Best Spring Creek Project Podcasts (2024)

1
Collective Climate Action: Osprey Orielle Lake on women leading the way in climate justice organizing 30:04

2M ago30:04

30:04

Because of unequal gender norms globally, women are impacted first and worst by climate change, and yet, one of the untold stories is how incredibly vital women are to local and global solutions. In this episode, Osprey Orielle Lake joins colleague Ashley Guardado to explore the ways in which empowering women worldwide is essential to climate justi…

1
Collective Climate Action: Diego Arguedas Ortiz on lessons from climate journalism as we look for climate hope 19:13

3M ago19:13

19:13

Where is the space for hope in a world where it is almost impossible not to feel hopeless and broken? In that "almost," argues journalist Diego Arguedas Ortiz. In this episode, Diego argues that climate hope is linked with action: both ours and that of others alongside us. He follows the case of climate journalism, which was traditionally a domain …

1
Collective Climate Action: Francesca Polletta on three misconceptions about social movements 30:18

3M ago30:18

30:18

People often think that social movements emerge when people get so frustrated with the state of things that they cannot not act. They think that only people who really believe in the cause join social movements. And they think that social movements only have an impact when they change the hearts and minds of the public. In this episode, Francesca P…

1
Collective Climate Action: Aisha Shillingford on audacious visioning to shape the future 21:55

3M ago21:55

21:55

In this episode, Aisha Shillingford invites us into a practice of imaginative world-building that involves thinking far into the future, deep intuition, and bold dreaming. She says we have the right and the responsibility to imagine another future, and what comes next depends on our ability to imagine. Aisha asks us to imagine not just changing our…

1
Ursula Goodenough: Science and the Sacred 53:24

3M ago53:24

53:24

"Cultural understandings can be very rapid, they can also be sometimes very resistant to change, which is part of the problem, but the evolution of culture is something we can and should think about in a very different way from biological evolution, which takes a long time--and the fact that cultural evolution can turn on a dime can be very encoura…

1
Collective Climate Action: Jeremy Lent on climate breakdown as a symptom of a deeper malaise 34:49

3M ago34:49

34:49

While we need urgent responses to climate breakdown, we will only make meaningful progress once we recognize that it is a symptom of a deeper underlying malaise affecting our society. Climate must be understood as one aspect of a multifaceted process of global ecological degradation caused by problematic characteristics of our socioeconomic system.…

1
Luminaries: Fred Swanson on Robert Michael Pyle's essay "The Long Haul" 11:47

3M ago11:47

11:47

Today’s “Luminaries” guest is Fred Swanson, a former research geologist with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, and a Senior Fellow of the Spring Creek Project. He is co-editor of the books “Forest Under Story: Creative Inquiry in an Old-Growth Forest” and “In the Blast Zone: Catastrophe and Renewal on Mount St. Helens.” F…

1
Collective Climate Action: Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. on immersive storytelling and intersectionality in climate justice organizing 19:57

4M ago19:57

19:57

In this episode, Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. addresses the interconnected issues of climate change, poverty, economic injustice, and other social injustices affecting vulnerable communities. He explains that it takes collective organizing around the deeper problems of inequality to effectively address the climate crisis and he shares strategies the Hi…

1
Collective Climate Action: Peter Friederici on reframing the possibilities of climate breakdown 26:40

4M ago26:40

26:40

In this episode, Peter Friederici explains that societal responses to climate breakdown have been closely tied to the dominance of large-scale narratives that promote passivity and inaction. Close examination shows that these narratives follow the structure of classical tragedy as they support the status quo and inhibit creative change. We can do b…

1
Just Me: The Spring Creek Project lecture 35:42

4M ago35:42

35:42

This week I have something a little different. I was asked to take part in the Collective Climate Action lecture series for the Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University. These are the same folks who asked me to do a keynote five years ago, which turned into the essay that’s in the wonderful book All We Can Save. I struggled with this one, as…

