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

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

Even when we may not feel so hopeful about our ability to turn things around for a sustainable future, what can we hold onto to inspire us to keep going? How does our global industrialized food system aggravate social and environmental issues, and how can we begin to tackle this?   Sharing his expertise here is Rob Greenfield, a world-renowned adventurer and activist who just embarked on his big project called Food Freedom, where he'll be growing and foraging 100 percent of his own food for an entire year in Orlando, Florida. Some of his other past projects include cycling three times across the United States on a bamboo bike for sustainability, dumpster diving in thousands of grocery store dumpsters to raise awareness about food waste and hunger, and wearing 30 days worth of trash out in public to create a visual of just how much trash one average American creates.  Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS [6:32] Rob on how we may be able to break free from "mono-cropped" perspectives from being in places surrounded by people who live and think in the exact same ways. [10:03] Kaméa: "What is the ideation process like for you when you come up with your projects?" [6:04] Kaméa: "How do you deal with people calling you out for the few things you aren't doing perfectly?" [20:44] Rob: "None of us will ever fix all the problems, and none of us have the responsibility to fix all the problems that were created in the world. But we all can take accountability for ourselves and do our best to have a positive impact around us."  [28:46] The sustainability and future of our global industrialized food systems. [30:02] How Rob can feel doubtful about our abilities to realize a sustainable future, yet still have so much enthusiasm for conscious living and activism.   Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/98, 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!

We've been talking so much about plastic pollution, but how exactly is plastic even made to begin with, and what can we learn from that process to better understand its impact on our health? How can we deal with having friends or family members who may not personally support the work we do or believe it can really make a difference?   Sharing her wisdom with us here is Christine Liu, author of the blog and YouTube channel on living more simply and sustainably, Snapshots of Simplicity. She has a degree in industrial and packaging technology from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and currently works at Cisco as a sustainable packaging program manager, where she also co-founded its internal employee organization called the Green Team Network. Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS   [6:32] Christina explains how plastic is actually made. [10:53] Christina's advice for someone working for a company that's not focused on sustainability but wants to be an "intrapraneur" and work as a change maker from within. [11:47] Kaméa: "What do you think is most effective when it comes to influencing the key decision makers in a large company like Cisco?" [15:35] How Christine deals with push back from friends and family members. [17:19] Christine: "Being an over-achiever or perfectionist, it's really easy to overlook rest and to not give yourself enough credit for what you do." [18:15] Christine shares about her anxiety, her decision to take some time off from work, and how it has impacted her overall outlook and values.    Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/97, 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 the ways that we go about storytelling either cause division, fear, and hatred, or inspire harmony, empathy, and connection? And in turn, how does this impact our abilities to realize a more sustainable future more quickly?   Special guest of our Bloom Tuesday episode, environmental journalist and storyteller Janice Cantieri, shares her expertise on this topic with us.   Find the full show notes with references linked at www.GreenDreamer.com/96, 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

