Advancing Sustainable Solutions

Given the global sustainability challenges that we face, we need new forms of production and consumption. However, will the sharing economy be a part of the solution? Or, part of the problem? In this month's episode, Sofie and Steven discuss the sharing economy broadly before elaborating on business models in the sharing economy. Speaking critically, they elaborate on aspects of the sharing economy that are more likely to lead to more sustainable consumption. They also interview Nancy Bocken - professor at the IIIEE in sustainable business management - as well as Ida Björling, Oskar Henriksson, Tove Lund, and Petter Olsson - who attended the event 'Sharing Cities' hosted by IIIEE during Lund University Sustainability Week.

Kiruna, a small and industrious mining town in the arctic north of Sweden, is facing a unique challenge - the mine has expanded so far under ground that it is weakening the town’s foundations and will eventually pose a threat to inhabitants. City leadership and the mining company decided that much of the town would have to be demolished and moved. While many might see this as a problem, Kiruna instead sees an opportunity. “We have a unique situation that everybody actually should envy,” says Mats Nilsson, head of the Kiruna Sustainability Center. “We have a white piece of paper and the possibility to design, draw and build a completely new and sustainable city.” Guest-hosts and IIIEE Master’s students Alexandra Jonca and Kelly Delaney traveled to Kiruna to explore how one goes about moving a town and what sustainability means in an Arctic context.

Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old young person from Sweden, has inspired a generation to take action on climate change. In this episode, we acknowledge and appreciate the actions of youth, like Greta, around the world in demanding action on climate change. Reflecting on our own experiences, fear and our own perceived lack of knowledge often hinders us. Therefore, together with guest host and Master's student Carmen Huidobro, we host a 'Crash Course on COP' to prepare and inspire youth to take action, specifically, in climate negotiations. In this episode, we interview Zsolt Bauer (Climate Reality Project EU) as well as Jamie Wylie and Katie Robins (2050 Climate Group). Will the Youth's voice be heard at COP25 in Chile?

There is growing urgency within the academic, political and public spheres to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in order to lessen or mitigate the impacts of climate change. To do so, many online are voicing their commitments by making a New Year’s Resolution to reduce their flying or to not fly at all in 2019. In this episode, we explore the reasons why many are making this New Year’s Resolution and provide suggestions to support those who wish to make similar pledges. We interview Jonas Sonnenschein, a PhD researcher who shares his findings about effective policy approaches from the field of behavioural economics. He shares his personal commitments, provides relevant policy suggestions, and asks all of us to consider the commitments that we can make to fly less.

Like so many, have you waited until the last minute to buy gifts for your family and friends this holiday season?? In this episode, we will provide some specific suggestions for those among us still in need of gift ideas, which are also applicable for all gifting occasions. Furthermore, we will discuss with our colleagues, researching sustainable consumption, the notion of gift-giving, the obligation to do so in society, and how to return to more meaningful gift-giving.

Individuals have their part to play in the transition towards a circular economy. In this episode, we will introduce the circular economy and strategies to facilitate a transition from our linear to a more circular economy. Furthermore, we visit a repair cafe and illustrate how you can extend product lifetimes. The episode is produced in connection to a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), called ‘Circular Economy: Sustainable Materials Management’, produced by the IIIEE together with European partners available on Coursera.

New ways of governing our cities are emerging. Urban experimentation offers opportunities to test sustainability solutions in context and learn from these successes or failures. Citizen engagement and participation is a prerequisite. In this episode, we will discuss experimentation as a form of urban governance and suggest ways you can engage and participate in the governance of your city.

What is science? In this episode, we explore science in order to build a foundation for exploring sustainability research in future episodes. Then, we showcase a scientific workshop to illustrate the role fo science in supporting policy-makers.

In this episode, will introduce listeners to the podcast 'Advancing Sustainable Solutions'. You will learn more about the hosts, our organisation, and our vision for the podcast.