Rethinkers

E09: Nadège Legroux - Marine conservation on the High Seas: Beyond the rule of any one nation

You might have heard of the UN “30 by 30” pledge in the media, which aims at protecting 30% of the earth’s biosphere by 2030. A goal that applies to biodiversity both on land and sea. This goal is highly ambitious, and is particularly difficult to implement on the High Seas - vast areas of the sea owned by no one and hence beyond the jurisdiction of any one nation. Who decides how and where to protect these areas? In today’s conversation with geographer and social scientist Nadège Legroux, we try to shed some light on these questions.
Nadège Legroux is a PhD candidate at the University of Paul Valéry Montpellier III, where she is working on her pluridisciplinary thesis on marine conservation between the French Agency for Development and the Environmental Humanities Laboratory (UMR SENS, Montpellier). Her research focuses on the Costa Rica Thermal Dome, an offshore phenomenon that drives marine biodiversity in geographically fluid ways.
00:03:00    Environmental threats to marine ecosystems with a historical perspective 00:16:40    The legal organization of oceans, current international treaties and environmental objectives00:37:10    The Costa Rica Thermal Dome: an offshore phenomenon's challenging environmental protection01:04:14    Closing remarks and where to find further information

E08: Laurent Geslin −Le lynx ou s’asseoir sous un arbre

Dans cet épisode, je parle avec le photographe animalier Laurent Geslin de son documentaire "Le Lynx". Le film suis une famille des lynx dans le massif du Jura en Suisse. La beauté de ce documentaire m’a énormement touché, et c’était donc un grand honneur de interviewer Laurent Geslin sur sa philosophie par rapport à la nature. Laurant Geslin partage sa vision sur la manière dont son travail de photographe peut avoir un impact positif sur les problèmes environnementaux. Il nous explique également comment son travail lui permet de dialoguer avec des groupes des personnes très differentes, comme par example des scientifiques et des chasseurs. Finalement, il partage quelques mots de sagesse sur la manière don’t le fait de ralentir dans la nature peut nous permettre de découvrir tout un univers incroyable sans avoir à chercher loin. Cet épisode est une  invitation à s'asseoir sous un arbre dans la fôret et à prendre le temps de observer la vie autour de nous.

E07: Divya Gupta & Vijay Ramprasad − For the love of trees

In this episode, you'll be learning about trees. As many of you may already know, tree planting campaigns are a very popular solution to climate change. You’ve probably all heard slogans such as “buy a tee plant a tree”.  And planting trees sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, the reality is not quite as simple, and many tree plantations fail. And when they do fail, they tend to impact the local communities they’re implemented in negative ways. 
Recently I’ve read a very inspiring article discussing the pitfalls and limitations of tree planting efforts as a solution to climate change. I’ve had a chance to virtually sit down with two of the interdisciplinary scientists who worked on the paper, namely with Divya Gupta (Assistant Professor at the State University of New York in Binghamton) and Vijay Ramprasad (Senior Fellow at the Center for Ecology Development and Research in Dehra Dun, India).
During this conversation, you’ll learn about some of the important ecological services forests provide. You’ll also learn about why it is so challenging to successfully plant trees in order to sequester carbon. And, most importantly, Divya Gupta and Vijay Ramprasad share their thoughts with us on how we could rethink the way we go about planting trees, be it by including local communities in projects, by focusing on protecting existing forests instead of planting new ones, or simply by taking a good look at our own carbon footprints. 

E06: Manuel Stucki & Philipp Portenier - About time, creativity and being content

In episode six we hear from Manuel Stucki & Philipp Portenier on the topics of creativity, being content and lowering expectations. This conversation fits the broader theme of this podcast series, which is to shed some light onto the question of how to be human in a warming world. Manuel is a physiotherapist and semi-professional musician. Philipp holds a masters degree in philosophy and is also an ordained buddhist monk from the Soto Zen school. Manuel and Philipp have been lifelong friends and live in Switzerland. They share a passion for music, enjoy engaging in philosophical conversations and are very interested in the role that time or “having time” plays in our daily lives.
During the conversation, Manuel and Philipp share with us why they believe that boredom is important for creativity and how they go about the sometimes tricky business of being content with the way we spend our time. They also tell us why it is valuable to think of time spent together with other people not simply as time spent together but rather as time shared together. We hear from Manuel’s and Philipp’s own personal experiences and also get some insights from Philipp’s perspective as a zen monk.

