SDG Talks

SDG Talks

By Kevin Sofen & James ArmourEducation
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SDG Talks episodes

  • SDG 3 | Embracing Sun Safety: Laura's Journey Beyond Melanoma | Laura Sofen

    Pale is healthy and tan does not always equal beautiful!

    Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    In this episode:

    • The dangers from overexposure to Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and tanning beds
    • How to have a healthy relationship with the sun
    • Sun safety tips and habits including protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen
    • We are joined by Laura Sofen who shares her melanoma diagnosis story and emphasizes the importance of sun safety.

      She highlights her journey from melanoma diagnosis to becoming an advocate for skin health. Laura, alongside her sister Rebecca, created an Instagram page @sun_safety_sisters to share sun safety tips, UPF clothing recommendations, and more.

      Follow along with them on Instagram and help them throw shade at skin cancer!

      Let’s get SDG Talking!!

      Do you have a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

      And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠.

      ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠LinkedIn

      24 min
    • SDG 6 | Navigating 2024 Wisconsin Water Week: Collaborating for Wisconsin's Aquatic Future | Sara Windjue & Amy Kowalski

      A sneak peek of the Wisconsin Lakes & Rivers Convention – a cornerstone of Water Week:

      Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

      In this episode:

      • The history & evolution of Wisconsin Water Week
      • Why you should participate in the Wisconsin Water Week experience
      • A chance to explore the biggest threats & opportunities around Wisconsin’s waterways
      • Hear from Wisconsin Water Week speakers Sara Windjue & Amy Kowalski.

        Sara is a Leadership & Capacity Development Specialist while Amy is a Communications Specialist, Extension Lakes in the College of Natural Resources at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

        Both of their careers have been dedicated to environmental education and sustainability, and both are passionate about bringing attention to encouraging others to preserve the legacy of Wisconsin's lakes.

        So hit play now to get the inside scoop!

        Episode Resources:

        • Wisconsin Water Week Lake & Rivers Convention
        • Let’s get SDG Talking!!

          Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

          And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our ⁠website⁠!

          ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn

          44 min
        • SDG 3 | The Soul Moves First - A Spotlight on the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Hospital in Chicago | Allen Heinemann

          Help Kevin reach his fundraising goal before the Chicago Marathon on 10/8/23! (link below:)

          Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

          In this episode:

          • Where do your donations to Kevin's Chicago Marathon fundraiser go?
          • What makes Shirley Ryan AbilityLab the top rehab hospital in the world?
          • Examples of using technology to support & empower each patient throughout the road to recovery
          • Find out from Dr. Allen Heinemann - the Director of the AbilityLab's Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR)

            Dr. Heinemann conducts health services research with a focus on developing and applying outcome measures in rehabilitation care. His team developed the Rehabilitation Measures Database to help clinicians and scientists select instruments for patient care and research applications.

            Hit play now to discover a broader perspective on what it means to empower people in need!

            And don't forget to DONATE TO THE SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB by visiting this link!

            Let’s get SDG Talking!!

            Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

            And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

            Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

            32 min
          • SDG 6 & 17 | Global-local Citizen & Community Engagement with IWA Young Water Professional Chapters | Isabela Espíndola

            Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

            In This Episode:

            • How the IWA Young Water Professional works nationally around the world
            • Insights into IWA Emerging Water Leaders Forum in Rwanda
            • Hear from Isabela Espíndola who has over 10 years of experience in international relations and environmental issues.

              She holds a PhD in Human Geography, an MSc. in Environmental Sciences and a BA in International Relations and Economics. Isabela has also been a passionate advocate for Women & Youth's effective engagement, especially in the global arena.

              At the International Water Association (IWA), she is the focal point for Young Water Professionals and regulators communities within IWA, working to create cohesive forces for collaborations and among different stakeholders.

              Resources:

              • Isabela Battistello Espíndola - Google Acadêmico
              • Isabela's Instagram and Twitter
              • Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                20 min
              • SDG 6 | Building Community Capacity & Sustainable Solutions in Rural Nepal | Emily Friedman

                What's it like living in one of the most remote, under-resourced regions of Nepal? And how can it get better?

                Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                In This Episode:

                • Localization in the context of globalization
                • Understanding the importance of agriculture in development
                • Leveraging technology to overcome barriers
                • Find out from Emily Friedman, the Director of Innovation and Operations with the Oda Foundation based in Karnali, Nepal.

                  Emily is passionate about international development and has deepened her understanding of rural community development by working in Eastern Panama, Vietnam, and now in Karnali, Nepal - a place deemed a 'silent emergency' by Unicef for the lack of access to clean water, health resources, economic opportunity and more.

                  Emily's goal is to use her skills in administrative strategy, human-centered design, and strong people skills to lift up and support the most marginalized populations through grass-root sustainable solutions, because "when we lift up the most vulnerable, we lift the human race as a whole." Her specific interest lies in tackling the most pressing issues, including ongoing humanitarian crises, cyclical poverty, lack of educational resources, and food shortage issues/malnutrition effects.

                  Resources:

                  • Oda Foundation's LinkedIn and Instagram
                  • Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                    Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                    And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                    Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                    33 min
                  • SDG 13 | From Marginal to Mainstream: Black Voices Driving the SDGs | Tayler Ava Friar

                    How can art be a vehicle for social change?

