This week’s show begins a three part series on the topic of climate change. The first show in the set discusses the vulnerability of small islands. The second will consider cities as places that also reflect unjust risk distribution and vulnerability (whether through heat islands, or other phenomena). The third will consider climate adaptation strategies of Michigan’s cherry and grape producers.
Today’s island tour was conceived initially and researched by a team of UM Students including Miriam Butler, Matt Edelstein, Franny Melampy, Justin Petersmark, and Ella Tutlis . It comes to you through the voices of Dr. Rebecca Hardin (also known as Rebecca in the studio) Ed Waisanen, a first year SNRE masters student, and Harry Rice, a senior in Program in the Environment. There were quite a few good laughs in the segment, many stemming from the infamous teal shorts worn by Harry (see below) on such a cold fall day—islands ho! Continue reading Small Islands, Rising Seas→
On this week’s show, our hostsRebecca Hardin, Whitney Smith and Nicholas Bruscato discussed Growing Authentic Leaders from Communities Most Impacted by Environmental Injustice and Climate Changewith the distinguished Dr. Robert Bullard– “The Father of Environmental Justice” and current Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University.
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). The Principles of Environmental Justice can be viewed here
It is 2015 and we are back! To kick off the new year on It’s Hot in Here, our hosts Rebecca Hardin and Sam Molnar discussed Agroecology with Dr. Marney Isaac, Assisant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Agroecosystems & Development at the University of Toronto.
Bio:Dr. Marney Isaac, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Agroecosystems & Development, conducts interdisciplinary research on plant strategies and the nutrient economy of agroecological systems while concurrently charting the human dimension of agroecosystem management. Her research provides mechanistic insights into the ecological principles, nutrient cycles, and plant-soil interactions that govern the structure and function of agricultural landscapes, with particular attention on identification of strategies for environmental services, system resilience and sustainable livelihoods. Her research approach makes use of a diverse set of technical tools and employs various temporal and spatial scales: from mechanistic manipulative trials at the rhizosphere scale to large agroecosystem dynamics. She also supervises an international research program investigating agrarian management networks and environmental governance, with an emphasis on understanding innovation in large social-agroecological systems. She has published widely in environmental science, agronomic and multi-disciplinary journals including Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Agronomy for Sustainable Development and Ecology and Society.
In addition to agroecology, we followed up with the SNRE MS students after their trip to Peru for the international climate negotiations at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP20) in Lima, Peru. The SNRE students that we had on the show included second-year graduate students from the School of Natural Resources and Environment COP20 student delegation. We discussed their exciting experiences at one of the most prominent climate talks in the world.
Our show this week maintained a theme of innovation and taking new approaches to protect the environment and manage land. This segment was a wonderful start to the new year and we are excited for all that 2015 has to offer.
This week on It’s Hot in Here, we discussed the upcoming international climate negotiations at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP20) in Lima, Peru. On the show we had second-year graduate students from the School of Natural Resources and Environment COP20 student delegation: Katie Browne, Lexi Brewer, Arman Golrokhian, and (from the IHIH family) Pearl Zeng. Our guests talk about what the COP conferences are all about and how this year’s COP will be different from past years. We learn from fellow students about how they will be involved in COP20 and how they will stay engaged with the U-M community during their time in Peru. Continue reading Climate Week!→
We start off the show with an old feature, “What’s in season?”, and discussions of kale, squash, fresh herbs and even some late-season tomatoes! Sam Molnar, second-year Environmental Informatics and Environmental Justice master’s student at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, joins us for the show and tells us about a vegan squash soup he made recently. Sam lets us in on his recipe (that sounds amazing) so as Rebecca advised us, “squash soup it up, people!” Continue reading Environmental Contamination in Iraq→
The It’s Hot in Here family kicked off the new season with an introduction to 3 of our new hosts: Becca Baylor, Pearl Zeng, and Dania Gutierrez. We are really excited to welcome our new hosts to the family and are looking forward to what an new year of IHIH will bring.
Flipping the classroom is the theme for the start of the show! We brought in Nat Lichten, School of Natural Resources and Environment’s second-year policy student, to discuss with our news hosts their summer internships. Listen in to hear how students at SNRE are connecting with communities at the local, national and global level! Continue reading Back to School Kick-Off→
Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit, helps people improve their lives and communities through gardening and healthy food access. Using a strengths-based approach, the Growing Hope team works to build peoples’ capacity to use community and school gardens as vehicles for positive social, economic, environmental and neighborhood change. They advocate for healthy food, manage an urban farmers’ market, and train youth and adults to make positive investments in their future.
What do malaria, heavy metal, and community art have in common? They’re the focal points of this week’s It’s Hot In Here! We’re joined in the studio by Dr. Peter Larson, post-doctoral scholar in ecology and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, and, awesomely enough, an avid metal fan and musician. Peter shares his love of his work and music with us; introducing us to a host of metal tunes from various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and offering some insight into the spatial distribution and determinants of infectious diseases in Kenya and Malawi.
In the second half of the show, we hear from Katie and Emily of Detroit’s Heidelberg Project. The Heidelberg Project is an open-air art environment in the heart of an urban community in Detroit’s East Side. Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director, uses everyday, discarded objects to create a two block area full of color, symbolism, and intrigue. Now in its 27th year, the Heidelberg Project is recognized around the world as a demonstration of the power of creativity to transform lives.
Ready your cups and saucers and set your kettles to boil! We’re talking tea with Sarah Besky!
Sarah is a Postdoctoral Scholar with the Michigan Society of Fellows and Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. In her book, The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-trade Tea Plantations in India (U of California Press, 2013), Sarah narrates the lives of tea workers in Darjeeling in engaging and evocative prose to, “explore how notions of fairness, value, and justice shifted with the rise of fair-trade practices and postcolonial separatist politics in the region.” The Darjeeling Distinction is the first book of its kind, charting a new field for examining how fair-trade operates in the context of large-scale plantation-based production.
