Climate Action Figures

Season 2, Episode 6: Alex

• John Whidden • Season 2 • Episode 6

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In this episode, John interviews Alex about eco-friendly laundry strips, snakes, and the Southeastern Alberta Watershed Alliance. Alex shares their journey in environmental science and offers insights and strategies on coping with climate change anxiety.
00:00 Welcome to Climate Action Figures
00:30 QuickFix: Tru Earth Laundry Strips
02:39 Giveaway Announcement
03:31 Alex's Affinity for Snakes
05:09 Understanding Rattlesnakes
09:29 SEAWA and Environmental Work
12:06 Alex's Academic Journey
14:50 Coping with Climate Change Anxiety
18:01 Alex's Climate Action and Hope
21:48 Closing Remarks

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Alex:

I'm Alex and you're tuned into Climate Action Figures.

John:

Hello and welcome to the freshest edition of Climate Action Figures. Not even close to its best before date, I may say. My name is John Whidden and this week on the show, you get to meet Alex. This week's QuickFix is brought to you by Sean on Canada's beautiful East Coast, and Sean says, I use Tru Earth laundry strips instead of regular detergent. he talks a little bit about it. Tru Earth is not the only brand, they're available in many grocery stores, even these days, although at a marked up price, you can get them on their website, he says, for cheaper. this just happens to be something he mentioned, no sponsorship on this show, but, there you have it, from Sean on the East Coast and Alex, welcome to the program.

Alex:

It's lovely to be here.

John:

And what do you think of today's QuickFix?

Alex:

I've heard of laundry strips, but to be honest, I don't entirely know what they are, though I do really like, machines that do things, uh, in a more efficient way than we do them by hand. Like how dishwashers are actually more water efficient than washing dishes by hand. So if there's a way to improve that for my laundry, that'd be lovely to hear.

John:

I can fill you in a little bit on this because thanks to Sean, our listener from the East Coast, I actually tried these laundry strips. Now, actually, I started with Tru Earth, and now, uh, as we may have talked about last week with Kate, We get our laundry strips from our local refillery. So there's, not the packaging and everything else that goes with it. Although Tru Earth was pretty great with packaging. It was all cardboard based but, uh, what it is, Alex, is, these little strips that are, about 10 centimeters by five centimeters, let's say. And you just tear one off and throw it in instead of using laundry detergent. And the benefit, of course, is liquid laundry detergent is so heavy, it has a huge transportation, cost to it. even powdered detergent weighs a lot more than these things do. They're, super thin and light and in our laundry for a year now, they've worked really well. So

Alex:

wow.

John:

uh, laundry strips for

Alex:

Sounds convenient too. You know, You just toss

John:

You know, what we should do is we should give some away on the show. That's what we

Alex:

I'd definitely take some, but would that not be, uh, getting closer into that, uh, sponsorship

John:

guess we'd have to be careful. We'll just give away, uh, no name brand laundry strips. How about that? And speaking of giving things away, I meant to mention that we have a giveaway this week. And I didn't even warn you about this, so it'll be a surprise to you too. Canadian Parks and Wilderness, who is also not a sponsor of this program, gave me this great, medium sized t shirt. Describe it to us, Alex,.

Alex:

So it's a lovely t shirt what would you say that color is there, John?

John:

Army Green, how about that?

Alex:

army green. Yeah. With an even brighter green logo there with a bear and you have some mountains and just a beautiful kind of landscape that we associate with, Alberta wilderness there, so

John:

Wonderful description. If you would like to win that t shirt, here's what you have to do, listener or viewer. Write in to climateactionfigures at gmail. com and be the first one to do so, and you win that shirt and I will mail it to you. How about that?

Alex:

Even mails it, get in on that.

John:

Great. Now, Alex, we met this past summer when I stopped in at the Visitor Centre at Police Point Park here in Medicine Hat, and you told me all about snakes. Have you always had an affinity for snakes?

