Tag: Otago Polytechnic

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business psychology tourism

psychology of humanitarian work

Dr Stephen Atkins [ 59:27 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dr Steven Atkins leads research at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Business. He tells a tale of childhood dreams of space flight leading to an astronomy degree, rocket launchpads, a Masters in engineering and a PhD in industrial psychology. Unease with a focus on optimising work for the corporate ethos, Dr Atkins has been instrumental in the development of humanitarian work psychology. This emerging field reflects an increasing humanist perspective that includes study of the psychology of poverty. Major projects include undergraduate voluntourism, online volunteerism, SmartAid, and Consultants without Costs.

Shane’s number of the week: 4.1 million square kilometres. This is the lowest extent ever recorded for Arctic sea ice. Things are changing. Fundamentally.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Prompted by British American Tobacco’s retrograde approach to marketing with www.agreedisagree.co.nz Sam has made a web2.0 companion site www.agree2disagree.co.nz.

Trainspotting: Three Sustainable Lensers in studio – together – wow.

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education

Visioning sustainable education

Phil Ker [ 59:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What makes Phil Ker tick? And what is his vision for a sustainable education? Phil is Chief Executive of Otago Polytechnic.

Phil sees Open Education as a return to the core values of education to meet the challenges of global education – of educating for the planet. Of Otago Polytechnic’s willingness to tackle the hardest problems, Phil is proud of the institution’s commitment to integrating education for sustainability. He says that this goes beyond skills to include behaviours and values, but also a commitment to making a difference. In order to meet these goals, the institution is working to develop new learning approaches such as work based learning.

Shane’s number of the week: 3. Three is the usual number of steps between invention and consumption. Cesar Harada‘s open hardware project changes this paradigm to a network of innovation. His Protei is an open hardware, shape-shifting sailing robot, collaboratively designed to sense and clean the oceans.

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education

Ella Lawton

Ella Lawton on Sustainable Lens: Resilience on Radio [ 57:58 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

From pristine environments to human interactions with the environment, we take a tour of Ella Lawton‘s short career in sustainability. In a remarkably short time we go from studies in law and ecology, international law in Finland; considering footprints in Antarctica; pest control for the Regional Council; Future Leaders Programme; Sustainable Futures Trust; Project 2058; a Masters in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability in Karlskrona Sweden; The Natural Step and its system conditions; The Cloud Institute in New York; and starting work as a Sustainable Tourism Advisor in Regions for Otago Polytechnic. Having developed Otago Polyechnic’s Graduate Programmes in Sustainable Practice, Ella is now Project Manager for the New Zealand Footprint project and she gives us a sneak preview of the early results.

We’re left wondering what this amazing woman will achieve in the next few years.

Shane’s number of the week: 100. That’s a century of disasters described in a report from the Royal Society. The report argues that to achieve long and healthy lives for all 9 billion people expected to be living in 2050, the twin issues of population and consumption must be pushed to the top of political and economic agendas.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: We revisit the challenge of over-development and degrowth. How we might achieve this is given a boost by the Manifesto on owning less and living more.

Trainspotting: And we play musical chairs.

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management marketing

Dr Nicola Mutch

Nicola Mutch [ 54:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Why would a successful humanitarian organisation want to sell their soul to a corporation? Why would a successful business give up their profit motive and waste time hugging tress?

Actually it turns out that the partnership in a corporate social responsibility relationship has considerable benefit for both parties. For both there is brand building, capacity building and engagement in a broader community. Dr Nicola Mutch is the Marketing and Communications Manager for Otago Polytechnic. She recently completed her PhD in the area of power relationships in corporate/non-profit partnerships. We talk about what each side hopes to get out of a partnership and how that changes as the relationship develops. She describes the potential for that relationship to go wrong – through abuse of the power relationship – and what can be done to avoid it. Perhaps surprisingly (well to me anyway) that power relationship can go both ways.

We talk about thoughtful organisations, about shared value sets, and consider what it is that gives a partnership credibility.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Extending a guidelines for design of a showcase building Sam thinks about the design of sustainable experiences.

Trainspotting: Anton forgets what show he is on and deviates via Mars.