1
Collective Climate Action: Tory Stephens on collective visioning for a just future 39:19

4M ago39:19

39:19

Climate change often feels overwhelming, leaving us with a sense of despair. To move forward, we need positive visions of a clean, green, and just world — yet these depictions are often lacking. In this episode, Tory Stephens explores why collective visioning and hopeful climate storytelling is a useful tool to creating a better future for all. Fro…

1
Michael Eliason: What Our Cities Could Look Like 1:12:06

4M ago1:12:06

1:12:06

"If we had a climate leader like Anne Hidalgo, the Pike/Pine network itself, going from Capitol Hill, which is dense enough to support its own pedestrian zone and car-free streets, could be car-free or mostly car-free down to the water, there'd be this wonderful green interchange between Capitol Hill and downtown and there's really wonderful opport…

1
Luminaries: Brooke Kuhnhausen on Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember” 12:25

5M ago12:25

12:25

Today’s “Luminaries” guest is Brooke Kuhnhausen, a psychologist who deeply values creativity and collaboration as portals of transformation and imagination so vitally needed for new ways of being together and caring for our living Earth. She practices depth and relational therapy in her private practice and also trains and consults with other thera…

1
Collective Climate Action: Emily Johnston on using our social nature to work for a thriving world 35:01

5M ago35:01

35:01

In this episode, Emily Johnston explains that the life we're living now isn't just on a collision course with Earth's limits; it's also historically abnormal in the extreme. How can we ensure that our social nature begins to work far more for a thriving world, than against one? Emily Johnston is an essayist (anthologized in “All We Can Save”) and p…

1
Collective Climate Action: Jennifer Atkinson on channeling eco-anxiety into climate action 32:04

5M ago32:04

32:04

In this episode, Jennifer Atkinson explains that the age of climate consequences is upon us, and anxiety and despair are rising along with global temperatures. To successfully face the challenges ahead, we need to build more than solar panels and sea walls — we also need to build the emotional resilience to stay engaged in climate work over the lon…

1
Collective Climate Action: Series Trailer 2:35

5M ago2:35

2:35

Welcome to "Collective Climate Action: Inspired Organizing for Our Future," a speaker series produced by the Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University. This series includes talks from a wide range of speakers. They invite us to imagine a world that centers climate justice and inspire us to find our role in creating that future. We examine why…

1
Luminaries: Robert Michael Pyle on Ann Haymond Zwinger’s “Beyond the Aspen Grove” 14:32

5M ago14:32

14:32

Today’s “Luminaries” guest is Robert Michael Pyle, a renowned environmental writer, conservation biologist, butterfly expert, and Guggenheim Fellow. Bob is the author of nearly 30 books, including “Sky Time in Gray’s River,” “Chasing Monarchs,” “Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, ”and “Wintergreen,” which received the John Burroughs Medal. Durin…

1
Luminaries: Leah Wilson on Bill Viola’s “The Crossing” 10:37

6M ago10:37

10:37

Today’s “Luminaries” guest is Leah Wilson, a place-specific visual artist and writer. Leah’s artwork is informed by physical engagement with the environment, keen observation, and a curiosity toward ecological research. Her art has been exhibited at galleries throughout the West Coast and her work is in public and private collections, including the…

1
Summer Storm with Rain, Thunder and Birds 17:14

6M ago17:14

17:14

This episode was recorded in Wyangala, NSW in December 2021. We're setup at a covered picnic table and the rain has just set in. Hear the rain pouring down, and then as it eases, the birds come out while thunder rolls on in the distance. This recording was made with a Binaural Enthusiast dummy head, and processed with just a little reduction in the…

1
Luminaries: Kathleen Dean Moore on W. S. Merwin’s “Unchopping a Tree” 16:15

6M ago16:15

16:15

Our inaugural guest on “Luminaries” is Kathleen Dean Moore, a climate activist, philosopher, celebrated environmental writer, and one of the co-founders of the Spring Creek Project. She co-edited the collection “Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril” and is the author of several books, including “Wild Comfort,” “Holdfast,” “Great Tide …

