Today, I sat down with Cam Ogilvie, who I've been fortunate enough to spend the day at work with, in the field, and learned from him and what he does. Now, I get to sit down and discuss it with him in my living room. And so we had a great conversation about soil health and what that means to us as a society.

We got to talk about so many interesting things and did it all in a new timeframe of 30 minutes. I hope the 30 minutes is a great time for you. It's a nice little time for me, it makes editing a lot shorter. We got a lot in there in 30 minutes. I think you'll enjoy it.

Some of the topics we covered are: Soil health monitoring, What is soil health?, How do you teach about soil health? Not letting perfect be the enemy of good, What's soil health going to look like in the not-so-distant future, and of course the definition of dirt versus soil. What does it mean?

Thank you so much for tuning in and I'll let you jump into the episode!

00:25 - What is Soil Health Monitoring?

2:47 - How do you get people to care about soil?

5:04 - How did Cam get interested in Soil work?

8:40 - Is our relationship with soil based on reciprocity?

11:35 - Teaching to rejuvenate the soil

13:12 - Grower’s moment of discovery

17:25 - Favorite part of the job

19:11 - Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

21:24 - Soil Health in the Not-so-distant future

25:50 - Soil Efficiency

28:30 - Definition of Dirt vs Soil

29:35 - Take Away

Mentioned Resources

5:44 - Cry, The Beloved Country - Allan Paton

19:22 - Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott

20:29 - The Effectiveness Equation

30:35 - SoilHealthInstitute.org

30:47 - Soilsatguelph.ca

On this episode of Vistas & Voices, I speak with Canada’s first female decathalete Leanna Carriere and ecologist Dr. Timm Döbert, the founders of Wings of Survival who have recently finished cycling 7,000 km across Canada in 30 days, overnighting at Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) along the way. The ride across Canada is a preparation ride for their epic adventure starting next year, where they plan to ride from Alaska to Patagonia, mimicking the migratory path of the Whimbrel.

In our discussion we cover topics related to endurance athletes and nutrition, the highlights and challenges of riding 7,000km in 30 days, Key Biodiversity Areas and their significance to Canada, the role of grasslands in Canada’s ability to sequester carbon, science communication, Canada and the 30x30 conservation initiative and much more.

If you liked this month’s episode, please consider sharing it with a friend or someone who would enjoy it! Sharing the episode will help our community grow and spread the message of the wonderful conservation work being done around the country.

03:10 The Mission: Wings of Survival

03:55 Endurance and Nutrition: Crossing Canada

07:00 Cycling Across Canada: Highlights and Challenges

11:22 Key Biodiversity Areas: Importance and Impact

14:37 Conservation Goals: 30x30 Initiative

18:27 The Role of Grasslands in Climate Change

22:59 Personal Reflections and Future Goals

26:27 Challenges in Environmental Awareness

27:15 Adapting Strategies for Conservation

28:21 Filming and Outreach Efforts

30:40 Engaging the Public with Science Communication

32:30 Tracking Birds and Expedition Plans

36:03 Preparation and Logistics for the Journey

41:19 Final Thoughts and Future Goals

Wings of Survival Documentary Demo

CBC interview

In this episode, I engage in a fascinating conversation with Paul Schmidt, a lecturer in management communications at the Ivey School of Business and manager of the Writing Support Center at the University of Western Ontario.

Paul shares insights on making impactful changes to how we use language to communicate effectively about sustainability and conservation efforts. We discuss the importance of emotional connection, factual storytelling, positive messaging, and empathy in crafting messages that resonate with diverse audiences and encourage behavioral change. This episode highlights the challenges and necessary strategies for delivering successful sustainability messages to inspire action.

04:12 Challenges in Sustainability Communication

05:34 Defining Sustainability

07:56 Tailoring Messages to Different Audiences

09:07 Pragmatic Approaches to Sustainability

13:20 Building Trust in Sustainability Efforts

17:06 Behavioral Change and Positive Messaging

26:45 Reaching Younger Audiences

28:58 Making Sustainability Fun

30:07 Reframing Sustainability Messaging

31:21 Shifts in Sustainable Practices

32:49 Transparent Communication and Empathy

35:44 The Power of Storytelling

38:27 Crafting Relatable Stories

44:27 Collaborative Efforts in Storytelling

45:52 Final Thoughts and Reflections

51:56 Closing Remarks and Call to Action