Town Hall Seattle Science Series

Year after year, the quality of the world’s agricultural soil is degrading, which deeply impacts the quality and quantity of the food that we grow. Further, there’s a clear link between the health of our soil and the health of humans. What does that mean for us? Eventually we’ll face an existential crisis of the world’s food supply and our health. Fortunately, experts are studying how to improve our outlook, and two of them happen to live in Seattle. David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé believe that the roots of good health start on farms. In their latest book, What Your Food Ate, this local pair provided evidence from recent and forgotten science to illustrate how the health of the soil ripples through to crops, livestock, and ultimately us. They traced the links between crops and soil life that nourish one another, which in turn provide our bodies with the nutrients needed to protect us from pathogens and chronic ailments. Unfortunately, conventional agricultural practices hurt these vital partnerships and affect our well-being. Can farmers and ranchers produce enough nutrient-dense food to feed us all? Can we have quality and quantity? Montgomery and Biklé say yes. They argue that regenerative farming practices – agricultural practices that rebuild organic matter in soil and restore soil biodiversity – hold the key to healing sick soil and improving human health. “We need everybody to be thinking about a more sustainable food system,” says Montgomery, “because, quite frankly, the future of humanity in many ways really depends on what we do with that.” Agriculture and medicine emerged from our understanding of the natural world — and still depend on it. Through current scientific findings, Montgomery and Biklé showed us that what’s good for the land is good for us, too. David R. Montgomery is a professor at the University of Washington, a MacArthur Fellow, a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and an internationally recognized authority on geomorphology. His books have been translated into ten languages. Anne Biklé is a biologist and environmental planner whose writing has appeared in Nautilus, Natural History, Smithsonian, Fine Gardening, and Best Health. She lives with her husband, David R. Montgomery, in Seattle. Their work includes a trilogy of books about soil health, microbiomes, and farming — Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, The Hidden Half of Nature, and Growing a Revolution. Buy the Book: What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health (Hardcover) from Elliott Bay Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Alzheimer’s is a global health problem with more than 6 million people living with the disease in the U.S. alone. Tremendous gains have been made in the understanding of the science and basic biology underlying Alzheimer’s and other dementias. These advances are leading to great strides in strategies for prevention, detection, diagnostics and therapeutic interventions. The Alzheimer’s Association is a global leader in research, mobilizing the field to advance the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Join Dr. Maria Carrillo to learn more about: ●      The landscape of Alzheimer’s and dementia science ●      Risk factors for Alzheimer’s and all other dementia ●      Highlights in early detection and diagnosis ●      Latest advances in clinical trials, treatments and lifestyle intervention Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., is the chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association where she sets the strategic vision for their global research program. Under her leadership, the Association is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research — currently investing $167 million — and an internationally recognized pioneer in convening the dementia science community. Dr. Carrillo uses her platform as a noted public speaker to play an instrumental role in the Association’s efforts to lobby for increased funding for the disease. Dr. Carrillo earned her Ph.D. from Northwestern University’s Institute for Neuroscience and completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on Alzheimer’s brain imaging and risk factors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. KOMO’s Denise Whitaker is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, seeking adventure in all areas of life.  She keeps viewers up to date on all aspects of news but is especially drawn to health topics. Off camera, Denise enjoys creating healthy recipes, cooking, and working out, especially running. Now in her 17th year with Fred Hutch’s Climb to Fight Cancer, Denise has counted more than a dozen summits up Mounts Rainier, Baker, Adams, Hood, Shasta, Shuksan, and two volcanoes in Mexico.  She chooses volunteer opportunities that let her promote health and physical fitness. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and the Alzheimer’s Association WA State Chapter.

