Month: January 2015

“The Future is Performance”: A Conversation with Artist, Engineer, Writing Duo Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico

“The Future is Performance”: A Conversation with Artist, Engineer, Writing Duo Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico

In this episode Oriana Persico and Salvatore Iaconesi, both teachers of digital design at La Sapienza University of Rome, discuss what the near future is, how they study it, and what implications of designing the near future has for natural resource companies such as Shell. They help listeners envision the possibilities of a collaborative and ubiquitous learning environment. Much of the conversation centers on their recent Human Ecosystems project in New Haven, Connecticut where they “mapped the city” using mass amounts of social media data. The implications this project has for creating more efficient and invigorating urban environments are striking.

From Idea to Reality: How to Structure Success

From Idea to Reality: How to Structure Success

In this podcast, Christopher Sawyer — a partner with Alston & Bird, a law firm specializing in corporate governance, real estate and conservation law — discusses the body of skills necessary to transform ideas into a lasting positive community reality.

The Human Right to Water: a Conversation with Mathias Risse

The Human Right to Water: a Conversation with Mathias Risse

In this podcast Mathias Risse, professor of philosophy and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, discusses his recent paper, “The Human Right to Water and Common Ownership of the Earth” which posits that humanity’s shared possession of our planet provides a philosophical foundation for a right to water and sanitation.

Protecting Pakistan: A Conversation with Environmental Lawyer and Activist Rafay Alam

Protecting Pakistan: A Conversation with Environmental Lawyer and Activist Rafay Alam

In this episode, Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist in Lahore, Pakistan, speaks about the social and economic challenges the government faces in addressing endemic environmental issues. Much of the conversation revolves around problems with poverty and access to natural resources, and how Pakistan’s national identity is defined by the Indus River. Rafay also tells the story of starting Critical Mass Lahore, a bicycling advocacy group and how, person by person, it is changing people’s lives.