In Over My Head

Environment Lethbridge is working to make Lethbridge a Living City through several green infrastructure projects. They are planting drought-tolerant species in schools and parks, and assisting households to create resilient, environmentally-responsible, beautiful outdoor landscapes. Join Michael as he gets his hands in the dirt, visiting schools, attending workshops, and stopping by households across the city to meet the people behind these grassroots initiatives. He'll learn about their hopes and dreams, challenges, and successes as they all do their part to make Lethbridge a Living City.

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael sits down with Kathleen to learn how and why Environment Lethbridge's Living City projects started, and what work they are doing in the community. He also connects with Tianna from Green Communities Canada to learn about their involvement in this project.

Featured in this episode:
Kathleen Sheppard - Executive Director, Environment Lethbridge
Tianna Mighty - Green Infrastructure Coordinator, Green Communities Canada

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael sits down with Charlie to learn more about Environment Lethbridge's community project sites. He also travels to Winston Churchill High School and Fleetwood Bawden Elementary School to hear from the teachers who are working to make their schools more water-wise.

Featured in this episode:
Kathleen Sheppard - Executive Director, Environment Lethbridge
Charlie Weston - Community Watershed Ambassador, Environment Lethbridge
Joel Heyland - Teacher, Winston Churchill High School
Geoff Waugh - Teacher, Winston Churchill High School
Paige Rosner - Environmental Education Specialist, Helen Schuler Nature Centre
Aaron Rosenke - Teacher, Fleetwood Bawden Elementary School

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael sits down with Amber to learn all about how the Waterwise 101 workshops started and what this initiative hopes to accomplish. He also stops by Krysty's home, a westsider who is short on time but busy making her community a better place.

Featured in this episode:
Kathleen Sheppard - Executive Director, Environment Lethbridge
Amber Murray - Urban Watershed Ambassador, Environment Lethbridge

Krysty - Waterwise 101 Workshop Participant

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael attends two Waterwise 101 sessions: Budgets and Small Changes for Big Impact. There he meets Brady, a busy PhD student who is looking to learn more about drought-tolerant plants, and Daphne, a westside homeowner and mom who is making a second attempt at water-wise landscaping.

Featured in this episode:
Amber Murray - Urban Watershed Ambassador, Environment Lethbridge
Brady & Daphne - Waterwise 101 Workshop Participants

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael tags along to two more Waterwise 101 sessions: Microclimates and Irrigation, Planning, and Preparation (Maintenance). He also meets Sheila & Owen, a westside couple looking for local knowledge on how to change their backyard space, and stops by Svenja's home, a southsider who wants to make her yard more water-wise for her family.

Featured in this episode:
Amber Murray - Urban Watershed Ambassador, Environment Lethbridge
Sheila, Owen, & Svenja - Waterwise 101 Workshop Participants

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael follows up with Waterwise 101 participants from across the city after their landscaping projects have wrapped up. Did they finish? What challenges did they face, and how did the experience change them?

Featured in this episode:
Amber Murray - Urban Watershed Ambassador, Environment Lethbridge
Krysty, Brady, Sheila, Owen, Daphne, & Svenja - Waterwise 101 Workshop Participants

Environment Lethbridge's Living Cities

Michael welcomes back Michael Maniates to talk about his new book, The Living-Green Myth: The Promise and Limits of Lifestyle Environmentalism, which questions the dominant narrative that individuals can make a significant environmental impact through their consumer choices and lifestyle changes. Michael explains why this myth persists, including some of the history behind the living-green myth. They also discuss strategies to think beyond our individual lifestyle choices to make real change, including Michael's list of seven new living-green ideas to help you make a difference.

Michael Maniates is a former Professor of Social Science and former Chair of Environmental Studies at Yale-NUS College in Singapore. His teaching, research, and writing have focused broadly on environmental politics, sustainable consumption, and oppositional forces to transformative environmental governance. He has authored or co-authored five books and dozens of articles, opinion pieces, book chapters, and review essays. His recent work explored systems of sustainable consumption and production, social innovations for a low-growth/high-prosperity world, and the pitfalls and promise of conscientious consumption.
Rethinking Growth Part 4: Higher Education (original conversation with Michael Maniates)

In February 2023, Michael traveled to the village of Myrnam, Alberta, to interview staff and students at New Myrnam School, learning all about the sustainability projects, including a school bus they were converting into a tiny house. He recently went back to see what they were up to now and what progress they had made on the "cool bus".

