The Big Melt

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Latest Episodes:

S2 E3: Facing the Future with Eco-Conscious Choices Jun 19, 2025

In the final episode of this mini-series, youth discuss how making mindful everyday choices creates real change, and how focusing on what you can control can be both empowering and impactful, because every action truly matters.

This mini-series was created by youth, for youth, in partnership with Kids Help Phone’s National Youth Council, and Earth Rangers’ ER Teens.

If you’re worried about climate change, there are things you can do to prioritize your wellbeing and get support. If you’d like to give your feelings a place to go, visit www.kidshelphone.ca for resources and support. You can also join ER Teens, a volunteer program by Earth Rangers, to take hands-on environmental action and make a positive difference in your community. Teens in Canada can visit www.earthrangers.com/EN/CA/er-teens/ to sign up.

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S2 E2: Innovative Sustainability Solutions Jun 12, 2025

Have you ever heard of vertical farming? Paper made from fallen leaves? Or a powder that absorbs carbon dioxide? In this episode, youth voices highlight these incredible sustainability-driven breakthroughs, along with practical ways you can you can make a difference too!

This mini-series was created by youth, for youth, in partnership with Kids Help Phone’s National Youth Council, and Earth Rangers’ ER Teens.

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S2 E1: Eco-Anxiety & Misinformation Jun 05, 2025

Do headlines about the climate crisis make you feel uneasy? Or maybe it’s the spread of climate change denial that feels frustrating. Young people today are navigating a world of information – and misinformation – and it can be a lot to process. But you’re not alone. In this first episode of the Big Melt mini-series, you’ll hear from youth voices sharing how they stay informed, and stay grounded in the face of eco-anxiety.

This mini-series was created by youth, for youth, in partnership with Kids Help Phone’s National Youth Council, and Earth Rangers’ ER Teens.

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S1 E13: COP26 and the Race to Zero Nov 01, 2021

Hi Big Melters, I recently got to chat with Nigel Topping - the UN’s high level Climate Champion about the upcoming COP - Conference of the parties, aka. the Mack Daddy of all climate conferences!

Find out why this year’s meeting is SO important.

And here is a link to a cool graphic novel about IPCC, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the UN for insight into the way these sorts of meetings work: https://becauseipcc.thesuccession.ca/

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S1 E12: Forest Management 101 - Secrets of the Tree Whisperers Aug 14, 2020

Hi Listeners, it’s me: Sarah. I had to get out of the basement for a bit so I decided to podcast on the go from my favourite places of all time: the forest! Forests are incredible. And not just because they let you take social distancing to the next level. They are literally ecological wonders; they are complex living worlds that prevent soil erosion, provide homes to thousands of different species, and absorb carbon to help fight climate change. This episode features conversations with Darren Sleep, Senior Director of Conservation Strategies at the Sustainable Forestry Initaitive, and Cindy Cheng, PhD candidate in Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Thanks to Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Project Learning Tree for their collaboration on this Episode. Find out more about the amazing work they do at https://www.sfiprogram.org/ ———————————————————————————————- For more awesome Gen-Z media podcasts check out GZMshows.com ———————————————————————————————- To become an Earth Ranger and for cool daily eco-activities, visit https://www.earthrangers.com/

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S1 E11: Fact-based dreaming with filmmaker Damon Gameau Jul 08, 2020

Today I’m talking to Damon Gameau about solar panel networks and sea farming and, and, self-driving cars and... Wait... OMG, you need some background, right? Of course...Sorry! I’m just so excited because Damon just released this amazing film called 2040, which I just watched for the second time, and it’s chock full of brilliant green technologies and new ways of thinking about climate change and like, awesome animation and.. . well - just listen to the episode - and then watch the movie here! For more information about 2040 and the #JoinTheRegeneration movement click here. For more awesome Gen-Z media podcasts check out GZMshows.com

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S1 E10: It's the Final Meltdown Apr 28, 2020

