SDG Talks

Why should we consider climate and environmental risk in financial investments?  Do investors care about these topics when allocating funds?

In this SDG Talks, you will hear from Colin Banning who is the CEO of TGB Consulting Guatemala and national consultant for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in the country. He has an Innovation and New Ventures Leadership Certification from MIT and has over 15 years of experience working in corporate and sustainability reporting and process improvement. Colin gives insights into the circular economy, using trash as treasurer, and what determines success or failure within investing!

Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckbanning/

Ombretta Androff is an  Italian-born, Miami-based freelance curator and climate activist with more than twenty years of curatorial expertise with an international practice across non-profit institutions, commercial galleries, and art advisory pursuits with private clients.

An avid swimmer, diver and kiteboarder, since moving to Miami in 2013, Ombretta's passion for the Florida waterways inspired ARTSail, a nomadic residency and research initiative that instigate creative and climate change inquiry.  Along with a team of Miami-based curators, Ombretta recently organized the first IKT Congress in the US, held in Miami April 11-14, 2019, with a post-congress in Havana, April 15-18, 2019.

Since co-founding ARTSail with the ArtCenter/South Florida (now Oolite Arts), Ombretta’s interest and focus has shifted towards investigating how arts and culture can promote resilience and sustainability and moving communities from climate awareness to climate action.

Here is the link for the ringtone: https://www.tuunes.co/ringtone/the-coral-sonata

And here is the one for the full soundscape: https://soundcloud.com/user-82187192/coralsonata-soundscape-25-320/s-kjffR

SDG Talks presents a mini-series collaborating with UNLEASH Hacks USA around homelessness.

In this third episode with Steven Samra, we take a deep dive into the challenges people experiencing homelessness face on a daily basis. Steven breaks down the concept that we are not talking about homeless people but instead, people experiencing homelessness.  Steven explains why these words matter and how we must rethink our approach.

Our conversation invokes a lot of emotion and will give you insights into how city design can cause homelessness, what it's like to live on the streets for an extended period of time, how the current system is not set up to support those in need, and how YOU can make a tangible impact in the life of people experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness is the basis for this year's USA UNLEASH Hack which is held on October 10th and 11th.  The UNLEASH "Hack" is a 2-day conference for young talents who are interested in collaborating with local stakeholders to develop tangible solutions for the sustainability challenges affecting the homeless population.

Find the USA Hack social media at @unleashhacksusa, visit unleashhacksusa.wixsite.com/homelessness, or email them at [email protected].

Steven Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-samra-mpa-54428315/ 

SDG Talks presents a mini-series collaborating with UNLEASH Hacks USA around homelessness.

In this second episode, we discuss issues of homelessness with Shelby Fredrickson around topics such as climate change, lack of housing during COVID, and the pursuit of green economies.  Shelby is a recent graduate of the Sustainable Environment Systems Master of Science program at Pratt Institute, where she had the opportunity to study sustainable design, urban planning, community development methodology, and energy planning. She is passionate about public lands, multifaceted housing solutions, and equitable conservation strategies. Shelby is currently pursuing a career in sustainable community development and urban agriculture in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

Homelessness is the basis for this year's USA UNLEASH Hack which is held on October 10th and 11th.  The UNLEASH "Hack" is a 2-day conference for young talents who are interested in collaborating with local stakeholders to develop tangible solutions for the sustainability challenges affecting the homeless population.

Find the USA Hack social media at @unleashhacksusa, visit unleashhacksusa.wixsite.com/homelessness, or email them at [email protected].

Shelby Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-fredrickson-442073143/ 

SDG Talks presents a mini-series collaborating with UNLEASH Hacks USA around homelessness.

In this first episode, we discuss homelessness from a unique perspective; from the eyes of a man that was once homeless.  Theo Parisi gives us a glimpse into what it means to be homeless and how society currently treats the homeless population.  Especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic, this unsheltered population deals with an amplified level of risk due to a lack of access to clean water and sanitation.  Theo dives into current stigmas around this population and what YOU can do to change that.  

