Advertise on podcast: RadioNatura

Deen Chatterjee is a Senior Fellow at the University of Utah S. J. Quinney College of Law, Faculty Director and Mentor at the Oxford Human Rights Consortium, and a Global Ethics Fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs. He is also a Board of Trustee for Pax Natura. Thus, in this episode, he discusses the intersection between environment and ethics. He also unpacks issues of justice and global initiative, ethics of war and peace, and philosophy of religion and culture as they are all relate to climate issues. 

In this episode, Jordan Anderson gets to sit down with Dr. Ana Ruiz Diaz to discuss her contributions and involvement in the ongoing class action lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Mexico against the commercial cultivation of GMO corn in Mexico. Ana has worked with various corn producers in La Demanda Colectiva Maize to bring this case to the highest court in the land, and they have made meaningful progress toward their goals and continue to fight for agricultural justice. GMO corn from transnational breeders poses a threat to the ancient gene pool of local corn varieties in Mexico, the world center of biodiversity for corn.

Students and faculty from International Christian University went on a study tour to Shimokawa town, in the northern part of Japan (Hokkaido). It is 90% covered by forest and hence is a town rich in natural resources. By sustainably managing its natural resources and circulating them within its boundaries, it aims to become a self-sufficient, resilient society.  The town is recognized for its sustainable forest management efforts and actions to generate new value through local sustainability initiatives. It was selected as one of the 29 cities in the SDGs Future City project. This trip was sponsored and made possible by the ICU Foundation. Therefore, this episode compiles all the teachings and reflections of ICU and RadioNatura podcast participants from visiting and talking to the locals. The discussions include how and why biomass energy was introduced into the town, what brought them to live in Shimokawa and their perspectives on local sustainability in the future.

Students and faculty from International Christian University went on a study tour to Shimokawa town, in the northern part of Japan (Hokkaido). It is 90% covered by forest and hence is a town rich in natural resources. By sustainably managing its natural resources and circulating them within its boundaries, it aims to become a self-sufficient, resilient society.  The town is recognized for its sustainable forest management efforts and actions to generate new value through local sustainability initiatives. It was selected as one of the 29 cities in the SDGs Future City project. This trip was sponsored and made possible by the ICU Foundation. Therefore, this episode compiles all the teachings and reflections of ICU and RadioNatura podcast participants from visiting and talking to the locals. The discussions include how and why biomass energy was introduced into the town, what brought them to live in Shimokawa and their perspectives on local sustainability in the future. 

Dr. Wilhelm Vosse is a Professor of Politics and International Relations and Chair of the Department of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan. He is a well-respected scholar in security studies focusing on Japan’s new security partnerships and cyber diplomacy in Europe and Japan. In this episode, we discuss lifestyle changes for a more sustainable future, unpack what environmental security really means, and ways to re-brand environmental issues to influence more people to take action.

For the third and final interview of this 3 part series, Jordan Anderson sits down again with ecology expert Hugh Bollinger to talk about how we can all get involved in ecology and restoration on the ground level. Restoration doesn't always have to be as big as saving a whole forest or a river, it can be done in your back yard! In this interview, Hugh outlines several ways that we can all get involved in ecology and use it to improve the health of the places we live.

In this episode Jordan Anderson sits down again with Hugh Bollinger to talk about ecological restoration. For part 2 Hugh tells us about some powerful case studies in restoration, giving examples of times when large scale restoration projects have been successful, and times when they have failed. Building upon the principles laid out in part 1, he explains how different environments and species can be nursed back to health through careful and educated intervention. We hope you enjoy!

In this episode Jordan Anderson gets to sit down and talk about environmental restoration with Pax Natura board member, Hugh Bollinger. Hugh has a PHD in ecological restoration and has spent his life and career helping natural landscapes and the species that live there become healthier and more sustainable. For part one of this three part interview series, Hugh explains the basic principles of restoration and ecology, and how they can be used to restore degraded landscapes to a healthy and stable state.

In this interview, we speak with Pax Natura board member and agroecologist Steve Tolpinrud about his journey into agriculture and his experience working in Guatemala with the Campesino a Campesino project. Steve tells us what he's learned about local food systems, the interplay between food, culture and activism, and farming as an act of love and connection to the land. Support Mayan Traditional Farming projects here: https://gofund.me/d8ca70e5 Interviewers: Jimena Gárate González de la Vega & Jordan Anderson

Rohan Arora is an activist specializing in environmental justice and health equity. He is the founder and executive director of The Community Check-Up, a national environmental health organization working to restructure the climate narrative as a public health emergency and reduce environmental health disparities through youth engagement and educational outreach. He is also on the executive leadership for Climate Cardinals where he leads thousands of youth in translating credible climate communication into over 105+ languages.In addition to this exhibited leadership, he also serves as the American Lung Association’s climate activist advisor and informs their environmental health campaigns.  In this episode, Rohan Arora a Gen Z activist talks about his journey from graduating highschool while starting Climate Cardinals in the middle of the pandemic to beginning his university studies while continuing his work at his own ONG The Community Check-Up and as an advisor for The American Lung Association. Rohan is a source of inspiration for anyone who is looking to get involved in the climate activism space, we hope he inspires you as much as he has inspired us. Find Rohan Arora_ Instagram: @rnarora Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rnarora Find The Community Check-Up:  Instagram: @thecommunitycheckup Twitter: @communitycheck_ Website: www.thecommunitycheckup.org Find Climate Cardinals:  Instagram: @climatecardinals Twitter: @climatecardinal Website: www.climatecardinals.org

In this episode, we speak with Tomoko Arakawa, the Director of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI), a community based school in Japan that provides a transformative learning experience that helps rural leaders create actions and values. Their participants are empowered to develop the mindset and resources to solve the many challenges of their rural communities. This institute is influenced by traditional Japanese values and zen traditions. In this episode, she also discusses her own personal transformation within the principles of servant leadership and food life. Interviewer: Aria Ikehata & Elizabeth Gamarra  Interviewee: Tomoko Arakawa, Director of ARI

Plastic waste problems and waste disposal problems are factors accelerating environmental degradation today.  During these difficult times,  Mr. Rikihiro Aoyama, the representative director of the company Locomotive Co., Ltd., has engaged in several recycling projects. His motto is to help the world effectively utilize pre-existing resources for a sustainable future. Hence, this episode discusses Mr. Aoyama’s journey and his motivation for engaging in such efforts. If you are interested in careers within the environmental sector or are interested in creative recycling projects, listen to this episode.  Created by Keitoku Ikegami  Artwork by Marsa Arbab