Alex:

So yeah, that's right. When I was working at Police Point Park, you popped in. That's how we first met. And, uh, yeah, at the time we had this big, uh, display on all the native snakes in Alberta. when I started working there, I was super excited that that was the first display because you're absolutely right, John. Yeah. I have had huge obsession with reptiles and snakes, uh, especially when I was, uh, a lot younger. it's sort of. Faded over time. Now I, now I'm more into, uh, plants and such, but, uh, things with scales and forked tongues were yeah, they were my thing for a long time.

John:

since you had this love for snakes, do you want to give us some interesting facts that you've learned about snakes over the years?

Alex:

one I picked up very recently at Police Point Park, from all the knowledge that we share there at the interpretive center, so much cool stuff, is that, uh, bull snakes are our largest by length snake in Alberta, but Despite being the largest, they also climb trees. So you should look down, but also up, although they're not up there to, uh, You know, go after you or anything, they're just trying to get off the hot ground sometimes, and kind of allow themselves to air around them, and regulate their temperature a little bit better, but it's also to avoid predation, because, you know, if you're on the ground, that's kind of where a snake is expected to be, but if you're in a tree, the things that are trying to eat, you, might not be able to get you,

John:

I have met a number of bull snakes on the paths in Medicine Hat, and I also know that they are harmless to us. But, uh, I want to ask you, because this is such a misunderstood topic, about rattlesnakes, because rattlesnakes are far less dangerous than most people realize, too. Is that correct?

Alex:

is absolutely correct. Yeah.

John:

Do you want to tell us a little about why that is?

Alex:

The first thing is, personally, I've had probably 20 plus encounters with rattlesnakes. a lot of those are probably with the same snake multiple times. Because, uh, back when I worked with CIWA, a local organization in Medicine Hat, I'm sure we're going to talk about them later. we had a couple sites that had, uh, some, like, nesting locations. Uh, and so often we'd pull up and we'd have to check under cars before we got out by, like, tapping things on the side to make sure there weren't any snakes under there. So I, I, I've ran into them a lot and I've never been bit. So, you know, these aren't, these aren't creatures that are looking to go and get you. It is their absolute last ditch effort. A thing I always like to say about rattlesnakes, is that they're the most polite venomous snake in the world. Because they don't want to bite you at all. And they've even through evolution, got this amazing little warning system that lets them go, Hey, I'm here. Don't step on me. Right. So they're super nice. And it became such a regular occurrence for me. when I was working at CIWA that I would sometimes go, Oh, hey, thank you. And would like actually talk to them like that. Like they were giving me a friendly word.

John:

Well, if you have a relationship with Rattlesnake, far less chance that it'll attack you, right?

Alex:

Exactly, right? Yeah. Dude, you know, respect that. We respect you.

John:

so the rattle is not, I am attacking you. The rattle is, don't come much closer because I'm not very comfortable. Is that right?

Alex:

Yeah. The Western Prairie or Plains Rattlesnake, depending on how you say it, they would have evolved alongside with, bison and huge herds of bison and buffalo, all over the Great Plains. And I think the biggest hazard one of those has to a snake is getting stepped on. So I've always assumed that the main reason that. You know, they ended up evolving a, a rattle to warn us just so they get stepped on less frequently, because that's really dangerous for a snake,

John:

right. And Alex, it seems to me that, uh, when we talked about it this summer, you said something about rattlesnakes having very little venom, so they have to use it very judiciously. Is that correct?

Alex:

It takes a lot of time to, uh, produce, you know, their venom that's just stored in these little venom glands in the side of the head. It's why they have that kind of like curved out head. That's where That's stored along with their jaw muscles. So they've got a pretty big bulge there. they don't produce a ton and that actually leads to a lot of their defensive bites being, uh, entirely dry, without injecting any venom at all. So, you know, they know that I'm probably not going to be able to eat this giant six foot tall biped right here. Uh, so I might as well just, you know, give them a bite that'll hurt. But not waste any of my resources, because

John:

Oh, interesting. So they get to choose whether they inject venom or not Wow.

