Terra Informa
352 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsA weekly environmental news program covering issues from across Canada & around the world.
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Episodes
Revisiting: I <3 You Terra
April 22, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 41 MBThis episode originally aired on April 18, 2022: This week Elizabeth Dowdell and some other Terra Informers dive into the history of Earth Day, their feelings on the holiday, and show some appreciation for our big (shared) hunk of rock! Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Dad’s World Was My Refuge
April 15, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 39.8 MBThis episode originally aired on February 11, 2019: This week on Terra Informa, Sofia Osborne (a Terra Informer herself) reads us a piece she recently wrote for The Tyee, an independent, Canadian, online magazine. The story recounts Sofia's experience being isolated on Saturna Island during the worst wind storm in BC Hydro history. The storm rocked BC's west coast this past December, while Sofia's article was just released. We’ll chat about the piece, the future of dealing with the...
Revisiting: The Line with Anthony Goertz
April 08, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis episode originally aired on November 23, 2020: At Terra Informa, we've talked trash before. Back in 2017, we even went on a tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. But, one thing we haven't talked about are the people who do the incredibly important job of sorting and processing our garbage. This week at Terra Informa, we interview filmmaker Anthony Goertz about The Line, a film that focuses on the employees of Quality One Training and Support, a program that connects peo...
Revisiting: Resource Extraction and Hope - The Lorax Discussion
March 25, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 39.8 MBThis episode originally aired on August 26, 2021: Are you looking for a story of resource extraction, community, and hope? In this episode, Terra Informers Katherine Rogers, Hannah Cunningham, Elizabeth Dowdell, and Sara Chitsaz discuss Dr. Suess' children's story, The Lorax. The Lorax provides a simplified story of some impacts of the exploitation of natural resources, and of hope for recovering these resources. Join us as we discuss key takeaways, strengths and weaknesses of The ...
Revisiting: Investigating in Alberta
March 11, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis episode originally aired on January 21, 2019: This week we present a single interview, between Terra Informer Sofia Osborne and Sharon Riley, an investigative journalist covering energy and the environment in Alberta for The Narwhal, an independent online magazine that reports on the basis that climate change is a real and happening issue. Download program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Ghost Orchid Hunters!
March 04, 2024 14:10 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBIn this week's archive episode (which originally aired on April 19, 2021), we take you on an auditory journey into the swamp, where we do a little science communication about the Ghost Orchid. We were inspired by the short documentary, Chasing Ghosts, and dig into the flower, film, and scientific research about this rare and endangered plant. Download the program log here ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Metamorphosis - Cinema on Climate and Change
February 26, 2024 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBIn this week's archive episode, we revisit a Terra Informa review of the film Metamorphosis, a climate change documentary, along with an interview with the creators of the film. Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Zoos and Conservation
February 19, 2024 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBWhen's the last time you went to the zoo? This week, Sonak Patel is joined by guest Jamie Dorgan of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo to discuss the evolution of zoos and their role in biodiversity conservation. Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Conspiring with Plants
February 05, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBTo help celebrate the end of a brutal coldsnap here on the Canadian prairies, this week's episode features an archive that is all about green and growing things! We'll hear Terra Informer Amanda Rooney speak with Dr. Natasha Meyers, a professor of anthropology at York University, about our relationships with plants and how we might be able to re-conceptualize them. After reading an article entitled “How to grow livable worlds: Ten not-so-easy steps“, Terra Informer Amanda Rooney wa...
Revisiting: Exploring the Unseen Environment
January 22, 2024 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis week on Terra Informa, we revisit a beloved episode from our archives that originally aired on March 18, 2019. This episode's format is a round-table discussion, in which the each member of the team brought something different to the table- something related to The Unseen Environment. Mysterious. Charlotte Thomasson and Amanda Rooney brought together a handful of Terra Informer's for a discussion about mysterious natural events, Nematodes, paleoburrows, and so much more. Add...
