Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers

Dr. Ellen M. Bassett, John Portman Dean at Georgia Tech, shares her journey from suburban Detroit to urban planning. She discusses her impactful work in Kenya, emphasizing the need for biophilic design in cities and community welfare. Ellen highlights innovative solutions for affordable housing using methods like 3D printing and the importance of integrating cultural diversity in urban planning. Her reflections on gardening and urban biodiversity underline how nature can enhance health and well-being, creating livable spaces for all.

It’s officially cozy season! This week, Monica and Jennifer are back with another roundup of biophilic holiday reads, perfect for gifting or curling up with by the fireplace. So, whether you’re looking for a beautiful coffee table book, inspiring looks at the science of spirituality, or words of wisdom inspired by nature, keep on listening. Shownotes Biophilic Solutions on Bookshop.orgThe 2024 Biophilic Leadership Summit Wild: The Naturalistic Garden by Clare Takacs and Noel KingsburyDesign a healthy home by Oliver HeathHow to Be More Tree: Essential Life Lessons for Perennial Happiness by Potter Gift and Annie DavidsonThin Place Design: The Architecture of the Numinous by Dr. Phillip James TabbThe Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science by Alan Lightman The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick RubinThe Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape by Katie Holten Key Words: Biophilic, Biophilia, Nature, Nature Based Solutions, Reading, Holiday, Gifts, Book, Book List, Science, Spirituality, Trees, Garden, Gardening, Natural Garden, Thin Places, Creativity, Literature, Landscape, Clare Takacs, Noel Kingsbury, Oliver Heath, Potter Gift, Annie Davidson, Phil Tabb, Phillip James Tabb, Alan Ligthman, Rick Rubin, Katie HoltenBiophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

George Dusenbury, Vice President at the Trust for Public Land, advocates for a world where everyone lives within 10 minutes of a park. He explores how public green spaces can boost health, strengthen community bonds, and fight climate change. Key initiatives like the transformative Chattahoochee RiverLands Project are discussed, highlighting equitable access and environmental justice. Dusenbury emphasizes the role of parks as vital infrastructure and shares how local input can enhance community well-being through nature.

On the surface, you may not think that the military or professional baseball have much to do with fields like wellness, mindfulness, or biophilia - but that’s exactly where you’d be wrong according to today’s guest, Dr. Mark Campbell. Dr. Mark is a performance psychologist and consultant who works with clients across a wide range of challenging industries to optimize their wellbeing. He got his start  working as a lead for the US Army’s performance psychology and resilience program, worked closely on the DoD's Warrior Games and Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, and served as the Director of Mental Conditioning for the Washington Nationals. Throughout his impressive career, Mark noticed the transformative impact that nature had on every single one of his clients and has made the outdoors a hallmark of his approach. He even hosts a podcast on the topic called the Nature of Wellness (NOW). We were thrilled to catch up with Mark this week to explore his impressive career, how he brings more people into nature by meeting them where they are, and his ultimate goal to legitimize the term wellness. Show NotesCampbell PerformanceNature of Wellness (NOW) Podcast Mental Mechanics: The Impact of Nature by Mark Campbell Mental Mechanics: The Beauty of Silence by Mark Campbell Warrior GamesInvictus GamesKey Words: Wellness, Psychology, Performance Psychology, Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans, Invictus Games, Warrior Games, Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Mindfulness, Sports, Athletics Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

At this point, we all know that biophilia literally means the love of nature, right? But have you ever stopped to consider its opposite, biophobia? If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, we’d be willing to bet you haven’t - and to be honest, we hadn’t either until we met today’s guest, science journalist Emily Harwitz. Emily’s recent article, ‘Beware Creeping Biophobia’ was picked up by multiple outlets like The Atlantic, The Tyee, and Haikai due to its insightful breakdown of the cycle that begins when humans become irrevocably disconnected from the natural world. Basically, disconnection leads to fear, which leads to outright rejection and even destruction. We were thrilled to catch up with Emily to break down the cycle of biophobia, how we can convert the biophobic to the biophilic, and we also dive into the reasons why humans are drawn to collecting rare species. Show NotesBeware Creeping Biophobia (Haikai Magazine)Humans Fondness for the Odd and Rare Make Us Particularly Overwhelming Predators (Haikai Magazine)I’ll Go If You Go Podcast Emily Harwitz WebsiteEmily Harwitz Instagram Jackson Wild Summit - 2023 Media Lab FellowsKey Words: Biophobia, Biophilia, Nature, Outdoors, Journalism, Science Journalism, Ecosystem, Environment, Wildlife, Wildlife RestorationBiophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

The health benefits of biophilic design are well-established: reduced anxiety, improved focus, lower heart rate, and generally just better overall wellbeing. However, how do those health benefits translate to financial outcomes? How do we get more business leaders and policymakers to implement biophilic design on a broader scale? Enter the latest publication from Terrapin Bright Green, The Economics of Biophilia second edition. This new report, co-authored by today’s guests Bill Browning and Catie Ryan, looks at five sectors - offices, education, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and community - detailing the benefits of biophilic design interventions for each and then making the financial case in great detail. In this episode, Bill and Catie share how a flood of new research led them to update their original 2012 report, how businesses and policymakers can utilize biophilic design to meet their financial objectives, and why it really all comes back to long term thinking.  Show NotesThe Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature Makes Financial Sense, second edition by Bill Browning, Catie Ryan, and Dakota WalkerNature Inside A Biophilic Design Guide by Bill Browning and Catie Ryan Terrapin Bright GreenInterfaceKeywords: Economics, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature Based Design, Nature Based, Finance, Architecture, Built Environment, Green Building, Nature, Finance Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

