Raíces Verdes
42 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsRaíces Verdes is a platform dedicated to validating, archiving and sharing the experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, in connection to the environment. Raíces Verdes is a podcast for healing our relationship to the earth and with each other.
Hosted by Samara Almonte, La Fresa de Rancho
Artwork by Dario Castellon
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Episodes
Indigenous Knowledge: All About Mezcal
December 15, 2021 00:52 - 58 minutes - 43.9 MBWanted to end 2021 with a fun and perhaps unusual topic. Today we are talking about mezcal! You can probably tell right away based on how much I talk in this episode compare to others, but I LOVE mezcal. And you might not believe it but there are lot of conversations to be had about environmental justice and decolonization when it comes to this ancestral beverage. So in this episode I interview Elisa Ruiz-Gutierrez, co-owner of Mezcal Vxhee and a 5th generation mezcalera from Santiago Matatl...
Finding Roots Amongst Diaspora
November 22, 2021 20:00 - 47 minutes - 36.7 MBThis episode features Francis Mendoza. Francis goes by he/they/sila pronouns and lives on the ancestral, unceded and contemporary land of the Chocheño people in present-day Oakland, California. They are the Manager of Community Development for the Children & Nature Network and Director of the JEDAI section of the National Association for Interpretation (JEDAI means justice, equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion). Francis is a first-generation Filipinx immigrant who identifies as a m...
(Re)nourishment of the Spirit
November 15, 2021 20:00 - 42 minutes - 36.5 MBWe are back to having guests on the podcast! It only seem fitting to have Sanjana Sekhar as the first guest for the relaunch of Season 3.2, since we are constantly in conversation about healing, embracing change and holding space for the complicated emotions that arise. Sanjana Sekhar (SUN-juh-nah SHAKE-her) is an Indian-American filmmaker, climate activist, and Ayurvedic (Ayervada) wellness communicator. Her work seeks to amplify character-driven stories that heal our human relationships to ...
In Motion with Vulnerability
October 19, 2021 21:00 - 48 minutes - 45 MBHello listeners, it's been a while since I have been behind the mic. This is the revival of Season 3, since I dropped off in the middle of it and I just wanted to give a quick update of what I have been up to and thoughts around creating a mission and vision for Raices Verdes. There have already been so many changes this year and I am just in motion with more to come. I am in motion with vulnerability, working to open my heart up and let the healing begin. So tune in if you want to share a m...
Feminists Frameworks to Climate Change
March 25, 2021 19:00 - 56 minutes - 47.2 MBIn this episode we featured Andrea Vega Troncoso a queer, dominican, decolonial feminist and climate justice advocate. Originally from Santo Domingo, DR, Andrea now lives in Lenape lands or Brooklyn, NY. She’s currently working at WEDO (the Women’s Environment and Development Organization), supporting their global advocacy work at the intersections of climate, environmental, gender and development justice. During the first part of the episode Andrea shares with us what it means for her to ...
Imperialism & the Environment in Central America
March 11, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 54.3 MBThis episode features Sussan García, the founder of The CentAm (Central American) Collective, an educational digital space for Central Americans in diaspora in the Global North. Sussan is a recent Arab Crossroads Studies graduate from New York University Abu Dhabi. She was born to two young Guatemalan immigrants and raised in occupied Canarsee land (Queens, NYC). In the episode, Sussan shares with us parts of her radicalization journey and how this led to the creation of the CentAm Collectiv...
Toxic Masculinity & the Outdoors
March 04, 2021 20:00 - 35 minutes - 25.7 MBIn this episode, Alejandro Lozano a Mexican Immigrant Outdoors Filmmaker, Media content creator for Latino Outdoors joins us to talk about toxic masculinity and its connection the outdoors. We discussed Alejandro's first interactions with the environment as a young boy through learning how to spiritually connect with nature with his father. Later in the episode Alejandro shares how he combats the social pressures from society that demand toxic masculinity from him, and how his adventures in ...
