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.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#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.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers