Speaker

Briony Penn

Naturalist & Author | Do Radio Guest, It's Not About Trees with John Lunn

Catch Briony on Do Radio: It's Not About Trees with John Lunn, 29-5th October 2025

Briony Penn is an award-winning writer of creative non-fiction books as well as a contributor to many anthologies and chapter books. She has been a feature writer and columnist for decades with over five hundred articles on environmental issues and natural history in newspapers, magazines, government publications, on-line news sources and peer-reviewed journals. She’s written environmental guides and educational handbooks for teachers in British Columbia.

Show notes

In this episode of It’s Not About Trees, John Lunn talks to Canadian writer, broadcaster, and ecological activist Briony Penn. From her beginnings as a geography scholar to her unforgettable Lady Godiva ride through Vancouver, Briony has always sought creative ways to make people see the world differently.

She shares how storytelling, humour, and myth became her tools for activism, helping her move beyond academia to reach audiences in more human and memorable ways. Briony reflects on her work with Indigenous elders, capturing knowledge that holds both ecological wisdom and cultural continuity, and speaks candidly about the challenges of countering extractive economic systems with principles of reciprocity and deep ecology.

Through it all, she carries a belief in joy as a form of resistance, insisting that activism can be playful, creative, and full of hope — without losing its urgency.

Highlights include:

The Lady Godiva ride through Vancouver and how spectacle can ignite debate.
Leaving academia to embrace storytelling and activism as her medium.
Documenting Indigenous elders’ voices to safeguard ecological knowledge.
Using myth, humour, and creativity to shift mindsets and open dialogue.
Critiquing extractive models and exploring reciprocity as an alternative.
Finding inspiration in the next generation of activists and storytellers.

Book, Song, Quote

Book: Not Wanted on the Voyage — Timothy Findley; Saltwater People — Dave Elliott Sr
Song: Comeback — Luke Wallace; All Things Bright and Beautiful (hymn)
Quote: He doesn’t find contentment who seeks the wealth of kings; for the greatest happiness of all is found in little thing.

Talks

25:38

Barefoot Mapper

Briony Penn•Environment

Have you ever considered the place you call home, who lived there before you, and how it has changed over time? Briony explains why we should celebrate all that is special about the places where we live and gather.

DO USA

2013

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