Rebel with a Cause: Remembering Finisia Medrano (part 3 of 3)

Disclaimer: This episode is full of obscenities and is probably not safe for work. Additionally, it contains words relating to sexual identity that may be offensive to some. All this vocabulary is not included gratuitously, but reflects the usage of the podcast’s subject, Finisia Medrano, a trans woman with a mouth like a sailor. You’ve been warned.

In this special edition of “Voices for Nature & Peace,” I speak with six people who knew Finisia Medrano, aka “Fin,” aka “Tranny Granny.”

Fin died on April 3rd, 2020, so this release marks that first year anniversary.

Fin was a well-known, or rather, notorious personality in rewilding, wildtending, and primitive skills circles. Her name was both praised and cursed, but even her critics had to acknowledge her experience and knowledge when it came to Native American first foods and how to cultivate them in the wild.

She spent about three decades in the western United States, much of it on horseback, getting to know these special plants and their ecosystems. Though of Irish background herself, she had been taught by Shoshone grandmothers in her youth.

She often spoke of “the Hoop,” which is an ancient migratory tradition of food gathering and cultivation that sustained Native Americans – and the land itself – in good health for thousands of years until it was violently disrupted by the European Invasion. The Hoop is not dead but is severely threatened, and Fin played an important role in not letting it die yet.

Unafraid of controversy and passionate to the core, she offended many. I myself was on her blacklist once but I didn't take it personally. What else can you expect from such a feral creature, so thoroughly discontented with civilization? After all, when we respect what we call “tact,” we usually end up being silent about our collective crimes: genocide, ecocide, etc. Some people were offended by her verbal crudity, but her fierce advocacy for wildtending was not only appropriate but vitally essential.

Please note that “Tranny Granny” is a term of affection, not a slur, having been bestowed upon her by some of the “Radical Faeries.” Fin underwent sex-reassignment surgery (as it was then known) to transition from male to female in her younger days, before being introduced to the Hoop. The Radical Faeries are a queer movement dating from the 70's who have been variously described as neo-Pagan, counter-cultural, anti-establishment, anarchist and radically environmentalist and their nickname for her carries no malice.

This presentation is not intended to be an exhaustive account of Finisia and her work. Nor did I attempt to interview a set of people who would provide a, quote, "balanced" view. That is, I did not talk to any of her haters. But none of these people were blind to her characteristics and the picture that emerges here can certainly not be described as “fawning.” And you know what? Fin – or Granny, as she always was to me – wouldn’t have respected a suck-up job either.

This episode is structured around a set of six questions that I asked each interviewee. They are:

part 1:

1. How did you meet Fin?
2. How would you describe Fin to someone who never met her?

part 2:

1. What did Fin do? / What was Fin's work about?
2. Describe a time you experienced friction or tension with Fin

part 3:

1. Can you sum up Fin's message to the world?
2. Do you have a memory of the last time you saw her / communicated with her?

The interviewees are: Gabe Crawford, Joanna Pocock, Joshua Dodds, Nikki Hill, Rain and Seda.

LINKS:

"Growing up in Occupied America" (autobiography by Fin): https://www.lulu.com/shop/finisia-medrano/shop/finisia-medrano/growing-up-in-occupied-america/paperback/product-1m44e98p.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Fin on YouTube (!) https://www.youtube.com/user/Finisiamedrano/videos

"Finisia Medrano and The Return" by Joanna Pocock: https://dark-mountain.net/finisia-medrano-and-the-return/

"Postcard From Eastern Oregon: When planting food is illegal" (in which I tell my story of meeting Granny) https://macskamoksha.com/2015/03/postcard-from-eastern-oregon

This episode's introduction music is by Doctor Dreamchip, who you can follow here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhlcItuC6pmhhemUjhPt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordreamchip/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/doctordreamchip

Other samples used: Drum Loop (1) by Cafftal ~ https://freesound.org/people/Cafftal/sounds/531436/ Loop33 by Zajo ~ https://freesound.org/people/Zajo/sounds/41586/ Amen Break B by Kevcio ~ https://freesound.org/people/Kevcio/sounds/263869/ Circuit 11 Drum 1 by Doctor Dreamchip ~ https://freesound.org/people/Doctor_Dreamchip/sounds/553708/ 106 BPM Drump Loop 1 by esares ~ https://freesound.org/people/esares/sounds/431874/ Beep warning by SamsterBirdies ~ https://freesound.org/people/SamsterBirdies/sounds/467882/ door creak by ollitunes ~ https://freesound.org/people/ollitunes/sounds/563136/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

Rebel with a Cause: Remembering Finisia Medrano (part 2 of 3)

Disclaimer: This episode is full of obscenities and is probably not safe for work. Additionally, it contains words relating to sexual identity that may be offensive to some. All this vocabulary is not included gratuitously, but reflects the usage of the podcast’s subject, Finisia Medrano, a trans woman with a mouth like a sailor. You’ve been warned.

In this special edition of “Voices for Nature & Peace,” I speak with six people who knew Finisia Medrano, aka “Fin,” aka “Tranny Granny.”

Fin died on April 3rd, 2020, so this release marks that first year anniversary.

Fin was a well-known, or rather, notorious personality in rewilding, wildtending, and primitive skills circles. Her name was both praised and cursed, but even her critics had to acknowledge her experience and knowledge when it came to Native American first foods and how to cultivate them in the wild.

She spent about three decades in the western United States, much of it on horseback, getting to know these special plants and their ecosystems. Though of Irish background herself, she had been taught by Shoshone grandmothers in her youth.

She often spoke of “the Hoop,” which is an ancient migratory tradition of food gathering and cultivation that sustained Native Americans – and the land itself – in good health for thousands of years until it was violently disrupted by the European Invasion. The Hoop is not dead but is severely threatened, and Fin played an important role in not letting it die yet.

Unafraid of controversy and passionate to the core, she offended many. I myself was on her blacklist once but I didn't take it personally. What else can you expect from such a feral creature, so thoroughly discontented with civilization? After all, when we respect what we call “tact,” we usually end up being silent about our collective crimes: genocide, ecocide, etc. Some people were offended by her verbal crudity, but her fierce advocacy for wildtending was not only appropriate but vitally essential.

Please note that “Tranny Granny” is a term of affection, not a slur, having been bestowed upon her by some of the “Radical Faeries.” Fin underwent sex-reassignment surgery (as it was then known) to transition from male to female in her younger days, before being introduced to the Hoop. The Radical Faeries are a queer movement dating from the 70's who have been variously described as neo-Pagan, counter-cultural, anti-establishment, anarchist and radically environmentalist and their nickname for her carries no malice.

This presentation is not intended to be an exhaustive account of Finisia and her work. Nor did I attempt to interview a set of people who would provide a, quote, "balanced" view. That is, I did not talk to any of her haters. But none of these people were blind to her characteristics and the picture that emerges here can certainly not be described as “fawning.” And you know what? Fin – or Granny, as she always was to me – wouldn’t have respected a suck-up job either.

This episode is structured around a set of six questions that I asked each interviewee. They are:

part 1:

1. How did you meet Fin?
2. How would you describe Fin to someone who never met her?

part 2:

1. What did Fin do? / What was Fin's work about?
2. Describe a time you experienced friction or tension with Fin

part 3:

1. Can you sum up Fin's message to the world?
2. Do you have a memory of the last time you saw her / communicated with her?

The interviewees are: Gabe Crawford, Joanna Pocock, Joshua Dodds, Nikki Hill, Rain and Seda.

LINKS:

"Growing up in Occupied America" (autobiography by Fin): https://www.lulu.com/shop/finisia-medrano/shop/finisia-medrano/growing-up-in-occupied-america/paperback/product-1m44e98p.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Fin on YouTube (!) https://www.youtube.com/user/Finisiamedrano/videos

"Finisia Medrano and The Return" by Joanna Pocock: https://dark-mountain.net/finisia-medrano-and-the-return/

"Postcard From Eastern Oregon: When planting food is illegal" (in which I tell my story of meeting Granny) https://macskamoksha.com/2015/03/postcard-from-eastern-oregon

This episode's introduction music is by Doctor Dreamchip, who you can follow here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhlcItuC6pmhhemUjhPt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordreamchip/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/doctordreamchip

Other samples used: Drum Loop (1) by Cafftal ~ https://freesound.org/people/Cafftal/sounds/531436/ Loop33 by Zajo ~ https://freesound.org/people/Zajo/sounds/41586/ Amen Break B by Kevcio ~ https://freesound.org/people/Kevcio/sounds/263869/ Circuit 11 Drum 1 by Doctor Dreamchip ~ https://freesound.org/people/Doctor_Dreamchip/sounds/553708/ 106 BPM Drump Loop 1 by esares ~ https://freesound.org/people/esares/sounds/431874/ Beep warning by SamsterBirdies ~ https://freesound.org/people/SamsterBirdies/sounds/467882/ door creak by ollitunes ~ https://freesound.org/people/ollitunes/sounds/563136/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

Rebel with a Cause: Remembering Finisia Medrano (part 1 of 3)

Disclaimer: This episode is full of obscenities and is probably not safe for work. Additionally, it contains words relating to sexual identity that may be offensive to some. All this vocabulary is not included gratuitously, but reflects the usage of the podcast’s subject, Finisia Medrano, a trans woman with a mouth like a sailor. You’ve been warned.

In this special edition of “Voices for Nature & Peace,” I speak with six people who knew Finisia Medrano, aka “Fin,” aka “Tranny Granny.”

Fin died on April 3rd, 2020, so this release marks that first year anniversary.

Fin was a well-known, or rather, notorious personality in rewilding, wildtending, and primitive skills circles. Her name was both praised and cursed, but even her critics had to acknowledge her experience and knowledge when it came to Native American first foods and how to cultivate them in the wild.

She spent about three decades in the western United States, much of it on horseback, getting to know these special plants and their ecosystems. Though of Irish background herself, she had been taught by Shoshone grandmothers in her youth.

She often spoke of “the Hoop,” which is an ancient migratory tradition of food gathering and cultivation that sustained Native Americans – and the land itself – in good health for thousands of years until it was violently disrupted by the European Invasion. The Hoop is not dead but is severely threatened, and Fin played an important role in not letting it die yet.

Unafraid of controversy and passionate to the core, she offended many. I myself was on her blacklist once but I didn't take it personally. What else can you expect from such a feral creature, so thoroughly discontented with civilization? After all, when we respect what we call “tact,” we usually end up being silent about our collective crimes: genocide, ecocide, etc. Some people were offended by her verbal crudity, but her fierce advocacy for wildtending was not only appropriate but vitally essential.

Please note that “Tranny Granny” is a term of affection, not a slur, having been bestowed upon her by some of the “Radical Faeries.” Fin underwent sex-reassignment surgery (as it was then known) to transition from male to female in her younger days, before being introduced to the Hoop. The Radical Faeries are a queer movement dating from the 70's who have been variously described as neo-Pagan, counter-cultural, anti-establishment, anarchist and radically environmentalist and their nickname for her carries no malice.

This presentation is not intended to be an exhaustive account of Finisia and her work. Nor did I attempt to interview a set of people who would provide a, quote, "balanced" view. That is, I did not talk to any of her haters. But none of these people were blind to her characteristics and the picture that emerges here can certainly not be described as “fawning.” And you know what? Fin – or Granny, as she always was to me – wouldn’t have respected a suck-up job either.

This episode is structured around a set of six questions that I asked each interviewee. They are:

part 1:

1. How did you meet Fin?
2. How would you describe Fin to someone who never met her?

part 2:

1. What did Fin do? / What was Fin's work about?
2. Describe a time you experienced friction or tension with Fin

part 3:

1. Can you sum up Fin's message to the world?
2. Do you have a memory of the last time you saw her / communicated with her?

The interviewees are: Gabe Crawford, Joanna Pocock, Joshua Dodds, Nikki Hill, Rain and Seda.

LINKS:

"Growing up in Occupied America" (autobiography by Fin): https://www.lulu.com/shop/finisia-medrano/shop/finisia-medrano/growing-up-in-occupied-america/paperback/product-1m44e98p.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Fin on YouTube (!) https://www.youtube.com/user/Finisiamedrano/videos

"Finisia Medrano and The Return" by Joanna Pocock: https://dark-mountain.net/finisia-medrano-and-the-return/

"Postcard From Eastern Oregon: When planting food is illegal" (in which I tell my story of meeting Granny) https://macskamoksha.com/2015/03/postcard-from-eastern-oregon

This episode's introduction music is by Doctor Dreamchip, who you can follow here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhlcItuC6pmhhemUjhPt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordreamchip/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/doctordreamchip

