Does the natural world bear witness to history? What lessons can nature teach us about survival, adaptation, and connection? This week, we’re exploring those questions and so much more alongside Erin Sharkey. Erin Sharkey is the editor of A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing From Soil To Stars, an acclaimed anthology that weaves together history, personal narrative, and imaginative storytelling in order to explore the profound relationship between nature and Black identity. Each essay is connected through the use of archival objects, anchoring each piece to a shared past and nodding to the complicated history of nature writing as a discipline.

Erin is a writer, arts and abolition organizer, cultural worker, and film producer based in Minneapolis. She is the cofounder, with Junauda Petrus, of an experimental arts collective called Free Black Dirt and is the producer of film projects including Sweetness of Wild and Small Business Revolution. Erin is also a founding coop member of the Fields at Rootsprings, a retreat center that focuses on healing, learning, and connection for individuals, community and Earth and that centers BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, activists, and healers.

In this episode, we delve into the inspiration behind A Darker Wilderness, the intersections of race and ecology, and how Erin’s creative practice brings healing and hope to the communities she serves.

Show Notes

• A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing From Soil to Stars
• Erin Sharkey on Instagram
• Erin Sharkey Website
• The Fields at Rootsprings
• Rochester Arts Center

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

This week, we’re diving deep into the interconnectedness of human health and planetary health. We know that nature provides us with a myriad of health benefits, both as individuals and socially. However, challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss also pose a dire threat to our species, from disease proliferation, unstable food systems, and even increasing crime rates.

Our guest today is Dr. Howard Frumkin. Dr. Frumkin is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington and serves as the Director of the Trust for Public Land’s Land & People Lab. Dr. Frumkin is the co-editor of Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves.

In this episode, we discuss human habitats that are better for people and the planet, rectifying the gap between human progress and planetary degradation, and the inspiring, important work that Dr. Frumkin is doing at the Land & People Lab.

Shownotes

• Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves edited by Samuel Myers and Howard Frumkin
• Trust for Public Land
• The Land & People Lab
• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner
• Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature Rich Life by Richard Louv
• National Nature Assessment
• COP29: What you need to know about the global climate summit

Key Words: climate, climate change, biodiversity, biodiversity loss, biophilia, biophilic design, public land, green space, climate solutions, local solutions, local politics, Howard Frumkin, nature, national nature assessment

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Is the idea of pristine, untouched nature a misguided fantasy? Are any animals truly wild on a planet so dominated by human impact? And while we’re on the topic - what do we mean by wildness in the first place? Join us for a thought-provoking conversation that redefines our relationship with nature and encourages us to rethink our place within it.

This week, our guest is celebrated science writer Emma Marris, author of Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World. Emma’s work has appeared in publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, and the Atlantic. She is also the author of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World.

Show Notes

• Emma Marris Website
• Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World by Emma Marris
• Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World by Emma Marris
• Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in the Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis
• Opinion: New York is Wilder Than You Think by Emma Marris (New York TImes)
• Nature Doesn’t Care Where a Species is From by Emma Marris (The Atlantic)

Key Words: Animals, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Climate, Climate Change, Wildness, Wilderness, Ecosystem, Emma Marris, Author, Science, Nature Journalism, Environment, Environmental Philosophy

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

We know that many animals possess “human-like” qualities: the ability to play, sustain friendships, mate for life, and even reflect on the past. But what should we actually do with that information? That’s the crucial question that Brandon Keim poses in his latest book Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than Human World. Brandon is a journalist who specializes in science, nature, and animals. His work has appeared in publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and WIRED.

In this conversation, we explore questions of what we owe animals, the concept of animal personhood and what legal rights animals should be entitled to, and how we can have nuanced conversations about all of these issues.

Show Notes

• Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than Human World by Brandon Keim
• Brandon Keim Website
• Subscribe to Brandon’s Substack
• Nonhuman Rights Project
• Books by Richard Louv

Key Words: Animals, Animal Welfare, Animal Rights, Nature, Nature Based Solutions, Biophilia, Biophilic, Animal Personhood, Zoo, Animal Intelligence, Science

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

With the rise of suburban sprawl and city planning that has prioritized car travel above all else, modern American cities seriously lack comfortable walking and biking infrastructure. It’s a massive issue - but solutions do exist and importantly, those solutions are decidedly doable.

