Introducing Guardians of Greenspaces — Episode 168


By Cort Jones and Cara Myers | Posted on April 22, 2025

Ep168 410

Happy Earth Month! On today’s episode, we’re excited to share a collaboration with NRPA’s new podcast, Guardians of Greenspaces.

Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on conservation from a park and recreation maintenance lens. Hosted by Rukmini Kalamangalam, a program specialist on NRPA’s community and environmental resilience team, Guardians of Greenspaces uplifts the voices of experts in the field and will drop weekly for the next 10 weeks.

We recently caught up with Rukmini to learn more about this new podcast and how it will bring value to maintenance staff working in the conservation and environmental resilience space.

Tune in below to learn:

  • Some of NRPA’s priorities as they relate to environmental resilience
  • What prompted the creation of Guardians of Greenspaces
  • What listeners can expect to learn on future episodes and where you can find the podcast
  • Interesting things Rukmini has learned hosting the podcast (like why people might not like tall grass)
  • How you could win a $50 gift card to the NRPA retail store for listening

Plus, you’ll hear the very first episode of Guardians of Greenspaces, focused on staff engagement at the San Antonio River Authority!

Listen to the episode for the full story.

You can also listen to Open Space Radio on SpotifyStitcheriHeartRadio and other podcast services.

Additional Resources:

Have feedback about this episode or Open Space Radio overall? Share it with us!

If you enjoyed this episode or learned something that might help you make a positive impact in your community, please consider donating to NRPA. Your gift will support our storytelling efforts and our mission to advance parks, recreation and environmental resilience efforts that enhance the quality of life for all at nrpa.org/donate.