Categories
design education

Prof Samuel Mann

Samuel Mann [ 59:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Our own Dr Samuel Mann from Otago Polytechnic sat in the guest chair this week. We talked about his new book “Sustainable Lens: a visual guide“. We trace the development of sustainability through its representation in diagrams. The book presents a model for seeing the world through a sustainability-driven perspective.

Shane’s number of the week: 20 000,000,000,000. 20 trillion is the amount of money that would have to be written off the value of the oil companies worldwide if we moved to a sustainable future – which is why companies and governments are so unwilling to move in that direction…

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education

Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson [ 59:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Otago Polytechnic’s Mark Jackson mixes positive changes with insights on why it is important for an educational institution to take a lead in a creating a sustainable future. Reducing paper use, closed loops and supply chains are practical expression of personal principles, peaking societal wealth and timeframes as externalities.

Mark is responsible for Sustainable Operations at Otago Polytechnic. He is also an active member of Sustainable Dunedin City. We talk about how the polytechnic is working to close loops and seize opportunities for improvement. This reduces the institution’s own impact, drives change in the supply change, and links to educational initiatives.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: “what if externalised costs could be quantified and assigned? What if we could get to the point where the lowest-priced T-shirt was also the one doing the least harm to the planet and society? This is asked by Yvon Chouinard and others in the Harvard Business Review recently. Sam reviews their paper (read more>).

Categories
art landscape

Bridie Lonie

 

Bridie Lonie - Art and Nature [ 58:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Radio meets pictures as Bridie Lonie walks us through a trail of art and nature.  Bridie Lonie is from Otago Polytechnic’s School of Art where she researches the relationships between art and social issues.

Here’s some of the ground we covered:

Edward Hick’s Peaceable Kingdom
Komar and Melamid’s Most Wanted
Grizzly Man
Public Smog

Shane’s number of the week: 500 metres is how far away honey bees have to be away from Genetically Modified crops, and the honey contain no traces of pollen from GM  for the honey to be classed as food according to a recent European Union ruling.

Sam’s joined-joined-up-thinking: Intergenerational equity is the cornerstone of sustainability but it is being eroded by use of the term to support municipal borrowing (read on>>>).

Categories
business education

Dr Barry Law

Barry Law [ 55:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Barry Law is Sustainability Director at The Shannon Company. There he helps companies and other organisations combine sustainability with social change through innovation in business practice. With a focus on moving beyond why to how, Barry has developed tools such as Sustainable Practice 360. Barry has much previous experience in Education for Sustainability. He is also an advisor to Otago Polytechnic.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Moving beyond recycling.

Categories
dunedin energy local government power

Neville Auton

Neville Auton - Energy Management [ 54:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Neville Auton is Energy Manager at the Dunedin City Council.  Neville works an ‘internal consultant’ within the Council, helping managers of the various business units to identify energy savings.  He talks about the huge reduction in impacts already being realised and the potential for more savings without affecting services to the city’s citizens.

Shane’s number of the week: 13.6.  The British honeybee population declined by 13.6% over the past winter, rising to a more severe 17.1% in the north-east of the country.  This is despite weather conditions that should have favoured the bees.  The cause appears to be a class of pesticides – the neonicotinoids.

Sam’s joined up thinking: Sam argues that the chaotic card game Fluxx is a great introduction to sustainability (more>>).

Categories
food permaculture planning transition towns

James Samuel

James Samuel

James Samuel - Transition Towns [ 59:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the show that started out being about frogs and metamorphosed into a show about transition, James Samuel talks about Transition Towns in New Zealand. James says that he aims to spend no more than 20% of his time talking about what needs to change, and instead focuses on demonstrating a more vibrant future. This is an inspiring story.

Shane’s number of the week: 2788 is the number of species that are endangered in New Zealand.

Sam’s joined up thinking: How can we work together to think about what our places might look like in years to come? And how might we get there? Sam talks with Dr Olaf Schroth who mixes community involvement, modelling and visualisations of future scenarios. The full interview is on Sustainablelens.org.

(Our advertised guest Dr Phil Bishop was unable to join us. He has been rescheduled for August. Our apologies – but we know you’ll enjoy James Samuel instead).

