Vic Thasiah is a trail runner; the founder and executive director of Runners for Public Lands, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization; and the chair of the Religion Department at California Lutheran University. He lives with his family in, and runs trails throughout, the traditional homelands of the Chumash, also known as Ventura County, surrounded by the beautiful Los Padres National Forest, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.

In this conversation we talk about protecting those beautiful places. We also talk about the lessons Vic has learned from native runners, how all runners could and should be great environmentalists, and anti-racism in the trail running community. Vic’s words are truly beautiful and they’re not just for runners. This conversation is for anyone who want to live in community with the natural world.

Follow Runners for Public Lands

• Website: runnersforpubliclands.org
• Instagram: @runners4publiclands
• Twitter: @vic_thasiah
• Facebook: Runners for Public Lands Group

Also discussed in this episode:

• Standing Rock/Dakota Access Pipeline
• No Free Lunch: Trail Running and the Public Lands Debate by Mike Foot
• Different types of environmentalism
• Women as key environmentalists around the world
• “Mainstream” environmentalism
• A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety by Sarah Jaquette Ray