Have you noticed a change in the weather seasons? Is there such thing as a normal summer or a normal spring anymore? In this episode, we discuss how the shifting seasons are impacting plant behaviour and entire ecosystems. Meet two researchers investigating phenology shifts and predicting how plants could react to future climate scenarios. Featuring: Professor Alfredo Huete, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Dr Nathan Emery, research scientist at the Australia Royal Botani...
Dec 31, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Will we meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030? This episode focuses on how the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals are being used and measured within the education and business sector. Featuring: Associate Professor Melissa Edwards, Director of the Executive MBA program at the University of Technology Sydney Business School Dr Rosemary Sainty, founding Australian representative to the UN Global Compact Alex Fransen, Sustainable Development Goals Project Manager, Univ...
Dec 18, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 8
It turns out there really are “good vibes”! Scientists and engineers are decoding the vibrational languages of plants, insects, and other animals. If they succeed, we could reduce the need to water crops and poison insects; we could tell plants to grow quicker and stronger, and even help heal broken bones. Featuring: Dr Sebastian Oberst, Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Producer & Presenter: Lawrence Bull Music: Epid...
Nov 18, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Climate change doesn’t impact all countries equally, often it is the countries that have contributed the least to the climate crisis that are the most vulnerable to it. In this episode, we focus on one of the main topics on the COP27 Climate Summit agenda- loss and damage. In this special edition of Think: Sustainability, you will also hear from a campaigner attending COP27 about a separate campaign led by Vanuatu advocating for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on huma...
Nov 11, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 6
To meet global net zero 2050 targets we need to not only reduce carbon emissions but capture the carbon already within our atmosphere. So, how do we go about this? In this episode, find out about the myriad of ways that carbon can be captured, stored, and repurposed. While it's not a simple task that can be pulled out of thin air, are we on the right track to meet 2050 goals? Featuring: Dr Alex Thomson, marine ecologist, Climate Change Cluster (C3), Faculty of Science, University of Technology S...
Nov 03, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Current climate change predictions means we will see an increase in extreme weather patterns. So what does the inevitable rise in temperature, increase in flooding, hail, and other extreme weather events mean for the future of our houses? In this episode, we look at why you should, and how you can, build resilience into your home. Whether you’re a tenant or a homeowner, building resilience is more about planning for the future or as the scout motto goes; be prepared! Featuring: Simon Anderson, D...
Oct 26, 2022•26 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Many of us want to see the Great Barrier Reef before it’s too late. There’s something about the experience of seeing its vast coral shelves in real life that makes it more real to us. And once we’ve experienced it, we might be more likely to care about it. In this episode of Think: Sustainability, we take a look at how tourism can create advocates, or sometimes citizen scientists, out of tourists. Tourism operators and scientists are working together to achieve common goals, and we see just what...
Sep 20, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 3
The State of the Environment 2021 report paints a grim picture of Australia’s biodiversity, including an increase in the number of listed threatened species. Experts have continuously pointed to legislation as a major hurdle to improving conservation. So, with the Australian government recently pledging to reform environmental legislation- could we close the legal loopholes and save our threatened species? In this special edition of Think: Sustainability a panel of experts tells us about the law...
Sep 02, 2022•34 min•Season 5Ep. 2
How do we sustainably use phosphorus fertiliser? A large amount of phosphate rock-a finite resource used for fertiliser- is being wasted across the supply chain, with very little being recycled or recovered. In this episode, we investigate the methods to manage phosphorus supply sustainably from using fertiliser efficiently to changing our diets. Featuring: Professor Stuart White, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney. Chris Hall, Regenerative Farmer...
Aug 26, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 1
2021 has been another challenging year for the planet. But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom. In this episode we look at some success stories; from coral restoration in the Great Barrier Reef to promising emission reduction targets. We speak to a Victorian community fighting against a mine in their midst and track an exciting new hope for Aussie icon, the Tasmanian Devil. Featuring: Professor David Suggett, Director of the Future Reefs Program at the University of Technology Sydney Lise Walbom, ...
