Podcasts
Translating Smart City Leader Knowledge- John Monberg
Dr. John Monberg a professor of writing, rhetoric, American cultures, and experience architecture at Michigan State University joins the podcast to discuss his Co-Learning Plan about how we can better integrate a humanitarian perspective into the technically dominated development of smart cities in Michigan.
Fighting Hunger and Reducing Waste in Michigan by Addressing Strategic and Operational Challenges in Measuring Food Accessibility- Monireh Mahmoudi
In this podcast, we talk with Dr. Mahmoudi, an assistant professor at the School of Packaging. The aim of her project is to eliminate food waste by making excess food accessible for people in need. A food donor (e.g., a farm, retailer, or catering service) donates some food to a food bank. Then, the food bank will quickly decide to send the food to distribution agencies or to composting facilities. For this decision making, the food bank should consider various factors such as environmental (e.g., harsh weather conditions), physical (e.g., personnel and mobility resources), social (e.g., recipients’ food restrictions due to various cultural and religious backgrounds), and economic (e.g., monetary budgets). They develop an analytical framework that can provide an applicable guideline for food banks to decide about the final destination of the donated food (with respect to the availability of the resources, as well as quality, volume and type of donated food).
Urbandale Farm
Jeffrey Franklin sits down with the co-founder of the Lansing Urban Farm Project (LUFP) Laura DeLind, and they discuss the benefit of Urban farms, how community members can get involved, and they wrap it up by talking about the upcoming Harvest Gala at Lansing's Urbandale Farm. You can find more information about the LUFP and the Gala by using this link: https://www.lufp.org/
REI Podcast Series Episode #5 - Mitchell Shapiro
Expert telecom industry analyst Mitchell Shapiro joins the show to discuss his Co-Learning Plan on bringing high speed internet to rural areas in Michigan. We discuss the reasons why a technology largely taken for granted has been so slow to reach these areas, and why the timing is just right for fiber-optic expansion to rural Michigan.
REI Podcast Series Episode #4 - Chris Miller & Mary Zumbrunnen
REI Research Assistant Jeffrey Franklin sits down with Chris Miller and Mary Zumbrunnen representing the City of Adrian to discuss a new federal investment tool called Opportunity Zones that could bring major benefits to small rural communities in Michigan. They are co-authors for one of this year’s Co-Learning Plans and they will be presenting their toolkit for how to best capitalize on Opportunity Zones in Michigan at the Innovate Michigan! Summit on August 29th, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center.
REI Podcast Series Episode #3 - Norman Christopher
Norman Christopher, a private consultant and former Executive Director of Sustainability Practices at Grand Valley State University joins the podcast to discuss his REI supported Innovation Fellowship Research. He builds upon a previous MSU REI student led research project, exploring viable social impact and social entrepreneurship community investment strategies. In the podcast Christopher explains how the social issues we face today are all interconnected, but focuses our discussion on the issue of affordable housing, sustainability and new investment strategies.
REI Podcast Series Episode #2 - John Monberg
Dr. John Monberg a professor of writing, rhetoric, American cultures, and experience architecture at Michigan State University joins the podcast to discuss his Co-Learning Plan about how we can better integrate a humanitarian perspective into the technically dominated development of smart cities in Michigan. Dr. Monberg will be presenting more about this subject at this year’s Innovate Michigan! Summit on August 29th in the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center.
REI Podcast Series Episode #1 - Sam Butler
Jeffrey Franklin, REI Undergraduate Research Assistant is joined by Sam Butler, the Executive Director of Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4). Butler is an author of one of REI's 2019 Co-Learning Plans regarding best practices for implementing community benefit agreement mechanisms in the development process. Community benefit agreement mechanisms are an inclusive process that allow residents to become involved in the cultivation of their built enviroment.
Triple Bottom Line
Rex LaMore, CCED Director, talks to Terry Link about the Triple Bottom Line, a business theory with a focus on sustainability. Terry discusses alternate ways for business to approach making profit that also takes sustainability and the wellbeing of employees into account.