Other samples used: Drum Loop (1) by Cafftal ~ https://freesound.org/people/Cafftal/sounds/531436/ Loop33 by Zajo ~ https://freesound.org/people/Zajo/sounds/41586/ Amen Break B by Kevcio ~ https://freesound.org/people/Kevcio/sounds/263869/ Circuit 11 Drum 1 by Doctor Dreamchip ~ https://freesound.org/people/Doctor_Dreamchip/sounds/553708/ 106 BPM Drump Loop 1 by esares ~ https://freesound.org/people/esares/sounds/431874/ Beep warning by SamsterBirdies ~ https://freesound.org/people/SamsterBirdies/sounds/467882/ door creak by ollitunes ~ https://freesound.org/people/ollitunes/sounds/563136/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"A Lifetime Seeking Peace" feat. Kathy Kelly

Kathy Kelly is a lifelong pacifist and peace activist. In her efforts to stop the US military machine, she has traveled to war zones around the world, engaged in countless acts of non-violent civil disobedience, and been arrested dozens of times. With her own eyes, she has witnessed the brutal costs of US aggression. Her reality has focused on things that most US citizens don't even know are happening because the mainstream media and the political establishment studiously avoid them. She knows about the children who are killed or maimed and she speaks up for them.

Despite being witness to so much horror, she is not full of despair and does not believe that humans are intrinsically evil. She is clearly guided by love. I was so grateful for the chance to talk to her, as I have admired people like her my whole life. To me, such people are heroic -- not sports stars or politicians or soldiers -- but the rebels with causes: the justice seekers, truth-tellers, and rabble rousers.

In our conversation, we talked about International Women's Day (which happened to be the date of the interview); women's rights and the politics of peace; the brutality of war; how most US Americans are ignorant of the consequences of US militarism; the effects of using drones and special forces; her visits to Afghanistan; the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, the original US military attack against Iraq; what she learned on a visit to the Russian Federation; how militarism has become "the main religion in the United States right now;" the connection between US imperialism abroad and the repression of Native Americans domestically; her experiences in prison; the subject of prison abolition; and what keeps her inspired as an activist.

Kathy Kelly's columns, as posted to Counterpunch: https://www.counterpunch.org/author/kathy-kelly/

Voices for Creative Nonviolence website http://vcnv.org/

World Beyond War: https://worldbeyondwar.org/

A School for Social and Cultural Change (SSCC) https://sscc.teachable.com/

Maine Natural Guard link that Kathy refers to: https://sites.google.com/site/mainenaturalguard/resources

Music in episode introduction is "Glass bass" by Frankum & Frankumjay https://freesound.org/people/frankum/sounds/442285/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"Rethinking Food & Agriculture" feat. Laila Kassam

Laila Kassam has been involved in social change for most of her career. She has worked in the international development sector since 2003, conducting research on poverty and food security for rural development projects in the Global South. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and by international organisations including the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO). Laila has an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She is a co-founder of the Veterinary Vegan Network, Ethical Globe and Animal Think Tank. She co-edited the anthology, "Rethinking Food & Agriculture: New Ways Forward," which features a number of well-known writers and activists including Rupert Sheldrake and Vandana Shiva. The volume contains three articles co-written by Laila, and discussing these was the bulk of our conversation.

We talked about the role of animal domestication in the neolithic revolution; the concept of "misothery;" the so-called "green revolution" in 20th Century agriculture; alternative paradigms including conservation agriculture, organic agriculture, agroecology, and regenerative agriculture; how the question of either chemicals or animal inputs is a false choice; and the myth of food scarcity. We spent the last third of the interview talking about solutions: how we can make agriculture sustainable and just, which involves not just farming methods but also systemic economic and social changes.

Excerpts from the book: inclusiveresponsibility.earth

Episode introduction music is "Cool Swing" by frankumjay: https://freesound.org/people/frankum/sounds/320500/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"The Bonobo Way" with Dr. Susan Block

Susan Marilyn Block, Ph.D. is founder and director of the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences. A world-renowned sexologist and best-selling author, her book, "The Bonobo Way: The Evolution of Peace through Pleasure," has garnered critical acclaim from a variety of media outlets and celebrities, from politicians to porn stars. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale University “with distinction” in Theater Studies, Dr. Block, aka “Dr. Suzy,” received her master’s and doctorate in psychology from California Miramar University and an honorary doctorate from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.

