Just Sustainability

As we reach the end of our conversation Shane Epting and I spoke about the role that the discipline of philosophy should have in examining the cities where many of us live. We also spoke about how scholars might better engage in public discourse.

Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He’s the Co-Director and co-founder of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. He’s contributed an impressive amount of scholarship on topics related to how to most equitably and effectively conceptualize cities (or municipalities), socially just community design and governance, and ethics and justice in general as they apply to built environments.

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During the second part of our conversation, Shane Epting told me more about how participatory budgeting and how he thinks it’s a useful tool that can be used by municipalities to better involve their citizenry in impactful decision making. He also told me about how thinking of municipalities as a sort of technology helps us think about our communities in better informed ways. Finally, Shane and I talked about how one might argue more lovingly, which strikes me as a particularly timely subject.

Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He’s the Co-Director and co-founder of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. He’s contributed an impressive amount of scholarship on topics related to how to most equitably and effectively conceptualize cities (or municipalities), socially just community design and governance, and ethics and justice in general as they apply to built environments.

Links:

A while back the order of Just Sustainability episodes got a bit disrupted and I skipped posting episodes 28B and 28C. Episodes 28B and 28C are now ready for posting but, since there’s been quite some time since I first posted episode 28A, I thought that I should re-post it so that folks can listen to all of Shane’s episodes together.

Dr. Shane Epting is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He’s the Co-Director and co-founder of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. He’s contributed an impressive amount of scholarship on topics related to how to most equitably and effectively conceptualize cities (or municipalities), socially just community design and governance, and ethics and justice in general as they apply to built environments.

Links:

In this episode, climate and sustainability educator, Michelle Garvey tells me about how one might better engage in non-extractive scholarship.

Dr. Michelle Garvey is an Institute on the Environment Educator. She previously served as the Director of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as well as the Internship Coordinator for Minnesota Transform (MNT). She is a community organizer, a climate and sustainability educator, and a scholar who works to promote environmental justice.

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On this episode of Just Sustainability we return to Michelle Garvey who told me about how vulnerability and openness to learn are both deeply important for reforming the way we approach higher-education in order to make our institutions more accessible and better structured to serve our students.

Dr. Michelle Garvey is an Institute on the Environment Educator. She previously served as the Director of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as well as the Internship Coordinator for Minnesota Transform (MNT). She is a community organizer, a climate and sustainability educator, and a scholar who works to promote environmental justice.

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I’ve noted elsewhere that what I wanted to do when I started working on the Just Sustainability podcast was to be able to share some of the wonderfully edifying conversations that I find myself in proximity to. I’ve been lucky enough over the years to become friends with a number of folks who are brilliant scholars, organizers, and advocates. All those friends have contributed enormously to efforts to nudge our communities towards being more ecologically responsible and socially just and each instance of listening to them talk about their work is akin to attending a masterclass about building a better future. Michelle Garvey is one of those friends.

I first got to know Michelle about five years ago (the story of that meeting is included in the beginning of this episode so I won’t repeat it here) and, every time we chat, Michelle still gets me thinking about environmental justice and organizing to promote environmental justice in ways that I hadn’t previously. I’m pretty sure that Michelle is constantly reflecting on equity and sustainability and how to more effectively teach people in ways that helps build the solidarity, skills, and capacities necessary to more effectively work towards a healthier and more equitable society. Conversations with her are always thought provoking, refreshing, and joyful. So, without further preamble, I’m happy to introduce you to Michelle Garvey.

Dr. Michelle Garvey is an Institute on the Environment Educator. She previously served as the Director of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as well as the Internship Coordinator for Minnesota Transform (MNT). She is a community organizer, a climate and sustainability educator, and a scholar who works to promote environmental justice.

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Valentine Cadieux and I concluded our conversation by talking about art as a tool for more accessible discourse (which is a topic that was also explored in the conversation that I had with Marceleen Mosher). This led Valentine and I to reflect upon how institutions of higher education (and in particular four-year universities) might become better at engaging with communities and how extension programs offer a good model for such engagement.

Dr. Valentine Cadieux is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University. She studies collaborative knowledge practices related to food, agriculture, and land in the context of settler society cultures in Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa. 

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In the second part of the conversation that I had with Valentine Cadieux we spoke about food justice, media literacy, and how art can serve as a mode of collective expression and reflection as a tool to drive positive change.

Dr. Valentine Cadieux is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University. She studies collaborative knowledge practices related to food, agriculture, and land in the context of settler society cultures in Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa. 

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If someone were to ask me to describe my exemplar of a scholar and educator that does a terrific job integrating equity and sustainability, I would offer a description of Valentine Cadieux. Valentine is one of the most thoughtful folks that I know when it comes to the topics of environment, sustainability, justice, and how each and all of those things interact when it comes to how we understand and relate with the land and each other. Because of that she is one of my favorite people to nerd-out with about equity and sustainability and, so, I’m super excited to share the conversation that I recorded with her on the Just Sustainability Podcast!

Dr. Valentine Cadieux is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Center for Justice and Law at Hamline University. She studies collaborative knowledge practices related to food, agriculture, and land in the context of settler society cultures in Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa. 

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In the conclusion of the conversation that I had with Marceleen Mosher, we discuss how different media has an impact upon how narratives are formed, which in turns shapes how as a society we understand various phenomena. Marceleen and I also also talk about the importance of robust conversation particularly in regards to good governance and collective action or decision making.

Marceleen Mosher has taught communication studies at Augsburg University and Hamline University and is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her scholarship examines the interplay between rhetoric/narratives and the intersection of nature, wellbeing, technology, and power.

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