From the grasslands of the Columbia Plateau to the rich valleys west of the Cascade Mountains, There are over 70,000 miles of rivers in Washington state. Rivers are vital to our region’s ecosystems, hosting a wide diversity of living things in their waters and along their banks – our beautiful state would not be what it is without our waterways. How might we better understand rivers and ensure their vitality now, and in the future? According to queer-trans-feminist river scientist Cleo Wölfle Hazard, the key to our rivers’ futures requires centering the values of justice, sovereignty, and dynamism. Wölfle Hazard’s new book, Underflow: Queer Trans Ecologies and River Justice, meets at the intersection of river sciences, queer and trans theory, and environmental justice, and explores river cultures and politics at five sites of water conflict and restoration in California, Oregon, and Washington. Incorporating work with salmon, beaver, and floodplain recovery projects, Wölfle Hazard weaved narratives about innovative field research practices with a queer and trans focus on love and grief for rivers and fish. Wölfle Hazard framed the book with the concept of underflows — important, but unseen parts of a river’s flow that seep down through the soil or rise up from aquifers deep underground. Wölfle Hazard explained that there are underflows in river cultures, sciences, and politics, too, where Native nations and marginalized communities fight to protect rivers. In discussion with UW associate professor Stephanie Clare, Wölfle Hazard described why rivers matter for queer and trans life and how science can disrupt settler colonialism. Cleo Wölfle Hazard (he/him, ze/hir, they/them) is assistant professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, coauthor of Thirsty for Justice: A People’s Blueprint for California Water, and coeditor of Dam Nation: Dispatches from the Water Underground. Stephanie Clare is an Associate Professor of English and the author of Earthly Encounters: Sensation, Feminist Theory, and the Anthropocene (SUNY Press 2019). Their writing in feminist and queer studies has appeared in GLQ, Signs, Social Text, and differences, and they are currently writing a second monograph: Non-Binary/Woman: An Auto-Theory. Buy the Book: Underflows: Queer Trans Ecologies And River Justice from University Book Store  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

There’s a powerful movement happening in farming today, and it’s not a movement focused on flashy technology or producing food faster or at larger scales. Instead, it’s a movement that centers on farmers reconnecting with their roots, reviving their ancestors’ methods of growing food, healing their communities, and ultimately fighting climate change. In her new book, Healing Grounds, Liz Carlisle shared the stories of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian American farmers who are restoring native prairies, nurturing beneficial fungi, and enriching soil health to feed their communities and revitalize cultural ties to the land. One woman learned her tribe’s history to help bring back the buffalo. Another preserved forest that was purchased by her great-great-uncle, who was among the first wave of African Americans to buy land. Others have rejected monoculture to grow corn, beans, and squash the way farmers in Mexico have done for centuries. Through techniques long suppressed by the industrial food system, they steadily stitch ecosystems back together and repair the natural carbon cycle. This is true regenerative agriculture, Carlisle explained – not merely a set of technical tricks for storing CO2 in the ground, but a holistic approach that values diversity in plants and people. But this kind of regenerative farming doesn’t come easily – our nation’s agricultural history is marked by discrimination and displacement. Restoration, repair, and healing can only come from dismantling the power structures that have blocked many farmers of color from owning land or building wealth. Though the task is immense, it holds great promise and hope: that by coming together to restore farmlands, we can not only heal our planet, we can heal our communities and ourselves. Liz Carlisle is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022). Prior to her career as a writer and academic, she spent several years touring rural America as a country singer. Latrice Tatsey (In-niisk-ka-mah-kii) is an ecologist and advocate for tribally-directed bison restoration who remains active in her family’s cattle ranching operation at Blackfeet Nation in northwest Montana. Her research focuses on organic matter and carbon in soil, and specifically, the benefits to soil from the reintroduction of bison (iin-ni) to their traditional grazing landscapes on the Blackfeet Reservation. Latrice is currently completing her master’s degree in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University and she serves as a research fellow with the Piikani Lodge Health Institute and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Hillel Echo-Hawk (she/her; Pawnee and Athabaskan) is an Indigenous chef, caterer, and speaker born and raised in the interior of Alaska around the Athabaskan village of Mentasta –– home to the matriarchal chief and subsistence rights activist, Katie John. Watching John and other Indigenous Peoples’ fight for food sovereignty, as well as seeing her mother strive to make healthy, home-cooked meals for her and her six siblings, gave Hillel a unique perspective on diet and wellness. Echo-Hawk is the owner of Birch Basket, her food and work has been featured in James Beard, Bon Appetit, Eater, Huffpost, National Geographic, PBS, Vogue, The Seattle Times, and many, many more. Buy the Book: Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (Hardcover) from Third Place Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle and sponsored by PCC Community Markets.

