Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality

Send us a voice note On this podcast, we talk often about the importance of creative, out-of-the box thinking when it comes to making a difference in promoting earth care and fighting against climate change. In this conversation, we find out what such innovative problem-solving can look like when it comes to educating young kids . Shauna Causey confronted the need for formational, quality preschoo...

Send us a voice note Earthkeepers has been deeply affected by A Rocha because of the profound formational influence of the organization’s founders, Peter and Miranda Harris.  On the podcast we’ve frequently featured A Rocha voices, including that of  Leah Kostamo of A Rocha Canada, way back in episode 5. In episode 62, we talked about carbon offsetting with Brittany Michalski of Climate Stewards,...

Send us a voice note Recently, Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke asked Earthkeepers host Forrest Inslee  to be a guest on THEIR podcast, called Think Global, Do Justice. Among other things, they wanted to ask about a book he edited recently with Angel Burns, called Re-Imagining Short-Term Missions. They also talked about COP 28, evangelical attitudes toward creation care, poverty and environmental jus...

Send us a voice note This is the 100th episode of the podcast! In keeping with this landmark episode, we’ll be doing something special: We’re launching a NEW Circlewood podcast called Youth in Climate Action! As you might imagine, this podcast will focus on the needs and questions of younger folks about earthcare and the climate future. Importantly, it will also feature young voices, and highlight...

Send us a voice note This special episode features  a guest host from Uganda, Dr. Edward Olara, who Forrest interviewed in episode 71. Edward was once Forrest's student and has become a friend; they’ve worked together in Uganda to encourage and empower development professionals. Recently, Edward published a book called The Elephants and the Farmers.   As the HOST of this episode, Dr. Olara in...

Send us a voice note In the last episode, we talked about the enormous impact that relatively mundane choices like what we eat have on the health of the planet. In this episode, we talk about another part of our everyday habits that we might not normally think about in earthkeeping terms: what we wear—and the impact of the clothing choices we make on the planet as a whole. To get us thinking about...

Send us a voice note While most listeners to this podcast have found ways to make changers in their lives in order to live in more earth-sustaining ways, how often do we pay attention to what we eat as a critical factor for an earthkeeping lifestyle? Think about the foods that made up the last meal you ate: Do you know where those foods came from? How they were produced? How those foods impacted y...

Send us a voice note In this episode, we talk with TJ Fittis, owner of Camano Island Coffee Roasters. I became a fan of Camano Island Coffee way back in 2006, when I asked the company’s founder, my friend Jeff Ericson, to come lecture in a course I was teaching. This course was all about social entrepreneurship—and for those not familiar with that term, a social enterprise is a business that exist...

Send us a voice note We’re glad to have you back with us as we launch season five of the podcast in this new year. The format of this episode will be a bit different because, as is our usual custom, our Executive Producer, James Amadon, and Forrest reflect a bit on season four and look ahead to some exciting new directions for season five. James Amadon  Executive Director of Circlewood  Twitter  ...

Send us a voice note This special episode encourages ways we can reimagine our holiday practices. Forrest is in conversation with Abby Fehrsen of Capetown, South Africa talking about how she and her family have creatively adapted their celebration practices to become greener. Then, toward the end of this episode, we’ll hear some holiday greetings from a number of Earthkeepers all around the world....

Send us a voice note Every culture has core stories - mythologies that have everything to do with group identity. Sometimes those stories are connected to national holidays, as in the case of the American holiday called Thanksgiving. But who gets to determine what those core stories should be? In this episode we welcome two wise women who have made it their life’s work to serve as truth-tellers, a...

Send us a voice note For many of us who are really committed to earthcare causes, it is easy to put all our focus on changemaking, on action, and on working for a more hopeful climate future. Sometimes though, we focus on taking action without really taking time to embrace the reality of what has already been lost due to climate change. Our guest in this episode makes the case that we need to allo...

