[ECOLOG-L] Just Released a 9-Part Video Series on Systems Thinking

2018-07-30 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks,



I teach systems thinking as an analytical tool in many of my food & 
environmental classes. After years of struggling to find useful and accessible 
multimedia content on systems thinking, I finally produced a 9-part video 
series outlining my sense of the discipline. I figured others might find this 
useful, so thought I would pass along links to the videos, which are all hosted 
on YouTube (ad-free). Most are around 15 minutes, though a couple are longer. 
This is my first crack at video production, so I would love your feedback.


An Introduction to Systems Thinking

<https://youtu.be/8LhEyDQYUjc><https://youtu.be/8LhEyDQYUjc><https://youtu.be/8LhEyDQYUjc>Part
 1: Getting Started<https://youtu.be/8LhEyDQYUjc>

<https://youtu.be/cZFNQV6oh7Y><https://youtu.be/cZFNQV6oh7Y>Part 2: System 
Structure<https://youtu.be/cZFNQV6oh7Y>

<https://youtu.be/pTeMG61Dv6Y>Part 3: System Relationships and 
Causation<https://youtu.be/pTeMG61Dv6Y>

<https://youtu.be/BrUG-uva4W4>Part 4: Feedback 
Loops<https://youtu.be/BrUG-uva4W4>

<https://youtu.be/Jx5s4q9Xsjg>Part 5: Hierarchies<https://youtu.be/Jx5s4q9Xsjg>

<https://youtu.be/EbduGye_ADU>Part 6: System 
Mapping<https://youtu.be/EbduGye_ADU>

<https://youtu.be/JeXGXqWVE6U>Part 7: System 
Organization<https://youtu.be/JeXGXqWVE6U>

<https://youtu.be/06XbNOLyBUU>Part 8: System 
Intervention<https://youtu.be/06XbNOLyBUU>

<https://youtu.be/W5LnRHZ3AJc>Part 9: Wrap-Up<https://youtu.be/W5LnRHZ3AJc>



I would love to produce more educational videos like these, and will if I can 
attract more support to my Patreon page<http://www.patreon.com/ericgarza/>. I 
offer my patrons a variety of rewards, including access to video summaries, 
discussion questions, class activities, and other complementary materials 
designed to support the use of my videos in educational settings. I will 
release some of the materials associated with this video series in August, and 
the rest in September.



All the best,


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


Re: [ECOLOG-L] Attacks on the Credibility of Scientists

2018-04-18 Thread Eric Garza
I myself have not experienced this, but Roger Pielke Jr. talked about his 
direct experience with this when I had him on my podcast last fall. Folks can 
listen here:


Episode 15: Roger Pielke Jr. on Science in Policy and 
Politics<http://ericgarza.info/episode-15/>


Cheers,



Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>



From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
 on behalf of John A. 
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2018 12:24 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Attacks on the Credibility of Scientists

The Flint water crisis demonstrated that some public officials are willing 
to make false statements in an attempt to discredit science conducted in the 
public interest—especially if the results of that science expose failure and 
neglect on the part of those officials.  In some cases these officials have 
attacked the credibility of individual scientists in an attempt to deflect 
attention from their own professional lapses.

I would be interested to hear from anyone on the list who has experienced 
similar attacks on their professional credibility—whether as faculty, graduate 
students, agency scientists or independent researchers.  I will keep all 
replies in strictest confidence.  Please contact me off-list with my thanks in 
advance.


 - J. A.


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast episode dedicated to Daniel Quinn (1935-2018)

2018-03-15 Thread Eric Garza
I suspect that at least some on this list are familiar with the work of author 
Daniel Quinn. Among the books he wrote were the novels Ishmael, The Story of B, 
and My Ishmael. Ishmael, in these books, is a telepathic gorilla that serves as 
teacher to various human characters and who, through the Socratic method, 
invites them to explore and question many sacred assumptions about human 
society and human history. I know of at least one environmental course here at 
the University of Vermont that uses Ishmael as required reading, and suspect 
that other institutions represented here might use it as well in various 
classes. Speaking for myself, I found Quinn's books, and his Ishmael trilogy in 
particular, incredibly insightful and inspiring. An odd thing to say about a 
novel I suppose, particularly on a listserv populated mainly by scientists.

