Future Mending Radio

You may have heard about the FIFA referees out in traffic in Toronto giving red and yellow cards to badly behaved drivers who are blocking the box or the bike lane. But what you probably don't know is that one of these referees, Martin Reis, is up to his elbows in all sorts of merry-pranksterism, including the lego tower on Harbourd Street . Matt and Martin sit down for a fascinating (and fun...

Matt sits down with Cole Anthony Capilongo, from Hypha Coop, to talk about what it's like to work at a worker coop that does tech consultancy.  We talk about how Hypha makes decisions with a flat management structure and some of the projects they're working on -- including technology to verify photos from conflicts and war zones! We also get a bit philosophical and discuss the relationsh...

To celebrate spring, Matt visits Toronto's brand new billion dollar park.  Biidaasige Park is beautiful, it's got birds, but it also solves a lot of long-standing problems. Diverting flooding?  Providing housing?  Surfacing Indigenous histories?  We'll be talking about all those things in this episode about an absurdly well-designed public park.  Oh, and we'll also be time-trav...

Matt speaks to Dan Chapman-Smith from Project Humanity. Project Humanity's work is complex and their elevator pitch doesn't easily fit into our 10-second 2026 attention spans. They do Verbatim Theatre – I didn’t know what that was a few weeks ago – and they work in youth shelters, and they also do mentorship programs in any art form you can think of.  I didn’t understand how any of that...

We're back! This episode combines some thoughts on the current moment (including Mark Carney's recent speech in Davos) with a quick look back on Season 1 and the Future Mending Project so far. Mark Carney is right that the old world order is crumbling. 'Middle Powers' must build new alliances to avoid being bullied by global superpowers, but why doesn't Prime Minister Carn...

Do grown-ups also need a 90s kid summer? Matt delves into nostalgia for a world before the internet, a world that felt more uncertain and open, but also more full and resonant. The internet isn't all bad of course -- that's how I share these episodes -- but turning off the wifi for 24 hours every Saturday has been a luxurious indulgence. This episode explores why and how we've been...

Find out how and why hundreds of people are cycling around Toronto on mystery routes with big, booming beats. Matt attends Bike Party Toronto and interviews one of the co-founders and they discuss the difference between attending an event and being the event, something we have nearly forgotten how to do in our culture of consumption. Bike Party Toronto Links: https://linktr.ee/bikepartytoronto Dru...

How much food is wasted in Canada?  Where does food waste happen and why?  What are some potential solutions? This episode takes a quick look at two for-profit solutions to food waste – the Odd Bunch produce delivery box and Sobey’s Food Hero app -- and concludes with an inspiring interview with Mike Layton of Second Harvest, a food rescue charity in Toronto that turns every dollar in donations in...

Matt interviews Yara El Murr, the Managing Editor of the Green Line, an innovative Toronto news outlet that is making community-driven, hyper-local news. Our information ecosystem is full of misinformation and news fatigue and Yara shares insights on how journalists can produce useful and compelling journalism that responds to these growing challenges. Learn about the 4-step action journey that st...

Matt goes treasure hunting in Scarborough (a suburb of Toronto), using the amazing maps produced by the Scarborough Environmental Association . After visiting a restaurant, a second-hand clothing shop and a repair cafe and clothing swap organized by the Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA), Matt sits down with SEA's co-founder Krissan Veerasingam. Krissan shares insights into effective...

Karma Coop has been selling ethical, organic food in Toronto for more than 50 years. Matt visits the store and interviews its General Manager, Zach Weingarten. Zach explains how they source products and why having a wide variety of smaller producers and sellers increases the resilience of our food system. Find out more on their website: https://www.karmacoop.org/ The subreddit Zach mentions is htt...

Mending the future will require system change and personal change. And we can start with nudges in the right direction, because much of what we need already exists. The 4 reminders for individuals can help us live better and spend less time in the more toxic areas of modern society. 1. Be Where You Are 2. The Entire World is Real 3. Find the Others 4. Plant Trees This episode is a companion to the...