                    Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                    In This Episode:

                    • The Afro-Mexico history and future 
                    • The interconnection between art and development
                    • Black voices in unconventional spaces
                    • Learn from Tayler Ava Friar who is a writer, art historian, TEDx speaker, and global communications specialist with previous roles at The United Nations, World Bank, and Google. She is also the founder of ART|unknown. - a platform that explores the intersection of art, black voices and the SDGs. Her most recent exhibition FLOW of Change: focused around Black voices for climate action was the largest climate-inspired water installation in Mexico City, marking the opening of the COP27 Conference in Egypt.

                      With a deep commitment to reexamining histories from a decolonized lens, Tayler is a PhD candidate in Art History at the University of Cape Town. Her thesis is entitled “A NUANCED GAZE: EXPLORING THE BLACK FEMALE BODY ARCHETYPE THROUGH CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN WOMEN ARTISTS” which has been partially published with Aix-Marseille University in Provence, France.

                      So listen now to get inspired from her passion and discover collaboration opportunities!

                      Resources:

                      • Creative Knowledge Resources Fellowship
                      • Vogue feature
                      • Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                        Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                        And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                        Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                        50 min
                      • SDG 6 | Water Access, Research Focus and Financing Flows | Jacob Amengor

                        What role does the private sector play in financing?

                        Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                        In This Episode:

                        • What were the outcomes of UN Water Week?
                        • Are public-private partnerships an opportunity to leverage?
                        • Unique examples of public-private partnerships in action
                        • Hear what WASH expert Jacob Amengor has to share!

                          Jacob has over 8 years of experience in drinking water treatment, on-the-ground project management and community engagement. Jacob chairs the International Water Association Young Water Professionals Steering Committee and is a former Young Leadership award winner. Jacob started the WASH Advancement Centre, which focuses on provision of solar-mechanized water systems and clean toilets in rural areas. So listen now to discover his incredible insights!

                          Resources:

                          • UN Water Conference: From Mar del Plata to New York and Beyond
                          • Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                            Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                            And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                            Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                            32 min
                          • SDG 6 | Direct Photodegradation of Pesticides in Water | Luana de Brito Anton

                            Part 6 - Forum on Circular Water Economy at NYU with WEF:

                            Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                            Thanks for joining us for our mini series recorded at the Forum on Circular Water Economy hosted at NYU in partnership with the Water Environment Federation and the NYU Department of Civil and Urban Engineering.

                            In This Mini Series: You'll hear from students attending:

                            • Manhattan College
                            • Columbia University
                            • NYU
                            • The University of Missouri
                            • Find out what Luana de Brito Anton, a full time Doctoral Student at New York University, has to share about photodegradation!

                              Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                              Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                              And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                              Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                              8 min
                            • SDG 6 | Experimental Design for Evaluating Sunlight Photolysis of the Gene ampR | Alma Rocha

                              Part 5 - Forum on Circular Water Economy at NYU with WEF:

                              Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                              Thanks for joining us for our mini series recorded at the Forum on Circular Water Economy hosted at NYU in partnership with the Water Environment Federation and the NYU Department of Civil and Urban Engineering.

                              In This Mini Series: You'll hear from students attending:

                              • Manhattan College
                              • Columbia University
                              • NYU
                              • The University of Missouri
                              • Get to know Alma Rocha, a Future Leader Fellowship PhD student at New York University's Silverman Laboratory, and an InFLOW Intern at the Water Environment Federation.

                                At WEF, Alma assists with the WEF INFLOW Program (INtroducing Future Leaders to Opportunities in Water) and other
                                workforce initiatives, prepares material for scholars, connects water industry professionals, plus has led students and young professionals of under-represented backgrounds through the world's largest water conference-WEFTEC.

                                So find out what she has to share about her research on the extracellular antibiotic resistance gene ampR now!

                                Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                                Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                                And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                                Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                                6 min
                              • SDG 6 | Sunlight Inactivation Rate of MSEffect of Algae on the Bacteriophage | Mwale Chiyenge

                                Part 4 - Forum on Circular Water Economy at NYU with WEF:

                                Welcome back SDG Talkers!! Thanks for joining us for another episode of highlighting change makers and their inspirational work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

                                Thanks for joining us for our mini series recorded at the Forum on Circular Water Economy hosted at NYU in partnership with the Water Environment Federation and the NYU Department of Civil and Urban Engineering.

                                In This Mini Series: You'll hear from students attending:

                                • Manhattan College
                                • Columbia University
                                • NYU
                                • The University of Missouri
                                • We chatted with Mwale Chiyenge - an Environmental Engineering Ph.D. Candidate at New York University.

                                  Listen now to discover more about her research on bacteriophage and sunlight inactivation!

                                  Let’s get SDG Talking!!

                                  Got a good story or want to collaborate? Send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

                                  And don’t forget to check out our Virtual Roundtables on our website!

                                  Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

                                  10 min

                                About SDG Talks

                                From the publisher's feed

                                SDG Talks Podcast highlights Change Makers and their work around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our passion is to highlight people and organizations that work towards the 17 goals that will transform the world into a more equitable place for everyone.