On a new Wild For Change podcast, we welcome back Damien Mander, environmentalist and founder of Akashinga, the first all-women, anti-poaching organization formerly known as the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.

We also welcome Nyaradzo Hoto, a Biodiversity Officer of Akashinga who focuses on research and data analysis collected by the Akashinga rangers.

The Akashinga rangers are not only working to protect precious wildlife from poachers, but they are also supporting countless other animal lives through their completely plant-based diet.

We’ll discuss the uniqueness of Akashinga’s plant-based diet and how this also parallels helping to save the Earth as American biologist E.O. Wilson proposed in his book, Half-Earth. Damien and Nyaradzo will share with us how eating a plant-based diet supports our health, the countless lives of animals that are not only part of animal agriculture but the wildlife and the health and stability of our home planet Earth.

Damien has been featured in the documentary Game Changers about

eating a plant-based diet and TedX, BBC, and National Geographic.

Both Damien and Nyaradzo are two exemplary individuals who embody the spirit of a game-changer.

I wanted to include in the show notes three quotes from the podcast that provide insight into how our collective actions affect the planet and all life on Earth:

“I already know I’m not responsible for the death of animals. I’m not carrying that weight on my shoulders, on my conscience and that is a powerful thing to be rid of.”

Damien Mander on eating a plant-based diet.

“For us as humans, we are in a unique position. For the first time in history we are the only species that has the power to determine what level of suffering is acceptable for all other species on the planet. But in having that power as well, we’ve been trying to play God in a negative way. We’ve been trying to control everything without realizing what we’re doing to our own species. If we really don’t start to respect the planet, or treating it like a bloody garbage dump, it’s gonna chew us up and spit us out.” Damien Mander

“We don’t need much space to grow vegetables. As we grow vegetables, we are also supporting the climate exchange. Like taking exchange for fighting for the climate change, because the more we grow plants in the environment, the more we are fighting on the climate change.”

Nyaradzo Hoto, on how eating plant-based supports the planet

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Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we will be speaking with Sara Newton, Head of Content and Creative Strategist for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Sara is also one of the main cinematographers for the organization. For over forty years, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been patrolling the seas to help coastal and island governments from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. With marine life facing a multitude of threats, Sea Shepherd is a formidable force on the open seas.

In this podcast, we will learn more about Sara's specialized role within Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, what life is like living out at sea, and the various campaigns they have launched, such as "Stop The Grind" in the Faroe Islands, their efforts to protect the Vaquita porpoise in Mexico's Upper Gulf of California, and their monitoring of waters in Antarctica due to the exploitation of krill, a major food source for whales and penguins.

We will also learn how to support Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in general and contribute to the fight against the exploitation of krill. Your support can make a major difference in the lives of marine animals.

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On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Kayah George. Kayah George is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, part of the Coast Salish peoples of Victoria, Canada. Despite Kayah’s young age, she has spoken for half her life about indigenous and environmental issues like the transmountain pipeline and chemicals leaking into the Burrard Inlet.

She recently wrote and directed a documentary titled ‘Our Grandmother The Inlet’ that looks at the lives of Kayah and her grandmother Ta7a and their profound connection to water amidst the background of industry dominance as water is now seen as a commodity.

Beyond using her voice and remarkable story-telling abilities to support indigenous and environmental issues, Kayah is creating a docu-series in conjunction with National Geographic about the Orcas of Oak Bay, Victoria. Kayah has a very special connection with the Orcas. We will learn the history of the relationship of the Coast Salish peoples with the Orcas, how their lives parallel each other, the unique abilities of the Orcas, the threats they face and how traditional ecological knowledge has been instrumental in supporting the Orca population.

To learn more about Kayah George and her work, you can find her on Instagram at @kayahgeorge. To learn more about the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s efforts to stop the Trans Mountain Expansion tanker and pipeline project go to www.twnsacredtrust.ca.

A poem by Kai George’s great-grandfather, Chief Dan George

Get to know the animals around you,

Get to know the birds,

Get to know the land…

the water,

Because what you don’t know

you won’t understand,

And what you don’t understand,

you will fear.

And what you fear, you will destroy.

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