – –Explore the full One Island, One Earth report (and interactive map)💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patronsYou'll get exclusive bonus content (like a blooper reel from this episode and extended interviews), access to one of the best discord servers out there, stickers, patches, early episode releases, and more! Full credits, citations, transcript, and lots more at futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-6-an-island-unto-itself

Listening to The Disintegration Loops during wildfire season — a review of William Basinski’s seminal album as a meditation on looping thoughts, physical disintegration, and fire.– – –Subscribe to The Wind wherever you get your podcasts, and visit thewind.orgYou can find a transcript of this episode at https://the-wind.simplecast.com/episodes/the-disintegration-loops/transcript

The North American Model is just one story of how wildlife conservation can be practiced. In part 2 of this mini-series we tell another: of restorative human–predator relationships and local self-determination.We're bringing you a success story from the Great Bear Rainforest, and another articulation of how we can relate to wildlife — complete with its own set of guiding principles, naturally.For musical credits, citations, and more, click here.Click here for Part 1– — – — – —Just over 200 people are making Future Ecologies possible on Patreon!Meet them all at futureecologies.net/patronsYou too can join our community and help the show to grow @ patreon.com/futureecologies

North America abounds in wildlife — but why?At the turn of the last century, many observers believed that species that we take for granted today would disappear forever. In this episode, we share a story about the way that wildlife conservation came to be practiced, the lives that it privileged, and the lives that it left out.But despite any controversy, one aspect of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (or "the NAM" for our purposes) is indisputable: its principles explain the landscape of laws and institutions in which North Americans enjoy nature today.– – –For musical credits, citations, and more, click here.– – –Future Ecologies is only possible with the support of you, our listeners!Our patrons get early episode releases + other bonus content, a community discord server (which runs the gamut from meme trading, recipes and fermentation, nature sightings, media suggestions, to discussions on environmental restoration), plus stickers, patches, and more!We are an independent and unaffiliated podcast. Listener contributions make it possible for us to keep producing stories that matter, make them sound great, and keep them ad-free.Join our community of supporting listeners on Patreon for as little as $1/month

What can a brand new patch of nature tell us about Europe's ancient history?In this episode, we touch down in the Netherlands, where an unconventional experiment (the Oostvaardersplassen) has shaken up both the field of ecology and Dutch society. What started as a bird watcher’s obsession with thousands of trekking geese, led to a criticism of one of the central tenets in ecology: ecosystem succession.Enter a counter-theory that would return the rarest of birds, butterflies, and a once-extinct mega mammal to one of the most densely populated countries on earth.For photos, transcripts, citations, and musical credits, head to www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-3-a-tiny-wilderness– – –Future Ecologies is independent and ad-free. This podcast is possible thanks to our supporters on PatreonJoin our community of supporting listeners (for as little as $1 per month) for access to early releases, a rad discord server, and more:✨https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies ✨If you'd prefer to support the show with a one-time donation, you can do so at https://www.futureecologies.net/donateAnd if you can't support the show financially, you can always leave us a nice rating (or even a review) wherever you listen. We post our favourites at https://www.futureecologies.net/#reviews 💖

At the heart of the Salish Sea lies the Fraser River Estuary: home to over half of the population of the Province of British Columbia, thousands of endemic species, and one world-famous pod of orcas. But as the human population of the region has grown, wildlife populations — including salmonids, orcas, and over 100 species at risk — have been plummeting.As economic imperatives press up against ecological thresholds, a mega-project that has been in development for over a decade is poised to further alter the character of the estuary, with massive implications for the health of Salish Sea and its many residents.In this episode, we ask: can we find ways to hear each other through all the noise?– – –For lots of photos, transcripts, citations, musical credits, and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's responses to our questions, head to www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-2-terminalUPDATEThe decision to approve Roberts Bank Terminal 2 was announced on April 20, 2023 by Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, who said “With 370 environmental protection measures that the port must meet, we have set a high bar for this project to proceed. For the first time ever, we are asking a proponent to put up $150 million to guarantee the strict environmental conditions are met and habitats are protected for species such as the Western Sandpiper. Moreover, this decision is paired with massive government investment in the protection of threatened species like Chinook salmon and endangered Southern resident killer whales. “The measures that have been announced have not addressed the concerns of the environmental and labor movements that oppose the project.  Misty MacDuffee, who you heard in this episode, responded: “All viability assessments of southern resident killer whales indicate their threats must be significantly lowered for recovery to occur. Approving this project does the opposite. It increases threats, worsens their feeding conditions and increases their likelihood of extinction.”While the approval has been made, this story is far from over.  The project faces additional regulatory hurdles, a changing market environment, and continued opposition as it enters an estimated six years of construction.  We’ll continue to follow the story as it unfolds and we’ll keep you updated.Read more about the Roberts Bank decision– – –Future Ecologies is independent and ad-free. This podcast is possible thanks to our supporters on PatreonJoin our community of supporting listeners for access to early releases, a rad discord server, and more✨https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies ✨If you'd prefer to support the show with a one-time donation, you can do so at https://www.futureecologies.net/donateAnd if you can't support the show financially, you can always leave us a nice rating (or even a review) wherever you listen. We post our favourites at https://www.futureecologies.net/#reviews 💖

Are agriculture and biodiversity always at odds? In the late 1970s, a radical environmental movement rejected this dichotomy — rebuking conventional farming in favour of holistic & mutualistic principles, with the dual promise of plentiful food and a vibrant ecosystem.When Permaculture was first articulated, it emerged from a simple question: why don’t our food systems look more like forests? In the tropics, traditional Indigenous agriculture integrated perennial foods crops so densely that their gardens had often been mistaken for jungle.Inspired by these techniques, permaculturists adapted forest gardening for the temperate world. But, in their enthusiasm, they too may have been missing the forest for the trees.Wherever you are, whatever you're going through, we hope you find solace by spending some time with us — in the garden.– – –For musical credits, episode transcript, citations, and more:https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-1-forest-garden🌱Future Ecologies is independent and ad-free. This podcast is possible thanks to our supporters on PatreonJoin our community of supporting listeners for access to early releases, a rad discord server, and more✨https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies ✨

We're featuring another guest episode. This time, from Canada's National Observer: a new podcast called Race Against Climate ChangeEpisode 1 – How We EatSUMMARY:Everybody’s gotta eat, but who’s feeding us, and what else are we eating up along the way? In this episode we chew on the ways our food affects our climate, and what can be done about it. Professor and author Lenore Newman discusses food security and this summer’s heat dome with National Observer founder Linda Solomon Wood. Plus, the surge in regenerative farming in Canada, and a future of real beef with no real cows. Yes, you read that right.GUESTS:●     Robyn Bunn, Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture●     Fawn Jackson, climate lead for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association●     Karen Ross, director of Farmers for Climate Solutions.●     Lenore Newman, Director of the Food and Agriculture Institute and Canada Research Chair in Food Security and Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley●     Isha Datar, Executive Director of New HarvestFind more episodes of Race Against Climate Change wherever you enjoy podcasts, or on their website: nationalobserver.com/podcast/race-against-climate-change (where transcripts are also available)– – –Support Future Ecologies Season 4 for as little as $1/month to get access to our rad discord server and other fun perks: patreon.com/futureecologiesBrowse our episode archive and explore our website: futureecologies.netSay hi to us on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, iNaturalist