In this episode, we explore the urgent need for bioregional climate action with Colette Pichon Battle, Eriel Deranger, and Thomas Linzey with Justin Winters moderating. These panelists came together at the 2025 Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California [https://bioneers.org/] to share their powerful stories and insights on how local communities can drive meaningful change in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. From Indigenous rights to community-led initiatives, this conversation emphasizes the importance of justice, equity, and local leadership in crafting effective climate strategies. Join us for a deep dive into the intersection of environmental activism and community empowerment.
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Sources:
Bioneers Conference 2025: https://conference.bioneers.org/
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), a leading global figure in Indigenous Rights and Climate Justice activism, is the co-founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action [http://indigenousclimateaction.com/] and is a member of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. She also sits on a number of boards of notable non-profit organizations (including Bioneers) and activist groups.
Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel for the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights [https://www.centerforenvironmentalrights.org/], widely recognized as the founder of the contemporary community rights movement, drafted the very first “rights of nature” law in the world (in Pennsylvania in 2006), and consulted on the very first rights of nature constitutional provisions (in Ecuador). Linzey co-founded the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Linzey’s work has been featured widely, including in leading publications including the NY Times, Mother Jones and the Nation magazine.
Colette Pichon Battle, a generational native of Bayou Liberty, Louisiana, is an award-winning lawyer and prominent climate justice organizer. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Black and Indigenous communities were largely left out of federal recovery systems, Colette led the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy (GCCLP) to provide relief and legal assistance to Gulf South communities of color.
Justin Winters is the co-founder and Executive Director of One Earth [http://oneearth.org/], a nonprofit organization that works to prove that we can solve the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through three pillars of collective action: renewable energy, nature conservation, and regenerative agriculture. One Earth generates educational content, inspiring storytelling, and innovative digital tools to equip people to drive change across Earth’s 185 Bioregions. Prior to One Earth, Justin served as Executive Director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, where she built the organization’s grant-making program that awarded over $100 million in grants across 60 countries, and grew its digital media community to 80 million followers.
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com].
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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 270