How the symphony of life holds the solutions we need to balance human civilization with living systems
For all the talk about the Age of Information, what we’re really entering is the Age of Nature. As we face the reality that, as humans, we have the capacity to destroy the conditions conducive to life, avoiding this fate requires a radical change in our relationship to nature, and how we view it. Looking to nature to heal nature, and ourselves, is essential.
Traditional Indigenous wisdom and modern science show us that everything is connected and that the solutions we need are present in the sentient symphony of life. We can learn from the time-tested principles, processes, and dynamics that have allowed living systems to flourish during 3.8 billion years of evolution.
In this enlightening series, we visit with scientists, ecologists, Indigenous practitioners of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, community organizers, and authors reporting from the frontlines of ecological restoration. They explore the intelligence inherent in nature and show us how to model human organization on living systems.
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Listen to the trailer:
“What life in ensemble has learned to do is to create conditions conducive to life.
The key question is: ‘What would nature do?’ Seeing nature as model, measure and mentor changes the very way you view and value the natural world. Instead of seeing nature as warehouse, you see her as teacher. Instead of valuing what you can extract from her, you value what you can learn from her.”
JANINE BENYUS
Co-founder, Biomimicry 3.8
EPISODES
The Universe Beneath Our Feet: Mapping the Mycelial Web of Life
Imagine an underground web of mind-boggling complexity; quadrillions of miles of tiny threads in the soil pulsate with real-time messages, trade vital nutrients, and form symbiotic partnerships. Visionary biologists Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake guide us through the intricate wonders of the mycorrhizal fungal networks.
What Does Water Want?
Water makes life possible. From the tiniest bacteria to the tallest tree, every living thing relies on this irreplaceable substance. Erica Gies, author of “Water Always Wins,” explores water’s unique role in the web of life, and how we might repair and reshape our relationship with it. Rather than telling water what to do, maybe we should start by asking what it wants?
Seeing the Forest for the Trees
We trek into the ancient old-growth forest where the trees reveal an ecological parable: Forests are mightily interwoven communities of diverse life that run on symbiosis. They’ve operated on nature’s slow time to evolve a complex choreography in a kind of forest kin-dom that breathes life into the world. We hear from Dr. Suzanne Simard and Dr. Teresa Ryan, two leading Canadian ecologists whose work has helped reveal an elaborate tapestry of kinship and mutual aid.
Beaver Believers: How to Restore Planet Water
The restoration of beavers offers ancient nature-based solutions to the tangle of challenges bedeviling human civilization. Droughts, floods, soil erosion, biodiversity loss – you name it, and beaver is on it. Ecologists Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman share their semi-aquatic journey to becoming Beaver Believers. They are part of a global movement to bring back our rodent relatives.
The Nature of Language, the Language of Nature
Over 7,000 languages are spoken around the world. Each one reflects a rich ecosystem of ideas – seeds that grow into a multitude of worldviews. Today, many of these immeasurably precious knowledge systems are endangered – often spoken by just a handful of people. We hear from Indigenous language champions, Jeannette Armstrong and Rowen White. They reflect on the words, stories, songs and ideas that influence our very conception of nature, and our place within it.
Urban Forests: A Nature-Based Solution to Climate Breakdown and Inequality
Visionary urban planners and community organizers recognize that addressing the climate crisis requires drawing down carbon out of the atmosphere and sequestering it back where it belongs in natural systems. Urban forestry is a nature-based solution that addresses the parallel crises of climate change and wealth inequality. With Brett KenCairn, Center for Regenerative Solutions, and Samira Malone, Urban Sustainability Directors Network.
SERIES GUESTS
Jeannette Armstrong
Co-Founder, En’owkin Centre (Okanagan)
Brock Dolman
Co-Founder and Program Director, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Erica Gies
Author and Journalist
Brett KenCairn
Founding Director of Center for Regenerative Solutions
Toby Kiers
Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Co-Founder of SPUN
Kate Lundquist
Water Institute Co-Director, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Samira Malone
Urban Forestry Program Manager, Urban Sustainability Directors Network
Teresa Ryan
Teaching and Learning Fellow,
Forest and Conservation Sciences Dept, Univ. of British Columbia
Merlin Sheldrake
Biologist and Author
Suzanne Simard
Author and Professor of Forest Ecology, Univ. of British Columbia
Rowen White
Seedkeeper/Farmer and author from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne
If you’d like to learn more about the extraordinary intelligence of life inherent in fungi, plants and animals, check out our newsletter, Earthlings. In each issue, we delve into captivating stories and research that promise to reshape your perception of our fellow Earthlings – and point toward a profound shift in how we all inhabit this planet together.
SERIES CREDITS
- Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel
- Writers: Cathy Edwards and Kenny Ausubel
- Producer: Cathy Edwards
- Senior Producer: Stephanie Welch
- Associate Producer and Program Engineer: Emily Harris
- Producer: Teo Grossman
- Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey
- Production Assistant: Kaleb Wentzel Fisher
- Production Assistant: Monica Lopez
- Graphic Design: Megan Howe
- Marketing Assistance: Tink Media