Categories
sociology

Societal tensions

Katharine Legun

Environmental/economic tension is rising and this overlaps with questions of social equity – who is benefiting from extraction and who is suffering ills from that?

Dr Katharine Legun is an environmental sociologist in Otago University’s Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work.    She is interested in the relationship between the economy, social organization, and the environment.

Talking points:

Stretched out commodity chains have separated the consumer from the environment.

Food is an essential resource that goes beyond nutritional aspects – food politics is concerned with social security and your place in the world.

I believe in the power of conversation and political dialogue – this enables democratic processes

Economy, environment and society are not actually separate, but separated in institutional practices.

Resources: Dunedin free university

Shane’s number of the week: 2%.  Global warming will cut crop harvests by 2% each decade (more>>>).
Sam’s joined-up-thinking:  Jon Kolko describes the empowering role of teaching entrepreneurial hustle – the idea that you can actively cause things to happen rather than passively have things happen to you (more>>>).

Categories
communication documentary television

Activist storyteller

Peter Hayden

I am a storyteller.  I am an activist, I have to be – there’s a hell of a lot to be activist about.

Peter Hayden describes himself as a storyteller, an actor, a film-maker and a naturalist. A generation of Kiwi kids describe him as an inspiration – they are now our scientists, decision makers and environmental activists. Peter has presented and voiced hundreds of nature documentaries on television including Wild South, Journeys Across Latitude 45, and directing series such as Moa’s Ark. And now he has a new book “An Extraordinary Land: Discoveries and Mysteries From Wild New Zealand” (publisher, review).

bringing the drama element to natural history

Trainspotting: This guy on a bike wasn’t Sam, but it might have been:

This guy on a bike nearly ran me over crossing university campus and shouted out “I am here because of you”.