Revisiting: Film Discussion - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
January 01, 2024 07:00 - 29 minutes - 39.9 MBThis episode originally aired on October 26, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Elizabeth Dowdell, Charlotte Thomasson, and Hannah Cunningham discuss the 1984 Hayao Miyazaki film Nausicä of the Valley of the Wind. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas with Special Guest Janina Fuchs
December 25, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.3 MBThis episode originally aired on December 16, 2019: This week we talk about energy transitions strategies and what young people are doing to push the movement. Terra Informers Sonak and Elizabeth give a background on energiewende, ABBY-Net, and student-researcher Janina Fuchs shares her work on renewable energy perspectives between German and Albertan students. Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Looking Back on the Light and Dark in 2020
December 18, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on December 28, 2020: This week we explore the meaning and significance of the winter solstice, reflecting on both the dark and the light so prominent at this time of year. The Terra Informa team shares what has made them thankful in the past year, and for inspiration we share "Praise Song for the Unloved Animals" by Margaret Renkl. Program log ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Christmas Trees - Then and Now
December 11, 2023 07:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis episode originally aired on December 21, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham talk all about Christmas trees. When and where did this tradition begin? What was used to decorate the trees before electricity? And, to bring it all home, Elizabeth Dowdell regales us with a childhood tale of making the harrowing journey to harvest the family Christmas tree Download program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Sara Goes Birdwatching!
December 04, 2023 07:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis episode originally aired on July 11, 2022: In this week's episode, Terra Informer Sara Chitsaz takes us along as she swoops into the world of birdwatching! We also hear from bird enthusiast Kitty Rogers, who shares some insight on purple martins and tips for birdwatching. Program Log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Welcome to the Anthropocene Part 2
November 27, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis episode originally aired on May 17, 2020: Part 2 of Dylan and Amanda's series on the Anthropocene deals with our expression (and suppression) of emotions surrounding climate change and the Epoch we are living in. How do we cope in a time of loss and grief? Tune in and hear all about the Epocholytic Emotions we are experiencing. Download the program log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Welcome to the Anthropocene Part 1
November 20, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on May 11, 2020: What's in a name? This week, Amanda and Dylan dive in and explore the term being used to describe our current geological era - the Anthropocene. Why was this term chosen for our epoch, and why do some people contest this idea? Tune in to find out! Download program log ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Book Club - Silent Spring
November 13, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on October 3, 2022: It's been 60 years since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring explored the dangers of pesticides and how humans are destroying our environment. This week, the Terra Informers discuss this classic book - why was this book so important? How relevant is Silent Spring to the modern ecological crises of the 20th century? Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Astro Informa
November 06, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 39.9 MBThis episode originally aired on September 19, 2022: In this week's episode, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham discuss some of the current theories around the possibility of finding a Earth 2.0, some of the current contenders, and reflect on why Earth 1.0 is worth fighting for. Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Music
October 30, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBThis episode originally aired October 10, 2022: Who do you think of when you think about environmentalism and music? This week, Jasinta Rweyongeza is joined by Rasheena Fountain, a poet and essayist, to talk about the lack of mainstream recognition of Black musicians in the world of environmentalism in music, as well how specific genres of music that are underrecognized in their ability to tell stories about environmental relationships, environmental vulnerability, and environment...
Revisiting: An Ode to Beavers
October 23, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBThis episode originally aired on March 21, 2022: Have you ever come face to face with the majestic beaver? Have you ever thought about just how impactful the little dam-builders are to the ecosystems they inhabit? This week, Sara Chitsaz, Hannah Cunningham, and Dylan Hall (a Terra Informa alum!) discuss Glynnis Hood's book The Beaver Manifesto, as well as our general thoughts about the popular, and sometimes not-so-popular, rodent. At the end of the episode, Sara also gives us a run...
Revisiting: The Whale and the Raven Film Discussion
October 16, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on June 15, 2020: This week the Terra Informa crew discuss the 2019 film, The Whale and the Raven, directed by German filmmaker Mirjam Leuze. In the heart of British Columbia's coastal Great Bear Rainforest, whale researchers and Gitga’at Nation community members share the screen with their non-human kin, orcas and humpback whales, whose homewaters are also a proposed liquefied natural gas tanker route. Terra Informers Elizabeth Dowdell, Curtis Blandy, ...
Revisiting: Discussing The Mushroom at the End of the World
October 09, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThe Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins by Anna Tsing is about mushrooms. Matsutake mushrooms, to be exact. But it's about a lot of other things too, including capitalism and hope for how we might live in a future marked by human destruction. This week, Hannah Cunningham and Sara Chitsaz discuss this book, some of the concepts in it, and how it made them feel. Link to the book. Here is the article referencing pericapitalist spaces that...
