The Sustainable Jungle Podcast is a mission driven show, focusing on solutions for the world’s sustainability and conservation challenges. Hosts, Lyall and Joy, talk with some of the most interesting and inspiring people working to future proof our planet. Join us as we create a place to encourage and galvanize positive change.
Episodes
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Monday Aug 06, 2018
“An award-winning television presenter and filmmaker, Bonné de Bod, is well-known for her in-depth reporting on wildlife and environmental issues. For nearly a decade, Bonné has presented in both Afrikaans and English on South African television. Awards include the prestigious SANParks Kudu Award for Best Journalist in 2015 and an ATKV-Mediaveertjie in 2016. Her Kudu award stated that she received the nod due to her “passionate, balanced reporting on wildlife conservation issues as well as keeping the public updated and informed about environmental issues in South Africa.” For the last 4 years, Bonné, together with her co-filmmaker Susan Scott, has been working on a film about the rhino horn war and the devastating impacts on our beloved real-world unicorns. The film is called STROOP: Journey into the Rhino Horn War and is due to be released in San Francisco on 9 September 2018!
We met up with Bonné in the Walter Sisulu Gardens in Johannesburg where the 3 of us pretended we were in the wild bush of the Kruger National Park and covered Bonné's career path to telling stories about the wild, the rhino horn problem and some of the amazing work being done to fight the rhino horn war including her upcoming film, 'STROOP: Journey into the Rhino Horn War'.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Tuesday Jul 31, 2018
Tuesday Jul 31, 2018
Dipesh is quite the eco-leader and one of the founders of the Flipflopi Expedition, a remarkable plan to build a 60ft dhow out of recycled plastic and sail it from Lamu, Kenya to Cape Town South Africa ('just' 5,250km!). More on Dipesh: "Having lived on the Kenyan Coast for seven years, Dipesh became addicted to trash. He was obsessed with what else one could do with all the flip-flops and discarded bottles that he picked off the beach. For a few years, he had a lot of fun building giant size sculptures (have a look at Mfalme the Whale) from thousands of flip-flops as well as houses, water tanks and other structures from plastic bottles. Alas, his children, he was told, could not spend their lives picking trash, and school fees had to be raised, so he and his family left the coast and moved up country where he currently runs an outdoor adventure company near Mt Kenya where it's far too cold to wear flipflops."
We visited Dipesh in Nairobi, Kenya and shortly after, visited dhow maker Ali in Lamu where we got to see the "small" plastic pilot dhow for ourselves! In this wide-ranging discussion with Dipesh, we cover Dipesh's varied but mission-driven career path, the Flipflopi Expedition's key messages and the power of individual choice in changing the world.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Monday Jul 23, 2018
Monday Jul 23, 2018
Erin Meezan is the VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface Inc, a publicly listed company in the USA that manufactures carpet tiles and has earned a reputation as a leader in sustainability. Erin came from an environmental law background and has always been exceptionally passionate about making a difference. Today she "leads a global team that provides technical assistance and support to the company’s global business, addressing sustainability at all levels – from operations and management, to employees and customers, and in policy forums". Erin is the definition of a changemaker and a leader.
We were fortunate to chat to Erin in early 2018 and were so inspired by Erin's path and the work that she and her team are doing at Interface. We covered Erin's career evolution, why Interface is an incredible example of sustainability leadership, how they're tracking against their aggressive sustainability goals and some advice for how to do the same in your workplace or business
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Monday Jul 16, 2018
Monday Jul 16, 2018
Aarón Bendfeldt is a young social entrepreneur based in Guatemala City. After visiting Norway and learning about effective waste management (amongst many other things), he co-founded Grønn, a social enterprise that "generates social, environmental and economical impact through its operation in Guatemala. [They] are creating Guatemala's first glass recycling platform for restaurants and upcycling glass bottles to manufacture handmade glassware and home décor items while providing economic opportunity to vulnerable women living in the most dangerous slums in Guatemala City".
We visited Aarón at the Grønn factory in Guatemala City. The factory is based in a vibrant area so there was all sorts of interesting and fun background noises, including a band that was practising for the Independence Day Festival! It was a fun backdrop for an inspiring, uplifting interview which covered the vaue of social entrepreneurship, turning waste into minimalist beauties, changing the lives of single moms from the most dangerous parts of Guatemala, Guatemalan Gangs and making a difference. Be inspired and enjoy!