I started a podcast last summer that deals with various environmental and 
social themes. Daniel Quinn was at the top of the list of folks I wanted to 
reach out to about recording an episode, and when I reached out to him he said 
he would love to come on. He was in the middle of a book project though, and 
wanted to finish the manuscript and find a publisher before he scheduled any 
new interviews. So he promised to reach out to me in early 2018, as he was 
confident he would have everything squared away by then.

Just a few weeks ago I saw a Facebook post from his wife that shocked me. She 
announced he died on February 17, 2018 due to complications from pneumonia. He 
was 82.

I spent a few weeks reflecting on the various ways Daniel Quinn's work inspired 
me, and just released an episode that put some of those thoughts together. I 
also tie themes from Quinn's Ishmael trilogy with those from a recent film I 
also found compelling: Marvel's Black Panther.

Folks can listen to the episode on most pod catchers (iTunes, Spotify, 
Stitcher, etc.), and also at the following link:

Episode 67: Telepathic Gorillas, Black Panthers, and Confronting the Realities 
of Colonialism<http://ericgarza.info/episode-67/>

Comments and feedback are welcome, as always.

All the best!



Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast Episode Featuring Food & Environment Writer Raj Patel

2017-12-11 Thread Eric Garza
I've been teaching at the nexus of food, energy & environment for several years 
at this point. In one of my classes a few years ago I used a book called 
Stuffed and Starved, written by Raj Patel, to coax students to think hard about 
how people in a wealthy country like the United States can suffer from obesity 
and malnutrition at the same time. Raj is a prolific writer, and I think his 
newest offering (with co-author Jason Moore) is destined to top Stuffed and 
Starved in terms of the solid critique it offers not just about food, but about 
our modern economic system more generally. The new book's title is A History of 
the World in 7 Cheap Things, and it really takes a systems view of how 
capitalism, as an economic paradigm, cheapens the value of nature, labor, food, 
money, energy, healthcare, and ultimately lives.

I had a chance to chat with Raj about his new book, and that conversation 
became today's episode of my podcast. This one was a lot of fun! I'll offer a 
link to download or stream from my website, but of course folks can also 
download and listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc. Among the topics 
covered are how capitalism, as an economic system, never pays its bills (i.e. 
externalities), why capitalism and colonialism are so closely linked, how 
capitalism is characterized by ‘othering’ things that are ‘wild’, and how the 
cheapening of food is a political tool used to perpetuate social hierarchies.


Episode 48: Capitalism, Colonialism, and the Cheapening of the World, with Raj 
Patel<http://ericgarza.info/episode-48/>


As always, commends, feedback, and shares are welcome. I'd particularly like to 
see folks who download & listen through iTunes leave me a review, as I don't 
seem to have many of those quite yet. Best wishes!


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Border Militarization and Climate Migration

2017-11-13 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks. For a while now I've found the climate denialism on display by 
the Trump Administration intriguing. Trump ran on a platform of climate change 
denial, which proved to be a solid strategy to not only win the GOP nomination 
but also the presidency. While he has since installed some climate deniers in 
important positions (Scott Pruitt as head of EPA, for example), he isn't 
consistent in this regard. James Mattis, current Secretary of Defense and 
another Trump appointee, openly cites climate change as a national security 
challenge and the US Department of Defense continues to incorporate climate 
change scenarios in military planning (as it's been doing since 2003, perhaps 
even before). Are these discrepancies a sign of conflict within the Trump 
Administration, or are they evidence of a smoke screen the Administration uses 
to appease its base while it plans for a reality it sees as undeniable?

I happen to have a podcast called A Worldview 
Apart<http://ericgarza.info/podcast/>, and thought it would be useful (and fun) 
to dedicate an episode to this issue. To that end I reached out to Todd Miller, 
a journalist and author of the book Storming the Wall: Climate Change, 
Migration, and Homeland Security, to talk about this. Our conversation made for 
a great episode, and folks can listen or download it from my website at the 
link below, or on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, YouTube, and other places. 
Feel free to share with friends and colleagues, if you feel so inspired.

Episode 36: Border Militarization and Climate Migration, with Todd 
Miller<http://ericgarza.info/episode-36/>

If folks enjoy this episode, I hope you'll consider signing on to support my 
podcast on Patreon, the crowd-funding website I use to raise revenue and keep 
episodes free of advertising. Listeners can contribute as little as $1 per 
month if that's all you can spare, and I'm grateful for all the support I get. 
You can learn more about how to sign on as a patron on my Patreon 
page<http://www.patreon.com/ericgarza/>.