Dec 19, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 55
What are five sounds you liked today? A lot of the time, we get through the day without listening much to the world around us. But if we pay a little more attention, what can we learn? In this episode, we look at acoustic ecology, and how listening can be a tool to get us to care more about our planet. Featuring: Ingrid Neilson, musician Dr Brent Keogh, Lecturer, School of Music and Sound Design, University of Technology Sydney Producer/presenter: Josh Green Music: Ingrid Neilson
Dec 16, 2021•22 min•Season 4Ep. 54
What is ecological linguistics? How does the English language shape our perceptions of the environment? In this episode we discuss the different terms used to describe climate change and then highlight some more subtle ways language can shape our perceptions of the world around us. Featuring: Lee Joachim, Yorta Yorta man, Board Member of Living Languages Australia. Professor Arran Stibbe, Professor of Ecological Linguistics, University of Gloucestershire Dr Helen Bromhead, Linguist, Postdoctoral...
Dec 10, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 53
Coral reefs are under serious threat, an IPCC report predicts that even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels it would result in a 70-90 percent decline of tropical coral reefs. In this episode we open our eyes, nose and ears to discuss the innovative ways coral reefs can be conserved. In the first half of this episode we learn about the sounds of coral reefs and in the second half the ‘smell’ of coral reefs. Featuring: Dr Miles Parsons, research scienti...
Dec 01, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 52
With the most anticipated international cooperation on climate change this decade now over, in this episode we reflect on what the COP26 conference has achieved, Australia's contributions, and consider its impact on those most vulnerable to the climate crisis. Featuring: Dr Sven Teske, Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney Dr Cameron Tonkinwise, Research Director at the Design Innovation Research Centre at the University of Technology S...
Nov 24, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 51
What do you think of when you imagine a swamp? They may not be regarded as postcard-perfect environments but swamps play really mportant roles ecologically, regulating water and storing carbon. But they’re at risk, and the problems mostly boil down to human causes. This episode looks at swamps, what’s threatening them, and what’s being done to keep them safe. Featuring: Grant Hose, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University John Merson, Executive Director, Blue Mountains World Heri...
Nov 10, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Shanes Park is destined to be western Sydney’s new national park. The project aims to attract tourists to western Sydney, with visitor facilities and an education centre planned for 2023. But those developments and others, have ecologists concerned about the health of the site going forward. Featuring: Wayne Olling, Manager of Flora and Fauna, Blacktown and District Environment Group Leigh Martin, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Producer/presenter: Julia Carr-Catzel Assi...
Nov 04, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 49
Kids have come to represent the face of the environmental justice movement and for good reason. In this episode, we examine the work of young people fighting for a stable climate future, their ability to motivate change, and how they reckon with the pressure of being held as beacons of hope. Featuring: Anna Thieben, Co-convenor of Envio collective at The University of Technology Sydney Damien Nguyen, Co-convenor of Envio collective at The University of Technology Sydney Ashjayeen Sharif, Student...
Oct 28, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 48
Green roofs have a myriad of benefits including attracting biodiversity, reducing air pollution, storm water management and reducing the impact of the urban heat island effect. Did you know that green roofs can also improve the efficiency of solar panels? In this episode we explore how integrating a green roof with a solar photovoltaic system (known as a biosolar green roof) can boost the solar energy output. In the second half of this episode we look into some incentives that could increase the...
Oct 21, 2021•20 min•Season 4Ep. 47
In a special World Food Day episode of Think: Sustainability we invite three guests to discuss what role short food supply chains have in supporting sustainable resilient food systems. How do we create contingency plans to build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress in our food systems? In this #WorldFoodDay discussion we hear about the resilience of food systems from Solomon Islands to Tropical North Queensland to North-East Victoria. Featured: Dr Federico Davila, Research Director &...
Oct 15, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 46
Plastic pollution is an undeniable problem. One solution proposed to help solve our plastic woes is bioplastics. In this episode, we look at what bioplastics actually are, how algae is changing the industry, and whether they can deliver on the environmentally sound promises they make. Featuring: Dr Unnikrishnan Kuzhiumparambil Lead Chemist as The Climate Change Cluster at The University of Technology Sydney Professor Leonie Barner, Director of the Centre for Waste Free World at the Queensland Un...