1
Luminaries: Series Trailer 3:03

7M ago3:03

3:03

Welcome to "Luminaries," a new podcast series produced by the Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University. Sometimes we come across a piece of writing, art, or music so vivid and brilliant it leaves us unequivocally changed. “Luminaries” invites guests who love the planet to share a personal story about a piece of writing or art that inspires o…

1
Lauren Regan: They're Doing This Because We're Winning 1:18:27

7M ago1:18:27

1:18:27

"Because the one thing they will never have that we have is numbers, and moral high ground. Most of us are doing this because we care, it's coming from a place of love, often we're doing it in our volunteer time--and the government and corporations will never match that." ____ Lauren Regan is the legendary founder, executive director, and staff att…

1
Paul Koberstein & Jessica Applegate: Canopy of Titans 1:07:10

7M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

"The clear-cuts were littered with these big old logs, they were just lying there rotting in the sun, and we asked Dominick DellaSalla, the scientist who was our tour guide, what's that all about, and he said 'they're really picky about which logs they bring back to market, so if they see flaws in the wood they'll just leave it behind...70% of the …

1
Night-time by a River During Spring Snow Melt 1:01:23

8M ago1:01:23

1:01:23

This is the Gungarlin River in the NSW Snowy Mountains, recorded on a crisp early spring night. Hear the river rushing away with spring snow melt, the occasional bird and some mysterious splashes and thuds nearby. No one else is around for miles and miles (except for the brumbies)... So enjoy the peace and quiet. This recording was made with a Senn…

1
George Monbiot: Nourishing Ourselves and the Wild 1:18:23

8M ago1:18:23

1:18:23

"Our ignorance of the soil really impedes our efforts to reach what I see as the holy grail here, which is low-impact, high-yield farming. There's plenty of high-impact, high-yield farming, and plenty of low-impact, low-yield farming, but neither of those are the answers that we need to find. We have this enormously challenging thing that we face, …

1
Justin J. Pearson: Doing Nothing Was Not an Option 59:02

8M ago59:02

59:02

"The climate crisis that we have now, the environmental justice crises that we have now, are because there was not an investment or concern about the communities that are feeling the brunt of these illnesses when these facilities were being created, when these plans were being made. If we had cared about climate change, if we had cared about the en…

1
Budgies on a Spring Morning in Birdsville, QLD 18:34

9M ago18:34

18:34

Kicking off a new season of The Quiet podcast, this short recording was made near Birdsville, QLD in September 2022. Listen to the budgerigars cheeping away as the wind blows past you (I think it's my best wind recording yet). It's been two years since I last published an episode, to keep things simple and perhaps less distracting, there won't be a…

1
Paul Gilding: Disruption and (Positive) Change 1:09:24

9M ago1:09:24

1:09:24

"We need regulation, we need policy, we need community pressure, we need expectations, we need movies, we need poetry...we need all these things that drive us to a certain behavior, because we have got a lot of good sides, and they're not brought out by our current society and our current economic model, they are repressed and destructed by it. The…

1
Inner Nature: Erin Geesaman Rabke and Leilani Navar 1:02:09

9M ago1:02:09

1:02:09

This episode of Inner Nature is a warm exchange between old friends, Erin Geesaman Rabke and Leilani Navar, who, throughout this hour, weave together deep ecology, taoist cosmology, and the wondrous physical and emotional experience of being alive in a living world. Erin Geesaman Rabke describes herself as a somatic naturalist—a practitioner who in…

1
Rachel Heaton: Recognizing Our Place 1:21:04

10M ago1:21:04

1:21:04

"Standing Rock was like the beginning and the end of various parts of my life. I feel like I was asleep before Standing Rock. When I took my children out there it became more about recognizing our place on Earth as human beings and realizing that if we don't have our children in those spaces, how are we going to pass that knowledge on, or how do we…

