What does it mean to be a member of an ecosystem?

A few years ago I created a podcast called ‘You Can’t Eat Money’ about our human relationship with nature and the more-than-human world through the medium of food. With our food system accounting for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions (including a huge amount of intense methane) and with many of us having three chances to choose our food each day, this seemed like a great place to start.

What I quickly learned is just how deeply food is embedded into our culture. Many really smart scientists and food people have given clear guidance on how to reduce the impact of our diet, but - so far - it hasn’t been able to break the cultural hold of emissions-intense ingredients like beef.

However, that core idea of You Can’t Eat Money got me interested in exploring other dimensions of our human relationship with nature and the more-than-human world. The Ecosystem Member podcast (follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or here at ecosystemmember.com) was born out of that curiosity.

In Season One, I took a broad approach, speaking with business professionals, foragers, scientists and artists about their relationships. While all of these conversations were enlightening, the chats with artists in particular highlighted how creative work can be a powerful ‘critical thinking generator’ to explore these relationships.

Knowing the deep impact of culture in this conversation and the need to ask big questions about our relationship with nature and the more-than-human world, Season Two focuses on the arts as a lens to explore this relationship.

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Thanks for listening.

Ever grateful for this green and blue ball -

Rick