Tennessee Voices, Episode 362: Laurel Creech, state director of The Nature Conservancy
The relationship between nature and humanity grew for many residents during the COVID-19 shutdowns because it was a place where one could social distance and collect one's thoughts during a chaotic time.
Regardless of a pandemic, a healthy society is dependent on a healthy ecosystem where citizens can breathe clean air, drink safe water and manage resources responsibly.
Then, there are bigger issues related to addressing the consequences of climate change, which has affected parts of the U.S. differently with more intense wildfires, flooding, poor air quality and rising temperatures.
These are issues addressed by The Nature Conservancy, one of the oldest environmental organizations in the U.S. with a Nashville-based Tennessee chapter that has been around for 45 years. The group is dedicated to creating, expanding and preserving parklands, forests and wildlife refuges.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Laurel Creech, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee, spoke about her organization's work and the urgency to address the impacts of climate change and biodiversity.
We discussed the connection between humans and nature, the challenges of dealing with trash including food waste, and the need for healthy investments in the environment.
A fellow Tennessean, former Sen. Bill Frist, is the global board chair of The Nature Conservancy, and Creech and I talked about his involvement. Frist previously appeared on this podcast on April 16, 2020, when the COVID emergency had many people sheltering at home.
When Creech is not working at the Conservancy, she is a weekend disc jockey for WMOT 89.5 FM Roots Radio owned by Middle Tennessee State University.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at [email protected] or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Video podcast: Laurel Creech, The Nature Conservancy state director
