On the finale of Season 2 of Just Sustainable, Julian Agyeman and I talk about a broad range of topics that include: (1) the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for work related to sustainability and social justice, (2) hiring and representation within universities and colleges, and (3) the steps that communities have taken to become more justly sustainable. Julian Agyeman is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning and the Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate at Tufts University. He’s also a Fellow of both the UK Royal Society of the Arts and UK Royal Geographical Society. Dr. Agyeman is one of the most influential scholars driving discourse about the intersection between social justice and sustainability. Links: https://julianagyeman.com/ https://as.tufts.edu/uep/people/faculty/julian-agyeman https://julianagyeman.com/2012/09/21/just-sustainabilities/

There’s an aphorism that suggests that one should not meet one’s heroes. That aphorism is without doubt incorrect when it comes to Dr. Julian Agyeman FRSA FRGS. Julian is certainly one of my heroes (indeed, the title of this podcast derives from the concept of just sustainabilities that — I believe — he coined roughly 20 years ago) and meeting him was very much a delight! During our conversation, which was recorded late spring in 2020, Julian offered an abundance of gems about how he thought about equity and sustainability, the importance of ensuring that spaces are accessible (and how to make them more so), and how sense of belonging is something that we must attend to when we think about how we design and plan our spaces. Julian Agyeman is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning and the Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate at Tufts University. He’s also a Fellow of both the UK Royal Society of the Arts and UK Royal Geographical Society. Dr. Agyeman is one of the most influential scholars driving discourse about the intersection between social justice and sustainability. Links: https://julianagyeman.com/ https://as.tufts.edu/uep/people/faculty/julian-agyeman https://julianagyeman.com/2012/09/21/just-sustainabilities/

In the second episode featuring Gabe Desrosiers, Gabe and I discuss how institutions of higher-education within the United States might better support language and cultural reclamation by appreciating the full personhood of students. We also talk about what it means to live in a good way from an Anishinaabe perspective. Gabe Desrosiers is an award winning singer and dancer, he is a translator and a voiceover artist for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and he runs the Anishinaabemowin immersion camp as well as teaches Anishinaabemowin and Indigenous song and dance at the University of Minnesota Morris. Links: https://students.morris.umn.edu/gabe-desrosiers https://sunshinerecords.com/pages/northern-wind https://students.morris.umn.edu/equity-diversity-intercultural-programs/programs/native-american-student-life/anishinaabe-summer

I was initially acquainted with Gabe Desrosiers as a fellow Canadian amongst the faculty at the University of Minnesota Morris. Indeed, I first learned of Gabe as the result of one of our mutual colleagues saying something to me like: “Oh, you’re Canadian? You should meet Gabe. He’s Canadian too!” However, in the 9 years that we’ve been colleagues, Gabe has become a good friend and a teacher. He’s taught me about Anishinaabe life ways and history. Through many hours of conversation, he’s helped me to be more reflective about how I approach my teaching and scholarship. Our watercooler chats have fundamentally shaped how I think about the relationships between colonization, sustainability, and the work of higher education. Gabe is an award winning singer and dancer, he is a translator and a voiceover artist for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and he runs the Anishinaabemowin immersion camp as well as teaches Anishinaabemowin and Indigenous song and dance at the University of Minnesota Morris. Links: https://students.morris.umn.edu/gabe-desrosiers https://sunshinerecords.com/pages/northern-wind https://students.morris.umn.edu/equity-diversity-intercultural-programs/programs/native-american-student-life/anishinaabe-summer

On this episode we return to my conversation with Erika Bailey-Johnson. We talk about a workshop series at Bemidji State University aimed at providing students with a range of practical skills (many of which are related to sustainability and Indigenous lifeways), the hierarchies in higher-education, how we need to be conscientious of the effects of those hierarchies, and being better at change. Erika Bailey-Johnson serves in a number of roles related to sustainability, she’s: the Sustainability Director and Director of Niizhoo-gwayakochigewin at Bemidji State University, a member of the boards of Fresh Energy and Happy Dancing Turtle, and a founding member of the City of Bemidji’s Sustainability Committee. In the past, she served on Governor Mark Dayton’s Committee on Pollinator Protection. Links: https://www.bemidjistate.edu/offices/sustainability/ https://www.happydancingturtle.org/our-story https://www.bemidjistate.edu/directory/facstaff/gw8458qa/ https://fresh-energy.org/board-of-directors/erika-bailey-johnson https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/women-energy-erika-bailey-johnson-bemidji-state-university https://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/departments/niizhoo-gwayakochigewin/