E05: Mathias Duplessy − Musique, philosophie et traditions

Récemment j’ai eu le plaisir de interviewer le musicien, compositeur et multi-instrumentiste Mathias Duplessy. Fortement inspiré par la musique traditionnelle, il compose et joue entre autres avec les groupes Trio Cavalcade et Violins of the World. Il a également composé de nombreuses musiques de films. Au cours de l'interview, Mathias Duplessy nous explique comment sa musique est inspirée par la nature, comment différents types de musique peuvent évoquer différents sentiments, et pourquoi la musique traditionnelle lui semble donc importante pour nous permettre de nous connecter avec la nature et la terre. Il partage également avec nous pourquoi il pense que l'art et la musique peuvent apporter de la lumière au monde, et pourquoi il s'intéresse à la philosophie et au stoïcisme.
00:01:20 Une musique qui évoque la nature00:02:13 Voyager par la musique et éviter de "chosifier" les choses00:05:10 La nature comme synonyme de vérité00:07:35 Rehumaniser le monde et penser en petit00:09:10 La question du bonheur00:12:20 Comment les artistes peuvent être des messagers de la nature00:15:35 Garder la lumière00:17:10 Philosphie et stoïcisme00:21:20 La musique traditionnelle00:24:50 Pourquoi la perte de la musique traditionnelle est importante00:29:45 Comment maintenir la musique traditionnelle en vie et trouver de la profondeur00:31:40 Violins of the World00:38:00 Vivre ensemble et être sur scène ensemble00:44:10 Questions finals

E04: Helen Jukes − Reflections on beekeeping and on connecting to our surroundings

In this episode, I talk to writer and beekeeper Helen Jukes about her book "A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings". This first book of hers was listed as Book of the Year, Book of the Month or Book of the Week by various different outlets and was also shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag non-fiction award. Helen Jukes tells us how she got into beekeeping. We talk about how this experience has changed her perception of the world and her relationship with her surroundings. We also discuss how activities such as beekeeping can help us in slowing down and calming that inner drive to always be busy and productive.
00:01:15 Of becoming a beekeeper00:07:25 Of teaching children not to be afraid of our natural surroundings and wild creatures00:07:53 The outdoors as a dreamspace00:09:10 Fostering a reciprocal relationship to the land and to wild creatures00:11:40 Finding agency in our immediate surroundings00:11:55 Reflections on beekeeping and our relationship to nature00:15:23 How beekeeping can change our perception of our surroundings00:19:15 Discovering interconnectedness by focusing on our immediate surroundings00:23:20 Rethinking our role as keepers and stewards00:27:12 Reflections on what we can give back to other living creatures00:31:57 Of being guided by the bees in learning about beekeeping00:36:10 Of writing "A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings"00:40:35 Writing as a means of reflecting about the world00:42:50 Closing questions 

E03: Laurence Jeangros − The upsides and downsides of sharing food across the globe

In this episode, my friend Laurence and I talk about the upsides and downsides of global food trading schemes. Laurence tells us how agricultural practices have already influenced local climates during historical times and explains what role global power dynamics play in our food systems. She shares with us why she thinks food trading schemes are of global importance to increase our resilience towards the effects of climate change. Finally, we discuss why young people's voices in international relations matter, and why diversity is so important.Laurence Jeangros is an environmental scientists with a bachelor's degrees from the University of Lausanne and a master's degree from the Swiss Federal Institut of Technology in Zurich. During her studies, she has spent a year in Chile as an exchange student. For her master thesis, she explored power dynamics within tomato food systems in Ghana. Laurence has spent a year interning at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations organizations in Rome and is currently working at the Laboratory of Environmental and Urban Econocmis at the Swiss Federal Institut of Technology in Lausanne.
00:01:01 Of becoming interested in environmental sciences00:02:44 How the climate movement helps us in validating our feelings regarding climate change00:05:48 Food as a physical and symbolic intersection between humans and the natural world00:07:24 The positive leverage food system could have00:09:25 Why international relations matter in our food systems00:10:00 The history of food exchange00:12:55 Global exploitations in food systems: Produce exports in Chile00:14:07 Global exploitations in food systems: The avocado trend in Chile00:16:10 Global exploitations in food systems: Rice imports in Ghana00:20:14 What are power dynamics and why do they matter?00:20:27 Humanitarian aid, rice and power dynamics00:26:57 Global justice in our food systems00:31:44 Positive communication00:32:22 Upsides of global food trading schemes in the face of climate change: Resilience and mitigation00:35:50 Creating bonds and building peace over international exchanges00:37:19 Why diversity is so important for resilience00:39:40 Why young peoples voices matter00:44:50 How we could include young voices better into our political landscapes00:47:17 Closing questions