Send us a voice note In the Earthkeepers podcast, we often talk about learning how to listen well—to the land, to the family of creation, and to Spirit. How, though, can we listen to our relatives who live under water? Our guest in this episode is Joe Olson, who has designed and built hydrophones – underwater microphones that he tailors specifically for hearing the voices of dolphins and whales. I...

Send us a voice note What are the earthkeeping challenges in a place where human beings have been impacting the environment since the Paleolithic era? How does one think about restoring nature in a place known as the cradle of civilization ? In this episode, we gain some practical wisdom from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. For that perspective, we welcome Mohammad Asfour, founding chair of WADI—...

Send us a voice note On the Earthkeepers podcast, we talk a lot about transforming damaged or neglected spaces into thriving ecologies that benefit both the human and more-than-human members of the community of creation. Way back in episode 2, for example, we talked to Tahmina Martelly about how neighbors turned an unused parking lot into a thriving community garden for refugees. In episode 40, we...

Send us a voice note As you might know, the Earthkeepers podcast is part of a larger organization called Circlewood—and Circlewood has a dream to establish an inspirational, educational eco-village in a place called Camano Island in Washington State. In this podcast conversation, Circlewood’s Executive Director James Amadon and Forrest are joined by David Vandervort, the architect who has held the...

Send us a voice note Changing the climate future of our planet can only happen when we all work together and learn from each other—and that’s why this podcast includes diverse perspectives from around the world. Our guest host in this episode is  Abigail Fehrsen in South Africa. Abby talks to Kehinde Micheal Osatuyi about the Muizenberg Community Kitchen—an inspiring and groundbreaking social ente...

Send us a voice note As we all know, sometimes it isn’t easy being green. Especially when it comes to sustainable, affordable, earth-friendly architecture. Remember the story of the three little pigs? It didn’t work out so well for the two pigs who built cheap houses out of straw and sticks. But what if it were feasible to build durable , eco-friendly buildings out of straw or sticks—or even corn...

Send us a voice note  In this episode, James Amadon and Forrest Inslee reprise a webinar discussion with Debra Rienstra, author of a new book called Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth. In her writing, Dr. Rienstra asks deep and sometimes difficult questions, such as: What might Creator say to us about our role in caring for creation—if we could q...

Send us a voice note What does an Indian guru--who teaches through meditative art, performance and extreme sport--have to tell us about how we might better love our planet? In this episode Forrest talks with Pragati Pascale about the writings of Indian spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy. Pragati has worked for the United Nations for many years as a senior communications strategist and consultant on sus...

Send us a voice note In this special episode, we depart from the usual interview format and offer you some moments of guided meditation instead. While Forrest is in Ireland interviewing people for future episodes of the podcast, Wes Willison is stepping in to walk you through something called “The Onion Session." Drawn from the book The Supper of the Lamb, by Robert Farrar Capon, this is a gu...

Send us a voice note In this episode, Forrest talks with Tori Goebel, National Organizer and Spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action. YECA works to mobilize youth to act against climate change, to advocate for creation care, and to promote the hope among young people that a better climate future is possible. Guest: Tori Goebel, National organizer and spokesperson for Young Evangelic...

Send us a voice note In this episode, Forrest talks with Kelly Deutsch, founder of Spiritual Wanderlust, an organization that supports people on their path to wholeness and intimacy with the divine. This includes encouraging people to engage spirit in nature—a connection that Earthkeepers care very much about. In our conversation, we discuss how Celtic spiritual practices in particular can inspire...

Send us a voice note In this episode Forrest talks with Dr. Annah Amani, the Africa Programs Director for Plant with Purpose. From past episodes you might know that Plant with Purpose is a global environmental nonprofit organization working to address the interconnected challenges of global poverty and environmental damage. Their aim is to restore the regenerative relationship between people and t...

Send us a voice note In this episode, Forrest is joined by his occasional cohost, Christine Sine. They talk to Jo Swinney, Director of Communications for A Rocha International, a global family of conservation organizations working together to care for creation, ​and equip others to do likewise. Specifically, they talk about a new book that Jo co-authored with her mother, Miranda Harris. The book i...