In our conversation, we started with the basics of Bonobo life, and then moved on to the effects of geography on their evolution; how sex makes you smarter; the "Bonobo handshake;" how male Bonobos are "mama's boys;" releasing your inner-Bonobo; sexual puritanism on the left; scarcity issues with sex in contemporary society; how humans were more egalitarian and sexually adventurous as gatherer-hunters than we are today; the problem of increasing screen time in the our culture; and efforts to save Bonobos and their habitat in the wild.

DrSusanBlock.com

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSusanBlock

BlockBonoboFoundation.org

Sex therapy: 213-291-9497

F.D.R. -- F*ck Da Rich! podcast, live on Saturday nights! Call in at: 866-289-7068 Wherever you find podcasts, plus on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHU3oZaLJvA&list=PLRnnn7gHDW4auLrpsw56q9zH8EaxkTHue

Organizations working to save Bonobos in the wild:

Lola Ya Bonobo, a sanctuary for orphaned Bonobos: https://www.bonobos.org/

Bonobo Conservation Initiative: http://www.bonobo.org/

The Bonobo Project: http://bonoboproject.org/

Episode introduction music is "EastAndW" by Romariogrande https://freesound.org/people/Romariogrande/sounds/399354/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume: https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"The Vital Need to Decolonize" feat. Ajamu Baraka

A human rights defender whose experience spans four decades of domestic and international education and activism, Ajamu Baraka is a veteran grassroots organizer whose roots are in the Black Liberation Movement and anti-apartheid and Central American solidarity struggles. He is an internationally recognized leader of the emerging human rights movement in the U.S. and has been at the forefront of efforts to apply the international human rights framework to social justice advocacy in the U.S. for more than 25 years. He is now a National Organizer for the Black Alliance for Peace, whose activities we discuss.

Baraka has taught political science at various universities and has been a guest lecturer at academic institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Baraka has appeared on a wide-range of media outlets including CNN, BBC, Telemundo, ABC, RT, the Black Commentator, the Washington Post and the New York Times. He is currently an editor and contributing columnist for the Black Agenda Report and a writer for Counterpunch.

We talked about the recent airstrikes by the US on Syria; how foreign policy was virtually ignored during the 2020 presidential campaign; the bloated US military budget; the global reach of US imperialism; neoliberalism as an expression of fascism; alternative media and social media; decolonization and the need to dismantle the United States; the structures of white supremacy; the dependency of technoindustrial culture on colonialism; following indigenous leadership; the necessity of revolutionary change; the weak organizational culture in the US; and the importance of acting in solidarity with social struggles around the world.

If you like this episode, please share it on social media, and subscribe to the podcast so you'll be alerted to future episodes. To support "Voices for Nature & Peace" financially, you can make a one-time donation at paypal.me or venmo to username kollibri. You can also become a member at Patreon.com/kollibri, where you'll get early access to most episodes and to exclusive content.

Now here is my conversation with Ajamu Baraka.

Ajamu Baraka's website: https://www.ajamubaraka.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajamubaraka

Black Alliance for Peace: https://blackallianceforpeace.com/

Music in background of introduction assembled from samples by: MieliTietty https://freesound.org/people/MieliTietty/ and jaffa1970 https://freesound.org/people/jaffa1970/

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"We Shouldn't Be at War with Plants" feat. Prof. Juliet Stromberg

Julie Stromberg is a retired professor from Arizona State University, where she received her PhD in Plant Ecology in 1988. While at ASU, she specialized in riparian ecosystems. Much of her research focused on relationships between stream and ground water hydrology and riparian ecosystems, and on effects of ecosystem disturbance (floods and fire) on riparian plant populations, communities, and landscapes. Some of her studies were conducted at reference sites where human influence is minimal, while others were carried out at hydrologically altered sites or at sites undergoing restoration. By understanding pattern and process in riparian ecosystems, she provided resource managers with information that could inform conservation and restoration efforts. She contributed to over 80 scholarly articles during her career and now focuses on non-academic writing.

Nikki Hill joined me as the co-host of this episode. Nikki has a degree in environmental science and has worked in restoration and agriculture. Currently she invests her energy in wildtending efforts. We co-authored a zine together called, "The Troubles of 'Invasive' Plants," which you can download for free at my blog.

