This interview with Ken Cochran is part of a series interviewing all Rector candidates on the topic of climate justice and sustainability in St Andrews.

In this episode I speak to Rectoral candidate Ken Cochran on the topic of climate justice and sustainability in St Andrews. Ken is a University of St Andrews alumni and was already elected twice by graduates, to the University Court, and served on ethics and research integrity, academic assurance groups and the audit committee. However, Ken resigned on principle when the University moved to disenfranchise students when they graduate.  He feels that this was a violation of university ordinance which is why he sees need for reforming the University to be more open and transparent. Furthermore, Ken owns and operates four small scale solar power installations in North East Fife. He is local to St Andrews and passionate about being accessible and serving the St Andrews students.

Many thanks to Ken for taking time to do the interview with me.

If you are a student at the University of St Andrews, please take time to listen to all three interviews and make sure vote in the Rector Elections on Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th of October 2020.

This interview with Dr Leyla Hussein is part of a series interviewing all Rector candidates on the topic of climate justice and sustainability in St Andrews.

In this episode I speak to Dr Leyla Hussein on the topics of climate justice, activism, mental health, and wellbeing. Dr Leyla Hussein OBE is a psychotherapist, global leader on gender rights, and lecturer. She is an award-winning international campaigner and her work has been presented at Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Exeter, and various Ivy League institutions including Columbia, Harvard, and Georgetown. She is an Advisor to the UK Department of Health and has been recognised as a key consulting expert on female genital mutilation (FGM). She is a mental health professional and passionate about creating save spaces for women and girls. Furthermore, she is part of a global network of Black women building wellbeing communities.

Many thanks to Leyla for taking time to do the interview with me.

If you are a student at the University of St Andrews, please take time to listen to all three interviews and make sure vote in the Rector Elections on Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th of October 2020.

Let’s talk about mental health, eco-anxiety, activism and well-being. Activism and environmentalism in general can be quite mentally, physically and emotionally challenging especially in a world that fosters highly stressful environments, hustle culture and that does not value happiness and wellbeing as much as it does success, money, and possessions. We are not taught enough about mental health and emotional intelligence at school and it has become a silent pandemic that in some way or another reaches into the lives of every single one of us. I realise I have not talked openly about mental health and wellbeing that much before and I want to change that. We need to address it in all areas and especially as an activist it is important to learn to be kind to yourself and to take breaks. I still need to learn this too - so join me on the journey.

In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week, I recorded this radio show episode with my friend Ash Geraghty on Thursday the 8th of October. This is a recording of the live radio show. Please let me know if you enjoyed this episode, if it spoke to you and if there is anything specific topic that you would love to hear more about. Follow Eco-Activist Journeys, like this episode and take care.

Sending love,

Léa

On Global Climate Action Day 2020, September the 25th, I hosted an interview with Erik Solheim, former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Tune in to learn from an inspiring environmental leader about the challenges of global governance for sustainability,  climate youth activism, the urgent need for climate action, economics, and sustainability stories from around the world!

This podcast episode is a recording of the live video interview that was conducted on the day which can also be found on the Environment Subcommittee YouTube account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekyvw48U-ow 

If you would like to find out and participate in future online events and speakers follow the Environment Subcommittee on social media: Instagram (@standrewsenvironment), Twitter (@staenvsubcom) or Facebook (@EnvironmentSubcommitteeStAndrews). Furthermore, if you enjoyed this podcast please give it a like and follow Eco-Activist Journeys. 

I hope you are inspired to take action, use your voice for climate justice and a more sustainable and kinder planet.

Welcome to Eco-Activist Journeys. Doughnuts, economics, and sustainability – how do they all link?

Join Léa, Student Association Environment Officer at the University of St Andrews, and Noah, Editor-in-Chief of the UnEarth magazine of the Environment Subcommittee for this important discussion about our future, capitalism, system change, economic reform and the Doughnut Model invented by Rate Raworth.

This is a recording of the live radio show on St Andrews Radio (STAR) which this semester is happening every Thursday at 4-5pm BST. If you enjoy this show reach out to me on Instagram @ecoactivistjourneys and @ecoactivist.lea or the radio show Facebook page @ecoactivistjourneys.

We are all in this together. In the same boat. On the same planet. Let's stand together and fight for our future!

Our Earth. Our Home. Our Mission.

Covid-19 has changed the world and there is a lot to learn from this time and for our future.

That is why in this podcast episode I discuss some personal lessons and reflections from the last few months.

The world has changed but the question remains: what comes next? I think it is critical to reflect on these tough times and see how we can utilise the learnings to build a better, more equitable and sustainable future without further superbugs and pandemics.

I hope you enjoy this episode and please feel free to comment and share your lessons from this time on Instagram @ecoactivistjourneys or tweet me @WeimannLea

Take care and I hope to hear from you,

Léa

The current corona virus, COVID-19, has dramatically spread across the world in these last few weeks. Within days entire systems and routines have changed. Streets and airports are empty. Larger gatherings are no longer allowed. It is a time of social distancing. The crisis has taken the world by surprise despite experts warning about the spread of pandemics for many years. There is a serious lack of globalised health strategies to tackle such outbreaks.

This global pandemic did not appear out of no-where and it is time to question the norms that have led to this crisis. COVID-19 is linked to the larger planetary and climate crisis. In what way? Tune in to listen to the podcast discussion with public health specialist Prof. Dr. Edda Weimann.

Please help spread the message by sharing the podcast.

I hope you are well. Please take care of yourself and each other in these difficult times.

Love,

Léa

#covid19 #climatecrisis #publichealth #planetaryhealth #planetarycrisis #extinction #pollution #wetmarket #wuhan #wildlife #conservation #pangolin #pesticides #socialdistancing #climatecrisisvictims #ecopodcast

We can only be as healthy as our planet is. Human and planetary health are integrity connected.

Health is wealth. More than ever our current times are challenging us to reconceptualise our lives and what we value most in them. We are facing unprecedented times of crises with Climate Change, Brexit and now the global pandemic of coronavirus -19, which is completely taking over how things are functioning in the world. However, these challenging times can also be a great lesson and teacher to us in many ways.

In this live radio show on Friday the 13th of March 2020 I was joined in the St Andrews Radio studio by Kristyn Emmer-Whitaker a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach who is passionate about health and wellbeing, soil and sustainability. She is also the Uni Hall Warden which is how I got to know her in September 2019. Tune in to listen to our discussion and learn about health, wellbeing, our human connection to the Earth, the importance of soil health and regenerative agriculture. I hope you enjoy this podcast episode and that it fills you with positive energy.

Be kind to yourself, to each other and our planet in these difficult times.

Love,

Léa

While GDP continues to grow social welfare is declining. The rich are getting richer. The poor are getting poorer. Mental illnesses are on the rise. Being “stressed” is a new norm. Our planet is being exploited and destroyed for economic growth. We are in a time of Climate Crisis. What does that mean for our economic system and how can we actually utilise economic tools to combat climate change? How is climate change an opportunity for economic transformation? Why is a carbon tax so important? Can and should we still “growth” in a world of Climate Emergency?

This podcast episode is a live on-air radio show discussion with Professor Felix FitzRoy, co-author of “An Introduction to Climate Change Economics and Policy” and Professor Emeritus of Economics in the School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews.

Climate Change is the largest threat humanity has ever faced but it is also our greatest opportunity for global systems change. One Earth. One Home. One mission.

Hope you enjoy this episode and thank you for listening.

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Website: http://eco-activists.co.za/

Instagram: @ecoactivist.lea

YouTube: Léa Weimann

Twitter: @WeimannLea