How may looking at advancement in a linear way (underdeveloped, developing, and developed) limit our ability to learn with an open mind and experience life to the fullest? Why is supporting environmentally and socially conscious tourism so important to sustainable development and the conservation of vital ecosystems, like our rainforests?   Sharing his wisdom with us here is Marco Bollinger, Co-Founder of Lokal Travel, a marketplace for booking eco adventures around the world that support local communities. He's also an award-winning filmmaker and photographer who's photographed Beyoncé and Barack Obama, spent years documenting Lebanon's refugee camps, and danced for 107 hours in a full costume to raise awareness for rainforest conservation. Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS [5:32] Kaméa: "What does what you learned about happiness [in "developing" nations] tell us about these types of categorizations we often put on different countries?"  [8:44] Marco shares a powerful story about listening to two little girls in a refugee camp sing a song and what it taught him about resilience and the human spirit. [12:00] What led Marco from photography to social entrepreneurship. [17:16] Marco on modern day issues with traveling and even eco-tourism that he wanted to help address. [23:42] What we can do or look for as mindful travelers to make sure more of our traveling dollars go towards local communities. [27:17] Marco explains the problem of land speculation when it comes to sustainable tourism.   Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/95, 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 key public health and environmental issues stemming from the food and beverage industries that we should know about? How do health concerns sparked by the food industry trap people into states of ill health, making it really hard for people to break free from this cycle?   Sharing her wisdom here is Sarah Pool, former Founder of Pacific Superfood Snacks and the Co-Founder and CEO of Canvas, a healthy beverage company committed to improving individual and global health through functional nutrition and innovative technology applications. Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS [5:05] Sarah explains why so many of our 'health' foods contain unhealthy fillers and gels. [7:45] Sarah: "A group of really passionate people can make a huge difference in the world." [9:32] Sarah explains how Canvas got started. [11:21] Sarah discusses what prebiotics and probiotics are and why they're important. [16:50] The most alarming public health issues sparked by the food and beverage industry to know. [21:52] Insights into latest eco-friendly food and beverage packaging options. [23:34] Sarah on what need most to accelerate toward a national or global population of healthier humans.   [25:31] How we can inspire others to make changes, and why it's no longer sustainable to farm the way we have traditionally.   Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/94, 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 natural disasters relate to sustainability and vice versa? And how can we urbanize in ways that take into better account the ecosystem's characteristics so our cities can be more resilient against natural events?   Special guest of our Bloom Tuesday episode, Phoebe Loyd of Bare Change, shares her expertise on this topic with us.   Find the full show notes with references linked at www.GreenDreamer.com/93, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to win monthly giveaways, and share your biggest takeaways with me on Instagram @KameaChayne to let us know you're tuning in. Thanks for bringing your light! x

Why should durability be a key factor to take into account when we try to shop more sustainably? How are advertisements set up to potentially manipulate our thinking, and how can we address that ourselves in order to protect our mental health?   Sharing her wisdom here is Tara Button, the Founder of BuyMeOnce, a website which finds the most sustainable and longest-lasting products on the planet. Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS [7:56] How Tara and her team determine which items are the longest-lasting products on the planet to stock.    [16:46] Tara discusses the dangers of advertising and how consumers are constantly manipulated. [19:43] How we can consciously address this problem as individual consumers. [22:10] Kaméa: "Do you think there's a relationship between the accumulation of stuff and our perceived self worth?" [25:22] Tara: "Unless you are enough as you are right now, no money will ever make you happier." [26:19] Kaméa: "When you picture a future where everyone is buying things once, where do you see opportunities for growth from a business or economical standpoint?"   Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/92, 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 is biophilic design, and what are the scientifically proven benefits of being close to nature? Given that we're increasingly urbanizing, what can we do to ensure that future plans for urbanization prioritize green spaces, living walls, and rooftop gardens?   Sharing his expertise with us here is Richard Kincaid, Founder of Sagegreenlife, an award-winning living wall company which has installed custom walls all across the country and is dedicated to transforming built environments into happier, more sustainable spaces. Let's dive in.   HIGHLIGHTS [7:33] Kaméa: "What did you learn from the real estate world that can help us accelerate our work in sustainability?" [8:26] Richard: "There is no reason why we have to be in these concrete jungles." [12:44] Kaméa: "What is the process of designing living walls that will thrive in the environments for which you're building them?" [17:08] Kaméa: "What are some benefits we know of in terms of how greenery in urban landscapes affects our individual wellbeing?" [19:16] Richard: "Living walls solve a lot of potential problems and it does it in a way that's beautiful and non-controversial." [20:50] Richard discusses the challenges businesses are facing to attract and retain talent and how living walls can help with this. [29:30] Richard's thoughts on focusing on the positives when it comes to inspiring action for climate change.   Thanks for bringing your light! Find the full show notes with links and resources at www.greendreamer.com/91, 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!