[00:00:00] Crystal: I’m Crystal DiMiceli and welcome to the Forces for Natures Show. Do you find yourself overwhelmed with all the doom and gloom you hear of these days? Do you feel like you as just one person, can’t really make a difference? Forces for nature cuts through that negativity. In each episode, I interview somebody who’s doing great things for animals and the environment.

We talk about the challenge they’re addressing, the solution they have found. What keeps them going and we’ll leave you with practical action tips so that you too can become a force for nature. Hi friends. I’m popping in here today to close out season three. I debated on whether to close out the season or not, but with us being 60 episodes in, I started feeling a little removed from the first forces for nature that I had the privilege of talking to.

I launched episode one in February, 2020, having no idea that one month later the world would come to a standstill and change In so many ways. I felt so fortunate to have had this show to help me get through some of those tough times because after every guest I spoke with and speak with until today, I always feel so hopeful and feel like there’s a silver lining to any of the madness that may be going on.

So having so much time between then and now, I realize that if you’re a new listener, you may not have had the chance to hear some of my earlier guests who are just as inspiring as the individuals we met this season. So this isn’t one of those season breaks where forces for nature is gonna go quiet for a few months.

In fact, the opposite. I’m gonna reshare some of the episode favorites from Seasons one and two. And since so much has happened and these forces have continued to kick butt, I’ve asked them to send along some recorded updates as to what has happened since their first episode aired. Some have, and it’s been great to hear what they’ve been up to.

If you happen to have a favorite episode and you’d love to hear their quote, unquote, where are they now? Story, shoot me an email or a DM to make sure that I include it in the lineup. But before that, what were some of your favorite episodes from this season? Season three. Of course for me, that’s an impossible question, but some stood out a little more than others because we covered subjects that I have personally been trying to learn more about recently.

For example, in episode 43 with James Rego Luki. , we talked about sustainable investing such as how it’s bringing in similar and sometimes higher returns compared to traditional investing, how reliable the E S G label is or is not. And how to see what industries your investments are supporting. Spoiler alert, it could be fossil fuels, nuclear weapons, and the like where you put your money can mean a lot for mitigating climate change.

So if you wanna take an action with a powerful punch, listen to that episode. Fashion is another subject that I’ve been trying to wrap my head around. And I say it like that because there are just so many different facets into what can make your fashion choices sustainable from where and how it’s made to what it’s made from, the pollution before, during, and after creation.

I mean, it feels like being naked is the only sustainable option yet that’s not a good option. I was able to address the facet of what a product is made of in episode 52. With Anna Bask, I’m Michelle Ruano. Founders of the brand we are for, they use excess material and 85% of their collection and are very conscious and transparent about what they utilize for the rest.

If you didn’t know, according to the O E C D, if fashion were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. And a significant percentage of those emissions comes from just the creation of the textiles that later become the clothing and accessories. Unfortunately, a surprising amount of these materials get left unused, either end up in a landfill or in a climate controlled a k a energy guzzling, storage warehouse, Anna Michelle, make use of them.

Another industry that can have terrible greenhouse gas emissions is agriculture From the farm to your table, or I should say your garbage can. In fact, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US A and China. That’s because when organics get buried in landfills and don’t have exposure to oxygen, they then break down anaerobically releasing methane as they decompose.

Methane is even more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. But good news is that this is one of the easiest things we can fix. Just don’t waste your food and compost. What’s left, Michelle and Java from Java’s Compost help to break this down for us. In episode 51, and turns out composting is much easier than you may think.

The bat episode with Dr. Rodrigo Meine is also super special to me because bats have a special place in my heart. Now, I know this is not something that you hear every day, but through a bat conservation project I was a part of with a group called the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders, I met some of my favorite people, including my husband.

And it turns out that Dr. Rodrigo actually is utilizing the report that my team had created to help inform his work in creating certain standards for bat protection. Talking to him was a full circle, very proud moment for me. And one last episode to highlight is the one with Carleton Ward of the path of the Panther.

