Just Sustainability

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 of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. He’s contributed an impressive amount of scholarship on topics related to how to most equitably and effectively conceptualize cities (or municipalities), soci...

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 and I talked about how one might argue more lovingly, which strikes me as a particularly timely subject.

Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Missouri University of...

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 Philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He’s the Co-Director and co-founder of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. He’s contributed an impre...

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 organizer, a climate and sustainability educator, and a scholar who works to promote environmental justice.

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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 of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as well as the Internship Coordinator for Minnesota Transform (MNT). She is a community organizer, a climate and sustainability educator, and a scholar who works...

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 enormously to efforts to nudge our communities towards being more ecologically responsible and socially just and each instance of listening to them talk about their work is akin to attending a masterclass about buil...

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 programs offer a good model for such engagement.

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...

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 practices related to food, agriculture, and land in the context of settler society cultures in Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa. 

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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 and relate with the land and each other. Because of that she is one of my favorite people to nerd-out with about equity and sustainability and, so, I’m super ex...

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 has taught communication studies at Augsburg University and Hamline University and is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her scholarship examines the interplay between rhetoric/narratives and the intersection of...

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 scholarship examines the interplay between rhetoric/narratives and the intersection of nature, wellbeing, technology, and power.

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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 communication studies at Augsburg University and Hamline University and is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her scholarship examines the interplay between rhetoric/narratives and the inte...

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 who did the most to shape the landscape of the discourse about cities within contemporary philosophy).

Dr. Shane Epting is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Miss...

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 really terrific podcasts: “Andraste’s Gadfly” (which examines various philosophical topics as they apply to or manifest within the Dragon Age series of games) and “Gender, Sex, and Tech! Continuing the Conversation” (which is — as on...

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 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 topics as they apply to or manifest within t...

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 College. She also hosts two really terrific podcasts: “Andraste’s Gadfly” (which examines various philosophical topics as they apply to or manifest within the Dragon Age series of games) and “Gender, Sex, and Tech! Continui...

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 topics as they apply to or manifest within the Dragon Age series of games) and “Gender, Sex, and Tech! Continuing the Conversation” (which is — as one might suspect from its name — about the interplay between gender, sex, and technology...

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 the Student Success Coordinator in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Programs at the University of Minnesota Morris. In those roles I write, podcast, and teach classes about su...

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 4. Moreover, it seems only fair — after I’ve invited 25 of my friends to appear on this show, be remarkably vulnerable, and reveal a lot about themselves and...

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) Anh Thomson, PhD is 5’2″, dark-skinned, disabled, Vietnamese adoptee, gender non-conforming person with shaved black hair, black eyes, and tortoise colored thick-rimmed glasses. They’re the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Un...

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 opportunities to do just that.

How often does one get to take up 90 minutes of one’s supervisor’s time asking them to explain in d...

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.

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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 also fail to acknowledge that he is a podcaster and a storyteller. Mark is also someone who thinks a lot about social movements and the translation of political theory...

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 Heartland, and will soon be the Grants Development Coordinator at the Rochester Community and Technical College.

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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 building more resilient communities.

In the years following our initial meeting, it’s become clear to me that Ren has committed themselves to efforts pursuing all the objectives that we talked about in Kansas. Throughout the time...

I first learned about Patrick Moore from Theresa Peterson (who is featured on the first season of the Just Sustainability Podcast). Theresa suggested that I should record an episode with Patrick because of his extensive community organizing related to protecting the waters of Minnesota and his allyship in support of the Indigenous nations in the Upper Midwest.

Theresa, as she often is, was right: meeting and chatting with Patrick was a wonderful experience. Patrick has had a long career related to advocacy and organizing — he’s been a core figure in a broad range of organizations such as C...

In this episode we return to Amanda Corris’ conversation with Eugene Chislenko. Amanda and Eugene talk about Philosophers for Sustainability and the role of professional philosophers in social discourse and advocacy.

Eugene is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Temple University and is one of the co-founders of Philosophers for Sustainability. His scholarship covers a broad range of topics related to moral philosophy and moral psychology, history of philosophy, and — most salient given the focus of this podcast — the role of professional philosophers in the collective efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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In this episode Amanda introduces us to Eugene Chislenko. Eugene is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Temple University and is one of the co-founders of Philosophers for Sustainability. His scholarship covers a broad range of topics related to moral philosophy and moral psychology, history of philosophy, and — most salient given the focus of this podcast — the role of professional philosophers in the collective efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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Julia Gibson often describes themselves as a farmer-philosopher. Her scholarship often weaves together themes such as palliative care ethics and remembrance, the impact and role of narratives and stories, resisting colonialism, and the rights and representation of non-human species in political discourse about environment and sustainability. Julia is core faculty in the Environmental Studies program at Antioch University New England and works the land on their family’s farm in eastern New York.

In the second part of our conversation, Julia tells me more about her article, “Climate Justice for the Dead and Dying.” We discuss the role o...