Categories
education maori

Dr Khyla Russell

Khyla Russell

Khyla Russell on Sustainable Lens [ 59:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dr Khyla Russell is Kaitohutohu to Te Kura Matatini ki Otago – Otago Polytechnic. In this interview she talks about her role, and the partnership between the institution and the Ara-i-Te-uru Papatipu Runaka. In the second part of the interview she describes her research into Kai Tahu perceptions of the landscape. What are the sustainability implications of an awareness that “we whakapapa to the landscape”?

Shane’s number of the week: 183 Billion. That’s the 183 Billion US dollars estimated to adapt Africa’s roads to climate change. Shane describes several reports that clearly show the impact of climate change – this cost far outweighs what it would take to work to avoid climate change.

Categories
climate change education

Tim Bishop

Listen to Tim Bishop [ 59:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tim Bishop trained as an engineer, worked in the electric car industry, and now works for Otago Polytechnic.  In that role he led Shac: The Sustainable Habitat Challenge.   In 2011 he is part of the Regeneration crew, touring New Zealand both energising and learning from local sustainability initiatives.

Shane’s number of the week: 262 Billion.  As in 262 Billion pounds the UK government has paid so far for assets worth only 55 Billion pounds in public private partnerships. 

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Following Chris Williamson’s talk last week in which he described a strong set of principles underlying his work as a counsellor,  Sam spent some of the week working out a set of guidelines for his own work.

Categories
behaviour change counselling

Counselling for social justice

Chris Williamson [ 57:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chris Williamson trained as a counsellor at Otago University through the Masters of Education (Counselling).   He has worked as a counsellor in Dunedin for 15 years.  Chris is currently the Associate Head of School for the School of Social Services at Otago Polytechnic.

In this conversation we talk about the role of the sustainable practitioner in social services – counselling in particular being rooted in rooted in notions of social justice.  Chris describes how the principles of counselling can be applied and extended in the arena of sustainability.  He talks about maintaining practice, mindfulness, and a overwhelming belief that you can make a positive change.    We explore different models including motivational interviewing and solution focusssed therapy with a view to identifying approaches for sustainable behaviour change.

Shane’s number of the week: 350.

350 is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (in parts per million) in the atmosphere.  As we’re already at 386ppm, then 350 is a target  humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Over the last few days I’ve been exploring how we might promote “not-buying stuff”.  I thought I had hit on it with  a big green button for “impulse sustainability”, but then undid myself with the realisation that we don’t really know what such a button would do – or even if it could (read more>>).

Categories
education food organics permaculture

Michelle Ritchie

Michelle Ritchie [ 59:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Michelle Ritchie is an organics and permaculture edcuator with a background in resource management (she holds a Masters in Regional and Resource Planning).  Michelle is responsible for the ongoing development of Otago Polytechnic’s LivingCampus.    Michelle describes the transformation of Otago Polytechnic’s campus into an integration of community garden and focus of sustainability education.  People come to the garden, ask questions “how do I plant a bean?” but quickly move on to realising “something bigger is going on here”.  The LivingCampus then becomes a prompt for questions like “how did I get here today?”, “what is it I’m eating?” and “how do I make changes to my life?”.

Shane’s number of the week: 120 is the number of kakapo left.

Sam’s joined-up-thinking: How could we promote not-buying stuff?  Sam explores three options: trying to be impervious to marketing; removing all marketing; and recognising the value of marketing (full text here).

 

Categories
design

Mark Miller

Mark Miller [ 57:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mark Miller is the General Manager, Applied Design Research Centre.

Shane’s number of the week: 1972 – the year when we were warned that the reactors used in Fukushima were reported as having a dangerous design flaw… and the warning was promptly ignored.

Sam’s Joined-up-thinking: As ground based beings we are good at thinking in two dimensions: backwards and forwards, left and right. We can cope with 3D, up and down, but not as well as birds. We can stretch to think of space-time as constituting 4D. Like the beings in Abbot’s Flatland, we struggle with dimensions outside our normal realm. Perhaps Sustainability is another set of dimensions: scale; cumulative time; system connections; and humility.

 

Air date:  17th March 2011