Spring is here and the birds are returning.  You can hear them if you slow down and listen.  In this episode, Matt and his old friend Alex play and discuss the calls of a dozen common birds that you can see and hear even in the city. Alex Eddington is a composer, sound designer, theatre artist and amateur birder.  Learn more about Alex and his work here: https://www.alexeddington.com/ Bird Resourc...

Matt visits Chocosol Traders on St. Clair, gets a hot chocolate and learns about their deep commitment to ethical and sustainable chocolate from Mathieu McFadden, Chocosol's 'Chief Chocolate Pedaller.' Chocosol takes real care of their entire supply chain from bean to bar, developing meaningful human relationships and supporting regenerative agriculture. Matt and Matt talk about bik...

When I pick an organization for the podcast or the map at Futuremending.com , I’m not just picking businesses out of a hat – I have a system for evaluating orgs which I call the Four Factors for Organizations. The Four Factors are Multi-solving, Sharing, Sufficiency and Transparency. This episode is in two parts. The opening minutes are a bit of an emotional check-in to see how people are processi...

Matt visits a Silent Book Club at Danu Social House on Queen Street West. Afterwards, he sits down with both Harresh Sivamohan the organizer of Toronto's Silent Book Club chapter and Josh Zachariah the owner and operator of Danu Social House a Parkdale bar with an deep commitment to community and civil society. Danu Social House: https://www.danusocialhouse.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/danus...

If we want a better future, we need to stop imagining the apocalypse and start imagining winning. Solarpunk is an emergent science fiction genre and social movement that asks us to do just that. Matt sits down with podcaster and solarpunk author Susan Kaye Quinn to discuss utopia, dystopia and everything in-between. The episode includes a reading from T.K. Rex's story A Holdout in the Norther...

This episode looks back on 2024 and ahead to 2025 and also shares how to make a 'Good Things Jar' where you can capture all the good things that happen to you in 2025 so you can spend New Year's Day 2026 practicing a little gratitude about the previous year. The snippet from our family Good Things Jar opening may leave you with a few questions -- like 'where exactly do I get th...

Matt visits Free Geek Toronto , a non-profit that refurbishes donated electronics and sells them to charities, non-profits and the general public. He also chats with Free Geek’s Executive Director Ryan Fukunaga about all the different ways that Free Geek has a positive impact on people and the planet. Learn more about Free Geek Toronto here: https://www.freegeektoronto.org/ Browse computers and mo...

In this episode, Matt visits a pay-it-forward café and community hub called the 541 Eatery & Exchange in Hamilton, Ontario where people who are short on cash can pay for food with buttons. After his visit, he sits down with Justin Eisinga the Executive Director of the 541 to discuss sharing food and building community across difference. Learn more about the 541 here: https://www.fivefortyone.c...

During a trip to the cottage, Matt reflects on his internet usage and explores digital detox.  Expect gently lapping waves, tips on reducing your phone usage and quick profiles of two digital detox groups in Toronto: Unplug.to and This is Reset .  Join our discord ( https://discord.gg/mDBuWYtwMh ) if you want some community accountability for your own digital detox goals. If you enjoy this episode...

Matt visits a clothing swap and talks to Lisa Amerongen, the founder of the Good Swap, Toronto's largest ongoing clothing swap.  What makes a good swap?  Could we replace all clothing stores with clothing swaps?  What makes swapping different from shopping?  What if a pair of pants had its own Instagram account? Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions.  Used with permission of...

Welcome to Future Mending.  This episode lays out where this podcast is going and why and provides a short intro to our host, Matt Lie-Paehlke. In short, Future Mending Radio will feature profiles of organizations and individuals that are meeting people's needs in better ways with a special interest in 'multi-solving.'  It will also include time to unwind and some truly soothing mus...

What is future mending radio and what can you expect in future episodes?  Future Mending reports on better ways of meeting our daily needs from clothing swaps to tool libraries and also includes a health dose of relaxation and wellness built right into the show. Music Credits: 'Summer Vibes' by Pold.  Released under a creative commons license. ‘ Opening’ by Phillip Glass.  Arr. by Karl M...