Jack Muir Laws Podcast Episode

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“Sometimes opportunity is already there—we just need to learn how to see it.” —Quilen Blackwell

A lot of conversations about the environment focus on distant places, including forests and oceans, and on wildlife found in those places. But for many people, the environment is much closer: the neighborhood around them, the vacant lot down the street, the air they breathe, and the spaces where children grow up and play. This conversation focuses on reimagining what environmental education and work can look like in urban communities.

Over the past fifteen years, Quilen has worked on Chicago’s South Side transforming vacant lots into flower farms, creating jobs for young people, and building a model that connects community development, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity. Drawing from his experiences growing up in Wisconsin, serving in the Peace Corps in Thailand, and working in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, Quilen reflects on how place shapes perspective and how reconnecting people to land, even in unexpected places, can create meaningful change. 

John Muir Laws (aka Jack) is a principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement and the co-founder of the Wild Wonder Foundation. An award-winning naturalist, artist, scientist, and educator, Jack has dedicated four decades of his life to connecting people to nature through art and science. From an early age, his parents instilled in him a deep love and respect for nature. Over the years, that love has grown to a commitment to stewardship, nature conservation, and a passion to share the delight of exploring nature with others. As a writer, scientist, and artist, Jack has developed numerous interdisciplinary educational programs that train students to observe with rigor and develop intentional curiosity. He is the author and illustrator of several books including The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling (also available in Spanish), The Laws Sketchbook for Nature Journaling, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds. He is co-author with Emilie Lygren of How to Teach Nature Journaling. Jack earned a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley, a MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, and a certificate in Science Communication from UC Santa Cruz. Learn more about John Muir Laws here.

Wild Wonder Foundation
https://www.wildwonder.org/

Founded in 2022, the Wild Wonder Foundation is dedicated to encouraging nature connection and conservation through attention, curiosity, art, science, and community. Join the global nature journaling community!