Revisiting: Fat Bear Week 2021
October 02, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on October 11, 2021: If you're a follower of the annual Fat Bear Week put on by Katmai National Park, you're probably just as excited as we are about this week's episode! This week, we're joined by Lian Law, Visual Information Specialist at Katmai National Park, who tells us all about this very unique park and the stars of Fat Bear Week. What makes these bears so dang BIG? Let's find out! Fat Bear Week website (2023 voting runs October 4 - 10) Explore...
Summer 2023 News Roundup
September 25, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBTune in as Elizabeth Barron, Lauren Spielmann, and Jasinta Rweyongeza recap environmental news headlines from the past few months! In this episode, we cover Canada's worst wildfire season on record, a recent study on the benefits of urban green spaces, the City of Edmonton's new waste reduction bylaw, an ongoing shortage of Huy Fong Foods' Sriracha hot sauce, extreme heat during the 2023 U.S. Open, and a new report published on the significant threat posed by invasive species. P...
CSL Documentary: From Petri Dish to Our Plate - Cellular Agriculture
September 18, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBThis week on Terra Informa, we explore the industry of cellular agriculture (cell-ag), and its impacts on farming, the environment, and people. Megan Posyluzny and Jenny Kim interview Dr. Yadira Tejeda Saldana, director of Responsible Research and Innovation at New Harvest to learn more about how biotechnology is shaping the future of food systems – beginning with the new institute of Cell-Ag that is currently in development at the U of A. Program Log | Episode References Recomme...
Machine Learning and the Environment
September 11, 2023 06:27 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBThis week on Terra Informa we unpack how artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, and environmentalism mesh. In the episode, Terra Informer Lizzy Barron interviews Dr. Martha White to learn about her machine learning expertise and experience working on the ISL Adapt project in Drayton Valley to make the town's water treatment processes more energy efficient using the specific machine learning technique of reinforcement learning. Further reading from the episode: T...
Revisiting: Reject Teck Part 2 - All of My Relations
September 04, 2023 06:00 - 30 minutes - 41.3 MBThis episode originally aired on March 2, 2020: This week on Terra Informa we share the second part of an interview with Eriel Deranger, co-founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, where we talk about what it means to live in relation to each other and the environment. In Reject Teck Part 1: Who is Teck?! we shared background on the mining company Teck Resources Ltd and Eriel explained why the proposed Frontier Oilsands Mine should be rejected. Just before we ai...
Revisiting: Reject Teck Part 1 - Who is Teck?!
August 28, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis episode originally aired on February 24, 2020: This week on Terra Informa we share the first part of an interview with Eriel Deranger, Executive Director and co-founder of Indigenous Climate Action, one of the organizations behind Reject Teck. Reject Teck a grassroots campaign challenging the Teck Frontier oilsands project and the Canadian government, that has made headlines at COP25, Fire Drill Fridays, and in other news. Eriel has a lot of knowledge to share about the Teck pr...
Revisiting: Did we save the ozone layer? And can we save the climate too?
August 21, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis episode originally aired on June 27, 2022: In this week's episode, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham discuss the Montreal Protocol and the environmental crisis that was the discovery of the depletion of the ozone layer. Did the Montreal Protocol work? Did we save the ozone layer? And, if we did, can we also band together to address the environmental crisis of the 21st century: climate change? ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Queerness and the Environment
August 14, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBThis epsiode originally aired on June 22, 2020: We are exploring the relationship between queer people and the natural environment. This week we are going to share with you an interview that Terra Informer Elizabeth Dowdell held with Kevin McBean. Kevin will share with us his experience as a gay man, an outdoor enthusiast, and a member of the board of directors of Camp Maskepetoon. A few queer members of the Terra Informa team had the chance to reflect on their relationship with th...
Revisiting - Pacific Salmon the Sequel: Salmon Health & Aquaculture
August 07, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBThis episode originally aired on December 13, 2021: This week, we're plunging back into the world of Pacific salmon! In this episode, our salmon friends, Francis and Finley, join us again to teach us a bit more about Pacific salmon and salmon aquaculture. Then, Sara Chitsaz is joined by Andrew Bateman, who is the Salmon Health Manager for the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), to learn more about the health of wild Pacific salmon and about salmon farming in BC. Program log. ★ Supp...
