Episode 11: Putting a Price on Carbon - Nathan Graf, Swarthmore College

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Nathan Graf Climate Action Senior Fellow, Swarthmore College

Nathan Graf
Climate Action Senior Fellow, Swarthmore College

Guest: Nathan Graf
Climate Action Senior Fellow, Swarthmore College

Host: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistance:
Andrea Gartner

What will it take to bring the impacts of carbon emissions to the forefront of conversation? New awareness programs, or perhaps moral pressure? One current proposal sure to grab attention is carbon pricing. This economic concept charges individuals and businesses a fixed rate per ton of CO2 they release into the atmosphere. Assigning monetary values to goods is an integral part of our economy, with colleges and universities being no exception.

In this episode, Swarthmore College alumni and Climate Action Fellow Nathan Graf discusses Swarthmore’s carbon charge program. The inspiration for this endeavor and its practical implementation on campus are efficiently described in an easy-to-understand manner. The effect of this program has led to a greater awareness upon Swarthmore’s campus and offers a sense of encouragement and curiosity for other higher education institutions who may want to implement a similar program. Nathan describes ways other colleges can go about carbon pricing on their own campuses. Such programs can yield numerous benefits including a sustainable reputation, increased funding, and student involvement and education.

Resources:

  • Swarthmore's Carbon Charge Program:
    https://www.swarthmore.edu/sustainability/swarthmore-carbon-charge-program

  • For questions email sustainability@swarthmore.edu

Episode Transcript:

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Episode 11: Putting a Price on Carbon - Transcript

 

Episode 10: Repairing our Relationship to Stuff – Barnard College’s Sandra Goldmark Discusses Sustainability in the Context of Reuse, Repair, and Design

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Sandra Goldmark, Barnard College and Fix-up Repair.

Sandra Goldmark, Barnard College and Fix-up Repair.

Guest: Sandra Goldmark
Director, Sustainability and Environment and Associate Professor of Professional Practice in Theatre at Barnard College;
Co-Founder of Fixup.

Host: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistance:
Sarah Barr and Cecilia Kane

Ever feel like you spend a fortune keeping up with the latest in tech, fashion, and other trends? Have more stuff at home than you know what to do with? In this episode, Sustainability Director at Barnard College Sandra Goldmark discusses our obsession with stuff, how overconsumption threatens our climate and natural resources, and how we might repair our global economic system to be better in-tune with our innate human values.

A set designer, Goldmark first noticed the scope of our problem with single use items in the context of theater where sets would be built, featured in a show for several nights, then go straight to the landfill. This inspired her to start a repair service called Fix-up. Business boomed and Goldmark learned people were willing to pay to get their old stuff fixed, sometimes as much as a new replacement would cost, prompting the very good question: why don’t major retailers offer product repairs?

Her work demonstrates how a practical repair service can prompt a deeper investigation into how our stuff defines our humanity, and how what we have says about who we are. A prime example of how a grassroots initiative can fill a gap in innovation, Goldmark challenges us to adopt an experimental approach to sustainability on both the individual and campus levels.

Join us this episode for a glimpse into Goldmark’s vision for a revamped global economy built on the principle of repair, beginning with fixing that old chair in your garage.

Web Resources:

Episode Transcript:

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Episode 10: Repairing our Relationship to Stuff - Transcript

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Episode 9: The New Grand Strategy

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Colonel Mark “Puck” Mykleby, USMC (Ret)

Colonel Mark “Puck” Mykleby, USMC (Ret)

Guest:  Mark "Puck" Mykleby
Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer
Long Haul Capital Group

Host: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLC

In this November 2017, interview I’ll talk with retired Marine Colonel Mark Mykleby about a book he recently co-authored with Patrick Doherty and Joel Makower, called “The new Grand Strategy, Restoring America’s Prosperity, Security and Sustainability in the 21st Century.”  Our discussion covers a wide range of topics including the history of Grand Strategy in the United States including the lead-up to World War II, the Post-war recovery and the Cold War.  He talks about how our current systems are based on a now obsolete grand strategy and goes on to outline a vision for how America can reinvent itself using sustainability as a core, organizing concept.

book.jpg

Web Resources:

Episode Transcript:

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Episode 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

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(Left to right) Rachelle Haddock, Liska Richer, and Caroline Savage with Elke Schreiner at the 2017 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference at the University of California, Santa Barbara

(Left to right) Rachelle Haddock, Liska Richer, and Caroline Savage with Elke Schreiner at the 2017 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Guests:  

  • Liska Richer, Manager of SEEDs Sustainability Program at the University of British Columbia

  • Rachelle Haddock, Project Coordinator Campus as a Learning Lab at the University of Calgary

  • Caroline Savage, Campus as a Lab Director at Princeton

Host: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLC

In this episode you’ll hear a round-robin interview with three different thought leaders who run programs focused on using their campuses as a test-bed for sustainability. They all facilitate the use of campus resources to connect students, faculty and staff to hands-on, sustainable projects at their universities.  They discuss the many common terms used for these programs including "campus as living lab", "campus as a learning lab", "applied learning." Each guest talks about the logistics of how their programs are structured, funded and evolving. They also share their insights on the major challenges and opportunities related to Campus as Lab projects in the broader picture of sustainable development and higher education.

Web Resources:

Episode Transcript:

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Episode 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory - Transcript
 

Episode 7: Fuel Switching and Sustainability at Iowa State University

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Jeff Witt, Director of Utilities and Merry Rankin, Director of Sustainability at Iowa State University

Jeff Witt, Director of Utilities and
Merry Rankin, Director of Sustainability
at Iowa State University

Guests:  Merry Rankin, Director of Sustainability and Jeff Witt, Director of Utilities at Iowa State University
Host: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLC

In this interview, we get an inside look inside look at the decision-making process for an on-site power plant and how a land grant institution pursues sustainable energy while balancing institutional energy demands and fiscal responsibility.  Merry and Jeff describe the roles on campus and how they work together to advance the three facets of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) on their campus.

Web Resources:

Episode Transcript:

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Episode 7: Fuel Switching and Sustainability at Iowa State University - Transcript