Earthbound Episodes

A wide-ranging conversation with marine biologist and science communicator Andrew Lewin on ocean health, shifting baselines, policy, and why we are drawn to the ocean.

Philosophers Alex Madva and Michael Brownstein discuss their book (written with Daniel Kelly about the trap of "either/or" thinking and how we can find agency in a polycrisis world.

More Than Enough Light What is more addictive than fentanyl, cocaine, or heroin? Evan Jaqua’s answer is power. And once people have it, they will do almost anything to keep it. This is a solo episode, a short essay built around the ideas of Evan Jaqua and the Solutions Party, the political reform organization he founded. The interview tape didn’t meet the bar for broadcast, so I took his thinking and ran it through my own. I hope to have Evan back for a clean recording. For now, it’s just ...

What if the problem with climate communication isn’t the message, but the messenger’s assumptions? A conversation with David Beckmeyer, a researcher and host of the podcast and Substack Outrage Overload. We explore the psychology behind our tribal fears and how the modern media environment exploits our primal neurological circuitry to stoke fear, distrust, and division. David explains how we can take agency and reclaim our brains.

What if the problem isn’t that the people with the most power don’t care? What if it’s that they’ve lost the capacity to? That’s the question at the center of Diana Colleen’s debut novel, They Could Be Saviors. A group of the world’s wealthiest men is kidnapped and brought to a facility where they’re offered a choice: undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy, or stay put indefinitely. It sounds far-fetched. Spend a few minutes with the headlines, and it starts to feel less like science fiction and m...

Novelist Lee Schneider completes the Utopia Engine Trilogy with a story of climate collapse, AI dominance, and the stubborn possibility of liberation. What if the Earth pushed back? That’s the question at the heart of Liberation, the final book in Lee Schneider’s Utopia Engine Trilogy. Schneider is a novelist, screenwriter, futurist, and podcast producer, and in this episode, he sits down with me to talk about a near-future world battered by climate breakdown, controlled by an authoritaria...

A Shift in Perception What if the climate crisis isn’t just about what we’re doing to the planet, but how we see it? What if it is our flawed perception of the world and our place within it that separates us from nature and drives our destructive actions? In this contemplative conversation, writer and wilderness guide Bridget Lyons explores how perspective shapes our relationship with the living world, and why empathy for other species might be the key to our survival. Her book Entwined...

Is building a colony on Mars a hedge against human extinction a fool’s errand?

What does it mean to build a civilization on extraction and call it moral? That’s the question at the heart of this solo episode of Earthbound.

A short audio essay on climate, peace, and lessons from the siege of Minneapolis in early 2026 by ICE.

Renewables, particularly solar power, are now the backbone of new generation capacity worldwide (including in the United States). It’s cheaper than fossil fuels in most places and doesn’t need routing through the Strait of Hormuz

In a world of either-or thinking, where you’re expected to choose between hugging trees or hugging flags, Katherine Lacefield offers a refreshing alternative. The founder of Just Be Cause Consulting and host of the Just Be Cause Podcast joins us to dismantle the false binaries that plague environmental and animal rights movements. With candor and hard-won wisdom, she shares her journey from "crazy vegan" activism to a more nuanced understanding of how we create lasting change. Katherine reminds ...

With this bonus holiday episode, I revisit a short article I originally wrote for a now-defunct website and republished on Medium back in 2022. Blood and Cigarettes takes us back to Christmas Eve and the trenches of World War I, and how redemption can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Ever since I heard the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, it has intrigued me. The poignant tale of the 1914 Christmas Truce serves as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity, even amidst the chaos of w...

What Would The Ocean Say If You Could Ask It A Question? Exploring the intersection of art, science, and environmental activism, this episode features thought provoking conversation with Joshua Harrison, director of the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure based at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The art-science environmental research collaborative challenges us to rethink our relationship with the planet and provoke us into thinking beyond the status quo and our long-held assum...

How I Felt Ridiculous When I Ordered Same-Day Delivery In this short bonus episode, I briefly examine the complexities of modern consumerism and the often-overlooked hidden costs of our convenience-driven shopping habits. As we rush into another holiday shopping season, I revisit a 2018 article that explored the darker side of online shopping convenience, particularly during events like Cyber Monday. The rapid evolution of retail and escalating consumer expectations, from the demand for same-d...

The 1970s “Crying Indian” campaign, as it came to be known, with its poignant imagery and simple message about littering, has left an indelible mark on American culture. Yet, as we unpack the history and implications of this campaign, we discover that not all was as it appeared. It served as a brilliant marketing tactic by corporations to shift the onus of pollution onto individuals, effectively masking the real environmental damage caused by corporate practices. The origins of the Keep Americ...

Feed the inner duck Not with human news Or greedy things that suck, But give it quiet views; Comments from the moon. Opinions from the sky. The insights of a tune. The wisdom of a sigh. -Michael Leunig History Doesn’t Repeat, But It Rymes In a world hurtling toward what feels like an inevitable cliff, our daily algorithmically fed news cycles have evolved from continuous to relentless, reaching a brutal intensity that leaves many feeling shell-shocked and powerless. We may be shell-shocked...

Here Comes the Apocalypse! Panicked or Prepared? The art of preparation in today's polycrisis, conspiracy-driven world is far from straightforward. In all cases, it is an art that encompasses, among other things, science-based common sense and community-oriented planning. Just as important is a sense of humor. With preparation, we can laugh in the face of the Apocalypse! As we navigate the eerie and unsettling landscape of climate change and societal upheaval, the notion of being prepared has e...

The Golden Toad If you’re like me, by the time you first heard about the Golden Toad, it was already gone. A flash of gold high in the damp cloud forest of Costa Rica. This mysterious and elusive species, native to a tiny habitat in the misty clouds of Costa Rica, serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of our ecosystems and the impacts of climate change. In this episode, I chat with Kyle and Trevor Ritland, authors of “The Golden: An Ecological Mystery and the Search for a Lost Species...

The Mountain Valley Pipeline and Stories of Resistance in Appalachia Amidst the Appalachian dawn, our exploration of community resilience and environmental justice unfolds through the lens of Denali Sai Nalamalapu, author of ‘Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance.’ The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) stands as a stark reminder of the battles waged by local communities against encroaching corporate interests. Denali expertly articulates the complexities of this decade-long struggle, reveal...

Vanquish the Storm Lords and Anthrogs! The power of stories to shape our understanding of the world is a central theme explored in this episode. We welcome Laurel Colless, an author dedicated to igniting the imaginations of young readers through her Peter Blue series of fantasy-adventure novels. By infusing her narratives with real-world environmental issues, Laurel not only entertains but also educates, allowing children and adolescents to confront the complexities of climate change. Our disc...

Kelley Ramsey describes in exquisite detail the grueling life of a wildland firefighter navigating a male-dominated culture while battling some of the worst wildfires exacerbated by a century of forest mismanagement and climate change.

Raising Children in a Climate-Changed World My conversation with Bridget Shirvell, author of 'Parenting in a Climate Crisis', explores the challenge of raising children in an era defined by environmental uncertainty. Acknowledging the universal desire of parents to leave behind a livable world for the next generation, we discuss how to balance hope and reality in parenting amidst climate anxiety. Bridget Shirvell's insights help guide parents in instilling a love for nature and equipping thei...

A Sound Environment Exploring the multifaceted nature of sound, this episode features an enlightening conversation with Chris Berdick about his book, Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back. Berdick discusses the physiological and psychological implications of noise pollution, drawing connections between our increasingly chaotic soundscapes and various health issues, including anxiety and heart disease. From the physiological impacts of noise, we briefly explore why s...