Today we are so thrilled to be speaking with Jeff Speck, a city planner, who is widely known for his work advocating for and creating more walkable cities. His book, Walkable City, first published in 2012, has been translated into seven languages and is the best selling city planning book of the 21st century. Walkable City is also a winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature.

Jeff believes that a thriving city is a walkable city, where cars are instruments for freedom but aren’t necessary for the day-to-day basics of living. We would also add that walkable cities are fundamentally biophilic because livability and wellness are at the core of biophilia. In this episode, we chat with Jeff about making cities more walkable, the economic benefits of walkable cities, and demanding more of our environments.

Shownotes

• Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time 10th Anniversary Edition by Jeff Speck
• The Smart Growth Manual by Jeff Speck
• Walkable City Rules by Jeff Speck
• Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Jeff Speck
• The walkable city (TED Talk)
• 4 ways to make a city more walkable (TED Talk)
• Street Fight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow
• Confessions of a Recovering Engineer by Charles L. Marohn
• Killed by a Traffic Engineer by Wes Marshall
• Andres Duany: Principles of New Urbanism (YouTube)

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Mushrooms are fascinating. They’re not quite plants and they’re not quite animals. Unique and charming mushroom caps are just the fruit of a massive, interconnected mycelium network. And there are millions of mushroom species yet to be discovered.

In this episode, Gregory & Emily Han share the mysterious world of mushrooms. They’re the co-authors of Mushroom Hunting: Forage for Fungi and Connect with the Earth, a wonderfully accessible pocket guide for identifying common mushrooms and cultivating the joy of discovery. With Emily & Gregory as our guides, we learn about mushroom hunting as a mindfulness practice, why you don’t have to harvest or forage to enjoy the simple pleasure of looking, and the mental health benefits of staying curious.

So, let’s hit the trails and see what we can find.

Show Notes

• Mushroom Hunting: Forage for Fungi and Connect with the Earth
• Wild Drinks & Cocktails: Handcrafted Squashes, Shrubs, Switchels, Tonics, and Infusions to Mix at Home
• Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine
• Creative Spaces: People, Homes, & Studios to Inspire
• Emily Han Website
• Emily Han Instagram
• Gregory Han Website
• Gregory Han Instagram

Key Words: Mushroom, Fungi, Mycelium, Foraging, Harvesting, Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Wellness, Mindfulness, Pocket Nature

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

What would you think if your doctor wrote you a prescription to take a walk outside? To visit an art museum? To take a yoga class? It may sound unconventional, but the practice of prescribing nonmedical interventions to improve health, known as social prescribing, is becoming more and more commonplace. This week, we’re chatting with Julia Hotz, author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging. With Julia as our guide, we’ll explore the profound relationship between environment and wellness, the amazing health outcomes of social prescriptions, and the healthcare professionals at the forefront of this growing movement.

In a busy world, where so many of our ailments are lifestyle based, social prescribing helps connect us back to the things that make us human.

Show Notes

• The Connection Cure: he Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging by Julia Hotz
• Social Prescribing Website
• You’re Not Sick – Your Environment Is (Slate)
• The Connection Cure explores social prescriptions to improve mental health (NPR)

Key Words: healthcare, public health, preventative medicine, nature, biophilia, biophilic design, culture, art, wellness, social prescribing, loneliness, health, lifestyle, mental health

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Wellness is a buzzword that gets thrown a lot these days - but at its core, what does wellness really mean? And how do we design homes, towns, and entire cities where the wellness of residents is a top priority? In this special episode of Biophilic Solutions, we’re sharing Dr. Phill Tabb’s author talk from the Biophilic Leadership Summit, focusing on his latest book, Wellness Architecture and Urban Design, co-authored with Lahra Tatriele. In this talk, Phill provides some helpful definitions of wellness and demonstrates how certain design choices lay the groundwork for a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

Wellness Architecture and Urban Design will be available for pre-order on August 16, 2024.

Show Notes

• Wellness Architecture and Urban Design by Phillip James Tabb and Lahra Tatriele
• Presentation Slideshow
• Global Wellness Institute
• Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Restore the World by Hannah Lewis
• Serenbe
• Terra School at Serenbe
• Fivelements Retreat Bali

Key Words: wellness, urban planning, urban design, biophilic design, biophilia, wellness real estate, real estate, nature, climate change, climate solutions, architecture, green architecture

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers