How to Be a Better Human - How to be a better steward of the environment

Episode Date: October 18, 2021

If there’s one thing that connects all humans, it’s that everything we walk on, breathe, drink, and eat comes from the same source: planet Earth. From composting to cooking to taking climate action, today’s guests (including Chef Sean Sherman, comedian Jo Firestone, and activist Luisa Neubauer) share the many ways they try to connect to and protect the home we share-- and invite you to get involved in whatever way you can. You can check out TED’s efforts to build a world that is safer, cleaner and fairer for everyone at countdown.ted.com. To learn more about "How to Be a Better Human," host Chris Duffy, or find footnotes and additional resources, please visit: go.ted.com/betterhuman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Compared to previous generations, iPhone XS or later required, charge time and actual results will vary. You're listening to How to Be a Better Human. I'm your host, Chris Duffy. On our last episode of the show, I spoke with my friend, comedian Joe Firestone. And at the end of that conversation, as I always do at the end of our interviews for this show, I asked Joe how she was personally trying to be a better human. Here's what she had to say. So I used to have a compost bin. Do you know the brown ones provided by the city?

The ones that are rat proof. So then they took them away. The city took them away. City's bringing them back. And so today I asked for one for my building. Big one. There's 13 gallon, 21 gallon. I said, I'm going to do the 21 gallon.

I don't know if my landlord's going to let this happen, but I'm trying because I don't like throwing away food. That's great. I admire that. I've been trying to compost myself and I discovered that I'm basically just putting things in this big black composter, but I don't think it's becoming compost as soon as it's going to just become a giant vat of horrible rotten food. But we'll see if it works.

But that's good for you. I'm glad that's a good human thing. Sure. That's something. Yeah. How to help our planet has come up with a lot of our guests. But the challenge when it comes to helping our planet is that the issues are so multifaceted. In our interviews, I've heard many different approaches and ideas about how to get involved. So on today's episode, we're going to listen back to a bunch of fascinating moments with guests that we hadn't been able to fit onto the podcast until now. And maybe, just maybe, we might end up with

a solution that is more effective than my sad, dysfunctional little compost bin. My fingers are crossed. And we're going to find out right after this quick ad. We'll see you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with Peloton. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest charging Apple Watch, getting you 8 hours of charge in just 15 minutes.

The Apple Watch Series X. Available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum. Compared to previous generations, iPhone XS or later required, charge time and actual results will vary. And we are back. Okay, so today we are talking about connecting with planet Earth and trying to make better choices when it comes to protecting this one and only home that we have. When I think back on all of the interviews that we've done on the show that touch on these themes, one of the ones that sticks with me the most is with Chef Sean Sherman. Sean is a chef,

he's a cookbook author, and he's the founder of indigenous food education business, The Sioux Chef. I've always liked to cook personally, but since I talked with Sean, I found myself thinking a lot more deeply about ingredients. Not just whether they taste good or whether they're organic or local, but really about their histories. Who brought them? Who planted them? How are they reflective or not reflective of the history of the place that I'm living in? Sean is one of those people that is such a deep thinker. He's such a deep thinker and he's obviously a fantastic chef. And here's what he had to say about why he thinks food can be the perfect way to start thinking about these issues. So I just feel really hopeful that a lot of positive changes are going to come around where people can truly understand why it's

important to protect our environment, to preserve a lot of this natural resource that's around us, to understand how we can just connect with the nature around us better, to utilize it, to protect that nature, but also have it being able to supply us with a lot of really healthy, nutritious foods and just opening up our worlds a little bit more, you know. So, you know, like we're not disattached from the environment. It's a part of where we are. And we have to understand that moving forward. We can't just bowl over everything. And this colonial mindset of being able to just rip up and tear out what you need and

just leave destruction behind you obviously does not work, you know, because we have to be thinking about the future. We have to be thinking about the next generation. So all this work that we're doing, again, is just trying to set up structure and foundation for the following generation to be able to grow off of. What is it that you do that you think makes people actually listen to you when sometimes the culture,

the dominant United States culture is to pretend like these aren't issues at all? You know, I think food is the vehicle that's really helping us to get this story out there because people are very curious about food and people love to learn about new foods. And because this is an interesting topic, people will take the time to stop and listen. So I've done a lot of talks and I will deep dive

into the colonial history right away because a lot of people are very unaware of this situation. And even just from a personal background, the work that we're doing, I'm just trying to do something to right a wrong of a situation that I grew up within, where I grew up within what people would call a food desert today. And if we were able to go back to more of a situation that I grew up within, where I grew up within what people would call a food desert today. And if we were able to go back to more of a culturally and regionally appropriate food system, and you could figure out better ways to feed people in need, that we would just be healthier in general. So there's just so much to work on, on so many different levels. And I just feel like people are willing to take the time to listen

and to see these stories happening in real time. And the food really helps, because food is cultural identity. And we think about the food that our grandparents or great-grandparents passed down to us, and that's something that's really special and unique. But so much of that history was damaged to us as Indigenous peoples because of the history of the US government versus indigenous peoples here. And we're doing everything we can to reclaim a lot of that knowledge and share it. I think really that connection with nature is such an important piece. I think really taking the time to start to learn the names of the plants around me, particularly, and even taking it a step further of learning the original languages. So like I'm in Minnesota, so we're doing a project where we're putting out, working with

this park board in Minneapolis and creating a new park where we're going to be putting all these placards so people can walk and see the Dakota name of the plant first, and then the English name, and then a description of how these plants have been used for various pieces. And I think that connection of learning some of those old languages and learning the uses of these plants is such a great step because our environment is so important and we have to really understand these natural resources can not be continued to be destroyed over the way it's been. And we have to make that change. And I think that we can all benefit from having a healthier environment. So as we continue this episode where we're

talking about our planet and the environment, I think it's worth noting that for me, I often think of nature and then technology as opposites, right, like one is inherently against the other. But then after I had a conversation with author and environmentalist Mary Ellen Hannibal, she really convinced me that there are all sorts of ways that technology can allow everyday people to engage more deeply with nature, to do work as citizen scientists, and to understand

what it is that they're seeing around them in the natural world. For Mary Ellen, technology, it can be a bridge between generations and across geography. And here is how using an app that lets you identify animals and plants has done that for her. When I've gone around the country talking about citizen science, I will often speak to groups. I mean, a lot of people want to do citizen science are at gardening groups or botanical gardens. I love, love, love those people. A lot of them don't, they just don't want to use technology. And if you're not also in a community where other people are doing it, it can be kind of lonely on your own, although there is a community through iNaturalist. So it's not everything at all. The thing about it, about citizen science, is you directly observing nature and making note of it.

So with eBird, for example, you don't need to use any technology for that. Also, I think that's citizen science. It's actually just understanding that we are part of nature and we need to advocate and observe it. So many, many other things. If you never want to do iNaturalist, you know, I have no problem with that. It also seems like so much of what we've talked about is such a natural way for parents and kids to be involved together because so many of these questions of like, what is this world around me? What is that? Why is that happening?

These are such kid questions. Not to add all demean adults who ask them, but like kids so want to know, like, what is a butterfly? Why are there butterflies here? Where do they go? I wonder if you have any specific tips of resources for parents who want to get their kids involved in citizen science initiatives. So one thing I really like is Journey North. That's another, there's lots of citizen science platforms out there beyond iNaturalist. Journey North is one for making note of migrations. So hummingbird migrations, monarch migrations.

There's also, they have a project on day and night. This is very interesting. So you can be anywhere in the country and you can, with your kids, you can start noticing every day, what time does it get dark? And then through doing that every day with your kids, you're teaching them quite a lot

about really the cycle of life. And then it becomes a platform for talking about the cycle of life. So also, I didn't complete this thought earlier, for which I apologize. But that other app, Seek, Seek was developed for kids because you don't actually want to use iNaturalist with kids on their own if they're under 14. Because they are geolocated. And you don't want people to be able to figure out where your kid is when. So Seek doesn't geolocate you and the AI, the artificial intelligence works faster. So that's a way to use technology without being connected to anything that geolocates you, which is good. without being connected to anything that geolocates you, which is good.

We're going to have more guests and more conversation in just a moment. Do not go anywhere. era or yoga era, dive into Peloton workouts that work with you. From meditating at your kid's game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals. No pressure to be who you're not, just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with Peloton. Find your push, find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest charging Apple Watch, getting you eight hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Apple Watch Series 10, available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum.

Compared to previous generations, iPhone XS or later required. Charge time and actual results will vary. Okay, we're back. So this next clip comes from my conversation with Louisa Neubauer. Louisa is an incredible and inspiring climate activist. As a college student, Louisa was one of the main organizers of the global climate strikes, Fridays for Future. And now there's so much that I loved about talking with Louisa.

But I think one of the biggest ideas that I took away is Louisa makes this crystal clear call for action. Action from all of us. Whatever your skills, whatever your abilities, Louisa makes it really plain and simple. We need you. We need every person we can get to save this planet. This is our only home and we need to be taking action right now. Here's Louisa. One of the things that I'm so interested by that you talked about in your TEDx talk and that I know you talk about a lot, you know, you're one of these leading environmentalists and yet you tell people that you're not going to tell them to recycle or take fewer plane rides or buy secondhand clothes.

