Take Me Outside

With Karen Lai of the City of Vancouver and inclusionaccessibility.com Does inclusion mean “everyone belongs”? Why do so many organizations aim for a segmented rather than blended population? What role does personal vulnerability play in this discussion? Inclusion and Accessibility Consultant Karen Lai joined us to talk about how to navigate the messiness and complexity of accommodating many-layer...

With Marianne Larned of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute What makes the challenges of today especially daunting for young people? How can we foster in youths a sense of hope that is also grounded in reality? Why are meaningful green jobs going unfilled? What role do schools play in preparing students for a sustainable future? We discussed these questions in depth with Marianne Larned of the Sto...

With Bridget Booth and Leah Higgins of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and the MiPINES app How can we connect people to outdoor spaces in their state or province? An app might not be the first thing that comes to mind, as so many are looking for ways to decrease screen time and increase green time. But maybe a bit of screen time on a carefully constructed app...

With Samuel Levac-Levey from Solutions the Game and Work on Climate We know we need to spend time in the “solutions space” when teaching about climate change, but how do we go about this? Can we leverage the popularity of gaming? Samuel Levac-Levey thinks so, so he’s created the board game Solutions, inspired by Project Drawdown . In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss the advent of the game...

With Gabriel Gitter-Dentz, Kevin Zhou, and Adam Rudt of Hunter College High School and the Bridging the Carbon Gap podcast How can students make up for lost time when they haven’t learned much about climate change at school? When is the right time to introduce climate education? How should it be handled? Can gaming be an effective educational tool? These are all top-of-mind considerations for Hunt...

With Guy Walton from guyonclimate.com Have you entered the world of cli-fi yet? If not, join us for this lively conversation with meteorologist and children’s cli-fi author Guy Walton. Guy shares his insights on climate anxiety, “malevolent molecules,” misinformation versus disinformation, balancing hope and reality, and how his series’ central character Thermo came to be. Little Shop of Horrors c...

With Mike Harding of Applefun Puppetry and two of his puppet pals How can puppetry be used in educational settings? What’s the right balance between entertainment and education in a puppet show? Which recycled materials make for great puppets? In this special two-part episode for Earth Week 2021, Ian chats with puppeteer Mike Harding before having an oceanside conversation with his two new puppet...

With Todd Beasley of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and University of South Carolina Why is horticulture misunderstood in so many schools? What is the largest barrier to sustained success with school gardens? How can botanical gardens become more culturally relevant? To what extent do non-profit board composition and recruitment practices impact the cultural relevance of...

With Louis Yuen and Charlie Kistler of Infinity Eight Productions Making research studies on topics like climate change, microplastic pollution, and biodiversity loss relevant and interesting for children is… well… hard. How can it be done without making eco-anxiety worse? Louis Yuen, Charlie Kistler, and the team at Infinity Eight Productions have a solution: comic books! Join us for this wide-ra...

With Monica Wiedel-Lubinski of the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools (ERAFANS) How can educators and guardians best guide and facilitate hands-on nature play among children? It starts with being hands-off and letting kids explore, experiment, inquire — heck, even make a few mistakes — in an unstructured outdoor environment, big or small. Nature play expert Monica Wiedel-Lubin...

With Roy Jantzen and Laura Choo of the School of Tourism Management, Capilano University How do wildlife-viewing guidelines differ from one place to the next? What can ecotourism companies do to be more climate responsible? What role do consumers play in this? Roy and Laura discuss these matters as well as share their insights about equitable engagement with local Indigenous communities. Also hear...

With San Patten of the College of Sustainability, Dalhousie University and San Patten and Associates How can non-profits fill in the gaps that public and private bodies can't address in our local, national, and international response to climate change? What can we learn from how NGOs helped shift the conversation around HIV and AIDS? How does this apply to the climate crisis? San Patten addresses...

With Aria Luna of  Aria Luna Art Artist Aria Luna chats about the origins of Bogo Mogo, how the story can be used to help protect oceans from plastic pollution, and why coloring books are such great tools for drawing readers into the creative process. She also tells us about a particularly unique  Oregon Junco , her paintings for  social justice , and the upcoming Amazonas exhibit. Guest: Aria Lun...

With Dr. Ingrid Waldron of  Dalhousie University  and  The ENRICH Project We sat down with Dr. Ingrid Waldron to discuss how environmental racism manifests on the ground, specifically in Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. Dr. Waldron also discusses the importance of getting community members involved in research from the very beginning, while touching on the role educators play in respo...

With Jared Goodykoontz of  Little Adventures, Big Connections Children’s author Jared Goodykoontz joins us to chat about how his naturalist self and Christian self have gradually converged and informed each other. He also explains how scientific principles like evolution can exist in harmony with Christian faith, while touching on the importance of engaging in thoughtful dialogue with people whose...

With Colin Harris of Take Me Outside  Take Me Outside  founder and Executive Director Colin Harris discusses the role of outdoor learning during a time of mandated physical distancing, while discussing physical and institutional barriers to moving beyond the four walls of the classroom. He also highlights the importance of connecting with Indigenous communities to gain their insights on nature and...

With Estrella Risinger of the Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education in California Children have the opportunity to develop self-awareness and emotional growth while staying overnight at Residential Outdoor Learning Centers (RELCs) like NatureBridge. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a big part of this, and RELCs now have access to a comprehensive and research-backed new tool,  Gr...

With Trevor Dunlap and Matthew Broda of the Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning in Ohio In our first full episode, hear the remarkable story of how, in the span of 8 days, an experiential outdoor learning center made a 180-degree shift from in-person to digital teaching without abandoning their organizational goals. We also discuss the role of digital live experiences in environmental ed. now a...

Here's what you can expect from Talking with Green Teachers. Previews of the first three episodes are also included. Welcome to our community!