Radio Ecozoic

Episode 5 - The Rise of Political Violence in our Communities

This episode was motivated by a shared desire to discuss the increased state violence in the United States that particularly targets immigrant communities. This past winter, the national spotlight was on Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained people without warrants, harassed community members in their streets and homes, and fatally shot people who were supporting their neighbors. Then, in March, ICE illegally targeted Ecuadorian and Hunduran community members in Burlington, VT – home to many in our community. After a day-long standoff between community protectors and ICE, Vermont State Police, and local police departments, ICE detained three of our immigrant community members. Not only were these collateral arrests, it also turned out that none of these people were named on the criminal warrant ICE used to arrest them. Our community rallied, and the combination of community organizing, fundraising, and collective pressure resulted in the release of all three people after they were held in jail for more than a week.  Our shared experience of heartbreak and outrage following these episodes of state-inflicted cruelty is the focus of today’s episode. You will hear from Leadership for the Ecozoic (L4E) Fellows Juliana Neira, Liam Grima, Shashank Poudel, Matias Vaccarezza Sevilla, Francis Guarascio, and Bobi Steel, as well as L4E staff member Alana Redden. We share our reflections and analyses of today’s political climate, its impacts on ourselves and the people and places we love, and how we find meaningful forms of resistance. While we are all members of L4E, we showed up to this conversation as individuals, and we speak only on behalf of ourselves.  Links:  To read Matias’ related blogpost: https://www.l4ecozoic.org/reflections-detail/building-community-and-hope-to-resist-fascism-in-the-usa-feelings-from-an-international-student [https://www.l4ecozoic.org/reflections-detail/building-community-and-hope-to-resist-fascism-in-the-usa-feelings-from-an-international-student] To learn more about the ICE operation in South Burlington on March 11: https://www.rakevt.org/2026/03/18/local-and-state-police-were-essential-to-ices-raid-in-south-burlington/ [https://www.rakevt.org/2026/03/18/local-and-state-police-were-essential-to-ices-raid-in-south-burlington/] L4E: l4ecozoic.org [https://www.l4ecozoic.org/] Critical Media Lab: criticalmedialabmcgill.com [http://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/] Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Alana Redden. Music by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill’s University Department of Anthropology.

Episode 4 - Research as Community Building with Josh Farley

Today we are delighted to welcome Josh Farley. Josh is the Ecological Economics lead for Leadership for the Ecozoic, a professor in Community Development & Applied Economics, and a Fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. Josh’s research interests span a wide range—including the economics of food, the democratization of monetary systems, the rethinking of ecosystem services, agroecology in Vermont and Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, the evolution of cooperation, economics of information, and the commons.  But Josh is more than an academic. He’s a community builder and mentor who brings people together through the way he lives. He often hosts spaces beyond the university, to garden, forage, fish, and cook together. Any meal with Josh and his family includes food from his garden or caught, hunted, or raised by people he knows. The textbook that Josh wrote with Herman Daly is currently being updated for publication, see the 2nd edition here: https://islandpress.org/books/ecological-economics-second-edition#desc [https://islandpress.org/books/ecological-economics-second-edition#desc]  About Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Sean Cannon. Music is by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of the Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill University's anthropology Department. Leadership for the Ecozoic - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/ Critical Media Lab (CML) - https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/

Episode 3 - "The Sustainability Class", a conversation with authors Vijay Kolinjivadi and Aaron Vansintjan