1
Adam Welz: Field of Wonders (at Risk) 1:15:07

10M ago1:15:07

1:15:07

"Start by just learning the names of the bumblebees in your garden and the butterflies that fly past your room, of the birds, and it's not hard...and once you open that door, once you start, it's this neverending unfolding field of wonders, as crazy and naive as that sounds, and I wouldn't be able to live my life without it." ________ Adam Welz is …

1
Season 2 Introduction 2:48

11M ago2:48

2:48

Just a quick hello to note that the second season is coming soon! My guests will include cultural educator and mountaineer Rachel Heaton, lawyer Lauren Regan, Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson, and writers Adam Welz, Paul Gilding, Ursula Goodenough, George Monbiot, Paul Koberstein, and Jessica Applegate. Stay tuned!…

1
Inner Nature: Lyla June Johnston and Riane Eisler 52:49

11M ago52:49

52:49

In this episode of Inner Nature, we join Lyla June Johnston and Riane Eisler. Their conversation takes us across the globe and throughout the annals of time, from a deeply ancient, harmonious, Neolithic settlement to the devastation of Nazi Europe, and from the pre-colonial mound-building societies of the Muskogee right up to present day. Throughou…

1
Inner Nature: Patricia Jennings and Owsley Brown 48:12

1y ago48:12

48:12

In this episode of Inner Nature, Patricia Jennings, who goes by “Tish,” and Owsley Brown offer insights on their work as collaborators for the Compassionate Schools Project, a curriculum that integrates empathy and mindfulness into elementary school education. Youth today, they say, are facing higher levels of anxiety and depression than previous g…

1
Lise Van Susteren: Turning What We Know into What We Do 1:16:59

1y ago1:16:59

1:16:59

“The issues that we attempt to suppress and sweep under the rug--or repress, which means we sweep under the rug unconsciously—they don’t go anywhere, they just go in the darker crevices of our mind and then, like poisoning in groundwater, they seep into us, unconsciously, and we feel stressed and anxiety, and when it reaches a certain level we beco…

1
Craig Santos Perez: Caring for the Earth and Each Other 44:18

1+ y ago44:18

44:18

“To me, that is the power of poetry, where we can take these fragments of our lives, of our psyches, and of our emotions, and to really conjure something new—not necessarily something whole and complete, but something that's beautiful and something that's empowering and inspiring from these ruins of history and migration and so on, and so that's wh…

1
Lhadon Tethong & Tendor Dorjee: Connection, Contentment, & Independence 1:50:37

1+ y ago1:50:37

1:50:37

“One of the words for which I haven’t been able to find an English equivalent is the word ‘nyingjey’...you'll hear Tibetans say this word very often, if you have a friend who is a little bit down, or there is a suffering animal nearby or a wounded bird or a wounded deer on the road… nyingjey, nyingjey. It's an expression of compassionate empathy, b…

1
David Abram: A Shadowed, Exquisite, Holy World 1:15:48

1+ y ago1:15:48

1:15:48

"It's about being a part of, and participant in, a world that is shot through with loss, predation, grief, and yet it's all that shadowed difficulty that also makes this world so exquisitely beautiful, so holy." Cultural ecologist, geophilosopher, and performance artist David Abram is the author of Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology and The Spel…

1
Interlude: It's all about Connection 19:55

1+ y ago19:55

19:55

I had some scheduling issues with folks, so I took this opportunity to do a short episode that attempts to begin to tease out some of the overlaps and intersections of my guests so far, and where those might lead. Coming next week will be a great interview with David Abram, followed by (in some order, perhaps not this one) Jerome Foster II, Craig S…