Revisiting: The Wild World of Pacific Salmon
July 31, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on December 6, 2021: In this week's episode, we're diving into the wild world of salmon! First, we're joined by Francis and Finley, two salmon who take us on the exciting journey of growing up on the pacific coast. Then, Sara Chitsaz is joined by Emmie Page, who is the Marine Campaigner for Pacific Wild, an organization that supports environmental conservation in the Great Bear Rainforest and the Pacific Northwest. Make sure to stay tuned for next week...
Revisiting: Discussing In the Land of Dreamers
July 24, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on October 18, 2021: In this episode, some of the Terra Informers reflect on the film In the Land of Dreamers, which is an episode of the CBC Gem show, Absolutely Canadian. The film uses amazing photography and video footage to talk about the cultural and ecological importance of the Muskwa-Kechika, a large area of undeveloped land in northern British Columbia that is located in Kaska Dena territory. You can watch the film here after making a free CBC ...
Revisiting: The Many Forms of Climate Action
July 17, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis episode originally aired on February 17, 2020: This week, Terra Informers Charlotte Thomasson, Andy Silva, and Shawn Hou discuss the different forms that climate action can take. What are the differences between collective and individual action, and is one more important than the other? Program Log. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Hydrogen 101
July 03, 2023 04:46 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired July 25, 2022: It’s the most abundant material in the universe, it composes the majority of the sun, and it's number one on the periodic table. Now, some people think it could be the solution to decarbonizing energy systems. Welcome to Hydrogen 101! This week, Sonak Patel gives us a lesson on hydrogen, the element you might remember from the periodic table you reviewed in chemistry class. In this episode, Sonak guides us through what hydrogen technolo...
Revisiting: Hannah Grows a Garden
June 26, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis episode originally aired June 20, 2022: It's growing season baby! In this week's episode, Terra Informer Hannah Cunningham leads us through the process of how she started a vegetable garden on her own for the first time. Flowers more your thing? Edmonton flower farmer Mia Coco has you covered, as they describe what it's like to have 600 (yes, that many) flower seedlings in your living room, and why flowers are just the best. Wâposo-Wâti Park and Community Garden Mia Coco on ...
Revisiting: History of the Edmonton River Valley Part II
June 19, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on July 12, 2020: Terra Informers Sonak Patel and Elizabeth Dowdell take us on a tour of the River Valley history in Amiskwaciy or "Beaver Hills", otherwise known as Edmonton, Alberta. After recapping Part I of this topic, the episode delves into themes of cultural values, Indigenous displacement, and respect for both our natural spaces and each other. We hear the voices of Amber Paquette, historian laureate of Edmonton, and Dr. Dwayne Donald, associate...
Revisiting: History of the Edmonton River Valley Part I
June 12, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBTerra Informers Sonak Patel and Elizabeth Dowdell take us on a tour of the River Valley history, following global trends in the local sphere of Amiskwaciy or "Beaver Hills", otherwise known as Edmonton, Alberta. The River Valley was not always the lush park we think of today. In fact, it's gone through many transformations! We hear the voices of Amber Paquette, historian laureate of Edmonton, and Dr. Dwayne Donald, associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of...
Revisiting: A Warming World
June 05, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on May 3, 2021: This episode, Terra Informers Sonak Patel and Liam Harrap guide you through some of the impacts that a warming world will have on our blue planet. Drawing from estimates and predictions made in the IPCC Special Report, in this episode we prepare ourselves for what global warming and the climate crisis will mean to Alberta, Canada, and the rest of the world. It's not a heartwarming episode, but we are in this together. Written by Sonak P...
Revisiting: Lichen, Caribou, & Science Communication
May 29, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBThis episode originally aired on August 17, 2020: This week, Andrea Miller debuts her news training piece. She sits down with Ashley Hillman to discuss her research on lichen and how it is an essential part of the ever-elusive and endangered woodland caribou. Download the program log here. Here are links to Ashley's article on lichen cover and the article discussed in the piece on being a person of colour in ecology. Production of CJSR 88.5FM in Amiskwaciy. ★ Support this podcas...
