Tune in for an update and discussion from the first week of the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) in Marrakech, Morocco. Graduate students Ember McCoy and Ed Waisanen from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan join hosts Malavika Sahai and Chris Askew-Merwin to discuss their perceptions and experiences on the ground at COP 22 in Marrakech. Hear how the representatives from around the world reacted to the news about the surprising presidential election. But this isn’t all doom and gloom. We delve into Ed and Ember‘s experiences as well as clips from a few interviews they conducted and find reasons to be optimistic for the future of the environmental movement and for the fight against climate change. The discussion moves between the happenings at COP 22, the election, climate finance, international relations and even a few bad puns. You sure don’t want to miss this one!
From left to right: Ed, Ember, Cameron (our wizard of a producer), Malavika, and Chris
In the first of our three-part series on the Standing Rock protests we invited two Native American activists and graduate students from the University of Michigan, John Petoskey, JD candidate and Katherine Crocker, PhD candidate to join hosts Malavika Sahai and Chris Askew-Merwin to have a discussion on the evolution of the protest and its place in the larger scope of indigenous rights. Listen and learn about the injustices caused by the Dakota Access Pipeline but also about the threats posed closer to home by Line 5, an oil pipeline that cuts through the Straits of Mackinac. This show explores the legal framework behind Native American protests as well as a fascinating discussion on the responsibility of STEM academics to engage in political and ethical activism. Tune in also for the fantastic music from Native American artists such as Ojibwe rapper Thomas X, Ojibwe / Anishinaabe & Xicano emcee Sacramento Knoxx, and Cree rapper Drezus among others. We hope you enjoy the show and tune in later this month as we put out parts two and three.
On today’s episode of It’s Hot In Here, Rebecca is joined in the studio by Ajay Varadharajan, a graduate of UM’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, now founder and CEO of Green Insights in Amsterdam. Ajay and his company are helping businesses and consumers asses their environmental impact and improve their carbon footprint. Rebecca, Ajay, and guest host Leanna Hosea discuss global coffee trade, competing viewpoints on sustainability, and the development of his carbon tracking apps like GreenSwapp.com
We also sample Ghislain Dubois who came into the studio last summer for “Carbon Confidential,” a discussion of his environmental consulting company TEC, based in Marseille. Along the way, Ghislain introduced us to a master sampler, the DJ and artist Goldenberg and Schmuyle, whose track “tout, tout, et tout” reminded all of us at IHIH of our own efforts (je melange tout…i mix everything together). Check out his video Zazou Bar for an “electric” hit of the Marseille culture Ghislain describes in the neighborhoods around his consulting company’s office.
Meanwhile, back among the canals and bicycles of Ajay’s Amsterdam, this whole conversation spotlights the trend towards sustainability at more personalized scales. Ajay and Ghislain are both processing large data sets for organizations, but also developing apps and approaches to put data at the fingertips of individuals who want to “track” their environmental impact like they do their financial or physical fitness. You can reach either of them on their websites. They are often hiring, and always looking for interns, analysts, and collaborators. In the meantime keep it tuned to IHIH where we track trends going on in Europe and other parts of the world. We hope you enjoy this episode, masterfully edited by Patrick Conway.
