Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature

Since time immemorial, storytellers have held an exalted role in human societies, because stories illustrate parables that help us make sense of the world and survive. In this episode, we hitch a ride with comedian, writer, futurist, technologist, and storyteller Baratunde Thurston. At this perilous existential threshold that will determine the fate of the human experiment, he knows that the story of the battle is equally the battle of the story.  Featuring Baratunde Thurston, a writer, communicator, and creator and host of the How To Citizen podcast, is also a founding partner and writer at Puck. His newest creation is Life With Machines, a YouTube podcast focusing on the human side of the A.I. revolution. Author of the bestselling comedic memoir, How To Be Black, Baratunde also serves on the boards of Civics Unplugged and the Brooklyn Public Library and lives in Southern California. Credits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Associate Producer: Emily Harris Producer: Teo Grossman Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Resources Watch Baratunde Thurston's 2025 Bioneers Keynote – From Me to We, A Story of Interdependence  This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

How do we change the story of corrosive racial inequity? First, we have to understand the stories we tell ourselves. In this program, racial justice innovators john a. powell and Heather McGhee show how empathy, honesty and the recognition of our common humanity can change the story to bridge the racial divides tearing humanity and the Earth apart. john a. powell is the Director of the ⁠Othering and Belonging Institute⁠ and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. His latest book is: ⁠Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society⁠. Watch his keynote from the 2017 Bioneers Conference: https://bioneers.org/john-a-powell-co-creating-alternative-spaces-to-heal-bioneers-2017/ Heather McGhee, distinguished senior fellow and former president of ⁠Demos⁠, is an award-winning thought leader on the national stage whose writing and research appear in numerous outlets, including The New York Times and The Nation. Her latest book is ⁠The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.⁠ Watch her keynote from the 2017 Bioneers Conference: https://bioneers.org/heather-mcghee-a-new-we-the-people-for-a-sustainable-future/ This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the ⁠radio and podcast homepage⁠ to find out how to hear the program on your local station and how to subscribe to the podcast.

In this program, powerful Native women leaders reveal the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and describe how they are taking action and building growing movements, including with non-Native allies. These stories are shocking, harrowing and heartbreaking. But then again, when your heart breaks, the cracks are where the light shines through.Featuring Morning Star Gali, Ozawa Bineshi Albert, Simone Senogles, Kandi White, and Casey Camp Horinek.Resources The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native WomenThe Intercept: A New Film Examines Sexual Violence as a Feature of the Bakken Oil BoomRestoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples: MMIW InitiativeThe Mendocino Voice: Community groups begin painting mural honoring Khadijah Britton and highlighting MMIW in UkiahThis is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

Visionary clean energy entrepreneur Danny Kennedy explores the promise and challenges of the epic civilizational transition to renewable energy. Without doubt, the shift has hit the fan, but will we make the transition in time to avert complete climate breakdown? Danny Kennedy says we can – and the real heroes will be millions of clean energy entrepreneurs and startups, in partnership with the determined leadership of Indigenous Peoples arising worldwide.FeaturingDanny Kennedy, with a long background in eco activism, has become one of the nation’s leading figures in clean-technology entrepreneurship and the capitalization of the transition to a “green” economy. Kennedy is currently CEO of New Energy Nexus, a global nonprofit providing funds, accelerators, and networks to drive clean energy innovation and adoption.CreditsExecutive Producer: Kenny AusubelWritten by: Kenny AusubelSenior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie WelchHost and Consulting Producer: Neil HarveyProgram Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily HarrisProducer: Teo GrossmanResourcesDanny Kennedy – The Charging 20s | Bioneers 2023 KeynoteDanny Kennedy – Optimizing the Energy Transition | Bioneers 2016 KeynoteThis is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

We are sharing an episode from our friends at Future Ecologies. Future Ecologies is a podcast exploring 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. We will be back next week with an episode of the Bioneers. Here is more about the episode we are featuring:Food security, climate adaptation, and vibrant biodiversity all in one place — welcome to the ancient and diverse technologies of Sea Gardening. These widespread (but often overlooked) monumental rock features are proof positive of thriving Indigenous maricultural systems all around the Pacific Rim, since time immemorial. These spaces are not only simply stunningly beautiful spots to hang out, they're also a powerful symbol of eco-cultural restoration; of Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and internationalism; of relationship building; and of the kind of future that is possible as we adapt to a changing climate and rising sea levels. We hope you find them as inspiring as we do. Join us as we visit a sea garden, learn about how they work, and meet a few of the people bringing them back to life. Visit futureecologies.net/listen/fe-6-2-sea-garden for full credits, links, citations, photos, a transcript, and more.

