The Just Sustainability Podcast

As we reach the end of our conversation Shane Epting and I spoke about the role that the discipline of philosophy should have in examining the cities where many of us live. We also spoke about how scholars might better engage in public discourse. Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He’s the Co-Director and co-founder...

During the second part of our conversation, Shane Epting told me more about how participatory budgeting and how he thinks it’s a useful tool that can be used by municipalities to better involve their citizenry in impactful decision making. He also told me about how thinking of municipalities as a sort of technology helps us think about our communities in better informed ways. Finally, Shane...

A while back the order of Just Sustainability episodes got a bit disrupted and I skipped posting episodes 28B and 28C. Episodes 28B and 28C are now ready for posting but, since there’s been quite some time since I first posted episode 28A, I thought that I should re-post it so that folks can listen to all of Shane’s episodes together. Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philo...

In this episode, climate and sustainability educator, Michelle Garvey tells me about how one might better engage in non-extractive scholarship. Dr. Michelle Garvey is an Institute on the Environment Educator. She previously served as the Director of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as well as the Internship Coordinator for Minnesota Transform (MNT). She is a community orga...

On this episode of Just Sustainability we return to Michelle Garvey who told me about how vulnerability and openness to learn are both deeply important for reforming the way we approach higher-education in order to make our institutions more accessible and better structured to serve our students. Dr. Michelle Garvey is an Institute on the Environment Educator. She previously served as the Director...

I’ve noted elsewhere that what I wanted to do when I started working on the Just Sustainability podcast was to be able to share some of the wonderfully edifying conversations that I find myself in proximity to. I’ve been lucky enough over the years to become friends with a number of folks who are brilliant scholars, organizers, and advocates. All those friends have contributed enormous...

Valentine Cadieux and I concluded our conversation by talking about art as a tool for more accessible discourse (which is a topic that was also explored in the conversation that I had with Marceleen Mosher). This led Valentine and I to reflect upon how institutions of higher education (and in particular four-year universities) might become better at engaging with communities and how extension prog...

In the second part of the conversation that I had with Valentine Cadieux we spoke about food justice, media literacy, and how art can serve as a mode of collective expression and reflection as a tool to drive positive change. Dr. Valentine Cadieux is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University. She studies collaborative knowledge...

If someone were to ask me to describe my exemplar of a scholar and educator that does a terrific job integrating equity and sustainability, I would offer a description of Valentine Cadieux. Valentine is one of the most thoughtful folks that I know when it comes to the topics of environment, sustainability, justice, and how each and all of those things interact when it comes to how we understand an...

In the conclusion of the conversation that I had with Marceleen Mosher, we discuss how different media has an impact upon how narratives are formed, which in turns shapes how as a society we understand various phenomena. Marceleen and I also also talk about the importance of robust conversation particularly in regards to good governance and collective action or decision making. Marceleen Mosher ha...

In this episode we return to the conversation that I had with Marceleen Mosher. Marceleen and I talk about hope and the sorts of discourse that are effective in driving social action related to climate change and sustainability. Marceleen Mosher has taught communication studies at Augsburg University and Hamline University and is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her s...

We’re straying a bit from the planned episode order of the Just Sustainability podcast. Because we need to do some re-recording, the remainder of Shane Epting’s episodes are going to be posted at a later date. However, I’ve kept all of you waiting for too long. So, without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you all to Marceleen Mosher. Marceleen Mosher has taught co...

On this episode I’m delighted to introduce you to another one of my old friends, Shane Epting. In his first episode of the Just Sustainability Podcast, Shane offers us a primer about philosophy of the city — the field that (I would argue) he played a central role in forming (while of course philosophers have written about cities since at least the time Plato, Shane is one of the folks...

As our conversation came to a close, Jill Fellows told me about the ways that technology can empower and liberate as well as how we often talk about technology (particularly digital technology) can serve to hide the environmental and social impacts of various technologies. Dr. Jennifer Jill Fellows teaches philosophy and is the Associate of Arts Coordinator at Douglas College. She also hosts two r...

In the this episode the conversation between Jill Fellows and I shifts topics. We move on from discussing podcasting and public scholarship to the content of Jill’s research: the interplay between gender and technology. Jill tells me about the digital divide and some of the ways that our biases are reflected in technology and how we think about technology. Dr. Jennifer Jill Fellows teaches p...

In this episode we pick-up where we left off on the previous episode, with Jill Fellows telling me about how she identifies the guests that are featured in her podcast and how she has approached overcoming the various challenges related to integrating public scholarship into her academic career. Dr. Jennifer Jill Fellows teaches philosophy and is the Associate of Arts Coordinator at Douglas Colleg...

I’m really excited to share this episode because I get to introduce all of you to an old friend of mine who also happens to be my favorite public philosopher: Dr. Jennifer Jill Fellows. Jill teaches philosophy and is the Associate of Arts Coordinator at Douglas College. She also hosts two really terrific podcasts: “Andraste’s Gadfly” (which examines various philosophical to...

This episode contains the second half of the conversation where liz Thomson interviewed me. In it, liz asks me to discuss what I’m most proud of or pleased about Just Sustainability, whether there are dream listeners or guests that I have for the show, and how my career arc has influenced how I approach this podcast. Clement Loo is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and...

In this episode we decided to do something slightly different from what we usually do on the Just Sustainability Podcast. When we finished recording for their episodes at the end of last season, liz Thomson suggested that it might be fun for them to interview me for this podcast. I agreed that the idea did sound fun and thought a couple of episodes featuring me might be a good way to start season...

In the second half of the conversation that I had with liz Thomson, we spoke built on our discussion about the relationship between equity and disability by talking about universal design principles and the creation of counter- and home-spaces as a framework for improving sense of belonging. liz and I finished our chat reflecting upon interdependence, mutual support, and community. Elizabeth (liz)...

It was really cool to have Elizabeth (liz) Anh Thomson, PhD as a guest for the Just Sustainability Podcast. One of the reasons that I created this podcast was that I wanted an excuse to pester friends and colleagues with the random questions that I have about the cool work that they do. The conversation that I had with liz for Just Sustainability is a perfect example of how this podcast affords me...

In this episode Mark Pedelty discusses the idea of music as communication, Ecosong.net, and different approaches to podcasting. Mark is a musician, environmental activist, podcaster, and a Professor of Communication as well as an Affiliate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Links: https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/pedeltmh https://www.ecosong.band/ http...

Mark Pedelty is a hard person to describe succinctly. He has a broad range of interests and engages in a lot of different sorts of work. One could say that Mark is a scholar that is interested in how we communicate (and how we might communicate more effectively) about sustainability and social change. But that description leaves out that Mark is a musician and an organizer of musicians. It would a...

Ren Olive has spent their career working to build and strengthen access to food in a range of communities and to improve the capacity of institutions of higher-education to support the sustainability and economic development of communities across Minnesota. They’ve in the past worked at the University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and Second Harvest Heart...

I first met Ren Olive about 8 or 9 years ago camping at the Land Institute’s Prairie Festival in Salina, KS. I clearly remember having a number of very thought provoking conversations with them throughout that weekend about topics such as removing the barriers to food access in rural communities, democratizing food systems, developing more sustainable approaches to agriculture and food, and...