Dear Friends,

Across the world, the air itself carries our shared stories. The scent of blooming jasmine, or resin rising from ancient frankincense trees, is cultural memory in motion, an archive written in molecules and breath. This October, at MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona, the World Sensorium Conservancy brought this living archive into the global conversation on cultural policy, making visible what is so often sensed but unseen: that aromatic plants as vessels of identity, belonging, and ecological resilience. As the climate changes, so too do these scent landscapes, and with them, our intangible heritage. Our message was clear: safeguarding biodiversity is inseparable from safeguarding cultural memory. Aromatic plants must be recognized and protected as both natural and cultural heritage—bridges between past and future, people and place. At MONDIACULT, Cultural leaders and Indigenous representatives, from around the world, echoed this truth:

“The Mulanje Cedar, a living symbol of Malawian heritage, carries a fragrance that evokes belonging. Its survival is now threatened, and with it, a piece of our cultural memory.”
— Anganile Nthakomwa, Malawi Ministry of Culture

“In the Philippines, the scent of Sampaguita is a sign of ancestral presence, a tender reminder that the past breathes with us.”
— Victorino “Ino” Mapa Manalo, Philippines NCCA

“The aromas of pitanga fruit, umbu, and sargassum seaweed are woven into my soul. Scents are intangible heritage, profoundly tied to place.”
— Margareth Menezes, Brazil Minister of Culture

By walking with the World Sensorium Conservancy, you join a global movement to keep these fragrant threads of culture, memory, and biodiversity alive. Every gesture of support—through advocacy, conservation, research, or storytelling—helps shape a more just and livable climate future.

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In this issue of Plantings—

At the World Sensorium Conservancy, we often speak of time as layered—how ecological, cultural, and sensory histories are embedded in the present and shape our shared future. Few scientists work with these temporal layers as directly as Dr. Gavin A. Schmidt, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Schmidt’s research spans deep time and future projections, weaving together paleoclimate records, satellite data, and Earth System Models to understand how natural variability and human activity shape the planet’s trajectory.

In our conversation for Plantings, Schmidt explains how the climate system, though noisy and chaotic, carries clear signals in its patterns, signals that guide us in predicting future climate scenarios. He emphasizes that while uncertainty is intrinsic, the most decisive factor in our future climate remains human choice: how much we emit, what we protect, and how we adapt. From ancient ice cores and coral skeletons to sophisticated models, the lessons are consistent: ecosystems can be resilient, but only within limits. Schmidt also calls for more accessible science communication, so communities can act with clarity and agency in their own environments. “The future is not fixed,” he reminds us. “It’s shaped by the choices we make in this layered present.” Don’t miss “Time, Layers, and Climate Futures: A Conversation with Dr. Gavin A. Schmidt” by Gayil Nalls

Nature has always been one of our most powerful healers. In “Nature’s Prescription for Our Future”, Dona Bertarelli reminds us that human health and the health of the planet are inseparable. From life-saving medicines born of wild plants to the profound mental and physical benefits of time outdoors, our well-being is rooted in the living systems that sustain us. As biodiversity declines, so too does our resilience—but when we protect nature, we also protect ourselves. This is a call to see conservation as essential care for our collective future.

In “From Billion-Dollar Flows to Gooseberry Jam: Fraser Howie’s Voltairean Turn”, John Steele tells the story of a man who swapped boardrooms for berry bushes. After decades navigating Asian financial markets, Fraser Howie returned to rural Scotland during the pandemic, discovering the quiet abundance of his garden in the Highlands. In the microclimate of the Cromarty Firth, he now tends pears, berries, and soil with the same patient systems thinking he once applied to global finance. This is not a retreat but a reorientation—a modern echo of Voltaire’s call to “cultivate our garden,” one season and one harvest at a time.

On Monte Viso’s slopes, lavender heather and ancient stone meet in a quiet, powerful duet between life and deep time. In “Scale Sensing: The Dance Between Geologic and Biological Time” by Willow Gatewood, the alpine landscape is both sculptor and archive—a place where the delicate mosses and wildflowers of a single season live atop rock forged by unimaginable pressure and fire. Here, larch forests whisper centuries of climate memory, their roots braided with fungal threads that have stored carbon longer than human history remembers. Time slows to the pace of stone. It flows like wind through conifers, shifts like glaciers, and pulses like sap beneath bark. In the face of these vast scales—glacial ages, forest cycles, fleeting human breaths—we are reminded that the living and the geologic are not separate but entwined. To walk these mountains is to feel both our impermanence and our belonging.

In her poignant reflection, “Kneeling Down to Look Again – a Way Back to Earth”

Margherita Gandolfi explores how the One Health perspective offers a way to understand and alleviate eco-anxiety by repairing our fractured relationship with the living world. Beginning with childhood memories of kneeling on a stone path to watch ants, she traces how modern disconnection from nature intensifies feelings of grief, fear, and helplessness in the face of ecological change. One Health dissolves the false line between personal well-being and planetary well-being, reminding us that tending a forest or listening to bees is also tending ourselves. Sometimes, the way back begins with something as simple as slowing down—and looking again.

