Podcast • John Muir Laws

Join Getty Ellis and me on the The World We Want podcast with the North American Association for Environmental Education. June 17, 2026

What does it mean to truly notice the world around us?

For naturalist, educator, and nature journaler John Muir Laws—known to many simply as Jack—careful observation is more than a skill. It’s a way of building curiosity, deepening understanding, and strengthening our connection to the natural world.

In this episode of The World We Want, host Gerry Ellis explores Jack’s commitment to helping people learn through direct experience. Through nature journaling, drawing, questioning, and close observation, Jack has inspired educators, students, scientists, artists, and lifelong learners to slow down and engage more deeply with the living communities around them. The conversation explores how observation strengthens learning, why curiosity is a critical part of environmental education, and how paying attention can transform our relationship with nature.

Together they discuss:

• Nature journaling as a tool for learning and discovery
• Observation, curiosity, and scientific inquiry
• The relationship between art and science
• Environmental education through direct experience
• Building stronger connections to place and nature
• Why attention is one of the foundations of care

At its heart, this conversation asks a simple but powerful question: What might change if we learned to see the natural world more carefully?