In Tune to Nature Podcast

Zion National Park: Carrie's Vegan Basecamp Community Hiking and Camping Adventure

Travel along with me through my first fun trip to the gorgeous, dry, red rock canyons of Zion National Park in Utah, on my unique weekend "vegan basecamp" camping experience with my friend Deb and 30 other vegan folks in mid September 2025 (so different from the green, humid Atlanta region I came from). We go together on the iconic "narrows hike," sloshing through the rocky Virgin River in a beautiful slot canyon and later on a night hike under the stars. I also share audio and musings from the Weeping Rock trail, the Emerald Pools trail, Wildcat Canyon trail (and a few birds, bees, squirrels, a turkey, a tarantula, crickets, and mule deer...some folks saw endangered California Condors but I didn't). In this 51-minute "In Tune to Nature" episode that I pieced together from my phone audio, you'll also enjoy lively banter around the campfire (and in line for the Zion shuttle) with people like Tara, Ashley, John, Nova, Elizabeth, and Deb sharing their nature experiences in Zion and why they are continuously inspired to be vegan and help fellow animals (whether it's adopting a dog who was going to end up in the food system or getting stuck on a Las Vegas highway next to a slaughterhouse truck filled with panicked pigs). 

Elizabeth and Colt put together these community vegan group camping experiences as a labor of love https://theveganbasecamp.com/ cooking us delicious plant-based meals and coffee over a grill, and it might inspire others to do the same in their own park regions.

On the trip, I didn't see that many Zion Park Service employees, but I always thanked them for their service and expressed my discontent with the insulting budget and hiring cuts that are making their lives so stressful. So at the end of the show, I remind us how to support the park service by contacting Congress and also joining conservation advocacy groups like the National Park Conservation Association. https://www.npca.org/. Plus there is a new public lands journalism outlet (nonprofit) that can keep us informed: Re:Public at https://www.republic.land/ 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or friend Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  While there, consider donating to Radio Free Georgia, a 50+ year old progressive, non-commercial, indie radio station, run largely by volunteers like me.

Take care of yourself and others, including other animals from tarantulas to condors to mule deer.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.

Photo Credit: Selfie with Carrie Freeman and Debra Merskin, Zion NP.

 

BIPOC Animal Activism Starter Guide for Collective Liberation: Yvette Baker of APEX Advocacy

To many animal activists (especially activists of color), veganism isn't just a diet to help nonhuman animals; it's a collective liberation movement, part of a systemic approach to seeking justice for all beings and decolonizing our food system. Yvette Baker shares her philosophies on this and more, as the lead author of the innovative and in-depth 68-page Animal Activism Starter Guide for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), available for free download from APEX Advocacy -- a nonprofit advocacy group started by friend-of-the-show Christopher 'Soul' Eubanks here in Atlanta, that is building a community of BIPOC animal rights advocates by empowering their activism and providing them professional development.

In this 44-minute "In Tune to Nature" interview from Sept 2025, host Carrie Freeman talks with Yvette Baker (L.A. activist and APEX's Director of Activism and Community Impact) about:

• the value of having an animal activism starter guide centering on BIPOC activists and their perspectives;
• creating solidarity between animal activism and social justice causes as many compassionate BIPOC activists have done historically;
• why she uses the terms "nonhuman animal" and "other animals" to push back on dehumanizing, racist, and colonial lies separating humans from all other animals;
• the six main reasons activists of color should get involved in animal activism;
• spotlighting Julia Magnus, of the Open Sanctuary Project and micro-animal-sanctuary in Chicago ; and
• the importance of building BIPOC activist communities beyond white vegan led spaces, which can often be alienating and less connected with broader justice causes. And, as a white animal activist and vegan, Carrie points out the value she found in reading and learning from this BIPOC guide.

The guide took a year for Yvette and her team to produce, so our radio show can't fully cover all the many sections and wisdom it provides (including legal protection for activists of color; self care; indigenous roots of plant-based eating, and systemic activism strategies), so it's totally worth checking out online and discussing with friends. https://www.apexadvocacy.org/starterguide  Consider also supporting or joining APEX Advocacy, as BIPOC-led nonprofits receive just 4% of funding of white-led organizations, and this financial inequity needs to change so the world can change. 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  While there, consider donating to Radio Free Georgia, a 50+ year old progressive, non-commercial, indie radio station, run largely by volunteers like me.

Take care of yourself and others, including other animals because we are all connected.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.

Deep Ecology Reconnection with Nature: With Aussies John Seed & Tema Milstein

If you like eco-therapy and/or Australian accents, you'll get both in this episode, as Carrie interviews John Seed, Deep Ecology father, founder/activist of the Rainforest Information Centre and co-author of the open-access book "Thinking Like a Mountain: Toward a Council of All Beings," and Dr. Tema Milstein (American turned Australian), Fulbright Scholar, and environmental communication Professor at Univ of New South Wales in Sydney. Both are co-facilitators of Deep Ecology workshops, that help reconnect us with each other and nature and heal our separation, like the compelling workshop I attended with them in Hobart Tasmania this June (you'll hear brief audio clips from that workshop of a kookaburra bird, Tema ringing bells, and my reflections after an emotional exercise). In this 56 minute interview, we describe some of my favorite workshop exercises like the council of all beings, breathing with trees, a solar system planetary walk, and the truth mandala (honouring our pain for the world). John also recites two poems by Robinson Jeffers.

You can find out more about this eco-philosophy and everyday practice of Deep Ecology at John's websites below, and in the U.S. through "The Work That Reconnects" https://workthatreconnects.org/ 

• https://www.facebook.com/johnseed.deepecology       
• https://www.instagram.com/johnseed_deepecology/  
•  https://substack.com/@johnseed  
• Occasional blog posts at htpps://johnseed.net  
• Podcasts, essays, films etc https://rainforestinfo.org.au/johnseed.htm   
• Plus follow Tema at https://www.instagram.com/temamilstein/ 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  While there, consider donating to Radio Free Georgia, a 50+ year old progressive, non-commercial, indie radio station, run largely by volunteers like me.

Take care of yourself and others, including other species because we are all connected.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.

Photo of Tema Milstein and John Seed was taken by Carrie Freeman at the Tasmania Deep Ecology Workshop. June 2025.

Coexisting with Insects in our Greenspaces: Photographer Danae Wolfe on Chasing Bugs

Insect photographer/advocate Danae Wolfe (of ChasingBugs.com) talks with me about amazing insects (like the spiders, butterflies, moths, and fireflies that I saw in the Appalachia mountains) and why they and their habitats are deserving of our protection, instead of our disdain, zappers, and poisons. We discuss cool tips in her new book "Grass Isn't Greener" to be wildlife-friendly in our greenspaces/ yards (as insect populations are declining and need our help), like by: passing on the pesticides, lessening our lawn, leaving the leaves, planting native plants, flipping the switch on lighting, and avoiding fake Halloween spiderweb mesh yard decorations (go for real spiderwebs). Danae and I also critique some militaristic and negative language common in demonizing insects, and I explain why I try to avoid saying "bugs" (as in 'they bug me'). She also tells me how to avoid being bitten when outdoors.

In this 47-minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast, you'll learn a lot about insects (and coexisting with them) from the wealth of experience and enthusiasm Danae Wolfe has an artist and conservationist. Check out her website with cool photos and a short film https://www.chasingbugs.com/ 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like fireflies and oak treehoppers.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.

Photo Credit by Danae Wolfe: Oak Treehopper mother and baby (one of Danae's favorite insects)

The TransFARMation to Free us From Factory Farming: Stories from Leah Garces

I was excited to have longtime food and animal activist (and local Atlantan) Leah Garces, CEO of Mercy for Animals, join me in the WRFG studio to share interesting stories from her latest book “TransFARMation: The Movement to Free Us From Factory Farming.” In this 49-minute podcast (recorded July 2025), we discuss all kinds of animals, including many humans, who are affected by industrial animal agribusiness -- from animal farmers, to rural communities, to slaughterhouse workers (many of whom are immigrants), to pigs, chickens, and cows -- everyone fighting exploitation in this broken system.

Since we all are part of this food system and are affected by factory farming, we are all involved in creating what Leah calls a “transFARMation.” Her book, and our talk today, is focused on how people are making this necessary and positive transition happen. We hope you'll be part of this movement to a just, humane, and sustainable foodsystem. TheTransFARMationProject.org is the website to explore this effort to positively transform the rural economy with Leah’s nonprofit group Mercy for Animals.

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Tell me about any factory farming stories of yours that I might share on the show.

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like chickens, pigs, and cows.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.

Taking you along my Tasmanian Wildlife Journey: Part 2 Maria Island Wombats to Hobart Eco Heroes

Join me on the second segment of my ecotourism trip to Tasmania, Australia (my unscientific, amateur, American, vegan, wombat-obsessed perspective) with all my own audio recordings from my June 2025 trip. This 58-minute (part 2) segment of the trip takes you along with me to my favorite part -- Maria Island National Park and its wombats, kangaroos and wallabies, stingrays, and ruby red anemones, and the culling issue of marsupial "overpopulation" -- through to Port Arthur Historic Convict Site, then on to the city of Hobart, with insights from my Conference on Communication and Environment #COCE2025 (at Univ of Tasmania), including compelling audio clips from Tassie Green Party pioneers who spoke to us -- Bob Brown and Christine Milne. As retired Members of Parliament, and forest/river and gender activists, Christine and Bob have refreshingly candid political advice for activists that also gives listeners insights into current Australian politics. Plus you get to hear their cool Aussie accents (much better than my one attempt early on to do an Aussie accent). "Bad Weather" pronounced "Beed Weeth-uh." (side note: I loved the cool weather there in their winter and the sunny days on the coast). If you like my ecotourist ramblings and low-tech audio, make sure you've listened to Tassie podcast part 1 in the previous podcast posting. And see photos and videos from my trip at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature 

Idea: You can do a drinking game every time I talk about wombat poop, the ferry, and how adorable any marsupial is.

Note: All the animal audio and photos here are of free-living/wild animals (no one was captive in a zoo or sanctuary), which did limit the number of other animal species I interacted with (no Tasmanian Devils or platypuses this time), but I felt it was a more natural and respectful way to interact (it was the animal individual's choice to get near me or allow me nearer to them). And I had an amazing time, and was elated for every wild animal I saw (like fairy wrens or swamp hens at outdoor bistro tables eating my chia pudding cup).

As part of me compensating for the greenhouse gas emitted from my international trip, I made some donations to the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania and the Friends of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Tell me about wildlife experiences YOU have had in Australia or any comments on my Tasmania trip, and I might mention it on a future show. Thank you, friends!

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like wombats!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

 

Taking you along my Tasmanian Wildlife Journey: Part 1 Cradle Mountain to Wineglass Bay

I’m so excited to share my three-week ecotourism trip through Tasmania, Australia. This 50-minute podcast is the first of a multi-part podcast series I created from the audio that I took along my June 2025 trip (and you can pair that with the gorgeous photos I posted on https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature ) to get a feel for this extraordinary place, and its animals, like wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, seals, whales, sheep, cows, and birds like cockatoos, forest ravens, magpies, wrens, and kookaburras. Often I’m adding in my own audio commentary and context as an American traveler and animal and environmental advocate, but other times I’m just quietly recording the voices and sounds around me, particularly the other animals there.

Across the full series exploring Tasmania (or lutruwita, as the Aborignal Palawa people have called their homeland for 40,000 years), the itinerary I’ll take you on is first a quick visit to Melbourne on the front end of the trip (hello city Cockatoo), and then we spend a week traveling through Northern and Eastern Tasmania, starting at beautiful Dove Lake in Cradle Mountain National Park (where I see my first wombats), through the second largest city, Launceston, and the wine and agricultural region, over to the East Coast to the iconic wineglass bay in Freycinet National Park (this is Part 1). And then in future podcasts, I take the ferry to Maria Island (with so many wild animals, including kangaroos) and Port Arthur historic convict site, then South, over to the largest city, Hobart, for a week for my participation in the Conference on Communication and Environment at Univ of Tasmania, and a post-conference on Deep Ecology with esteemed activist John Seed (and we also get to meet two of their biggest environmental activists who started the Green Party in Australia, Christine Milne and Bob Brown). Then before flying out of Melbourne, on the mainland of Australia, I share my tour of the Great Ocean Road where I got to see my first wild koalas up in the eucalyptus trees, and a kookaburra, black and white magpies, and kangaroos at their gorgeous national parks.

Note: all the animal audio and photos here are of wild/free-living animals (no one was captive in a zoo or sanctuary), which did limit the number of other animal species I interacted with (no Tasmanian Devils or platypuses this time), but I felt it was a more natural and respectful way to interact (it was the animal individual's choice to get near me or allow me nearer to them). And I had an amazing time, and was elated for every wild animal I saw (even wrens or swamp hens at outdoor bistro tables), plus I enjoyed the human Aussies I met as well. Love their accents!

As part of my compensation for the resources used and greenhouse gas emitted from my international trip, I made some donations to the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania and the Friends of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Tell me about wild life experiences you have had in Australia or any comments on my Tasmania trip, and I might mention it on a future show. Thank you, friends!

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like wombats!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

Apocalyptic Authoritarianism: Dr. Hanna Morris Discusses Climate Crisis News Coverage and Progressive Politics in the trump Era

Environmental communication scholar Dr. Hanna Morris shared her insights from "Apocalyptic Authoritarianism: Climate Crisis, Media, and Power," her 2025 book with Oxford Univ Press. This book meets the political moment in analyzing the way most mainstream news media actually lean moderate to right in climate coverage that "others" and villianizes the New Left activists and progressive politicians as too 'radical' or 'woke' (like A.O.C. and often other women of color or those proposing the Green New Deal) in favor of older American narratives of "order" and quick solutions via white male authorities and American exceptionalism, rather than exploring democratic coalitions of many  Americans who are proposing deeper climate justice and equity initiatives and new sustainable ways of living (going beyond simplified technological global warming fixes preferred by authorities).

But Morris has ideas for how more robust climate journalism --that challenges privileged authority figures, respects the wisdom of the public, and acknowledges the violences of the climate crisis -- could foster the kinds of democratic and holistic/deep responses the climate crisis warrants. We discuss current issues that the journalism profession is facing in this digital era and trump regime.

Dr. Morris and I begin this 50-minute In Tune to Nature podcast by chatting about our upcoming trips to Tasmania for the Conference on Communication and the Environment #COCE2025 as members of the International Environmental Communication Association that we volunteer for. We also contend with the ironies of using fossil fuels to fly to environmental conferences and how to offset the costs in some ways. I end the podcast with audio of an Australian (Tasmanian) animal species (nonhuman) and ask you to identify the species and email me your guess.

Hanna Morris, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the School of the Environment at University of Toronto. Her website has book information at https://hannamorris.com/ 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  For the kind of robust climate journalism and progressive public affairs programming Dr. Morris is advocating, please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like Tasmanian Devils.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

What is Welfare for Sparrows and Other Wild Animal Individuals? Wild Animal Initiative Interview

When you hear the term "animal welfare" you probably think cats, dogs, horses, maybe pet parakeets. But there is an organization called Wild Animal Initiative that is expanding the notion of animal welfare to include wild/free-living animal individuals. For my 100th podcast episode, my guest Cat Kerr with Wild Animal Initiative was here to talk about how scientists try to measure wellbeing in wild animals (you can guess some of the criteria) and why we have not often done that in scientific research on a regular basis (it's different from veterinary research and conservation research). Cat and host Carrie Freeman talk for 50 minutes in the Radio Free Georgia studio in Atlanta in April 2025, sharing some stories about a one-eyed squirrel on Carrie's porch, wild bird welfare, how scientists are helping house sparrows live better lives (despite how some folks don't like sparrows, go figure), what wild birds with bird flu are going through, and how to promote wild animal welfare research and policies, including what we can do to improve our animal neighbors' lives. 

Check out https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/ to read and support their research (they also offer grants to researchers...since science funding is getting hard to come by these days).

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like one- or two- eyed squirrels and house sparrows.

Photo Credit: cute House Sparrow photo from Wild Animal Initiative website.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

 

Protecting the Endangered Species Act (and Wild Animals) from trump Attacks: An Interview with Wildlife Legal Expert Tara Zuardo

In this mass extinction era, can we save the Endangered Species Act? We discuss how engaged citizens can speak out against the trump regime's recent proposal to weaken the notion of what “harm” legally means (so the Endangered Species Act would essentially no longer protect animals’ habitats from exploitation, even though habitat destruction is the largest threat to species). Here's a link to a public comment opportunity for engaged citizens to post their thoughts to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (by May 19 ,2025). But the fight will be ongoing and end up in court, so continue to keep tabs on what we can all do for wild animal protection.

In this 44-minute podcast, In Tune to Nature Host Carrie Freeman interviews Tara Zuardo, a legal expert, and Senior Advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/#  Tara discusses: the successes of the 50+ year Endangered Species Act (ESA) (it has faced attacks before, but courts have held firm), how contentious some have made the ESA historically (such as with the spotted owl), how flexible the ESA actually is in balancing human and nonhuman animal interests, larger issues of needing to legally protect all (even non-endangered) wild/free-living animals in North America, such as on wildlife refuges and from trapping (yes that's still a thing), and how to work at the state and local level on wildlife-friendly policies (while acknowledging our exhaustion that we have to waste time and resources for four years, trying to protect what we have, rather than moving forward at the federal level).

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who rely on us and enforcement of laws like the Endangered Species Act.

Endangered FL Manatee Photo Credit: Keith Ramos USFWS, from the Center for Biological Diversity action item on website.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

 

 

Sharing National Parks Memories to Help Save OUR National Parks & Staff

In honor of National Park Week and Earthday 2025, we are supporting OUR national parks by sharing stories about what we love about the parks that we all collectively own (the most beautiful and ecologically significant wild places/habitats in the nation...and in the world, as some earned UNESCO World Heritage Site designations), to help encourage Americans to ask for political support to stop trump and musk/DOGE from defunding OUR parks and to stop firing our hard-working park rangers and staff who are our park defenders. In this 28 minute episode I talk about an Atlanta group of women I'm working with on National Park support projects via an Intown Women's Resistance group. They helped send in stories from people around the nation of people talking about parks they love and why (like Cumberland Island NP in GA, and Arches NP in Utah, and me talking about seeing bison and interviewing wolf biologist Rick McIntyre in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley).

We encourage you all to share your own park memories with friends and on social media, and to contact your federal Senators and Representatives to demand they protect park employee jobs and fully fund the national parks, and any park programs associated with climate mitigation and DEI, and protect all OUR public lands (some of which are now threatened with being sold to private owners/industries, snuck into a recent Republican budget bill). We must stay vigilant.

Here are some organizations that support parks and their employees and can keep us educated on issues and action items, recommended by friend and retired Forester from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Kristine Johnson: 

• PEER: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
• The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
• The National Park Conservation Association

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/   Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including our park employees and the wild animals who rely on our public lands.

Photo Credit: Resist Destruction Smoky Bear sticker from the Alt National Parks group. Check them out on FB.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

 

Solving the "egg crisis" means confronting the Factory Farming crisis: Jennifer Molidor on Bird Flu and Sustainable Food Solutions

We reframe the “egg crisis” (high prices and low supply of commercial hen’s eggs in a bird flu outbreak) as a crisis of mass farming of animals, proposing sustainable alternative food solutions that can replace eggs and reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases, pollution, and the killing and harm of millions of wild and domesticated animals. Jennifer and Carrie discuss this in the context of the bird flu outbreak, as avian influenza is spreading and mutating in a variety of animal species (including cows used for dairy and human farm workers) – this infectious pathogen is an increasingly alarming issue for wild animals, farmed animals, and human health. The existence of factory farms keeps viruses circulating, making everyone less safe. We discuss how institutions can help us shift toward safer more humane, plant-based food systems. We end by discussing alternatives to eggs in your baking and cooking.

Dr. Jennifer Molidor, Sr. Food Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity is host Carrie Freeman's guest on this 42-minute podcast, recorded in late March 2025.

Jennifer mentioned these resources:

• Take Extinction Off Your Plate https://takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/ 
• Wildlife-Friendly School Food Programs https://takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/school-food-1 

One of Carrie's go-to sites for animal-free recipes, especially baking, is Loving it Vegan https://lovingitvegan.com/ 

If you want to see where America's animal products come from (and who they come from), check out this factory farming website from Farm Sanctuary (an animal rescue organization) that helps us look these individuals in the eyes with compassion and justice: https://www.farmsanctuary.org/issue/factory-farming/

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including birds and all other species.

Photo Credit: Compassion Over Killing (now called Animal Outlook) photo of egg laying hens crowded in standard industry cages. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

 

Save the National Parks' Staff from Firings! Retired Forester Kristine Johnson Talks about Effects on Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Our National Park Service staff are under seige, as so many federal employees are, from trump and Elon Musk’s unfair attacks on our federal government agencies with haphazard and frankly cruel mass firings of public servants (not truly based on inefficiency or poor performance) along with spending and hiring freezes that are traumatizing and debilitating park employees and surrounding communities, creating a culture of fear and demoralization (the rhetoric not only lacks appreciation but is insulting). What little we gain in $ savings are outweighed by the massive long-term costs for everyone.

I turned to a career public servant with over 40 years in the National Park Service -- retired Supervisory Forester Kristine Johnson from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, still living and volunteering in Gatlinburg, TN-- to have her on the "In Tune to Nature" show to help us understand what is going on and how these firings and spending freezes are really affecting park employees and morale on the ground (kids and the broader Gatlinburg community included). In our 47-minute conversation, Kristine also shares the potential long-term harmful impacts on wild animal residents and park habitats, concerns about the government privatizing park jobs and prioritizing recreation over wildlife and scientific research, public and wild animal safety issues, and what we as citizens can do now to help support our parks in this crisis.