Alex:

entirely all of them. Uh, there's always been a warning that, uh, young venomous snakes are more likely to inject venom because they have less control. I don't know if that's, uh, highly researched, but that's always been like a wildlife safety thing. It's just like, uh, handling juvenile snakes is sometimes actually more dangerous when it comes to venom, uh, venomous ones.

John:

I have to run one more snake thing past you because when I was at Dinosaur Provincial Park a couple of summers ago, one of the interpreters there told me that no one in recorded Alberta history has been killed by a rattlesnake. I'm not sure if that's true. That's what they said anyways.

Alex:

I think that would be, uh, a really safe assumption.

John:

ultimately we don't need to be so scared of rattlesnakes. Be aware of them, but don't be scared of them.

Alex:

Yeah. Honestly, as long as you don't step on them. Uh, you're probably fine. If you see one, the best thing you can do is just not move and figure out where it is, and then just take a couple calm steps back, and you're, you're golden. You're great.

John:

Well, we're getting off on our favorite topic, apparently. So since we're not on climate action reptiles, let's move it along.

Alex:

Absolutely.

John:

that was very interesting. Thanks for sharing all that with us. you mentioned a wonderful organization called SEAWA, and I know a couple of people who are involved in that here in Medicine Hat, and it is fantastic what they do. I, would you like to tell us a little bit about that?

Alex:

yeah, SEAWA is the Southeastern Alberta Watershed Alliance, and that was actually my, uh, first, uh, summer position, after my first year at Medicine Act College in the, uh, Environmental Biology and Reclamation Technology program, which I since graduated from, and now I'm up here at University of Lethbridge, but yeah, SEAWA is super cool. Uh, I, when I was there, I was a, uh, Riparian Research Assistant, Um, a lot of my, uh, work revolved around, uh, checking up on, uh, our restoration sites, uh, I would do data collection, I did, uh, a lot of watering, actually, to, uh, keep up some of those locations, uh, I was also doing things like planting trees and all kinds of vegetative work, it was really, uh, Uh, really amazing experience and, uh, such special work. No one else is doing that in Southeastern Alberta

John:

that's great. When you think about SEAWA, what do you think their most important facet is in, in, in the way they fit into the environmental puzzle.

Alex:

Well, SEAWA, of course, is a watershed alliance. So, they're, the majority of their discussion is, uh, water resources.

John:

And why is that important?

Alex:

So, uh, the reason that's important is, uh, because water is our main resource for life. It's every, every creature's resource for life as well, And, um, the effects of climate change can really, uh, deplete water. Water resources. And as we go, forward in time here, uh, we're going to have to manage it smarter and smarter. And so, the thing I wanted to touch on was that, uh, the Watershed Alliance focuses on the watershed. So, while our main discussion is on, water resources, a lot of the work that goes into that is actually entirely unrelated from water. we're always trying to make sure that we have healthy riparian ecosystems. So a riparian ecosystem is, uh, the ecosystem that exists on the side of a channel of water. So if you had like a creek here, you'd have a repairing ecosystem here and here on the different banks on the side. And these can be like wide open, long, like huge floodplains, or they may just tiny little rows of like super dense trees and things like that. So we do a lot of work entirely unrelated to water to help our watershed be healthier, more biodiverse, more resilient to climate change, and can even have some positive effects that lead to, reduction of, uh, CO2. Like, uh, there's a lot of carbon, uh, sequestering that can happen. It just, the plants just suck it straight out of the air. It's amazing.

John:

Very cool. Now you did mention that you're at the University of Lethbridge now. Tell us what you're taking these days.

Alex:

Yeah, so, uh, I'm super fortunate to have the opportunity to, uh, transfer out of my diploma. So I graduated Medicine Hat College with a two year diploma in Environmental Biology and Reclamation Technology. but there's a transfer agreement where I just do two more years up here at the University of Lethbridge, and I get a full degree in environmental science. So I'm kind of getting this like two for one four year degree, and it's awesome. I'm having a really good time up here.