I first met Erika Bailey-Johnson about 8 years ago when she chaired the organizing committee for the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (aka UMACS). It took one conversation with her to convince me of two things: First, Erika is a force of nature — if one looks up “change-maker” in the dictionary, one won’t find a picture of Erika in the entry but one really should. I’m fairly certain that Erika is involved in one way or another with every single project in the Upper Midwest that’s related to sustainability education. And, second, Erika has a unique, comprehensive, and innovative way of thinking about sustainability (take a look at the below link to Bemidji State University’s Sustainability webpage for more information about that). Erika serves in a number of roles related to sustainability, she’s: the Sustainability Director and Director of Niizhoo-gwayakochigewin at Bemidji State University, a member of the boards of Fresh Energy and Happy Dancing Turtle, and a founding member of the City of Bemidji’s Sustainability Committee. In the past, she served on Governor Mark Dayton’s Committee on Pollinator Protection. Links: https://www.bemidjistate.edu/offices/sustainability/ https://www.happydancingturtle.org/our-story https://www.bemidjistate.edu/directory/facstaff/gw8458qa/ https://fresh-energy.org/board-of-directors/erika-bailey-johnson https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/women-energy-erika-bailey-johnson-bemidji-state-university https://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/departments/niizhoo-gwayakochigewin/

When Cathy Jordan was previously on Just Sustainability, she mentioned that she was about to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 26th Conference of the Parties meeting in Glasgow. In this episode she tells us about her experience leading the University of Minnesota’s delegation to that meeting and some of her thoughts about climate governance. Links: https://www.ipcc.ch/ https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop26 https://unfccc.int/conference/glasgow-climate-change-conference-october-november-2021

On the second part of Amanda’s conversation with Evelyn Brister, they speak about efforts aimed at reintroducing American chestnuts to the wild and some of the ethical questions underlying those efforts. Dr. Brister is an environmental philosopher and a philosopher of science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She’s written about a range of topics, including: climate governance, the problem of disciplinary capture in interdisciplinary areas (i.e. pretty much anything related to sustainability), and re-wilding. However, what particularly caught our attention (and which would be a terrific read for all of you who enjoy this podcast) was her recent book (co-authored with Robert Frodeman), A Guide to Field Philosophy: Case Studies and Practical Strategies. Links: https://www.rit.edu/directory/elbgsl-evelyn-brister https://www.routledge.com/A-Guide-to-Field-Philosophy-Case-Studies-and-Practical-Strategies/Brister-Frodeman/p/book/9780815347576

On the first episode of our new special series, Just Sustainability – Socially Engaged Philosophy at the Intersection of Sustainability and Social Justice, Amanda introduces us to Evelyn Brister. Dr. Brister is an environmental philosopher and a philosopher of science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She’s written about a range of topics, including: climate governance, the problem of disciplinary capture in interdisciplinary areas (i.e. pretty much anything related to sustainability), and re-wilding. However, what particularly caught our attention (and which would be a terrific read for all of you who enjoy this podcast) was her recent book (co-authored with Robert Frodeman), A Guide to Field Philosophy: Case Studies and Practical Strategies. Links: https://www.rit.edu/directory/elbgsl-evelyn-brister https://www.routledge.com/A-Guide-to-Field-Philosophy-Case-Studies-and-Practical-Strategies/Brister-Frodeman/p/book/9780815347576

It’s my distinct pleasure on this episode to introduce you to a new contributor to Just Sustainability, Amanda Corris. Starting at the beginning of 2022, Amanda will start hosting a series of special feature episodes of Just Sustainability about socially-engaged philosophy at the intersection of sustainability and equity. Amanda is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Prior to her current appointment Amanda was a member of the UC Center for Public Engagement with Science. She does really cool work at the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of biology, and environmental philosophy. More specifically, Amanda’s research examines questions about how the environment affects cognition and how the field of philosophy can better re-engage with the public to promote more robust and effective scholarship. Links: https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/acorris https://ucengagingscience.org/ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BfwrQcvS9h0P-jiivcCynxmLuzxNBXwB/view