Patagonia’s “Run To” Film Series, Dr. Lydia Jennings: Indigenous Climate Change Champ, Green Techie: Agustin Guilisasti, 13,000 Acres Added to Florida’s Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge!

DR. LYDIA JENNINGS, INDIGENOUS CLIMATE CHANGE CHAMPION

Dr. Lydia Jennings grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She’s a member of the Huichol and Pascua Yaqui Nations. She earned her Bachelors of Science from California State University, Monterey Bay in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy. She moved to Tucson, Arizona where she completed her Ph.D.  in soil microbiology and environmental policy at the University of Arizona in the Department of Environmental Sciences. She also minored in American Indian Policy. 

After COVID forced the cancellation of her 2020 PhD graduation ceremonies, Dr. Jennings decided to create her own ceremony. She said, “In so many Indigenous communities, including my own, we run for community.”

So that’s what she did. Dr. Jennings organized a 50 mile run for herself on the portion of the Arizona Trail close to Tucson. The Arizona Trail is The Arizona Trail is a complete non-motorized path, stretching 800 diverse miles across Arizona from Mexico to Utah.The trail is designed as a primitive trail for hiking, equestrians, mountain biking, and even cross country skiing, showcasing the wide variety of mountain ranges and ecosystems of Arizona.

Each mile Jennings ran was dedicated to a different indigenous scientist who had navigated the hallways of academia before and made a path for her. The final mile she dedicated to the students of the future.

Jennings then went a step further, using that moment to raise money for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) T3 Fund, which helps Indigenous students affected by COVID-19. She raised $8,500, and became the subject of an indigenous documentary called, “Run to be Seen.”

Lydia is a 2014 University of Arizona NIEHS Superfund Program trainee, a 2015 recipient of National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, a 2019 American Geophysical Union “Voices for Science” Fellow, and a 2020 Native Nations Institute Indigenous Data Sovereignty Doctoral Scholar.  

Why do indigenous scientists matter to us? Science better serves everybody when everybody is included. Moreover, diversity of experience leads to diversity of perspective which helps create better understanding of  nature and reality. 

DEEPER DIVE: Tuscan, Travel Soil Nerd, AISES, Patagonia

PATAGONIA CLOTHING STORE’S “RUN TO” SPORTS FILM ACTIVISM SERIES

Jeffrey’s story on Dr. Lydia Jennnings mentioned her run that made her the subject of a documentary short called, “Run to Be Seen”.  The film is part of Patagonia’s “Run To” series. Yes, THAT Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear store. The company is producing a film series about runners finding activism through sport. It’s part of their mission to be more than a clothing store.

The company has partnered with Rising Hearts, an indigenous-led grassroots organization committed to elevating indigenous voices, to produce that film, and Indigenous rights activists Jordan Marie “Brings Three White Horses” Daniel and Devin Whetstone co-directed it.

The 18-minute documentary, “Run to Be Seen” is the second film in the series. The first, also debuting in 2021, is called “Corriendo para salvar una Cuenca” (Run to Save a Watershed). That film follows trail-running environmental activist Felipe Cancino on a 120 km run to witness the effects a hydroelectric project will have on the Santiago water supply and small towns and indigenous traditions.

Through the lens of running and activism, the series shows us the beauty of our planet and how it connects and reminds us of the importance of access, and impels us to stand up and fight when these places and communities are threatened”, says Patagonia.

Why does the “Run To” series  matter to us? It highlights the proactive power of activism and sport through observing nature’s health and its needs, in order to take effective action. Both documentary shorts are available for viewing at https://www.patagonia.com/films/run-to/, or just click on the link in the Deeper Dive section of this story at TheClimate.org/episodes.

DEEPER DIVE:  Health PLS, PopSugar, Patagonia Run To

GREEN TECH ENTREPRENEUR, AGUSTIN GUILISASTI

Tech entrepreneur Agustin Guilisasti took a trip to the Amazon and saw first-hand its destruction. But it was the memory of the beauty and vastness of the Amazon that stayed with him. Back in Britain, Guilisasti became frustrated by the fact that the UK transportation sector is responsible for 28% of its GHG emissions, and by how expensive ride share solutions were in Britain. So he and Caroline Seton founded HumanForest in 2021.

HumanForest is a dockless, shared and ad-supported e-bike service. The first ten minutes are free–thanks to advertising sales.  After that, it’s about twenty-five cents per minute. The e-bike operates by using electric, long range swappable batteries.

Why does Guilisasti matter to us? Because this is not his first e-rodeo. He’is also the founder of a South American ride-share called Cabify. The goal of that place was to make transportation networks more sustainable. Okay, but what about the name? According to its website, “In a Forest, trees capture CO2. In a HumanForest you avoid emitting CO2.”

For now, you can only find HumanForest in London, with hopes to get to other cities and towns. Says Guilisasti, “At HumanForest, we are committed to help remove CO2 from the environment.”

DEEPER DIVE: Techcrunch, Conduit Connect, Human Forest

13,000 ACRES ADDED TO THE LOWER SUWANNEE WILDLIFE REFUGE

The Conservation Fund and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, in partnership with Lyme Timber company, recently announced the protection of over 13,000 acres of forest land adjacent to Florida’s Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. To put that into perspective, 13,000 acres is about half the size of the city of Boston, MA.

A working forest conservation easement will allow for sustainable timber harvesting and maintain local jobs, while conserving and restoring natural habitat.  Lyme Timber co. has a long long track record of acquiring and sustainably managing lands with important conservation values.

The project helps to make sure that the Suwannee River is protected all the way from the headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp of southern Georgia to the salt-marsh estuaries of western Florida’s Gulf Coast. 

Why does river conservation matter to us? The protection of the Suwannee River is important because it’s the largest undeveloped river delta system in the nation. Protecting delta systems in general are important because they provide coastline defenses against the incursion of salt water into freshwater sources.

According to Lauren Day, the Conservation Fund’s Florida State director, “Conserving large, intact watersheds is one of the most effective solutions we have for protecting the Gulf of Mexico and creating climate resiliency.”

DEEPER DIVE:  The Conservation Fund, Natural Resources Conservation Services Florida