Brand new problem? Fake news? Yeah, no!! More like should be totally obvious, is super real, and has been attempted to be hidden for literal decades!! Climate change may seem like a thoroughly modern problem, but scientists have been exploring the question of the earth’s climate for over a hundred years. And while early theories may have been more concerned with predicting ice ages and the outcome of volcanic eruptions some things they discovered still hold up today. History is the story of human nature. What we choose to pursue, whose voices we value, all of that. Knowing that we knew early and didn’t do anything just goes to show that you can have all the information, perfect science, but it doesn’t really matter if people aren’t willing to listen to it. So the next big question is: how do you get people to listen? And why do they choose not to sometimes? I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, how everything will unfold, if robots will save us, or if we find a way to connect back to nature, but I’m more sure than I ever have been, that we’re not out of time...that we can handle it...Together. **This episode feature an interview with: ** Nathaniel Rich: Nathaniel is an awesome writer of both fiction and nonfiction. His book Losing Earth: A Recent History is all about the existence of the scientific evidence for global warming for decades and the reasons why we collectively failed to listen to it. Twitter: @nathanielrich https://twitter.com/nathanielrich?lang=en Website: https://nathanielrich.com/ Want to read some of his writing online? Check out recent and archived work by Nathaniel Rich for The New York Times:https://www.nytimes.com/by/nathaniel-rich Dr. Greg Slater: Greg is a Professor at Mc Master’s School of Geography & Earth Sciences. His research focuses on understanding the fate and transport of organic compounds, organic contaminants in particular, in the environment and on the microbial processes which control carbon cycling in both contaminated and natural environments. The common theme in his research is to understand the fundamental processes that control the environment around us and the impact that life, including industrial society, has on the environment and vice versa. For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode.

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S1 E9: Doomsday Prepping and other Adaptation Approaches Apr 21, 2020

You’ve probably heard more about #preppers in the media lately with the current COVID-19 stuff going on. But trust, the doomsday preppers have been at it already for literal YEARS. While it may be easy for some people to get carried away thinking of “surviving extreme weather events” related to climate change...it’s important to remember that global climate change is a gradual process... One that’s already taking place. That's what today’s episode is all about. How we respond to this transition. The ways we’re preparing our cities, buildings and even wild spaces to deal. And it's not all doom and gloom, a big part of this prep is about imagining the world of the future, about dreaming up sustainable living cities... And the coolest thing? If we do it right, this prep can actually help us stop global warming. Today we are exploring our two options when it comes to helping us figure out how to deal: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is about reducing emissions to slow or stop global warming. Things like pollution deterring carbon taxes and carbon sinks. Yay tree planting! Adaptation focuses on making adjustments to better cope with the effects of climate change, hopefully before they happen. Things like shoring up buildings to deal with severe storms or making sure hospitals and old folks homes have backup power. ....So I guess today's vibe is that; focusing on resilience and long term sustainability really is the best option... And working with nature is pretty much the only way we can avoid the more destructive effects of climate change. Also, any future we imagine for ourselves has to be built to last. Also: I mention the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change - more info on that here: **This episode features interviews with: ** **Julian Tersigni: **Julian manages the Earth Rangers Center for Conservation on the ground of the Kortright Conservation Area. It’s an incredibly amazing, eco-friendly building. Like, absolutely every part of its construction was designed to be environmentally friendly... Even the pavement outside! And there are also these really cool things called “earth tubes” that help the building manage temperatures. Literally, so, so cool!! Website: http://www.earthrangers.org/about/our-facility/ Emma Tamlin Emma is the co-chair of the Toronto Food Policy Council. The council understands that youth are the ones that will inherit the problems associated with an unsustainable food system. The council works with Toronto's diverse young communities to find solutions to food insecurity. They then raise awareness of these issues through their seat at the Toronto Food Policy Council, by making deputations at City Hall, and through their advocacy work with other food justice organizations. As the voice of Toronto’s food-passionate youth community, the TYFPC encourages other groups of youth to form their own food policy councils. Emma hopes to bring more fresh food and nature to cities through urban agriculture and rooftop gardens Website: http://tyfpc.ca/ Twitter: @TYFPC http://tyfpc.ca/ Facebook: @TorontoYOUTHFoodPolicyCouncil https://www.facebook.com/TorontoYOUTHFoodPolicyCouncil For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode.