Much of our discussion focused on Tamarisks, aka Saltcedars, a tree of African origin that thrives in riparian areas across the western United States. Tamarisks have been called, "invasive," but the whole story of this plant--and the reasons for its abundance--is far more complex than that simplistic and unscientific label suggests. We talked about how popular knowledge and policy lags behind science and research; how human water use has changed the ecology of the Southwest; how the endangered bird species, the Willow Fly Catcher, has come to depend on Tamarisk; how it doesn't make sense that some biodiversity indexes ignore non-native plants in their tallies; the role of scientists in manufacturing myths around Tamarisks; how agriculture devastates biodiversity; the role of annuals--native or not--in early ecological succession; how non-native plants can have beneficial ecological effects; climate change and plant migration; plant agency and sentience; contemporary alienation from nature and the importance of re-engaging; the healing practice of wildtending; and how an adversarial approach to restoration won't solve the ecological problems we made by being adversarial.

This episode's introduction music is by Doctor Dreamchip, who you can follow here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhlcItuC6pmhhemUjhPt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordreamchip/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/doctordreamchip

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

"We're All Preppers Now" feat. Margaret Killjoy

Margaret Killjoy is a transfeminine author and editor currently living in a self-built cabin in the Appalachian mountains. She is the author of the Danielle Cain series of novellas, published by Tor.com. She hosts the podcast, "Live Like the World is Dying," in which she interviews people who think about how to prepare for and survive crises. Politically, she is an anarchist: she believes that society would be better off without systems of hierarchy and oppression such as the state, capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and the like.

Margaret and I have known each other since the early 2000s in Portland, Oregon, where we were both involved in the Indymedia and forest defense scenes. We lived in the same activist house for awhile, and I always appreciated her analysis, creativity and hard work. We hadn't talked for over a decade at the time of this interview, but we fell right back into an easy, enjoyable dialogue. There's more laughter than usual in this episode, as both of us can approach serious topics with levity.

Our conversation was centered around an essay she wrote in early January called, "We're All Preppers Now." We discussed elite panic; the three essential components of successful prepping: skills, gear and relationships; the different scales of preparation including individual, community and grid-level; the difficulties of agriculture; the challenges of off-grid living, including our own personal experiences; "frontiersman" mythology; the importance of being in relation to the land where you live; how abstinence is not the most effective response to exploitation; anarchism as social organization; anarchists in history; the role of imagination in making positive change; electoral politics and activism; the possibility of famine; and climate change. We end the podcast with a recording of the song "Cast Fire," from her band, Alsarath, which also plays in the background of this episode's introduction.

"We're All Preppers Now" article: http://www.liveliketheworldisdying.com/2021/01/11/were-all-preppers-now/

Where to follow Margaret Killjoy and her work: Blog: http://birdsbeforethestorm.net/ Podcast: http://www.liveliketheworldisdying.com/podcast-episodes/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/magpiekilljoy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaretkilljoy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/margaretkilljoy Musical projects at bandcamp: Nomadic War Machine, Feminazgul, Alsarath, and Vulgarite

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: https://paypal.me/kollibri or https://venmo.com/kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.

Ep. 58: I'm Interviewed on the Green Root Podcast

In January I was interviewed by Josh Schlossberg for his Green Root podcast. Josh is an investigative journalist and recovering activist and with his podcast he is pursuing a quest to uncover the roots of the modern ecological crisis. I interviewed Josh in 2018 about how biomass energy isn't green, and you can read an abridged version online at my blog or the complete conversation in my book, "Roadtripping at the End of the World."

In this interview we discussed some of the problems with agriculture including habitat destruction, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, ocean dead zones, soil erosion & top soil loss; we also touched on small-scale farms vs. Big Ag and got into the issues with genetically-modified crops. We then switched gears to history and prehistory and examined how the agricultural revolution changed human culture and health for the worse. We ended by talking about the importance of taking our lead for the future from indigenous people.

"Green Root" is one of my favorite podcasts, and I recommend that you to check it out! https://greenrootpodcast.podbean.com/

The beats in this episode's introduction music are by Doctor Dreamchip, who you can follow here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhlcItuC6pmhhemUjhPt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordreamchip/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/doctordreamchip

RADIO FREE SUNROOT: Podcasting by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume https://radiofreesunroot.com

KOLLIBRI'S BLOG & BOOKSHOP: https://macskamoksha.com/

ONE-TIME DONATION: http://paypal.me/kollibri https://venmo.com/Kollibri

• KOLLIBRI'S PATREON: Get access to members-only content https://www.patreon.com/kollibri

Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace

This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-a50345 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Voices for Nature & Peace.