Future Mending Radio
Things could be better. Future Mending Radio profiles the people, organizations and businesses that are already building a better future. Clothing swaps, farmers’ markets, pay-it-forward restaurants, independent authors, repair cafes, DIY bike shops, sustainable chocolate shops and more. Future Mending happens when we meet our daily needs in a way that saves money, improves our wellbeing and also strengthens healthy social systems -- instead of padding the profits margins of giant corporations. In short, relaxing episodes, we'll seek out alternatives and explore them together.
Episodes
How much food is wasted in Canada? Where does food waste happen and why? What are some potential solutions?
This episode takes a quick look at two for-profit solutions to food waste – the Odd Bunch produce delivery box and Sobey’s Food Hero app -- and concludes with an inspiring interview with Mike Layton of Second Harvest, a food rescue charity in Toronto that turns every dollar in donations into five meals for hungry people.
Matt interviews Yara El Murr, the Managing Editor of the Green Line, an innovative Toronto news outlet that is making community-driven, hyper-local news.
Our information ecosystem is full of misinformation and news fatigue and Yara shares insights on how journalists can produce useful and compelling journalism that responds to these growing challenges.
Learn about the 4-step action journey that structures their monthly reporting.
Lear...
Matt goes treasure hunting in Scarborough (a suburb of Toronto), using the amazing maps produced by the Scarborough Environmental Association.
After visiting a restaurant, a second-hand clothing shop and a repair cafe and clothing swap organized by the Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA), Matt sits down with SEA's co-founder Krissan Veerasingam. Krissan shares insights into effective community organizing, insights that ...
Karma Coop has been selling ethical, organic food in Toronto for more than 50 years. Matt visits the store and interviews its General Manager, Zach Weingarten.
Zach explains how they source products and why having a wide variety of smaller producers and sellers increases the resilience of our food system.
Find out more on their website: https://www.karmacoop.org/
The subreddit Zach mentions is https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofco...
Mending the future will require system change and personal change. And we can start with nudges in the right direction, because much of what we need already exists. The 4 reminders for individuals can help us live better and spend less time in the more toxic areas of modern society.
1. Be Where You Are
2. The Entire World is Real
3. Find the Others
4. Plant Trees
This episode is a companion to the 'Four Factors for Organization&apo...
Spring is here and the birds are returning. You can hear them if you slow down and listen. In this episode, Matt and his old friend Alex play and discuss the calls of a dozen common birds that you can see and hear even in the city.
Alex Eddington is a composer, sound designer, theatre artist and amateur birder. Learn more about Alex and his work here: https://www.alexeddington.com/
Bird Resources:
Matt visits Chocosol Traders on St. Clair, gets a hot chocolate and learns about their deep commitment to ethical and sustainable chocolate from Mathieu McFadden, Chocosol's 'Chief Chocolate Pedaller.' Chocosol takes real care of their entire supply chain from bean to bar, developing meaningful human relationships and supporting regenerative agriculture.
Matt and Matt talk about bikes, solar roasters, pumpkin seeds, p...
When I pick an organization for the podcast or the map at Futuremending.com, I’m not just picking businesses out of a hat – I have a system for evaluating orgs which I call the Four Factors for Organizations. The Four Factors are Multi-solving, Sharing, Sufficiency and Transparency.
This episode is in two parts. The opening minutes are a bit of an emotional check-in to see how people are processing the unprecedented political turmoi...
Matt visits a Silent Book Club at Danu Social House on Queen Street West. Afterwards, he sits down with both Harresh Sivamohan the organizer of Toronto's Silent Book Club chapter and Josh Zachariah the owner and operator of Danu Social House a Parkdale bar with an deep commitment to community and civil society.
Danu Social House:
https://www.danusocialhouse.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/danusocialhouse/
Silent Book Club ...
If we want a better future, we need to stop imagining the apocalypse and start imagining winning. Solarpunk is an emergent science fiction genre and social movement that asks us to do just that.
Matt sits down with podcaster and solarpunk author Susan Kaye Quinn to discuss utopia, dystopia and everything in-between. The episode includes a reading from T.K. Rex's story A Holdout in the Northern California Designated Wi...
This episode looks back on 2024 and ahead to 2025 and also shares how to make a 'Good Things Jar' where you can capture all the good things that happen to you in 2025 so you can spend New Year's Day 2026 practicing a little gratitude about the previous year.
The snippet from our family Good Things Jar opening may leave you with a few questions -- like 'where exactly do I get the best momo's in the ...
The Gift is a small pouch of medicine designed to be consumed and then re-gifted. This episode includes all the beauties of this good earth, plus an exclusive musical performance by Myrtle Millares.
Please pass it on to friends and family. Its the perfect present for anyone on your list.
Eventually, this episode will be deleted from our hosting service, but you should always be able to find it here: https://www....
Matt visits Free Geek Toronto, a non-profit that refurbishes donated electronics and sells them to charities, non-profits and the general public. He also chats with Free Geek’s Executive Director Ryan Fukunaga about all the different ways that Free Geek has a positive impact on people and the planet.
Learn more about Free Geek Toronto here: https://www.freegeektoronto.org/
Browse computers and more: https://shop.freegeektoronto.org/<...
In this episode, Matt visits a pay-it-forward café and community hub called the 541 Eatery & Exchange in Hamilton, Ontario where people who are short on cash can pay for food with buttons. After his visit, he sits down with Justin Eisinga the Executive Director of the 541 to discuss sharing food and building community across difference.
Learn more about the 541 here: https://www.fivefortyone.ca/
Buy Buttons Here: https://www.cana...
During a trip to the cottage, Matt reflects on his internet usage and explores digital detox. Expect gently lapping waves, tips on reducing your phone usage and quick profiles of two digital detox groups in Toronto: Unplug.to and This is Reset. Join our discord (https://discord.gg/mDBuWYtwMh) if you want some community accountability for your own digital detox goals.
WARNING: This episode is deeply relaxing and may induc...
Matt visits a clothing swap and talks to Lisa Amerongen, the founder of the Good Swap, Toronto's largest ongoing clothing swap. What makes a good swap? Could we replace all clothing stores with clothing swaps? What makes swapping different from shopping? What if a pair of pants had its own Instagram account?
Music Credits:
'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artists.
Welcome to Future Mending. This episode lays out where this podcast is going and why and provides a short intro to our host, Matt Lie-Paehlke.
In short, Future Mending Radio will feature profiles of organizations and individuals that are meeting people's needs in better ways with a special interest in 'multi-solving.' It will also include time to unwind and some truly soothing music.
Music Credits...
What is future mending radio and what can you expect in future episodes? Future Mending reports on better ways of meeting our daily needs from clothing swaps to tool libraries and also includes a health dose of relaxation and wellness built right into the show.
Music Credits:
'Summer Vibes' by Pold. Released under a creative commons license.
‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Per...
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