The SustainUW Podcast

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has a long history of producing prominent environmental figures like Aldo Leopold and wide-ranging sustainability research, but institutional, campus-focused sustainability initiatives are relatively recent. This spring, the Office of Sustainability entered its second decade, and hosts Kylie Schedler and Rose Adler-Rephan wanted to learn more about where the Office has been and where it's headed in the next ten years. Tune in as they interview two staff members—Tim Lindstrom, the student intern program manager, and Nathan Jandl, the associate director of sustainability—to discuss topics from the creation of the student intern program to dreams for the future of sustainability at UW–Madison.

Waste: it's one of the most visible, even popular, issues in sustainability. After all, everyone can reduce, reuse, and recycle, right?

Achieving "zero waste," however, is a complicated proposition. In this episode, host Bennett Artman explores what zero waste means and how we might get there with two members of the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability, Travis Blomberg and Rachel Schumacher. Tune in to learn about the university's efforts to achieve zero waste, which involves managing materials on campus along the entire chain, from procurement to reuse.

Learn more about zero waste efforts at UW–Madison here: https://sustainability.wisc.edu/tag/zero-waste/

Care for some crickets on your pizza?

80 percent of the world’s countries regularly consume insects, so maybe it’s time to find out what you’re missing! In this episode, hosts Gigi Diekelman and Eliza Lindley explore edible insects from their many angles — sustainable protein, nutrient powerhouses, culinary delicacies, and more — guided by Chef Joseph Yoon and researcher Colleen Henegan. Then, they journey to Swarm to Table 2023 for a taste of the action, right here on the UW–Madison campus. You’ll be an ento-enthusiast in no time — trust us!

Learn more here:

Joseph’s website: https://www.brooklynbugs.com/

Swarm to Table 2023 info: https://www.swarmtotable.org/ 

What does the future of agriculture hold for us? From the increasing interest in organic farming versus conventional practices, to hydroponics and urban agriculture, there are many opportunities in the growing world of food production.

In this episode, hosts Gigi Diekleman and Kylie Schedler talk with Jacob Breit from The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) about his summer internship on an organic farm in Kenya, where he will be working after graduation. They also discuss urban agriculture in the Madison area and how students can get involved.

We all use energy, but many of us don't think about where it comes from or how to ensure it's not only clean, but reliable and plentiful. Changing Energy, a new book by Dr. John Perkins, brings energy systems out from the shadows. Hosts Gigi Diekelman and Claire Naughton speak with Dr. Perkins about his book, the advantages and risks of different energy sources from solar to nuclear, and how we might take steps forward as a society to address the shared challenge of climate change.

John H. Perkins is Professor Emeritus at The Evergreen State College, where he taught Environmental and Energy Studies and directed the Graduate Program on the Environment. He is a Senior Fellow with the National Council for Science and the Environment as well as Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the author of Geopolitics and the Green Revolution: Wheat, Genes, and the Cold War and Insects, Experts, and the Insecticide Crisis: The Quest for New Pest Management Strategies.

What is eco-anxiety? How do our various lived experiences influence how eco-anxiety presents itself? Can we harness eco-anxiety to make a positive difference? Join host Rose Adler-Rephan as she discusses these issues with special guest Dekila Chungyalpa, Director of the Loka Initiative, Center for Healthy Minds and Healthy Minds Innovations. Dekila has worked with faith leaders and culture keepers of indigenous traditions on environmental and climate issues since 2008. She also has a background in conservation and working on environmental and climate issues in the field.

To access some of the resources mentioned in this episode:

Psychology Today article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/healthy-minds/202204/5-things-can-alleviate-your-eco-anxiety

Meditation on interdependence with nature: https://soundcloud.com/user-984650879/interdependence-with-nature

Meditation on transforming fear and distress about climate anxiety: https://soundcloud.com/user-984650879/tonglen-for-eco-anxiety

The UW–Madison Sustainability Writing Awards are intended to inspire conversations about how writing can bring together people with different experiences to reflect and act within the context of the global climate crisis. Thanks to the generosity of donors, in the fall of 2022 the Office of Sustainability offered three $200 scholarships to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who submitted essays on the topic of resilience. The topic drew a range of writing about resilience from ecological, personal, political, educational, and technological perspectives.

In this episode of the SustainUW Podcast, host Kylie Schedler speaks with the three winners of the 2022 competition: Andrew McDonnell, who wrote of how our resilience—in the smallest, most unexpected ways—makes us “agents of history"; Ben Yang, who considered the idea of legacies through the story of his Hmong grandmother; and Allyson Mills, who identified resilience in mallards she watches endure a storm at a pier on Lake Mendota.

When you shop for clothing, do you consider the sustainability of your choices or the brands you wear? Do you love thrifting or do you buy the newest trends? Have you ever considered how clothing donations are handled by thrift stores? Join hosts Rose Adler-Rephan and Gigi Diekelman as they address all these questions and more with John Cobb, the associate director of retail operations at the St. Vincent de Paul's store here in Madison, Wisconsin. 

What is it like to be an indigenous student on the UW–Madison campus? How do the histories and practices of the Native Nations of Wisconsin inform our understanding of environmental stewardship? And how are longstanding conversations between indigenous students and campus administrators evolving today? Join hosts Bennett Artman and Rose Adler-Rephan as they discuss these issues with special guest Sagen Lily, who is a senior at UW–Madison double majoring in Community and Environmental Sociology and Environmental Studies with a Certificate in Food Systems. Sagen is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, located in northern Wisconsin at the edge of Lake Superior.

2022 was characterized by momentous climate change news in the United States: in the early summer, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Not long after, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is widely considered the most meaningful climate legislation this country's history. In the first episode of Season 3, host Hannah Schilling explores the implications of these contrasting events with two UW–Madison faculty members: Corbett Grainger, Associate Professor of Agricultural & Applied Economics, and Howard Schweber, Professor of Political Science. 

You can also read our recent article on this same topic on our website: https://sustainability.wisc.edu/progress-after-dismay-a-vertiginous-summer-for-climate-activists/