Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers

This week, we’re speaking with Jared Hanely, the CEO and founder of NatureQuant, a company whose mission is to leverage technology to promote a greater connection to nature. The idea for NatureQuant came out of a multi-day ski trip with Jared’s co-founders Christopher Minson and Christopher Bailey, when they realized that the power of metrics and trackable data could encourage people to get outside and reap the benefits of time spent in nature. NatureQuant’s applications include NatureScore, which measures the quality of greenspace in a given area, and NatureDose which individuals can use to keep track of their time spent outdoors. In this episode, we talk to Jared about the exciting applications of his technology beyond individual health, the possibilities of measuring biophilic design benefits, and if he is at all worried about “app fatigue.”Show NotesNatureQuantNatureScoreNature DoseNatureQuant White Paper: Delivering Technology to Assess and Promote Nature ExposureNature is Medicine. But What’s the Right Dose? (Outside Magazine)The benefits of green exercise go far beyond physical fitness (The Globe and Mail)10 Minute Walk PledgeKey Ideas: Nature based solutions, technology and society, environmental issues, health and wellness, biophilic design 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

Have you ever felt instantly calm upon arriving at the ocean or a rural lake? Or even felt the need to dip into a hot bath after a tough day? This week on Biophilic Solutions, we’re chatting with Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, scientist, activist, and author of Blue Mind, about why we are so innately drawn to water and the neuroscience behind water’s healing properties. We’ll dive (pun intended) into the ways we might reconnect with our favorite bodies of water, the innate spiritual properties that water contains, and even why too much “blue mind” isn’t necessarily a good thing. Show NotesThe Blue Mind: How Water Makes You Happier, More Connected and Better at What You Do by Dr. Wallace J. NicholsThe Blue Mind Book ClubBook review: ‘Blue Mind,’ on the benefits of being near water, by Dr. Wallace J. Nichols (Washington Post)Our Love of Living Near Water Persists Despite the Dangers (New York Times)Applying Blue Mind to Our Ocean Conservation Mindset (Plastic Oceans)Dr. Wallace J. Nichols: Getting in touch with Blue Mind (Creative Mornings HQ)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 chatting with urban designer and author Hannah S. Palmer about the second longest river in Georgia, the Flint River - a river that few Atlantans have even heard of because it’s headwaters run underneath Hartsfield Jackson, the world’s busiest airport. Hannah is the  Project Coordinator for Finding the Flint, a partnership between The Conservation Fund, American Rivers, and the Atlanta Regional Commission, whose mission is to bring this forgotten river to light, opening up spaces for public access, and connecting the wider South Atlanta community. Show NotesHannah S. PalmerFinding the FlintFlight Path: A Search for Roots Beneath the World’s Busiest Airport by Hannah S. PalmerThe River Beneath the World’s Busiest Airport by Hannah S. Palmer Wet Boundary: How the Flint River Defined Atlanta by Hannah S. PalmerNew photo show explores the hidden beauty of the Flint River in metro Atlanta by Felicia FeasterThe Lake and the Landfill: In Search of Atlanta’s Lake Charlotte by Hannah S. PalmerThe Sum of Us: How Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGheeBiophilic 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

“Biophilia is the connection that human beings innately seek with the natural world.” - E.O. WilsonThis week on Biophilic Solutions, Monica and Jennifer speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes about his latest work, Scientist: E.O. Wilson: A Life in Nature. Recorded in early December, a few weeks before Wilson passed away at the age of 92, this interview delves into Wilson’s extraordinary life and contributions to the field of biology, Richard’s interest in him as a subject, and the important role that science plays in society. We also explore Wilson’s conception of biophilia and Richard’s own relationship with the natural world. Show NotesScientist: E.O. Wilson: A Life in Nature by Richard Rhodes (2021)E.O. Wilson, A Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, Dies at 92 (New York Times)A Biography of E.O. Wilson, the Scientist Who Foresaw Our Troubles (New York Times)The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction(1987)Why They Kill: Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist by Richard Rhodes (2000)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