Cheers,


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast episode on the energetics of nature, mythology, and cultural momentum

2017-11-08 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks. I just released a podcast episode I thought some on this list 
might enjoy. Dr. Peter Fox and I talk about his book Operating System Nature, 
and spend a good amount of time on a subject that's near and dear to my heart: 
the energetics of ecosystems. Here's a link, though you can also listen on 
YouTube, iTunes, and other podcast apps:


Episode 34: Dr. Peter Fox on the Energetics of Nature, Mythology, and Cultural 
Momentum<http://ericgarza.info/episode-34/>


We also talk about creation myths, and how so many of them incorporate stories 
of human physical degeneration following the adoption of agriculture. An 
example is how the Book of Genesis describes Eve being cursed to endure painful 
childbirth after she and Adam were exiled from the Garden of Eden and forced to 
raise their food by the sweat of their brow (a story interpreted by some as 
signifying the transition from a hunter-gatherer/horticultural people to an 
agriculture based on annual cereal grain). Dr. Fox talks about archeological 
evidence that suggests the transition to agriculture caused the birth canal in 
agricultural people to become smaller, making childbirth more painful and 
increasing the likelihood of death during childbirth.


I had a lot of fun with this episode, I have to admit. I hope folks enjoy it.



Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] An interview of environmental writer Richard Manning

2017-11-01 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks,


I teach food system courses at the University of Vermont, and among my best 
received classes is The Real Cost of Food. In this class I facilitate students' 
investigations of the many social and environmental costs associated with 
current models of food production, distribution and consumption. In that class 
I use environmental writer Richard Manning's book Against the Grain as the 
intro text, a book that takes a very thoughtful and critical look at the broad 
impacts and implications of agriculture as a means of procuring food. This 
morning I released a conversation I recently had with Richard as an episode of 
my podcast, A Worldview Apart<http://ericgarza.info/podcast/>. I'll offer a 
link to the episode on my website, though it's also available for download on 
iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.


Episode 31: Richard Manning on Looking Critically at 
Agriculture<http://ericgarza.info/episode-31/>


Our conversation ranges widely. We start by discussing the tendency of 
agricultural systems to feed elites in society quite well while leaving the 
majority of people malnourished, whether there is such a thing as sustainable 
agriculture, and our contemporary need to balance healthcare costs against the 
cost of food.


As always, comments and feedback are welcome. And feel free to share in your 
networks, if you're so inspired.


All the best,


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast episode on raising insects for human consumption

2017-09-27 Thread Eric Garza
Many on this list are interested in exploring ways to reduce the impact 
associated with producing food. One approach that is increasingly recognized as 
valuable throughout the world-- particularly by the United 
Nations<http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e00.htm>--is turning to 
insects as a nutritious and sustainable source of animal protein. In the most 
recent episode of my podcast A Worldview Apart<http://ericgarza.info/podcast/>, 
I talk with Wendy Lu McGill, a sociologist by training who worked in 
International Development for years before returning to the US to start 
Colorado's first micro ranch. She's founder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Micro 
Ranch<http://rmmr.co> where she raises crickets, mealworms, and waxworms for 
human consumption. As someone who's long had an interest in entomophagy 
(technical term for eating insects), this was a fun interview to record!


Episode 17: Wendy Lu McGill on Reclaiming Insects as 
Food<http://ericgarza.info/episode-17/>


In addition to following the link to my website to download or listen to the 
episode, you can also listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Google play, and on YouTube.


All the best,


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] The interplay between science, policy and politics

2017-09-20 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks,

I've taught in the realm of energy, environment, and food systems for years. 
One of the biggest challenges I've faced is teaching students how to wade 
through the morass of often conflicting expert opinion, and a tool I've found 
extraordinarily useful for this is a framework offered by Roger Pielke Jr. in 
his book The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics. 
Roger joined me to talk about this topic in the latest episode of my podcast A 
Worldview Apart. Perhaps not surprisingly, the politics and politicization of 
climate science came up. Folks can download and/or listen to the episode on 
iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and on my website at the following link:

Episode 15: Roger Pielke Jr. on Science in Policy and 
Politics<http://ericgarza.info/episode-15/>

Comments and feedback are welcome. I also invite folks to share the episode in 
their social networks.

