Games serve so many different roles in our lives. They can be a form of  art, they can be a method of escapism from the hecticness of life, and  they can convene community by connecting people all across the world.  But can games also heal our relationship to nature and help us navigate  the climate crisis? Today’s guest, Daniel Fernandez Galeote is a  game designer and a doctoral researcher at the Gamification Group,  Tampere University. His research aims to understand the potential of  games for climate change engagement and combines the study of existing  games with the creation of new ones. His work is enriched by frequent  conversations with scientists, educators, activists, and game  developers, among others and considers a variety of environmental issues  and topics. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on Instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

The islands of The Bahamas are a tropical hot spot and rank among the best destinations in the world for its beauty, stunning coral reefs, and a spectacular diversity of marine life. But like every coastal region in the world, unfortunately, the Bahamas is also home to ocean plastic pollution. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of both our guests today, Kristal Ambrose and Asia Butler, the Bahamas is moving towards a healthier future above and below the surface. Both Bahamian natives, Kristal is the founder of Bahamas Plastic Movement, a non-profit that is building a community of education and activism around plastic pollution in this Caribbean island chain. Asia is one of her students from her Plastic Warrior summer camp programs and citizen science projects, making profound change not only within the non-profit but in her community as well. Kristal and Asia’s work is especially significant and relevant given the recent global achievement made. Just earlier this month at the United Nations Environmental Assembly 173 countries agreed to develop a legally binding treaty on plastics to end plastic pollution! Thanks to both of their immense love for the underwater world, Kristal and Asia, along with all the Bahamas Plastic Movement crew, are truly creating positive change for the ocean. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on Instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

Last summer, Jordan stumbled upon an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. One installation was particularly inspiring and impactful. It was called “Flying Gardens of Maybe”, part of the Unsettled Nature exhibit. This installation reflected on the age of humans in relation to the Earth, by examining the unintended consequences of human actions on nonhuman life. We then made an Instagram post highlighting the artist, Andrew Yang, as an Imperfect Eco-Hero. To our delight, we were recently able to connect with and interview this artist! Andrew Yang is not only an incredible artist whose work has been showcased globally, but holds a PhD in Biology and an MFA in Fine Arts, and is an associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In today’s episode, we’re exploring the clash between art and science, the implications of one’s impacts, building meaningful connections as a climate activist, gracious failures, and how to communicate questions rather than answers.

The interconnectedness between the planet and human psychology is not necessarily a new idea, but conversations about it do need to be had more, especially as it relates to how humans can learn to cope psychologically with the existential threat that is the climate crisis. In previous episodes we’ve ventured into conversations about climate-anxiety and eco-grief. In this episode, we’re digging a little deeper to discover what it means to embrace the biodiversity of emotions and to welcome radical hope into our lives with guest and eco-hero, Caroline Hickman. Caroline is lecturer at the University of Bath in social work and climate psychology, is a practicing ‘climate-aware psychotherapist’, and has done extensive research on children and young people’s relationships with nature and feelings about the climate and ecological crisis.  Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

So many narratives within activism and environmentalism tell us what we're doing is wrong or shames us for 'not doing enough'. But perfectionism is the enemy of growth, which instills shame. It is a mindset encouraged by capitalistic economics and societies that reduces our identities to just our achievements and removes our sense of humanity. That capitalistic perfectionism hinders our work; it makes us take on too much responsibility, and heightens our feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger, while simultaneously fueling our burnout. It also leads us to criticize ourselves and each other instead of supporting our mutual work. That is why in this two-part episode, we chatted with the amazing Sarah JS from the Good Grief Network, to learn how to embrace our environmental hypocrisy and recognize that the inescapable nature of climate change is kind of the whole point to this problem. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero.

So many narratives within activism and environmentalism tell us what we're doing is wrong or shames us for 'not doing enough'. But perfectionism is the enemy of growth, which instills shame. It is a mindset encouraged by capitalistic economics and societies that reduces our identities to just our achievements and removes our sense of humanity. That capitalistic perfectionism hinders our work; it makes us take on too much responsibility, and heightens our feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger, while simultaneously fueling our burnout. It also leads us to criticize ourselves and each other instead of supporting our mutual work. That is why in this two-part episode, we chatted with the amazing Sarah JS from the Good Grief Network, to learn how to embrace our environmental hypocrisy and recognize that the inescapable nature of climate change is kind of the whole point to this problem. Follow us on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

An eco-hero’s journey can unfold in so many different ways, it can be hard to know where to begin, especially if you’re someone who wants to pursue a career in the environmental field. In this episode, we’re talking to Jacob Ke, an absolute incredible human being and life-long eco-hero, who has an incredible passion for conservation and his work in the field. We’re exploring how the local ecology shapes one’s understanding of nature, what it’s like to pursue environment studies in school, how to figure out one’s next step as an environmentalist, the hard truth about the challenges of job security and maintaining one’s mental health when working in the environmental field, using personal social media channels to share the joys of compassionate environmental communication, and finding magic in nature photography. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

Have you ever wondered what your digital and communication habits have on climate change? Especially now with this pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment, it presents significant environmental impacts due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world. The majority of the carbon emissions from the Internet comes from the information communications and technology industry, which delivers the internet, video, and cloud services we use on a daily basis. A huge area for improvement is the systems that make up these industries, and is an area of study having a huge resurgence in the academic world. In this eye-opening two-part episode, we interviewed PhD candidate from McGill University, Helen Hayes, to chat about her research on the intersections between tech policy, data collection/digitization, and oil extraction. In Part 2, we continued our conversation on how and who is causing environmental degradation within these industries, mitigation techniques and next steps individuals can do to help, and highlighted the urgent need for a paradigm shift in our discourse on climate change, specifically within the media and journalism. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

Have you ever wondered how your digital communication habits affect climate change? Especially now with this pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment, our habits present significant environmental impacts due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world. The majority of carbon emissions from the Internet comes from the information communications and technology industry, which delivers not only the internet, but also the video and cloud services we use on a daily basis. A big area for improvement is the systems that make up these industries, and is an area of study having a huge resurgence in the academic world. In this eye-opening two-part episode we interviewed PhD candidate, Helen Hayes, from McGill University in Canada, to chat about her research on the intersections between tech policy, data collection/digitization, and oil extraction. In Part 1, we dived into her journey with academia and environmental communications, and also learned how a trombone was the catalyst to it all. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.

What happens when you’re shamed for your parenting or for your choice of becoming a parent at all in relation to environmentalism and the climate crisis? How can you talk to your child about climate change without overwhelming them? How do you raise an imperfect eco hero? Like other folks trying to navigate both parenting and environmentalism simultaneously, D2 is no stranger to these challenging questions. D2, manager of Start The Waves’ graphic design needs for all channels and communications, has joined us on this episode to discuss their experiences of how environmentalism, parenting and art all intersect within their life, and play an important role in how they find comfort in imperfection. Follow Imperfect Eco-Hero and Start the Wave on instagram at @imperfect_ecohero and @start_the_wave. Find more information and resources about this episode at www.imperfectecohero.com/episodes.