Do London Differently by London National Park City – Details, episodes & analysis

Rejoice:

To rejoice is to celebrate, to feel joyful, delighted, happy, or glad. 

Where do we find joy today? In an age of eco-anxiety, with a mental health pandemic piled on top of a viral one, how can we bring joy into our lives?

Many are deeply concerned about the future - ecological collapse, and future pandemics, to name just a couple. Meanwhile, short-term dopamine hits like online shopping and scrolling through TikTok might placate our urges, but can they truly make us feel longer-term joy? How can we build joyful foundations that form the building blocks of a happier life?

As many of us found during lockdowns, often joy can come from noticing and being mindful of the rhythms and details of the living world around us. Being overwhelmed by a meadow in bloom, by the flash of a Kingfisher, or the smell of trees and grass. 

Does the rest of nature rejoice also? Who hasn’t stepped out on a spring morning and felt like the earth itself was happy? 

Science speaks of the benefits of 'natural prescribing’, but might it benefit more than our own well-being? And if so, how can we ensure more of this rejoicing, for ourselves and others, human or otherwise?

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Host: Emily Langstone 

Emily loves exploring London’s nature and is passionate about wildlife and bird photography. Emily has volunteered for lots of local organisations and loves to discover, learn from, and share knowledge from wildlife organisations. 

Chantal Woodun

Chantal is a Londoner who loves hiking and has recently discovered the joys of walking in her own city. Always having had an interest in animals and the natural world, she graduated in Zoology & Psychology. She strongly believes that a connection with nature is critical for mutual health and wellbeing and will result in a natural respect of the environment. She understands how important it is to draw people’s attention to green spaces particularly in cities and has a Shinrin Yoku (Forest bathing) guiding certificate. She is currently working on the Wanderful London project which aims to uncover the amazing wildlife, green spaces and events and knowledge across London by creating a green platform accessible to Londoners. In her spare time, she enjoys creating habitats for wildlife in her garden.

Dipa Patel

Dipa is involved in Transition Town Tooting and volunteers at her local community garden. Dipa has worked with refugees and asylum seekers and set up Taste of Tooting, which offered visitors a taste of Tooting’s rich cultural heritage through tours of local food-growing spaces and independent food businesses. Dipa will be working with Ranger Ingrina Shieh to connect with underrepresented individuals and groups in the boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth, and Southwark who are actively growing their cultural food from seed.

Ingrina Shieh

Ingrina has a passion for urban social design and is keen to address how she can involve ethnic minority communities in London’s urban agriculture scene. She also has a personal interest in active travel, sustainability, and making the city a people-friendly environment. She loves being active outdoors, whether it's running from park to park, walking, or hiking. 

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 Rebirth can mean different things to different people. For some it speaks of seasonal cycles, of vegetation renewed, and natural processes. Yet for others, and historically, it also holds more metaphysical connotations, of resurrection, or reincarnation. A renewal and a renaissance, a rebirth can seem to offer a second chance, the opportunity to reset the clock, and begin again from the beginning. Yet will this time be any different? And would we want it to be? To what extent does rebirth mean a break with the past, and to what extent does it imply a recycling of it, an ultimate continuity, an eternal return? And to be reborn, does something first have to die? Can we bridge these gaps between a physical, and a more spiritual, or cultural renewal? What are the dangers of wanting to wipe the slate clean? And what is the potential.

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 Siv Watkins is an academically trained microbiologist, independent scholar, and ritualist. She is the founder of Microanimism, a platform for examining and developing relationships between humans and the microbial world, and she specializes in helping folks sit at the murky intersection of science and esotericism. Since 2003, Siv has held scientific positions in industry, commercial, and academic research and faculty settings. Her doctoral studies examined communities of bacteria in satellite wastewater treatment systems, and she has also performed scientific research in the areas of conservation microbiology, freshwater pollution and bioremediation, environmental virus population analysis, and the use of microbiomes and microbial communities in sustaining responsible stewardship of the extended natural environment. Originally from the UK, she currently lives near Albuquerque, New Mexico (homeland of the Pueblo peoples) where she makes home with two cats, one horse, and one human man. 

Carlos Zepeda began his academic career in economics and international development focusing on solidarity economics and the politics of alternative development in Latin America. Inspired by his experience studying and working first with the Jesuits, and later, as political advocacy campaigner for international development NGOs and civil society organisations in El Salvador and Central America, Carlos explored how power shapes the root causes of social and environmental degradation. His work has investigated how poor people, especially women, suffer social exclusion from the human right to water.