Julia Gibson often describes themselves as a farmer-philosopher. I would describe them as the author of some of the most exciting work that’s been recently published about environmental and animal ethics. Her scholarship often weaves together themes such as palliative care ethics and remembrance, the impact and role of narratives and stories, resisting colonialism, and the rights and representation of non-human species in political discourse about environment and sustainability. Julia is core faculty in the Environmental Studies program at Antioch University New England and works the land on her family’s farm in eastern New York.

In t...

Ray Burns is the Tribal Partnerships Manager for the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research in North Dakota (ND EPSCoR). Moreover, at the time that the conversation featured in this episode was recorded, Ray was the President of Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, MN.

During the second half of the conversation I had with Ray, he told me more about tribal colleges, the role they play in nation rebuilding, what non-tribal institutions might learn from tribal institutions, and the sorts of partnerships that he thinks might be fruitful in regards to bu...

Ray Burns is the Tribal Partnerships Manager for the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research in North Dakota (ND EPSCoR). Moreover, at the time that the conversation featured in this episode was recorded, Ray was the President of Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, MN.

I first met Ray 7 or 8 years ago when he served as the Director for the Native American Student Success Program at the University of Minnesota Morris. There are very few people I know who have as much senior leadership experience in Indigenous education or is as thoughtful ab...

When I first met Simon Franco about a decade ago he was the Student Success Coordinator for Multi-ethnic Student Programs at the University of Minnesota Morris (which the precursor to the position that I currently hold). Soon after that initial meeting, Simon changed jobs and became the Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership (still at UMN Morris). In his Assistant Director role Simon created the Morris Leadership Education and Development (MLEAD) program.

In this episode of Just Sustainability Simon tells us about the MLEAD program and what he has learned in the time that he’s co...

When I first met Simon Franco about a decade ago he was the Student Success Coordinator for Multi-ethnic Student Programs at the University of Minnesota Morris (which the precursor to the position that I currently hold). Soon after that initial meeting, Simon changed jobs and became the Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership (still at UMN Morris). In his Assistant Director role Simon created the Morris Leadership Education and Development (MLEAD) program.

MLEAD is a series of workshops that teaches students about theories of social change, ethical leadership, the impact of culture and cultural norms on...

In the previous episode of Just Sustainability it was my pleasure to introduce you to Emily Brier and to share the first half of the conversation that I recorded with Emily. During that first half, Emily and I spoke mostly about how she thought about inclusive pedagogy and some of the steps that she has taken to make the courses that she teaches more accessible to students.

In addition to being an educational innovator, Emily is also a terrific poet and contributed a great deal to supporting and shaping the growth and development of the field of...

There are at least two things about Emily Brier that would be of interest to listeners of this podcast. First, she’s innovative educator that has thought a lot about and built her courses around inclusive, accessible, and socially just pedagogy. Second, she’s a poet who writes about the relationships between food, women, and Queerness in Appalachia (she’s also done a lot of work with the Appalachian Studies Association).

I first became familiar with Emily after a colleague sent me a copy of her article in SPECTRA (linked below) about pedagogy in the context of the CO...

On the finale of Season 2 of Just Sustainable, Julian Agyeman and I talk about a broad range of topics that include: (1) the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for work related to sustainability and social justice, (2) hiring and representation within universities and colleges, and (3) the steps that communities have taken to become more justly sustainable.

Julian Agyeman is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning and the Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate at Tufts University. He’s also a Fellow of both the UK Royal Society of the Arts and UK Royal Geographical So...

There’s an aphorism that suggests that one should not meet one’s heroes. That aphorism is without doubt incorrect when it comes to Dr. Julian Agyeman FRSA FRGS. Julian is certainly one of my heroes (indeed, the title of this podcast derives from the concept of just sustainabilities that — I believe — he coined roughly 20 years ago) and meeting him was very much a delight!

During our conversation, which was recorded late spring in 2020, Julian offered an abundance of gems about how he thought about equity and sustainability, the importance of ensuring that spaces are accessible (and how to m...

In the second episode featuring Gabe Desrosiers, Gabe and I discuss how institutions of higher-education within the United States might better support language and cultural reclamation by appreciating the full personhood of students. We also talk about what it means to live in a good way from an Anishinaabe perspective.

Gabe Desrosiers is an award winning singer and dancer, he is a translator and a voiceover artist for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and he runs the Anishinaabemowin immersion camp as well as teaches Anishinaabemowin and Indigenous song and dance at the University of Minnesota Morris.

I was initially acquainted with Gabe Desrosiers as a fellow Canadian amongst the faculty at the University of Minnesota Morris. Indeed, I first learned of Gabe as the result of one of our mutual colleagues saying something to me like: “Oh, you’re Canadian? You should meet Gabe. He’s Canadian too!”

However, in the 9 years that we’ve been colleagues, Gabe has become a good friend and a teacher. He’s taught me about Anishinaabe life ways and history. Through many hours of conversation, he’s helped me to be more reflective about how I approach my teaching an...