Shows
Your Region PodMeet the pollinators!Okay, so you may not enjoy the company of bees, but they’re vital for plant reproduction and biodiversity. Without bees and other pollinating species, a significant portion of our global food supply would be in jeopardy. On the latest episode of Your Region Pod we take a look at the top three pollinators in Waterloo Region (you may be surprised!), what our community partners are doing to help them get where they need to go, and how you can as well. Vicki Wojcik, the Executive Director for Pollinator Partnership Cana...
2025-04-2513 min
Dancing with ChangeEpisode 11- Creating Commons with Mary Dellenbaugh-LosseHow should we distribute resources? Often, the market is considered to be the best system for distributing resources. However, the market distributes resources to those who can afford them, not necessarily those who need them. The state may also help to distribute resources that are considered too important to leave to the market, as well as regulate them. But the state is a big and complex system that tends to move slowly. It also makes normative decisions about what things are considered "needs" on behalf of citizens. When we talk about addressing things like access to housing, land...
2022-06-211h 02Dancing with ChangeStories and Structure of the Food System with Christophe BeneMany people are now suggesting that the food system is broken, but what do they mean by broken? Is the problem the quantity of food? The quality? The inequality within the system, or its impact on the climate and environmental crisis? Despite these critiques coming on multiple fronts, the food system appears to be continuing down the same path it has been on. In this interview with Christophe Bene, we discuss the food system, the four dominant narratives about why the food system isn't working and the different concerns and values they reflect. We also talk a...
2022-04-261h 03Dancing with ChangeEpisode 9- Liberating Local Politics with Peter MacFadyenMost politics are currently dominated by political parties which are locked into conflict with each other. In this system, people don't turn up as individuals but as part of the party machine, in which they work together to wield power over other parties. Politicians aim to convince voters to give them the power to rule over them, but not to govern with them. Ideas are debated, but if there is no intention to listen and one side has all power to make decisions, then it is only for show. The goal isn't necessarily good governance, but to be seen to...
2022-03-221h 06Dancing with ChangeEpisode 8 Anthea Roberts on The Six Faces of GlobalisationEconomic globalisation is a complex process that affects everybody. There are many stories told about globalisation, that it benefits everybody, that some people benefit at the expense of others, or that everybody stands to lose from it. So which is true?Stories help us simplify and understand reality, however, each one is focused on describing only particular aspects of the complex whole. Each story highlights particular scales, actors and normative values. In this interview, we unscramble the Rubik's cube of dialogues that surround globalisation with Anthea Roberts. We discuss the importance of stories and metaphors, the dominant n...
2022-03-081h 19Dancing with ChangeEpisode 7 Exploring Anarchism with Ruth KinnaHow we organise ourselves is central to the way our society functions. We often take for granted the power dynamics and values that are present in the modern-day nation-state, but who do these arrangements benefit and who does it disempower? Is governance from the top the best way of realising our values and creating the kind of society we desire? Often associated with chaos, Anarchism is a generally misunderstood political philosophy that suggests that nobody needs to be in charge. In this episode, I chat with Ruth Kinna about Anarchism. We explore the history and context out which...
2022-02-221h 09Dancing with ChangeEpisode 6 Power, Prefiguring and the Margins with Fleur and MarcoIn this episode, I talk with Fleur and Marco about power dynamics and pedagogies within social movements generally but is focused on our experience with Extinction Rebellion. One of the themes that lie at the heart of this discussion is about whose voices are heard. Fleur's research has focused on an understanding of social movements as places of learning and has looked at the role of the urgency narrative within the movement in reproducing the dominant logic, and how the pandemic brought marginal voices closer to the centre. Marco's research has focused on the role of power within the...
2022-02-081h 12Dancing with ChangeEpisode 5 Unpacking Economics with Steve KeenIn this episode, I chat with renowned heterodox economist Steve Keen about Economics.We dive into the history of capitalism as a system of organisation, as well as the origins of the theories created to explain it and unearth the assumptions made by early theorists and the problems that these have created in our current system. We also talk about the nature of money, the 2008 financial crisis, how conventional economists understand the climate crisis, and what a realistic economic theory might look like. To find out more about Steves work;His PatreonThe...
2022-01-251h 07Dancing with ChangeEpisode 4- Robin Roels on DegrowthIn the past, economic growth has been strongly correlated with improvements in human wellbeing, and so economic growth is generally considered to be a good proxy measure for human wellbeing. But is growth always good? Can it continue forever? How are the benefits distributed? Has the measure become the target? What role do money and consumption play in living a good life? These are the kinds of questions that the degrowth movement seeks to answer. In this episode, I chat with Robin Roels about the degrowth movement. We explore the origins of the movement, some of its key ideas a...
2022-01-111h 02Dancing with ChangeEpisode 3- Terry Leahy on The Politics of PermacultureOn the surface permaculture can appear to just be a hip form of gardening, although permaculturists often suggest it is a revolution disguised as gardening. But what is permaculture? Is permaculture perennial agriculture? Intelligent integrated design of homes and gardens? Or is permaculture a set of ethics and principles applied to design?In this episode, I speak with Terry Leahy about Permaculture. Terry has recently authored "The Politics of Permaculture" which takes a critical look at permaculture as a social movement. We discuss the context in which permaculture originates, its key ideas, and the different ways p...
2021-12-281h 34Dancing with ChangeEpisode 2- Richard Heinberg on Energy and SocietyThe amount of energy we have available to do valuable work is a parameter that continually shapes and reshapes how our societies are organised economically, politically, socially, and ethically. Therefore understanding our energy systems and their capabilities and limitations is essential for understanding why our society is structured the way it is.In this episode, I chat with Richard Heinberg about the different kinds of energy and how they shape our society, prospects for our energy futures, and the great transition ahead. Richard is a well-known commentator on energy, culture, the economy, and the environment. He is...
2021-12-141h 07Dancing with ChangeEpsiode 1- Annie Raser Rowland on Frugal HedonismIn this episode i chat with Annie Raser Rowland, co- author of the weed foragers handbook, and the art of frugal hedonism. We explore frugal hedonism, the idea that living with less can actually be a life of more, and a lot of fun!I promised to post an image of the visual summary of the episode but i actually still need to get a website up and running first! so my apologies, it will be posted when this happens. Get a copy of the book! https://www.frugalhedonism.comLink to david holmgrens...
2021-11-2555 minDancing with ChangeEpisode 0 - The dancing with change frameworkIn this very special introductory episode i talk a little bit about what this podcast is about, the goals of the podcast, the ideas we are hoping to explore, and who this show might appeal to. Watch this space for upcoming episodes!
2021-11-2405 min