Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk to Joel Pontius, Associate Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Education at Goshen College. Joel shares with us how place-based formational experiences—especially encounters with the natural world—help people to become more attuned to their contexts, and more aware of their unique role in caring for creation. He explains how this approach impa...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Abigail Fehrsen and Liesl Stewart—two women in South Africa who gathered together a small community of people in order to purchase food in bulk, directly from local farmers. From that initial small, alternative food network, the Food Club movement was born—and now there are many such groups throughout the country—communities of people seeking a mor...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Tanya Machabeli, Director of the Nehemiah Project in Ukraine. Tanya is one of the courageous Ukrainians helping to provide shelter, food, and medical care to those who have been displaced by Russian aggression. Speaking to us from her war-torn country, she explains that some of the most profound costs of the war in Ukraine have to do with damage to...

Send us a voice note In this special encore of a recent webcast, we’ll be in conversation with Brian McLaren about his book called Do I Stay Christian: A guide for the doubters, the disappointed, and the disillusioned . I’ll be cohosting with Victoria Loorz of the Wild Church Network, and Kate Davis from the Center for Transforming Engagement at The Seattle School. Together we’ll pay particular at...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk to Dominic Frongillo, a young climate advocate, politician, and teacher from New York State. Dominic was the youngest person ever elected to serve on the City Council in Caroline, New York, and one of the youngest deputy mayors in the U.S. He is also the cofounder and executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America—an organization whose missi...

Send us a voice note In this episode, we are in conversation with members of the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice in Bellingham, a small city in the north of Washington State. We hear from Deb Cruz from the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, Steve Hansen—a Buddhist from the Insight Meditation Society, and Andrea Shupack from Congregation Beth Israel.  Rooted in a sense of spiritual and moral r...

Send us a voice note When it comes to living in better relationship to the rest of creation, one aspect of our lives that we don’t talk about enough is money. How we earn it, how we spend it, how we save and how we invest—these subjects aren’t often thought of as aspects of earthkeeping. In fact though, if we aren’t thoughtful and intentional about our finances, the way we use and keep money has t...

Send us a voice note In this episode, we talk with Nathan Aaberg, Director of Conservation and Working Lands at the Liberty Prairie Foundation—an organization that is committed to building a world in which food production regenerates the soil and land conservation heals the planet. Nathan lives at Prairie Crossing, a conservation community that respects the environment and enables residents to exp...

Send us a voice note             In season three of the podcast, we are dedicating a number of our episodes to the exploration of environmental justice themes. In this episode we talk with Ray Williams, Director of Black Farmers Collective, and Yeawa Asabi, a volunteer at Yes Farm—an urban community project that the Collective has established in the heart of Seattle. Yeawa has also been a student...

Send us a voice note In season three of the podcast, we are dedicating a good number of our episodes to the exploration of environmental justice themes. In this episode we talk with Mathews Malata Jr., an environmental journalist and president of the Association of Environmental Journalists in Malawi. He and his colleagues are dedicated to bringing attention to serious environmental concerns, unco...

Send us a voice note             In this episode we talk with Jimmy McGee, the CEO and President of the Impact Movement—an organization whose primary focus is to help develop students of African descent into leaders who impact the world for good. Part of that process involves helping students to become agents of justice whatever their vocations might be. For any of us who would dedicate themselves...

Send us a voice note             Is it possible to think green even when it comes to burials and funerals? In this episode Forrest is with Sandy Gibson, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Better Place Forests—an organization that supports people in their end-of-life arrangements while conserving and protecting natural areas .  In doing so, they practice their core mission of “helping every...

Send us a voice note           In this episode Forrest talks with Jason Myers, Executive Director of the EcoTheo Collective—a virtual community of people devoted to exploring the possibilities at the intersection of art, spirituality, and ecology.  He is also Editor of the EcoTheo Review , a journal that publishes work exploring themes ranging from creation care to creativity, and earth justice to...

Send us a voice note In this episode, Forrest and James do some looking back at the last six months, talking about the need to stay hopeful even when confronted with the hard facts of climate change—and also about the possibility that a little bit of 'guilty conscience' can drive us to make changes in the way we live. They consider some of the themes they heard and the lessons they learn...

Send us a voice note             In this episode we talk with Mary Dejong, founder of Waymarkers. Our conversation focuses on the upcoming solstice on December 21—that day when the northern hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun; it is the shortest and darkest day of the year, and traditionally marks the start of winter. Mary, she helps us understand how solstice can be a time for wholehe...

Send us a voice note             In this episode we talk with Randy Woodley about his new book, Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth .  Randy and his wife Edith lead Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice, and their work touches the lives of Native people and non-Native people alike. As Randy points out, everyone has indigenous connections to some place in the wo...

Send us a voice note             In this episode we talk with Sashi and Vidhya Chintala. Since moving to the US from India, this couple—along with their daughter Eva—have sought to “green” every aspect of their everyday lives. From their distinctively Indian cultural perspective, they offer unique and challenging insights into the nature of an earthkeeping lifestyle. Connect with Earthkeepers&apos...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, author of the new book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World . Katharine offers encouraging, practical advice about how to engage in conversations about earthcare and climate change with the people in our lives, finding common ground and avoiding politicized terms that can derail convers...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Erika Alvarez and Johann Ruiz of Casa Adobe. Casa Adobe is an intentional community of people in Costa Rica working together to care for creation, build true relationships, and nurture their faith lives. At the heart of their values is their belief that environmental justice and social justice cannot be separated.  Ecological Disciple blog Book giv...

Send us a voice note In this episode Forrest talks with Victoria Loorz, cofounder of the Wild Church Network, a broad association of religious communities that practice faith life in ways that foster connectedness to all of creation. Victoria also helped start the Seminary of the Wild, an experiential education and formation program for spiritual leaders seeking to pioneer new earth-centered faith...

Send us a voice note In this special episode we get very practical, focusing on five easy lifestyle changes that can help us to live more sustainably. We are in conversation with Courtney Christenson, founder of Sparks & Matches—a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring people to be changemakers in the realms of social and environmental justice. We hope this episode will help our listene...

Send us a voice note In this episode Forrest talks with Jeff Johnson, an acclaimed musician whose art spans a diversity of styles including Progressive Rock, Jazz, New Age, and Contemplative Worship. In the  40 years of his career thus far, Jeff has written music for a Martin Scorsese film, collaborated with great musicians like Phil Keaggy, and recorded original music for the Wyndham Hill label....

Send us a voice note             In this episode Forrest talks to the authors of a book called 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change . One of the authors is Tom Sine—a man who has written many books and influenced many lives—and in fact this podcast has deep ties to his profound influence. (Earthkeepers podcast is an expression of an organization ca...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Rev. Ray Simpson about his latest book called Celtic Christianity and Climate Crisis: Twelve Keys for the Future of the Church. Ray is also a founder of a new monastic order called the Community of Aidan and Hilda. Though Ray helped to start this community in the United Kingdom, it now includes people from all over the world—people who believe that...

Send us a voice note In this episode we talk with Alex Bailey, Senior Director of the Outdoor School in the Hill Country of Texas. The Outdoor School partners with hundreds of qualifying schools and nonprofit groups each year to provide transformative, educational experiences in nature, free of charge. The program especially targets youth in Texas who would not otherwise be able to afford this lif...