Did you know that underneath the forest floor resources can be transferred from one tree to another in need? The Mycorrhizal Network is a fungal web that resides in soil. It functions like Nature’s internet, connecting many plants and enabling the transfer of resources and chemical messengers.

On this excerpt of SUGi Talks we speak with ecologist and SUGi Forest Maker Gabriel Orrego about the magical inner workings of fungi.

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What would happen our minds if one day we woke up to a world with no trees, forests, or even grass? If birds and butterflies were a thing of the past, and green spaces were non-existent. What if our only experience of Nature was through a simulation on a screen?

This is the stark future depicted in the opening of Lucy Jones’s book Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild. It traces her own journey through addiction and depression, recalling the healing impact of Nature in her own recovery while diving deep into the studies and research that point to why being in Nature makes us feel good.

In this episode of SUGi Talks we speak to Lucy about why she felt compelled to write Losing Eden, and together we explore the research that explains the science behind our profound connection to the living world.

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Roaming the lush rainforests of Northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea, the Cassowary bird is a striking sight to behold. Resembling something like an exquisite dinosaur at 6 feet tall, this at-risk flightless bird is now in a fight for survival. As a keystone species, the Cassowary is facing endangerment due to the fragmentation of its habitat by development and industrial agriculture.

On this episode of SUGi Talks, we speak with SUGi Forest Maker Brett Krause.

Since 2014, with our support, Brett has been planting Miyawaki forests in Tropical North Queensland as a way to create habitats for endangered species like the Cassowary and the Mahogany Glider.

Together we’ll speak about how he went from growing up on a sawmill witnessing deforestation, to now leading the way on Miyawaki forest building in Northern Australia.

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More info: SUGi: https://www.sugiproject.com

Our cities are heating up, and fast. Rising global temperatures means the urban heat island effect in our cities will be amplified. Trees are a proven way to help cities combat this growing issue.

On this excerpt of ⁠SUGi Talks⁠ we speak to Dr. Grey Coupland.

Grey is our lead scientist at SUGi, and she holds the key to the rich data behind our Pocket Forests. With a PhD in ecology, her most recent work is dedicated to investigating the use and effectiveness of Miyawaki forests in cities, specifically their impact on cooling, biodiversity and wellbeing.

Together we’ll speak about the hard data our Miyawaki Forests.

Thank you Dr. Grey.

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⁠https://www.sugiproject.com/support⁠

In 2019, after decades of corruption, intense pollution and a severe economic collapse, protestors flooded the streets of Beirut demanding change. Amongst them was environmental architect and one of our first SUGi Forest Makers, Adib Dada.

Deep into the revolution, Adib was in the second phase of his RiverLESS SUGi Pocket Forest, a project he designed with SUGi to help regenerate The Beirut River and reclaim it as a public space. On the anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence Day, after a protest at Martyrs Square, he took people directly from the streets and brought them to plant trees on the banks of The Beirut River.

In this episode of SUGi Talks, we speak with Adib Dada about how he is planting Miyawaki forests in Beirut to tackle pollution, reclaim public space and restore hope in the Lebanese people. Together we speak about the monumental challenges the city faces, and how communities have come together to find alternative paths forward.

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SUGi: https://www.sugiproject.com/support⁠⁠

“I can remember walking out and there being rocks here and there. The dirt was just powder; there wasn’t even weeds growing. After Ethan did all of the things with the soils. It’s beautiful because we’re rebuilding what was already here.

Think of when an eagle that went and caught a salmon, ate it and then left some of its remnants; that’s exactly what we are doing here. Because those are the nutrients that the soil needs.

Little by little not only did the plants grow but we started to have rabbits, frogs, mushrooms. I mean it’s own community. The relationship isn’t just powerful for people it’s healing the Earth, and it’s like we’re all dancing to the same music. Seeing the beauty of this garden, the reconnection of culture, identity, it’s great.”

— Marylee Jones, Gatherer and Member of the Yakama Nation

With thanks to Marylee Jones & Ethan Bryson

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SUGi: ⁠https://www.sugiproject.com/support⁠

SUGi Talks 🌿 EP.09 — Cities in Crisis: How Nature-based Solutions & urban trees can tackle our cities' growing issues.

You might have heard the term 'Nature-based Solutions', but what does it actually mean? What do they look like? And how can they help cities tackle the ecological and climate crisis?

On this episode of SUGi Talks, we meet Cecil Konijnendijk. Cecil co-directs the Nature-Based Solutions Institute, a think tank dedicated to evidence-based urban greening strategies, and he is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading urban forestry experts.

With over 30 years of experience studying, teaching, and advising, including collaborations with organisations like the United Nations on urban forestry and the implementation of Nature-based Solutions, Cecil is passionate about using trees to develop better cities and always stresses the importance of building meaningful relationships between people and places.

So we’ll be discussing all things related to Nature-based solutions and how urban trees, like our SUGi Pocket Forests, can help cities from an environmental perspective, as well as on psychological, social, and health levels too.

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More info:

Nature-Based Solutions Institute: https://nbsi.eu/
SUGi: https://www.sugiproject.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our cities are expanding. Green spaces are being gobbled up by concrete and asphalt. And what is the cost of this rapid urbanisation? Why do we need Nature in our cities? How can urban forests help biodiversity and community wellbeing? 

On this episode of SUGi Talks, we meet James Godfrey-Faussett. As SUGi’s lead Forest Maker, James manages our global urban Pocket Forest and afforestation efforts. In the UK alone he has planted 20 forests, including the UK and Europe's biggest Miyawaki forest in Barking and Dagenham. Focussing on cities and the chronic lack of biodiversity in our urban areas, we reimagine what healthy cities could look like. Alongside this, we speak about the healing power of Nature and the UK’s at-risk temperate rainforest biome. 

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With thanks to James Godfrey-Faussett.

SUGi: Greening Cities & Reimagining Urban Life.

⁠https://www.sugiproject.com/support⁠