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S1 E8: Change the Policies - Not the Climate! Apr 04, 2020

Today we are looking at the big big and the super small… life after climate change and international cooperation... about local effects and nationwide initiatives. I keep a close eye on world events, and lately... Regarding climate change, I’ve actually felt really excited by what I’m seeing! People are pulling together. Every day there’s some new story about another country adding environmental protections or #cancellingcoal. Seriously, Just look at Belgium, it started shutting down the last of its coal plants! Or- Or the UK! It recently celebrated its first 24 hours without coal power since the industrial revolution. Everywhere, countries like Portugal, Sweden, France... even tiny countries like Malta are taking action. I’m feeling really energized and hopeful! On this episode I’m even talking with a super special guest about Canadian governmental action on climate change!! This episode features conversations with: Katia Bannister Katia is the Co-leader of the Cowichan Valley Earth Guardians – a group of teens working in climate activism in BC. She’s passionate about fighting against climate displacement and the loss of indigenous culture and biodiversity. She spoke to us about climate change is threatening life on her small gulf island off the coast of British Columbia. Facebook: @cvearthguardians Jasmine Hachey Jasmine has been a climate activist ever since she made a short film about sustainable energy when she was in 6th grade. She cares about climate change because her family is Cree and the land and sustainable practices are important to her culture. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson Jonathan Wilkinson PC MP is a Canadian Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the riding of North Vancouver in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election, and re-elected in the 2019 election. He was sworn in as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on November 20, 2019 Website: https://pm.gc.ca/en/cabinet/honourable-jonathan-wilkinson Twitter: @JonathanWNV link: https://twitter.com/JonathanWNV?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor ———————————— For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. ———————————— We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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Bonus: Under the Weather Together Mar 29, 2020

So, there’s a lot going on right now… A LOT…. And I thought it might be kinda cool to talk it out? School is cancelled, which means I have way too much time on my hands… I’m sure most of you are in the same boat. I thought since everyone is following the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolds, and we’re getting news from so many different sources and everything is kinda confusing… That maybe I could use the power of fact-checking to sort some of it out. Not the health science part… I’ll leave that to the pro’s. But there is one story I can set straight. I’m sure most of you have seen these wildlife related posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. They’ve totally gone vir-…They’re really popular. But in case you haven’t, let me give you the rundown. These posts show totally adorable pictures of dolphins frolicking in crystal clear water in the channels of Venice, while swans float by. As awesome as those reports sounded, my mythbuster-sense started tingling. Listen in to see what I learned. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E7: Robots vs. Climate Change Mar 27, 2020

The future; an unknown frontier. A world with technology right at the limit of what’s possible. Where science fiction meets science reality... Or wait - aren’t we there already? At this very moment, there are teams of people working on advanced carbon capture machines. Geneticists designing enzymes that can eat plastic. Even people developing robot minds that could solve the current climate crisis for us... But should we? Knowing it could potentially go wrong? This episode features interviews with: Steve Oldham Steve is the CEO of Carbon Engineering a company working on the leading edge of Carbon Capture technology. He has studied robotics, computer science and aerospace engineering. I talked to Steve about how technology can help us fight climate change. Jerome Foster II Jerome is a climate activist from Washington DC and besides having been a House Congressional Intern and worked with Jane Fonda to promote climate strikes, he also happens to know a lot about AI and VR. He actually started his own VR tech company when he was in grade 9. In our talk, he explains the difference between the 2 different types of artificial intelligence. For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E6: OK Boomer! Mar 24, 2020

This week it’s not about the what’s and why’s… but rather the who’s and the how’s and a couple of when’s. As in; who’s fault is it? When did you know? And how could you let this happen? Let’s rewind to the beginning: When we get onto the topic of who’s to blame, it’s it is so incredibly hard not to feel mad... but at this point is pointing fingers is kinda... pointless? I’m going to chat with my dad to see what he has to say. This episode features interviews with: My Dad Not much of a climate expert, but he tries… Patricia (Ellie) Perkins Ellie is a Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, Toronto. She is an ecological economist who studies climate justice: how societies can improve their governance systems to address climate change fairly. She is helping to write the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 6th Assessment Report. Awesome! Pat Roach (aka Producer Pat) Producer Pat is a former professional musician, producer and self-professed Science geek, he has an insatiable interest in astronomy and astrophysics. He is the producer and a panelist on “The Reality Check” podcast. It’s a weekly Canadian show that explores a wide range of controversies and curiosities by probing popular myths and exposing the surprising truth behind them He also works on “Five Minutes with an Astronomer”. His work is truly out of the world! Hah, see what I did there… http://www.trcpodcast.com/ http://astronomyin5.com/ For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the show notes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E5: Tornadoes, Floods and Super Storms - oh my! Mar 22, 2020

