🎙️ In celebration of World Oceans Day 2024, Earth Cast (Olivia Taylor) spoke with trail-blazing Rwandan freediving champion, Adrian Ndayambaje, about his journey from first learning to swim, to inspiring others to jump into the water.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in pools and the ocean, the intersection of freediving and climate change, and hear stories from when Adrian was just starting out, all the way back in high school.  Adrian shares...

🎙️Season 3 | A Manifesto for Surgical Health in Africa *SEASON FINALE* 🎙️In this episode, ⁠@olivia_earth⁠ and Professor Bruce Biccard discuss the learnings from season three. Bruce talks about what he did not expect from his guests, the positive responses regarding tackling this topic, strategies for advocacy, and so much more! Bruce's work in surgical outcomes in Africa has shown him that until such time as people have access to safe surgery and health equity, any attempts to address...

🎙️In this episode, Bruce speaks to Professor Salome Maswime and Dr Tinashe Chandauka about health strengthening, a manifesto for safe surgery, the principles on how to get people involved in activities in surgical care and, so much more!   🎙️To comment on the book please visit ⁠https://asos.org.za/index.php/book⁠. Salome Maswime is the Professor and Head of the Global Surgery Division at the UCT; and an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. She is the vice-President of the Women in Global...

🎙️In this episode, Bruce speaks to Professors Lydia Cairncross and Wayne Morriss about advocacy for safer surgery and anaesthesia for all. They address the concerns of financing for the health care sector and political leverage - how do we make governments accountable and what strategies should we use to communicate surgical needs to politicians?   🎙️To comment on the book please visit https://asos.org.za/index.php/book.   Lydia Cairncross is Professor of Surgery and Head of Surgery at...

🎙️In this episode, Bruce speaks to Professors John and Emmanuel about resource constraints regarding Africa-wide surgery (focusing on safe anaesthesia), climate adaptation, pandemic preparedness and, so much more! 🎙️To comment on the book please visit https://asos.org.za/index.php/book. Emmanuel Malabo Makasa is an Adjunct Professor of Global Surgery, a Public Health Epidemiologist and an Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgeon. He is the founding director  of the Southern Africa Development...

🎙️In this episode, Bruce discusses ‘collective competency’ and leadership with Dr Nicky Kalafatis and Professor Rupert Pearse. The discussion takes these concepts outside of the surgical space and into environmental health and sports and leadership. Part 2 of the book proposes a surgical quality of care model which Bruce has called the ‘inside-out’ model. This model is based on a sequential approach to improving surgical care from within a hospital. To improve surgical care and outcomes in...

🎙️In this episode, Bruce discusses experiences of working in Africa with Professor Sue Fawcus and Adjunct Professor Agya Prempeh. The stories they recount provide a tapestry for discussing surgical health in Africa, health equity, the ‘inverse care’ law, the relationship between surgery and primary healthcare, and its place in health systems resilience, especially in light of the profound impact of ‘climate change’ on health in Africa. 🎙️To comment on the book please visit...

🎙️Season 3 | A Manifesto for Surgical Health in Africa 🎙️In this episode, @olivia_earth speaks to Professor Bruce Biccard about his personal journey to advocacy for safe surgery and anaesthesia in Africa. His work in surgical outcomes in Africa has shown him that until such time as people have access to safe surgery and health equity, any attempts to address climate change and sustainability in Africa will be futile. Bruce Biccard is Professor and Second Chair in the Department of...

🎙In S2E30, Delicia Govender and Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) host a season finale Q&A with Chief Etienne Davids and Nthabiseng Msingatha from episodes 28 and 29. 🎙In celebration of Mandela Day 2023, Earth Cast collaborated with Push Local Ventures and recorded a live webinar at the Zapods Podcast Production studio in Cape Town. This three-part season, Social Enterprise Stories, follows the journey of two trailblazers in the EdTech and Sustainable Property Development Sector. We hope...

🎙In S2E29, Delicia Govender and Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speak to Chief Etienne Davids, the Co-Founder of SpringBean Media - a proudly indigenous IXam or Khoi and Sān Social Entrepreneurship Enterprise. Etienne focusses on self-sufficient, sustainable solutions backed by ancient knowledge and indigenous wisdom. Chief Etienne discusses how he is creating micro-cities or bushman cities which foster communities that live in harmony with nature while navigating the pace of globalisation....

🎙In S2E28, Olivia Taylor and Delicia Govender speak to Nthabiseng Msingatha about how she is focused on driving Human Capital Development for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa. Nthabiseng credits her empowerment of young people, to develop an informed career identity, to her big risk appetite, resilience in the face of adversity and, tapping into her entrepreneurial passion Nthabiseng is the Co-Founder and CEO of YouMeta EdTech. 🎙To follow more of Nthabiseng’s work, you can find...

