Kyla and Kristen discuss the ins and outs of water. Topics: what is water, history of water, water footprint, where is all the water going, municipal water treatment, how to make water (with explosions), wetlands, water shortages and advisories, privitization, the bottled water industry, what can be done.
Book recommendation: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
Podcast recommendation: 2050 Degrees of Change
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Kyla and Kristen are joined by Marissa Marx, the senior director of partnerships and programs with the Dressember foundation to discuss human trafficking. Marissa is responsible for spearheading the Dressember Network, developing Dressember’s programs, and collaborating with ethical brand partners. Prior to joining Dressember, Marissa received her Masters in Human Rights and International Relations with a research focus on gender-based violence in conflict zones. Previously, Marissa worked in academic research and communications & fundraising positions within the non-profit sector. Topics: what is Dressember; what is human trafficking; who is affected; how variable and nuanced every situation is; what happens to survivors after leaving; what supports are needed to combat this issue; misconceptions; what you can do.
We do our best to keep graphic descriptions out of this episode, but please take care of yourself if you are not in a place to be engaging on a subject of forced labour or sexual abuse.
If you or someone you know requires further assistance, please reach out to your local Human Trafficking Hotline. The number in Canada is 1-833-900-1010, or chat with them online.
Read MoreKyla and Kristen are joined by Sarah Mistak to grapple with the challenges of raising a good person in a complicated world. Sarah has a Masters in Global Affairs, and is the mother of a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Topics: talking with kids about biases, privilege, truth and reconciliation, and other difficult subjects; mom culture; modern family limitations and boundaries; navigating a world where everyone wants to buy kids “stuff”; technology; millennial motherhood and guilt; food, clothing, and diaper waste; predatory marketing for new parents; how to trust your gut.
Read MoreKristen and Kyla are joined by Sarah Miller, a research associate specializing in climate adaptation with the Canadian Climate Institute to discuss the final report in the Costs of Climate Change series from the CCI, "Damage Control". This report dissects how Canada's economy will be affected by climate change, with a focus on people's well-being and proactive adaptation measures to help mitigate the climate effects we will continue to see over the coming decades.
Read MoreKristen talks to Kyla about deforestation and the state of the worlds forests today. Topics: what is deforestation; how does deforestation occur; what are the effects of deforestation; why are forests so great; the history of Forest Stewardship Council and other forest eco-labels; what can we do to help.
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Read MoreKristen and Kyla discuss how to recognize prominent forms of climate denial, where climate denial started and where it is now, and what you can do to push back.
Check out this great episode from How to Save a Planet for a guide to deep canvassing.
And one more from this great pod on how to talk to your loved ones about climate change.
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Read MoreKristen and Kyla discuss how to recognize prominent forms of climate denial, where climate denial started and where it is now, and what you can do to push back.
Check out this great episode from How to Save a Planet for a guide to deep canvassing.
And one more from this great pod on how to talk to your loved ones about climate change.
Read MoreKyla is joined by Terence Hamilton, domestic policy specialist focusing on child rights, health equality, and social justice with UNICEF Canada, or the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF was established after world war 2 and works for child rights and well being. UNICEF helps children through natural disasters and humanitarian crises, and works to build global health and welfare systems that provide essential services, education, and safe environments for children and their families. Terence tells Kyla about the Innocenti Report Card 17, which focuses on the following questions: How do environmental factors affect children’s well-being? How are many of the world’s richest countries faring in terms of providing a healthy environment in which children can live, develop and thrive? What actions can these countries take to improve the environments in which children live? There’s a focus on Canada’s place in the report card, though Kyla urges everyone to read the general report as well.
Other links from this episode:
Join the Halloween Walk-a-thon
Canadian Youth taking Federal Government to court for climate justice
Check out the beautiful animations on UNICEF’s Places and Spaces page
C-210 has been proposed to lower the voting age from 18 to 16.
Terence’s call to action: Talk to the young people in your lives about these issues and really listen to what they have to say.
Read MoreThis week, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Paris Marx, the host of Tech Won't Save Us, a weekly podcast that critiques the worldview of Silicon Valley. Paris has been published by NBC News, CBC News, Toronto Star, Jacobin, Tribune, OneZero, Canadian Dimension, and more. Paris holds a Master's degree in Geography and will be talking to us about their new book, “Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about the Future of Transportation”. This book explores the history of transportation and the current problems with tech in transport, with a focus on Silicon Valley and their visions of the future.
