Podcasts about gund institute

A Sustainability Now Interview with Josh Farley What if our metrics for economic health are simply upside down? How can a “healthy” economy—measured by rising GDP—coexist with ecological collapse, mental health crises, and widening inequality? Josh Farley, ecological economist, isn't just rethinking economics—he's redesigning it. A professor at the University of Vermont and Fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment, his work bridges economics, ethics, and ecology, challenging the very foundation of how we think about money, nature, and our collective future. With clarity and a sharp eye for absurdity, Farley unpacks the dangerous delusion of GDP as a measure of well-being—revealing how our systems reward depletion and call it growth, while sidelining equity, health, and ecological integrity. Instead, he offers a new paradigm: one that prioritizes regeneration over extraction and collective stewardship over unchecked consumption. It's not just a critique—it's a grounded, hopeful invitation to redesign economics for a world that actually works. If you've ever sensed that the numbers aren't telling the whole story—this conversation is the deeper math you've been waiting for.

In this episode of Restoration Roundup, we are joined by ecologist and naturalist Jason Mazurowski to discuss how practitioners and farmers can best support pollinators, particularly in riparian forests. Jason specializes in native pollinator conservation, and is currently working with the Gund Institute for Environment and Audubon Vermont on multiple field projects; he also serves as an adjunct instructor at UVM teaching courses on field ecology and native pollinators. New England has at least a few of all of the “super seven” pollinator species. Bees are the most effective and are responsible for 70-80% of pollinating services, and Vermont has more than 300 species of native bees. Pollinators are indispensable to ecosystems for the proper reproduction of plants, and for the provision of other ecosystem services. Many pollinator species are in decline, but some are actually increasing, and little is known about the status of many others. Use of chemicals can harm pollinators, or cause ‘pollinator traps' where pollinators are attracted to good habitat but then get “trapped” by harmful pesticides like neonicotinoids. Climate change can exacerbate negative impacts on bee populations, jeopardizing pollinator-dependent crops. This spells trouble for farmers as pollinators, especially bees, provide an important economic service. Certain farming practices, however, can support pollinators in your area. Restoring riparian forests with an eye to maximizing plant species diversity, for example, can provide a range of nesting and feeding resources for pollinators.  Riparian forested areas can be part of the solution to declining pollinator populations, so join us on our third episode as we discuss how riparian buffers can support pollinators, alternatives to herbicides and practices to avoid, what kind of habitat and plant species are needed to best support pollinators, and much more!

Trees have long been imagined as the earth's lungs inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling the oxygen needed to support life. That life, too, is important for sustaining the earth. One scholar suggests that the animals that fill the planet's landscapes serve as earth's heart and arteries without them, the earth would be little more than a barren rock. The way that animals make our world is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, Joe Roman is a conservation biologist, marine ecologist, and editor 'n' chief of Eat The Invaders. Winner of the 2012 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award for Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act, Roman has written for the New York Times, Science, Audubon, New Scientist, Slate, and other publications. Like many of the animals he studies, Roman is a free-range biologist. He has worked at Harvard University, Duke University Marine Lab, University of Iceland, University of Havana, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the University of Vermont, where he is a fellow and writer in residence at the Gund Institute for Environment.

(Conversation recorded on June 14th, 2024)   Show Summary:  If plants are considered the lungs of the Earth, cycling CO2 into oxygen for animals to breathe, then animals act as the heart and arteries, spreading nutrients across the Earth to where it's needed most.  This is the metaphor that today's guest, conservation biologist Joe Roman, uses when describing his work studying how animals such as whales, otters, salmon, and midges provide vital ecosystem services, and how destruction of their populations – caused by modern industrial systems – affects the livability of the entire planet.  How has human activity drastically altered the balance and mass of species, and subsequently their ability to spread nutrients across the biosphere? What consequences must we face when biodiversity is diminished and nutrients are no longer dispersed as equally, leaving ecosystems with either extreme concentrations or scarcity of essential minerals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus? If we could “re-wild” diminishing species into their native habitats and aim for zero human-caused extinctions, how would this support a more resilient Earth for future generations of humans and animals alike?    About Joe Roman: Joe Roman is a conservation biologist, marine ecologist, and “editor 'n' chef” of eattheinvaders.org. Winner of the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award for Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act, Roman has written for The New York Times, Science, Slate, and other publications. Coverage of his research has appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and many other outlets. He is a fellow and writer in residence at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. His latest book is Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World.    Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on Youtube  

In early November 2021, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale. The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments within the United Nations agreements. Herein the ATP adopted the framework which committed to two specific targets. Achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. Realistically how achievable are these goals that are set out by the ATP? Can tennis continue to operate in its current globalised format against the backdrop of natural disasters and unfettered consumption? And can growth continue to exist in sports across the board? To help answer those questions this week I was joined by Sam Bliss, a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for the Environment at the University of Vermont. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes. Follow @OpenEraPod on Twitter! While you're there say hello to @DesaiDevang or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@openera.ca If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store. If you enjoyed today's show, please rate Open Era 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode we have a debate between Kate Raworth, Bob Costanza and Eric Gòmez-Baggethun on Monetary Valuation of Nature: pragmatic conservation or unhelpful commodification?This is an edited version of a debate that took place at the Oxford Martin School in February 2023. You can find the fill video of it here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7wSuAuKyQ&ab_channel=OxfordBiodiversityNetwork    Notes:The valuation of nature and ecosystem services in monetary units plays a central role in many forms of environmental governance, including in carbon and biodiversity markets and offsetting schemes which are increasingly under scrutiny. The idea of using monetary units to value nature has precipitated significant debate, with proponents contending that it represents a pragmatic and realist approach to accounting for the environment in decision-making processes, unlocking substantial funding for conservation, while others argue that it can lead to a commodification of nature that ultimately proves inequitable and ineffective in addressing environmental challenges. In the spirit of developing a constructive dialogue on the issue, Kate Raworth will moderate a discussion between two ecological economists, Robert Costanza and Erik Gomez-Baggethun, who will explore the debates and tensions associated with using monetary units to value nature and ecosystem services and role such valuations play in contemporary environmental governance.Kate RaworthKate is an economist focused on making economics fit for the 21st century. Her best-selling book Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist has been translated into 20 languages. She is co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab, working with cities, business, communities, governments and educators to turn Doughnut Economics from a radical idea into transformative action. She teaches at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute and is Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.Robert CostanzaRobert (PhD, FASSA, FRSA) is a professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London and an Adjunct Professor at the College of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, an Affiliate Fellow at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont, and a deTao Master of Ecological Economics at the deTao Masters Academy in Shanghai, an Overseas Expert in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and an Ambassador of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll). He is co-founder and past-president of the International Society for Ecological Economics, and founding editor of Ecological Economics. He is founding editor-in-chief of Solutions and editor in chief of The Anthropocene Review. Professor Costanza's transdisciplinary research integrates the study of humans and the rest of nature to address research, policy and management issues at multiple time and space scales, from small watersheds to the global system.His areas of expertise include: ecological economics, ecosystem services, landscape ecology, integrated ecological and socioeconomic modelling, energy and material flow analysis, environmental policy, social traps and addictions, incentive structures and institutions. He is the author or co-author of over 600 scientific papers and 30 books.Erik Gomez-BaggethunErik is a Professor of Environmental Governance at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, a Senior Visiting Researcher at the University of Oxford, and a senior scientific advisor at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. He has taught courses and modules in ecological economics at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and other universities in Europe and Latin America. His research covers diverse topics in ecological econ

