Serenbe Stories

Latest Episodes:

Teaching The Future: Biophilic Education with Principal Patrick Muhammad Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

What kind of world are we going to leave our children? That is the question Principal Patrick Muhammad asks himself as he leads Chatt Hills Charter School. With a tri-focus curriculum of Arts, Agriculture, and Environment, he's teaching them the value of life from a ladybug to a human.
Education is a pillar of our Biophilic Principles, and Serenbe is proud to support our local charter school since its founding. Today we're talking with Principal Muhammad, who is affectionately known as The Principal Farmer by his students, about how their outdoor programming has improved student health, how they've increased test scores, and why they have a wait list each year to enroll in this innovative K-8 school.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Living Architecture for the Future with Steven Peck Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Steven Peck was introduced to the idea of green roofs and living walls in the mid-90s and quickly realized how important it is to have nature at the center of architecture and design. Since 1996, he has worked to advance the green roof and wall industry by facilitating research; organizing conferences; writing articles; and advocating for supportive policies and standards at all levels of government around the world. He also edits and publishes green roof magazine Living Architecture Monitor.
Steven is optimistic about our collective ability to rapidly evolve the building industry within a generation. He does not believe COVID will define our future, but rather it has been and will continue to be defined by climate change, and having green infrastructure will help us prepare for that future. Join us as he shares his biophilic journey to expand the living architecture industry world-wide.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Food, Equity, and Green Living with Yoli Ouiya Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Yoli Ouiya is passionate about sustainability and wellness, and is best known for her eco-lifestyle portal Yoli’s Green Living, which earned her the moniker “Queen of Green” by Black Enterprise Magazine. Her self-professed “first passion,” though, is food, and when COVID struck the world in early 2020, she turned her focus to food equity, co-founding The Food + Wellness Equity Collective. The collective is a diverse group of content creators and entrepreneurs committed to being change agents for equity, diversity, and anti-racism in the food and wellness industries.

In this episode, Monica and Steve reminisce with Yoli about their kindred connection when meeting in New York at the 2017 Global Wellness Summit, and how that meeting brought Yoli to the first Biophilic Leadership Summit at Serenbe. They also talk about how Wholesome Wave, SNaP, and Rodale Institute are impacting food policy on local and national levels, how Yoli is changing the face of food and wellness by providing a safe place to talk about food policy issues, and how we can all #sharetheplate.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Bringing Nature Inside with Bill Browning and Catie Ryan Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

Today we're talking with Bill Browning and Catie Ryan from Terrapin Bright Green. Bill is one of the green building and real estate industry’s foremost thinkers and strategists, and is an advocate for sustainable design solutions. As Co-Founder of Terrapin Bright Green, he is no stranger to biophilic design. Bill has worked with the Pentagon, Starwood Hotels, Google, the city of New York Building Resiliency, and the Rocky Mountain Institute, among many others. Catie joined Terrapin in 2008, and is their Director of Projects. She is the co-author of several books, including 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design and The Economics of Biophilia, which is a leading piece in the industry for case studies for designing with nature in mind.
It's been more than 20 years since Steve Nygren met Bill Browning and was introduced to the concept of "biophilia." In today's episode, we talk about their early connections, and the major influencers in the green building industry as well as in developing Serenbe.
Bill and Catie (and Bill's Zebra Finches) share their stories about their work at Terrapin Bright Green furthering the biophilic design research. They also discuss their new book Nature Inside: A Biophilic Design Guide, which we highly recommend and is out now.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

The Future of Wellness is Community with Susie Ellis & Nancy Davis Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

You may have thought "wellness" was just a buzzword, but it's also a $4.5 trillion dollar economy, with the wellness real estate sector making up $134 billion dollars of that. These figures were determined through extensive research done by The Global Wellness Institute, which is the non-profit research organization that grew out of the Global Wellness Summit, an annual think tank event made up of wellness industry leaders and releases annual trend forecasts.
In today's episode, we talk with Institute Chairman and CEO Susie Ellis and Chief Creative Office and Executive Director Nancy Davis about the importance of sharing research and information to help people live healthier lives, and proving the value of global wellness. Hear how wellness is more than a great spa day.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Captain Planet, Climate Change, and Laura Turner Seydel Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

Today we're talking with one of the planet's most avid environmental advocates, Laura Turner Seydel. Laura works with and supports organizations that address urgent challenges affecting the health, functionality, and vitality of our life support system: Our air, water, land, food, biodiversity, and climate. She co-founded Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to help protect Georgians' drinking water, as well as Mothers & Others for Clean Air, which works to improve air quality for at-risk populations.
Laura also serves on the boards for Children & Nature Network helping children realize the benefits of exposure to nature, Project Drawdown, which focuses on the top scalable solutions to address global warming, the United Nations Foundation, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and she is the Chair of the Captain Planet Foundation and Director of the Turner Foundation.
In this episode, we talk about how her father, Ted Turner, instilled a love for the environment in her at an early age and how she's continued that legacy with her own children. She also tells us about what she's doing to teach all children about the environment and inspiring them to be Planeteers, and how we should all be coming together to to save our one and only home, Earth.
Mentioned In The Episode

