I'm working on a print feature delving into land back initiatives (such as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes re-assuming stewardship of the formerly federally managed US Bison Range on the Flathead Reservation in Montana in 2022) and other forms of Indigenous management and leadership as potential climate action solutions. I would love to speak with Indigenous activists and academics, as well as environmental and/or history professors who can speak to tribal grant programs, states and regions that are centering Indigenous leadership in land management, and otherwise drawing on Indigenous knowledge and traditions to help reconnect and repair our relationship with the Earth.

Hi, I'm Ladina Schopf, Co-Founder of Building Green Show. I check out how architecture and urban design can help with environmental and social change. I've been working in Europe and Brazil, and now I'm talking to sustainability leaders from everywhere. I've learned that real change starts when we listen to the people who have taken care of the land for way longer than our current systems have been around. I've seen sustainable design and planning change as people notice Indigenous leadership as a way to deal with climate change. Indigenous land management is like circular thinking, which helps both ecosystems and communities. For example, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes take care of the U.S. Bison Range. This shows that fixing the environment and bringing back culture go together. This idea also works in architecture. Design should fit in with its location. When I talk to architects who are inspired by Indigenous ideas, they all agree on one thing: reciprocity. It's not just about having less of an impact; it's about creating systems that give back more than they use. As we change how we think about cities and landscapes because of climate change, I think sustainability will come from working with Indigenous communities. We can let their governance and knowledge guide a new way of designing that focuses on respect, restoration, and responsibility. Best regards, Ladina Schopf, Co-Founder of Building Green Show https://buildinggreenshow.com/ Headshot: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S7ZmGja8xsqfMo5mAHDZa37dGiEPYcwa/view?usp=drive_link I'm Ladina Schopf, host of the Building Green Show, where I interview leading voices in sustainable architecture, urbanism, and design. After earning my MSc in Architecture from ETH Zurich and working on projects across Europe and Brazil, I saw how sustainability was too often an afterthought. That's why I started Building Green to spotlight innovators using design as a force for environmental and social transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladina-schoepf/