In this episode of The Sustainable Angler, I sit down with National Geographic photographer, and TED speaker, and Executive Director of Naturaland Trust, Mac Stone to talk about the power of imagery in protecting wild places. Mac and I go back to 2008, when we first met working at the A Bar A Ranch in Wyoming, and we trace his journey from field biologist in the Everglades and Francis Beidler National to globally recognized storyteller.

We dive into:

• How photography shaped public opinion of the Everglades through his book Everglades: America’s Wetland
• Surprising discoveries while working with National Geographic—from unmarked Revolutionary War graves to the ancient secrets of cypress “ghost forests”
• The mystery of the ghost orchid’s pollinator and the film Chasing Ghosts
• Why protecting ecosystems like the Everglades and Francis Beidler Forest is essential to biodiversity, freshwater health, and our collective history

You’ll also hear how grassroots conservation efforts helped stop a major threat to the largest intact old-growth cypress and tupelo forest on earth. Mac’s stories reveal not only the fragility of these ecosystems, but also the hope and lessons they hold for restoration and protection around the world.

This episode is brought to you by: Emerger Strategies and A New Earth Project -- The Sustainability Initiative of Atlantic Packaging.

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Subscribe to The Sustainable Angler wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review to help us grow the conversation around sustainable business in the fishing and outdoor industries.

For more resources, or to learn how Emerger Strategies can help your brand turn sustainability into a competitive advantage by making it simple, strategic, and profitable, visit www.emergerstrategies.com.

Follow us on Instagram @emergerstrategies and @thesustainableangler and stay tuned for more insights from leaders at the intersection of conservation, business, and the outdoors.

In this episode of The Sustainable Angler, host Rick Crawford welcomes Susan Johnson, founder of Nature at Work, a statewide initiative in South Carolina dedicated to connecting healthier people with healthier places through nature. Rick and Susan explore the healing power of the outdoors—from kayaking the Lowcountry’s salt marshes to research showing how hospital patient outcomes improve when they have views of nature.

Together, they discuss how spending just minutes outside can lower stress, improve heart health, boost focus, and even make us happier and more creative at work. Susan shares how Nature at Work is helping businesses and organizations bring nature into everyday work life through biophilic design, outdoor wellness strategies, and conservation volunteering. This episode highlights why time in nature not only makes us healthier, happier, and smarter—but also inspires us to become better stewards of the environment.

🎣 Like what you heard?

Subscribe to The Sustainable Angler wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review to help us grow the conversation around sustainable business in the fishing and outdoor industries.

For more resources, or to learn how Emerger Strategies can help your brand turn sustainability into a competitive advantage by making it simple, strategic, and profitable, visit www.emergerstrategies.com.

Follow us on Instagram @emergerstrategies and @thesustainableangler and stay tuned for more insights from leaders at the intersection of conservation, business, and the outdoors.

In this episode of The Sustainable Angler, I sit down with Dylan Coates and Stephen Vaughan from Hobie Eyewear to talk about one of the most innovative sustainability stories in the fishing industry.

Hobie Eyewear is transforming waste into value by upcycling leftover plastic from Hobie kayak manufacturing into their best-selling Hobie Hull sunglasses. The process is simple but brilliant: grind down kayak manufacturing scraps into pellets, then mold them into durable, floatable sunglass frames. The result? A product anglers love that also keeps plastic out of landfills.

Beyond innovation, Hobie Eyewear is proving that sustainability and business success go hand-in-hand. Their Hull sunglasses are the #1 seller on their site, showing that anglers are demanding more sustainable products. Plus, Hobie gives back by donating a portion of proceeds to the Fish America Foundation and organizing lake cleanups. Even the packaging is designed with more sustainable paper-based materials.

If you’re curious about how brands can turn "squandered corporate assets" into sustainable innovations that resonate with customers, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

🎣 Like what you heard?

Subscribe to The Sustainable Angler wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review to help us grow the conversation around sustainable business in the fishing and outdoor industries.

For more resources, or to learn how Emerger Strategies can help your brand turn sustainability into a competitive advantage by making it simple, strategic, and profitable, visit www.emergerstrategies.com.

Follow us on Instagram @emergerstrategies and @thesustainableangler and stay tuned for more insights from leaders at the intersection of conservation, business, and the outdoors.