Oct 13, 2021•21 min•Season 4Ep. 45
How are fashion designers using digital technology to reduce textile waste? In this episode we discuss how digital technologies such as 3D pattern making software and body scanning are key to a sustainable fashion industry. Featuring: Dr Timo Rissanen, Associate Professor in Fashion and Textiles, University of Technology, Sydney Nat Stratos, Circular Design Practitioner and Facilitator, Co-Director of 3D and Circular Design. Annie Tran, fourth year honours student studying Fashion at the Univers...
Sep 23, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 44
Digital labour and remote working trends have seen incredible uptake due to the pandemic. Though we may think these changes to our lives exist only in the ephemeral online world, in this episode we explore whether the digital workforce could help us build more sustainable cities. Featuring: Andrew Butt, Associate Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning at RMIT University David Bissell, Associate Professor in the School of Geography at University of Melbourne Shanaka Herath, Lecturer in th...
Sep 16, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 43
Climate Fatigue is one of the many terms used to describe a sense of apathy or dread caused by the constant exposure to images of climate change. We explore how Art can help disrupt this feeling and revitalize how we relate to the climate crisis. Featuring: Dr Zoë Sadokierski, Senior Lecturer in the School of Design at The University of Technology Sydney. Kate Scardifield, Artist and Co-Director of the Material Ecologies Design Lab The University of Technology Sydney. Alankrita Narayan, Author o...
Sep 09, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Energy poverty is a complex socioeconomic issue. Many people are experiencing the health, social, and economic disadvantages of living in energy inefficient homes. In this episode, we discuss minimum energy efficiency standards for renters and access to renewable energy. Featured: Riley Brooke, renter, policy and campaigns officer at the Tenants’ Union of NSW. Caroline Valente, PhD candidate, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney. Aliya Uteuova, visual reporter coverin...
Sep 02, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 41
What are the threats to honeybees and what wider impact could this have for us? We discuss the impact Australia’s recent bushfires and floods had on beekeepers and the issues facing Australia’s apiary industry. Featuring: Dr Nural Cokcetin, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Technology Sydney’s ithree institute Bruce White OAM, beekeeper, bio-security officer and a former President of the NSW Amateur Beekeepers’ Association Producer/Host: Marlene Even Music: Epidemic Sound
Aug 26, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 40
Increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters are a part of our reality as a result of climate change. But how will this affect global economies? This episode explores how climate change is affecting the insurance industry. How this influences where and how we live. The industry’s response to climate risk and What we need to change to make sure Australia remains insurable in the face of a changing climate. Featuring: Tom Davies, Climate Change Special Advisor at The Insurance Council of Aus...
Jul 27, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Globally countries are striving towards a transition from diesel and petrol vehicles to electric ones. In this episode we explore the electrification of New South Wales’ public transport, specifically buses. Featuring: Mathew Hounsell, senior researcher at the Transport Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Katelyn Purnell, Phd researcher, Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets, University of New South Wales Robyn Preston MP, local m...
Jul 16, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 38
The way we produce our food needs to change. Our current practices will not meet the demands of a growing population and a warming climate. Algae, that slimy green stuff you find at the beach, might just help us more sustainably produce our food. This episode looks at how Algae biotechnologies are revolutionising the agriculture and aquaculture industry. Featuring Professor Peter Ralph, Executive Director of Climate Change Cluster at The University of Technology Sydney Dr Graeme Barnett, CEO and...
Jul 08, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Legal personhood or ‘rights of nature’ laws have been around since as early as the 1970s and have attracted lawmakers in jurisdictions all over the world. But what do these legal concepts offer? How do they interact with current environmental laws? And what are their limits? Producer: Marlene Even Producer/Presenter: Julia Carr-Catzel Featured: Michelle Maloney, co-founder and national convener, Australian Earth Laws Alliance Dr Virginia Marshall, Wiradjuri Nyemba woman, lawyer and Indigenous po...
Dec 24, 2020•18 min•Season 4Ep. 36
In this episode of Think: Sustainability, is Australia doing its best to care for our Pacific neighbours as they confront the effects of a changing climate? How can we improve current labour programs and pathways? Producer/Presenter: Julia Carr-Catzel Featured: Mesulame Ratukadreu, Pacific Labour Scheme worker Jonathan Pryke, Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute Amanda Moors-Mailei, Student Equity Project Officer, Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, University of Technology Mus...
Dec 01, 2020•24 min•Season 4Ep. 35