Extreme weather events like the infamous ~sharknado~ are happening more and around the world!! Okay, I’m kidding about that one specifically, but freak-level weather around the world IS a thing, it IS happening more often, and it IS related to climate change! For realz! Let me be clear, this bonkers weather isn't new to our planet. There have always been epic storms and abnormally cold winters. The thing that makes the current situation so alarming is actually the frequency. And they’re not just inconvenient for a moment. They do real, lasting damage, cost millions of dollars, displace people and fundamentally change their homes. Lives can be forever changed after just one dramatic weather incident... so having more and more of them is a super serious problem. So what is the link of this higher frequency to climate change? Let's find out. This episode features interviews with: Katia Bannister Katia is the Co-leader of the Cowichan Valley Earth Guardians – a group of teens working in climate activism in BC. She’s passionate about fighting against climate displacement and the loss of indigenous culture and biodiversity. She spoke to us about climate change is threatening life on her small gulf island off the coast of British Columbia. facebook.com/cvearthguardians Finn Gleichmann Finn is a German middle school student currently living and going to school in Amman, Jordan. He’s been super involved in the eco-conscious community there, organizing and taking part in climate marches, and modeling some seriously awesome eco-lifestyle choices! We asked him to chat with us about how he’s noticed his #desertlife been affected by climate change. Faith Hunt Faith is a Canadian highschooler currently living in Saudi Arabia. Living in an oil-rich country, she has focused her eco-conscious efforts mostly on her day to day choices instead of publicly protesting. She has also done some stellar volunteer work in places like Nepal to help build some eco-friendly homes! We chatted with her about what she has noticed climate-wise while living over there, which is quite different from what she was used to here in Canada! Kathleen Martin Kathleen is the Executive Director and founding member of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. She is interested in sea turtles and how communication affects conservation, as well as the link between conservation and economic development. She talked to us about why climate change is such a big threat to sea turtles. https://seaturtle.ca/ For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E4: On the Grill Mar 19, 2020

Hi peeps, Sarah here! Alright, so… It’s easy to see why some people just ignore the climate crisis. Actively engaging with it all the time is really - really hard. You can end up feeling like you’re doing something wrong just by being a person. So, today, instead of curling up into a little ball and vowing to only eat twigs we figure out how to approach eating responsibly, learn the merits of munching insects, give ourselves a bit of a cosmic hug with Cheryl and bust our climate myth of the week: “Plants and animals can adapt to climate change” Plus, there is that whole thing where I trick Kyle into eating crickets… lol! This episode features interviews with: Cheryl Leutjen Cheryl is the* writer of LOVE EARTH NOW*, a book of simple and immediate exercises to prompt each of us to explore our ecoanxiety and gives us calls to action. “*Let’s connect and aid each other in discovering what each of us can do that will make a meaningful contribution at this time of great eco-upheaval.” *Cheryl chats with me about how to tackle feeling helpless for our planet but also make taking some small steps to help. It’s okay we can’t do it all, but it’s good to do SOMETHING and be proud of that!! Website: https://cherylleutjen.com/ Website: https://loveearthnow.us/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/loveearthnow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/loveearthauthor?lang=en **Sydney Koby **Sydney is a totally legit #GirllBoss. She invented recipes for cricket-based protein snacks and protein powders. Yeah don’t chirp me, you read that right, CRICKET PROTEIN. And honestly? They slap!! Absolutely delish and not at all icky, I promise. BITE Snacks Official Website https://bitesnacks.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/bite_snacks/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/bitesnacksco BC Business Article: https://www.bcbusiness.ca/The-Bug-Picture-Are-we-ready-to-eat-crickets For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E3: We ♥ the North! Mar 19, 2020