Planet-saving Superstar: New Myrnam School (original episode)

The Road to Myrnam Documentary

Michael chats with sculptor, performance artist, and sewist Arianna Richardson (aka The Hobbyist) who works with discarded plastic and craft materials to explore themes of consumerism, gendered labour, waste, and excess. They discuss her work, plastics' unique connection to consumerism, using art to engage the public in conversations about sustainability and waste, and more.

Arianna Richardson's Website

Michael is currently off on another ocean adventure collaborating again with Memorial University. Through this project he had the opportunity to interview accomplished Seabird biologist Holly Hogan, discussing her book Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist. This never-before-heard interview was so good, that Michael just had to share it with you.

Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist book

How is the Oldman watershed unique, why it is ecologically important, and how has our climate been changing in Alberta over the decades? In this episode, Michael explores some of the basics around the Oldman watershed, water security and climate adaptation.

Featured Guests:
Shannon Frank - Executive Director: Oldman Watershed Council
Stefan Kienzle - Professor Emeritus: University of Lethbridge

What is a riparian area and what role does it play in climate adaptation? How are lakes impacted by climate change? In this episode, Michael explores why riparian areas and lakes are important to the Oldman watershed.

Featured Guests:
Norine Ambrose - Executive Director: Cows & Fish
Bradley Peter - Executive Director: Alberta Lake Management Society

What role does land management play in maintaining a healthy watershed? How are fish species affected by a changing climate and our various land uses? In this episode, Michael has some conversations about conservation in the Oldman watershed.

Featured Guests:
Philip Meintzer & Devon Earl - Conservation Specialists: Alberta Wilderness Association
Lorne Fitch - Professional Biologist
Jim Rennie - Angler & Citizen Scientist

How are businesses affected by concerns around water security in the Oldman Watershed? In this episode, Michael talks with three business owners who rely on water for their livelihood. He explores why water matters to them and how they plan to adapt to a changing climate.

Featured Guests:
Jim Lynch-Staunton - Rancher: Antelope Butte Ranch
Dwight Perry - Farmer
Kelti Baird - Co-Founder & Managing Owner: Theoretically Brewing Co.

How has the Oldman watershed been developed over the centuries and were there any struggles along the way? In this episode, Michael explores the history of development in the Oldman watershed, including its significance to the Blackfoot people and its importance to settler communities. He also learns about the controversy around the construction of the Oldman River Dam.

Featured Guests:
Ninna Piiksii - Blackfoot Elder
Tyler Stewart - Curator: Galt Museum
Stewart Rood - Environmental Science Professor: University of Lethbridge
Cliff Wallis - Director: Alberta Wilderness Association & Past President: Friends of the Oldman River
Cheryl Bradley - Friends of the Oldman volunteer

How is the City of Lethbridge planning to adapt to water security concerns in our changing climate and what can you do to have an impact? In this episode, Michael explores the future of water and climate adaptation in Lethbridge. He gets a tour of the water treatment plant, learns about the city’s climate adaptation strategy and gets some advice from past guests on what you can do to get involved.

Featured Guests:
Doug Kaupp - General Manager of Water and Wastewater: City of Lethbridge
Raene Barber - Sustainability Engineer: City of Lethbridge
Shannon Frank - Executive Director: Oldman Watershed Council
Cliff Wallis - Director: Alberta Wilderness Association & Past President: Friends of the Oldman River

Michael learns all about the Oldman watershed, exploring how communities in Southern Alberta are impacted by concerns around water security related to climate change, and how they might adapt.

What was the motivation behind establishing Alberta Parks? Why is researching the history of provincial parks challenging, and should we include ordinary people in park history?

Michael explores these questions with environmental historian Jessica DeWitt. She explains the unique reasons for creating Alberta Parks in the 1930s and the challenges with the first provincial parks including Aspen Beach. They discuss Fish Creek Provincial Park and the urban park movement in the 1970s, unintentional environmentalism and more.

What was prehistoric life like in Alberta 2.6 million years ago? What is the geologic significance of the provincial parks, and how can geology help us deepen our connection to the parks?

Michael explores these questions with history and earth science educator, and author Cory Gross. They cover the unique geology of Castle Wildland Provincial Park, Kananaskis, Sheep River Provincial Park, Cypress Hills Provincial Park and more.

Sandstone Prehistoric Safari's Website