“Greed is good.”That idea was famously uttered by a fictional stockbroker named Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas in the 1987 movie “Wall Street.”That line leapt out at Jon Erickson. He was an undergraduate studying economics at Cornell University in the late 1980s and he was coming to believe that the misguided priorities of conventional economics did not lead to prosperity, but to a failed and grossly unequal society and was “a path to planetary ruin.” Erickson is now an ecological economist, and he champions a new kind of economics that fosters a healthy, balanced relationship between people and planet. Ecological economics has been gaining influence both in academia and in environmental and social justice movements.“I think of it as 21st century economics. It's an economics that reflects the realities of living on a full planet,” Erickson said.Jon Erickson makes the case for a new economics in a new book, “The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics.” Erickson is the Blittersdorf professor of sustainability science and policy at the University of Vermont, a faculty member of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and a Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment. Erickson sees the current challenge as “taking power back from the wealthy elite and overturning the idea of a market society, returning back to democratic institutions and systems of trust and community. (It's) about social movement building.”“The challenge now is that it can't be every four years. It's got to be day to day, week to week, month to month. It's got to be overturning the kind of brainwashing that we've all gone through.”

Professor Jon Erickson is an ecological economist and advisor to policymakers including Senator Bernie Sanders. In his new book The Progress Illusion, he criticizes what he calls “the fairytale of economics” and argues we are failing “to design an economy that is socially just and ecologically balanced.” Show host Gene Tunny discusses Prof. Erickson's new book with him in this episode of Economics Explored. Please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at contact@economicsexplored.com or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. About this episode's guest: Jon EricksonJon D. Erickson is the Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy at the University of Vermont, faculty member of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment. His previous co-authored and edited books include Sustainable Wellbeing Futures, The Great Experiment in Conservation, Ecological Economics of Sustainable Watershed Management, Frontiers in Ecological Economic Theory and Application, and Ecological Economics: a Workbook for Problem-Based Learning. He is also Adjunct Professor at the University of Iceland, and has been a Fulbright Scholar in Tanzania, Assistant Professor of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and visiting professor in the Dominican Republic, Norway, Germany, and Slovakia. Outside of the university, he is an Emmy-award winning producer and director of documentary films, co-founder and board member of numerous non-profit organizations, past-President of the US Society for Ecological Economics, and advisor to state and national policymakers. Jon lives in Ferrisburgh, Vermont with his wife Pat, their occasionally visiting sons Louis and Jon, and a menagerie of dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and donkeys.Links relevant to the conversationYou can buy The Progress Illusion and if you listen to the episode Jon will reveal a discount code:https://islandpress.org/books/progress-illusionCreditsThanks to Josh Crotts for mixing the episode and to the show's sponsor, Gene's consultancy business www.adepteconomics.com.au. Please consider signing up to receive our email updates and to access our e-book Top Ten Insights from Economics at www.economicsexplored.com. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.

In early November, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale.The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments within the United Nations agreements. Herein the ATP adopted the framework which committed to two specific targets. Achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. Realistically how achievable are these goals that are set out by the ATP? Can tennis continue to operate in its current globalised format against the backdrop of natural disasters and unfettered consumption? And can growth continue to exist in sports across the board?To help answer those questions this week I was joined by Sam Bliss, a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for the Environment at the University of Vermont.Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openeraFollow @OpenEra on Twitter! While you're there say hello to @DesaiDevang and Simon, who finally joined @SimonBushell2If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store: http://bit.ly/merchera Or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@openera.ca If you enjoyed today's show, please rate Open Era 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.

In early November, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale.The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments within the United Nations agreements. Herein the ATP adopted the framework which committed to two specific targets. Achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. Realistically how achievable are these goals that are set out by the ATP? Can tennis continue to operate in its current globalised format against the backdrop of natural disasters and unfettered consumption? And can growth continue to exist in sports across the board?To help answer those questions this week I was joined by Sam Bliss, a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for the Environment at the University of Vermont.Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openeraFollow @OpenEra on Twitter! While you're there say hello to @DesaiDevang and Simon, who finally joined @SimonBushell2If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store: http://bit.ly/merchera Or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@openera.ca If you enjoyed today's show, please rate Open Era 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.

Growing variability in the natural environment is anticipated to increase the burden of infectious diseases, including diarrheal diseases, worldwide. The implications of this complex web of factors contributing to diarrheal disease are particularly concerning for the highest-risk populations, such as those living in refugee camps. As climate change and deforestation threaten to disrupt ecosystems globally, and as the burden of refugees continues to grow, a better and more comprehensive understanding of the association between the environment and diarrheal disease in complex humanitarian crises is necessary. This talk will give an overview of the nexus dynamics surrounding human health at the intersection of the environment and complex humanitarian crises with a particular focus on Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Kelsey Gleason is an Assistant Professor in the Larner College of Medicine, though will be transitioning to a new role as an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences in the fall. Her work focuses on the intersection of human health and the environment in complex humanitarian settings. An environmental epidemiologist by training, much of Kelsey's work has focused on disaster risk reduction efforts, particularly related to climate change, in low- and middle-income countries. She has conducted research all over the world, though her travel has slowed down a bit due to the pandemic and two pandemic babies who have kept me closer to their home in Moretown, Vermont. Gleason spoke at UVM on April 29th, 2022. Read more about Gleason: https://www.uvm.edu/publichealth/faculty/kelsey-gleason/ Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

Elizabeth Palchak leads the Office of Sustainability, connecting academics, research, operations, and engagement to amplify UVM's impact and contributions to sustainable solutions. Elizabeth earned her BA from The College of Wooster and her Ph.D. from the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources, with a focus on social science and the clean energy transition. Prior to her work in the Office of Sustainability, Elizabeth was a Senior Energy Consultant with VEIC, a sustainable energy company based in Vermont. At VEIC, she worked on sustainable energy projects throughout the country for municipalities, utilities, and universities, highlighting the human perspective in program and policy development. She is an active contributor to the Energy Equity Project, a national effort to address energy justice. Palchak spoke at UVM on April 22nd, 2022. Read more about Elizabeth: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/elizabeth-palchak Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

What value can the study of classical literature, history, and philosophy contribute to the modern world's ecological and economic challenges? Are older ways of thinking and living worth our time to consider, or reconsider? Are they viable modes of engagement with the world today? Mark thinks so, and his talk – a /précis/ of my latest book – aims to explain how and why. Mark Usher is a Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Geosciences, The Environmental Program, and the Food Systems Graduate Program. In addition to his day job at UVM, Usher and his wife built and operate Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, where they raise sheep, and Scottish Highland cattle, manage a sugarbush and dote on two lovely donkeys. Usher spoke at UVM on April 15th, 2022. Read more about Mark: https://www.uvm.edu/cas/geography/profiles/m-d-usher Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

