A panel of DU professors spoke to an audience of over 30 people on the subject of sustainability in the Korbel Cybercafe last Thursday to discuss connections between humans and the environment, according to Chad King, DU’s Sustainability Coordinator.
The panel was jointly sponsored by the Korbel School of International Studies and the Center for Sustainability and brought in faculty from various disciplines.
The panelists included Professor of Spanish literature Allison Krögel, Professor of Philosophy Thomas Nail, Professor and Director of Emergent Digital Practices Timothy Weaver and Professor of Animal-Assisted Social Work and Director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection Phillip Tedeschi.
Each panelist spoke about their individual research in relation to sustainability, as well as what they would like to see accomplished in terms of sustainability in the future.
Krögel discussed her work concerning food production, marketing and consumption and their connection to power relations, conflicts and hierarchies in the Andes. She also studies the Quichua language. She said that while her work deals with historic sustainability concepts, such as the use of food in indigenous cultures to forward domination, much of the practices and relationships she studies are still occurring today.
In the future, Krögel said she hopes to “disseminate different indigenous ideas by overcoming language barriers.”
Nail discussed his research concerning resistance in Central America by the Zapatista movement to post-colonial influences on the environment and its resources. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a nonviolent radical leftist group in Mexico.
Nail’s research analyzes the role of science in Zapatista territory, with especial attention on the way science collects and uses indigenous knowledge. He also said that ecological science could be viewed as a method of capitalism, with scientists used as agents of reaching capitalist goals.
“I hope to educate students about these issues and motivate them to do something about it,” Nail said about his goals for the future. “I hope they get pissed off about injustice and are inspired to do something about it.”
Weaver presented the concepts of environmental biotechnology and biomedia, which he said include taking biological concepts and mixing media into them in innovative ways. As an example, he cited his work creating “protein music”, or music based on biological protein analysis. He uses similar forms of artistic expression to create interactive and alternative exhibits for locations such as the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He is especially interested in the concept of ecological memory and how it is formed.
Looking to the future, he says he has the goal of “broadening the dialogue surrounding these complex sustainability issues.”
Tedeschi presented his work examining human interaction with the environment through the lens of social work. He discussed animal-assisted therapy as an example of human-environment interaction and said that some of the most important relationships people can have come from owning a pet. He also voiced concerns that the behavior people currently have with the environment is too “aggressive”.
He said people have a lot to learn from animals. Tedeschi said his goal for the future is a world in which people treat other creatures well and recognize the importance of animals to our wellbeing.
“People’s optimum health, at one level or another, requires that we have interaction with living things,” he said.
When the panel was opened up to outside questions and statements, Dr. Hillary Hammon, from the Geography Department, spoke briefly from the audience, saying the sustainability minor already available at DU is being expanded to include courses taught by professors like the ones in this panel.
She said she is excited to see these new courses, as they will give students different perspectives on the complex subject of sustainability.
“Students need to see the cross-disciplinary nature of these issues,” she said.
