The Young IKE

Carrie Jennings has spent her career piecing together how our landscapes came to be—and what’s happening to them now. A geologist by training and now Research and Policy Director at Freshwater, she’s spent decades mapping Minnesota’s glacial past, teaching at the University of Minnesota, and turning science into action to protect our rivers and groundwater. In this episode, Carrie takes us deep into the story of the Minnesota River Basin. We start with the glaciers that carved it out thousands of

Kathy Zeman has seen agriculture from every angle: growing up on a dairy farm, working in animal genetics and feed, and now running Simple Harvest Farm, her 20-acre certified organic, direct-to-consumer farm in Minnesota. Today, she also leads the Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association, representing more than 10,000 local food vendors across the state.In this episode, Kathy helps us unravel the tangled web of industrial farming, policy, and local food. We talk about how agricultural policy—from crop

Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman from Bluffton, Georgia, and the force behind White Oak Pastures—a farm his family has run since 1866. For decades, Will managed it under the conventional industrial model. But in the mid-90s, he made a radical pivot, transforming White Oak into one of the nation’s most respected regenerative farms. His work is about far more than food—it’s about healing land, water, and rural communities through farming that works with nature instead of against it.In this

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is one of the most pristine natural landscapes in the United States—but its future is at risk. Becky Rom, national chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, joins The Young IKE to discuss the fight against mining near the Boundary Waters, the legal and political battles over Minnesota’s mineral resources, and why conservation is more urgent now than ever.Rom shares insights on how conservation efforts have evolved, the push-and-pull between

As demand for lithium, cobalt, and other rare earth minerals skyrockets, the question isn’t if we mine—it’s how. Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), joins The Young IKE to explore the challenges of responsible mining, the global supply chain, and why communities must be involved in decision-making.We discuss the feasibility of ethical mining, how standards like IRMA’s certification system can create accountability, and whether true

In order to transition to green energy, we need to build infrastructure—but to build that infrastructure, we must mine for critical minerals. Journalist and author Ernest Scheyder, a senior correspondent for Reuters, joins The Young IKE to discuss his National Book Award-longlisted book, The War Below, and the hidden costs of the modern mining boom.We explore the economic, political, and environmental trade-offs behind mining, why rare earths are the oil of the 21st century, and how we can

The push for green energy requires a massive increase in rare earth minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel—but sourcing these materials comes with environmental and ethical challenges. Dr. Roopali Phadke, a political scientist and climate policy expert at Macalester College, joins The Young IKE to discuss the ‘green metals dilemma’—a framework for balancing resource needs, energy justice, and sustainability.We explore whether responsible mining is possible, the role of policy and public

🎤 TYI Live Event in March 2025! The Young IKE is bringing these conversations into the real world with live quarterly community dialogues. Stay tuned… Follow us on Instagram: @theyoungikeVisit our website: www.theyoungike.orgThank You to the Minnesota Valley Chapter of IWLA. Learn more at: iwlamnvalley.org