Promo Ep: Dtocs - Ecofriendly tableware solutions
February 15, 2021 18:34 - 19 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode I interview Pallavi Pande, the owner and founder of Dtocs! Dtocs is an eco-friendly brand based out of Portland, Oregon specializing in compostable palm leaf silverware. Pallavi was inspired to launch this brand by her green roots in India, where she would eat from banana leaves as a child. The motto from Dtocs is "“Responsible living- towards mother nature, towards our kids and towards our community”. Listen to this special episode to learn more about Pallavi's journey as a b...
What our Ancestors Saw in the Stars
February 02, 2021 23:03 - 37 minutes - 32.1 MBNEW EPISODE: Feel like astrology is apolitical? Well think again! In Episode 3 of Season 3, I had the pleasure of interviewing Giselle Castaño, a queer mixed race Mexican Jewish astrologer, currently residing in Duwamish territory. In this episode we discuss the erasure of Black and Indigenous knowledge in astrology, how we all embody all four elements of astrology, and what astrology can teach us about environmental justice! You can learn more about Giselle and the services they offer throu...
Indigenizing Environmental Science & Mutual Aid
January 27, 2021 22:14 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBSeason 3 Episode 2: In this episode we have Dr. Jessica Hernandez, an Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. She discusses with us the importance of indigenizing environmental science to center Indigenous voices and knowledge. We also discuss the importance of mutual aid for Indigenous communities, and the harm that "helicopter research" in communities of color can cause. Listen to learn more about Dr. Jessica's work and the two collectives she ...
Archiving P'urhépecha Knowledge Through Art
January 19, 2021 20:00 - 30 minutes - 24.5 MBWelcome to Season 3 of Raíces Verdes! In this first episode, we have P'urhépecha artist Diana Morales as a guest on the show. Diana is an artist born in Santa Cruz Tanaco, Michoacan, Mexico raised in Santa Ana, California unceded Tongva and Acjachemen territory. She is the creator of Arte Es Medicina, an Instagram platform dedicated to sharing P'urhépecha oral stories and collective efforts through art. In this episode we discuss her artwork in connection to her experience as part of the P...
In the Fire: The Medicine For Tragedy is Community
October 06, 2020 22:24 - 58 minutes - 48.5 MBErica & Niria are two Chicanas from the Northwest organizing mutual aid efforts for members of the Talent, Phoenix and Medford community who lost everything due to the recent #Almedafires. Specifically, they are raising funds to support Latinx & immigrant community members who were previously residing in mobile homes and were severely affected by the fires. In this episode we discussed the environmental implications & injustices on BIPOC when disasters occur, and how mutual aid rooted in comm...
Latinidad: Representation for Who?
September 10, 2020 00:33 - 50 minutes - 44.2 MBLatinidad, or the Latinx identity is messy. But we need to talk about the messiness of it so we can be critical of what we mean when say we want diversity in the "environmental movement", in people leading the work of sustainability. Within the Latinx community, who is most impacted by environmental injustices? Is it our Black-Latinx community members, Indigenous people? What is a White-Latinx and where is all this nuance coming from? I hope this episode sparks conversation and something come...
Protectors Of The Salish Sea
September 01, 2020 22:15 - 1 hour - 65.5 MBChiyokten of the Saanich tribe shares medicine through the form of storytelling and reminds us that we have a choice in how we are in relationship with land, water and everything else on this earth. To support their work visit https://protectorsofthesalishsea.org/ https://www.facebook.com/ProtectorsOfTheSalishSea/
Radical Black Ecology
August 25, 2020 17:00 - 37 minutes - 31.3 MBGabrielle Felder is a freelance graphic designer, social media artist, and culture critic. Originally from Orange County, California, Gabrielle currently lives in Portland with her fiance. After beginning her master’s degree in Environmental Health at University of Washington, Gabrielle realized that her true passions lie in art & design, writing, marketing, and activism. She is the creator of the social media platform on Instagram @gfx_prints, which sparked the topic of this episode, focusin...