Finally, I'm trying to drum up some support for my podcast on the crowd funding 
website Patreon. Folks can sign on to support A Worldview Apart for as little 
as $1 per month by visiting my Patreon page<http://www.patreon.com/ericgarza> 
and creating an account, which just takes a minute. The first 100 patrons are 
usually the hardest to get, so I'd love some help reaching that milestone.

All the best!



Eric Garza, PhD

Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources

University of Vermont

Burlington, VT 05405


Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Walter Poleman on Having a Sense of Place

2017-08-30 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks,


I just released a podcast episode where I talked about place-based education 
with University of Vermont ecologist Walter Poleman. Walter directs the 
Place-based Landscape Analysis and Community Engagement (PLACE) program here at 
UVM. We talk about the meaning of place, how it relates to the local food 
movement, and what it means for people to engage in the ecologies of the 
landscapes in which they live. You can listen to the episode on my website 
here: Episode 12, Walter Poleman on Having a Sense of 
Place<http://ericgarza.info/episode-12/>, or on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, 
and other podcast apps.


Rather than selling advertising, I have a Patreon campaign to help cover the 
costs associated with producing my podcast. I invite folks who enjoy A 
Worldview Apart to visit my Patreon page<http://www.patreon.com/ericgarza> and 
offer some support. You can pledge as little as $1 per month, so the costs to 
individual 'patrons' can be negligible but if enough folks sign on it can add 
up.


Comments and questions are welcome. Ideas about future ecologically-themed 
guests are also welcome!



Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast Interview with Agroecologist Steve Gliessman

2017-08-09 Thread Eric Garza
Greetings folks, I recently took the International Agroecology Shortcourse 
offered through the University of Vermont, and had a chance to sit down with 
Steve Gliessman, who was one of the instructors in the course and a well known 
figure in agroecology, to record an interview for my podcast. I thought I'd 
share a link for those interested in the intersection of agriculture and 
ecology: Towards an Ecology of Agriculture: An Interview with Steve 
Gliessman<http://ericgarza.info/steve-gliessman-ep-8/>. Comments and feedback 
are welcome!


The interview clocks in at just over 30 minutes. My podcast doesn't include 
advertising, but I am trying to drum up some support through 
Patreon<http://www.patreon.com/ericgarza> to help me cover my production costs. 
Any support folks are willing to offer is appreciated!


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] The Benefits and Costs of Agriculture

2017-07-30 Thread Eric Garza
For those whose work intersects with agriculture (which, I suspect, is many of 
us given how pervasive agriculture's impacts are), you might be interested in 
giving my podcast episode on The Benefits and Costs of 
Agriculture<http://ericgarza.info/ep2-benefits-costs-agriculture/> a listen. 
This link goes to my website where you can download and stream, but you can 
also listen through iTunes, Google Play, and a few other podcast aggregators.


Also, if folks have ideas about people they'd love to hear interviewed on my 
podcast, I'd love to hear them.


Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>


[ECOLOG-L] Podcast Episode: Of Apes and Man

2017-07-19 Thread Eric Garza
For those interested in podcasts, I uploaded a new episode of my podcast, A 
Worldview Apart, earlier this morning. The title of this episode is Of Apes and 
Man<http://ericgarza.info/of-apes-and-man/>, and you can download or listen at 
the link or find the episode on iTunes, Google Play, and other podcast apps. 
The episode builds on the recently released film War for the Planet of the 
Apes, which I really enjoyed, to explore the relationship that humans have with 
our planet and the many other species we share it with.


The topics I touch on include:

  *   People’s resistance to owning their ape-ness
  *   The anthropocene, the geological epoch where human beings are the 
dominant force shaping Earth’s climate and its physical geography
  *   Surpassing planetary boundaries, and
  *   Speciesism, human supremacism, and these ideologies’ impacts on our 
relationship to our planet


Comments and feedback are welcome. Also, if folks can't find my podcast on a 
particular app that you enjoy using, let me know and I'll investigate 
submitting my podcast there.


Cheers!




Eric Garza, PhD

Cell: (802) 881-8675

Web: EricGarza.info<http://ericgarza.info>