Mark Leach is guest-host for today's episode, sharing portions from his weekly radio show, Ecotopia Soon! Mark is a retired conservation biologist, activist, and a Quaker, and his perspective is that we are all in a leaky canoe together; we need to change our thinking to reach the safe shore of Ecotopia, where we treat Nature as our only life support system & we treat each other with respect.
One of my great delights is the growing number of folks from around the world that I can can find right here is my city, Eau Claire, WI, of about 75K people. Though the university plays a big part in that, an inspirational contributor to the diversity is the newly opened offices of World Relief - Wisconsin, and our Chippewa Valley offices.
Gary Eldred is a founder of The Prairie Enthusiasts, and he joins us today to talk about his newly released book, Healing Wounds: Giving Back to Nature.
I ran into Olivia Chalkley through an article of hers featured on the website of the Center for Action and Contemplation called A Home for My Loving Action, and I determined I needed to have a deeper visit with Olivia. It turns out that she has explored deeply and worked widely in the not-so-many years she's been on the planet.
We've got Chuck Collins with us here again today, sharing from his new book, Burned By Billionaires, a deep look into the damage to the entire world, and almost all Americans, of the soaring epidemic of wealth inequality in the US. Chuck was born on third base, but chose a better way, reducing his wealth. Notwithstanding his moderation, he has worked with the Patriotic Millionaires to bring our society back from the edge of the inferno, back to sanity and well-being.
Having done this program for 20 years, I have had the opportunity to see the work my guests do evolve over time, and such is the case with Eileen Flanagan.
I've seen alternative & sustainable energy technology evolve tremendously in my lifetime, and yet I know there are applications, like hydroelectric energy, that continue to be valuable contributors to our world. One that, sadly, has diminished mightily in most of our eyes, is the water-pumping windmills. At one time they were spread widely across our country, but now they are mostly broken, non-functional, and rusty relics seen here-and-there.
Our guest is Suzanne Parry (and on Instagram), and she is the author of a historical fiction novel, The Communist’s Secret, the 2nd of a trilogy centered on events during WW2 around Russia.
Many of us have been deeply concerned about domestic violence and been heart-broken at people we've known who've suffered, and maybe died, within a violent marriage, unable to leave. Today's SIA guest is Michael Neely, and he has testifying power about domestic abuse because of his many years in a marriage where he was badly abused. He'll talk about that today, but you can also find portions in his book, Black Eyes and Sweet Talk.
Our guest-host today is Jan Spencer and this is his 7th time sharing an episode of Creating A Preferred Future, and this is a rather picturesque guided tour of what kind of change will prepare us for a better future.
Sonita Alizada grew up in Afghanistan under that Taliban, and then later in Iran, in a culture where females faced all kinds of trials, including forced marriage for young girls, and much more. Sonita found refuge and nurture via education by NGOs working in Iran, and through which she discovered a talent as a rap artist, with songs like Daughters For Sale.
Though fears about rising fascism in the US are rampant at the beginning of Donald Trump's 2nd term, there has been a wide-spread increase in fascist movements world-wide over the past few decades, and today's guest, Craig A.
I am so grateful when I find people working for a better world from the depths of their spiritual tradition, and that's exactly what today's guest, Mirele Goldsmith does. She is an environmental psychologist, something that I didn't even know existed, and she is co-founder of the Jewish Earth Alliance.
Chloe Schwenke is a teaching professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University, and has keen observations about the incredible damage, destruction, and death being visited upon Africa and many other areas by the Trump administration's reckless attack on US Agency for International Development, USAID.
Some 15 years ago Maaria Mozaffar began as a civil rights lawyer & mediator, and since then her work has grown to center around both education and legislative advocacy, crafting & organizing legislation centered on religious freedom and rights. As a Muslim, Maaria sees more clearly the tilt, and sometimes the walls, that US society builds against minority faiths and ethnic groups.
This week is the conclusion of our visit with the amazing & inspirational Peter Samuelson about his new book, Finding Happy: A User's Guide to Your Life, With Lessons From Mine. You'll laugh, cry, gasp, pray, & get wiser though all the stories, insights, & lessons that Peter shares.
You've likely encountered Peter Samuelson through his work in the movie industry, like with his movies Revenge of the Nerds, Finding Henri, Wilde, and Tom & Viv, but you may or may not have known of the amazing & extensive work he's done through his non-profits, like Starlight Children's Foundation, First Star Academies, and EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof).
We visit with David Welder, and his wife, Veronica, at their off-grid home called Fisher Cat Creek Forest Preserve (on airbnb and Hipcamp), to talk about his book, Forth to Basics: A Guide to Goin' Off-Grid (And Living More With Less), and his life experience leading up to
In this special Spirit in Action episode, guest-host Nicole Diroff welcomes Dr. Shanon Shah, Director of Faith for the Climate, for a conversation that weaves together faith, identity, and the urgent call for climate justice. A queer Muslim scholar, journalist, and advocate, Shanon shares how his lived experience and academic insight converge in powerful ways to challenge systems of oppression and invite communities into courageous collective action.
A dive deep into the analysis and understanding of why & how evil is done in the world - not theologically, but behaviorally - with our guest Elizabeth Minnich, author of The Evil of Banality – On the Life and Death Importance of Thinking.