Abolition & the Outdoors
August 18, 2020 17:28 - 28 minutes - 24 MBKi’Amber Thompson is a queer Blaxicana educator, organizer, artist, and entrepreneur from the West Side of San Antonio. Since graduating from Pomona College in 2018 she’s done environmental justice work in Flint, Michigan through the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Michigan and spent a year in Washington, D.C. doing policy, research, and storytelling work with the Ocean Conservancy. Ki’Amber is the Founder and Director of the Charles Roundtree Bloom Project, an o...
Slowing Down to the Beat of the Earth
August 13, 2020 03:06 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBA soundtrack featuring the Earth stories of 6 BIPOC and their healing journey with land and water. Slow down, take a moment to rest and reflect on your own Earth story as you listen to the soundtrack. Thank you to Paul, Carol, Hannah, John Wesley and Jasmmine for allowing me to record their stories and be part of this work. Special thank you to @_carina.carina for the cover art, and @paliboyoriginal for the music featured in the podcast. Below you can find more information about the participa...
Black Environmentalism & Settler-Colonial Education
August 11, 2020 21:00 - 53 minutes - 46.2 MBAshley Abena* Arhin (she/her)| *(Uh-bin-uh) Born and raised in unceded Duwamish Territory also known as Seattle Washington, Abena is a Black woman of Ghanaian decent with kinship in the In-land Ashanti and Coastal Fante tribes. She received her Bachelors Degree from Western Washington University in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Education and Social Justice in 2018. Entitled “Understanding Black Connections to Land and Place through Anti-Blackness in the United States” she spent he...
Islam As the Deepest Green Root
July 06, 2020 18:25 - 47 minutes - 42.6 MBKadiatou(Ka-djah-tou)Balde is a 22-year-old Black Guinean-American Muslim womxn. She’s a social architect with a passion for BI&POC community-based sustainability and entrepreneurship - rooted in Islam. Upon graduating last May, she worked with 12 different non-profit organizations as a Diversity in Arts Leadership intern, where she learned the importance of BI&POC solutions and leadership that led to her co-creation of Faithfully Sustainable. To follow her work check out @faithfully_sustaina...
Islam & Ethical Fashion
June 30, 2020 19:50 - 48 minutes - 42 MBZainab Koli is an Indian American Muslim woman whose work sits at the intersection of sustainable fashion, community organizing, and Islam. She is the Co-Founder of two Muslim community organizations, Faithfully Sustainable and NY MSA Showdown. She plans to continue bringing together her background in fashion design and product development and community organizing to build just fashion systems free from social and environmental exploitation by centering the voices and solutions of BIPOC commu...
Latinx, Muslim & Sustainable
May 28, 2020 21:00 - 50 minutes - 43.6 MBCassandra Tejada is a promoter of sustainable fashion and sustainable living. She sets out to take up space within the sustainable fashion community as a Muslim, Dominican, Peruvian, Colombian women. Cassandra shares her own modest and sustainable style and Islamic lifestyle on various online platforms, and she is also an aspiring entrepreneur who is working towards launching a sustainable, modest clothing line. IG: @cassandra_laflor TikTok: @cassandra_laflor YouTube: Cassandra La Flor
Raices Press: Healing Through Storytelling
May 14, 2020 21:12 - 53 minutes - 45.3 MBAleyda or Mari for her familia, is from a small town near Guadalajara, Mexico. She graduated from Fairhaven College with an Interdisciplinary major titled “Solidarity Across borders: Understanding Experiences and Imagining New Realities through Storytelling” and a minor in Education and Social Justice. Aleyda is the content curator for Raices Press, a platform to find book recommendations, book reviews, and writing events. Raices Press has a strong focus on social justice and highlighting wri...
The Chisme on Ecofascism & Healing
May 11, 2020 21:00 - 32 minutes - 30.9 MBFrom life transitions, COVID-19, ecofascism and all things healing, I wanted to share with you all some chisme. New episodes are coming, because I believe more than ever this is the time to archive and share our stories as Black, Indigenous, People of Color. We are here, we been here, and we will exist in the future. For COVID-19 resources go to https://nuestrasraicesverdes.com/resources/covid-19/
"I will plan your ass out of this city!"