Prior to the trump regime, our national parks were already overloaded with tourists who love them, while being chronically understaffed and underfunded. The parks can't afford to lose any more dedicated staff, so American citizens need to step up to defend them if we truly care. Do we have the power to get these hardworking and talented folks re-hired if we tell our U.S. Senators and Representative that's what we demand?! Let's find out. Organizations who are speaking out and can serve as resources for us are:

• PEER: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
• The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
• The National Park Conservation Association
• Indivisible.org

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including the imperiled public servants in our federal agencies.

Photo Credit: Supervisory Forester Kristine Johnson, by Joye Ardyn Durham, upon her retirement from GSMNP in 2021.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers. 

Solving Climate Change Requires Changing Our Food Systems: Dr. Svetlana Feigin, Journal Lead Author

We gotta start eating plants not other animals. A 2025 article published in the journal “Oxford Open Climate Change” titled “Solving climate change requires changing our food systems” outlines the need for human societies globally to transition to plant-based food systems and phase out factory farming, offering pathways to make that vision a reality to reach climate mitigation goals and spare the worst warming and deforestation impacts. (the article is open-access and available to share, with a wealth of sources in the bibliography https://academic.oup.com/oocc/article/5/1/kgae024/7942019?l )

"In Tune to Nature" host Carrie Freeman is one of 20 co-authors on that article, talking in this 29-minute podcast with the article’s lead author, Dr. Svetlana Feigin, Executive Director of the All Life Institute, recorded in February 2025.

Dr. Feigin shares compelling statistics about how the current and growing global demand for inefficient, animal-sourced meat and dairy (largely factory-farmed) is wasting vital land and resources and contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, and how plant-based food sources are a logical solution for ecological, ethical, and public health reasons. Example "Although 83% of the world’s farmland is occupied by animal agriculture, this provides just 18% of the calories and 37% of the protein humans consume, and the majority of cereals and soy produced today are fed to farm animals [28, 29]. More people could be fed with fewer resources, if the use of animals for food is reduced or eliminated [2]. Furthermore, meat consumption contributes four times as much to global GHG emissions as a plant-based diet [29]."

We discuss some pathways to make this change: "We suggest that such transformations in global food systems can be accomplished largely through education and large-scale public information campaigns, removal of subsidies, taxation to account for externalized costs of animal agriculture, improved labelling of products, and various investment/divestment drivers.” 

As a psychologist, Dr. Feigin shares insights on how we can create the public and political will to make these necessary ag/dietary improvements, and what we each can do to get involved, including sharing the climate change journal article on social media and with community leaders. 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/   Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including other animals who are struggling to survive on this planet of over 8 billion hungry humans.

Factory Farming Photo Credit: Female cows stuck in dairy milking stalls. From Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals Media (a great resource for animal photojournalism)

 

A Declaration of Animal Dignity as Part of Human Dignity: With Author Melanie Challenger

We discuss the concept of animal dignity – two words that don’t often get put together; we typically only hear of human dignity, as if it means we are dignified precisely because we aren’t animals, yet we humans are part of the animal kingdom and not the only animal species who possesses a dignity that should be respected.

In this special 55-minute podcast, host Carrie Freeman explores this novel ethical and legal concept with our guest, award-winning British author, philosopher, and animal advocate Melanie Challenger who has a new edited book out on Animal Dignity and just worked on a project creating a Declaration of Animal Dignity, signed by hundreds of experts at animaldignity.info/ There is also a pledge there that supportive individuals and organizations can sign.

The discussion covers why dignity is foundational (as distinct from rights, sentience, consciousness); what dignity means for humans and how it could be applicable to nonhuman animal species, and in a way that does not cause dehumanization, especially when focused on supporting the flourishing, appreciation, and freedom of each animal species (and indeed each individual) based on what makes them unique and capable beings (think of dolphins, ravens, pigs, mice, lions, bees, etc.). This includes ways to avoid degrading the dignity of vulnerable beings, like many animal individuals under human control or care. Several examples feature Carrie's dog Elliott (a particularly dignified canine).

 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/  Thank you!

Take care of yourself and others, including other animals, recognizing the dignity in each of us.

Photo Credit: The cover of Melanie Challenger's edited book "Animal Dignity: Philosophical Reflections on Non-Human Existence" (2023, Bloomsbury).