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting Aaron Vansintjan and Vijay Kolinjivadi at McGill University to discuss their new book, The Sustainability Class: How to Take Back Our Future from Lifestyle Environmentalists. This episode is a recording of their campus talk, where they share the personal experiences that led them to co-author the book, revealing what goes on behind the scenes at international climate negotiations. From backroom deals to corporate greenwashing, they break down how these summits shape the mainstream environmental agenda—and why that can be a problem. More than a critique, they present a compelling vision for a more sustainable future–one that is grounded in collective action. Vijay is an assistant professor at the School for Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. He’s also a co-editor of the website Uneven Earth and has contributed to Al Jazeera, New Internationalist, Truthout, and The Conversation. Aaron is the founder and co-editor of Uneven Earth and co-author of The Future Is Degrowth. His work has been featured in The Guardian, Truthout, openDemocracy, and The Ecologist. Check out their book here: https://thenewpress.org/books/the-sustainability-class/ Follow The Sustainability Class on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainability_class/ ----- About Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Sean Cannon. Music is by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of the Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill University's anthropology Department. Leadership for the Ecozoic - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/ [https://www.l4ecozoic.org/]  Critical Media Lab (CML) - https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/ [https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/]

Episode 2 - Ubuntu and Parenting in Grad School with Lizah Makombore

In the second episode of Radio Ecozoic we’re joined by Lizah Makombore, a PhD fellow with the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative. Her life and work embody the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu, a value system that emphasizes community-centered action through the teaching, 'I am because we are.'  Lizah is from Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa for many years. She is the first in her family to pursue higher education, and as we will hear, Lizah honors the resilience of her ancestors by fostering community and shared purpose in everything she does. With over a decade of experience in the NGO sector, development organizations, and higher education, Lizah has contributed to climate change policy and efforts supporting water stewardship and small-scale farming across Sub-Saharan Africa. In this episode, Lizah shares how Ubuntu principles guide her research on sustainable agriculture at the University of Vermont, she also talks about her parenting style as a mother of twins, and shares her journey navigating the challenges of graduate school in a new country.  Together we explore how honoring our roots and finding strength in community can help us thrive as scholars, caregivers, and global citizens. Let’s begin!  Links:  L4E - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/ [https://www.l4ecozoic.org/]  Critical Media Lab (CML) - https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/ [https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/]  Lizah's bio - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/lizah-makombore Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Sean Cannon. Music is by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of the Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill University's Department of Anthropology.

Episode 1 - “Rewilding” Human Cultures with Josh Sterlin

In the very first episode of Radio Ecozoic we’re thrilled to welcome Josh Sterlin, a friend and fellow researcher with the Leadership for the Ecozoic initiative. Josh’s PhD thesis, Cultural Rewilding: An Ethnographic Study of the Nature Connection Movement, explores wilderness awareness education and culture-building in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. After a technical glitch forced us to re-record the episode, we were grateful for the chance to sit down with Josh again in July 2023 and dive even deeper into his research. A lot had happened in the time between the two recordings, including a devastating wildfire season across North America that made the conversation about connecting to wilderness, especially through forests, all the more poignant during the second recording. In this episode, Josh takes us through his experience working with wilderness schools as part of his PhD fieldwork, how he has continued to practice their teachings in his own life, and introduces us to the concept of a “sit spot.” A sit spot is a simple yet powerful way to foster a deeper connection with the broader natural world, which involves regularly sitting quietly in the same outdoor location to observe your surroundings. Josh offers guidance on how to create your own sit spot, whether you're in a forest, a park, or even an urban area, and explains how this practice can help cultivate a sense of belonging and a greater capacity to care for both the beauty and destruction we face in today’s world. Links:  L4E - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/ [https://www.l4ecozoic.org/]  Critical Media Lab (CML) - https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/ [https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/]  Josh’s website - https://jsterlin.org/about [https://jsterlin.org/about] Wilderness Awareness School - https://wildernessawareness.org/ [https://wildernessawareness.org/]  How to create a sit spot - https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/sit-spot-faqs/#:~:text=The%20best%20Sit%20Spot%20is,safe%20while%20you%20are%20there [https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/sit-spot-faqs/#:~:text=The%20best%20Sit%20Spot%20is,safe%20while%20you%20are%20there]. https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/core-routine-sit-spot/ [https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/core-routine-sit-spot/] Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Sean Cannon. Music is by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of the Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill University's anthropology Department.