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Monday Jul 09, 2018
Monday Jul 09, 2018
Danelle Murray, together with her husband Brendan, her two kids and her team, runs the Owl Rescue Centre and Sanctuary in Hartbeespoort, South Africa. "The Centre takes in hundreds of owls every year through their rescue efforts. The owls are rehabilitated and when they can survive on their own in the wild, are released in The Sanctuary - a farm which is located within a twelve thousand hectare protected conservancy." Danelle and Brendan are also working hard on a number of other projects including a plastic recycling program and a master plan to save the world with a giant ship. These guys are practical, hard-working legends that are out there making it happen.
We visited the Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort, about 1 hour outside of Johannesburg. Danelle very kindly showed us around, introduced us to some feathery and rather vocal owls and chatted to us about saving + rehabilitating owls, the Owl Rescue Centre's very own plastic processing plant, Danelle's book about their lives in Africa and buying a ship to haul plastic out of the sea!
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Monday Jul 02, 2018
Monday Jul 02, 2018
Philip Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, who, having been successful in business in the USA and Guatemala, sought meaning and purpose in his life and turned his hand to social entrepreneurship. He built Ecofiltro into a profitable business that serves clean water to the rural poor of Guatemala. Philip also mentors other social enterprises who focus on building financially sustainable businesses and have “doing good” at their core. He now lives in Antigua, Guatemala and also runs an organic coffee farm!
For us, this was an incredibly inspiring interview and we were grateful for the opportunity to learn about the following from Philip: Finding happiness in being a giver, how the concept of 'people, planet and prosperity' is entirely feasible, the Ecofiltro business model, sustainable manufacturing and the role of consumers and social enterprises in driving change.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Monday Jun 25, 2018
Monday Jun 25, 2018
Eliza was born in the USA and grew up in Guatemala City to visionary parents who today, run The Jungle School for 400 kids in San Andres, Petén, Guatemala. Back in the USA, she enjoyed a career in PR and events before hearing the call to return to Guatemala to start Itza Wood, the social enterprise that uses local, responsibly sourced wood offcuts (that would otherwise be wasted or burned) to create beautiful heirloom pieces while employing local people and supporting education at The Jungle School.
This interview was done jungle style! We hung out with the fabulous Eliza in the gardens of the Jungle School in San Andres, Petén, Guatemala. The birds were singing, the spiders jumping and the wind blowing so please forgive the range of noises and momentary distractions ;). This was a relaxed and reflective interview that covered supporting education at the Jungle School, creating local employment, using sustainable, natural resources and creating beautiful one of a kind heirloom products
This interview was done outside so the audio can be a little windy at times! Hopefully, the sweet, jungle bird sounds make it worth it ;)
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Friday Jun 15, 2018
Friday Jun 15, 2018
Frank is a Southern Californian who spent his youth hanging out in nature. He pursued a career in the Navy until, on a prompt from his wife, realized that he needed more in his life. Today, he is the founder of Golden Coast Mead, a small meadery based in Oceanside California that supports healthy bee populations by buying organic honey from regenerative farms. Frank is a deeply thoughtful and deliberate guy and we really enjoyed the opportunity to learn from him!
We had the pleasure of hanging out with Frank at his meadery in Southern California. It was a rather fun and joyous episode, in no way due to the delicious and unique organic, coffee mead we were tasting along the way ;)
We cover Frank’s transition to work that makes him happy, saving bees by choosing suppliers wisely, Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, Regenerative Farming and where to get a good ‘ole mead in Southern California.
Really sorry about the beeping – there was all kinds of construction and meading action at the meadery in the background… you get used to it!
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Friday Jun 08, 2018
Friday Jun 08, 2018
Elysse is an “Entrepreneur, mentor, and unabashed wanderluster livin' it up in San Diego, CA”. She is the founder of Wabi-Sabi Botanicals, a luxury, ethical beauty line and ‘Be Led by Love’, a beautiful website about self-love and empowerment. Elysse is passionate about the betterment of women… all women!
We caught up with Elysse in her home state of California, USA and she graciously shared her approach to business, self-love and women empowerment all over the world. Many words of wisdom and advice on living a fulfilled meaningful life
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***
Friday Jun 01, 2018
Friday Jun 01, 2018
Nick Mott is an outdoor guy! He is also a conservationist, climber, and environmental journalist. He is the Assistant Producer for Threshold, the beautifully produced Podcast which uses” stories to explain how humans are changing and being changed by the planet”.
We met Nick on the Lions Lair Spur Trail Head in Boulder Colorado with the intention of interviewing him out in nature but it was so windy that we ended up having a sauna-like and somewhat noisy interview in the car! Nevertheless, we managed to learn more about Threshold Season 1 including latest updates, what to expect from Season 2 and more about Nick and his 2018 projects.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Find the show notes here
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***