Read MoreKristen and Kyla are joined by special guest Corey Hardeman, painter, presenter, and certified Death Doula who also hosts workshops on climate grief. She holds a BSc in biology and is trained in both architectural drafting and classical drawing. Her art combines elements of traditional illustration and technical drawing, with a love of tonal painting and an eye for tension and movement.
Corey discusses what forms grief may take, how it manifests in relation to the climate crisis, and what listeners can do to help mitigate the anxiety and grief they may be feeling in our turbulent present.
“Kyla's been an imaginary dictator for 10 seconds and she's already got a revolt on her hands.”
Kristen and Kyla are joined by Megan Linton from Invisible Institutions, a documentary podcast exploring the past and present of institutions for people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Canada. They discuss the current state of institutions, how persons with disabilities are treated within the system, why institutions are run as they are, and what could replace the system.
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Get involved with the abolition movement
“What's hard is there's a policy cognitive dissonance, where you don't want to put money into the system you're trying to leave; but if you don't do that you risk that system becoming more fragile, and then risk the political consensus you've built in order to actually get the motion to decarbonize in the first place.”
Kristen and Kyla talk with Rory Johnston, founder of Commodity Context, about the road to a just energy transition. Topics: what exactly is the energy grid; what are the economics behind decarbonizing; what is the reasoning behind continuing to invest in fossil fuels; what will the Alberta oil-sands look like over the next ten years; what are the local and geopolitics behind decarbonizing.
Read More"I'm just pulling up the Olympic sponsors list right now... oh yeah, it's a real axis of evil as far as corporations go."
Kristen and Kyla are joined by Abdul Malik of the Off Court Podcast to discuss what it would take to have an ethical Olympics. Topics include: effects on the environment, vulnerable citizens, and athletes; global politics; sponsorships; corruption; labour movements; the value of sports to our community.
Abdul recommends:
Bad Sport and Drive to Survive on Netflix
NOlympians by Jules Boykoff
"I think it's pretty on point that we're talking about decarbonization a little bit late into the podcast because we're also talking about decarbonization a little bit late into the climate crisis."
In this "better late than never" episode, Kristen and Kyla are joined by Robert Miller to finally look at what decarbonizing is and what it will need to look like in the next ten years in 5 major areas of greenhouse gas emissions: Energy, Transport, Industry, Building, Agriculture
Read MoreBIG announcement! Pullback has joined the Harbinger Media Network, a progressive Canadian podcast network. To celebrate, Kristen cooked up an especially dystopian episode exploring the history and current effects of monopolies on consumers, workers, and democracy.
Read MoreIn their most challenging challenge in a while, Kristen and Kyla go dumpster diving! Kristen shares her research on the topic of food insecurity, how it's been affected by COVID-19, why food waste is such a problem, and what we can do to improve access to food for all.
Read MoreKyla and Kristen are joined by Panthea, Saliema, and Biraima to discuss cultural appropriation. Panthea is a television, film, and theatre actor, and founder and Managing Artistic Director of Medusa Theatre Society, and Saliema and Biraima are members of the Daily Dose of Blackness podcast and media group designed to centre and celebrate Black youth experiences and struggles.
Read More"And when I say 'generational wealth' this is a Duke, right? This dude has been inheriting wealth since, as far as we know, Camelot."
Kyla and Kristen are joined this week by Fariya Mohiuddin to talk about tax justice. Fariya has a masters degree in Global Affairs and works as the Senior Program Officer for the International Budget Partnership's Tax Equity Initiative. Topics: What is tax evasion and tax avoidance? Why is tax avoidance a problem? How big is the problem? How would a wealth tax work? How do we support businesses that pay their fair share, and what other solutions exist?
Read MoreIn this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey to talk about exclusion, privilege, and ethical consumption. Brianna is an aspiring zero waster and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on sustainable development and foreign aid. Kristen, Kyla, and Brianna talk about the different ways that ethical fashion companies exclude people and what you can do about it. Topics: barriers to participating in sustainable fashion; big brands and ex/inclusive sizing; sustainable fashion brands and ex/inclusive sizing; thrift shopping; ethical fashion and affordability; and solutions.
Read MoreFor part two of the forced labour series, Kristen and Kyla discuss what consumers should do to address forced labour. Kyla is sad about how Christmas lights are made. Kristen learns about three different kinds of forced labour in rice production. Topics: forced labour in global supply chains; leading big brands; fair trade; boycott?; use your voice to promote human rights; our challenges.
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