TALATERRA

Today we are joined by Amy Hill, Yakuta Poonawalla, and Cassidy Villeneuve, creators, and facilitators of a new workshop experience at StoryCenter, the founders of the digital storytelling movement. I met Amy, Yakuta, and Cassidy while a student in the pilot of the Earth Stories workshop. This workshop focuses on the personal connections individuals have with the natural world. In this conversatio...

Susan B. Inches is an author, educator, and environmental advocate. In this episode, we discuss her career and new book, “Advocating for the Environment: How to Gather Your Power and Take Action.” How did Susan become an independent advocate? What is the difference between advocacy and direct action? How can advocates connect with decision-makers? Let’s find out.   LINKS Susan B. Inches - Author,...

Scientific illustrator and science communicator, Gretchen Halpert, discusses how she entered the field of science illustration, shares a story about the time she demonstrated the value of drawing at a medical school, and tells us about the distance learning program she created for anyone interested in learning about scientific illustration.    LINKS Scientific Illustration Distance Program  Guild...

Environmental and cultural educator, Miguel Cruz, prepares to launch environmental education programs in Mexico and to learn Otomi, his family's indigenous language.   LINKS Miguel's YouTube channel - Nature, Culture, Nurture (@venconmige) Facebook (@venconmige) Instagram (@venconmige) Miguel on LinkedIn Information about ethnicity and language (Otomi) Advocates for Indigenous California Language...

Tami Cole and her family established Optimistic Orchard to create sustainable and healthy food systems in prisons. How are they doing? Let's find out.   __________ LINKS Optimistic Orchard Blooming Hope Project Kiss the Ground Photo Contest for a Cause (Regenerative Theme) Flyers for photo contest and talent show Legacy Alliance Outreach Las Positas College Legaseeds       _______________ CREDITS:...

This summer, I have the wonderful opportunity to be involved with projects addressing conversations around climate change. I couldn't do this work without revisiting the book "Communicating Climate Change: A Guide for Educators" by Anne Armstrong. Anne Armstrong is an author, an educator, and a Ph. D. student in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. She is also the mother of a...

The Ecology School in Saco, Maine began as a seasonal outdoor camp in a rented facility. Today it is an established institution on a 105-acre working farm and is about to open two of the greenest buildings in the country for a residential environmental education center. How did founder Drew Dumsch and his colleagues turn an idea into The Ecology School? Let's find out.   AN INVITATION  The Ecology...

A recap of the first EE Forward Summit, a professional development and partnership-building event for independent environmental education professionals and community partners.   LINKS Meghan McCarroll - What We Know About Water  What We Know About Water: A Water Literacy Review Diane Wyzga - Communication and Story Skills Rupu Gupta - Inclusive Approaches in Climate Resilience Partnerships Erica F...

Our preoccupation with time has led to an affliction author Christian McEwen calls "hurry sickness." As we kick off a new summer season, here are three suggestions to help you wind down and leave timers and alerts behind.   LINKS Christian McEwen World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Naure doin. Bethan Burton, International Nature Journaling Week...

Time.  Money.  Liveable wage.  To be taken seriously. Be more visible. More opportunities. These are things independent educators have told me they want. And this is only a partial list. The items on this list and the items I’m not talking about today inform the work I do for The Freelance Condition and Lifelong Learning in Communities Project, as well as the other initiatives led at Talaterra. Th...

There’s a new event designed with the independent environmental education professional in mind. What’s it about? Let’s find out.   LINKS More about the EE Forward Summit _______________ CREDITS: Producer : Tania Marien Music : So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License; SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License ....

During the past month, we’ve been able to learn about biophilic design and how graphic narratives can be used as effective learning tools. My conversations with biophilic designer Sonja Bochart and illustrator Michi Mathias made me reflect on the conversation I had with Susan Chung in December 2019. Susan is an illustrator with the Co-Design Group which is an association of architects, designers,...

