TALATERRA

Today, we get to learn from Matthew Paneitz, founder and executive director of Long Way Home. This organization built Hero School, a student-built and community-built campus in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala.Built from recycled tires and trash, the campus took 16 years to build and serves 178 students enrolled in PreK through High School. The school campus is almost complete.Matthew is also the recipient of the 2020 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service for his work in Guatemala. This award, presented annually by the National Peace Corps Association, honors Peace Corps volunteers who continue to contribute to humanitarian causes.Long before this award and the existence of Hero School, Matthew had an idea.An idea that needed funding, direction, and partners.How did Matthew obtain funding when he started this project?How did he develop a strategy sustaining him and the school he built with the residents of Comalapa?What is the school's curriculum, and how does it change the conversation around poverty?Let's find out. LINKSLong Way Home  - Turn Trash Into SchoolsLong Way Home Sustainability Projects (https://www.lwhomegreen.org)Help School Fight Climate Change with Green Building (Global Giving) - Giving Tuesday is December 2, 2025Watch timelapse video of recent classroom construction (Fall 2025)2020 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian ServiceEcoHab.orgLong Way Home on YouTubeLong Way Home on FacebookLong Way Home on InstagramLong Way Home on LinkedIn ____________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE: On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.CREDITS:Producer: Tania MarienMusic: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skillsContact UsTalaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More© 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc ABOUT:TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Today my guest is fundraiser and impact growth leader, Alexandra Dumitrescu. In this episode, we discuss nonprofit funding. Alexandra highlights the potential of technology to enhance fundraising efforts and presents ways nonprofits can diversify income streams. We discuss e-commerce models, leveraging SaaS platforms, improving donor relations, and lost funding opportunities.We also discuss initiatives Alexandra founded to help nonprofits create sustainable income and integrate social impact features in business products.How might Alexandra's ideas (or some version of them) be applied to your project, organization, or partnerships?How does this conversation reframe what you see as being possible in environmental education? LEARN MOREAlexandra Dumitrescu on LinkedInBiggerPie (LinkedIn)RWAYS for Nonprofits (LinkedIn)Shop for Hope (Alexandra on Substack)Fundraising Platforms Mentioned:FundraiseUpDonorBoxiRaiserDataro.io Automation Services Mentioned:ZapierZendeskAcronyms Defined:Saas - Software as a Service (cloud-based services)KPI - Key Performance IndicatorsMVP - Minimum Viable ProductCSR - Corporate Social ResponsibilityAlexandra's Recommended Resources:Daniela Papi Thornton - Reclaiming Social Entrepreneurship (TEDx)Dan Pallotta - The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong (TED)Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)*Manifesto for a Moral Revolution (Jacqueline Novogratz)*Subscribe to the Transferable Solutions newsletter. ____________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE: On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.CREDITS:Producer: Tania MarienMusic: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skillsContact UsTalaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More© 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc ABOUT:TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Rob Law  is a musician and composer with decades of experience in the music industry. He has composed music for films and advertising campaigns. Rob is also a podcaster, a storyteller, and an advocate for outdoor learning. In this episode, Rob and I talk about The Creek Kids, his podcast for children inspired by the radio plays from the Golden Age of Radio.The Creek Kids on PodbeanRob Law (website) AUDIO SAMPLES (in order of appearance):Lux. “Lux Radio Theater - Single Episodes : Old Time Radio Researchers Group : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet Archive, 2025. https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Lux_Radio_Theater_Singles. Sample is from "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes.' https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The Mystery of the Flood: The Creek Kids. Produced by Rob Law. Used with permission.Campbells Creek Soundtrail. Produced by Rob Law. Used with permission.  ____________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE: On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.CREDITS:Producer: Tania MarienMusic: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skillsContact UsTalaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More© 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc ABOUT:TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Dinah Awino Kawino is the founder and director of Akadi Eco and Mentorship Ventures.Akadi Eco is a consulting firm based in Kenya. It focuses on bringing environmental mentorship and sustainability solutions to educational and community spaces.This year, Akadi Eco is leading an initiative called  Pendo Mazingira. Pendo Mazingira is Swahili for "Love Environment."Awino describes this program as “an eco-sensitivity mentorship program designed to cultivate a sense of environmental belonging through nature-based sensory experiences.” Pendo Mazingira serves both youth and adults.How is the program working?Let’s find out. SUBSTACK:  Pendo Mazingira Substack - AkadiEco and Mentorship Ventures KenyaPANEL DISCUSSION:Empowering Women in Science: Bridging Gaps and Building FuturesInteresting and honest conversation about being a woman in science. Awino's presentation begins at timestamp 57:22. Her presentation is titled, Empowering Women and Girls: Disrupting Fear-based Silence for Thriving Sustainability Science. This is a presentation by LIAISE.BOOK:Weaving a Green Future: Opportunities and Barriers in Textile Manufacturing in Kenya (Eliva Press, 2025)ARTICLES:Closing the Loop: A framework for tackling single-use plastic waste in the food and beverage industry through circular economy - a review (Journal of Environmental Management)Challenges and Opportunities for Green Transitions Adoption in Kenya's Textile Manufacturing Industry  (Frontiers in Sustainability)Assessment of Green Growth Practices in the Textile Industry: A Study of Thika Cloth Mill and Rivatex in Kenya  (East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources)LEADERSHIP:The Green Embassy Kenya ____________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE: On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.CREDITS:Producer: Tania MarienMusic: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skillsContact UsTalaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More© 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc ABOUT:TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Christina Carter is the author, illustrator, and founder of Gumnut Trails—a unique collection of Outdoor Adventure Guides that help families rediscover the joy of exploring nature together.In this episode, we dive into how Christina’s own nature-rich childhood inspired her to create the “Lonely Planet of childhood adventures”—starting with four beautifully illustrated Guides across Melbourne.Each Adventure Guide transforms an ‘ordinary’ walk into an immersive experience using storytelling, creative missions, and joyful illustrations. Designed to be interactive, screen-free, and deeply local, Gumnut Trails helps families connect with the natural spaces around them in fun, meaningful ways.Every guide is built around the history, features, and hidden stories of each location. Months of on-the-ground exploring, researching, writing, and illustrating go into each one—making them more than just ready-made adventures, but true works of art.What began as one parent’s mission to capture the magic of a childhood spent outdoors is now a growing movement.So how did it all come together—and what’s next for Gumnut Trails? Let’s find out.Website: www.gumnuttrails.com.auFollow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gumnut_trails/ ____________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE: On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.CREDITS:Producer: Tania MarienMusic: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skillsContact UsTalaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More© 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc ABOUT:TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.TALATERRA: to speak Earth.