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Nature and technology: friends or enemies?

Can nature and technology — long viewed as opposing forces — work together to create livable cities and improve public health? The Internet of Nature Podcast is on a mission to find out.

After five seasons and a special spin-off (Internet of Nature LIVE from New York City), interviewing top thought-leaders and entrepreneurs on their technologies for building greener, healthier, and smarter communities, I will now travel across Latin America to meet new innovators.

These travels are part of my recent appointment as a National Geographic Explorer. In 2024, I will be dedicated to investigating how growing cities in Latin America are plugging into the Internet of Nature. Later in the year, I will return with new stories from La Paz, Bogotá, and more.

In the meantime, please review the five seasons of the podcast. Each episode contains powerful stories behind the innovator, delves into questions usually shied away from, and explores where the internet and nature converge.

‍Are you an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) member? Click here to learn how you can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for select episodes of the podcast.

Scroll down for all episodes ↓

Season 5

S5E10 ⁠— If Money Grows on Trees, Where is Urban Forestry Funding? with Jad Daley of American Forests

June 7, 2023

I speak with Jad Daley about accessing the unprecedented $1.5 billion federal investment in urban forestry.

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S5E9 ⁠— The Data-Driven Decision-Making Revolutionizing Urban Forestry with Andy Lederer of Oxfordshire County

May 31, 2023

I speak with Andy Lederer about how he's harnessing PlanIT Geo's software in Oxfordshire County (UK).

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S5E8 ⁠— Don’t Tell Me How Many Trees You Planted, Tell Me How Many Are Still There After 20 Years with Tom Ebeling of Openlands

May 24, 2023

I speak with Tom Ebeling about transforming tree-planting campaigns into tree-growing campaigns. 

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S5E7 — How Can We Align Urban Forestry and Municipal Climate Change Policy? with Brett KenCairn of the City of Boulder

May 17, 2023

I speak with Brett KenCairn on devising new strategies that bolster climate change resilience using urban forestry.

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S5E6 — Where Have All the Young Urban Foresters Gone? – And How To Get Them Back with Leslie Berckes of Society of Municipal Arborists

May 10, 2023

I speak with Leslie Berckes on inspiring the next generation of urban foresters.

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S5E5 — Does Good Health Grow on Trees? with Vivek Shandas of CAPA Strategies

May 3, 2023

I speak with Vivek Shandas about urban forestry as a public health intervention.

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S5E4 — Faster than We Can Plant Trees On Public Land, We’re Losing Them on Private Land with Alex Hancock of PlanIT Geo

April 26, 2023

I speak with Alex Hancock about the controversial world of private tree ordinances — and how tech is changing the game.

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S5E3 — Who Are the Treefluencers of Tomorrow? with Tobin Mitnick of @jewslovetrees

April 19, 2023

I speak with Tobin Mitnick about "treefluencers", a new breed of social media influencers.

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S5E2 — What Can We Learn from the World’s Best Urban Forests? with Dan Lambe of Arbor Day Foundation

April 12, 2023

I speak with Dan Lambe on how data will play a critical role in the protection of urban forests.

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S5E1 — Launching Season 5 on the Future of Urban Forestry with Ian Hanou of PlanIT Geo

April 5, 2023

I speak with Ian Hanou on the current state of urban forestry and its prospects for growth in 2023 and beyond.

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Internet of Nature LIVE

LIVE E3 — How a "Smart" Water Garden Keeps Brooklyn Dry with Adrian Benepe of Brooklyn Botanic Garden

December 11, 2022

I speak with Adrian Benepe on his time as NYC Parks Commissioner — and the lessons he's taking to Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

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LIVE E2 — How Central Park Keeps New Yorkers Healthy with Jennifer Walsh of Biophilic Solutions

December 4, 2022

I speak with Jennifer Walsh on why nature is a multivitamin — and how she gets her dose in Central Park.

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LIVE E1 — On Top of the Most Diverse Green Roof in America with Max Lerner of NYC Parks

November 27, 2022

I speak with Max Lerner on why green roofs remain a rarity — and how the living laboratory atop NYC Parks' main building can help.

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Season 4

S4E10 — The More High-Tech Our Lives Become, The More Nature We Need with Richard Louv

July 6, 2022

I speak with Richard Louv on "nature-deficit disorder" — and the tech that could connect us with nature.

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S4E9 — Growing the Next Generation of Ecohustlers with Max Lerner of NYC Parks

June 29, 2022

I speak with Max Lerner on the technologies the NYC Parks Emerging Tech team is exploring — and the skills future "green technologists" need.

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S4E8 — Why We Need Technology To Rebalance Urbanization and Nature with Giulio Boccaletti of Water: A Biography

June 22, 2022

I speak with Giulio Boccaletti on mending humanity's relationship with nature by using technology.

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S4E7 — Nature Has the Answers with Monica Olsen and Jennifer Walsh of Biophilic Solutions

June 15, 2022

I speak with Monica Olsen and Jennifer Walsh on why technology is not the antithesis to getting people outside.

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S4E6 — Meet the Doctor Prescribing Nature for Anxiety, Depression, Obesity, and More with Dr. Robert Zarr of Park Rx America

June 8, 2022

I speak with Robert Zarr on why doctors are prescribing a walk in the park — and how technology can support these "nature prescriptions".

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S4E5 — Why Daily Doses of Nature in the City Matter with Tim Beatley of Biophilic Cities

June 1, 2022

I speak with Tim Beatley on biophilic cities — and the technology that could power them.

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S4E4 — Why Technology is Not the Antithesis to Nature with Matthew Browning of Virtual Reality & Nature Lab

May 25, 2022

I speak with Matthew Browning on using virtual reality to study humanity's relationship with nature.

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S4E3 — Leveraging Sensors and AI in the Fight Against Global Wildlife Poaching with Tim van Dam of Smart Parks

May 18, 2022

I speak with Tim van Dam on the emerging technologies he's developing to stop illegal poaching in its tracks.

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S4E2 — Planting 500 Million Trees in Five Years in Neighborhoods and Forests of Greatest Need with Ben Wilinsky of the Arbor Day Foundation

May 11, 2022

I speak with Ben Wilinsky on the technology the Arbor Day Foundation is using to plant their next 500 million trees.

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S4E1 — How the "Steve Jobs of Ecology" is Building the "Google Maps for Nature" with Thomas Crowther of Crowther Lab

May 4, 2022

I speak with Thomas Crowther on the ambition (and technology) behind the world's largest restoration movement.

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Season 3

S3E10 — Meet the Woman Behind Halifax’s Viral Text-A-Tree Initiative with Julietta Sorensen Kass of Our Nature

March 9, 2022

I speak with Julietta Sorensen Kass on the power of texting trees — and the tree-texts that still bring her to tears.

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S3E9 — How Blockchain Can Value and Protect Our Urban Trees with Mark Bode & Willem de Feijter of TreeCollective

March 2, 2022

I speak with Mark Bode and Willem de Feijter on why trees need a business model ⁠— and how blockchain can help.

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S3E8 — How AllTrails Got 30M+ People in 200 Countries Outside with Ron Schneidermann of AllTrails

February 23, 2022

I speak with Ron Schneidermann on why everyone should get outside — and the technology he built to make it happen.

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S3E7 — Beyond Carbon: Why We Can't Plant Our Way Out Of Climate Change with Carlotta Conte of Dark Matter Labs

February 16, 2022

I speak with Carlotta Conte on how technology can transform urban trees from "nice-to-haves" to "must-haves".

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S3E6 — Why Sensors Alone are Not Enough to Grow Urban Trees with René Voogt of ConnectedGreen

February 9, 2022

I speak with René Voogt on the promise of IoT soil moisture sensors to uncover the world under our city trees.

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S3E5 — Why Leveraging "NatureTech" Can Scale-Up Nature-Based Solutions with Lucy Almond of Nature4Climate

February 2, 2022

I speak with Lucy Almond about the most promising "NatureTech" trends for 2022.

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S3E4 — Technology for Arborists and Urban Foresters with Josh Behounek of The Davey Tree Expert Company

January 26, 2022

I speak with Josh Behounek on how technology will never replace arborists — but it can make their job a whole lot easier.

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S3E3 — Why Time in Nature Helps You Live Longer and How to Get your "NatureDose" with Jared Hanley of NatureQuant

January 19, 2022

I speak with Jared Hanley on improving health through nature exposure — and the technology he's built to track it.

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S3E2 — How Open-Data Helps Enable and Accelerate Global Ecosystem Restoration with Clara Rowe of Restor

January 12, 2022

I speak with Clara Rowe on how emerging technologies are helping to scale global landscape restoration.

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S3E1 — The 3-30-300 Rule for Healthier and Greener Cities with Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute

January 5, 2022

I speak with Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk on his 3-30-300 rule and other recent innovations in urban forestry.

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Season 2

S2E10 — Urban Deforestation and What We Can Do About It with Matthew Wells of the City of Santa Monica

November 3, 2021

I speak with Matthew Wells on the shocking rate of urban tree loss and how technology can help.

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S2E9 — How Sensing Forms the Foundation of Smart *and* Resilient Cities with Joe Glesta of Senscity

October 27, 2021

I speak with Joe Glesta on how sensing can support and enhance climate-resilient decision making.

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S2E8 — How Machine Learning and Satellite Imagery are Preventing Wildfires with Indra den Bakker of Overstory

October 20, 2021

I speak with Indra den Bakker on how Overstory is preventing wildfires with machine learning and satellite imagery.

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S2E7 — How iNaturalist is Unlocking the World's Biodiversity, One Photo at a Time with Alison Young of City Nature Challenge

October 13, 2021

I speak with Alison Young on how iNaturalist is getting people outdoors and advancing biodiversity research worldwide.

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S2E6 — How IoT Sensors Protect Urban Trees with Andrew Hirons of Myerscough College

October 6, 2021

I speak with Andrew Hirons on seeing trees' hidden needs with IoT sensors.

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S2E5 — How Cities Force Animals, Plants, and Insects to Evolve with Menno Schilthuizen, Darwin Comes to Town

September 29, 2021

I speak with Menno Schilthuizen about urban darwinism — how species are evolving to survive in cities.

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S2E4 — What Virtual Reality Can Teach Us About Green Space Design with Payam Tabrizian of IDEO

September 22, 2021

I speak with Payam Tabrizian on harnessing the power of virtual reality to design better green space.

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S2E3 — Why Data-Driven Decision Making Makes Money Grow on Trees with Ben Seamark and Tom Davey of Forestree

September 15, 2021

I speak with Ben Seamark and Tom Davey on their data-driven approach to tree management.

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S2E2 — Creating the World's First "Talking Tree" Tour that Changed a Neighbourhood with Puck van Dijk of Play Productions

September 8, 2021

I speak with Puck van Dijk on the power of—and the technology behind—immersive storytelling through trees.

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S2E1 — Creating the Tree That Is Live-Tweeting Climate Change with Tim Rademacher of @awitnesstree

September 1, 2021

I speak with Tim Rademacher on creating the world's first tweeting tree.

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Season 1

S1E10 — How to Map and Catalogue Every Plant Species on Earth by 2022 with Eric Ralls of PlantSnap & Earth.com

June 30, 2021

I speak with Eric Ralls on his AI-powered plant ID app with the mission to map every plant species on Earth by 2022.

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S1E9 — Harnessing Google Street View Imagery to Map Urban Greenery with Fábio Duarte of MIT Senseable City Lab

June 23, 2021

I speak with Fábio Duarte on using open and opportunistic data to better map and manage urban trees.

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S1E8 — Talking with Trees and the Power of Soil Sensors with Marcel Steegh of SoilMania

June 16, 2021

I speak with Marcel Steegh on the power of data-driven urban forestry using IoT soil sensors.

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S1E7 — How Giving Trees Email Addresses Changed a City Forever with Yvonne Lynch of Green Riyadh

June 9, 2021

I speak with Yvonne Lynch on greening the desert and the viral "Email-a-Tree" campaign she set up in Melbourne.

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S1E6 — How Augmented Reality Games Can Educate Kids About Nature with Stine Kondrup of Intugreen

June 2, 2021

I speak with Stine Kondrup on using mobile augmented reality to "gamify" urban nature.

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S1E5 — What Urban Foresters Need to Know About Remote Sensing with Ian Hanou of PlanIT Geo

May 26, 2021

I speak with Ian Hanou on his disruptive urban forestry software and AI​-driven tree canopy analysis.

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S1E4 — Why Ecologists Need Virtual Reality for Nature Conservation with Ash Welch of AECOM

May 19, 2021

I speak with Ash Welch on his pioneering use of VR to showcase nature-based solutions.

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S1E3 — How We Can Enable People to Remotely Restore Forests with Joris Olde Rikkert of Treemendo

May 12, 2021

I speak with Joris Olde Rikkert on empowering urban dwellers to (remotely) plant forests.

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S1E2 — On Sound (Our Lost Sense) and Why Every Landscape Needs a Soundscape with Mike Edwards of Sound Matters

May 5, 2021

I speak with Mike Edwards on the importance of soundscapes for (urban) nature conservation.

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S1E1 — Mobile Mapping Data, Deep Learning Algorithms, and a Little Bit of Faith to Automatically Detect Urban Trees with Dirk van Riel of TreeTracker

April 28, 2021

I speak with Dirk van Riel on using mobile mapping and AI to automatically track urban trees.

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