E02: David Moreau − La sobriété: De la vie en montagne à la vie quotidienne

Dans cet épisode, David nous raconte sa traversée des Alpes à ski et il nous explique pourquoi il a renoncé à sa voiture. En outre, il nous parle de comment il a adapté son mode de vie pour pouvoir accéder facilement à la montagne sans voiture, y compris pour son travail de guide de montagne. Nous discutons également du concept de la sobriété et du fait qu'elle peut nous aider dans la transition énergétique. David nous explique pourquoi il pense que notre société devrait repenser son image de la réussite, et pourquoi l'acte de partager est précieux.David Moreau partage son temps entre les métiers de guide de montagne et d'ingénieur en environnement (EPFL). Il est le directeur de NégaWatt, une association qui vise à promouvoir les trois piliers que sont l'efficacité, la sobriété et les énergies renouvelables dans les discussions sur la transition énergétique en Suisse. En outre, il a acquis des expériences professionnelles dans le domaine de la mobilité.
00:01:03 La traversée des Alpes à ski00:07:09 La valeur des longs voyages00:09:29 Profiter des moments charnières pour changer les habitudes: vendre la voiture00:12:13 Adapter le rhythme de la vie quotidienne aux nouvelles habitudes00:13:45 Les possibilités offertes par des transports publiques pour accéder aux montagnes00:27:28 L'hélicoptère en montagne : la revitalisation des cabanes00:33:43 L'hélicoptère en montagne : le héliski00:36:52 NegaWatt: Repenser notre consommation d'énérgie : efficacité, sobriété et énergies renouvelables00:41:55 Comment intégrer le concept de la sobriété dans la vie quotidienne00:44:10 Redéfinir notre image de la réussite et notre notion du temps00:44:30 Les scénarios NégaWatt pour une vie plus sobre00:50:24 Comment utiliser les voitures électriques dans un monde plus sobre00:54:35 La valeur de la communication pour sensibiliser des autres personnes au réchauffement climatique, à la croissance et à l'image de la réussite00:59:30 Questions finales

E01: Sophia McRae − Eating in the Anthropocene

In this episode, Sophia and I talk about her approach to veganism, meat alternatives and why dietary schemes aren’t the one silver bullet for fixing our food systems. We also discuss social justice and our relationship to food. Finally, Sophia gives us some ideas of what truly sustainable food systems could look like. Sophia McRae is a food advocate, vegan, and sustainable food systems researcher in  Freiburg, Germany. A German-American, her food activism began in the urban agriculture movement of her hometown, Rochester, New York, where she worked with urban farms and food pantries to improve access to fresh food and green spaces in the city. She is currently completing a Master’s degree in Environmental Governance at the University of Freiburg and is working on a project for sustainable food system governance in the Upperrhine region, focusing especially on the role of small, intermediary food processors and distributors in supporting vibrant regional food economies. She is passionate about food and food justice, and loves experimenting with new food recipes and food practices in her kitchen.
00:01:40 Sophia’s personal story00:09:17 Of being vegan00:16:14 Other approaches to eating more sustainably00:21:06 The middle ground between individual consumerism and blaming the system00:25:15 Greenwashing, food labels and food certificates00:31:35 Meat substitutes: plant-based meats00:34:10 Meat substitutes: cultured meats00:42:43 Changing consumer preferences00:45:13 Social justice and food systems00:52:40 Intersectional activism00:55:00 Avocados and Mexican Cartels00:57:33 Rethinking our food systems01:07:19 Fostering a personal relationship to food01:13:27 The value of community engagement01:10:00 Advice for adopting more sustainable eating habits01:24:33 How we can all engage meaningfully with food01:26:27 Closing questions