Small Planet Heroes

• Eli Enns: We are All Treaty People

  Eli Enns On Indigenous Conservation and Bringing Balance Back Conservationist Eli Enns’ voice exudes warmth, irony, and a nuanced historical awareness of what it is to live in Canada (from kanata, the Haudenosaunee word for “village”) and be Canadian today. This lively conversation, accented by personal stories from his West Coast Indigenous heritage, tackles the fine balance between rights, laws, and responsibilities when undertaking ethical stewardship of traditional lands and waters everywhere.By viewing all inhabitants of present-day Canada as treaty people, Eli highlights the eternal invitation within “Hishuk-ish Tsa-wak,” or the Nuu-chah-nulth phrase describing the oneness of all living and non-living things. He explains to co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Maia O’Donnell (UBC graduate in soil science and producer of the Small Planet Heroes podcast) that rising together means coming to terms with colonial history. The notion of inheritance far exceeds the legacy of trauma; reconciliation is paved with both humility and resistance; and respecting nature entails multi-dimensional healing work for individuals as well as the collective.ISAAK OlamWe Rise Together: Achieving Pathway to Canada Target 1 through the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the spirit and practice of reconciliation. Tla-O-Qui-Aht First NationFollow Eli on LinkedInListen to Eli on the Emerging Environments podcastAnnotated Transcript, with Links

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• Teika Newton: No Place Is Isolated, No One a Stranger

  From a relatively isolated, “tech-less” childhood in small-town Ontario to the unglamorous frontlines of community-based environmental organizing, Teika Newton shows us the undeniable value of showing up. Whether bridging the work of researchers and activists, catalyzing multi-dimensional partnerships across disparate cultures and worldviews, or simply talking to strangers as a revolutionary act of love and trust, Teika proves how authentic relationships drive successful collaborations.Understanding that lasting change often happens slowly and behind the scenes, she discusses with co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Sam Blackwell (UBC graduate student in urban birds, community-based science and human-nature relationships) how interconnectedness is a protean ethos, one that marries risk with responsibility and conviction with conscience. In viewing each person as an essential point of contact, Teika has transformed her modest beginnings into a living library of values that invite us all to narrate—as main characters—a shared, sustainable future.Connect further with Teika: LinkedInClean50 Award Recipient PageAnnotated Transcript, with Links

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• Suzanne Simard: Speaking for the Trees, Calling for Change

  Suzanne Simard revolutionized how we understand forests with her discovery of the “wood wide web,” the vast underground network that allows trees to communicate and cooperate. Her research showed the world that forests are not just collections of individuals but living communities bound together through resilience, resource sharing, and reciprocity.In this conversation with co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Nancy Kang (professor and Canada Research Chair at the U of Manitoba), Suzanne shares stories from her scientific journey, the challenges of pushing against entrenched paradigms (including women’s roles in forestry), and the urgency of rethinking our relationship with the natural world. Along the way, she reflects on what forests can teach us about kinship, care, and commitment in a time of ecological crisis.https://suzannesimard.com/  @SuzanneSimard: LinkedIn @drsuzannesimard: [email protected]: BlueSky@MotherTreeProject: YouTubeAnnotated Transcript, with Links

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• Alex Morton: Walk Beside Me, Not Behind Me

  Alex Morton on Impossible Resilience, the Call to Kindness, and Building Activist Legacies for The Big TeamAlexandra (Alex) Morton has been called a mix of Jane Goodall and Erin Brockovich, but her decades-long fight for wild salmon and orcas is entirely her own. A scientist, activist, and author, Alex shares how she was pulled from whale research into one of BC’s most high-stakes environmental battles: challenging salmon farming and the systems that enable it. In this episode, Alex joins co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Clare Price (UBC graduate student in soundscapes and urban transformation) to reflect on impossible resilience, the role of kindness in activism, and the collective power it takes to hold broken institutions accountable and call for lasting change. From lawsuits and grassroots protest to the return of salmon runs once thought lost, her story is both a warning and a source of hard-earned hope.Stay up to date with her work on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.morton.1671/Visit her website here: https://alexandramortonblog.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-morton-1770989a/?originalSubdomain=ca Instagram: @alexmorton4salmon Connect with us at cosphere.netFollow Small Planet Heroes on InstagramFollow CoSphere on Instagram and LinkedIn

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• What Even is a Small Planet Hero?

  What does it mean to be a Small Planet Hero? In this pilot, co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Clare Price (UBC graduate student in soundscapes and urban transformation) pull back the curtain on the vision behind the podcast.They dive into the origins of the show’s name, the idea of our “small planet,” and why being a hero isn’t about capes or perfection- it’s about purpose, power, and finding our unique place in driving systems change.This season, you’ll hear from a range of impactful figures, some of whom are household names and others whose work tends to happen behind the scenes, but whose stories are just as transformative. Together, these voices help us imagine and build a better small planet for everyone. Links to things we talked about:Kai’s idea of Critical IngredientsAyana Elizabeth Johnson Climate Action Venn DiagramKai’s TEDxSurrey Talk: Special Agents, Rubik’s Cubes, and How to Solve the Climate CrisisDisney’s “It’s A Small World”False Creek Friends

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