The Rundown
This episode starts with a sobering conversation with science writer Vanessa Farnsworth about the wildfires that have ravaged the West, including, most recently, California – and in 2017, B.C.. We talk about how human-induced climate change has a lot to answer for and what we can all do to fight the fires, or their consequences, anyway. Next, into to soup, soup bred of compost and stone.
Western Wildfires and Human-induced Climate Change
A study published in Earth’s Future last year is clear: the fires that ravaged B.C. in 2017 were made terrifyingly worse by human-induced climate change. We made weather worse, whipping up winds, calling down lighting and causing the fires to burn up to 11 times more land than normal. And, things might get worse still. To understand what’s at stake, and what we can do I spoke with a western voice of reason, and a Harrowsmith magazine contributor Vanessa Farnsworth. Things get dark, but we offer hope. Hang in there.
Soupalicious
How do you make soup from compost and a stone? Well, you don’t, really, but the Compost Council of Canada was inspired by the fable of stone soup to fund their Plant, Grow, Share-a-Row program by hosting Soupalicious, a celebration of the earth’s bound and humans desire to share. I spoke with Susan Antler of the Compost Council about the origins and intents of the delicious event. You can learn more about the event here.
Want more Harrowsmith? No problem. Visit our website. And, you can read Vanessa’s story on ticks in the Spring issue of Harrowsmith Magazine. It’s on selected newsstands across Canada or you can order subscriptions online at harrowsmithmag.com.
By the way, the music in the podcast? It’s by good ol’ Canadian singer, composer and friend of the ‘cast, David Archibald. You can find more of his music at his website, davidarchibald.com.
Wayne is a digital strategist with extensive experience in traditional, online and communication strategy development. He has assisted clients like Random House (where he helped establish digital outreach programs), the Association of Science and Technology Centers, McMaster Family Medicine, rabble.ca, University of Toronto, Engineering reimagine their communications strategies for an emerging media landscape and new audiences. Wayne brings three decades of rich media content creation, a background in journalism and the ability to creatively understand brand and messaging and create new platforms and opportunities for Moongate’s clients. He has taught and developed online content creation and communications for a variety of colleges and universities in Ontario.