On Conservation with Environmentalist Benji Backer

From fire, to coal to solar power, the truth is that over millennia, centuries, recent years, we have discovered new means to provide energy and convenience to our lives. These discoveries have enabled society to live longer, become more efficient and travel to see other parts of the world.

All of that goodness has come at a cost. A cost that we all have to reckon with and address.

Climate change is a challenging problem that impacts, well… our whole planet. Challenging problems often require complex solutions. There are many layers to this problem. Our current energy dependence. The families and communities that currently support the energy sector. The extraction of elements to provide various forms of energy and the disposal of those products. There is no straight line solution.

It takes great humility to solve problems. To rise above our own cognitive bias and realize, “While I may be an expert, while I may have a lot of experience, I actually don’t have all the answers” Collaboration becomes important. And when you’re dealing with real people, their livelihoods, detriment to their communities, empathy and compassion becomes an important element in this type of problem solving. Innovation got us to where we are today, I tend to believe that innovation will be how we design and build our more environmentally responsible future.

We can all play a role, by producing less waste and demanding less of our environment to meet our needs. But not all of us are on the front line of this all important issue. Thankfully for all of us, there are a lot of smart people with great interest, enthusiasm and intelligence capable of solving these problems. Benji is one of them. I’m excited to share his voice with you today.

Show Notes & Links:

On Pursuing - On Conservation - Episode 6

Social Media for Benji and ACC

Instagram

American Conservation Coalition Website

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