About Q.west for good: Change leadership stories with Denise Withers
Frustrated it's so hard to get people to buy into your big idea? Join award-winning storyteller & strategist Denise Withers as she interviews global change agents to discover how they overcome barriers to create breakthrough change, for good. If you need a new way to move your big idea forward, then tune in, because she has a story just for you.
Margot Hurlbert: Exploring the power of interdisciplinary climate leadership
Most leaders know by now that a "business as usual" approach won't work if we want to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We need expertise from across sectors, cultures, continents and disciplines to be able to resolve the kinds of wicked problems we now face.
But figuring out how to do that kind of interdisciplinary, intersectional work, particularly in a Western, largely patriarchal society, grounded in somewhat risk-averse institutions, requires a major shift in our processes, systems and beliefs. And we don't have the luxury of waiting a few decades while we figure it out. That's where Margot Hurlbert (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-hurlbert-a5597328/) comes in.
As the Canada Research Chair in Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability Policy and a Professor of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-hurlbert-a5597328/), she's studying interdisciplinary approaches to these kinds of wicked problems through research on real-world projects about issues like water and clean energy. She's also been a Coordinating Lead Author, Contributing Author and Review Editor for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (https://www.ipcc.ch/) or IPCC
Through that work and her decades of research, Margot has developed deep expertise that allows her to bring a unique perspective to this challenge. In this episode, she unpacks key concepts about inter- and trans-disciplinary work, explores the very real barriers that still prevent us from doing it and shine a light on promising new approaches for current and future climate leaders.
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If you like this episode, please subscribe, like and share it with your networks.
And if you want more great content like this to help you share knowledge, get support and grow your audience, join me on The Q.west for Good. (https://qwest.denisewithers.com)
19 Apr 2023
Norm Connolly: Leadership strategies from the front lines of climate change
Municipalities are ground zero for tackling climate change, especially when it comes to adaptation. They're well positioned to take direct action to do things like build infrastructure and create new policies. However, they're also the level of government typically operating with the tightest fiscal constraints and most demands in terms of serving a diverse constituency.
So what does it take to be able to lead the kind of transformative change we need in such a challenging environment? That's what we're going to find out in this conversation with Norm Connolly (https://www.linkedin.com/in/norm-connolly-9b11b428/).
Trained as a planner, Norm's worked for several municipalities across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia on files from development to community energy. These days, he's the Sustainability Manager for the City of Richmond (https://www.richmond.ca/cityhall/departments/epw/overview.htm), a largely island-based municipality. Home to critical infrastructure like the Vancouver International Airport, Richmond is under threat from sea level rise, as well as events like heat domes and extreme storms.
In this episode, Norm shares several stories about how he's been able to lead innovation and generate engagement for climate action, despite fiscal and political constraints. He also highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and offers insights about the kind of climate action leadership we need going forward.
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If you like this episode, please subscribe, like and share it with your networks.
And if you want more great content like this to help you share knowledge, get support and grow your audience, join me on The Q.west for Good. (https://qwest.denisewithers.com)
19 Apr 2023
Sowmya Balendiran: A seaweed solution to climate change
When it comes to climate innovation, North Americans are often guilty of assuming that we do it best. But we forget that the most powerful innovation is driven by need, creativity and constraints. These are some of the key contributors to the success of Sea6 Energy (https://www.sea6energy.com/), an Indian company co-founded and led by Sowmya Balendiran (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sowmya-balendiran-735ab8b/) to develop breakthrough solutions to key global problems.
Over the last decade, Sea6 has revolutionized tropical seaweed farming on the ocean through its patented solutions across the value chain, from the cultivation of seaweeds to the end products, paving the way for a sustainable tropical blue economy. Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum recognized them as a top innovator (https://uplink.weforum.org/uplink/s/uplink-contribution/a012o00001OSm2WAAT/Sea6%20Energy,%20Revolutionizing%20tropical%20seaweed%20farming%20in%20the%20ocean%E2%9C%AA), inviting Sowmya to Davos to share their work.
But building a global biotech business from scratch that transforms the way we think about, grow and use sea plants hasn't been easy. As a Ph.D. student turned entrepreneur, Sowmya's had to develop a collaborative leadership style that enables her to not only build strong teams but also thrive in a male-dominated economy.
In this episode, she shares insights from her journey over the last ten years, along with what she's learned about leading climate action, specifically embracing a multi-disciplinary approach powered by curiosity and collaboration.
***
If you like this episode, please subscribe, like and share it with your networks.
And if you want more great content like this to help you share knowledge, get support and grow your audience, join me on The Q.west for Good. (https://qwest.denisewithers.com)
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