Terra Informa

This episode originally aired on February 8, 2021: The power of storytelling gives us a way to cope with the uncertainty of our climate future. This week on Terra Informa we're exploring those stories about the future worlds that are not so different from our own. While you may be familiar with science fiction, genres like speculative fiction, climate fiction, or cli-fi, Afro-futurism, and Indigenous futurism are reimagining oppressive realities and re-envisioning our climate future. In this discussion episode, Terra Informers Hannah Cunningham and Elizabeth Dowdell are joined by special guest and Terra Informa alum, Chris Chang-Yen Phillips to share why they find themselves reaching for these books, and what these genres mean to them. A reading list of the books mentioned in this episode plus some of our other favourites can be found here.Some of our favourite voices sharing visions of Indigenous futures include Cree poet and author Billy-Ray Belcourt, Cree author Larry Loyie, and Chelsea Vowel, Metis writer and host of a Terra Informa team podcast favourite, Métis in Space.In this episode, we highlight the recent lifetime achievement of speculative fiction author Nalo Hopkinson, who is the first Black woman to be honoured with the Damon Knight Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Hopkinson is the author of the acclaimed 1998 work Brown Girl in the Ring.You'll also hear about a climate fiction short story contest launched by Grist Magazine, Imagine 2200: Climate fiction for future ancestors. Story submission closes on April 12th.Download the program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on May 4, 2020: This week several Terra Informers reflect on the changing seasons, and what spring means to them. Listen in for some great ambient spring sounds and grateful reflections on the warmer air around us.Download the program log.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on May 17, 2021: Terra Informers Curt Blandy and Liam Harrap explore sustainable brewing with Steve Beauchesne at Beaus Brewing. They also chat with Christine O'Grady, from UCalgary's Advancing Canadian Water Assets, and Jeremy McLaughlin, Head Brewer, on the Village Brewery project on making beer with waste water! We also get to listen to a local Edmonton beer song called Beer Tastes Better (When The Work's All Done) by the Denim Daddies.Download the program log here.  ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on July 8, 2019: This week on Terra Informa, we discuss solar energy, including topics such as the definition of solar, how it works, the pros and cons to solar,  and who the solar power leaders are around the world. ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on January 14, 2019: What if we could bring extinct animal species back from the dead? This week, Terra Informer Sofia Osborne brings us a story about de-extinction: Sofia brings us a story about de-extinction: the use of selective breeding, cloning, and genetic engineering to “resurrect” extinct species. This technology poses a lot of moral and ethical questions—would these “de-extincted” animal species be authentic? Could they ever be wild? Do we owe it to the species we've driven to extinction to bring them back? And who should decide whether we use this technology?Extra resources suggested by Sofia:How to Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro"The Perils if De-extinction" by Ben Minteer The IUCN SSC Guiding Principles on Creating Proxies of Extinct Species for Conservation BenefitDownload the program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on May 4, 2020: This week several Terra Informers reflect on the changing seasons, and what spring means to them. Listen in for some great ambient spring sounds and grateful reflections on the warmer air around us.Download program log.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on June 2, 2020: June is Bike Month in Edmonton and lots of other cities, so we're bringing you the right content for the season! On this episode Terra Informer Curtis Blandy talks to Bike Edmonton Executive Director Chris Chan and LuGr Enterprises Founder Luke Grayston. Chan talks about his inspiration for, and experiences of, cycling in Edmonton. Grayson gives us the lowdown on Beet 55, an innovative deicer used to keep roads safe for winter cycling.Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on March 21, 2022: Have you ever come face to face with the majestic beaver? Have you ever thought about just how impactful the little dam-builders are to the ecosystems they inhabit? This week, Sara Chitsaz, Hannah Cunningham, and Dylan Hall (a Terra Informa alum!) discuss Glynnis Hood's book The Beaver Manifesto, as well as our general thoughts about the popular, and sometimes not-so-popular, rodent. At the end of the episode, Sara also gives us a run-down on what beavers have been up to in the Alaskan tundra.Link to the University of Alberta's free online Indigenous Canada course, as mentioned in the introduction of the episode.Program log.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 9, 2021: Finding the language to build sustained public engagement on the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges faced by science communicators today. In this episode, Terra Informers Sonak Patel and Elizabeth Dowdell consider the role that language plays in communicating the climate crisis and how it getting it wrong may contribute to continued climate inaction. To get further insight into the big picture of climate change communication, they spoke to Sean Holman, Professor of Journalism at Mount Royal University. Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on June 3, 2019: This week, Charlotte Thomasson talked to resident Nature Nut, John Acorn, about local bird songs and birding stories, with audio captured by Terra Informers live in Edmonton, Alberta, near Drumheller, Alberta, and on Saturna Island in British Columbia. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on April 29, 2019: This week on Terra Informa, we're talking about periods. Own very own Terra Informer Sydney Karbonik recently hosted an educational event about the environmental, social and economic impact of menstrual products and what other options exist for women. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 2, 2020: Human intervention in our environment often comes with damaging consequences, and today we're taking some time to learn about the history of the regions that are special to us and turning a critical eye on efforts to "protect" these spaces, efforts with a colonial history and present. Listen to our very own Terra Informers Elizabeth Dowdell, Curt Blandy, Andy Silva, and Daniel Pietraszewski as they share some personal stories about natural places and species that are significant to them. You'll hear about the history of the Sturgeon River region and how the ecosystem has been transformed by industry and development, the Milk River and a visit to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, and one journey from connoisseur of online otter content, to advocate for Alberta's own River Otter.Sara Cannon - Decolonizing Conservation: A Reading ListIndigenous Circle of Experts ResourcesThe Indigenous Guardians ToolkitDownload program log here  ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on November 22, 2021: This week on Terra Informa we jump into the giant world of the fungi kingdom. Charlotte Thomasson sings a song, and interviews Josh Smith and Mike Schultz, members of the Alberta Mycological Society. Daniel Pietraszewski shares a fun story about Vilna, AB. You're not going to want to miss this.Download the program log here.Check out the Alberta Mycological Society to learn more about their important work!  ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on March 8, 2021: In this episode, we speak with urban beekeeper David Whitaker about how he picked up this unique hobby and the benefits of bees in the City.Learn more about beekeeping from the City of Edmonton and how to avoid the hype of bee-washing. To get your hands on some sweet, sweet, local honey email davesurbanhoney@shaw.ca!Thanks to:Sonak Patel for research + writing + hostingAndrea Miller for musicElizabeth Dowdell for interview + hosting + productionProgram log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on February 3, 2020: This week, we're bringing you part one of a two-part series on the Canadian Energy Centre Ltd., alternatively known as the Energy War Room introduced by Alberta's UCP government. In this episode, Terra Informers Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham discuss what the centre is, why it was created, the funding and organization behind it, and its staff. We also feature audio from a talk on the Canadian Energy Centre done as part of the Parkland Institute's 2019 Fall Conference by David Climenhaga and Dave Cournoyer.Stay tuned for next week, where the second episode will focus on the work that the Canadian Energy Centre does, and the implications it has for environmental journalism.Program Log. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired October 10, 2022: Who do you think of when you think about environmentalism and music? This week, Jasinta Rweyongeza is joined by Rasheena Fountain, a poet and essayist, to talk about the lack of mainstream recognition of Black musicians in the world of environmentalism in music, as well how specific genres of music that are underrecognized in their ability to tell stories about environmental relationships, environmental vulnerability, and environmental justice.Rasheenafountain.com ☆ TreeSong Workshop: Decolonizing Senses ☆ Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on April 19, 2021: This week on Terra Informa we take you on an auditory journey into the swamp, where we do a little science communication about the Ghost Orchid. We were inspired by the short documentary, Chasing Ghosts, and dig into the flower, film, and scientific research about this rare and endangered plant.Download the program log here  ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 16, 2020: This week, Andrea Miller debuts her news training piece. She sits down with Ashley Hillman to discuss her research on lichen and how it is an essential part of the ever elusive and endangered woodland caribou. Tune in to hear more!Download the program log here. Here are links to Ashley's article on lichen cover and the article discussed in the piece on being a person of colour in ecology. Production of CJSR 88.5FM in Amiskwaciy. ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originall aired on March 27, 2023: This week on Terra Informa we bring you the first installment of our reporting and recording from the Parkland Institute's Fall 2022 Conference: Doing Democracy Better: Challenging the Politics of Fear and Resentment which took place on November 18-20, 2022 at the University of Alberta. This week's episode includes a talk given by Parkland Institute Research Manager Ian Hussey entitled "Job Creation or Job Loss? Big Companies Use Tax Cut to Automate Away Jobs in the Oil Sands"Parkland Institute YouTube channelProgram log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 31, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Charlotte Thomasson and guests talk trees. On both an individual and collective level, the protection of these leafy giants has always been important, and the urgency to protect these ancient species only grows with the increasing threats of climate change, wildfire, industry, and development. Indigenous land-defenders have long led the effort to protect endangered old-growth trees on a large scale. But as we'll hear today, you can be called to speak up for the trees right in your own backyard. We'll hear from Kelci Mohr, environmental advocate and resident of Nelson, British Columbia, as well as Terra Informer Dylan Hall and Troy Sebastian, a contractor for the Ktunaxa Nation.Download the program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on December 13, 2021: This week, we're plunging back into the world of Pacific salmon! In this episode, our salmon friends, Francis and Finley, join us again to teach us a bit more about Pacific salmon and salmon aquaculture. Then, Sara Chitsaz is joined by Andrew Bateman, who is the Salmon Health Manager for the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), to learn more about the health of wild Pacific salmon and about salmon farming in BC.Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on December 13, 2021: This week, we're plunging back into the world of Pacific salmon! In this episode, our salmon friends, Francis and Finley, join us again to teach us a bit more about Pacific salmon and salmon aquaculture. Then, Sara Chitsaz is joined by Andrew Bateman, who is the Salmon Health Manager for the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), to learn more about the health of wild Pacific salmon and about salmon farming in BC.Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on December 6, 2021: In this week's episode, we're diving into the wild world of salmon! First, we're joined by Francis and Finley, two salmon who take us on the exciting journey of growing up on the pacific coast. Then, Sara Chitsaz is joined by Emmie Page, who is the Marine Campaigner for Pacific Wild, an organization that supports environmental conservation in the Great Bear Rainforest and the Pacific Northwest.Make sure to stay tuned for next week's episode, where we'll continue talking about salmon as well as aquaculture on the coast of British Columbia.Program log. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on December 21, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham talk all about Christmas trees. When and where did this tradition begin? What was used to decorate the trees before electricity? And, to bring it all home, Elizabeth Dowdell regales us with a childhood tale of making the harrowing journey to harvest the family Christmas treeDownload program log here. Are you passionate about environmental news and stories? Volunteer with us! Send an email to terra@cjsr.com and tell us a little bit about yourself :) ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on December 16, 2019: This week we talk about energy transitions strategies and what young people are doing to push the movement. Terra Informers Sonak and Elizabeth give a background on energiewende, ABBY-Net, and student-researcher Janina Fuchs shares her work on renewable energy perspectives between German and Albertan students.Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on February 15, 2021: This week Charlotte Thomasson hosts us on a cross-country ski tour around Edmonton, Alberta. Elizbeth Dowdell joins with some facts about the Canadian Birkebeiner and the two inspire you to get outside and explore the beauty of winter. Small-town rivalries, poetry, and the origin of two classic Canadian winter past-times are shared in this episode.P. S. the second past-time is snowshoeing, and Liz says it's better than xc skiing.Program log.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 23, 2024: What's more comfortable than leggings? Sustainability! This week we're speaking with Dr. Anne Bissonnette, a professor and fashion historian currently based at the University of Alberta, about sustainability in the fashion industry especially with regards to fast fashion and athleisure. Listen in for a very engaging conversation about what we wear and its impact!Dr. Anne Bissonnette: https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/ambissonAnne Lambert Clothing and Textiles Collection: https://www.ualberta.ca/museums/museum-collections/clothing-and-textiles.htmlUnited Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion: https://unfashionalliance.org/Further listening:The Less-Than-Fabulous Footprint of Fashion - https://terrainforma.ca/120Music: I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626 Ft: J Lang, Morusque Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on September 19, 2022: In this week's episode, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham discuss some of the current theories around the possibility of finding an Earth 2.0, some of the current contenders, and reflect on why Earth 1.0 is worth fighting for. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on March  7, 2022: This week Hannah Cunningham, Sara Chitsaz, and Lizzy Baron share their hot and medium takes on the Adam McKay-directed film Don't Look Up. This film is an obvious climate change satire that received a lot of mixed opinions when it came out. Hear what Terra Informers have to say about it in this review/discussion/analysis. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on March 21, 2022: Have you ever come face to face with the majestic beaver? Have you ever thought about just how impactful the little dam-builders are to the ecosystems they inhabit? This week, Sara Chitsaz, Hannah Cunningham, and Dylan Hall (a Terra Informa alum!) discuss Glynnis Hood's book The Beaver Manifesto, as well as our general thoughts about the popular, and sometimes not-so-popular, rodent. At the end of the episode, Sara also gives us a run-down on what beavers have been up to in the Alaskan tundra.Link to the University of Alberta's free online Indigenous Canada course, as mentioned in the introduction of the episode.Program log.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on June 24, 2019: Terra Informer Charlotte Thomasson speaks with Mackenzy Albright, one of the founders of SNAQCS, a Slow Nice And Queer Cycloventure Squad based out of Victoria, British Columbia that creates a welcoming space for members of the LGBTQIA2S community who want to have fun and ride bikes! Tune in to hear Charlotte and Mackenzy share cycling stories, talk about businesses and queerbaiting, the binary of the outdoors community, and how SNAQCS is pushing the boundaries.Program Log. ★ Support this podcast ★