As Assistant Director in Policy and Practice, Carlos works as a catalyst to network and translate the Institute’s cutting-edge research on integral ecology into action. He mediates between the Institute’s academic research on integral ecology, on the one hand, and national and global policy actors, global civil society actors, faith communities, and the public at large, on the other. 

Carlos lives in Petersfield, at the heart of the South Downs National Park in Hampshire, England with his wife and two children. He loves walking and cycling in the countryside, creative art and literature, listening to West African kora music, and dancing Latin American rhythms (a wide range!).

Alastair Mant is Director of Business Transformation at the UK Green Building Council.

Alastair leads the scoping and delivery of co-created projects that provide the built environment industry with tools and guidance to radically improve its environmental and social impact. Current project topics include net zero carbon, climate resilience, circular economy, biodiversity, and innovation.  He is a Member of the RICS and a Practitioner of IEMA.

Away from work, Alastair's favourite hobbies are Japanese culture and rugby, and he has very fond memories of the 2019 rugby world cup in Japan. He previously spent three ye

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Reboot means switching off a machine or device to update it, or get it working again if it's malfunctioning. With this episode of Regrowth we want to think about Rebooting society, focusing in particular on businesses, big tech companies, leaders, governments, and civic organisations.

As we come out of lockdown, we have a huge opportunity to Reboot our approach to sustainability and be on a more actively eco-conscious path that goes beyond individual actions. What does Reboot mean to us in this sense? What role do the organisations that form our society play? And just how urgent is it that we use this opportunity to address the climate crisis?

Speakers

Ben Smith is an environmental consultant working predominantly with local and city government administrations. He has led work focussed on energy efficiency, low carbon and renewable energy feasibility, climate change adaptation, urban resilience, smart technology and environmental / sustainable development strategy. Ben is the partnership director for Arup’s long-standing partnership with C40 Cities, and was a global judge for the 2019 Climathon, and for WWF’s One Planet Cities Challenge. He is a volunteer Founding Trustee of the National Park City Foundation.

Immy Kaur is focused on convening and building community, the role of citizens in radical systemic change, and how we together create more democratic, distributed, open source social and civic infrastructure. Immy is Co-Founder and Director of CIVIC SQUARE, a public square, neighbourhood lab, and creative + participatory platform focused on regenerative civic and social infrastructure within neighbourhoods. She is also part of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab Advisory Team, and was a founding director of Impact Hub Birmingham.

Mac Macartney is an international speaker, writer and change-maker. He contributes to diverse organisations and communities, including universities, schools, social enterprises and grassroots initiatives. He is the founder of Embercombe, a centre in Devon (UK) which seeks to explore and promote the profound regeneration of land, society, and people. Mac led a leadership development business in the UK, working with organisations such as Unilever supporting their Sustainable Living Plan, Vodafone, HSBC, and many others. Mac has also worked with Danone and sat on the sustainability advisory panels for Lafarge, Lend Lease, and Procter & Gamble.

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The concept of Rewilding is restoring a piece of land to its natural, uncultivated state - often by allowing native species to regrow there, namely flora and fauna. This podcast will explore the topic of physical Rewilding; but also the concept of Rewilding our minds. Has working from home allowed us to reconnect with our local spaces? Can we rewild our relationship with our local communities to be stronger and more caring? How can we better use the spaces we have available to us in our local areas?

Speakers 

Alice Vincent is a journalist, gardener and author. The founder of urban gardening Instagram account Noughticulture, she has always championed accessible organic gardening for beginners. In 2020 she released her nature memoir, Rootbound, Rewilding A Life. She is a gardening columnist for The Telegraph, and is working on her third book, Why Women Grow.

 
Giles Hutchins is a pioneering Regenerative Leadership practitioner and senior adviser at the fore-front of the [r]evolution in organizational and leadership consciousness and developmental approaches that enhance personal, organizational and systemic agility and vitality. He runs a 60 acre leadership centre at Springwood Farm, an area of outstanding natural beauty near London, UK.