Why is that? Well, we are facing a systemic crisis, actually multiple systemic crises. So we need to provide and find and find for systemic answers. And recycling systems are great and secondhand shops are too. But what we need people to do is to engage in systemic fights and resistance on that systemic level. And that's really difficult and really abstract. So I usually try to provide answers that are a bit more concrete, actually. And so one of the concrete answers that you've given or that I've heard you give is that we all

need to be climate activists. Well, yeah, ideally. I think there's this understanding that a climate activist or a climate justice activist is always a very young person or a very old person. There's apparently nothing in between. And these people are never normal. Like they, you know, had always this one thing that happened in their life and it changed everything. And then they had a really tough childhood or a really difficult life in between or they were suddenly billionaires, but then they changed. And it's always this very extraordinary story to that,

which obviously, you know, which can be inspiring in a a sense but i think it can also be a bit threatening it kind of you know tells people well you're too normal to be a climate activist and i really want to you know tear this uh stereotype apart and um well yeah make it as easy as possible for people to engage in climate activism and to become a climate activist, which fortunately is much easier now than it used to be because it's actually, well, a cool thing to do. It's something nice. It's actually something, you know, you could this to be one of the most inspiring parts of this is that I feel like for a long time, there's been this sense of like, if you want to help the environment, it's all things that you are doing wrong. Like you need to be a better, you need to take shorter showers, you need to recycle more, you need to change where you buy things. And all of those are important, like you said, but I think that it kind of shifts responsibility away from big corporations and

from governments and from like these big institutional polluters that are actually making a huge mass of the environment and onto individual people. And I love that you have kind of shifted the focus back to like we as individuals can put pressure on these systems and change these systems and use our political power as well as our individual power. It's not just about what you choose to buy. It's also about who you choose to vote for and where you put your money and where you put the pressure.

Yeah, you know, actually, it's something that is as soon as you think about it, it's very obvious. You know, you can tell people to cycle more often, but they won't do it unless there's a good cycling infrastructure. And suddenly we're on a systemic stage. And suddenly it's about the politics behind it, the politics who are working in favor of automobile lobbyists and not in favor of cyclists, for instance. Well, one of the things you've done about it is Fridays for Future. And Fridays for Future, it started with students and with school walkouts. But who else do you think is missing from the wider environmental movement? Well, this has changed a lot, actually.

So it started as school strikes, really. So happening with school children. But obviously, when I and others in Germany started and in Europe, like in Central Europe, we weren't mostly school children, but there were many university students like myself coming and joining that. We kind of broke this school thing up a bit and we kind of called it youth movement then. And then suddenly people came up and said, well, we are parents and, you know, we're really worried about the future of our children. So what do we do? And so they founded Parents for Future. And then other people came up

and they founded then Teachers for Future and Architects for Future and Musicians for Future and all those things. So suddenly it's now getting like a much more of an intergenerational fight. So I talked to a grandmother for future who's currently fighting in some woods in Germany, defending that from the deforestation. So it's really, you know, getting through the generations.

And that is possible because with possibly the most important story of Fridays for Future is that the climate crisis is in fact not a crisis of the climate but of the people and those are the front lines mostly and the young generation the children the young the young people and it's really easy to ignore the icebergs on on the arctic which is melting and it's really easy to ignore the forests that are currently burning, but it's kind of impossible to ignore the future of your own child or your grandchild. And that is what opened up this whole potential of intergenerational change making. So I don't think there is someone like missing or so, but I think obviously there's so much more potential of people getting engaged with this and understanding that it's now the time to get involved. Thank you so much for listening to this special episode of How to Be a Better Human.

I hope that you feel a little bit fired up, maybe a little bit inspired, but also a little bit angry, right? That is not heartburn you're feeling. That is righteous indignation. All of our guests, they highlight that there are huge, immediate systemic problems that threaten our existence. We cannot ignore them. We need to organize. We need to change systems. We need to fight the status quo. The people that I talked to on this episode, they are doing just that. And you can too. And I really hope that you do because I sure would like to keep on living on this planet

for a little bit longer, hopefully for a lot longer. So let's take some action. That is our episode. And on the TED side, How to Be a Better Human is brought to you by Abimanyu Das from the earth, Daniela Balarezo from the wind, Frederica Elizabeth Josefa from the water, and Powers from the Fire and Karen Newman from the heart.

From PRX Productions, our show is brought to you by Jocelyn Gonzalez Animal, Pedro Rafael Rosado Vegetable, and Sandra Lopez Monsalve Mineral. If you like our show, please share it with another human or with many other humans. Have a great week. We'll be back next Monday. Whether you're in your running era, Pilates era, or yoga era, dive into Peloton workouts that work with you. From meditating at your kid's game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals.

No pressure to be who you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with Peloton. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. The Apple Watch Series 10 is here.

It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest-charging Apple Watch, getting you eight hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Apple Watch Series X. Available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum.

Compared to previous generations, iPhone Xs are later required. Charge time and actual results will vary.