Rebecca Moore, the visionary founder of Google Earth Outreach and Google Earth Engine, dives into the transformative power of digital mapping tools for environmental conservation. She discusses how these technologies empower communities, such as the Pater Surui tribe, to combat illegal logging and regain land rights. The conversation highlights the innovative use of Google Earth to combat climate change and protect biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accessibility in understanding our planet's changes.

Brett KenCairn, founding director of the Center for Regenerative Solutions and senior policy advisor in Boulder, discusses innovative urban forestry solutions. He highlights how trees can simultaneously combat climate change and address socioeconomic disparities. The conversation covers the health benefits of urban forests, emphasizing their role in enhancing mental well-being and combating diseases. KenCairn also stresses the need for equitable access to green spaces in under-resourced communities, advocating for systemic policy changes to support holistic environmental justice.

In this engaging discussion, Indigenous champions Jeannette Armstrong, an Okanagan author and ecologist, and Rowen White, a seed keeper and farmer, explore the profound links between language and nature. They emphasize the need to revitalize Indigenous languages as essential vessels of ecological knowledge. The conversation highlights the deep cultural significance of seeds and their connection to identity, while advocating for a shift to adopt Indigenous perspectives in understanding our relationship with the Earth. Reconnecting with ancestral roots is presented as a path toward healing.

Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman, conservation enthusiasts from the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, dive into the vital role of beavers in ecosystem restoration. They discuss how these furry engineers enhance wetlands, support biodiversity, and even facilitate salmon habitats. Changing perspectives among ranchers now view beavers as allies, critical for combating climate challenges. The pair highlight grassroots movements, legislative advancements, and the cultural significance of beaver restoration efforts, emphasizing how working with nature can heal our planet.

We trek into the ancient old-growth forest where the trees reveal an ecological parable: A forest is a mightily interwoven community of diverse life that runs on symbiosis. With: Doctors Suzanne Simard and Teresa Ryan, ecologists whose work has helped reveal an elaborate tapestry of kinship, cooperation and mutual aid.This is an episode of Nature’s Genius, a Bioneers podcast series exploring how the sentient symphony of life holds the solutions we need to balance human civilization with living systems. Visit the series page to learn more.FeaturingDr. Sm’hayetsk Teresa Ryan is Gitlan, Tsm’syen. Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Science Lecturer at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry, Forest & Conservation Sciences. As a fisheries/aquatic/forest ecologist, she is currently investigating relationships between salmon and healthy forests.Dr. Suzanne Simard, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and author of the bestselling, Finding the Mother Tree, is a highly influential, researcher on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence.ResourcesForest Wisdom, Mother Trees and the Science of Community | Bioneers PodcastSuzanne Simard – Dispatches From the Mother Trees | Bioneers 2021 KeynoteSuzanne Simard – Dealing with Backlash Against Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change | Bioneers 2024 KeynoteThe Wood Wide Web: The Intelligent Underground Mycelial Network | Bioneers interview with Suzanne SimardUnraveling the Secrets of Salmon: An Indigenous Exploration of Forest Ecology and Nature’s Intelligence | Bioneers interview with Teresa RyanTeresa Ryan: How Trees Communicate | Bioneers 2017 KeynoteDeep Dive: Intelligence in NatureEarthlings: Intelligence in Nature | Bioneers NewsletterCredits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Cathy Edwards and Kenny Ausubel Produced by: Cathy Edwards Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris Producer: Teo Grossman Graphic Designer: Megan Howe