Ian Solomon-Kawall leads positive social change and raises awareness for a multitude of social issues through Hip Hop and a non-exhaustive passion for the environment and conservation. Ian founded the community-led food growing space May Project Gardens which he designed using permaculture principles. Here he mentors young people, nurturing ideas through music and a connection to the environment, through the award winning programme,Hip Hop Gardens

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As the UK slowly starts to open up again, we want to Reimagine a new world that could emerge as we come out of lockdown and return to some form of normality. Thinking back on the past 12 months - what have been some of the biggest shifts in behaviours and perceptions across all levels of society - individuals, communities, and companies? Has the pandemic fast-tracked the need to Reimagine our societal structures, tackle inequality, and added urgency to the climate crisis? Is some of that already happening?

Speakers

Bruce Parry is an English documentary maker who in the past worked with the BBC for a number of documentaries exploring indigenous communities, climate change, and globalisation. He is an indigenous rights advocate, author, explorer, trek leader and former Royal Marines commando officer. Bruce works on feature films, including Tawai - a Voice from the Forest,

 Charmian Love is Co-Founder and Activist in Residence at B-Lab UK and Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Skoll Centre at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She is a member of the ‘Regenerative Capitalism’ working group at the Institute of Directors (IoD), teaches an MBA elective on The Regenerative Economy and is the co-programme director of the Oxford Climate Emergency Programme

 Indy Johar is a founding Director of 00 and Dark Matter Labs. An architect by training, Indy is a Senior Innovation Associate with the Young Foundation and a visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield. He co-founded Impact Hub Birmingham and Open Systems Lab, was a member of the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission. He is a thought leader in system change, the future of urban infrastructure finance, outcome-based investment, and the future of governance.

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This is a new season of the London National Park City Podcast - we’re calling it Do London Differently.

We begin with some updates on what has been happening this year and look ahead to the London Walking Festival which runs for the whole month of May.

Join the Walk London Challenge for free on Go Jauntly.

Get Your Own Copy Of The 2025 Paper

12 ways to connect people & nature in London is the second print publication from London National Park City

Elly Platt's Ranger Story

Check out our Instagram page for Wassai, Earth Day and Repair Week fun! 

Explore the Green Link Walk with Footways maps

Join our free online community for everyone who wants to make London greener, healthier and wilder.

Members can effortlessly navigate and discover all that we have to offer; explore our engaging activity feed, search our unique Maker profiles and groups, stay updated with events and activities, and uncover hidden gems in our Discovery section.

Other mentions - 

Pedestrianists 

Annabel Abbs 

Walking Post 

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See full details of the London Walking Festival walks and events.

In Episode 2 covering the festival Walking Class Hero Des Garrahan talks to attendees at the New perspectives on walking and wheeling in the city Conference hosted by The University of Westminster.

Emily speaks to attendees on our Ranger led walk along the Capital Ring section 6 from Wimbledon to Richmond.

Presented and produced by Michael Shilling

Interviews by Des Garrahan & Emily Langston.

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London National Park City Ranger Divya Hariramani Herrero is an urban fruit tree forager and Renewable Energy Consultant.

Her project Fruity Walks invites you to reconnect with nature's resilience in unexpected urban corners and reimagine London's future—one olive tree at a time.

The initial concept behind Fruity Walks was the novelty of finding these more unexpected species within the city centre, a page on Instagram to inspire people to pay more attention to their surroundings while going from point A to B during their day-to-day. That has now evolved slightly into more of an emphasis on understanding the stories behind these trees, how they arrived here and the people that planted them.

After delivering a London Walking Festival Fruity Walk exploring Marylebone's many olive tree Divya joined our podcast host Emily for a chat about the project and her exciting plans for the future.

Join us at londonnaturefilms.org

Hosted by Ranger Emily Langston. Produced by Michael Shilling.

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This week we take a look back at some of the events from the London Walking Festival.

Emily joins The Green Londoner Gautier Houel and Stephen Lavery from Friends of Bishop’s park for a mindful journey along the Thames through the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond.

The walk highlighted two legendary trees that have outlived monarchs, survived centuries of storms, and continue to stand tall, offering vital ecological benefits with quiet strength:

🌳 Barnie — believed to be the largest tree in Greater London 🌳 A Holm Oak — nestled in Fulham Palace Gardens and thought to be one of the city’s oldest living trees

Michael speaks to Clara Lee, volunteer with both ESEA Outdoors and Every Body Outdoors about her walks.

We also included a preview for forthcoming interviews with Annabel Abbs, Julie Ford and Dan Raven Ellison.  

The episode rounds off with some teasers of Michael's films which will be shown at London Nature Films on the 14th and 15th June.

Hosted by Ranger Emily Langston. Co-hosted and produced by Michael Shilling.

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