We're revisiting Terra Informa Investigates from 2021, where a suspiciously familiar detective digs into one of the oldest cold cases of our time - who killed the dodo?Scara Informa was produced as part of CJSR 88.5 FM's Fundrive, which runs from October 25th to November 2th this year! Terra Informa's home station is volunteer-run and listener-powered, and we rely on donations from listeners to keep us on the air! If you enjoy listening to Terra Informa each week, consider making a donation to CJSR here. We would be eternally grateful! Please note that you can no longer text to donate $10 anonymously but you can also text DONATE to 780-492-2577 to have a pledge form sent directly to your phone. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired July 25, 2022:It's the most abundant material in the universe, it composes the majority of the sun, and it's number one on the periodic table. Now, some people think it could be the solution to decarbonizing energy systems. Welcome to Hydrogen 101!This week, Sonak Patel gives us a lesson on hydrogen, the element you might remember from the periodic table you reviewed in chemistry class. In this episode, Sonak guides us through what hydrogen technology is and whether or not it really is the silver bullet to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.Program log.  ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on October 7, 2019: This week, Terra Informer Sonak Patel sits down with Kenneth Tam to discuss the ins and outs of science communication, and nuances of working in that field. Kenneth is the communications associate for Future Energy Systems (FES) at the University of Alberta. FES is one of the largest research initiatives at the university, with 127 researchers, and about 506 graduate students.★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on July 20, 2020: In the film, acclaimed actor Elliot Page, inspired by a book by Ingrid Waldron that also lends its name to the documentary, travels across their home province of Nova Scotia to explore cases of environmental racism. This week, we are talking about environmental racism, which specifically refers to the environmental injustice that is based on race.We reached out to Dr. Ingrid Waldron, a professor and author of the book “There's Something in the Water”. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Waldron to discuss environmental racism towards Black communities in Nova Scotia and what liberation could look like.Program Log ★ Support this podcast ★

This week we're bringing you a radio documentary that originally aired on February 18, 2019: This documentary was produced by Roisin Graham. It was produced as a part of a CSL project for the course AREC 173 at the University of Alberta. This short documentary explores the challenges to Indigenous food sovereignty. Roisin interviewed indigenous activist, Nigel Henri-Robinson, and treaty 8 consultant, Jessica Cardinal. ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 10, 2020: This week on Terra Informa, Sonak Patel and Skylar Lipman, joined by Morrigan Simpson-Marran from the Pembina Institute and Daniel Schiffner from the University of Alberta, discuss orphan wells in Alberta.The evidence of oil and gas development on Alberta's landscape appears in various forms across the province. Much of oil and gas extraction requires drilling a well into the ground to reach subterranean fossil fuels. Under provincial regulations, these wells are supposed to be reclaimed once they reach the end of their productive lifespan. But in some cases, reclamation doesn't happen, leaving a substantial number of wells dotted across the Albertan landscape.How many orphaned wells are there in Alberta? How does a well become 'orphaned', and why are they a problem? We find out the answers to these questions in this week's episode.Download program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on September 23, 2019: This week on Terra Informa, we discuss the second part of a 2 part mini-series on youth education in the climate crisis. On September 20, 2019, Youth For Climate and other climate organizers staged a “die-in” in downtown Edmonton as a start to the International Week of climate action. Listen in for some audio from the protest, as well as interviews with organizers of Youth for Climate ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on September 16, 2019: This week on Terra Informa, we're bringing you part one of a two-part series on youth and the climate crisis. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on August 2, 2021: In this episode, Sofia speaks with Dr. Bill Adams about his article "How the search for mythical monsters can help conservation in the real world", and Curt speaks with Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler about his novel Wrist and short story collection Ghost Lake.Program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on November 12, 2018: What is it like to be a plant? Do plants make choices? Do they...think? We turn to Charly Blais' interview with Megan Ljubotina, a graduate student at the University of Alberta to find out about the ways plants make decisions to improve their vitality, survival and fitness. ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode originally aired on November 18, 2019: Matthew Danyluik and Daniel Alexander from Renewable Energy Design (RED), a student engineering group aiming to make the university a greener place through developing net-zero products, talk about the inspiration for starting the group and current sustainability design projects such as a solar phone charging station scheduled for installation in SUB.Find out more about RED here: https://alberta.campuslabs.ca/engage/organization/red★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★