In this talk, Jennifer Lai will discuss how the Social Construction of Nature complicates the discourse surrounding environmental factors in type 2 diabetes science. When discussed in relation to type 2 diabetes, health scholars and practitioners describe environmental factors as factors that are “not genetic” or as elements of a “kitchen sink,” i.e., myriad social and material infrastructures that prevent access to nearly all aspects of healthy living. Jennifer draws from feminist science and decolonial studies to argue that while our definitions of environmental factors matter, the impact of such definitions on the actual prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes should be further scrutinized. While scholars develop the concept of environmental factors in order to advance medical discourse, who is responsible for the amelioration of environmental factors is far less clear. Jennifer Lai is the Andrew Harris Fellow in the Department of Sociology, Health and Society Program, and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Program at the University of Vermont. Drawing from feminist science and decolonial studies, she investigates how knowledge is produced on “the environment” within type 2 diabetes science. Jennifer received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Michigan State University in 2021 and currently teaches courses on intersectional health and the American healthcare system. Lai spoke at UVM on March 25th, 2022. Read more about Jennifer: https://www.uvm.edu/news/cas/new-sociology-faculty-member-focuses-social-justice Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

The Vermont Climate Assessment (VCA) examines current trends and impacts of climate change within our state. This talk will highlight VCA findings on the effects of global change on Vermont's people, economy, and environment. VCA thoroughly examines the effects of climate change in Vermont and is a key input into climate planning actions. Gillian L. Galford is a Research Associate Professor in the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources and a Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. She serves as Coordinator of the Geospatial Technologies program. As an ecosystem ecologist and earth system scientist, Gillian studies land-cover and land-use change and its impacts, particularly on greenhouse gas emissions and the water cycle. She works across scales, from plot level studies on farms to regional analyses through remote sensing and ecosystems modeling. In Vermont, her work focuses on resilience in the face of climate change and variability. Gillian leads the Vermont Climate Assessment and collaborates with state and national-level sustained assessments. She holds a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences and a Ph.D. from Brown University. Gillian spoke at UVM on March 18th, 2022. Read more about Gillian: https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/profiles/gillian_galford Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

Listen in as Gus Speth speaks about insights from his book, _They Knew_. As early as the Carter Administration, in which Speth served, experts in and out of government argued for climate action, urgings well-covered in the media at the time. Six administrations followed, with next to nothing being done to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and much being done to sustain them. There are lessons to be learned for the future, especially one big lesson. Gus Speth: In 2009, he completed his decade-long tenure as Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.  From 1993 to 1999, Gus Speth was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the U.N. Development Group.  Prior to his service at the U.N., he was founder and president of the World Resources Institute; professor of law at Georgetown University; chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (Carter Administration); and senior attorney and cofounder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Among his awards are the National Wildlife Federation's Resources Defense Award, the Natural Resources Council of America's Barbara Swain Award of Honor, a 1997 Special Recognition Award from the Society for International Development, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Environmental Law Institute and the League of Conservation Voters, the Blue Planet Prize, the Thomas Berry Great Work Award of the Environmental Consortium of Colleges and Universities, and the Thomas Berry Award of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. Speth spoke with UVM on January 28th, 2022. Read more about Gus: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/gus-speth Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

In 2017 a small group of Vermont organic farmers met to decide the next steps after years of failed attempts to reform the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP).  The very foundations of organic were threatened as industry joined and then overwhelmed the NOP. Deciding that it couldn't go on, the farmers began the Real Organic Project. This quickly became a national movement that attracted many of the pioneers of the American organic movement.  Dave will describe the failures that drove the farmers to this action and what progress has been made. Currently, there are over 850 farms across the country certified by the Real Organic Project, which is recognized internationally as the authentic voice of the organic movement in the US. Dave Chapman is a lifelong organic farmer. He runs Long Wind Farm in East Thetford, Vermont. He is a co-founder of the Vermont Organic Farmers and was among those initially certified by the USDA's National Organic Program. He is co-founder, co-director, and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project. He serves on the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. He has worked for years as an advocate for reform of the USDA. He has helped to organize 17 rallies across the country to protect organic. Now he works to bring together the organic movement and regain the lost integrity of the organic brand. He has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR's Morning Edition, The New Yorker, BBC World, and many other media outlets. Dave has interviewed many farmers, authors, chefs, activists, politicians, journalists, scientists, and eaters for the Real Organic Podcast. Excerpts of these interviews have appeared in the Real Organic Symposia. Chapman spoke with UVM on February 18th, 2022. Read more about Dave: https://www.realorganicproject.org/board-members/executive-board/executive-board-dave-chapman/ The Real Organic Project: https://www.realorganicproject.org/ The Real Organic Podcast: https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-podcast/ The Real Organic Symposium: https://www.realorganicsymposium.org/ Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

Compost is a controlled aerobic biological process that follows a trajectory of ecological succession and offers ecosystem services beyond fertility and carbon sequestration. As a living entity, compost is a substrate to disseminate consortia of microbes to soil that can promote plant growth by tipping the balance between pathogens and natural antagonists. Not all composts are created equal. Both recipe and compost process are manageable factors that affect the community ecology and can make the difference between reducing or exacerbating disease. Development of consistent products with disease suppressive properties demands a better understanding of ecology and mechanisms, so we get the right players and mechanisms. With a better understanding, we can learn the pivotal points where compost can be managed to enhance disease suppressiveness. Deborah (“Deb”) Neher, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont. She is a soil ecologist, and her recent research focuses on biological communities in compost and their role in disease suppression by natural mechanisms. Dr. Neher has 30+ years of experience as a researcher, educator, and graduate student mentor. She has published more than 95 peer-reviewed articles and 24 book chapters on biological indicators of soil, ecotoxicology, and biotechnology risk assessment, climate change and soil biological crusts, and plant pathology and sustainable agriculture. Prior to the University of Vermont, she held faculty positions at the University of Toledo and North Carolina State University. Deb spoke with UVM on February 4th, 2022. Read more about Deb: https://www.uvm.edu/cals/pss/profiles/professor-deborah-neher Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