Revisiting: Communicating Energy Systems with Dr. Valerie Miller
May 22, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on November 15, 2021: This week, we’re speaking with an outreach and science communication professional to learn about a variety of strategies and mediums for effectively communicating energy research beyond the academy, to a wider audience of policymakers, energy practitioners, communities and members of the public, and other academics. Dr. Valerie Miller is the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for the University of Alberta research group, Future En...
Revisiting: The 2020 EuroBirdoVision Identification Competition
May 15, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis epsiode originally aired on December 14, 2020: Listeners, we know you're all very upset that Eurovision was cancelled this year due to COVID. So, we decided to host something similar ourselves on the radio. This week, we bring to you the first ever EuroBirdoVision Identification Competition. You'll hear Terra Informers Charlotte Thomasson, Elizabeth Dowdell, and Sonak Patel try to guess the difference between the names of European birds and bands. You'll also hear some bird son...
Revisiting: Community Gardens and Consumer’s Habits - How Are They Connected? (Guest Documentary)
May 08, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.2 MBThis episode originally aired on February 14, 2022: This week we are airing an audio documentary created by Shaneen Jamal, Olivia Mitchell, and Breanne Palmer for an agricultural economics class that had a community-service learning component at the University of Alberta. This documentary explores how community gardens affect consumer choices by examining the connections between peoples’ experiences in community gardens and their individual habits. Rupertsland Centre for Metis Rese...
Spring 2023 News Roundup
May 01, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBTune in this week as the Terra Informa team rounds up environmental news from the past few months! In this episode, we cover anti-coal protests in Germany, dolphin sightings in the New York City, the recent uproar over gas stoves, a new UN High Seas Treaty, bear season in Canada, the federal government's Just Transition plan, and the newest Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) in British Columbia. Program Log here. ★ Support this podcast ★
Revisiting: Crackin' a Cold One (sustainably)
April 24, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBThis episode originally aired on May 17, 2021: Terra Informers Curt Blandy and Liam Harrap explore sustainable brewing with Steve Beauchesne at Beaus Brewing. They also chat with Christine O'Grady, from UCalgary’s Advancing Canadian Water Assets, and Jeremy McLaughlin, Head Brewer, on the Village Brewery project on making beer with waste water! We also get to listen to a local Edmonton beer song called Beer Tastes Better (When The Work's All Done) by the Denim Daddies. Download the...
Revisiting: Communicating the Science Behind the Biofluorescent Platypus
April 17, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on December 7, 2020: Science is cool. You may agree, since you're listening to a podcast that talks a lot about science of the environmental variety. But, science can be hard to understand, and research can be hard to access. Here at Terra Informa, we asked ourselves, how could we help track down, and break down, new scientific discoveries for our listeners, and make it fun to listen to and easy to understand? In this week's episode, we talk about a re...
Revisiting: Speak for Trees
April 10, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis episode originally aired on August 31, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Charlotte Thomasson and guests talk trees. On both an individual and collective level, the protection of these leafy giants has always been important, and the urgency to protect these ancient species only grows with the increasing threats of climate change, wildfire, industry, and development. Indigenous land-defenders have long led the effort to protect endangered old-growth trees on a large scale. But a...
Building Just Transitions from the Ground Up and Q&A at the Parkland Institute Conference
April 03, 2023 05:42 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBThis week on Terra Informa we bring you the second installment of our reporting and recording from the Parkland Institute's Fall 2022 Conference: Doing Democracy Better: Challenging the Politics of Fear and Resentment which took place on November 18-20, 2022 at the University of Alberta. This week's episode includes a talk given by Iron & Earth Communities Director and Just Transition Lead Ana Guerra Marin entitled "Navigating Polarization and Fear While Building Just Transitions fr...
Job Creation or Job Loss? at the Parkland Institute Fall 2022 Conference
March 27, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBThis week on Terra Informa we bring you the first installment of our reporting and recording from the Parkland Institute's Fall 2022 Conference: Doing Democracy Better: Challenging the Politics of Fear and Resentment which took place on November 18-20, 2022 at the University of Alberta. This week's episode includes a talk given by Parkland Institute Research Manager Ian Hussey entitled "Job Creation or Job Loss? Big Companies Use Tax Cut to Automate Away Jobs in the Oil Sands" Parkl...