Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration

What can we learn from the modeling and fashion industries to help us accelerate our progress towards a healthier future? How does the role of privilege tie into conversations around sustainable living, and how can we be more mindful of this so that we're not just improving our own lives independently, but also helping to improve the system to make it easier and more accessible for everyone to live better as well? Sharing her wisdom here is Renee Elizabeth Peters, a model-activist, the content creator at Model4GreenLiving, a social media expert, and an environmental advocate. You'll hear about the role of modeling in social impact; how to combat burnout as an activist; how we can use our privilege to make a more positive impact; and more. Let's dive in! HIGHLIGHTS[11:03] Renee's greatest personal struggle working within the modeling industry while championing mind, body, and earth positivity.[14:43] How the media's mainstream narratives impact our mental health and beliefs about what we 'need' to be happy.[17:43] Taking a holistic, positive approach to sustainability and social impact to prevent burnout.[19:01] Renee's three pieces of advice for someone feeling overwhelmed and burnt out by all of the global issues we face today.[22:45] The role of privilege in sustainable living and how influencers can more effectively use their privilege to make a more widespread positive impact.[28:51] Kaméa: "What can we as individuals do to help conversations around sustainability feel more inclusive so that more people may hop on board?"[30:14] One easy thing everyone can do to support systemic change. Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/108, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

When money is often associated with corruption and greed, how can we shift our money mindset to be more confident and unafraid to work with it (given that this is how our world operates), so that we can better use it as a means to help improve our world? What can we do to begin meaningfully addressing the issues of disease, poverty, and climate change altogether? Sharing his wisdom here is Devin Thorpe, author, speaker, and founder of the Your Mark on the World Center. You'll hear about why having the right money mindset is important for making a positive impact; why corporations aren't going away and what we can do to better hold them accountable for their work; the interconnected relationship between poverty, disease, and climate change; and more. Let's dive in! HIGHLIGHTS[7:20] Devin: "I think all of us in the sustainability world on some level resent the influence of money. But the fact is–money is what makes the world go round."[11:47] Why corporations are a necessity in our world today and what we can do to require more responsibility from them.[12:39] The fundamentally flawed idea that a corporation's sole reason for being should be to create shareholder value.[20:58] How the issues of poverty, disease, and climate change relate to one another.[24:22] The role of politics in climate change and poverty and how these are nonpartisan issues.[27:04] Devin: "I really think we need to take personal responsibility and never ever, ever forget the astounding need for us to be politically active—we must do both." Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/107, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in! 

What do we need to know about food waste, and what can we do as individuals to help our communities waste less food? Even though sometimes we may feel, as individuals, like just one person in this massive world, why is our sheer existence so important in helping to shape trends and society? Sharing his wisdom here is Max La Manna of Eating With Max. You'll hear about how we can inspire those around us to take positive actions for our planet; how we can create a less wasteful food industry; what to know about plant-based foods that can help us feel more connected to our earth; and more. Let's dive in!   HIGHLIGHTS [6:45] What inspired Max to become a pioneer as a chef focused on not wasting any food, tackling plastic waste from the food industry, and making plant-based recipes.[8:53] Max: "I think that's where a lot of creativity lives – in that space of the unknown and in that space of fear."[9:25] Max's advice on getting over the roadblock of fearing the unknown or fearing what other people think.[13:20] What Max has done to be able to connect deeply with his audience to inspire positive change.[15:00] What we need to know about food waste and how we can get our communities to waste less food.[20:05] Kaméa: "We've become very disconnected as a society from nature, especially as it has to with food... How can we inspire a deeper connection between humans and nature through food?" [22:40] At a time when our global meat consumption is still on the rise, what we can do to inspire people to try more plant-based protein and eat less meat.  Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/106, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

In addition to supporting the most established national or international environmental nonprofits, why do we also need to simultaneously support local, small, and community-based organizations? What's the importance of making sure that key decisions, policies, and solutions are made in the presence of people from a diversity of backgrounds? Sharing her wisdom with us here is Peggy Shepard, Co-founder and Executive Director of WE ACT For Environmental Justice. You'll hear about how grassroots initiatives can lead to meaningful change for citizens; how large environmental organizations differ in their measures of success and focus compared to community-based organizations; how we can support environmental justice as individuals; and more. Let's dive in!   HIGHLIGHTS[8:18] Peggy: "The environmental justice movement really coalesced around the fact that low-income communities and communities of color were being targeted for polluting facilities, but not receiving environmental benefits like parks and alternative energy options like solar and natural gas."[9:23] Peggy: "We believe that the voices of the affected residents are the ones that should take leadership on these issues."[12:11] Peggy talks about the prevalence of systemic environmental racism in the U.S. that is perpetuated by public policy and the history of inequality.[24:20] The differences in how large-scale, national nonprofits measure success compared to community-based organizations, and why we cannot overlook supporting the latter.[27:20] Peggy: "We've got to have a diversity of perspectives because it enriches all of our policies and it enriches our lives."  Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/105, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

How do aquaponics work and how can this be used to support a more sustainable future in agriculture? What are some environmental issues from the medical cannabis industry that we should know, and how can we best support it to move in a healthier direction? Sharing his wisdom here is Warren Bravo, the co-founder and CEO of Green Relief. You'll hear about how he pivoted from leading his family business to become the largest cement contracting company in Canada to co-establishing his licensed medical cannabis company; how he developed their aquaponic system to be able to scale sustainable production of the plant; how sterile systems like hydroponics compare to aquaponics and soil-based growth; and more. Let's dive in. HIGHLIGHTS:[7:00] How Warren got involved with the medical cannabis industry and sustainable agriculture.[11:55] Warren: "I learned a long time ago not to sweat over things I can't control."[12:41] What aquaponics are and how they work.[15:35] Kamea: "What do we know about the difference between plants or crops grown from sterile systems like hydroponics compared to ones with rich micro-biotic populations?"[19:05] Warren's biggest struggle in growing Green Relief.[24:22] Warren shares how to support the medical cannabis industry to be more sustainable and more generally, how to champion sustainable agriculture going forward.  Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/104, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