During this presentation, Dr. Zent will offer an overview of several learning experiences acquired over 20 years of conducting research in the Amazon region. The challenges of articulating scientific and Indigenous peoples' epistemologies and ontologies have proven to be a complex and winding journey, filled with many trials and errors, but also insights and privileges. This trek between different worlds of understanding and being on the earth has allowed us to present a synthesis of teachings which, though not definitive in any sense, may have the potential to contribute to the development of more integrated (and hopefully effective) biocultural conservation strategies. Eglee Zent is a current MacMillan Visiting Scholar at the Gund Institute at UVM. She is a Venezuelan scholar with expertise in Indigenous knowledge and biological and cultural conservation. Her eclectic academic background includes anthropology, conservation biology, botany, and art. Since 2000, she has worked at the Human Ecology Lab at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research. Her lab has conducted applied and theoretical research in two tropical ecological systems in Venezuela: the páramos of the high Andes among the Parameros, and lowland Amazonia among the Jotï, an Amerindian group. These projects are collaborative and participative and have been carried out emphasizing the collective construction of knowledge and the needs of the people involved like their human, health, and territorial rights. Zent's work is transdisciplinary, with diverse epistemologies, drawing in material and ideological, quantitative and qualitative aspects. Her academic interests could be labelled as human ecology or ethnoecology/ethnobiology. An author of over 70 published texts, Zent is committed to the care and love of the Earth, human and non-human processes and dynamics. Zent spoke at UVM on Oct. 1st, 2021. Read more about Eglee: https://globalenvironments.org/profile/eglee-zent/ Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Although agroecosystems now dominate the terrestrial world, we have a limited understanding of how their origin and culture shape agrobiodiversity and its functioning. By studying these processes in Mexico, a major center of crop origin, we have been focused on understanding how people shape agrobiodiversity and the implications for sustainable agriculture. Since seed systems structure how people acquire seeds, changes in social context influence evolutionary processes within agroecosystems. Since the middle of the 20th century, major changes have occurred that have effectively limited farmer selection for locally-adapted crops. We propose that smallholder farmers play a central but underappreciated role in the management of eco-evolutionary processes in agroecosystems, which form the basis for sustainable agriculture under changing climates. Yolanda grew up in Illinois and New Jersey, where she developed a concern about human impacts on the natural world. As an undergraduate student, she majored in Natural Resource Management at Cook College, which was the Agricultural and Environmental School of Rutgers University. She helped start the two-acre Cook College Student Organic Farm, where she co-managed a group of student volunteers. After realizing that she was particularly interested in agroecology and insect-plant interactions, she did a Ph. D. in insect ecology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. After her Ph. D., she switched fields and did a postdoc in population genetics. In order to understand the role of science in sustainable development, she ran a research lab studying host plant resistance at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines for four years. She returned to the US to start a position at the University of Vermont, where she has held the position of Associate Professor since 2015. Chen spoke at UVM on December 3rd, 2021. Read more about Yolanda: https://www.uvm.edu/cals/pss/profiles/associate-professor-yolanda-fanslow-chen Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Speakers: Eric Bishop-von Wettberg (he/him), Travis Reynolds (he/him), and Dan Tobin (he/him) We are launching the Consortium on Crop Genetic Heritage, a group of researchers and practitioners who view the maintenance and promotion of crop diversity as critical to building resilient agricultural systems positioned to address climate change, increase access to culturally meaningful crops, and promote empowerment and self-determination. Through our work, we conduct basic and applied research, collaborate with domestic and international partners, build networks and capacity, facilitate convenings, offer training, train students, and publish report and peer-reviewed publications. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, participatory processes, community engagement, and action-oriented scholarship based on the principle that crop diversity must be viewed and supported as a public good. Our partners include non-profit organizations, farmer collectives, BIPOC communities, smallholder farmers, international research institutions, and seed libraries, among others. Eric Eric von Wettberg is a Gund fellow, an associate professor of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont, director of UVM's Graduate Program in Food Systems, and a member of UVM's Consortium for Crop Genetic Heritage. As a conservation geneticist working to preserve the genetic diversity of legume crops, his research uses a combination of laboratory, greenhouse, and field approaches. Working in the legacy of the great crop geneticist, Nikolai Vavilov, many of Eric's recent projects have supported international crop genebanks by exploring and adding to the genetic diversity held in their collections. Travis Travis Reynolds is a Gund fellow and an assistant professor in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont. Dr. Reynolds' has studied the relationships between farm management, economic development, and ecosystem services – with an emphasis on poverty alleviation – for the past ten years. His work has been published in top interdisciplinary and agricultural development journals including World Development, Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Agricultural Economics, and Food Security. Dan Daniel Tobin is a rural sociologist who is an assistant professor in Community Development and Applied Economics, a Gund Fellow, and graduate faculty in Food Systems. His research focuses on how small- and medium-scale farmers respond to external influences like market forces, policy mechanisms, and environmental changes. Particular interests include sociology of agriculture, development sociology, the political economy of agricultural development, crop diversity conservation, and seed systems. Eric, Travis, and Dan spoke at UVM on December 10th, 2021. Read more about their work: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/calsfac/190 Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Allegra Spender, currently running as an independent candidate for the Senate seat of Wentworth in Sydney's east, is daughter to Italian immigrant parents - her father a barrister, politician and diplomat, her mother a renowned Australian fashion designer, the late Carla Zampatti.Allegra was Head Girl at Ascham School graduating with a HR score of 99.95 and went on to study Economics at the University of Cambridge in England. Her first job out of uni was as a consultant with McKinsey which she reflects was a great place to learn the trade of consulting and to think about business strategically, but Allegra wanted to use these tools for good and apply them to the social sector. Her ambition saw her work for the UK Treasury, in Kenya for a not-for-profit and as part of a huge teaching hospital.Upon returning to Australia in 2007, “the time was right” and Allegra was named Managing Director of Carla Zampatti, where she was able to apply her learned skills to this point back into the family business. Allegra successfully ran the business for 8 years, through the GFC and through it's transformation to online. While Allegra stepped down as MD 5 years ago, she remains on the board of Carla Zampatti - one of Australia's most successful fashion brands and the only Australian, family-led business that is transforming from one generation to another.Before her move into politics, Allegra was Chair of Sydney Renewable Power Company - an impact investment company that put 500kW of solar power on the roof of the Sydney Convention Centre - and the CEO of Australian Business Community Network which works with 47 leading businesses including Microsoft, Lend Lease and Optus, partnering them with approximately 200 low socio-economic schools matching student to real world mentors educating them on what's possible and within their grasp.Allegra is deeply passionate about business, education, community and the environment - “a better climate for Wentworth” is her key policy. She's an advocate for the tech and startup ecosystem, is a member of YPO and sees a strong tie and limitless opportunities between climate and tech - hoping to see Australia standing at the forefront of technology around climate.She is open, honest and transparent. Tune in to hear more!Quickfire RoundBook: Prepared: What Kids Need For A Fulfilled Life by Dianne TavennerPodcast: Harvard Business Review Podcast (HBR), Gund Institute, The Brookings Cafeteria, Education BookcastNews Source: Need to read things whether you agree with them or not, all online papers, The EconomistApp: Smiling MindsTech CEO: Scott Farquhar, AtlassianProductivity Tool: Trello, TeamsTV Show: The GameTed Talk: How business could be used in education to help kids to be ready for the world of work - make learning real.Connect with Allegra SpenderWebsite - https://www.allegraspender.com.au/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allegra-spenderTwitter - https://twitter.com/spenderallegra

Interest in payments for ecosystem services (PES) has exploded over the past two decades around the globe, from China and Australia to Peru and Vermont. The lecture explores the ascent of PES, where it has worked, where it hasn't worked, and what we should expect going forward. James Salzman is one of the world's leading authorities on PES and has worked with governments worldwide to design their programs. James (Jim) Salzman is the Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law with joint appointments at the UCLA School of Law and the Bren School of the Environment at UC Santa Barbara. An international expert on environmental policy, he frequently appears as a media commentator and has lectured on every continent. In a dozen books and more than 100 articles and book chapters, his broad-ranging scholarship has addressed topics ranging from water to wildlife, from climate change to creating markets for ecosystems. There have been over 100,000 downloads of his articles. Read Salzman's full bio: https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/james-salzman Salzman spoke at UVM's Farrell Hall on November 5th, 2021. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events

What is changing, and what needs to change as sciences grapple with the increasing urgency of the moment?  Tewksbury will provide individual, institutional, and international perspectives on these questions, taken from the last 15 years of working around the world to support science organizations – universities, NGOs, funders, networks, and research institutes – to increase their reach, relevance, and impact on the major sustainability challenges we face today.  The talk will explore notions of strategic science, engaged science, and science in service, as well the  importance of both knowing your lane, and taking risks, to push science and action forward. Josh Tewksbury, the Ira Rubinoff Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, has worked in three continents to build more durable connections between research and decision communities. Josh will speak about the urgent need for engaged science, the critical force that science must play in the next 20 years, the importance of international science collaborations, and the connections between biodiversity, climate, and development. Read Josh's full bio: https://futureearth.org/contacts/josh-tewksbury/ Tewksbury spoke with the Gund Institute over Zoom on November 12th, 2021. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events

Cheryl Pinto, Global Head of Values Led Sourcing for Ben & Jerry's, sits down with Alissa White, Gund Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Regenerative Agriculture, for an open conversation on a variety of topics spanning the opportunities and challenges of driving positive social impact while working with farmers at origin, all the way through the value chain to bakers and candy-makers. This fire-side chat conversation incorporates engagement and questions from the audience. Pinto spoke at UVM's Farrell Hall on October 29th, 2021. Read more about Cheryl Pinto: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/cheryl-pinto Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Cheryl Morse reports on findings from a study titled “Who are the New Vermonters?” The research emerged from conversations with rural geographers across the Global North who began to see new in-migration streams to the countryside at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This moment of new in-migration to Vermont, and other rural places, provides us an opportunity to learn what newcomers expect of rural places, and therefore to anticipate their impacts on social, cultural, and physical landscapes. Initial findings suggest Vermont may be experiencing a first wave of migration motivated by multiple forms of environmental displacement, and lessons we are learning now could inform efforts to prepare for future newcomers. Cheryl Morse is Associate Professor of Geography, co-director of the Environmental Program, a Gund Institute affiliate, and a Food Systems Graduate Faculty member at the University of Vermont. She is a rural geographer who researches human-environment interactions. Broadly, her work is concerned with how people perceive, co-produce and experience rural places. Away from UVM, she spends as much time as possible outside at home in Underhill, Vermont, serves on the board of the Vermont Land Trust, and is involved with youth lacrosse. Read Morse's full bio: https://www.uvm.edu/cas/geography/profiles/cheryl-morse Morse spoke at UVM's Farrell Hall on October 15th, 2021. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Molly Brown is a NASA scientist and Gund affiliate from the University of Maryland. She speaks on “Better Scientist-Stakeholder Relationships for Greater Research Impact” at the University of Vermont. Brown explains how NASA uses quantitative data to measure the effectiveness of various research programs. The talk emphasizes using quantitative data over qualitative data to determine program funding. Brown spoke at UVM's Farrell Hall on September 24th, 2021. Read more about Molly: https://geog.umd.edu/facultyprofile/brown/molly Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​​​​

Rock Beckford, UVM's Extension leader, speaks on “The History and Future of The Land Grant University” at the Gund Institute. Beckford outlines how UVM research and extension programs affect Vermont farmers, decision-makers, and communities. Read more about Roy: https://www.uvm.edu/news/story/fitzroy-beckford-named-director-uvm-extension Beckford spoke at UVM's Farrell Hall on September 17th, 2021. The hybrid event kicked off the first in-person GundxChange for the Fall 2021 semester. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events ​

Our economy is frequently defined as one of unpaid costs.  (Think: Garret Hardin and the tragedy of the commons.)  Nature or natural resources are considered either inexhaustible and/or the byproducts of their use, such as polluted air and degraded water quality, are externalized costs borne by society, i.e., no one.   Our economic model perfectly well explains the climate crisis.  Treating our atmosphere and our oceans as open sewers has resulted in both global warming and helps to explain the planet's ongoing and accelerating biological annihilation, or the sixth mass extinction.  The field of ecological economics attempts to, in two words, internalize externalities.   During this 30-minute interview Professor Costanza begins by briefly describing the field of ecological economics.   The interview progresses to his discussion of the valuing nature, here costal wetlands, he explains common asset trusts, the development of more rational measures of economic development (beyond GDP) such as the Genuine Progress Indicator and of course provides comment regarding the climate crisis (including the use of motivational interviewing in defining climate goals).   Robert Costanza is Professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) at University College London (UCL).  He is also currently a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Stockholm, Sweden, and Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, an Affiliate Fellow at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont, and a deTao Master of Ecological Economics at the deTao Masters Academy in Shanghai, China.   Previously, he taught at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.  He has also taught at Portland State University, was Gund Professor of Ecological Economics and Director  of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont, prior still he was Director of the University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics and Professor at the University of Maryland's Center for Estuarine and Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Lab.  Professor Costanza is a Fellow in the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in the UK, and is an Overseas Expert in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).  He is co-founder and past-president of the International Society for Ecological Economics and was founding chief editor of the society's journal Ecological Economics. He currently serves on the editorial board of ten other international academic journals.  He is also founding co-editor in chief of Solutions a unique hybrid academic/popular journal and editor in chief of the Anthropocene Review.   He currently serves on the editorial board of eight other international academic journals and is past president of the Intl. Society for Ecosystem Health.  He is a Senior Fellow of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, a Senior Fellow of the National Council for Science and the Environment and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Lincoln University in New Zealand.Professor Costanza's UCL webpage is at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/news/2021/oct/spotlight-professor-robert-costanza. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

In early November, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale.The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments within the United Nations agreements. Herein the ATP adopted the framework which committed to two specific targets. Achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. Realistically how achievable are these goals that are set out by the ATP? Can tennis continue to operate in its current globalised format against the backdrop of natural disasters and unfettered consumption? And can growth continue to exist in sports across the board?To help answer those questions this week I was joined by Sam Bliss, a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for the Environment at the University of Vermont.Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openeraFollow @OpenEra on Twitter! While you're there say hello to @DesaiDevang and Simon, who finally joined @SimonBushell2If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store: http://bit.ly/merchera Or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@openera.ca If you enjoyed today's show, please rate Open Era 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.

In early November, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale.The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments within the United Nations agreements. Herein the ATP adopted the framework which committed to two specific targets. Achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. Realistically how achievable are these goals that are set out by the ATP? Can tennis continue to operate in its current globalised format against the backdrop of natural disasters and unfettered consumption? And can growth continue to exist in sports across the board?To help answer those questions this week I was joined by Sam Bliss, a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for the Environment at the University of Vermont.Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openeraFollow @OpenEra on Twitter! While you're there say hello to @DesaiDevang and Simon, who finally joined @SimonBushell2If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store: http://bit.ly/merchera Or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@openera.ca If you enjoyed today's show, please rate Open Era 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode we speak with Jason Mazurowski about Vermont's pollinator populations and how riparian forests can support them. Jason is an ecologist and naturalist specializing in native pollinator conservation. He teaches courses in field ecology and native pollinators as an adjunct instructor at UVM, and has recently been working on the concept of bee-friendly solar power. He has also been involved in a 10-year bee monitoring study in the Intervale with UVM's Gund Institute for Environment and Audubon Vermont. We discuss the state of pollinators in Vermont, how and why riparian forests are important to pollinators, the use of herbicides for riparian forest restoration, and more.