Man, I almost threw in the towel for hope for Florida because of all the bad news coming from there these days. But Carleton made me aware of some incredible environmental initiatives that the state is undertaking, and it makes me so happy. You have to listen to that episode and you have to watch the documentary.

Okay. Actually, I lied. I wanna mention one more episode. It was the one with Jenny Inu from Healthy Seas. We talked about how Healthy Seas recovers, lost, and abandoned. Ghost net is what they’re called to help protect marine ecosystems and sea life. This interview led to me producing and hosting a show for them.

In the Healthy Seas Podcast, we feature people who are doing all they can to help the seas and oceans thrive. Please do find it after listening to this episode and subscribe. . Your support means so much. It has been a good season, and I hope you’ll find some other favorites of yours from season’s past as I highlight them this summer.

Speaking of summer, I do have some trepidation as we settle into this one, which may sound a little strange, so I’ll explain. I’m based in Rome, Italy, but have lived in the tropics since 2012, and last summer was the hottest and most uncomfortable one I ever experienced. Even in the tropics, it was like this one long, unrelenting heat wave, and I was constantly hearing about wildfires throughout Europe, and I saw the Tiber River right down the block.

Dropped to a point where some boats couldn’t pass. Whole crops were drying out and the economy was getting hit hard by it. And I remember often carrying this feeling of edginess and even wanting to cry for no reason. I didn’t understand why, but after I started paying attention in those moments, I noticed how my thoughts were on what was going on outside to all of those things that I mentioned that were happening.

And I thought about how the homeless or people without the means to pay for AC or even wildlife, how they were all suffering because of the heat. And I realized that I was experiencing what is called eco anxiety, which is extreme worry about the earth and the life that it supports. Have you experienced this too, the eco anxiety?

With the insane flooding that happened last month in northern Italy and the countless wildfires happening in Canada as we speak, I feel the beginnings of anxiety creeping up again when I think about all the people and the animals that are affected and scared and left with nothing. But I am a little more prepared to handle it this year, though.

I know I can’t control those far away things nor help much except for monetary donations. But I can look at my sphere of influence and take stock in what I do have control over. In fact, psychologists suggest that one of the most effective ways to lessen the symptoms of eco anxiety is by taking action, by being the change that you wish to see.

Your anxiety actually can ease. And if you could do it within a community of others, ease that much faster. So for community, I’m connecting with others who feel the same way and are working to make change. And as for taking action, one new thing that I’m doing is creating the Forces for Nature Education Program.

I used to do a lot of environmental education back in the day, and I’ve been hearing a lot about how young people feel overwhelmed with the world that we’re handing them and at a loss as to what they could possibly do to make a change. After I read about a study that highlights the greatest impacts that individuals can take to decrease their carbon footprint, I had a light bulb moment and I decided that kids could really benefit from hearing this.

I mean, everyone can, but I really wanted to start with middle and high schoolers. I ran a pilot of the program virtually back in April, and I’m using the feedback I got from teachers and students to make it even better. I plan on marketing that come the fall, so if you know of a teacher or a school that could use this, please let me know or put me in touch because it can be done virtually, it could be run anywhere.

So that’s about it on my end. I hope you have found this past season to be as inspiring and empowering as I have. And I would really love to know what you would like to hear about or who you’d like to hear from next season. So with that said, I would like to ask you for two things. One, as I mentioned, go check out the Healthy Seas podcast and subscribe.

If it’s something that you connect with and two, connect with me. Send me a DM on social or an email to [email protected]. What do you want to hear next season and what’s your experience with eco anxiety? And as always, what difference for the world are you going to make today? I’ll catch you in the fall.

Don’t forget to go to forces for nature.com and sign up to receive emailed show notes, action tips, and a free checklist to help you start taking practical actions today. Do you know someone else who would enjoy this episode? I would be so grateful if you would share it with them. Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook at Becoming Forces for Nature, and let me know what actions you have been taking.

Adopting just one habit can be a game changer because imagine if a million people also adopted that. What difference for the world are you going to make today?