As we celebrated Canada Day this year, my grandchildren and I and talked about the overwhelming smoke caused by the wildfires in 2023, smoke that had been polluting the air in countless communities across the continent. We talked about the environment and what people could do to make a positive difference. That conversation reminded me of something similar that my team and I put together in 1989: "Our World" – The People’s Summit on the Environment.

I was reminded of what I’ve always considered to be the most inspiring dialogue on the environment, featuring singer-songwriter, poet and environmentalist, John Denver, and then-Member of Parliament for Western-Arctic, Ethel Blondin-Andrew – two exemplary servants to the world around them.

So, we listened to that dialogue from 1989, and the podcast team for The Life of a Servant decided to feature that conversation in this special two-parter. It reminds us that a healthy environment and a sustainable future require all people working together continually in the service of our planet.

John Denver spoke those words at our event 34 years ago, which you’ll hear in this episode, words that affirmed his role as a servant and as a leader. John is joined by Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Canada’s first indigenous woman elected to Parliament, and an outstanding servant-leader who was recently honoured with the prestigious “Maclean’s Lifetime Achievement Award”.

You’ll also hear John Denver offering practical suggestions on how to be an authentic environmentalist, spoken at time when few people really fully appreciated the meaning of environmentalism.

And be sure to join us in Part 2, which will feature a conversation with Dennis Mills and Ethel Blondin-Andrew as they reflect 34 years later on the People's Summit on the Environment; on how John, Ethel and 42,000 others participated in the event; and a fascinating story or two, including one about John Denver picking up trash along The Danforth in Toronto.

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Listen to this episode of The Life of a Servant, a podcast about servant-leadership, to hear one of the most impassioned, authentic and relatable dialogues about the environment its entirety, and to learn more about what you can do. You can also visit www.dennismills.com for more information and archived episodes of this podcast, as well as information about the soon-to-be-released book, “From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair”.