For the future of sustainable textiles, should we look no further than … the ocean? Today we’re speaking with Aleks Gosiewski and Tessa Callaghan, the founders of Keel Labs, a sustainable materials company built on regenerative principles. Keel Labs’ signature product is Kelsun, a seaweed-based yarn with a significantly lower environmental footprint than traditional fibers. Alex and Tessa met as design students at the Fashion Institute of Technology and went on to win the first-ever Biodesign Challenge in 2016. In the years since they founded Keel Labs, both women have been named as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30. In this episode, we chat with Tessa and Aleks about the promise of kelp as a regenerative raw material, the process of turning kelp into a functional textile, and we dive into - no pun intended - the challenges and rewards of building a company with sustainable innovation at its very core. Show NotesKeel LabsForbes’ 30 Under 30 2022 (Manufacturing)Would You Wear a Sweater Made Out of Seaweed? (HighSnobiety)A new material made from seaweed will transform the entire textile industry by Tessa Callaghan (Upworthy)Keel Labs on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedInFashion Institute of Technology (FIT)The Biodesign ChallengeKey Words: Keel, Keel Labs, Ocean, Seaweed, Kelp, Algae, Fashion, Design, Fashion Design, Textiles, Materials, Sustainability, Regenerative, Regenerative Materials, Environment, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Solutions, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Biodesign Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

This week, we’re exploring buildings that are biophilic, climate resilient, and set the gold standard for net positive, responsible design. Specifically, we’ll dive deep into two projects by ZGF Architects, an industry leader in sustainable and regenerative design: Portland’s PAE Building, the first developer-driven Living Building,  and the very biophilic expansion of the main terminal at Portland International Airport. Our guest today is Kathy Berg, a partner with ZGF, who worked closely on both projects. In this episode, we chat with Kahty about bringing nature into the built environment, designing buildings meant to last into the distant future, and the amazing technology that supports climate resilience. Show NotesZGF ArchitectsAbout Kathy BergPAE Engineers, The PAE Living BuildingPort of Portland, PDX Airport Main Terminal ExpansionFollow ZGF Architects on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTubeKey Words: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Biophilic Architecture, Architecture, Living Building, Living Building Challenge, Sustainability, Climate Resilience, Green Building, Built Environment, Nature, Nature Based Solutions Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

If a negative climate tipping point refers to a critical threshold that triggers irreversible damage, then it stands to reason that a positive tipping point is the exact opposite - a beneficial axis that, when reached, staves off the worst planetary outcomes. Our guest today, Dr. Tim Lenton, is the Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter and is the Founder of the Global Systems Institute, an organization that uses a whole systems approach to solve global challenges and build a flourishing future. In this interview, we look at some examples of positive tipping points, discuss the social movements that are having real impact, and the individual actions we can all take to lower our carbon footprint. Show NotesProfessor Tim Lenton, University of ExeterGlobal Systems InstituteEarth System Science: A Very Short Introduction by Tim LentonRevolutions That Made the Earth by Tim Lenton and Andrew WatsonGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by Jim Lovelock Positive Tipping Points Could Save the Climate - This Man is Showing Us How (Positive.News)Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers

This week, we’re exploring the intersection of agriculture, artistry, and history through the lens of indigo, a significant cash crop in the colonial period with inextricable ties to the slave trade. So inextricable, in fact, that slavery wasn’t even legal in Georgia until 1751, when British governors recognized the economic potential of the plant and its distinctive blue dye. Our guest today is Sheri Parks, Ph.D is a renowned community strategist, scholar, and writer who currently serves as the Program Director of the Natural Dye Initiative, a multi-part project whose aim is to explore the cultural and economic impact of indigo in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions by reintroducing it to Black farmers and artists. In this episode, we discuss the transformative impact of reclaiming indigo production in the southern United States, how the Natural Dye Initiative makes it economically viable for a new generation of farmers, and touch on the global significance of this remarkable plant. Dr. Parks formerly served as the VP of Strategic Initiatives at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and as Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities and Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland. Her scholarly work focuses on how art and aesthetics affect our day to day lives and how aesthetics can be used as a tool for social justice.Show NotesHow Beauty Works Panel (YouTube)Fierce Angels: Living with the Legacy from the Sacred Dark Feminine to the Strong Black Woman by Sheri Parks, Ph.DUpton Planning CommitteeMaryland Institute College of Art (MICA)Natural Dye Initiative Origin StoryNeighborhood Fiber Co. Aims to Weave Positive Social Change (Baltimore Magazine)Key Words: Indigo, Indigo Dye, Colonial, Colonialism, Nature Dye, Maryland, Baltimore, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Agriculture, Farming, Organic Farming, Art, Aesthetics, Southern United States, US history Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website. #NatureHasTheAnswers