Down To Earth

Our fortnightly segment Down to Earth with Kurt Iverson from the University of Sydney, where we discuss geography in Sydney and different urban issues. Today we dove into the future of home technology and the growing use of digital home assistants and smart appliances that are turning our homes into networked and surveilled spaces in all sorts of new and scary ways. With guest host Sophia Maalsen - Lecturer in Urbanism.

This week we talked about public space and new policing laws - what happens when this is all over? Will our lives and the places we inhabit look the same? A really important and interesting chat that touches on democracy and justice in this new unprecedented era.

This week we discuss what a rental strike might look like due to COVID 19, and terminology surrounding social distancing.

This week we talked about COVID 19 , but more specifically discussing the ramifications of corona virus on our economy through our societies dependency on casual labor and ask the question - will some be affected more than others?

This week, Professor Kurt Iverson came in to the studio to "de-railed" us by talking about trains, buses and planes and their differing environmental impacts. In particular he spoke about the lack of infrastructure and transport in Australia and how this needed to change to create accessible and efficient ways to travel around the country.

We've talked a lot about public transport on Down To Earth, but we've never talked directly to anyone who has worked in the public transport sector, until now! Professor Kurt Iverson brought in special guest David Babineau, who is the Division Secretary of the Bus Division of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, to get the ins and outs of what it's like to be a bus driver in Sydney and what we can do to help improve the public transport industry.

The City of Sydney just passed a mandate to declare a "Climate Emergency", but what does that actually mean? Professor Kurt Iverson joins Ondine in the studio to talk all about the complexities of climate language.

It may seem like bees wouldn't be that important in cities, but this is a HUGE misconception! Prof. Kurt Iverson chats to Eddy Diamond all about why bees are so crutial to urban environments, and what we can do to contribute to the preservation of bee biodiversity.

Electric cars are the topic of this week’s podcast as it is a hot topic within Australia and has been discussed within the election as a way to help us move forward sustainably. Find out the real deal and the actual impact of electric cars.

With special guest Steph Clarke, the show discusses the initiative Wild Wild Inner West, which looks at the misperception between cities and the wildlife being two different entities. The episode looks at how we can get involved as individuals within the community to help preserve the biodiversity. 

A post election special which discusses public spaces and the new minister for those spaces, Rob Stokes. They discuss the ways in which Rob Stokes could best help from an environmental perspective these public spaces.      

What if there were alternatives to offshore recycling in Australia? Associate Professor Kurt Iverson joins Eddy Diamond to talk all about neighbourhood recycling initiatives and proposed ways local councils could create infrastructure around urban waste treatment.

In preparation for the Sydney Alliance assembly on housing, Leo Patterson Ross joins Prof. Kurt Iverson to talk all about the Tenant's Union's Make Renting Fair campaign.

Professor Kurt Iverson talks the Green New Deal, a proposed climate policy in America that has global implications.

Kurt and Eddy chat with Aisheeya Huq and Vivienne Paduch - a couple of the organisers of School Strike 4 Climate Action.

Professor Kurt Iveson chats with Eddy about Surveillance in the urban environment. He asks what the proposed National Facial Biometric Matching Capability might mean for our safety, right to protest, the environment, and existing biases and forms of discrimination.

Amy Fairall, a postgrad student working with Prof. Kurt Iveson, came in to chat with Eddy about how banking and financial services impact sustainability. She ran us through some of the alternatives to the big four banks, including time banking. Check it out here -> www.timebanking.com.au

Guido, the director of The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre, gave us a rundown of the various ways in which the Bower helps the environment and the community. The centre diverts waste from landfill by repairing and re-using broken furniture, household items, and electronic appliances and puts the items back into the community. Check out their website here: bower.org.au  

Have you ever worked a dodgy cash-in-hand job? Been asked to work an unpaid trial period? In this episode, Kurt chats with Eddy about informal work sector and the impact this has on the economic landscape of our cities. Can't get enough of Kurt? He's doing a talk about citizen action on housing affordability and security on Monday 10 Sep: http://www.festivalofurbanism.com/2018/2018/9/10/housing-and-urban-citizenship-the-role-of-urban-alliance And launching the book Sydney – We Need to Talk! the following day, Tuesday 11 Sep: http://www.festivalofurbanism.com/2018/2018/9/11/book-launch-sydney-we-need-to-talk

Kurt chats with Alex about your right to protest in an age where we're seeing increasing restrictions on the types of spaces we can occupy, the length of time we can protest, and the kinds of activities we're allowed to do. He also gives us the rundown on the new Crown Land Management Regulation and what it means for the future of activism.

Kurt chats to Eddy about Sydney’s train station accessibility and some local campaigns pushing to make Sydney transport more accessible.

Should we continue to build cities around cars? What's the alternative? Kurt chats with Alex about the past, present and future of transport in Sydney, and how we can reclaim our roads.

Kurt gives us a brief history of how libraries have adapted to the times and explains why they’re much more than the books they have on their shelves.

Special guest, Associate Professor Jason W. Moore chats about why cheapness is never a bargain. He gives us an insight into his latest book, A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet, out now. For more info on Jason Moore’s work, head over here: jasonwmoore.com

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson talks trash with Eddy Diamond.

Where should we be spending our money - in shopping streets or shopping malls? In this episode Associate Professor Kurt Iveson talks all about shopping and sustainability with Mornings host, Alex Pye.

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Mornings host Alex Pye talk all about environmental apps in this episode.

Michelle St Anne and Associate Professor Ollie Jay join Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye to chat about their research for an upcoming play about heatwaves.

In this episode, Eddy Diamond fills in for Alex Pye and chats with host Associate Professor Kurt Iveson about pets and city living.

Professor Kurt Iveson talks heatwaves with Alex Pye and gives us his take on Kim Stanley Robinson’s climate fiction novel 'New York 2140'.

Professor Kurt Iveson brought in special guest Dr. Brad Garrett from the University of Sydney to chat about the paradox that is privately owned public space.

The YES votes are in and Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye dissect the stats of the same-sex marriage plebiscite

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye discuss sustainable fashion with special guest Liza Heinze

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye discuss Obesogenic Cities and the relationship between chronic health conditions like obesity and our urban environments.

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye discuss the potential effects of redevelopment in creative and industrial areas.

The first unofficial Down To Earth book club! We learn all about Cli-Fi or climate fiction. Associate Professor Kurt Iveson gave us his hottest recommendations including the works of Cory Doctorow and a whole bunch more.

What is Universal Basic Income? Kurt and special guest Troy Henderson (PhD Student at Sydney Uni) gave Alex a run down of this system.

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye chat about how the need for housing affects our cities.

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye talked all about bus privatisation and how it might impact us and they way we travel using public transport in Sydney. 

Associate Professor Kurt Iveson and Alex Pye are joined by April Crawford-Smith from community energy provider Pingala. Pingala are providing the Newtown community with access to solar energy and have also teamed up with local beer makers Young Henry's.

Alex Pye and Associate Professor Kurt Iveson talk about making your own top soil from food scraps and farming worms, even in the smallest of spaces.

Kurt joins Alex to chat about the flow on effects from Cyclone Debbie and how real estate pressures are threatening market gardens.

How do changes to our cities change how our kids grow up? Less vacant lots, more traffic - Kurt joins Alex this morning to chat about how changing cities affect children.

Commercialising green space: In Sydney's growing urban environment, why are we decreasing the access to the few public spaces that remain? Join Kurt and Alex to chat about the planned burger festival in Newtown, and how this has reignited a familiar Sydney debate. Plus: Should members of the community be able to use school grounds for their own recreation when school's out?

Kurt and Alex are back for the new year! This week, we chat about the social side of power, the pros and cons of green power, and how to choose and use renewable power in rental and share households.

1.3 billion tonnes of food gets wasted every year, with 360kg thrown out per person each year in Australia. Kurt joins us to talk about what we can do with this excess.

Not only do places to eat food form massive parts of our cities, but so do places to produce this food. This week Kurt and Alex explore how food is produced in the City of Sydney, and what else can be done to improve the sustainable production and consumption of food in our cities. Are we out-developing ourselves? Can we find new ways to produce our own food while living in a city?

How does the experience of public transport affect the way people use it? As much as we may improve the technologies behind public transport, is the same amount of effort being put into the experience for the daily user? Kurt joins us to talk about the emotional bonds we form with the people who we sit down next to every day on public transport.

How do cars affect the design of our cities? How will this change with the dawn of the self driving car? Kurt and Alex look at the geographic and ethical effects of the self driving car, and the social responsibilities of their manufacturers. What's future of public transport in the face of self driving technology, and how can police pull over a driverless car? It's all in this episode of Down to Earth.

Kurt goes through the history of Sydney's green bans and what they mean for the proposed redevelopment of the Sirius Building in The Rocks.

Do you know what goes into your smart phone? What about when you throw it away? Kurt and Alex go through the hidden processes and human side of your mobile phone, as well as the initiatives like Mobile Muster that work to recycle and reuse previously-loved devices.