

Future Ecologies
Future Ecologies
Made for nature lovers and audiophiles alike, Future Ecologies explores our eco-social relationships through stories, science, music, and soundscapes. Every episode is an invitation to see the world in a new light — weaving together narrative and interviews with expert knowledge holders.
The format varies: from documentary storytelling to stream-of-consciousness sound collage, and beyond. Episodes are released only when they're ready, not on a fixed schedule (but approximately monthly).
This ad-free, independent podcast is supported by our listeners: https://www.futureecologies.net/join
The format varies: from documentary storytelling to stream-of-consciousness sound collage, and beyond. Episodes are released only when they're ready, not on a fixed schedule (but approximately monthly).
This ad-free, independent podcast is supported by our listeners: https://www.futureecologies.net/join
Episodes
Mentioned books

7 snips
Dec 6, 2018 • 51min
FE1.11 - Funerary Ecologies
Jae Rhim Lee, known for her sustainable burial innovations, joins Katrina Spade, who specializes in redefining funeral practices. They explore the interplay of death and ecology, encouraging fresh perspectives on funerary rites. From the humorous complexities of burial to innovative methods like alkaline hydrolysis, the discussion highlights urban burial dilemmas and community rituals that nurture collective grief. Insights into the historical impacts on Indigenous practices reveal the deep connections between burial, culture, and the environment.

Nov 22, 2018 • 40min
FE1.10 - Dams: Rushing Downriver (Part 2)
In this conclusion to our series on dam removal, we travel from the Klamath up to the Olympic Peninsula, and the site of the former Elwha and Glines Canyon dams. What did it actually take to bring the dams down, and what lessons can we take forward to other ambitious ecosystem renewal projects?For extended show notes, musical credits and more, head to www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-1-10-rushing-downriverCorrections to this episode:While salmon fry may have to contend with hungry bass in other river systems, the Elwha is not one of them.The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife releases specifically Chinook salmon into the Elwha river.– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Nov 8, 2018 • 48min
FE1.9 - Dams: Swimming Upstream (Part 1)
Dams remain one of the ultimate demonstrations of human power over nature. Wild rivers can be tamed to deliver energy for industry, lakes for recreation, and water for agriculture. But severing the link between land and sea has come with grave ecological costs. The impact of dams on salmon populations has been especially obvious and painful.This is part one of a two-part series on dam removals. In this episode, we return to the Klamath river to examine the fierce conflict (and unlikely partnerships) in pursuit of the deconstruction of 4 major dams.Find shownotes, sources, and musical credits at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-9-swimming-upstreamUPDATEIn November of 2022, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the removal of the 4 key dams along the Klamath River - a huge victory for salmon and for the Indigenous tribes and environmental groups that had worked for over two decades towards this end. The dams are expected to be removed by the end of 2024 in what will be the largest dam removal effort in history. Scientists hope to study the impacts of dam removal on the Klamath river’s ecology and salmon populations. We’ll continue to follow this story as it unfolds and we’ll let you know what happens.– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Oct 25, 2018 • 49min
FE1.8 - Jellyfishing for Answers
How are human activities changing our oceans, and why do these changes all seem to support a new age of jellyfish? What are these ancient, diverse beings: harbingers of doom, or simply the most well-adapted form of life in the sea? In this episode we go jellyfishing for answers with preeminent jellyfish researchers Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin and Dr. Lucas Brotz.Find show notes for this episode at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-8-jellyfishing-for-answersIf you’d like to dive into more detail about a number of fascinating jellyfish species, we have a series of mini-episodes featuring Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin – available only to our Patreon supporters at www.patreon.com/futureecologies– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Sep 28, 2018 • 50min
FE1.7 - Help Not Helping
In the fall of 2017, a series of devastating earthquakes rocked southern Mexico. But what if it’s not the earthquakes themselves that pose the greatest threat to these communities? The conflict between institutional and grassroots disaster response in the aftermath of these earthquakes provides a powerful illustration of the tensions that have underlain the concept of development ever since President Truman’s second inaugural address in 1949. In this episode, Oaxacan deprofessionalized intellectual Gustavo Esteva guides us through his thinking on capitalism, disaster response, and what lies beyond development.Find shownotes, sources, and musical credits at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-7-help-not-helping– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Sep 13, 2018 • 54min
FE1.6 - On Fire: Combustible Communities (Part 2)
In this second part of our two-episode series, On Fire, we look at ways to move our civilization forward – without continuing to deny the role of fire in our landscapes. We discuss how prescribed burns are currently conducted, radical new (and old) perspectives on land management policy, and practical techniques for everyone in fire country to protect their homes, their communities, and their forests.Find shownotes, sources, and musical credits at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-6-on-fire-pt-2Catch Part 1: https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-5-on-fire-pt-1Update: there is now a 3rd part to this story! Find it at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-2-2-on-fire-pt-3– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Aug 31, 2018 • 50min
FE1.5 - On Fire: Camas, Cores, and Spores (Part 1)
The past two years have been the worst fire years on record across the west coast of North America, with whole communities being engulfed in flames and smoke enveloping major cities for weeks. But as the airways fill once again with stories of valiant fire-fighters and people who’ve lost their homes, we answer some burning questions that seem to always fly under the radar. For example:How long have fires been burning on this planetHave our ecologies always been adapted to fire?What role did indigenous peoples play in lighting fires in the past?And how can we return prescribed burns to sensitive ecosystems?To answer these questions, we talk to regional experts, including internationally renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Nancy Turner, in this first part of our two-part three-part series, On Fire.Find shownotes, sources, and musical credits at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-5-on-fire-pt-1Ready for Part Two? https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-6-on-fire-pt-2– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Aug 16, 2018 • 54min
FE1.4 - Luces en el Cielo
During the devastating September 9, 2017 earthquake off the coast of southern Mexico, residents of Mexico City and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala witnessed mysterious bursts of light in the sky. These lights, however, were not UFOs, exploding transformers, or evidence of a mysterious government conspiracy - instead, they were examples of a long-documented phenomenon known as “earthquake lights.”Can these mysterious lights in the sky help us learn to anticipate earthquakes? Can physics explain the strange animal behaviour linked to seismic activity? We unravel the science – and controversy – of a new interpretation of geophysics, and we talk to two groups developing very different technologies with the same goal: saving lives from earthquake disaster.Find shownotes for this episode at www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-4-luces-en-el-cielo– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Aug 1, 2018 • 48min
FE1.3 - The Loneliest Plants
What do you do when you find the last individual of a species previously thought to be extinct? The two rarest plants on earth both live in the Presidio of San Francisco, they’re both in the same genus, and there’s only one left of each. Is there a future for these species, and if so, what does it look like? And what can species on the brink tell us about ourselves and the future of our ecosystems?Find show notes for this episode at www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-3-the-loneliest-plants– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons

Jul 20, 2018 • 57min
FE1.2 - This is Where it Begins
The story of modern-day North America begins with the systematic genocide and displacement of indigenous peoples. The social and ecological consequences of this founding trauma have become clearer over time, but so far relatively little has been done to address this at the federal, state, and provincial levels. In this episode, we zero in on two violently displaced tribes in California - the Wiyot and the Amah Mutsun - and tell the stories of their respective journeys to return to the spiritual centers of their worlds. Along the way, we ask a simple question: can the wrongs of the past be addressed, at least in part, by the return of stolen lands?Find show notes for this episode at www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-2-this-is-where-it-begins– – –💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons