CoSphere

Working toward a better world through transformative, system-wide change.

Building a community of Small Planet-Heroes to take collective action in sustainable efforts.

05/08/2026

We are excited to kick off a summer of recaps from an incredible season of big questions, hopeful futures, and voices helping us rethink what it means to live well on a small planet 🌎✨

Come listen to hear Canadian experts and activists share about Indigenous sovereignty, ecological justice, biodiversity, transformative change, and how to challenge the institutions that keep things the same. These conversations reminded us that another world is possible, but only if we imagine it together.

Catch up on Season 2 of Small Planet Heroes wherever you get your podcasts 🎧

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

11/28/2025

In this wide-ranging conversation, David Suzuki reflects on a lifetime at the intersection of science, storytelling, and public advocacy. 🌎

In this final episode of Season 2 of Small Planet Heroes, David Suzuki joins Kai Chan and Samantha Blackwell for a conversation that braids together memory, science, mentorship, and the changing currents of environmental action. Across eight decades of experience, he reflects on what the planet has taught him, what movements have misunderstood, and where he still finds meaning.

With passion and candour, he traces the roots of today’s ecological crises, the social and political systems that sustain them, and the possibilities that emerge when communities act with intention and care. He speaks about responsibility, grief, community, and the enduring power of nature to steady us when systems falter.

Drawing on decades as a geneticist, broadcaster, and environmental leader, Suzuki offers both challenge and encouragement to those working toward more just and sustainable futures.

🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/g4aig7tW

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and SustainabilityUBC Science David Suzuki Foundation

Production support by Samantha Blackwell, Maia O'Donnell, Emma Jarek-Simard, Clare Price, and Daniel Forrest (theme song).

11/26/2025

Global science assessment goes far beyond crunching numbers- it’s about convincing the world to act.

In Episode 8 of Small Planet Heroes, Sir Robert (Bob) Watson joins Dr. Kai Chan and Maia O'Donnell to reflect on a life spent at the front lines of environmental science and policy. From early training in atmospheric chemistry to high-stakes leadership roles at NASA, the White House, the IPCC, and IPBES, Bob has helped the world confront ozone depletion, climate change, and biodiversity loss. He shares how speaking up for the environment often means rising above politics, and how confronting corruption, misinformation, and vast power disparities comes at real personal cost.

In the ongoing quest for transformative systems change, Bob reminds us that consensus-building requires navigating enormous amounts of noise. Much of it is negative, even paralyzing. His challenge to all of us: use our votes, our wallets, and our open minds to push for a more grounded, evidence-based, and mindful future for everyone.

🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gYzJ5ju9

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability UBC Science

Production support by Samantha Blackwell, Maia O'Donnell, Emma Jarek-Simard, Clare Price, and Daniel Forrest (theme song).

11/17/2025

Queasy questions shake us. They mark the edges of what we know- and for Dr. Terre Satterfield, that unease is where real transformation begins. 🌿

In Episode 7 of Small Planet Heroes, Dr. Satterfield (anthropologist and environmental social scientist) joins Dr. Kai Chan and Dr. David R. Boyd to unpack ecological justice, cultural ecosystem services, and the value of stories in reshaping how we understand culture, land, and justice itself.
Across decades of research, mentorship, and collaboration with Indigenous communities, Terre has shown that respect is non-negotiable, stories are truths, and empathy is a tool for transformative change.

🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gxhHm7Wq

*Terre gratefully acknowledges the work of Nicole Kaechele, Ph.D. Candidate at IRES, for their collaborative work on compensation. Nicole’s research centers the revitalization of Indigenous legal processes and the negotiation of compensation agreements for historical losses. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gAMbMU8M

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability UBC Science

11/08/2025

🌍 What does it mean to represent both humanity and Nature in the court of law?

In Episode 6 of Small Planet Heroes, Dr. David R. Boyd—UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, environmental lawyer, and author—joins Dr. Kai Chan and Clare Price to share stories from decades spent championing the right to a healthy environment.

Drawing from his work across the globe, David reflects on how clean air, safe water, and a stable climate are not just environmental goals but fundamental human rights. From the halls of the United Nations to remote communities on the frontlines, he shows that safeguarding ecosystems is inseparable from protecting people’s health and dignity.

🎧 Listen now and let us know what part of the conversation resonates most: https://lnkd.in/gBpS_82M

Production support by Blackwell, Maia O'Donnell, Emma Jarek-Simard, Clare Price, and Daniel Forrest (theme song).

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and SustainabilityUBC Science@

10/31/2025

Galvanized by the search for racial justice, Dr. Ingrid Waldron (sociologist and Hope Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University) found herself drawn into environmental battles at the intersections of race, place, gender, and health policy.

In this episode of Small Planet Heroes (S2:E5), co-hosted by Dr. Kai Chan and Dr. Nancy Kang, Dr. Waldron shares her experiences working with Black and Indigenous women on the frontlines of environmental racism helped lead to Canada’s first environmental justice law. From There’s Something in the Water to Bill C-226, Dr. Waldron shows how research, community power, and courageous voices can change systems and protect the places we call home.

🎧 Listen and join the conversation.
https://lnkd.in/dn_t6-cY

10/24/2025

In Episode 4 of Small Planet Heroes, conservation leader Eli Enns (Nuu-chah-nulth) joins Dr. Kai Chan and Maia O’Donnell to explore how reconciliation, renewal, and responsibility are connected through the oneness of life — Hishuk-ish Tsa-wak.

Eli’s insights remind us that ethical stewardship is inseparable from respect for treaties, humility before nature, and healing across generations. From challenging hyper-individualism to envisioning shared futures, his message is clear: we are all treaty people, called to rise together in care for the lands and waters we inherit.

This episode offers a clarifying reflection on how reassessing hyper-individualistic value systems and mobilizing shared responsibilities can guide our renewal and redemption. 💫

🎧 Listen now and let us know what resonates most.
https://lnkd.in/gSuyU-r6

IISAAK OLAM Foundation UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability UBC Science Kai Chan

10/17/2025

What does it really mean to create change from the ground up? 🌍

In Season 2: Episode 3 of Small Planet Heroes, Teika Newton joins Dr. Kai Chan and Samantha Blackwell to explore what cooperation across difference looks like, and why genuine relationships are the heart of any movement.

From her roots in small-town Ontario to decades spent mobilizing communities and bridging research with activism, Teika embodies the power of showing up. Whether connecting strangers in acts of trust or building multi-sector coalitions, she reminds us that lasting systems change begins with authentic connection.

💧 Tune in where you get your podcasts, or at the link below.
https://lnkd.in/dgBkRUE9

UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
UBC Science

Production support by Samantha Blackwell, Maia O'Donnell, Emma Jarek-Simard, Clare Price, and Daniel Forrest (theme song)

10/14/2025

What if our forests could teach us how to live better together? 🌲

In Episode 2 of Small Planet Heroes, Dr. Kai Chan and Dr. Nancy Kang sit down with UBC’s Dr. Suzanne Simard to explore lessons of kinship, reciprocity, and care from the forest floor.

Dr. Simard revolutionized our understanding of forests through her discovery of the “wood wide web”, the vast underground fungal networks that allow trees to communicate, share resources, and support one another. In this conversation, she reflects on decades of groundbreaking research, what it means to challenge entrenched paradigms, and how reimagining our relationship with the natural world can cultivate hope and connection.

Listen now at the link below or, wherever you get your podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xprJVlwhMyJ5lMREODWiT?si=ZqjyKKXuRIGxUKYiIrmLYA

10/03/2025

Have you heard? There's an ALL NEW SEASON of Small Planet Heroes!

Kicking off our guest episodes is Dr. Alexandra Morton, renowned ally of wild fish, whales, and coastal communities along the coast of British Columbia.

A scientist, activist, and author, Alex shares how she was pulled from whale research into one of BC’s most high-stakes environmental battles: challenging salmon farming and the systems that enable it.

In this episode, Alex joins co-hosts Kai Chan (professor and Canada Research Chair at UBC) and Clare Price (UBC graduate student in soundscapes and urban transformation) to reflect on impossible resilience, the role of kindness in activism, and the collective power it takes to hold broken institutions accountable and call for lasting change. From lawsuits and grassroots protest to the return of salmon runs once thought lost, her story is both a warning and a source of hard-earned hope.

We are so honored to share this episode with you, and can't wait to hear what you think. Come back next week for a discussion with Dr. Suzanne Simard on how trees and complex fungal networks cooperate, remember, and adapt, and why hope grows when we root ourselves in connection.

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http://www.cosphere.net/

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