As the threats of climate change become more urgent than ever, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to do. The problems — and their solutions — seem unwieldy and complicated. But what if we embrace the complexity of the climate crisis and create solutions that are just as intertwined as the issues? That’s where intersectional environmentalism comes in. Leah Thomas, a prominent voice in the field and the activist who coined the term “Intersectional Environmentalism,” offered us a call to action in her new book. The Intersectional Environmentalist serves as a guide to instigating change for all and a pledge to work toward personal empowerment and the healing of the planet. Thomas examined the inextricable link between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and argued that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people –– especially those most often unheard. She shows how not only are Black, Indigenous, and people of color unequally and unfairly impacted by environmental injustices, but she argued that the fight for the planet goes hand in hand with the fight for civil rights — one cannot exist without the other. Solving these issues becomes clearer when we recognize these intersectionalities. Thomas wrote that her goal “is to raise awareness of unsung heroes, look beneath the surface, and reflect on missteps in social and environmental movements so that future movements can improve. With complete knowledge of our past, we have a better shot at improving the outcomes of our future.” The effects of climate change are intensifying, but so are the voices of those who are creating meaningful solutions. Intersectional environmental activists like Thomas acknowledge where we came from and how to move forward, helping us push past the overwhelm and into meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable change. Leah Thomas is an intersectional environmental activist and eco-communicator based in Southern California. She’s passionate about advocating for and exploring the relationship between social justice and environmentalism and was the first to define the term “Intersectional Environmentalism.” She is the founder of @greengirlleah and The Intersectional Environmentalist Platform. Her articles on this topic have appeared in Vogue, Elle, The Good Trade, and Youth to the People and she has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, Domino, GOOP, Fashionista, BuzzFeed, and numerous podcasts. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Chapman University and worked for the National Park Service and Patagonia headquarters before pursuing activism full time. She lives in Carpinteria, California. Hannah Wilson (they/them) is currently a Farm Manager at Yes Farm with the Black Farmers Collective and co-chair of the Environmental Justice Committee for the City of Seattle. In 2019, they graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in Environmental Science and Resource Management and a minor in Geography. As a queer, disabled, deaf, and Black non-binary person, their intersectional identity informs the way they walk through the world and the work they do. They have committed their life’s work centered around food sovereignty and Black liberation, continuing to organize around community building, growing food, healing, and our relationships to the land and each other. Buy the Book: The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet (Hardcover) from Elliott Bay Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Farmers and environmentalists haven’t always seen eye-to-eye about the best ways to manage agricultural landscapes, but America’s farms are vital to preserving ecosystems and a stable climate. How might the two come together to unite for the common good? In No Farms, No Food, longtime farm, fisheries, and environmental policy advocate Don Stuart took readers inside the political and policy battles that determine the fate of our nation’s farmland. Stuart traced the history of agriculture conservation and the development of American Farmland Trust (AFT), from its small beginnings in 1980 to a formidable constituency of farmers and environmentalists. With leadership from AFT, that constituency drove through Congress the first “Conservation Title” in the history of the U.S. Farm Bill; oversaw the development of agriculture conservation easement programs throughout the country; and continues to develop innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Together with Addie Candib, the current Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, Stuart discussed tactics for bringing people together to work for healthy land and a healthy food system. Don Stuart has worked in natural resources and the environment for over 40 years, half of which included intensive legislative lobbying on farm, fisheries, and environmental policy. From 2000-2011, he served as Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, a national environmental organization that protects agricultural lands and supports their environmentally responsible management. Previously, he was Executive Director for the Washington Association of Conservation Districts and Executive Director for Salmon for Washington. Don was also the campaign manager and public spokesperson in the successful defense of a Washington statewide anti-commercial fishing ballot initiative (I-640) in 1995 and he ran for the U.S. Congress in Washington’s First District in 1996. Don is also a former Alaska commercial salmon troll fisherman, a formerly practicing Seattle trial attorney, and