Captain Planet Foundation

Project Drawdown

Children & Nature Network

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Sally Bethea

The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

17 Goals of Sustainable Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

EcoSense for Living
Jennie Garlington

Edward Osborne (E.O.) Wilson

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

What Is A Biophilic City? with Dr. Tim Beatley Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

Today's episode features Dr. Tim Beatley, who is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, where he has taught for the last twenty-five years.
Much of Tim's work focuses on the subject of sustainable communities, and creative strategies by which cities and towns can fundamentally reduce their ecological footprints, while at the same time becoming more livable and equitable places.
Tim Beatley believes that sustainable and resilient cities represent our best hope for addressing today’s environmental challenges, but as he says in this episode, "we have to move quickly." Join us as we talk with Tim about what makes a Biophilic City, the importance of sustainability and resilience in city planning and design, and our ethical obligation to create a better future.
Mentioned In The Episode

Biophilic Cities
Tim Beatley

Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities

Robin C. Moore
Natural Learning Initiative

Bill Browning
Terrapin Bright Green

SXSW Eco

Amanda Sturgeon

The Biophilic Institute
Biophilic Cities
Biophilic Leadership Summit
Living Building Challenge

Dianna Budds, Curbed

Ethical Land Use: Principles of Policy and Planning

1918 Influenza Pandemic

Singapore - The City in Nature

Ryan Gainey’s The Well-Placed Weed

Environmental Resilience Institute

Zealandia

Nina Marie Lister’s natural garden in Toronto, Canada

Nygren Placemaking

The Nature of Cities

Dr. Stephen R. Kellert

The SHIFT Awards

Richard Louv
Children & Nature Network

“Why not put green roofs on buses?” - Fast Company

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Telling Stories To Save The Earth: Dr. Katharine Wilkinson & Mary Annaïse Heglar Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Steve Nygren and Monica Olsen talk with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and writer + podcaster Mary Annaïse Heglar about the power of voice, their love of nature, and the new book "All We Can Save," which showcases the work of women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.
As Mary Annaïse says, "Climate isn't a story, it's a saga," and "we are the heroes in the tale of saving the planet.” Katharine calls on us all to be "climate curious,” and to open your heart and use your super powers. Join us as we discuss the power of storytelling in affecting change.
Mentioned In The Episode
All We Can Save

Hot Take podcast
Subscribers to their weekly newsletter
Chattahoochee NOW

Trust for Public Land

Chattahoochee RiverLands Project

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

DRILLED
Amy Westervelt

Leah Stokes

Kate Orff
SCAPE

Emily Atkin
HEATED

HEATED podcast

The Outdoor Academy

Mary Oliver

Annie Dillard

Terry Tempest Williams

The Pisgah National Forest

Lindsay Baker

Globescan

“How empowering women and girls can stop global warming”

Ray C. Anderson Interface

Green New Deal

Mary Anne Hitt
Sierra Club

Catherine Pierce

Alice Walker

Sewanee: The University of the South

Madeleine Jubilee Saito

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Hope Rises on Its Current: Defining Biophilia with Liz Calabrese Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

As we kick off our season on Biophilia and how together we can build a Biophilic Movement, we first want to define its meaning. Joining us today is Liz Calabrese, an architect and leading educator of biophilic design. She co-authored "The Practice of Biophilic Design" with Dr. Stephen Kellert and has been an integral figure for over 30 years, working closely with many of the key players who popularized the term and concept of "biophilia" and does extensive work on projects seeking the Living Building Challenge and WELL Building Certifications.
In this episode, Liz leads us through the history of the term and shares how its definition and practice has involved both philosophical circles and the building industry. She shares beautiful quotes by those considered to be the founders of the movement, and talks about what the future holds for biophilia.
Other People + Organizations Mentioned

Bill Browning
Terrapin Bright Green

John Todd

Steven Peck

The Biophilic Institute
Biophilic Cities
Biophilic Leadership Summit

Jon Hudson
BrandCulture
Biophilia Poster Exhibition
Dr. Phillip Tabb

Florence Williams
Jennifer Walsh

The Biophilia Hypothesis
Roger Ulrich
Judith Heerwagen
Living Building Challenge

14 Patterns of Biophilic Design

Biophilic Cities
Tim Beatley

WELL Building Standard

Amanda Sturgeon

Dennis Creech
Southface
Kendeda Fund

Ekvn-Yefolecv

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Introducing Season 4 of Serenbe Stories Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

Biophilia is hard to spell and hard to pronounce, but is easy to understand and makes all the sense in the world once you know it's meaning.
Biophilia is the innate connection humans have with nature and all living things, and this deep affiliation is rooted in our biology. The theme of our fourth season is "Building a Biophilic Movement" and the wisdom behind the radical common sense solutions we can all find in nature.
One year ago, we released our first season as a meaningful way to tell the story of Serenbe's Founder Steve Nygren. Today it has become a must listen for those seeking stories about having an impact and building a better life for you, your family and your neighbors.

Over the course of twelve weeks, join us as we explore biophilia, what it is, why it's important and who are the leaders doing the work to grow this essential movement. We will dive into wellness, regenerative agriculture, public education, climate advocacy, equity and environmentalism, we'll ask what makes a biophilic city and more.

The fourth season of Serenbe Stories returns on October 5. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering.

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

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