What do you feel when you sit beside a creek and listen to the rushing water? What do you notice as you watch the ocean tide roll in, witness a sunrise, or listen to birds sing? What comes alive inside you as a butterfly flies by or hearing the rhythmic chorus of crickets fills the evening air? Perhaps the deeper question is this: What do you notice about yourself when you are in connection with the rest of nature? In this episode of the Wild For Change podcast, we're joined by Julie Brams—Ea...

What if I told you that eating plants could be delicious, satisfying, and joyful—and also help protect animals, preserve natural spaces, and reduce our impact on the climate? Just outside Chicago is a restaurant that brings all of this together. It’s called Spirit Elephant. A 100% plant-based restaurant where every dish is thoughtfully prepared without compromising flavor, creativity, or comfort. The moment you walk in, the atmosphere feels uplifting. The space is alive with plants, war...

Life on Earth unfolds through complex, living relationships. Forests, oceans, animals and microorganisms sustain the cycles that make life possible, circulating oxygen, regenerating soils, and shaping climates. Humans are part of these systems, not separate from them. Our lives depend on the integrity of these relationships, even as they exist far beyond us. Yet the natural world is often treated as a resource, something to extract from, convert, and monetize rather ...

Step outside your front door for a moment… what do you notice? Concrete, cars—maybe a few scattered trees. Now imagine that same street alive with birdsong, pollinators, and wild nature woven into everyday life. What if that transformation wasn’t just possible—but already within reach? Today, we’re exploring how we can begin to rewild our urban spaces—starting right outside our own front doors. Joining us is Sian Moxon, founder of Rewild My Street. She’s an Associate Professor of ...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we’re speaking with Laurent Lebreton, whose work focuses on ocean plastic research at The Ocean Cleanup. In 2013, at just 18 years old, Dutch inventor Boyan Slat founded The Ocean Cleanup with an ambitious idea to remove plastic from the world’s oceans. Today, The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit organization developing advanced technologies to rid our oceans and rivers of plastic — with a bold and refreshing mission: to put itself out of business. Becau...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we explore forest bathing with our guest, Jackie Kuang, Business Director at the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. I was recently introduced to forest bathing by a friend, and I found it to be a deeply impactful and authentic way to connect with nature and myself. Given how fast-paced our society is, we have forgotten how to slow down and reconnect with ourselves and with nature. When we slow down and reconnect with nature, we begin to remember who ...

This past summer, I finally marked off a destination from my bucket list: the California Redwoods State and National Parks. Entering the parks was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had. I felt like I was going back to prehistoric times. Some of the Redwoods have been on Earth for thousands of years and knowing this while hiking among these giants felt inconceivable, yet at the same time, I felt so honored to be in their presence. While visiting Jedidiah ...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we will learn about the importance of outdoor nature-based learning with our guest, Teresa Weed, who is the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator from Illinois Early Childhood Outdoors. We can learn so much from spending time in nature. Being in nature encourages exploration and inspiration, sparks a sense of wonder and connection, and provides a space for reflection and a broader perspective on life. As we grow into adults, however, it seems that sense of wo...

WasteNot Composting On this Wild For Change’s podcast, we’re speaking with Liam Donnelly, CEO of WasteNot, a zero-emissions composting collection service in the Chicagoland area. Composting is a crucial means of reducing food waste in our landfills, yet only 4.1% of food waste in the U.S. is composted annually. In this podcast, we will learn about WasteNot’s mission and how their service works. We will also investigate the fate of food in landfills versus compost bins,...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we spoke with Kay McKeen, the Executive Director of SCARCE, an acronym which stands for School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. It is an award-winning environmental education non-profit that supports teachers, children, and the community in creating a brighter future for our planet and ourselves through engaging and accessible initiatives, workshops, events, in-person classes, e-learning, and volunteer opportunities. T...