Episode 24: Sustainable Food Systems at UNC-Chapel Hill

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Laura Mindlin, Claire Lorch, and Scott Myers of UNC-Chapel Hill

Laura Mindlin, Claire Lorch, and Scott Myers of UNC-Chapel Hill

Guests:

Claire Lorch
Garden Manager and Education Coordinator, Carolina Campus Community Garden

Laura Mindlin
Coordinator, Edible Campus UNC

Scott Myers
Director of Auxiliary Services, UNC-Chapel Hill

Host: Kaia Findlay
Podcast and Communications Manager, Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast

Feeding a campus is no small task. Tackling sustainability in that campus’ food system -- a system that encompasses the growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption and disposal of food -- isn’t either.

In this episode, the Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast’s new manager, Kaia Findlay, explores what makes food systems sustainable at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with three interviewees, each working with a different food-related organization on campus: Laura Mindlin, coordinator for Edible Campus UNC; Claire Lorch, garden manager and education coordinator for the Carolina Campus Community Garden; and Scott Myers, director of auxiliary services for UNC. The interviewees discuss the role their organization plays in the food system on campus and their efforts in sustainability, and as a group they reveal how the campus has addressed a variety of food-related issues and challenges.

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Episode 24: Sustainable Food Systems at UNC-Chapel Hill - Transcript

Episode 22: Renewable Fuels Drive Education and an Artistic Revolution in Jackson County

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Timm Muth, Director of the Jackson County Green Energy Park

Timm Muth, Director of the Jackson County Green Energy Park

Guests:

Timm Muth
Director, Jackson County Green Energy Park
Dillsboro, North Carolina

Host: Sarah Barr
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In this episode, we’ll travel to rural Dillsboro, North Carolina nestled in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where a small county landfill and a passionate engineer are transforming the community’s perspective on waste. They’re using methane to power the Jackson County Green Energy Park, an arts facility offering glassblowing, metalworking, and ceramics classes and studio spaces. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to revitalizing heritage arts and stimulating tourism, to offering educational opportunities for children, college students, and even retirees, the Jackson County Green Energy Park is truly a centerpiece of its community. Join myself and guest Timm Muth this episode as we explore a variety of ways small communities and college campuses can make the most their waste resources, simultaneously achieving environmental, educational, and social equity goals.

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Episode 22: Renewable Fuels Drive Education and an Artistic Revolution in Jackson County - Transcript

Episode 21: Institutionalizing Sustainability for Real Change - Live at CHESC 2019

in , , , ,
(top) Jillian Buckholz, Mackenzie Crigger (bottom) Nurit Katz, Joseph Fullerton

(top) Jillian Buckholz, Mackenzie Crigger
(bottom) Nurit Katz, Joseph Fullerton

Guests:

Jillian Buckholz
Director of Sustainability
California State University — East Bay
Mackenzie Crigger
Energy Conservation and Sustainability Manager
Chapman University
Nurit Katz
Chief Sustainability Officer
University of California — Los Angeles
Joseph Fullerton
Energy and Sustainability Manager
San Mateo County Community College District

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistant: Kaia Findlay
Intern, Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast

In this episode, you'll hear a live recording of a panel discussion at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference, which took place earlier this summer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  It was great to be back at this conference again. Regular listens may remember Episode 13 which we recorded at CHESC in 2018. While that episode focused on Aggressive Climate Action,  this year, we focused on the idea of institutionalizing sustainability. We tried to deconstruct some of the tactics, traits and tricks that our panelists, who are all rock star sustainability professionals, use to move beyond running pilot projects and underfunded awareness campaigns to leveraging the full power of the world-class institutions that they work within.

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Episode 21: Institutionalizing Sustainability for Real Change - Live at CHESC 2019 - Transcript

Episode 20: Streamlining Sustainability Reporting with AASHE STARS

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Julian Dautremont

Julian Dautremont

Guest: Julian Dautremont
Director of Programs, AASHE

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistant: Sarah Barr

From energy use to purchasing decisions, waste management to community engagement, it’s no secret that sustainability is a notoriously broad and difficult to measure concept.

Creating a comprehensive sustainability rating system was exactly the challenge guest Julian Dautremont and colleagues from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) were tackling when the STARS program was born. STARS is short for the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System and is the most widely used sustainability reporting system among colleges and universities in the United States. (It’s also the primary metric used to determine the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” ranking each year, in case you were wondering).

If STARS still stumps you or if you’re simply curious about how a broad concept like sustainability can possibly be quantified and compared, join us this episode as Julian guides us through STARS’ creation, current function and challenges, and goals for the future.

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Episode 20: Streamlining Sustainability Reporting with AASHE STARS - Transcript

Episode 19: Sustainable Investing and Divestment

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Claire Veuthey (left), Mike Fiorio (right)

Claire Veuthey (left), Mike Fiorio (right)

Guests:
Claire Veuthey
Director of ESG & Impact
OpenInvest

Mike Fiorio
Trustee
Northland College Board of Trustees

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistant: Kaia Findlay

Remember the old adage, Put your money where your mouth is? Or maybe, vote with your wallet? No matter which way you say it, money talks. In this episode, Claire Veuthey of OpenInvest and Mike Fiorio of Northland College’s Board of Trustees discuss sustainable investments and how to make financial choices that reflect planet-forward values. Claire, the director of ESG & Impact at OpenInvest, a startup devoted to socially responsible investing, walks through the management of funds and investments and how they can become more sustainable. Mike discusses how Northland’s Board of Trustees reached their decision to divest from fossil fuels, and the importance of listening to student voices in balance with the university’s financial interests.

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Episode Transcript:

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Episode 19: Sustainable Investing and Divestment