Canada is an incredibly beautiful country. There are vast wildernesses barely touched by people. Parts of it that are still truly wild. But if you truly want to experience the wilds of Canada you have to go North. That’s what this episode is all about. TBH I have always wanted to explore the "wild, wild North". The Arctic is one of the most unique places on the planet The Arctic is also home to some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet. Very specific environmental conditions are necessary to keep it in balance and its particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures... which makes sense... you know, seeing as its defining feature is how singularly cold it is? It’s ground zero for a lot of global warming phenomena; that melting ice cap? Rising Sea levels? Thawing permafrost? We all feel the ripples of these changes, but they make up the very foundation of the arctic ecosystem. I guess because it's so far away from where most Canadians live, we don’t think about it that much. It might as well be a totally separate snowy planet in a galaxy far far away... Since I can't make it up there myself, I think it's time to do some at-home research and make a few long-distance calls to way up there! This episode features interviews with: **Charlotte Irish **Charlotte is the Community Climate Coordinator of the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation Resilience Project. We chatted a bit about how climate change has been affecting her community waaaaay north in Tuktoyaktuk, Nunavut! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TCCRPClimateCoordinator/ **David Yurkowski David **works in scientific research studying the arctic! Cool! Literally!! We talked about what he’s been working on and what it’s like to live and work up there in such a unique climate. (@DJYurkowski) | Twitter https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Yurkowski For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E2: Like the sea levels, we rise! Mar 17, 2020

There are millions and millions of teens thinking the same things about the planet and our future: What can we do to start making waves in this rising ocean we are swimming in? How do we get the attention of the planet’s decision-makers? As more and more teens realize that we’re the ones who’ll be around when the consequences of climate change happen, more of us are demanding a say and I think a big part of that is the way activists and leaders have brought us together and made us feel like our voices matter. People like Australian youth activist Varsha Yajman@schoolstrikeforclimate and Founder of Carbon Conversations TO: Brianna Aspinal www.carbonconversationsto.com For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode. We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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S1 E1: Tipping Points Mar 16, 2020

Welcome to the Big Melt! I’m constantly wondering if we’re already out of time. I’m not alone here? Am I? AM I?! The air is poisoned, the ice caps are melting, the forests are on fire, the oceans are plastic soup, every moment of every day another creature goes extinct and all of it, all of it, was preventable. And the reasons why people decided not to prevent it? Totally sus... I’m Sarah by the way… Some adults say “it’s the scientists who are lying” … but people who say global warming is a hoax often use climate data out of context or select just a tiny piece of it that supports their point of view. They waste so much news time hyping each other up with facts that are legit not even close to accurate. And basics aren’t hard to grasp; pollution = bad, reducing emissions = good! But sometimes it’s really difficult to get a handle on just how far gone the climate crisis is, and how much time we have left to fix it. Especially when there are crowds of people REFUSING to believe that climate change is A THING! Which ~spoiler alert~ IT SO IS!!! This episode features an interview with Simon Donner, Professor of Climatology at the University of British Columbia. He studies how climate and climate change affects society and the environment. Ideal person to get us started with the basics! YAAAS!! For more info and a chance to win a custom “The Big Melt” T-shirt, visit www.bigmeltpodcast.com or the shownotes for this episode.

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introducing: The Big Melt! Mar 11, 2020

Climate change is changing everything and Sarah has something to say about that. Tune in as she takes on the global climate crisis in her very own way. She’s not afraid to ask hard questions and she’s got the research to prove it. Join her week-by-week as she breaks down the what’s, when’s, how’s and why’s of climate change.

Whether she’s reaching out to teens that are changing the world, discovering brilliant minds that are reimagining the future or getting down to business with eco-entrepreneurs.

Sarah knows global warming is the challenge of her generation and she won’t back down until she figures it out; sorting through the science, busting myths and getting real about what’s really happening. She’s tired of waiting for someone else to fix things, She’s going DIY; learning the facts, interviewing experts and actually being honest about how it feels to not know all the answers.

Because It matters. Because She cares. Because it’s our job to fix it. Even if she has to share her podcast studio with her little brother. Earth Rangers is proud to present, The Big Melt; a podcast about what comes next.

We’d love to hear from you: Get in touch and share your thoughts at thebigmeltpodcast@gmail.com

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