Manchán Magan carried the language of Ireland in his bones. A luminous voice for the land and its stories, he had a rare gift for weaving memory and landscape into lyrical narratives that made people listen more deeply to place. We were profoundly honored to have him narrate part of Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage, and to share the stage with him at its premiere at the Irish Film Institute. His passing on October 2, 2025, is a great loss to Ireland’s cultural soul. In this conversation from January, he reflects on the bogs of his childhood, on their springy earth, their mythic darkness, and their unforgettable scent, “the fragrance of long-lost forests, ancient lake beds, and swallowed woodlands.” Read Gayil Nalls’ interview: “Manchán Magan’s Memories of the Bog”, Author of Listen to the Land Speak

Autumn is the season when mushrooms truly shine. Earthy and fragrant, they carry the scent of rain-soaked soil and fallen leaves. When cooked, their deep, savory aroma fills the kitchen with warmth and comfort. This portobello dish by Italian Chef Gemma Monici is a simple, nourishing way to bring the forest’s autumnal flavor straight to the table.

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As we move through this season of change, let us remember that protecting aromatic heritage is a tangible gesture of care for the planet, for culture, and for the future we build together. Every voice raised, every seed saved, every story shared keeps this sensory legacy alive. Thank you for walking with us as we weave these fragrant threads into a stronger, more connected world.

With gratitude and resolve,

Gayil Nalls and The World Sensorium Conservancy Team

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Subject line: The world still has wild beauty but also imagined landscapes.

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and WS/C,

Don’t underestimate the power of the imagination. Whatever we want to bring to life must first be imagined. We can apply this to creating our future. Recognizing our failures is teaching us how we must proceed, maximizing our chances for success. As Henry David Thoreau said, If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” There are better ways of living. It’s time to visualize, redesign, and take control of our future. It lives in us now.

In this issue of Plantings–

“If cognition is embodied, extended, embedded, enactive, and ecological, then what we call the mind is not in the brain.” What? Our brain is not the root of cognition? People like Professor Paco Calvo believe that plants are key to understanding how the human mind works. You won’t want to miss Amanda Gefter’s, What Plants Are Saying About Us.

In this installment of Viriditas: Musings on Magical Plants, Margaux Crump tells us about the stellar properties of Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), a drought and pest-resistant succulent that can really take the heat that climate change is dishing out. Purslane has been grown for over 4,000 years as a highly nutritious vegetable and important medical plant, but of late has become known primarily as a common weed. You’ll want to move this plant from the crack in the sidewalk to your garden. Harvest before flowering to enjoy its many benefits including its uses in salads, soups, and sauces.

From Jake Eshelman, our contributing editor of Ecological Thinking, are the words and photographs of Probiscis, Pollen, and the Rapture of Interspecies Intimacy, about the mechanisms and mutualisms of plant-pollinator relationships. It’s a reminder that pollination and ecological networks are all about survival. To that end, he offers resources and planting guides to make the most ecologically positive impact in support of all life.

As the effects of climate change reach every region of the planet and the world works to reduce carbon emissions, some of our worst affected areas are our cities. These urban metropolises are looking for new strategies to adapt to the rapidly changing climate. Many of these projects consist of nature-based solutions that work to improve the quality of life by cooling cities naturally. Greening the urban environment is not only effective in building resilience to more extreme weather conditions but also allows for the development of new ecosystems that could potentially improve cities in the long term, delivering health, environmental, and economic benefits. One of the cities leading the way is Milan. There is nothing like solving climate problems with brilliant Italian design. Read The Greening of Milan: Porta Nuova and Vertical Forest by Gayil Nalls.

As a crisp breeze embraces you be inspired to treat your family and friends to something delectable and unforgettable.For this month’s Eat More Plants we offer this easy and delicious recipe–the savory and sweet flavor of Fennel, Tomato, and Red Pepper Pasta Sauce from Le Botaniste, a 100% plant-based, certified organic, and Co2 Neutral Restaurant. Their motto is, “Let food be the medicine.” Le Bontaniste says, “For us, it’s more than just serving bowls — it’s about consciousness, wellness, and respect. It’s about changing our food habits for our bodies, our souls, and the planet. Our dishes nourish the body without starving the planet.

The October Nature Sketching Lesson is the last of the series. We hope the journey has inspired your flow of line, left an impression, and put you on the path to penetrating observations of nature. This month’s lesson is about capturing the larger pictorial vision of the landscape. We thank Liz Macklin for her beautiful artwork and hope you enjoy it. For your benefit, there will be a link to the complete eight-part series on the website.

In the podcast Overshooting Earth’s Boundaries: An Interview with Bill Rees, journalist Rachel Donald interviews the systems bio-ecologist and ecological economist. William Rees is also the originator of ecological footprint analysis, a tool that quantifies human demands on ecosystems and the extent of the ‘ecological overshoot.’ In this interview, Rees gives his views on the longevity of civilization.

At the UN Climate Summit on September 20, 2023, world leaders discussed how their countries will cut carbon emissions. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres told global leaders that, “We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs, and affordable clean power for all.” However, we all must do our part. Work with your family to see how you too can achieve net zero emissions. Remember that small life changes can have a big impact on cutting carbon. Commit as a family or support group, to one or two changes, then move to the next ones. Turn off the lights when out of the room. Take shorter showers. Bike or walk more often. Turn off computers and appliances when not in use. Move away from fossil fuel use as fast as possible. Consume less. Help each other live well and live sustainably.