Episode 43: Climate Communications
Featuring guest host Lena Essak.
Read MoreEpisode 40: Carbon neutrality should not be the end goal with Alex Barron and Aaron Strong
Alexander Barron (left) and Aaron Strong (right)
Guests:
Alexander Barron, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science & Policy
Smith College
LinkedIn | Bio
Aaron Strong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Hamilton College
LinkedIn | Bio
Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Energy and Sustainability at Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
In this episode we interview two professors and researchers discussing a recently published paper in the peer-reviewed journal One Earth entitled: “Carbon neutrality should not be the end goal: Lessons for institutional climate action from U.S. Higher education.” You’ll hear lead author Alex Barron of Smith College and co-author Aaron Strong from Hamilton College discuss their study of U.S. schools that have announced that they have achieved carbon neutrality. This work was co-authored with Maya Domeshek and Lucy Metz (recent Smith College graduates who worked on the paper) and Laura Drauker (formerly of Amherst College, now at the Boston-based non-profit Ceres), and reflects feedback and input from many other sustainability practitioners.
Resources:
Link to the paper: https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(21)00472-3
Alexander R. Barron, et al. "Carbon Neutrality Should Not Be the End Goal: Lessons for Institutional Climate Action From U.S. Higher Education." One earth, v. 4 ,.9 pp. 1248-1258. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.08.014
Drs. Barron and Strong along with Smith student Lucy Metz also summarized their findings for an op-ed "Five ways colleges should respond to the climate crisis" in Inside Higher Ed.
A different paper by Dr. Barron and others on internal carbon pricing in higher education that may be of interest to some listeners:
Barron, A.R., Parker, B.J., Sayre, S.S, Weisbord, D.J. and S.S. Weber. 2020. Carbon pricing approaches for climate decisions in U.S. higher education: Proxy carbon prices for deep decarbonization. Elementa.
Information about the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitments.
Production Team:
Episode Transcript:
The following is an automated transcription of this episode which will include errors and omissions. You can listen and follow along with the text here: Otter TranscriptYou can find a text-only version of the transcript here: Episode 40 Transcript
Episode 36: Podcasting for Sustainability - AASHE 2020
From left to right: Brian Campbell, Director of Sustainability and Partnerships, Central College, Katie Boyle, Enrollment and Marketing Director, Bard Graduate Program, and Dave Karlsgodt, Director, Brailsford & Dunlavey
Guest Co-hosts:
Katie Boyle
Enrollment and Marketing Director, Bard Graduate Program in Sustainability and host of the “Impact Report” podcast
Brian Campbell
Director of Sustainability and Partnerships, Central College and host of the “MidAmericana” podcast
Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Management Advisory Services, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
In this special episode of the podcast, we present a recording of Podcasting for Sustainability in Higher Education from AASHE’s 2020 Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. Dave Karlsgodt, Katie Boyle and Brian Campbell talk about what it’s like to run a podcast and how they utilize their shows to further the conversation on energy and sustainability. All three delve into the missions behind their podcasts, as well as how and why they pick topics to cover. In this episode that explores podcasting as a tool for sustainability in higher education, our hosts aim to aid participants and listeners in learning how to frame their sustainability efforts in stories, making them compelling to a variety of audiences, from students to senior leaders, academics to alumni.
Resources:
The Impact Report: https://leadthechange.bard.edu/podcast
MidAmericana: https://www.midamericana.com
The Associate for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Ed https://www.aashe.org/
Production Team:
Episode Transcript:
The following is an automated transcription of this episode which will include errors and omissions. You can listen and follow along with the text here:https://otter.ai/u/gxJMa8k8OU_cSo3v2PbfUBK1wE0
You can find a text-only version of the transcript here: Episode 36 Transcript
Episode 20: Streamlining Sustainability Reporting with AASHE STARS
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.
Resources:
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE): https://www.aashe.org/
Conference and Expo, Workshops: https://www.aashe.org/events-education/
Membership: https://www.aashe.org/membership/
STARS, Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System: https://stars.aashe.org/
Sierra Club “Cool Schools”: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2018/top-20-coolest-schools-2018
STARS 2.2 is Live! https://stars.aashe.org/news/stars-2-2-released/?_zs=GHG7a&_zl=nOin1
Episode Transcript:
The following is an automated transcription of this episode which will include errors and omissions. You can listen and follow along with the text here:https://otter.ai/s/fQev9a1bQ9-erFbEGbWWog
You can find a text-only version of the transcript here:
Episode 20: Streamlining Sustainability Reporting with AASHE STARS - Transcript
Episode 15: Landfill-gas flaring project at Central College of Pella, Iowa
Brian Campbell (left)
Rob McKenna (right)
Guest: Brian Campbell
Director of Sustainability Education
Central College of Pella, Iowa
Special Guest and Co-host: Rob McKenna
Principal, Fovea, LLC
Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Principal, Fovea, LLC
In this episode you’ll hear an interview with Brian Campbell, Director of Sustainability Education at Central College in Pella Iowa. We discuss Central College’s recent climate action plan with a focus on a unique landfill-gas flaring project that came out of that planning effort. Rob McKenna, a principal at Fovea and the consultant who lead this climate action planning effort, joins both as guest and co-host.
Fovea would like to give a special shout out to Energy Strategies and MEP Associates who were our partners and collaborators on this project.
Resources:
Central College website: https://central.edu/sustainability
Contact Brian: campbellb@central.edu
Second Nature Carbon Commitment Signatory Distribution
During this podcast, Rob McKenna discusses how Central College with roughly 10,000 MTCO2e / year has a typical emissions profile among signatories to the Second Nature Carbon Commitment.
Episode Transcript:
The following is an automated transcription of this episode which will include errors and omissions. You can listen and follow along with the text here:https://otter.ai/s/0RG6G_HFQaaoNeVPQVfvMA
You can find a text-only version of the transcript here:
Episode 15: Landfill-gas flaring project at Central College of Pella, Iowa - Transcript