🎙In S1E27, Olivia Taylor speaks to Dr Chantal Naidoo about climate finance and the unique funding needs for financing just energy transition investment portfolios in South Africa. Chantal unpacks options and concerns regarding how to accelerate the JET, and about how her company, Rabia Transitions Initiative, is enabling financial actors to finance and contribute to a just and inclusive transition. She also gives her view on whether international and national finance architecture are suited...

🎙 In S1E26, Olivia Taylor speaks to John Belizaire about how energy poverty came about, and its uneven distribution across communities, the biggest challenge facing the energy transition, energy poverty, wasted energy & crypto, innovative technologies, the future of the grid, and so much more! Since the age of 14 selling floppy discs in high school, John has had an entrepreneurial spirit and interest in technology. He was a recipient of the Intel Scholarship Program and he went on to...

🎙In S1E25 Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Bathandwa Vazi about the impact of decommissioning coal mines on the South African economy, and unpacks the employment concerns and opportunities surrounding the transition to renewables. Bathandwa explains energy access and poverty, and dives into the topic of the decentralisation of power, and the role that trade unions could play in the just energy transition. This is followed by a discussion about how Eskom can adapt to become efficient...

🎙In S1E24, Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Jotham Makarudze about project finance, what it is, and why has it been so successful for enabling the financing of REIPPPP in SSA. Jotham also explains how project finance is facilitating a deeper and more just energy transition and how it can stop the perpetuation of inequalities. He also unpacks whether project finance can only succeed under capitalism, and so much more! Jotham is a Project Finance Professional at a Development Finance...

Earth Cast Season One: The Just Energy Transition 🎙 In S1E23, Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Peter Newell where he unpacks the global political energy transition: identifying and recognising who participates and who makes decisions, mobilising for change, bringing future ideas into the present paradigm to ensure a socially just ecological transition, the international oil economy, ensuring “no one gets left behind”, and so much more! Peter Newell is a Professor of International...

Earth Cast Season One: The Just Energy Transition 🎙 In the first episode of season one, Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Dr Nthabiseng Mohlakoana about her personal journey exploring the energy sector, her findings regarding tackling the dual goals of decarbonization and development, and their interconnections with gender equality, what an energy transition is, the enabling factors (and barriers) for a deep and just transition, as well as the Just Energy Transition in an African...

In this World Ocean Day special, Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Jamila Janna about the nuances of environmental racism and how it affects inclusivity in the ocean space, the harmful effects of mainstream conservation narratives on environmental projects’ success, opportunities for youth in marine conservation, and more! Jamila is a filmmaker, social media strategist, and marine biologist from KwaZulu-Natal, whose work focuses on community engagement in decision-making. Miss Janna...

In this episode Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Dr Harriet Davies-Mostert about honey badgers & bee keepers, family planning for women and girls and how this affects conservation, aligning business with biodiversity, the importance of partnerships & collaboration, working with Eskom, the African Wild Dog Program, and so much more! Harriet is Head of Conservation at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African-based NGO, where she provides strategic scientific oversight to a...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Faine Loubser about The Great African Sea Forest, emotional ecology, ocean accessibility, marine protected areas, cold water swimming, independent media, strategic partnerships, and so much more! Faine is a documentary filmmaker and environmental storyteller with a deep passion for the ocean. Her love for nature was fostered by her parents through long camping trips deep in the Namib desert and along the west coast of South Africa. Over the past years...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Roushanna Gray about food as a powerful learning tool & connector that all people can relate to, access to land & limiting policies, the importance of preserving plant & animal names in vernacular, the untapped potential of seaweeds, whether foraging is a romanticised notion, how to personally re-connect with nature, and so much more! Roushanna Gray is the founder of Veld and Sea, an immersive and experiential wild flavour focused business...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Aaniyah Omardien about World Ocean's Day & restoring historic injustice, the innovative work being done by The Beach Co-Op, storytelling & the power of community, the colonial context of conservation in South Africa, the role of women and girls in the marine environment, and so much more! Aaniyah is an intersectional environmentalist living in Cape Town. She has worked in marine conservation for 17 years. After leaving WWF as the Acting Head of...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Samir Randera-Rees about the importance of intergenerational storytelling, Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), poverty traps & environmental degradation, building stakeholder trust, understanding & respecting community needs & their solutions, and so much more! Samir is the programme manager for Water Source Areas at WWF-SA and has a Masters in Conservation Ecology, and a Conservation Leadership MBA from the African Leadership University....

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Elzanne Singels about the wonders of fynbos, archeology & how human's relationships with plants have changed: conservation to commercialisation, the inaccessibility of nature & biodiversity in South Africa, the role of plants in human evolution, the dangers of industrial agriculture, and so much more! Elzanne is a botanist and archaeologist interested in the plants which kept ancient humans alive and how. Elzanne has published widely and has...