This is episode 8 with Hayley Stuart. Hayley developed a passion for rivers as a whitewater kayaker at the age of sixteen. Kayaking in three continents exposed her to the sobering realities of mega-hydroelectric projects and their impacts on people and ecosystems. Inspired by the communities who campaigned against the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project in Chile, Hayley subsequently pursued studies in Environmental Science, Spanish, and Anthropology at the University of Denver. Her thesis focused on the impact of social and environmental campaigns on Chile’s hydro-development. Hayley has worked throughout Latin America with local communities and environmental campaign leaders to address and document the threats posed by mega-dams in an increasingly globalized and power-hungry world. Using film to create awareness, her videos are currently used in graduate and undergraduate Environmental Science classes. Her insights were recently featured on TEDx.

In the hour ahead we talk about her path: starting from a love of running rivers to developing a curiosity about the impact of dams not only on rivers but also the land and its people. in our conversation, we visit Uganda, Bolivia, and Chile and recount some of the stories she would tell in her studies and films. We expand on her plans to embark on another important project in Bolivia and in the end, she provides some insightful reflections and advice from her life so far running some of the biggest water in the world.

To learn more about her latest project:

http://www.theadventureactivist.org/campaigns/still-river-silent-jungle/

Theme Music: Broke for Free, “Night Owl"

Free Music Archive

Background Music: Evan Phillips

Courtesy Evan Phillips. http://evanphillips.bandcamp.com