John:

And as you work through this degree and then move on, where do you see yourself in five years?

Alex:

oh man, that's, that's always such a loaded question, you know, A really intense thing to consider. I want to keep doing what I've started. Uh, I've, I've kind of been slowly specializing more and more into work relating to vegetation. I'd love to, at some point, pick up the, uh, the professional title of a botanist. that's been my driving goal, I think, maybe since I was about, uh, 16. So hopefully going doing that. I know there's a lot of work, uh, in this province doing things like, uh, rare plant surveys, which is something I'd love to do. But, you know, um, where we met at, uh, Police Point Park, I, I got to work with a lot of, uh, young people and community groups, and I did a lot of, uh, interpreting, which is kind of like teaching, and I discovered it's something I, I really like. I always had a hunch that I'd enjoy teaching. So, if at one point, I can end up being an educator in any aspect, you know, whether that's like a big university professor who has spent 30 years in a PhD, or if it's just, you know, Community workshops and things like that. I want to, I want to keep that in my life. I really like working with people in that way.

John:

You know, Alex, we've talked with a number of guests, even this season, who are actually studying at university, some sort of environmental program. And one question that I have not asked anybody that I'll ask you now is, at the end of some sort of environmental degree, are there a lot of jobs out there?

Alex:

I remember starting at Medicine Act College. That was the biggest thing that they're always talking about when it comes to recruitment, but it is actually true. This isn't a lie. It is one of the fastest growing sectors in The world, uh, and in Canada in particular, because we have a lot of land, as the arrogant worms once said, Canada is really big. yeah, we have a lot of land to manage. So, uh, you know, getting into the sciences that work with all that land is a really great opportunity, uh, in this day and age.

John:

Now, Alex, I'm going to put you on the spot with, an audience member question. I just got it today and I love the question. So I'm going to throw it your way. Twila says, I would love to hear from one of your guests if they ever feel particularly anxious about climate change and if they do what their favorite coping strategies are. So is that a fair question to throw at

Alex:

That's, I just want to say, Twila, that's an amazing question, I think everyone, if you run into any kind of environmental, professional, ask them that. That is, that is the thing, because, uh, we'll all kind of have like a different take on it, but we're, we all kind of fit in a similar space., in my studies, I'm, I'm always, uh, inundated with all kinds of, warnings, predictions, uh, scientific understandings, and they're always, uh, delivered very casually, and so it can kind of, it's, it's a mix of, you feel desensitized a little bit, but also very, hyperaware, you know, we're always talking about it. A lot of the conversations I have with my friends that I went to college with and, and work in this field that we're always considering that we're always seeing it. And you know, my, my biggest, coping mechanism is, uh, kind of using it. I'm using it as an energy in a way, because I'm already here in, you know, surrounded by this stuff. I'm also learning solutions. And so I kind of use it as inspiration in a way. It's like, okay, we know, The full extent of this. And we, we learn more and more every day about, uh, the full extent of this issue. And so I kind of channel that and, uh, put it into everything I do. obviously, you know, that doesn't quell anxiety all the time. Uh, so I also really lean on people around me. I think the worst thing you can do, with your anxiety about climate change is isolating yourself. Find the people you know who care, find the people you can talk to, and just discuss it all the time. Discuss all the little things. and you know, if you, if you're both inked, just like, Oh man, this sucks. What do we do? Uh, I found researching, solutions together. It's actually really nice. I remember my, current partner, uh, came to me one day. I was like, I'm just super anxious about this. And I was like, well, let's, let's get on the internet and let's dig up some stuff. And, uh, it made her feel a lot better. So I think doing that with, you know, loved ones, friends, anything is a great way to tackle it.

John:

Wonderful advice. I'm reminded of a guest we had last season. I think it was episode 19, Jacob came on and he's, he's the social media star now in the States and Canada all over, all around the world. I think he's got huge number of followers. I don't want to say how many, cause it changes regularly, he's in New York and he goes around with his phone and he shares positive environmental stories every day. That's all he

Alex:

Oh, is, I might've actually seen some of those. Yeah.