Biophilic Solutions will be back on January 18th! Here, Monica and Jennifer check in about what they've learned over the past year and give our listeners a sneak peak of what to expect in Season 2. 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 on Biophilic Solutions, we’re talking to Stacy Funderburke, Associate State Director for Georgia and Alabama and Regional Counsel for the Conservation Fund, an organization that strives to integrate environmental and economic outcomes via land conservation. Through his work on projects like the Working Farms Fund, Stacy walks us through the mechanics of how we might shift to a more ethical and environmentally friendly model for working land -- and how we as consumers can be a part of the solution.Show NotesThe Conservation Fund Donate to The Conservation FundStacy Funderburke, Regional Counsel and Associate State Director for Alabama and GeorgiaThe Working Forests FundThe Working Farms FundHow To Make a Neighborhood Farm for an Entire Metropolis (The New York Times)Chattahoochee Brick site to memorialize convict leasing victims (Axios)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 on Biophilic Solutions, we’re talking to Alden Blease, the founder and Chief Creative officer of R.E.D.D., a highly successful  (not to mention delicious) line of plant-based energy bars and elixirs. When he ran out of money on his college meal plan, Alden began making his own bars using bulk ingredients from his local health food store and the first iteration of R.E.D.D. was born. Since then, R.E.D.D. (which stands for Radiant Energy Deliciously Delivered) has been hailed by publications like Minimalist Baker, Poosh, Runner’s World, and Popsugar. In this interview, we chat about everything from starting a successful plant-based business and sourcing the most ethical ingredients to the joys and inspiration found in nature. Show NotesR.E.D.D: Radiant Energy Deliciously DeliveredREDD refreshes brand, raises $2.2M in new funding (Maine Startups Insider)The Best Protein Bars Have These Ingredients (Poosh)Plant-Based Protein Bar Review (Minimalist Baker)The 10 Best Energy Bars for Runners (Runner’s World)Alden Blease on Tik TokBiophilic 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, Monica and Jennifer sit down with Nina-Marie Lister, Graduate Director and Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University, located in Toronto, Canada. Building off of her captivating presentation at last month’s Biophilic Leadership Summit, Nina-Marie lays out the little-known history of the front lawn’s hold on North American households, the barriers for achieving greater biodiversity on private property, and the city bylaws that prioritize conformity over environmental health. Nina-Marie holds the Margolese National Design for Living Prize for her work in ecology and design and she was awarded honorary membership in the American Society of Landscape Architects. Her work connects people to nature in cities, through green infrastructure design for climate resilience, biodiversity and human wellbeing.Show NotesAbout Nina-Marie Lister (School of Urban and Regional Planning, Ryerson University)Ecological Design LabPLANDFORMProjective Ecologies: Ecology, Research, and Design in the Climate Age, edited by Chris Reed and Nina-Marie ListerThe Ecosystem Approach: Complexity, Uncertainty, and Managing for Sustainability (Complexity in Ecological Systems) by by David Waltner-Toews, James Kay, and Nina-Marie ListerThe Well-Placed Weed: The Bountiful Life of Ryan Gainey, a film by Steve Branford and Cooper SanchezWild Urban Plants of the Northeast, A Field Guide by Peter Del Tredici Landscape Citizenships, edited by Tim Waterman, Jane Wolff, and Ed WallBiophilic 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 on Biophilic Solutions, we speak with John Judge, President and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the oldest conservation organization in the United States. The mission of the Appalachian Mountain Club is to foster protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors in order to create a world in which nature is fundamentally valued. AMC achieves this mission through education, outdoor programming, and robust research and conservation efforts to tackle climate change in the Northeastern U.S. In this episode, we talk to John about shifting the way we interact with the natural environment, how we can all put nature at the center of decision-making, and what it means to be an outdoor citizen. Show NotesAppalachian Mountain Club, outdoors.org The Outdoor Citizen: Get Out, Give Back, Get Active by John Judge (2019)Adventures via the Appalachian Mountain ClubDragonfly Mercury Project (U.S. National Park Service)Maine Woods InitiativeBecome a Member of the Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachia, America’s longest-running journal of mountaineering and conservationShop the Appalachian Mountain ClubBiophilic 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

What do farmland loss and a rapidly changing climate mean for the future of food? How can we harness the power of agriculture, urban farming, and regenerative practices to protect next-generation farmers and the planet? In his presentation at the 2021 Biophilic Leadership Summit, President of American Farmland Trust John Piotti tackles all of these questions and more, illuminating AFT’s history as a changemaking organization and looking towards the future of agriculture.Show NotesAbout John Piotti, President and CEO of American Farmland TrustDonate to American Farmland Trust and Help Save the Land that Sustains UsGet Your FREE ‘No Farms No Food’ Bumper StickerGet Involved with American Farmland TrustStatement from John Piotti, AFT President and CEO: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Sixth Assessment ReportRegenerative Agriculture is a System, Not a Single Practice, American Farmland TrustBiophilic 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