Edible Empire

This is episode 1 of a six-part series on food imperialism. Welcome to Edible Empire, a podcast by Planet Pulse Pacific about the hidden cost of our food.

We celebrate flavours, but rarely the people behind them. This podcast uncovers how food—once shaped by empire and now by corporate power—has long been used to control land, labour, and cultures.

This episode explores how global food systems are shaped by historical pow...

Welcome to Edible Empire - hosted by Planet Pulse Pacific, this is a podcast series about the hidden cost of our food. We’re your co-hosts, Neal Haddaway, Benjamin Eitelberg, and Emma Strutt, with Kelly Allum on editing.

When we talk about food, we tend to focus on recipes, flavours and dinner times. But what we rarely discuss is where our food comes from. And we don’t mean which supermarket - we mean the ingredients tha...

Kal Glanznig is one of Australia’s leading youth ocean and climate champions, a true powerhouse inspiring a new generation of hopeful, action-driven environmental leaders. In the past year alone, he has reached more than 20,000 people through keynote talks, school programs, and Q&A screenings of his documentary Rising Up. Elected in 2024 as the youngest independent Councillor in the Sutherland Shire, he is now driving loc...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Kate Wylie, GP and Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia, and a long-time friend of the show. One of Australia’s leading voices on climate and health, Kate helps us unpack the United Nations’ Global Water Bankruptcy report and what it means for all of us.

Put simply: we are running out of water. We’re using more than we have in supply, so much that in ...

In this episode, we’re joined by Clancy Lester (AKA Bee Man), a passionate environmental educator, documentary director, and native bee advocate, whose work is dedicated to protecting pollinators and rewilding the places we live. 

Specialising in native bee conservation, native plants, and science communication, Clancy combines hands-on ecological research with a gift for making complex ideas accessible and engaging. Thro...

In this episode, we’re joined by Richard Neville, NZILA Registered Landscape Architect and Director of Neville Design Studio. Richard’s work is grounded in regenerative design and a deep respect for the relationship between people and land. Driven by a belief that landscapes can reconnect us, both with nature and with each other, Richard creates spaces that are both meaningful and enduring.

An award-winning landscape arc...

In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back Andre Borell, an impact filmmaker, investor, and co-founder and director of the Envoy Foundation. A self-described maker of good trouble (and one of our all-time favourites here at the podcast), Andre is driven by a deep love of marine life and a determination to leave the world better than he found it. He builds businesses, brands and films that challenge the status quo and cre...

Jessica Lamb is the Christchurch Hub Leader for Athletes for Nature and the Sustainability Coordinator at Without Waste. Jess holds a strong connection to te taiao and is passionate about caring for both people and planet. With a background in environmental science and geography, she works to support a shift towards a circular economy and the rewilding of cities through thriving urban ngahere.

A committed nature and zero-w...

Abby Patterson is an aspiring climate storyteller and science communicator, and our brand-new co-host on the Planet Pulse Pacific podcast!

Over the past two years, Abby has grown her Instagram platform Outdoors with Abby, where she breaks down the often tough (and sometimes overwhelming) realities of climate change and environmental science into content that’s engaging, relatable, and easy to understand.

Her postgraduate resear...

Amy Steel is a climate adaptation expert and PhD candidate with Adrift Lab at Curtin University, Western Australia. With over a decade of experience advising on decarbonisation and climate resilience, Amy is now focused on a vital question: should humans intervene to help ecosystems on the verge of collapse—and if so, how, where, and when?

Amy's research centres on the Yowli (otherwise known as Flesh-footed Shearwaters) breedi...

Christelle Bakhache is a climber, conservationist, Lagoped ambassador, and Nature Sports Project Manager at Asters, the Conservatory of Natural Spaces in Haute-Savoie, France. With a background in environmental science and fieldwork that includes time with global organisations like WWF, Christelle brings a deep, practical understanding of conservation to her current work protecting some of France’s most fragile alpine environ...

Joseph Boctor is a PhD researcher at Murdoch University’s Bioplastics Innovation Hub and a passionate advocate for sustainable environmental solutions. Originally from Egypt, Joseph’s work is driven by a personal mission to address the growing plastic pollution crisis in the Nile River and other regions where waste management and recycling systems are underdeveloped or ineffective.

At the Bioplastics Innovation Hub &mdas...

Gareth Hughes is a former Member of Parliament, political commentator, author, and passionate advocate for economic transformation. With a decade of experience in Parliament representing the Green Party, Gareth held key roles including Party Whip, strategist, and Chair of the Social Services and Community Select Committee. Before his time in politics, Gareth led climate campaigns with Greenpeace, helping to drive awareness and acti...

Dr Catherine Knight is an award-winning author, environmental historian, and policy expert with extensive experience in both strategic and operational environmental governance. Currently working in strategic policy in the government sector, Catherine is also an Honorary Research Associate at Massey University’s School of People, Environment and Planning. Her writing on wellbeing, post-growth economics, and environmental polic...

We are joined by Sheena Chhabra, campaigner for the Plant Based Treaty—a groundbreaking global initiative tackling the climate and ecological crises by putting food systems at the heart of the solution.

The Plant Based Treaty is calling for a shift toward a just, plant-based food system that respects planetary boundaries, protects biodiversity, reforests the Earth, and creates a more resilient and equitable future. Recently, S...

Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop is a former Principal Scientist with the Queensland Government Natural Resources, where he spent three decades using satellite data to monitor vegetation cover and deforestation. Since leaving that position, he has co-authored the Beyond Zero Emissions’ Land Use Plan, worked with the NGO World Preservation Foundation, and serves as Director of Replant Byron. We had the privilege of closing out our la...

Nina Trinquet is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and PhD candidate based in Melbourne. Take a listen as Nina shares her wisdom on how a whole food plant-based diet can prevent and manage chronic disease. Nina works with individuals aiming to improve their health through diet, with a particular focus on cardiovascular health.

She is also an avid endurance runner with a passion for sports nutrition, making this a must-listen episod...

Dakota Jones is more than just a world-class trail runner—he’s a passionate environmental advocate on a mission to drive meaningful climate action. As a professional athlete for NNormal and the Founder and Executive Director of Footprints, an environmental nonprofit, Dakota is dedicated to empowering individuals to create tangible change in their local communities.

Footprints provide mentorship, networks, and self-develo...

Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop worked as a Principal Scientist with Queensland Government Natural Resources, using satellite data to monitor three decades of vegetation cover and broadscale deforestation. He left the government in 2010 to co-author the Beyond Zero Emissions’ Land Use Plan, a plan to take Australia’s land use and agriculture emissions beyond zero.

He now works pro bono with the NGO World Preservation F...