Why are plastic pieces so problematic when they end up in our oceans? How can focusing on preventative solutions to tackling plastic and micro-plastic pollution help us to more effectively address this global issue? Sharing his wisdom here is Dr. Marcus Eriksen, Co-founder and Research Director of 5 Gyres Institute. In this episode, you’ll hear about his research on microplastic pollution leading to the passing of our federal Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015; why he thinks we need to focus more on stopping plastic from entering our waterways in the first place instead of on cleaning up plastics already in our oceans; and more. Let’s dive in. HIGHLIGHTS[4:21] Marcus discusses his active deployment in the Gulf War and how seeing the ecological impact of war affected him.[5:30] Marcus: "I've got to preserve and conserve the world around me. That's my duty; that's what's worth fighting for."[8:16] How the 5 Gyres Institute fought for (and won) the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. [14:07] Marcus speaks on the linear waste system and how that system needs to change into a circular system.[25:45] How the burden of pollution has changed from resting on the consumers' shoulders alone to consumers sharing the load with corporations.[27:19] Kamea: "It's important for us all to also know that we all have to work together. It's consumers; it's businesses; it's governments. We have to all collaborate with each other." Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/103, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

How can we better convey the science behind sustainability to the general public so that people will be more interested and motivated to take action? How do insects tie into this picture of sustainability, and why is their presence so vital to our sustainable future? Sharing his wisdom here is Phil Torres, a biologist with an appetite for adventure. Known for his fieldwork in the Amazon rainforest, he documents his research on his YouTube channel, The Jungle Diaries, and is also the host of United Airlines' Big Metal Bird, and The CW's Ready Set Pet. He's also appeared on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, and has published in Wired, BBC, National Geographic, Wall Street Journal, and more. Let's dive in. HIGHLIGHTS[8:40] Phil explains how the decisions we make locally have global effects.[12:58] Kaméa: "What led you to become a science communicator?"[19:14] Why it's important to take the time to notice and acknowledge the nature and living creatures around us.[20:26] Kaméa: "What do you think is the most challenging part of getting people to care?"[24:42] Phil shares an experience that really shocked him during his work as a TV host.[28:42] The role of insects in sustainability.[33:40] How insect populations may be indicative of the health of our planet. Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/102, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

What are some ways in which non-profits can really shine and accomplish things that even purpose-driven businesses may not be able to? Why is it so important for sustainability to be inclusive of everybody, no matter our backgrounds, abilities, differences in beliefs, or accessibility? Sharing her wisdom here is Kate Williams, CEO of 1% For the Planet, which is a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions through annual membership and everyday actions. In addition to bringing experiences from her past leadership along, she believes strongly in the power of collective action. Let's dive in. HIGHLIGHTS[4:55] Kate: "It's about protecting places, but it's also about engaging a broad group of people all over the world—and how do we most effectively do that?"[17:27] Kaméa: "What do you think has been key to getting so many companies and people on board?"[19:46] Kate discusses the importance of inclusivity and accessibility within the sustainability movement.[20:01] Kate: "No matter where you live or how much money you have, you are a human on this planet that we share—so we need to take that into account."[23:53] Kate discusses the power of the nonprofit sector and its ability to go where for-profit businesses cannot.[30:56] Kate: "There's always something you can do, and among those things, I think it's really important that people choose because you're going to stay committed to the thing that's right for you." Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/101, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

What does it mean that a lot of our current efforts to 'go green' could just be facades or short term solutions that might create another set of unintended problems? How do we deal with the loneliness and rage that might come from having woken up to a lot of our systemic issues which a lot of people around us might still not see? Our guest on this episode is Ayana Young, a lover and protector of wild nature and the host of For the Wild podcast. Today, she teaches empowered earth stewardship, leads biodiversity enhancement workshops, and facilitates panels across North America with her team. Let's dive in. HIGHLIGHTS[5:12] Ayana: "I think the word 'sustainability' is thrown around way too much. It's become a marketing tool."[8:30] Ayana: "When you think about 9 billion people all with iPhones, cars, being able to fly airplanes anytime... it really doesn't matter if you plug that into a solar panel or not."[13:30] Kaméa: "Is this a matter of questioning what progress really means? Because we're headed in a direction that is called growth, but equates with a lot of destruction today."[14:53] Ayana: "I really believe that creativity is the antidote to destruction."[27:00] Ayana on how everyone we need everybody on board, and how everyone has a part to play.[37:18] How Ayana deals with her rage and frustration, knowing she sees things so clearly while most people and especially decision makers may not. Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/100, subscribe to our newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your #1 takeaway from the episode tagging our featured guest and me @KameaChayne to spread the light and to let us know you're tuning in!

As we're wrapping up 2018, I wanted to take this opportunity to have Abigail Davidson, Green Dreamer's Creative Partnerships Manager and the one who's been creating all of our show notes, lead us in reflecting upon our first 100 episodes. Abigail is also a holistic wellness blogger and coach at The School of Wellbeing who helps individuals learn to listen to their bodies and minds and develop a thriving lifestyle specific to them. Find the full show notes with references linked at www.GreenDreamer.com/99, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your biggest takeaways with me on Instagram @KameaChayne to let me know you're tuning in. Thanks for bringing your light! x