Wild For Change

Growing up April and her husband Tyler dreamed of having a pet pig.  After watching a video of a mother pig living in a horrific gestation crate, April knew in her heart she wanted to dedicate her life to rescuing and saving pigs and finding them their forever home.  This was the impetus of Chicagoland Pig Rescue.  But April and Tyler aren’t stopping at rescuing pigs and finding them sanctuary pla...

Wetlands are crucial ecosystems for the filtration of excessive water in some parts of the world and for storing carbon, preventing the overheating of the atmosphere. This is why they are often called the ‘kidneys’ of the landscape. Moreover, they are home to numerous flora and fauna species and thus are vital as a variety of habitats. However, human interventions sometimes have catastrophic impac...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Nicole Schmitt, Executive Director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.   Alaska Wildlife Alliance was founded in 1978 to be a voice for Alaska’s wildlife, which includes marine mammals and endangered species. The mission of Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) is to safeguard wildlife biodiversity knowing the wildlife have not only an intrinsic value to eco...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with amphibian biologist Dr. Kerry Kriger, founder of Save the Frogs! Save The Frogs! began in 2008 and works across the United States as well as around the world to prevent the extinction of amphibians and to create a better planet for humans and wildlife, while also empowering ordinary citizens to contribute to the betterment of the planet.   According...

On this Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Judy Wilson, who formerly served as Kukpi Chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band about the Wolf Treaty; A Treaty of Cultural and Environmental Survival .   Judy has knowledge, experience and an extensive background in First Nations land rights/specific claims, human rights, children & family jurisdiction, emergency management and supports a wide rang...

Today we are speaking with Brooke Bowlin, a sustainable fashion advocate who got her start in the industry in 2018 from owning a second-hand clothing store.  After dealing with people’s excess of clothing, Brooke’s eyes were opened to the harm and overconsumption of fashion.  She has made it her mission to educate about better personal as well as industry practices.  Beyond her passion for helping...

Today, we welcome back Leif Cocks, founder of the International Elephant Project, based in Sumatra.  The International Elephant Project (IEP) is a not-for-profit project for elephant conservation, rainforest protection and local community partnerships, in order to protect and save the entire ecosystem and biodiversity of habitats shared by elephants.  The Sumatran elephant is critically endangered...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with three hosts of Vigil4Elephants that commemorates the elephant lives that were lost each year in captivity; Barbara Lovett, founder, and president of Save Nosey Now, Inc. Courtney Scott, founder and president of Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants. Sandra Clinger, president of The Elephant Advocacy Project (TEAP) and a board member of Save Nosey Now.   Th...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Jodie Wiederkehr, founder of Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA).  CAA is a volunteer grassroots animal advocacy organization that began in 2015.   The first goal of CAA was to ban horse carriages in downtown Chicago, and in 2017, the organization began diligently documenting how the horses were treated by their handlers as well as the horses’ workloa...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, I speak with Miguel Franco, CFO and co-owner of Healthy Substance, a vegan Mexican restaurant located on the south side of Chicago.  We will be speaking about how Healthy Substance got its start, what it means to eat vegan, and how eating vegan helps to save animals’ lives.   Healthy Substance is one of my favorite restaurants and is my go-to for vegan Mexican foo...

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we will be discussing the magnificent rhino, with our guest, Simon Jones, CEO of Helping Rhinos.  Helping Rhinos is predominantly based in Africa.  Their focus is on helping the species survive at sustainable levels by improving protection, care, and welfare of the rhino in its natural habitat as well as to forge significant partnerships with successful organi...

Founded in 2013, Conserv Congo is a non-profit conservation whose mission is to maintain the biodiversity of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   The Congo Basin is a vast tropical rainforest and a biodiversity hot spot which is home to 100’s of mammal species.   Conserv Congo puts itself on the frontlines to save and protect endangered species from poachers and wildlife traf...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we are going to learn about habitat restoration with David Lloyd, steward for the Cook County Forest Preserves in Illinois.  During this podcast, we will learn why habitat restoration is so crucial for local ecosystems.   I am fortunate enough to live near forest preserves where I can take a hike, see wild flowers and wildlife and get a breath of fresh air.  Rec...

