Animalia

Did you know that everyone uses the scientific method everyday, even when we don't realize it? That's highly recommended when making any important decisions, however, it's not quite Citizen Science. Citizen Science is when anyone, regardless of qualifications or training, can contribute to the collection of analysis of data in the natural world as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists. You may have heard of apps like iNaturalist as an example. In this episode, we sit down with Danni Washington to discuss the role and value of Citizen Science, and why everyone should give it a try. Danni is a Science Communicator and big time ocean advocate. She has hosted multiple TV shows, and now a couple incredible podcasts as well. She's a major believer in the need to make science more accessible to all, from citizen science work all the way up to evolving our higher education system around science to make it more inclusive. Please go check out her site and enjoy her amazing work. JOIN US IN COSTA RICA Danni is also joining us on our Costa Rican Sea Turtle Adventure! This is Animalia's first formal, IRL Citizen Science program. We are taking 25 lucky people down to Costa Rica from May 25th to June 1st to work with the incredible Leatherback Sea Turtle! It's an experience you won't want to miss so please get your ticket today here while they last! In This Episode 2:35 - What is Citizen Science? 10:10 - Making Science more Accessible 16:00 - How can we make Citizen Science most effective? 20:00 - Info about our Costa Rican Trip! 20:45 - How the Smartphone has changed Citizen Science 21:30 - Will we one day all be participating in Citizen Science constantly via our live health data? 25:40 - Social Motivations in Citizen Science 29:50 - How to evaluate the Legitimacy of a Citizen Science project Danni's Recommendations A) Book - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho B) Film/TV - Game Changers by Louie Psihoyos C) Wildlife - Orcas! D) Earth-Friendly Lifestyle Change - Eat more plant based food & know where your food comes from

23 Mars 202143min

The role of shifting our culture as citizens and consumers is incredible important in the fight to save this planet. That often starts with the Youth, as they are the shapers of culture going forward. We sit down to chat with Hong Hoang, founder of Change Vietnam, the largest environmental NGO in all of Vietnam to learn how she has been changing culture for the past 20 years. Joining us halfway through are two young adults who have gone through Hong’s program. Hong is one of the most incredible people on his planet in the world of climate action and climate justice. One of Hong’s favorite quotes is: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."  Thank you Hong for taking the time to join us!  And thank you Up & Son for doing the same! BTW - if you don't already get it, you'll want to subscribe to Animalia's Weekly Newsletter.  It's 100% free and gives you a weekly digest of some of the most important stories developing in conservation, climate justice, and sustainability. Subscribe here. In This Episode 2:38 - Meet Hong 3:50 - Importance of Changing Culture in the Climate Fight 9:00 - Creating Grassroots Climate Movements in Vietnam 12:30 - Why focusing on the Youth is so Important 15:27 - Chatting with two Youth Activists from Hong’s program 30:10 - Hong’s journey into the Climate Fight started in Antarctica 33:50 - Climate Literacy in Schools 37:35 - Political Spectrum on Climate in Vietnam 41:36 - Discussion on Clothing Manufacturing & Traditional Medicine 50:45 - Hong’s Incredible Quote

16 Mars 202153min

In this episode we sit down with a Practitioner and Researcher from China who has dedicated herself to fully understanding the manufacturing of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and what lies ahead for this critical pillar of Chinese culture. If you are wondering what TCM is, you're not alone. We begin the discussion by breaking down the philosophy behind TCM and how it is used in China today. In fact, you've likely used TCM-based approaches to healing in the past. Be it from acupuncture, or more likely using tea, herbs, and rest to treat the common cold. TCM takes a holistic approach to healing the body and offers a lot of benefits. However, TCM also utilizes a lot of animal products, particularly products derived from wildlife or wildlife farming. And while this makes up a small percentage of TCM remedies, which are predominately plant and herb based, it's massive scale in China and globally makes this small percentage highly problematic to the trafficking of wildlife and unethical practices such as captive breeding. In order to discuss these things, we needed to talk to someone directly from China who works in the field. We need to understand the culture of TCM and to talk openly and honestly about how to make it more environmentally and ethically sound. You'll learn a lot from this episode. In This Episode 3:15 - Meet Wei 3:45- Understanding TCM and why you probably have practiced it 7:30 - How does TCM compare to religion vs. medical science? 12:00 - TCM vs. Western Medicine applications in China 14:02 - Wei’s personal relationship with TCM 17:30 - The use of wildlife products in TCM 24:50 - A growing divide of animal product usage within the TCM community 32:25 - Unpacking the Chinese approved COVID treatment using bear bile 35:00 - Would TCM spread globally better without animal usage? 38:15 - TCM is based on energy balance to overly simplified, so how do TCM loyalists make sense of our imbalance with the natural world? 41:40 - Comparing TCM animal usage to Livestock Farming 48:10 - Changing Culture 58:20 - The importance for Americans and Chinese to have a relationship built on trust to tackle the most important issues

9 Mars 20211h 2min

You may not have heard of WildAid but you probably have seen or heard of their work. In the battle against wildlife trafficking and poaching, while many other organizations focus on the supply side of the issue - stopping the trafficking and poaching itself - WildAid focuses on the demand end - making consumption of wildlife products taboo and educating the public on what they are really buying and consuming. WildAid's now infamous slogan When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too, rings throughout their work. It’s a powerful message worth repeating. They work with major celebrity ambassadors to help spread this message. While they operate all over the world, a large part of their work happens in China, where they are working hard to educate the public on the harmful nature of wildlife products. Their work has made a huge difference. From videos with Yao Ming standing against Shark Fin Soup to Jackie Chan standing up for Pangolins, they are truly changing habits. In just 2 years since launching the pangolin campaign, a large sample of respondents in China showed that 70% thought pangolin scales had a medicinal quality, down to just 28.5% two years later. Joining us today to talk about this work are Christina Vallianos, Wildlife Program Director, Asia at WildAid and Steve Blake, Former Chief Representative for China at WildAid. About WildAid WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners, WildAid leverages more than $218 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too. More information on WildAid can be found at www.wildaid.org or follow us on Twitter @wildaid

