Speak Environment is a podcast hosted by Cierra Dawson, an aspiring ecologist. Cierra is a graduate of Oregon State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a specialization in Applied Ecology. She is currently working in the nonprofit sector. Through social media, she is practicing accessible environmental education with her skills in technical writing, verbal and written communication, and graphic design. The SE Podcast is for you if you like learning about All Things Environment.
Soil Health, Food Sustainability, and Environmental Justice with Sage Fairman
Sage Fairman from Oregon Climate & Agriculture Network explores soil health, agricultural sustainability, and environmental justice, providing insights into food systems in an interview with the host.
25 May 2025
MINISODE: The Problem with Invasive Annual Grasses
The host discusses the detrimental impact of invasive annual grasses on ecosystems, highlighting their aggressive spread and displacement of native plant species.
28 Dec 2024
The Endangered Species Act in Less Than 20 Minutes
December 28th, 2024 marks the 51st anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As such, this is an ideal time to reflect on the history of such a landmark piece of legislation. So today, we're breaking down the Endangered Species Act Crash Course style in under 20 minutes.
Visit the Speak Environment (https://speakenvironment.com/)website for a complete list of resources used in today's episode.
The music for the episode is "Hopeful Journey" by Scott Holmes.
2 Feb 2024
War and the Environment: Lessons From Palestine, Congo, and Sudan
Today’s episode explores the intersections of war and its impact on the environment using contemporary conflicts across Palestine/Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan.
2023 brought about the beginning of horrific wars and humanitarian crises in the Middle East and Africa. This episode explores these crises and how they are impacting the air, land, and water in each place.
Disclaimer: This episode is not entirely objective. Nor is it a comprehensive deep dive into the history of these locations and the root causes of each conflict.
For further reading/listening please see these interactive infographics. Or, visit the Speak Environment blog for links and downloads for all reference materials used in today's episode: https://speakenvironment.wordpress.com/2024/02/02/podcast-episode-war-and-the-environment-lessons-from-palestine-congo-and-sudan/
Intro/outro music is provided by Scott Homes under a free Creative Commons License: https://scottholmesmusic.com/
15 Feb 2023
Sustainable Forest Management: A Case Study on the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest with Hunter Grove
In today’s episode, I speak with Hunter Grove to explore the topic of sustainable forest management. Hunter is a current Oregon State University student focused on advocating for the sustainable management of the McDonald-Dunn research forest in Corvallis, Oregon. Today’s episode is pretty place-specific, but even if you’re not an Oregonian or an OSU student, there is valuable information about forest biodiversity, environmental justice, and traditional ecological knowledge/forestry practices!
Websites mentioned in today's episode:
Friends of OSU Old Growth Website: https://friendsofosuoldgrowth.org/
Future of the McDonald Dunn Forest Website: https://tlc5103.wixsite.com/mcddfuture
Instagram page ran by Hunter Grove (@futureofmcdonald_dunn_osu): https://www.instagram.com/futureofmcdonald_dunn_osu/
Visit the Speak Environment blog for links and downloads for all reference material used in today's episode: https://bit.ly/3I6JCsN
All music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: https://scottholmesmusic.com/
28 Nov 2022
When a Wildland Firefighter Turns Plant Nursery Supervisor with Jeremy Ojua
Have you ever met someone and felt like you wanted to buy them a coffee and just...talk? That's how I felt about today's podcast guest, Jeremy Ojua. Jeremy is (in his own words), a snowboarder-turned-firefighter-turned-native-plant-nursery-supervisor. Or in other words, he's a well-rounded person that knows something about...everything?
In today's episode, Jeremy and I talk about the existential crisis that is your early 20s, finding your path in the environmental field, the pros and cons of seasonal jobs, the importance of nature immersion experiences for youth, and an interesting encounter he had with a black bear.
See more of Jeremy's photography: https://www.instagram.com/ojuaphoto/
Speak Environment on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakenvironmentpodcast/
Visit the Speak Environment blog for links and downloads for all reference material used in today's episode: https://speakenvironment.wordpress.com/
All music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: https://scottholmesmusic.com/
4 Feb 2022
Ask a Sustainability Grad: All Things Sustainability with Alli Wodar (Earth Minded)
In today's episode, I speak with Alli Wodar from the Earth Minded Podcast about all things sustainability. Alli graduated from the University of Florida in 2021 with a B.A. Sustainability Studies and a minor in Geography. I ask her all about how her interest in sustainability began, what her undergraduate was like, and what she's up to now that she's on the other side of Commencement. If you're graduating from college soon and are looking for post-graduate advice, this is the episode for you.