On a very special Wild For Change podcast, we celebrate World Elephant Day with Dr. Vicki Fishlock, resident scientist of Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Kenya.   The Amboseli Trust for Elephants, located in Kenya, is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on the long-term conservation and welfare of Africa’s elephants in the midst of human expansion, through scientific research, outreach, adv...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Joshua Sam Miller. Joshua is a world recording artist, composer, and producer.  His mission is to connect people to the natural world through using the sounds of nature as a healing modality.   After discovering an affinity to surfing, Joshua took note of the fragility of ocean life and began using his artistry to help with ocean conservation by co...

On a Wild For Change podcast, we speak with The Conservation Kid, Cash Daniels.   Cash has always had a passion for protecting our earth and its natural resources.  At the age of 7, he began cleaning up trash around the Chattanooga River and has since removed 17,000 pounds of trash.  He started teaching adults about the importance of protecting our planet and has gotten kids involved to do the sam...

On a Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Ellie Laks-Weiner, founder of The Gentle Barn.   Ellie founded the Gentle Barn in 1999.  The Gentle Barn rescues animals, gives them sanctuary, and heals children by sharing the animals’ stories.    It began as a half-acre farm in the San Fernando Valley, California.  In 2002, co-founder Jay Weiner began as a volunteer for the Gentle Barn and joined forc...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Barbara Lovett, co-founder of Save Nosey Now, a grassroots organization founded in 2014, whose original mission was to provide actions and education that would get Nosey, a circus elephant to sanctuary and keep her there.   Barbara will share the story of how her love and determination to rescue Nosey evolved into a grassroots movement leading to Nos...

On today’s podcast, we discuss how unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS’, can benefit wildlife, nature, and mankind with Fatema Hamdani, CEO, and co-founder of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace.   In today’s world, we are constantly seeing changes in our climate, larger-scale natural disasters and fires.  Many of our wildlife are threatened by poaching and wildlife trafficking.  Although there are countless so...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we will be talking about America’s historic prairie ecosystem, with Daniel Kinka, Senior Wildlife Restoration Manager of American Prairie.   American Prairie’s mission is to conserve the largest ecosystem in the contiguous United States.    It is working to connect and preserve more than 3 million acres of habitat on the Northern Great Plains of Montana. This is t...

Today, we will be speaking with Blake Lawrence, Marketing Manager of Cool Effect on how we can reduce our carbon footprint.   Cool Effect is the actual boots on the ground non-profit working diligently to help fund projects that help reduce our carbon footprint.   Cool Effect uses science, expertise, and transparency to fund projects around the globe that actually help in reducing carbon emissions...

If you’re a bird lover like me or a lover of nature, you are going to love today’s podcast with Tykee James, Government Affairs Coordinator of The National Audubon Society.   The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that started in 1905.  It protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.  Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, educ...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we will be speaking about plastic pollution with three experts from Ocean Conservancy; Dr.  Britta Baechler, Senior Manager, Oceans Plastics Research will be discussing the overall problem with plastics, how microplastics form and why they are problematic. Robyn Albritton, Senior Manager, International Coastal Cleanup, will be discussing plastics in the environmen...

On today’s podcast, we will be speaking with Marc Ayers, Illinois State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1954 to champion animal welfare and to fight the good fight against animal cruelty across the nation and the world.   HSUS’ scope of animal protection is wide and ranges from ani...

The Regenesis Project is a trailblazing regenerative model of inhabiting the earth so that both humans and nature can co-flourish. It is part of a global network of living labs called Ecosystem Restoration Camps that are restoring a diverse array of degenerated ecosystems and experimenting to find the best ecosystem practices. These restoration camps envision a fully functional, peaceful, abundant...