2 Mars 202151min

ATTENTION: PLEASE REGISTER FOR OUR VERY SPECIAL VIRTUAL GIRAFFE EVENT ON SATURDAY, MARCH 6TH AT 10AM PST / 1PM EST / 6PM UTC. IT IS COMPLETELY FREE AND YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT! LINK IS HERE. When most people think of wildlife species in Africa that need protection, they often think of lions, elephants, and rhinos. Even an Animalia favorite, the pangolin, is finally getting some of recognition and support. However we often don't think of giraffes. Yet, we love giraffes. They are popular gifts for kids and one of the most shareable images on social media. Those shares just don't seem to come alongside advocacy for protection. Well here are some telling facts: Giraffe numbers have dipped from 155,000 to just 110,000 in the last 30 years There are 4 elephants for every 1 giraffe in the wild today Giraffes have lost 89% of their natural habitat in the last 300 years So today, in this episode we sit down with Stephanie and Julian Fennessey, co-founders of The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, to discuss this species in depth and what needs to be done to protect them. GCF is headquartered in Namibia but actually operates in 15 different countries in Africa. They have been leaders in complicated translocations, empowering local communities, and started an open resource library for all of those who work in the field. If you love Giraffe, you'll love this episode. And if you want to support GCF, please donate here. Or you can pick up your very own Animalia Giraffe Tee, as proceeds are shared with GCF :) IN THIS EPISODE 1:30 State of Play for Giraffe Today 15:30 How Stephanie & Julian started GCF 23:24 Giraffe Translocation as a means of Conservation 36:45 Working within the politics of Wildlife Conservation in Africa 49:25 Empowering Locals to do the Conservation Work

20 Feb 20211h 5min

Here is a short excerpt from Bob. Go ahead and check out the full episode for our complete discussion!

16 Feb 20212min

There is a false narrative out there that all conservatives stand against climate action and all liberals stand for it. Things are not so black and white and we are letting partisanship get in the way. While it’s true that climate action has leaned more liberal than conservative overall, there are conservatives who think it is a top priority and are doing things about it, and likewise liberals who are not concerned about it at all. The point being, we need to engage in discussions across the aisle so to speak and work on climate change together. So today, we were fortunate to have one of the Conservative Climate Leaders join us for a discussion on the policies he sees as the pillars for climate action, particularly as it comes to carbon and clean energy. Bob Inglis served 6 terms in Congress. 3 from 1193 to 1999, and another 3 from from 2005 to 2011. It was during that second stint that he started coming around to the climate crisis and by 2011, he was advocating for climate action as a foundation to his platform. That ended up in him losing his seat in Congress, since many conservatives did not support such a position and still don’t today. That did not deter Bob however. He did not capitulate for the sake of staying in office. He doubled down on these efforts and founded RepublicEN, an organization dedicated to making climate action a conservative staple. In this episode we are going to hear from Bob on what it means to be a conservative climate activist and what policies he thinks are critical to fighting this crisis. We hope you take the time to listen and go check out their work on their website here, or their podcast here. You may not agree with everything, but that’s ok. We grow through civil disagreement and collaboration. Big thanks to Bob for joining! Also, please check out our Giraffe Conservation Event coming up on March 6th. It is 2.5 hours long starting at 10am PST / 1pm EST and it’s completely free to attend. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is presenting 4 incredible talks about protecting giraffes in the wild and you won’t want to miss it! Register Here. IN THIS EPISODE 2:50 Bob’s Journey to Climate Action 9:25 Pillars of the Conservative Climate Movement 25:13 Reacting to the 2020 Energy Act 31:32 Discussing the Green New Deal 36:28 Corporate Paths to Net-Zero 41:08 Bob’s Thoughts on Biden’s Climate Campaign So Far

16 Feb 202147min

Welcome to Season 2 of the Animalia podcast, where we cover all things conservation, climate, and sustainability. We’re opening this season with a long overdue chat about waste and recycling. How much progress are we actually making here? What should and should not be recycled? Is recycling the only way out of our waste problem? We sit down with Erik Osmundsen, CEO of The NG Group in Norway, one of the leading global innovators in recycling and waste management. Erik answers some of our common recycling questions, and clues us into what he thinks is perhaps as important if not more important than simply consuming less and recycling more: actually changing the materials we make products and packaging with. In This Episode 2:42 My Friends Answer Common Recycling Questions 7:34 Setting up the waste problem with Eric 15:05 What is preventing developed nations from making more progress 18:18 Defining a Circular Economy 21:10 Government, Corporate, and Individual Action 26:45 Gypsum: A Circular Economy Example 35:40 Consumers Should Get Paid to Recycle Properly 40:26 Debunking some common rules with recycling 53:50 Role of Subsidies 57:12 Erik’s Accomplishments with the NG Group Don't forget to stay safe and pick up your Animalia Facemask! We have masks for elephants and sloths and 100% of proceeds go to their respective conservation work.

9 Feb 20211h 13min