Climate change has made Vermont significantly warmer and wetter over the last century, faster than regional scientists previously expected, especially during the winters. That's according to the second Vermont Climate Assessment, released Tuesday by researchers at the Gund Institute and The Nature Conservancy.

Sometimes, when researchers ask what seems to be a simple question, they get a lot of different answers. When they look closer, they see that their simple question may be made up of many questions, and how you ask them depends on how-and who- you measure. To make things more complicated, who's asking the question- and who's answering- can matter a lot. This becomes a huge problem when researchers use ‘easy' samples for their work. Today on How Do You Know, we're talking to Dr. Leon Walls, an associate professor in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. He sits on the board of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and his research, focusing on equity in science, has been funded by the Gund Institute and the National Science Foundation. This podcast is produced with the generous support of the Mozilla Foundation and the National Science Foundation, and with input from community members from Mozilla, the Environmental Data Science Inclusion Network, and our colleagues and students at Kent State University. A special shout out to Kristen Dowling and Emily Loccisano for managing our digital presence and branding. Music featured in this episode is Lifeforce 9 by Mr. ruiZ, and obtained from freemusicarchive.org under a CC-BY-NC license. This podcast and its accompanying materials licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license- please share, like and use our stuff! Transcript is available here. 

Learning from personal mistakes and mistakes of others to create new cultures and systems, moving from theory to practice in the world of community development. Exploring the intersections of applying nature's natural systems to issues that affect oppressed African American communities in DC. In this talk, Xavier Brown highlights and analyzes three initiatives: Soilful, SouthEats & Black Dirt Farm Collective and discusses how these practices are used in different ways. Xavier Brown is a member of the Black Dirt Farm Collective, Founder of Soilful and Co-founder of SouthEats. Alumni of RobertWood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders and Alumni of the UVM Masters in Leadership for Sustainability Program. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​​​​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​​​​

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a leader in integrating biodiversity conservation with global development priorities such as improving health, strengthening food security, promoting inclusive economic growth, and mitigating and adapting to climate change. In this presentation, Anila Jacob discusses her experiences working with USAID on activities that integrate biodiversity conservation with development sectors such as food security, global health, and climate change adaptation. In particular, Anila highlights how USAID activities like Measuring Impact (MI), Biodiversity Results and Integrated Development Gains Enhanced (BRIDGE) and Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) support the operationalization of biodiversity conservation integration including strategic and technical approaches, challenges to integration, and successes. Anila Jacob is the Food Security and Global Health Specialist for USAID's Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) activity, which supports the implementation of the Agency's Environmental and Natural Resource Framework and promotes biodiversity conservation integration in USAID programming. Anila has worked with USAID for the last decade where her focus has been on conducting research on linkages between biodiversity conservation and human well-being. She is also a practicing internal medicine physician with a MD from Penn State. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​​​​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​​​​

The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) leads equity-centered, transformative community-driven climate solutions and sustainability projects in the US, India, China, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. As the first African-American woman to lead a US-based international climate organization, president and CEO Deeohn Ferris is changing the landscape in a white male-led field. In this GundxChange talk, Ferris discusses equitable environmental, economic, social and health solutions in response to climate change driven natural disasters disproportionately affecting the prosperity and resiliency of low income and communities of color. To learn what's possible, visit www.sustain.org. Deeohn Ferris, President at ISC, is an environmental lawyer, racial and social justice practitioner, and systems change thought leader. She began her career at US EPA and became the first Director of Special Litigation in the enforcement office. As CEO of the Sustainable Community Development Group, she promoted equity, health, land use, and community resiliency best practices. Prior to ISC, Deeohn was the VP for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the National Audubon Society, where she prompted organizational changes to broaden opportunities for people of color, women, youth, people with different abilities and of different cultures. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​​​​​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​​​​

In this talk, Dr. Mads Almassalkhi presents an overview of how power engineering and energy systems modeling and optimization can play key roles to support large-scale integration of renewable generation to enable a clean energy future and mitigate climate change. According to the United Nations, numerous scientific reports, and the majority of Americans, climate change is a global challenge that should be prioritized. One major path forward to mitigate climate change is to install lots of new renewable generation: wind turbines and solar PV arrays. However, as seen in Hawaii, California, and Vermont, having lots of renewables and can impact reliability of the electric grid. In fact, the grid must become more flexible and efficient to absorb the windy and sunny days and more responsive to unexpected events. Mads Almassalkhi is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering (EBE) at the University of Vermont, director of Vermont's new center for sustainable, resilient, and autonomous systems (VECTORS), and co-founder of tech startup Packetized Energy. His research interests lie at the intersection of power systems, mathematical optimization, and controls and focus on improving responsiveness, efficiency, and resilience of power and energy systems. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of society and the environment. Seafood and fisheries are potentially particularly vulnerable to such a shock event given the highly globalized trade of seafood, the seasonal nature of many fisheries, and their dependence on restaurant sales. In addition, data on production, trade, and demand for seafood is often only released many months after when they might be useful to manage an emerging event. In this talk, Gund Fellow Easton White combines novel data sources with more classic indicators to present a holistic picture across the entire seafood production pipeline. Dr. Easton White is a quantitative marine ecologist working to solve problems in ecology, conservation, sustainability, and ecosystem management. His current projects include designing protected area networks, building tools to optimize species monitoring, studying the impacts of COVID-19 on seafood and fisheries, and modeling coupled socio-ecological systems. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​​​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​​​ Watch other GundxChange talks: https://go.uvm.edu/8yk02​

In this talk, food systems researcher Dr. Teresa Mares explores the idea of social sustainability as she highlights the contributions of farm and food workers in building more sustainable food systems, both locally and nationally. Teresa Mares is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Vermont and Associate Director for the Food Systems Graduate Program. Her research has focused primarily on issues of food access amongst immigrant communities in the United States. She is the author of Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont (UC Press: 2019). She is currently developing a new ethnographic project examining the production and consumption of hemp and hemp-derived projects. In her talk, Dr. Mares revisits the work of feminist food scholars Patricia Allen and Carolyn Sachs, who called our attention to the social dimensions of sustainability. Thirty years later, a three-pillar understanding of sustainability is now the norm, and yet, the rights and needs of food and farmworkers continue to be denied and dismissed. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​ Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events

There is growing scientific consensus that substantial changes to consumption behaviors are needed to reduce the global burden of disease and achieve more sustainable food systems. These changes include, but are not limited to, shifting towards dietary patterns that emphasize plant-based foods and limit animal-source proteins, and reducing food waste. In this talk, Dr. Emily Belarmino discusses individual food-related pro-environmental behaviors and the context in which people engage in these behaviors. She will introduce research projects examining food-related pro-environmental behaviors among US consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic and consumers' and health professionals' knowledge and beliefs related to dairy and plant-based sources of protein. Gund Affiliate Dr. Emily Belarmino is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences and faculty in UVM's Food Systems program. Her research program in public health nutrition explores two primary areas related to sustainable food systems: (1) sustainable dietary patterns and (2) food and nutrition security among at-risk populations. She has a PhD in public health and policy and postdoctoral training in community nutrition. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund​ Explore Gund Events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events​

