Forests have long occupied a fertile landscape in the human imagination. Places of mystery and magic – of wildness and wisdom – of vision and dreaming. Yet beyond mythic realms of

Forests have long occupied a fertile landscape in the human imagination. Places of mystery and magic – of wildness and wisdom – of vision and dreaming. Yet beyond mythic realms of imagination, we’ve largely treated forests as inert physical resources to satisfy human needs and desires. The main operative science behind this commodification has been market science – how to extract maximum resources and profits.


Suzanne Simard is a revolutionary researcher who is transforming the science of forest ecology and coming full circle to the wisdom held by First Peoples and traditional land-based cultures from time immemorial. The story Simard is uncovering can change our story for how we live on Earth and with each other, for the long haul.
Featuring


Suzanne Simard, Professor of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, is an expert in the synergies and complexities of forests, as well as the development of sustainable forest stewardship practices. Her groundbreaking research focuses on the relationships between plants, microbes, soils, carbon, nutrients, and water that underpin the adaptability of ecosystems, particularly the below-ground fungal networks that connect trees and facilitate interplant communication. Learn more about Suzanne Simard and her work at her website. (https://suzannesimard.com/)
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Dispatches From the Mother Trees (https://bioneers.org/suzanne-simard-dispatches-from-mother-trees-zstf2112/) , Suzanne Simard’s keynote address to the 2021 Bioneers Conference, in which she discusses the dire global consequences of logging old-growth rainforests, and nature-based solutions that combine Western science and Indigenous knowledge for preserving and caring for these invaluable forest ecosystems for future generations.


Lessons from the Underground (https://bioneers.org/lessons-from-the-underground-panel-zstf2112/) , a panel discussion from the 2021 Bioneers Conference featuring Suzanne Simard as well as Anne Biklé and David R. Montgomery, a wife and husband team of scientific researchers whose groundbreaking work on the microbial life of soil has revealed its crucial importance to human wellbeing and survival. Moderated by Bioneers’ Restorative Food Systems Director Arty Mangan. 


Intelligence in Nature (https://bioneers.org/intelligence-in-nature-media-collection/) , a deep-dive resource featuring leading experts in this burgeoning field.


What We Owe Our Trees (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/05/29/what-we-owe-our-trees) , an article by Jill Lepore in the New Yorker.






This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage (https://bioneers.org/bioneers-radio/)  to learn more.

Activists Marshall Ganz, Rachel Laforest and Madeline Janis describe how organized people can successfully fight

Activists Marshall Ganz, Rachel Laforest and Madeline Janis describe how organized people can successfully fight organized money to deliver social change.  Marshall Ganz notes the difference between a movement (about meaning and what is good) and a special interest, how the powerful don't always win, the importance of strategy/structure and narrative and many other important aspects of activisim.  He is associated with the Leading Change Network.

Order his latest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: leadership, organization and strategy in the California farm worker movement  from Amazon by clicking on the image or visit your local bookstore. Thank you.

Friends of Justice, Why Stories Matter, Interview and book, Love, Power and Justice by Paul Tillich referenced in this interview and another must read.

Click on image to order from Amazon or visit your local bookstore. Thank you

Jill Savery explains what sustainability means to her America's Cup team, emphasizing zero waste and

Jill Savery explains what sustainability means to her America's Cup team, emphasizing zero waste and carbon neutral objectives, and to sporting events now and into the future. She is the Head of Sustainability for the America's Cup Event Authority. Her professional experience includes supporting sporting organizations such as the United States Olympic Committee, the London 2012 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the Chicago 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid team, the England 2018 FIFA World CupTM bid team, and several municipalities in the United States to embed sustainability into operations.

Savery speaks frequently on the topic of sustainability and sport to national and international audiences. Her new book co-edited with Dr. Keith Gilbert, titled Sustainability and Sport, is a first of its kind look at this emerging field. Click image to order from Amazon or visit your local bookstore.

Jill was interviewed by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv with the support of David and Mary Kay Okimoto in September, 2013 at the finals of the America's Cup races in San Francisco, California, USA.

Resources: (pdf)

America's Cup Sustainability Plan

Sustainability Final Report