In Our Backyard Podcast

Knellee Bisram who is the founder of AHAM, the Art of Happiness and Mindfulness and the Academy of the Heart and Mind, an organization connecting mindfulness, education, nature, youth, and community resilience.Building on our last episode, this 10-minute guided meditation invites you to deepen your connection with mindfulness, the natural world, and the work of fostering resilient communities.For the best experience, find a quiet, comfortable place where you can be still and fully present. Please listen only when it is safe to do so, and avoid listening while driving or doing chores that require your attention.Take this time to pause, reconnect, and nurture the sense of calm and connection that can help us build stronger, more mindful, and resilient communities.Contact or connect: https://www.ahameducation.org/

Today, we’re diving into the health of Charleston’s waterways and the work being done to protect them.I talked with Riley Egger, the Advocacy and Policy Director at Charleston Waterkeeper. Charleston is a community deeply connected to its rivers, creeks, marshes, and harbor, but those waterways face a growing number of challenges, from pollution and development to flooding, population growth, and the impacts of a changing climate.In this episode, Riley helps us better understand what makes Charleston’s waterways so unique, the threats they face, and the work Charleston Waterkeeper is doing on the ground through water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, and advocacy.We’ll also talk about how scientific data can shape policy, how monitoring can lead to real-world change, and what the latest water quality trends are telling us about the future of Charleston’s waterways.Contact and connect: https://charlestonwaterkeeper.org/

Today, we’re joined by Mona Shomali, Director of the New Leaders Initiative at the Earth Island Institute, the organization behind the annual Brower Youth Awards, which recognize some of the most inspiring young environmental leaders in North America.Earth Island Institute is a hub for grassroots environmental projects around the world, and the New Leaders Initiative focuses specifically on elevating youth leadership in the fight for climate justice.In this episode, Mona walks us through the legacy of Earth Island founder David Brower, why young people between 13 and 22 are at the forefront of transformational change, and how the environmental movement has evolved and must continue to evolve to support their leadership.We also talk about the behind-the-scenes support systems that sustain these youth leaders year-round, how the Brower Youth Awards have changed since their founding in 2000, and how Mona’s own journey including her work in the Amazon has informed her work in climate storytelling.New Leaders Initiative https://www.broweryouthawards.org/about/ Water Mamas book: https://www.amazon.com/Water-Mamas-Climate-Spirituality-Indigenous/dp/B0FR3LRTFV