Community-oriented and Policy work
I am committed to applying my knowledge of environmental philosophy to policy and community-oriented work. I especially love working with policy-makers, scientists, community members, and scholars outside of my own discipline, and am eager to find new interdisciplinary collaborations.
Galapagos Education and Research Alliance
As a member of the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance (GERA), I have participated in several projects which support the human community on the Galápagos Islands, an underserved population that will shape the future of this special place.
My own project, developed in collaboration with Galápagos community members Ernesto Vaca and Shinoby Chauca, was piloted on the island of San Cristóbal. Titled "Galápagos Street Theatre," the project guides local kids through the process of writing and performing their own short plays based on stories of environmental and cultural importance to the Galápagos community. Our first story, chosen and narrated by Ernesto, involved the infamous Pirate Lewis!
My own project, developed in collaboration with Galápagos community members Ernesto Vaca and Shinoby Chauca, was piloted on the island of San Cristóbal. Titled "Galápagos Street Theatre," the project guides local kids through the process of writing and performing their own short plays based on stories of environmental and cultural importance to the Galápagos community. Our first story, chosen and narrated by Ernesto, involved the infamous Pirate Lewis!
Other GERA projects that I have been involved with include testing water sources around San Cristóbal using portable qPCR and setting up an impromptu art table along the Malecón for kids to create artwork based on their favorite Galápagos animals and scenes.
Environmental and Climate Policy
I have worked closely with Perry World House, Penn’s center for global engagement, on several climate related projects. This has included combining my knowledge of environmental philosophy with a more policy-oriented view to produce draft documents on climate change and technology for the United Nations Security Council, in collaboration with Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and Michael Weisberg.
Along with poet and sustainability analyst Anjali Berdia, I designed a “creative methods lab,” aimed at policy makers and piloted at Perry World House, which uses creative methods to support future-oriented thinking about climate change solutions.
This insight into the policy side of environmental engagement has influenced my own research, including two published works ("Justifying Nature-based Solutions" and "A New Heuristic for Climate Adaptation"), see here.
Along with poet and sustainability analyst Anjali Berdia, I designed a “creative methods lab,” aimed at policy makers and piloted at Perry World House, which uses creative methods to support future-oriented thinking about climate change solutions.
This insight into the policy side of environmental engagement has influenced my own research, including two published works ("Justifying Nature-based Solutions" and "A New Heuristic for Climate Adaptation"), see here.