Thor Hanson is a delightful storyteller who keeps his eyes and ears close to the ground. After researching plants and animals all over the world from Tanzania to Costa Rica, Thor has come home to his own backyard biology. In his latest book, Close to Home, Thor shares stories and research uncovering entire new species discovered right in his own backyard and in the backyards of others around the world. He invites us to consider how we can better share our homes with the many other life forms who also inhabit our spaces, whether we already know them or not. As a lifelong conservation biologist, Thor shares with stubborn hope that we can be a part of the restoration of our Earth’s wellbeing simply by tending to native ecology and taking care of each one of our neighbors: bugs, birds, plants, and humans.

Cláudio Carvalhaes is an author, teacher, ritual-leader, playwright, and all-round creative soul. He describes himself as an Earth-thinker. He leads by example, sharing the stories of his life where he learned how to live more closely with the natural world and where he unlearned ways of being that separated him from Mother Earth. Cláudio has spent his life as a student of the natural world. He works tirelessly to create a green Earth community for his children. He invites his students in the classroom and through his books to consider ways that they can orient and re-orient their lives to be closer to the Earth. He invites us to consider the social, emotional, embodied, and spiritual ways that connect us to all of the natural beings around us, even in built environments. Cláudio was born in São Paulo, Brazil, teaches at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and lives with his family in central Pennsylvania.

We continue our conversation with Cultivating Place by exploring the creative spirit and how our gardens teach us to live together as neighbors. We are spending more time with founder and host of Cultivating Place, Jennifer Jewell and her co-hosts, Abra Lee and Ben Futa. Jennifer shares about how she decided to create Cultivating Place. Ben shares about creating his community plant shop and how it continues to bring his neighbors together. Abra shares what she has learned about coexistence as a form of building resilience.

Cultivating Place convenes community through thoughtful conversations around the many interwoven layers of ecology, humanity, and community that can be found in the practice of gardening. We are joined by founder and host, Jennifer Jewell and her co-hosts, Abra Lee and Ben Futa who shared stories of growing up in their family gardens, their life-long relationships with plants, and how that has shaped the course of their lives.

Alexander Liebermann is a composer who is passionate about the natural world. He specializes in birdsong, notating to exacting detail the contours and nuances of bird calls so that an instrumentalist or vocalist can perform their best imitation of the bird’s artistry. Alexander also works closely with biologists who are studying arctic ground squirrels. Alexander’s love for animals is so present in his music. Each note is a pleading invitation to pay attention to the wonder and mystery of the animal life on our planet along with the endangerment that most animal species experience in their day to day living.

Tiffany Yap is a Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. Meital Smith is an art teacher and a visual artist. Tiffany wrote and Meital illustrated the graphic novel Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey. This engaging story follows a Puma called C-8 through his life journey. Through a series of encounters with the built world, Tiffany and Meital give the readers an idea of what pumas face in their search for food, territory, and companionship. Follow the links below to learn more about the book, the author/illustrators, and the Center for Biological Diversity. Thank you for listening.

Happy Earth Day. We want to share this day with you by offering some poetry written and sung by Zoë García.

Zoë shares:

“While growing up in the Bay Area, I was very grateful to have had a childhood filled with a vast variety of natural wonders. That I Was Awake was inspired by the feeling many of us in the Bay Area know far too well: the feeling of an earthquake in the middle of the night. This piece reflects on the significant, yet puzzling moment where we are unsure of whether we should feel fearful or in awe: that we felt the Earth in motion beneath us. Each of these vignettes call us to listen to what seemingly insignificant moments can teach us. I invite each us of to hold onto the beauty of the Earth, hold onto wonder, and hold onto one another. Use that inspiration as momentum in the fight for climate justice.”

Enter each day

between sunset and sunrise.

That I was awake, listening.

Taste the briny air,

hung round with silver.

That I was awake, listening.

In the lull of the night, feel the Earth move.

Pulling on your heart, as the moon pulls the sea.

That I was awake, listening.

Aloofness in your limbs.

You wonder,

whether to seek refuge, within yourself,

or extend in awe?

That I was awake, listening.

Feel the sharp, sting, of sea salt,

A balm, healing hidden wounds.

That I was awake, listening.

Cupping pink seashells to our ears.

That I was awake, listening.

Sing to the emptiness of the night

like the bullfrog who believes,

in love.

That I was awake, listening.

Wrap your arms around centuries,

resilient Redwoods,

who have seen the world before me,

and will remain long after.

Hold on to the Earth, hold onto me.

That we were awake, listening.

Words: Zoë García

Music: Will Rand

Video Production: Tom Rand, Viveka Hall-Holt, Campbell United Methodist Church