Check out Alli's podcast Earth Minded: https://linktr.ee/earthmindedd
Find Earth Minded on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthmindedd/
Speak Environment on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakenvironmentpodcast/
Visit the Speak Environment blog for links and downloads for all reference material used in today's episode: https://speakenvironment.wordpress.com/
All music is provided by Scott Holmes Music under a free Creatives Commons license: https://scottholmesmusic.com
20 Dec 2021
Phenology: It's All About Timing!
Have you ever wondered what corals, oak trees, and chickadees have in common? In today's episode, we explore the concept of phenology, or the scientific study of natural cycles. We talk about how the annual spawning event of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, pollen and allergy season in oak trees, and how a cute little bird with a funny name is experiencing a big problem. It's all in about timing!
Visit the Speak Environment blog for links and downloads for all reference material used in today's episode: https://bit.ly/3Ja1NNY
All music is provided by Scott Holmes Music under a free Creatives Commons license: https://scottholmesmusic.com
7 Oct 2021
Climate Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, Gender Inclusivity & More with Julia Szpor (Being Better)
A grab bag episode and conversation with Julia Szpor from the Being Better podcast. In today's episode, Julia and I discuss a variety of topics from naming imposter syndrome in podcasting/life as young women doing important work, the importance of gender inclusivity in sustainability and other environmental efforts, combatting climate anxiety (which is only getting worse), and a lot more.
Check out the Being Better podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7MnZYYACmVKM4SAD3gKYeW
Find Being Better on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingbetter.pod/
Speak Environment on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakenvironmentpodcast/
30 Jun 2021
Defining Environmental Sustainability
Hi everyone! In today's episode, we explore the academic realm of environmental sustainability. What is it actually? Who coined that term? What is the global community doing to implement it? This podcast was recorded as a final project for an Environmental Writing course I completed this past spring term at Oregon State University (WR 462 in OSU language). My hope is that you learn something about sustainability as I did!
Academic sources cited during this podcast:
Constanza & Patten, Commentary, Defining and predicting sustainability (1994) (https://doi.org/10.1016/0921-8009(95)00048-8)
Robert Goodland, Commentary, The Concept of Environmental Sustainability (1995). (Published in JSTOR Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Volume 26 1995 https://are.berkeley.edu/courses/ARE298/Readings/goodland.pdf)
Moldan et al., How to understand and measure environmental sustainability: Indicators and targets (2012) (Published in Elsevier Ecological Indicators Volume 17 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.04.033)
All music is provided by Scott Holmes Music under a free Creatives Commons license: https://scottholmesmusic.com
20 Jun 2020
Environmental Pollution Science: Climate Change, Activism, and Outreach with Dr. Shahir Masri
In today's episode, we spend an hour speaking with Dr. Shahir Masri, an Environmental Pollution Scientist at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Masri's work involves air pollution exposure modeling and climate change communication research. We spoke about his long road of academia, field experiences, and what it means to be a science communicator in the age of social media. He takes us through his fascinating grassroots project called "On the Road For Climate Action," as well as his work as an author of his book, Beyond Debate: Answers to 50 Misconceptions on Climate Change. He also gives hints as to what his next book entails in the episode!
Find Dr. Masri on his website and Instagram page.
All music is provided by Scott Holmes Music under a free Creatives Commons license: https://scottholmesmusic.com
1 Jan 2020
Welcome to the Speak Environment Podcast!
Introducing the Speak Environment Podcast! SE is a biweekly podcast dedicated to creating a community for fellow environmentalists and science fans. It was dreamed up by the host, Cierra Dawson, as a result of her ceaseless hunt for new and ambitious projects.
Join her every other Tuesday at 12 PM PST to Speak about all things Environment.
Follow SE Podcast elsewhere! Instagram (instagram.com/speakenvironmentpodcast) || Twitter (twitter.com/speakenviropod) || Wordpress (speakenvironment.wordpress.com)
Introduction music is 'Hopeful Journey' and is courtesy of Scott Holmes. Find the song at www.scottholmesmusic.com.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
7
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
39
Social presence
0
YouTube
63
Engagement
32
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