1
Kathleen Dean Moore: Bird-Graced World 1:02:40

1+ y ago1:02:40

1:02:40

"The ability to imagine what it's like to be inside another person's mind or another person's life is the beginning of compassion...and it seems to me too that moral imagination is a necessary condition for hope. When you set out to think of something new, then you have a reason to think it might be possible. If you can't imagine anything better th…

1
Bill McKibben: Bringing us to Attention 1:18:15

1+ y ago1:18:15

1:18:15

"Sometimes [kindness] means waking people up, and that's what movements do...when we build movements, one of the reasons we do it is to bring people back to attention." ____ Bill McKibben needs no introduction. He’s the author of The End of Nature, which was the first layperson’s book about climate change, and a book that had a profound influence o…

1
Sonia Shah: Stewardship, Flux, and Migration 1:16:58

1+ y ago1:16:58

1:16:58

“I do think it's very important to be connected to your place, even if those places change, you have to be a student of that place. So this is what we've tried to teach our kids, is that wherever you end up, that you become a steward of that place, you become a student of that place, and you look after that place because you are part of it. When yo…

1
Inner Nature: Dekila Chungyalpa and Mary Evelyn Tucker 1:24:13

1+ y ago1:24:13

1:24:13

In this episode of Inner Nature, Dekila Chungyalpa speaks with long-time friend Mary Evelyn Tucker about a much-needed paradigm shift that would allow us to better hold space for the mystery and sacredness of our deeply interconnected planet. The mystery we’re immersed in on this planet is extraordinary, yet conventional worldviews and strictly sci…

1
Naomi Klein: Stamina, Transformation, & Collective Joy 1:13:27

1+ y ago1:13:27

1:13:27

“We have an economic system that is very profitable for the winners, and they’re not that interested in the level of change that IPCC report after IPCC report is telling us we need: fundamental transformation of virtually every aspect of society….So how do we build the political power that wants that transformation?” Naomi Klein needs no introducti…

1
Jeremy Lent: Towards an Ecological Civilization 1:14:22

1+ y ago1:14:22

1:14:22

"We need to start to imagine what would it look like if we actually built a civilization that was designed from the outset to set the conditions for all people to flourish on a regenerated, living earth.” Jeremy Lent is a former tech entrepreneur, and the author of The Patterning Instinct, which George Monbiot called "perhaps the most profound and …

1
Introduction (A Bit of Background) 6:14

1+ y ago6:14

6:14

Just a bit of stage-setting for how I came to this podcast, and what I hope to offer in it....By Emily Johnston

1
Inner Nature: David James Duncan and Fred Bahnson 59:41

1+ y ago59:41

59:41

In this episode of Inner Nature, David James Duncan talks with Fred Bahnson. Both David and Fred developed and deepened their own contemplative practices among the peaks of mountains and on the banks of western rivers, which in turn led them to lives of activism and advocacy. During this conversation, they invite us to consider many questions: Wher…

1
Trailer — A Wild and Beautiful World 1:50

1+ y ago1:50

1:50

Who do we have to become, in order to preserve the chance of a wild and beautiful world that includes humans?By Emily Johnston

1
Inner Nature: Kaira Jewel Lingo and Kritee Kanko, Part 2 36:25

1+ y ago36:25

36:25

In the second episode of Inner Nature, which is part 2 of a 2-part conversation, Kritee Kanko and Kaira Jewel Lingo highlight the importance of creating small, local communities for processing grief and anger, practicing mindfulness, and taking climate action. The conversation also invites a broader perspective on the environmental crisis, as they …

1
Inner Nature: Kaira Jewel Lingo and Kritee Kanko, Part 1 55:10

1+ y ago55:10

55:10

In the first episode of Inner Nature, which is part 1 of a 2-part conversation, Kritee Kanko and Kaira Jewel Lingo set a foundation for understanding the mutuality and reciprocity of contemplative practice and environmental action. They invite us to consider many questions: How might we meet and hold personal and collective grief, anger, and trauma…

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