Michi Mathias is an illustrator, author, and educator who creates informational illustrations to help people teach complicated concepts. She has written and illustrated short graphic narratives, a booklet about the science moments we experience every day, and a fun interactive comic about a day in the life of a freelance professional who is trying to get kids to school on time while getting work d...

Today we reflect on the green spaces where we live. Beyond parks and gardens, we sometimes find green spaces inside buildings, between buildings, on tops of buildings, in parking lots, and in places, we may not expect to find them. When we do find them, we may not recognize them as green spaces, yet we experience the restful changes in mood these spaces were designed to create. Today we get to lea...

Sally Bensusen is a former astronomer, a graphic designer, and a scientific illustrator. Her illustrations have been used by the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and Scientific American magazine. In 2019 she retired as a graphic designer from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Sally is the founding director of The Leonardo Principle, a new endeavor destined to become a li...

Claudia Diaz-Carrasco discusses how she engages with Latinx youth in Southern California as the 4-H Youth Development Advisor for the University of California Extension. This episode originally aired in 2019. Since then, Claudia's community research has informed the work of many practitioners. At the end of this episode, I introduce a new resource based on Claudia's work.   LINKS Overview of Guidi...

Dean Waye is a professional copywriter who helps independent professionals, small business owners, and corporations write copy for their respective initiatives. He also produces webinars as Chief Copywriter at WebinarGhostWriter.com. In today's episode, Dean and I talk about writing for LinkedIn, how to hold your audience's attention, and how to create online presentations. Dean shares valuable in...

If environmental education organizations do not open by the end of 2020, it is estimated that 11 million children will miss out on outdoor learning opportunities. This statement comes from the policy brief created by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. This policy brief is titled "A Field at Risk: The Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental and Outdoor Science Educa...

Sara Lynn Cramb is a designer and illustrator who creates illustrations for children’s books, apps, and other educational products. Sara’s clients include Scholastic, Nosy Crow, Silver Dolphin Books, Cambridge University Press, and the Akron Zoo. Through her work, she introduces young learners to the world outside their doors. She also teaches them about human biology, geography, molecules, and mo...

Welcome to the new year and to part two of our look at some of the themes that have emerged from my conversations with guests of this podcast. I have had the good fortune to interview more than 40 guests since launching the podcast two years ago this month. Guests have come from many fields. What they share in common is their commitment to nurturing peoples’ relationship with the outdoors and thei...

Since launching the podcast, I've had the opportunity to learn from 43 wonderful guests. Along the way, I started asking guests questions about their earliest experiences with nature. I also started to ask guests when it was that nature became important to them. These became the show's signature questions. In this episode, we reflect on themes emerging from guest responses to the question: What is...

Nicole Felts is a biologist and ecologist by training and has a Bachelor's degree in biology and a Master's degree in geography and environmental systems. Nicole is also the co-founder and principal educator at Felts Family Farmette, a suburban farm she founded with her parents just as the pandemic began to change our lives. Nicole shares how she navigated her first year in business and talks abou...

Dr. Lee Ann Woolery is a researcher, naturalist, educator, and artist. She is also the founder of EcoArt Expeditions and the Citizen Artist project. In this episode, Dr. Woolery and I discuss her interdisciplinary approach to ecological field research and the Train-the-Trainer pilot program that will launch in the new year.   LINKS EcoArts Expeditions Art-Based Perceptual Ecology Knowing the Langu...

Students in the United States like studying animals more than plants. People tend not to pay attention to the plants in their surroundings. These are only two factors contributing to a condition described as "plant blindness" in the botany and science education literature. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Elisabeth Schussler, one of the two botanists who coined the phrase in 1999. I also speak wi...

The Trailhead is the newest initiative by Talaterra. It is an open forum for independent professionals working in environmental education. Learn more about this initiative and The Freelance Condition and Lifelong Learning in Communities project.   LINKS The Trailhead Talaterra Share Your Story _______________ CREDITS: Producer : Tania Marien Music : So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a A...