April 15, 2020 00:00 - 41 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this episode, I interviewed Dario Castellon for the second time as part of the series featuring the artists of Raíces Verdes. Dario is the visual artist for the podcast, and a colleague from my time at Huxley College of the Environment, where we both received a B.A in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development. For this episode, Dario and I spoke about our experiences in the predominantly white and cis-male dominated field that is Urban Planning. As Black, Indigenous, People of Color, how...
Holy Olives & Imperialism
April 08, 2020 01:59 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBSofian Mahmoud is a Palestinian-American creative, and musician born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, that goes by the name Paliboy Original. He is the artist behind the music you listen to during the introduction of the podcast, and recently won Western Washington University’s Freestyle Rap Battle competition hosted by AS Productions and Revival Events. In 2019 they led a workshop titled "Palestinian Indigeneity: Borders & Displacement" alongside their colleague and friend Saniah Naim at...
Medicine In Our DNA
February 18, 2020 21:59 - 38 minutes - 41.9 MBIn the last episode of the series, "Beyond Chicanismo: Indigeneity & the Environment", I interviewed my mentor and close friend Simón Sedillo. Simón teaches geopolitics and political economy and he also coordinates a study abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico for native students from the USA. To access Simón's work about the effects of and community based resistance to neoliberalism, militarism, and white supremacy visit https://elenemigocomun.net/. If you are interested in bringing Simón Sedillo...
No Borders on Indigenous Land
February 12, 2020 01:34 - 30 minutes - 33.3 MBIn the second episode of the new series, "Beyond Chicanismo: Indigeneity & the Environment", I had the pleasure of interviewing my former roommate and close friend Cindy Marquina-Negrete. Cindy is a fearless-ish indocumentada born in Mexico City with familial roots in Oaxaca, Guerrero & Morelos. She was raised in the Bay Area for 13 years before moving to Tukwila, WA. Currently she resides in Bellingham, WA where she'll be graduating in the Spring with a degree in Human Services. In this epis...
Placed-based Identities
February 05, 2020 00:01 - 38 minutes - 42.1 MBAne Leon Guerrero, is a Xicana -Michoacana from Oregon, currently living in Seattle, with a Masters in Higher Education. She enjoys creating and supporting the arts, specifically arts by and for QTPOC. But most importantly she works on cultivating community with other women of color. In Episode #1 of Season II, Ane and I discuss Chicanismo, Indigeneity, and how these identities become more complex as we think about their construction under certain geographical spaces. For more resources on th...
New Series! Beyond Chicanismo : Indigeneity & the Environment
January 31, 2020 22:26 - 35 minutes - 43.7 MBWelcome back to Season II of Raíces Verdes ! In this episode I give an update on what I have been up to since November of 2019, and where Season II is headed. The new season will premier on February 4th, 2020 with a new series. Beyond Chicanismo: Indigeneity & the Environment will be a series composed of 3 episodes featuring guest speakers. They all will speak on their own experience with the Chicanx identity, their indigenous ancestry and how all these identities connect to their raíces verd...
Uncolonized : No ThanksTaking
November 30, 2019 00:02 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBBonus Episode! Although it's especially important to affirm Indigenous resilience on all "holidays" that promote White supremacy against Indigenous people, EVERY DAY IS STILL INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY! This special almost 2hr long episode centers around Chris, his family, and their independent film titled "Uncolonized". Together we discuss the education system and it's effects on Native people, solidarity across Native peoples such as the displaced people of Palestine, relationships to land and...
Craig of the Creek : Media Representation
November 15, 2019 11:00 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MBCraig Freeland is an environmental educator who recently graduated from Denison University. In this bonus episode for Raíces Verdes, Craig shares his love for the Cartoon Network show "Craig of the Creek", a show centering the experiences of a Black boy exploring the outdoors.
