E14 The City (and Humans) as Nature

Beth Sanders and Dustin Bajer celebrate Earth Week with a conversation about how the city habitats we create for ourselves make ecological contributions to our planet, Earth. What happens when we think of cities as a part of nature or even a product of nature? What happens when we think about urban agriculture and food forests, and urban tree nurseries in the city?

Dustin Bajer works to improve his city by examining the patterns of ecology found in urban environments. Dustin is an educator, master gardener, beekeeper, and tree farmer and is passionate about nature in the city. For the past year, Dustin has been mapping heritage trees with support from the Edmonton Heritage Council. He is presently creating a tree subscription service.

You can find Dustin on Twitter at @dustinbajer. And if you’re keen to learn more about Dustin’s work or to learn with him, visit dustinbajer.com.

NOTE: The book mentioned by Dustin, Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution, is written by Menno Schilthuizen.

Reflection

• Where is your curiosity about the city taking you in your work? (And remember, work is a contribution you make, whether paid or unpaid.)

• What seed of an idea is growing in you right now? OR, what established ideas have just been nourished?