John:

There you go. So there's another idea for for anxiety. That's sort of along the same lines of

Alex:

And yeah. And so, yeah, that stuff that, uh, Jacob would be sharing is exactly the kind of things you want to try and try and find and focus on. Cause if you go like, okay, we know so much about the problem. Let's also focus on the solutions. Cause there's, I'd say more research into that happening now and more people working super hard towards it.

John:

well, we are running low on time. So Alex, we should make sure we ask what your climate action is. Have you got something chosen for us?

Alex:

I've already touched on a little bit, but I would say, uh, try and immerse yourself in it, uh, as much as you can. So that means, embracing the problem and embracing the solutions and trying to find, ways in your life. And in particular, only 20, but I've modeled my entire career, around climate change and climate change solutions and all this stuff associated with it. It's really amazing because, uh, you can get paid to do many different things that help towards, making a healthier environment for the future, uh, just making the planet a better and slightly cooler place,

John:

That's a great tagline. Making the planet a better and slightly cooler

Alex:

Exactly. Yeah. And so, you know, uh, you can get paid to do that. Um, but even, you know, if you're not like me and you're not, straight into this, you know, or if you're already in your career, there are ways to get into it. I actually remember, uh, a conversation I had with my dad very early on, uh, when I was figuring out what I wanted to do. Um, he's a software developer and I was like, yeah, but you know, there's not really anything associated with climate change in that. And he was like, Oh no, no, no, no. who do you think makes the websites about climate change solutions? Blew my mind. And now I think about that all the time. it affects all of us. You know, this is a whole world thing, but that means we are all involved. We all have a part we can play. So no matter what you're doing, if you're a business student, if you're, economics, if you're a nurse, if you're a doctor, if you're a firefighter, if you're a policeman, no matter what you're doing, there's something you can work into it. And if you want to, that is available for you and you can get paid to do it. That's the biggest thing. It doesn't all have to be volunteer.

John:

Very interesting thought. Thanks for sharing that. And, uh, one more question that we've sort of touched on already, I think, but, uh, what gives you hope these days?

Alex:

the biggest thing that gives me hope. is uh, how many people care, oh so much, and especially how many professionals there are out there that have been, you know, focusing on this stuff and continue to every single day, and sometimes in the face of some really serious adversity. And it just, it just, brings, it fills my whole soul, to think about All the people around the world that are pouring so much care, so much thought and so much love into making this work out, you know, all the people, all the people give me hope.

John:

That reminds me a few weeks back, uh, with the hurricane that, uh, battered the, uh, coast of Florida and Yucatan and other areas as well. There was a big social media sensation that was, a weatherman who was talking about the hurricane and he became very emotional and maybe that's part of it, right? Is that, is that part of what you're talking about?

Alex:

I, yeah, I'm very familiar with the clip you're talking about. I saw it myself in that moment watching it, I felt very connected to that person. there's all these professionals out there. working towards this and we really, really care. Watching that I was filled with hope, it, it, was frightening. By all means. It's a really serious hurricane, and the impacts of it were, were massive. and that shouldn't be glossed over. But at the same time, I, I saw how much he cared and that. There are people, there are so many people out there that care. Um, so if you feel alone on this issue, if you feel like these worries are all your own, just remember that there's so many people out there that care so much.

John:

And you're telling us the truth about only being 20 years old, because there's a lot of wisdom in your words, Alex.

Alex:

Thank you. I, um, I've always been told I'm a very old soul.

John:

Well, thank you very much for joining us on Climate Action Figures today,

Alex:

It's my absolute pleasure, John. Thank you.

John:

and thank you for joining us, dear listener. If you like what you've heard and you want to share some of that wisdom, please do share the podcast with a family member or maybe a friend. Heck, why not a complete stranger? Tune in again next Tuesday to hear from another Climate Action Figure, and until then

Alex:

Oh, uh, GoFigures. I only remembered because I wrote it down.