Conclusions to Season 1!
November 01, 2019 01:42 - 31 minutes - 31 MBAfter 10 episodes, Season 1 of Raíces Verdes has come to a wrap! Listen to this short recap of the episodes, learn about a fundraising for the podcast and what to look forward from Raíces Verdes!!
Hospitals & Food Systems
October 17, 2019 19:59 - 34 minutes - 30.8 MBMia is a nursing student at Michigan State University, who also studies Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. In Episode #10, Mia discusses her research on a new type of food system she is calling "hospital based food system initiatives". As a nursing student, Mia acknowledges the purchasing power hospitals have, and believes this wealth should be used to address the health and food insecurity patients face across communities. To learn more about her work and established initiatives liste...
Health & Rural Environments
October 03, 2019 22:21 - 37 minutes - 32.2 MBLiana Bloom studied Medical Anthropology and Global Health with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Washington. She is currently working in the research and healthcare industries in preparation for medical school. In Episode #9 Liana discusses her experience shadowing doctors in clinics near Spokane, Washington and the connection to rural environments and health disparities.
Immigration, Health & the Environment
September 19, 2019 17:51 - 53 minutes - 46.9 MBDaniella Navarro is a health educator for Sea Mar, a community health clinic in Washington state, with a background in Biology, Cultural Anthropology, Education and Social Justice. In Episode #8 we discuss the intersection between the health of immigrants in the United States and their environmental displacement. As daughters of immigrants, we can only speak on our experiences as first-generation U.S citizens, and our experience working and living with immigrant communities.
Farming As Generational Wealth
August 23, 2019 00:06 - 33 minutes - 28.8 MB"Health is wealth my babies" - Alexis Hamilton. In Episode #7 "Farming As Generational Wealth", Alexis shares with us a bit about working with Growing Hope an urban farm collective in Michigan serving predominantly Black and Brown families.
Sustainability Abroad
August 08, 2019 23:25 - 34 minutes - 30.3 MBTiffany Pauls is rising senior at Davidson College in North Carolina, with roots in Maryland. In this episode she discusses her experience studying sustainability abroad, in connection to climate justice.
Mauna Kea: Protecting Sacred Lands
July 23, 2019 16:52 - 27 minutes - 23.5 MBAlanna Miyashiro is an Indigenous Hawaiian scholar, at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, Honolulu. In this episode we discuss the current manifestations happening at Mauna Kea, Hawaii in oposition to the development of a Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the Indigenous sacred lands. Below are resources to donate and support the protection of Mauna Kea by it's Natives people: https://www.puuhuluhulu.com https://org.salsalabs.com/o/2699/donate_page/aloha-aina-support-fund https://www.paypal.me/...
Sustainability But Make It Fashion
July 18, 2019 22:07 - 42 minutes - 38 MBEpisode 3 highlights the thesis work of Jazlyn Marcos, founder and editor in chief of Generation Eco(http://generationeco.me). Her undergrad thesis focuses on ethical clothing, and the barriers university students face in understanding and participating in ethical consumption of clothing.
Rejecting the Environmentalist Label
July 04, 2019 22:40 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIn this episode, Nina Tran a queer first-generation student of color discusses the different experiences in her life that have made them reject at times the environmentalist label. What defines an environmentalist? Do you as a person of color identify as an environmentalist?
Homecoming : Romanticizing the Environment in Our Homelands
June 20, 2019 20:14 - 34 minutes - 32.2 MBIn this episode, our guest of honor is Dario Castellon, the creator of Raíces Verde's artwork. Together we discuss what it is like living in diaspora and how it affects the memories of our ancestral lands. Would leaving the United States, and returning to Mexico guarantee us a more "green" lifestyle?
La Fresa De Rancho
June 05, 2019 17:10 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBFor the introduction episode to Raíces Verdes, I will be discussing what it means to be a Fresa de Rancho, and why I chose the name Raíces Verdes for the podcast!