John and Nancy Todd and a group of scientist friends established the New Alchemy Institute on a twelve-acre site in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Greg Watson joined the staff in 1980. He was inspired to apply New Alchemy's strategies and solutions to urban areas. He and John Todd have remained life-long friends making it a point to lunch together each week whenever possible.New Alchemy influenced a generation who “moved back to the land” with the vision of living more sustainably. Organic gardening, aquaculture, bioshelters, plant-filtered waste-water treatment, compost toilets, renewable energy systems were all modeled, and the designs shared, by New Alchemy. Fritz Schumacher and Buckminster Fuller were among those who made pilgrimages to witness and support the work done there.Both Todd and Watson moved on to other projects, but the principles and systems thinking described in New Alchemy's mission statement continue to direct their work as it evolves to solve emerging problems of the day.Greg Watson is Director of Policy and Systems Design at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics. His work currently focuses on community food systems and the dynamics between local and geo-economic systems.Watson has spent nearly 40 years learning to understand systems thinking as inspired by Buckminster Fuller and to apply that understanding to achieve a just and sustainable world.John Todd has been a pioneer in the field of ecological design and engineering for nearly five decades. He is the founder and president of John Todd Ecological Design. Dr. Todd has degrees in agriculture, parasitology and tropical medicine from McGill University, Montreal, and a doctorate in fisheries and ethology from the University of Michigan. He is professor emeritus and distinguished lecturer at University of Vermont's Rubenstein School and a fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. He is also the founder and president of Ocean Arks International, a non-profit research and education organization; and co-founder of New Alchemy Institute, a research center that has done pioneering investigation into organic agriculture, aquaculture and bioshelters. He has been an assistant scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and assistant professor at San Diego State University.

Bryne Hadnott has quite the resume...currently Image Processing Engineer for BlackSky; Past graduate student researcher at NASA JPL; Masters degree in Planetary Science at Johns Hopkins; Worked on doctorate at Cornell then Johns Hopkins; Research Assistant at the Gund Institute of Ecological Economics; and Undergraduate degree in Planetary Science at Washington University in St. Louis. On the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan, Bryne discusses what it's like postgrad and working in the space industry. Jason asks: As far as I know there isn’t a career path laid out for scientists who want to work in the space field...from what I’ve seen you have to make it up as you go. What have you experienced and learned in the process of figuring this out for your own career? What were you doing in the summer of 2012 at Caltech as a research fellow, looking at Mars-analogue rocks? What did you learn from that experience? You’ve been at BlackSky for awhile now...without getting into anything covered by security or compliance issues, what has that been like? What has your role been focused on? Thinking around data science, which I think is a tool you use, have you evolved your process or checklist on deciding on your investigative approach? We have a lot of graduate students following this show...do you have any advice or ideas for them concerning the question of whether to go forward towards achieving a doctorate or not? What focus do you have for your future work in the space field? Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

Climate change is increasing the challenge, and urgency, of finding agricultural management solutions to address water quality concerns and improve resiliency on farms in Vermont. Innovative solutions in how we manage soil, water, and nutrients hold much potential for improved outcomes, but we do not fully understand the effects of conservation practices and their tradeoffs. Gund Affiliate Joshua Faulkner is a Research Assistant Professor and coordinates the Farming and Climate Change Program in UVM Extension's Center for Sustainable Agriculture. He does applied research and outreach on soil, water, and nutrient related issues across the state and region, and works with farmers on practices and innovative solutions to improve management of these resources and enhance farm resilience to climate change. He has a BS from Virginia Tech and an MS and PhD from Cornell University. He grew up on a beef farm, and currently has a small pastured pork farm business. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events

The climate crisis is a crisis of leadership. For too long, too many leaders have prioritized corporate profits over the public good, exacerbating climate vulnerabilities while reinforcing economic and racial injustice. But leaders who are connecting climate and energy with job creation and economic justice, health and nutrition, housing and transportation, are advancing exciting transformative change. These bold, diverse leaders are resisting the "polluter elite" to restructure society by catalyzing a shift to a just, sustainable, regenerative, and healthy future. Jennie C. Stephens, a Gund Affiliate, is Director of Northeastern University's School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs, Dean's Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy, and Director for Strategic Research Collaborations at the Global Resilience Institute. She is an internationally-recognized expert on renewable transformation, energy justice, climate resilience, and gender in energy innovation with two decades of experience linking environmental science and technology with policy and social change. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/events

This is the audio from our most recent guest on the webinar. She often refers to visuals, so to see the webinar in its fullest, see the attached link!https://youtu.be/AdYG2NcaH0oAcross the various regions where frankincense grows, there are different cultural beliefs about the cultivation of trees. In this webinar, we will examine the culture, science, and successes of propagation in Oman, as well as smallholder projects in Puntland and Somaliland. The challenges, where propagation has proven more difficult, will also be discussed.A general introduction to the different methods for propagation will be shared as a way to encourage communities, landowners, NGOs, scientists, governments, companies, and consumers to support initiatives to grow these precious trees. In this solution-oriented webinar, we will identify what is needed to create thriving nurseries and reforestation projects.ABOUT DECARLO​​​​​Dr. Anjanette DeCarlo is currently Chief Sustainability Scientist at the Aromatic Plant Research Center, where she conducts field research and ecological supply chain analysis on aromatic species. She also directs the Save Frankincense initiative. Dr. DeCarlo received her doctorate in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Vermont and has worked on post-conflict evaluations of natural assets and environmental projects all around the world, some of which include Somaliland, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and China. Previously, Dr. DeCarlo was the Program Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. She also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council and UN UNSO Office in New York City. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of Somaliland Biodiversity Foundation and National Parks Conservation Association. Recently, Dr. DeCarlo’s work on frankincense was highlighted on CNN Inside Africa, the New York Times, and National Geographic.Global Frankincense Alliance (GFA)https://globalfrankincensealliance.com/about-gfa/Save Frankincensehttps://www.savefrankincense.org/https://www.facebook.com/savefrankincense/

Christopher Uggen of Univ of Minnesota on felons disenfranchisement. Paul Adams of Brigham Young Univ on vanishing voices. James Beasley of Univ of Georgia on Chernobyl. Tony McAleer on his book "The Cure for Hate". Joe Roman of the Gund Institute on whaling.

In this presentation, Gund Institute Director of Policy Outreach Stephen Posner describes various pathways available for researchers to engage with and impact policy. He also shares insights from the practice of linking environmental research with policy decisions at multiple scales, from state legislatures, to the Executive Office of the President, to the United Nations. Examples cover a range of topics, including ecosystem services, water security, governmental economic accounts, and what climate change means for the management of ocean resources. In his role at the Gund, Stephen leads programs and develops strategic partnerships to connect Gund research with leaders in government, business, and NGOs - internationally, nationally, and in Vermont. Learn more about the Gund Institute: https://www.uvm.edu/gund

Grant Madsen and Jeremy Pope of Brigham Young Univ on the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Kenneth Dodge, Duke Univ, on helping children succeed early on. Joe Roman of the Gund Institute on whaling. Jill Tietjen and Barbara Bridges, co-authors of “Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies,” on women in film. Keith Herman of Univ of Missouri on stressed teachers.