Homelessness is the basis for this year's USA UNLEASH Hack which is held on October 10th and 11th.  The UNLEASH "Hack" is a 2-day conference for young talents who are interested in collaborating with local stakeholders to develop tangible solutions for the sustainability challenges affecting the homeless population.

Find the USA Hack social media at @unleashhacksusa, visit unleashhacksusa.wixsite.com/homelessness, or email them at [email protected].

Dr Nicolene du Preez and Peter Philips are on a joint venture to re-imagine education. With COVID-19 as the catalyst for change, in just 3 months a local Balinese community came together to build the Open Flow Learning Centre after many years of ideation and vision between these two educators. Located in the centre of Bali, Indonesia the local and global connections are undeniable with everyday bringing fresh experiences to the international and local children that attend. 

The Open Flow Learning Centre's foundations are rooted in a place-based approach to Agile Learning, Design Thinking and Well-being. The anatomy of our learning program is delivered through the basis of Inquiry, STEAM and Project-based learning. We value the interconnectedness we draw upon from other education philosophies and approaches to learning with children at the centre utilizing true self-directed learning.

Between them, Nicolene and Peter share a decade’s worth of experience teaching across a diverse range of educational philosophies throughout Australia, South Africa and Indonesia but have found home nestled in this naturally majestic and culturally rich Indonesian community.

Contact them for more info at info@openflowlearningcentre

Produced & Edited by Ben Tulloh.

Saying you innovate and actually innovating are two different things.  So how does one foster a culture of innovation that creates success?

Gregory Pepper gives a glimpse into his experiences as an innovation designer, who's core experience is in creating programs in innovation and sustainability for early-stage ventures, corporates, NGOs, and universities.

He currently leads UNLEASH+, a 6-month pre-acceleration program for teams developing solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He previously organized startup competitions in 15 African countries with Seedstars World, and ran a network of co-working spaces in 20+ countries with Seedspace.

Gregory holds an MSc & MA in Global Innovation Design, from Imperial College, the Royal College of Art, Tsinghua University and Nanyang Technological University.

In this episode, you will hear Kleber’s passion for infrastructure and education. We discuss the everlasting impacts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016  Summer Olympics, the challenges of infrastructure, and technology development across Brazil.

Kleber Santos works at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) as an Innovation Analyst. His main role is to assist people to protect their technologies and transfer them to society via licensing or spin-off creation. At the Center, they work as an open facility that is free of charge for the scientific community and to make science education more accessible to those in Brazil and around the world.

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleber-eduardo/

Isha Sharma has recently finished her masters degree in economic policy and international development at the London School of Economics. She is also currently the only student and the first and youngest South Asian Woman to be on the LSE Council - the highest governing body of the university. She is also one of the Company Director and Charity Trustee of the school. Isha is  also a UN Local Pathways Fellow, advisor to the  World Bank’s Youth to Youth Community and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. Originally from the Himalayas, Isha moved out  of India  at  a  young age and was raised across six countries, so it’s no surprise that she is conversational in 3 different languages. Outside of her studies and work, she is an avid yoga and meditation practitioner, meditating for up to two hours every morning!

Hosted by James Armour.

Produced by Ben Tulloh.

We often hear about the energy-water-food nexus, but what does it actually mean?  In this episode of the SDG Talks Podcast, Femeena Valappil breaks down the myths around this concept and sheds light around the most recent science around this field.  Femenna recently joined Penn State University as a Postdoctoral scholar where her research focuses on developing sustainable solutions at the water-food-energy nexus. Currently, she studies growing duckweeds as a potential medium for nutrient recovery from wastewaters and further using them as a source of food and feedstock.  Her other research interests mainly include hydrological and water quality modeling, sustainable farming practices, and bioenergy production.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/femeena-pandara-valappil-0697666b/

News: https://www.aguecohydrology.org/blog-adding-our-leaves/meet-a-leaf-femeena-pandara-valappil