Welcome to a brand spanking new podcast about sustainability issues in different parts of the globe, and innovative approaches to tackling them. This first mini-series looks at the Canary Islands, Spain.

Episode 1 features an interview with Sebastian Feimblatt, co-founder and co-CEO of Ocean Oasis, a new way to desalinate water using wave energy, via floating offshore buoys. Sebastian talks about navigating the various challenges of a startup working on something quite genuinely new, what’s it like running such a startup in the Canary Islands, and dealing with brine. 

The first 10 minutes give an overview of the Canary Islands and their history with water; none of this is crucial to understand the interview if you want to skip ahead!

Breakdown:

00:00 - 02:22 - Introduction to the series and the episode

02:23 - 06:11 - Overview of the Canary Islands and a bit about their ecology

06:12 - 09:45 - History of water on the Canary Islands and an overview of some solutions being tried

09:45 onwards - Interview with Sebastian Feimblatt of Ocean Oasis

Resources:

As promised, a more visual overview of some of the Canary Islands’ ecology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq0MIp51p2s 

Ecosystem restoration camps: https://www.theglobalbridge.org/ecosystem-restoration-camps/; Youtube documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDgDWbQtlKI 

Documentary where you can learn more about desalination in the Canary Islands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WTkvkQSOn4

Ocean Oasis: https://www.oceanoasis.co/ 

Acknowledgements:

That sweet music you heard was 'Gran Canaria' by Edward Fox & The Animal Kingdom: https://edwardfoxandtak.lnk.to/socialmedia; music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InF23FmBMoY

Find me at: @inEmmetable (on some platforms, some of the time)

Two alternating perspectives here - José Manuel Sanabria Díaz, Deputy Minister for Tourism and Employment in the Canary Islands, and John Beckley, founder of the non-profit Canary Green. Each share their views on challenges with the current Canarian tourism model, and what can be done about it. José Manuel discusses the policy interventions the government has decided on (and which to avoid), while John talks about his work engaging with local businesses and tourists for some more bottom-up progress.

Resources:

Some facts and figures on tourism in the Canary Islands: https://www.canarianweekly.com/posts/The-Canaries-had-record-tourist-figures-in-2025-but-their-stays-were-shorter-time-and-they-spent-less 

Demands from one group behind the Canarias Tiene Un Limite protests: https://canariaspalante.org/ 

The RegNext programme, supporters: https://www.canarianweekly.com/posts/Landmark-agreement-signed-to-make-tourism-in-the-Canary-Islands-environmentally-friendly 

And detractors: https://www.canariasenpleno.com/en/regnext-or-the-art-of-passing-the-hat-canarias-entrusts-the-health-of-its-islands-to-charity/ 

Proposals to improve worker ownership and democracy at work in Spain: https://reportondemocracyatwork.org/en/the-report/ 

Acknowledgements:

That sweet music you heard was 'Gran Canaria' by Edward Fox & The Animal Kingdom: https://edwardfoxandtak.lnk.to/socialmedia; music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InF23FmBMoY

Find me at: @inEmmetable (on some platforms, some of the time)

Do artists have much of an impact on sustainability issues and social changes?

The first part of this episode is a brief overview of César Manrique. This artist, architect and activist has left behind a huge legacy in the Canary Islands, particularly in his native island of Lanzarote. Hear a little bit about what he managed to achieve,

Then, Andrea Farah joins to share about various creative projects she’s working on to engage people around sustainability and keeping her community alive. She’s trying to build a map documenting the oldest local businesses in her area and the stories behind them.

Breakdown:

00:00 - 05:40 - Overview of the life and work of César Manrique

05:40 onwards - Interview with Andrea Farah

Resources:

An overview of César Manrique’s life and impact: https://cactlanzarote.com/en/cesar-manrique/

Barrios en resistencia/neighbourhoods in resistance website (note it’s still a work-in-progress and functionality is currently limited): https://barriosenresistencia.com/

Some of Andrea’s other work can be found here: https://www.produccionesenlaarena.com/

Acknowledgements:

That sweet music you heard was 'Gran Canaria' by Edward Fox & The Animal Kingdom: https://edwardfoxandtak.lnk.to/socialmedia ; music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InF23FmBMoY

Find me at: @inEmmetable (on some platforms, some of the time)

Instead of one deep dive, here's 5 short stories you might not have known about the Canary Islands.

Breakdown:

00:00 - 01:11 - Introduction

01:11 - MPAIAC bombing campaign for Canarian independence

05:05 - The most deadly aviation disaster in history

08:03 - Sustainable travel and tips for the Canaries

13:53 - Wildfires and some small-scale interventions to prevent them

18:36 - El Hierro, the pioneering little island

21:49 - Wrap-up and a chance to become a host yourself!

Resources:

https://groundedtravel.org/post/canarias - everything you need to know about sustainable travel in the Canaries, including some convenient Google Maps lists you can import easily

https://fenixcanarias.org/proyectos/brinzal-canarias/ - Fenix Canarias and their work on seed dispersal via birds

Acknowledgements:

That sweet music you heard was 'Gran Canaria' by Edward Fox & The Animal Kingdom: https://edwardfoxandtak.lnk.to/socialmedia; music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InF23FmBMoY.

Find me at: @inEmmetable (on some platforms, some of the time)

Para terminar definitivamente la temporada, ¡tenemos un episodio adicional en español! Yurena Perez, Gestora Reserva de la Biosfera y Geoparque El Hierro, es la invitada para discutir la historia de sostenibilidad en El Hierro, incluye sus objetivos ambiciosos del siglo anterior, el progreso realizado y el que queda por hacer.

Recursos:

El plan de desarollo sostenible de 1997: https://www.elhierro.es/es/plan-de-desarrollo-sostenible 

Propouesta de Parque Nacional Marino del Mar de las Calmas: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/parques-nacionales-oapn/red-parques-nacionales/parques-nacionales/mardelascalmas.html 

La Bajada de la Virgen: https://bajadaelhierro.com/ 

El Arbol Garoé que mencionó Yurena: https://www.meridianosau.es/centros/el-garoe-arbol-santo/ 

Expresiones de Gratitud:

La música viene de la canción 'Gran Canaria' por Edward Fox & The Animal Kingdom: https://edwardfoxandtak.lnk.to/socialmedia. (disculpe, sé que es un poco blasfemo usar una canción con este título en un episodio sobre El Hierro!) 

Me pueden encontrar en algunas redes sociales (a veces) @inEmmetable