Dr. Yolanda Chen is a Gund Fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont. Through her research, Yolanda is working to understand the origins of insects as pests in agriculture. To do this, she investigates the origins of agriculture and crop domestication, and how these processes have changed biodiversity and the interactions between crops and insects. She is interested in understanding how insect pests have become so successful, including invasive insect pests like the swede midge that impacts local growers in Vermont. Much of Yolanda’s free time is spent with her family, including driving her 10 year old and 14 year old children to their rock climbing competitions, biathlons, and soccer games. Yolanda also enjoys running and cooking. In particular, she has been having fun trying new recipes and exploring the world through food with a local cookbook discussion group. Yolanda was awarded her B.S. in Natural Resource Management from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at UC, Berkeley as a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fellow. She then worked as an entomologist studying host plant resistance at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines before joining the faculty at the University of Vermont. In our interview Yolanda shares more about her life and science.

Graduate student Emma Spett was surprised not that people in their twenties aren’t interested in having kids, but that they have children in spite of that feeling. She thinks, “It’s not wise to NOT be deliberate about bringing children into this new world.” Her commentary published by Having Kids, Parenting in the Anthropocene, and this conversation on The Overpopulation Podcast, raised important questions like: “Why does everyone need their own genetic offspring to feel fulfilled?” “Is freedom to choose more important than the sustained existence of our ecological and human systems?” It just doesn’t fly anymore to get pregnant and start a family without serious consideration of all the ramifications – for that child, for the family, and for the planet. Those ramifications include the fact that the Earth is buckling today under the pressure of 7.6 billion of us. Emma’s curiosity, sensibilities and articulate way of addressing this issue inspired us to invite her to have this conversation with World Population Balance Executive Director (and host of The Overpopulation Podcast) Dave Gardner. Emma Spett is a graduate student at the University of Vermont in community development and applied economics. She’s also a fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. Links: Parenting in the Anthropocene – Commentary by Emma Spett  "Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene" - article by Roy Scranton in the New York Times  We’re Doomed. Now What? - article by Roy Scranton in the New York Times  Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization By Roy Scranton  'It’s Cool to Choose a Small Family' - Small Family Stickers from GrowthBusters  Sustainable Population Pledge  Gund Institute  World Population Balance 

Have you thought about the impact of mining on deforestation? Yeah, neither had we! So in this week's QUICKIE episode of #ConservationCrossroads we chat with Dr Laura Sonter about whether or not the Amazon Rainforest worth its weight in gold! Dr Laura Sonter is a postdoctoral research fellow/lecturer at the University of Queensland's and previously a postdoctoral research fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont. You can find her paper about the impacts of mining on deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest here -> http://go.nature.com/2zn6um3 To learn more about Laura's work go here: http://www.laurasonter.com/ And for some more related media, go here: http://bit.ly/2EYNqO4 Join the conversation on Twitter by tagging Carla @CarlaWildlife, Rachel @YumMusings or #ConservationCrossroads! Music and Editing: GarageBand. Cover Photo: Blake Alexander Simmons.

Climate change could drastically affect the coffee harvest around the world. A new study written in part by Dr. Taylor Ricketts, director of the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont says that could be the case. Tom Appel, publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive has news on a new all-electric Nissan Leaf all-electric car which is being redesigned for the 2018 model year. He and Robert also have a road test of the hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

John Todd has been a pioneer in the field of ecological design and engineering for nearly five decades. He is the founder and president of John Todd Ecological Design. Dr. Todd has degrees in agriculture, parasitology and tropical medicine from McGill University, Montreal, and a doctorate in fisheries and ethology from the University of Michigan. He is professor emeritus and distinguished lecturer at University of Vermont's Rubenstein School and a fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. He is also the founder and president of Ocean Arks International, a non-profit research and education organization; and co-founder of New Alchemy Institute, a research center that has done pioneering investigation into organic agriculture, aquaculture and bioshelters. He has been an assistant scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and assistant professor at San Diego State University.John Todd delivered “Ecological Design: Reinventing the Future”on October 27, 2001.If you would like a physical copy of this lecture or others like it, visit centerforneweconomics.org/order-pamphlets to purchase pamphlets of published works and transcripts.The Schumacher Center's applied work seeks to implement the principles described by these speakers within the context of the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts. Our work, both educational and applied, is supported by listeners like you. You can strengthen our mission by making a donation at centerforneweconomics.org/donate, or call us at (413) 528-1737 to make an appointment to visit our research library and office at 140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Joe Roman — conservation biologist, author & editor ’n’ chef of EatTheInvaders.org — joins us for the second interview in our informal series on the topic of invasive species. Joe’s research focuses on endangered species conservation and marine ecology, and he is a researcher at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and a Hrdy Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. His website EatTheInvaders.org is dedicated to fighting invasives one bite at a time and is an incredible resource for hunter gatherers who are interested in being apart of the culinary solution to the biological problem of invasives. In this interview, Joe gives us the status report on global species extinction and shares some potential solutions to conserving our earth’s biodiversity through extirpation of invasive species. We discuss the impact individuals (and commercial operations) who hunt and gather can have on extirpating invasives from their non-native range, as well as the role government management plays in this issue. Joe gives us tactical advice for proper harvesting of invasives and for keeping our ecological impact on native biodiversity as low as possible when we’re out foraging. Peppered throughout our conversation are edible invasive species that you can learn more about and start harvesting right now! We cover a lot of ground in this interview, including a fascinating glimpse into the domestication of the ocean. Joe’s outlook — based on years of dedicated research and time spent in the field harvesting & eating invasives — is realistic but also quite hopeful. Tune into this conversation to gain a better understanding of the current landscape of invasives! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Show introduction: Our native North American caffeine plant Hunt + gather updates: lobstering and coastal foraging Chewstick update Q&A: Recommendations on chewstick species in different bioregions Q&A: Thoughts on blood type diets Q&A: Role of horses in ReWilding lifestyle Introducing Joe Roman Joe shares about his work The status report on global species extinction and invasives Conservation of charismatic species vs the less photogenic species Defining invasives A culinary solution to a biological problem Conservation of biodiversity and managing invasives Joe’s invasive species resource: EatTheInvaders.org A forager’s ecological impact Commercial harvest of invasives The domestication of the ocean Predictions on future species extinction Are there invasive species we can eat into extinction or extirpation from their non-native range? Thoughts on de-extinction Joe’s prognosis for the future of the human species

Gund Institute climate experts break down COP21, the historic 2015 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris. Lini Wollenberg and Asim Zia explain what happened, what it means, and what comes next. Lini Wollenberg is from UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
 and CGAIR's Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) program. Asim Zia is from the Dept. of Community Development & Applied Economics. Learn more about UVM's COP21 Team: http://go.uvm.edu/ykgc1

Presented by Marta Ceroni, Fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and Senior Manager of Green Compass, LLC.