was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps during the Vietnam War. His opinion column on fish politics appeared monthly in the Fishermen’s News from 1990-96. He is the author of several books, including Barnyards and Birkenstocks: Why Farmers and Environmentalists Need Each Other (2014). Addie Candib serves as Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, overseeing the organization’s programs and policy efforts in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Addie has worked at the intersection of agriculture and the nonprofit sector for over 10 years. In addition to having direct experience working on farms, she is a seasoned grassroots advocate; she helped form the Washington Young Farmers Coalition in 2010 and served on the Board of Directors for Tilth Alliance from 2012-2017. Addie began her career in farmland protection at the Community Farm Land Trust in Olympia, Washington, and she has been passionate about farmland access and affordability ever since. Addie is also trained in mediation and conflict resolution, and volunteers at a community-based dispute resolution center. Addie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College and a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College, where her capstone work explored financing strategies for farmland protection. She lives with her family in Bellingham, WA. Buy the Book: No Farms, No Food: Uniting Farmers and Environmentalists to Transform American Agriculture (Hardcover) from Third Place Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle and American Farmland Trust.

In the 1940s, the insecticide DDT was widely used to combat insect-borne human diseases like malaria and control insects in agricultural applications, gardens, and inside homes. In the 1950s, it became evident that the pesticide was causing extensive health and environmental damage. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring alerted the public to the long-lasting dangers of pesticide use. And in 1972, the United States EPA issued an order for DDT’s cancellation due to adverse environmental effects and human health risks; in the years that followed, dozens of other countries followed suit. The process took decades, and continues to evolve as DDT remains in use for malaria control today. Historian Elena Conis traced the history of DDT in How to Sell a Poison: The Rise, Fall, and Toxic Return of DDT, following a trail of corporate manipulation and manufactured doubt in science geared to keep the profits flowing. Using the story of DDT as a cautionary tale, Conis argued that we need new ways to communicate about science before it’s too late — especially in our current era of public confusion about protecting our health and the rampant spread of misinformation. Science, she reminded us, is a constantly-evolving discipline and not just an immutable collection of facts — changing how we view it could help us make better decisions about health, both for ourselves and the environment. Elena Conis is a writer and historian of medicine, public health, and the environment. She teaches at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and the Media Studies Program, and directs the graduate program in Public Journalism. Her current research focuses on scientific controversies, science denial, and the public understanding of science, and has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine, and the Science History Institute. Her first book, Vaccine Nation: America’s Changing Relationship with Immunization, received the Arthur J. Viseltear Award from the American Public Health Association and was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title and a Science Pick of the Week by the journal Nature. Sally James is a writer and journalist who covers science and medical research. She has written for The Seattle Times, South Seattle Emerald, Seattle and UW Magazines, among others.  For the Emerald, she has been focusing during the pandemic on stories about health and access for communities of color. In the past, she has been a leader and volunteer for the nonprofit Northwest Science Writers Association. For many years, she was a reviewer for Health News Review, fact-checking national press reporting for accuracy and fairness. Buy the Book: How to Sell a Poison: The Rise, Fall, and Toxic Return of DDT  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

The COVID-19 pandemic — one of the most disruptive events in human history — has made it more challenging than ever to feel prepared, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it feels impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? Humans aren’t particularly fond of uncertainty, but what if we had the tools to help us feel more secure and shape our futures? Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal believes it’s possible to recover confidence and face uncertain futures with optimism. As a world-renowned designer of alternate reality games, she has an extensive background in designing tools to improve real lives and solve real problems through planetary-scale collaboration. In her new book, Imaginable, McGonigal drew on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to train our minds to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable. Through provocative thought experiments and future simulations, McGonigal offered strategies for envisioning our future lives, developing the courage to solve problems with creativity, and accessing the “urgent optimism” within each of us to take agency over our decisions. Jane McGonigal, Ph.D., is a future forecaster and designer of games created to improve real lives and solve real problems. She is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Reality Is Broken and SuperBetter, and her TED talks on how gaming can make a better world have more than 15 million views. She was named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum; one of Fast Company’s “Top 100 Creative People in Business”; and one of the “Top 35 innovators changing the world through technology” by MIT Technology Review. She is the Director of Games Research & Development at the Institute for the Future, a nonprofit research group in Palo Alto, California. Margaret Morris, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist focused on how technology can support wellbeing. She is an affiliate faculty member in the Information School at the University of Washington and a research consultant. Morris is the author of Left to Our Own Devices: Outsmarting Smart Technology to Reclaim Our Relationships, Health and Focus. Buy the Book: Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything―Even Things That Seem Impossible Today  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Humans have been stumbling upon the remains of ancient animals since prehistoric times, long before fossils were routinely dug up, named, and pieced together into “whole” prehistoric skeletons. The word dinosaur wasn’t established until the mid-19th century – practically yesterday, considering the massive span of the geologic time scale. From bits and bones from unknown creatures emerged tales of giant dogs, dragons, sea serpents, and myriad other creatures. Absurd as these legends might seem, they gave rise to the modern science of paleontology – a discipline that completely reshaped how humans viewed the world. In his new book, Paleontology: An Illustrated History, comparative anatomist David Bainbridge took readers from ancient Greece to the eighteenth century, when paleontology started to coalesce into the scientific field we know today. Bainbridge explained how paleontology has always straddled the spheres of science and art, an idea evident in rich visuals that depict great fossil finds, life forms of all shapes and sizes, and prehistoric scenery. Bainbridge also propelled the timeline of paleontology further into the future, considering the roles of DNA and other genetic material and how they might revolutionize our understanding of the origins and evolution of ancient life. David Bainbridge is a comparative anatomist in the Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St Catharine’s College. His many books include How Zoologists Organize Things: The Art of Classification; Stripped Bare: The Art of Animal Anatomy; and Middle Age: A Natural History. Buy the Book: Paleontology: An Illustrated History from Elliott Bay Books To watch this program click here.  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

The majestic bald eagle can be spotted throughout most of North America at various points during the year. Here in Western Washington, we’re lucky to spot them all year-round — no doubt thanks to an abundance of tall trees for nesting and open bodies of water that provide a source of food. They are revered birds, sacred within Indigenous traditions, and associated with wisdom, bravery, and protection. Only a few decades ago, the future of bald eagles was tenuous. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bald eagles were considered menaces by settler farmers, even falsely labeled as vicious, baby-snatching predators that might swoop away with an unsuspecting infant. In some areas, bounties were placed on the birds (folks could earn 50 cents to a dollar per bird killed), and their numbers declined by tens of thousands. The following years brought habitat destruction and deadly contamination of food sources by pesticides like DDT; by the 1960s, the population of nesting pairs dipped into the hundreds. After decades of concerted efforts, the bald eagle population recovered; today, it has soared to well over 300,000. What can we glean from the path of the bald eagle and the varying ways that different groups of humans have interacted with it? In The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jack E. Davis traced the cultural and natural history of the bald eagle from before the nation’s founding through resurgences of the enduring species. Contrasting the age when indigenous peoples lived beside it peacefully with eras when others pushed Haliaeetus leucocephalus to the brink of extinction, Davis considered how the historical journey of the bald eagle might offer inspiration as we grapple with large-scale environmental peril today. Jack E. Davis is the author of the award-winning book, The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea and An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century. A professor of environmental history at the University of Florida, he lives in Florida and New Hampshire. Deborah Jensen is the Vice-President and Executive Director for Audubon Washington working to protect birds and the places they need now and in the future. Her career is dedicated to conservation, with decades of executive experience leading conservation, education, and scientific organizations. Deborah currently serves on the Puget Sound Leadership Council and the Board of Climate Solutions and is a past-chair of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Buy the Book: The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird (Hardcover) from Third Place Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here.