Episodes

Ombretta Androff is an Italian-born, Miami-based freelance curator and climate activist with more than twenty years of curatorial expertise with an international practice across non-profit institutions, commercial galleries, and art advisory pursuits with private clients. An avid swimmer, diver and kiteboarder, since moving to Miami in 2013, Ombretta's passion for the Florida waterways inspired ARTSail, a nomadic residency and research initiative that instigate creative and climate change inquir...

Dr Nicolene du Preez and Peter Philips are on a joint venture to re-imagine education. With COVID-19 as the catalyst for change, in just 3 months a local Balinese community came together to build the Open Flow Learning Centre after many years of ideation and vision between these two educators. Located in the centre of Bali, Indonesia the local and global connections are undeniable with everyday bringing fresh experiences to the international and local children that attend. The Open Flow Learning...

Saying you innovate and actually innovating are two different things. So how does one foster a culture of innovation that creates success? Gregory Pepper gives a glimpse into his experiences as an innovation designer, who's core experience is in creating programs in innovation and sustainability for early-stage ventures, corporates, NGOs, and universities. He currently leads UNLEASH+, a 6-month pre-acceleration program for teams developing solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals ...

In this episode, you will hear Kleber’s passion for infrastructure and education. We discuss the everlasting impacts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, the challenges of infrastructure, and technology development across Brazil. Kleber Santos works at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) as an Innovation Analyst. His main role is to assist people to protect their technologies and transfer them to society via licensing or spin-off creation. At the Center, ...

Isha Sharma has recently finished her masters degree in economic policy and international development at the London School of Economics. She is also currently the only student and the first and youngest South Asian Woman to be on the LSE Council - the highest governing body of the university. She is also one of the Company Director and Charity Trustee of the school. Isha is also a UN Local Pathways Fellow, advisor to the World Bank’s Youth to Youth Community and a World Economic Forum Global Sha...

We often hear about the energy-water-food nexus, but what does it actually mean? In this episode of the SDG Talks Podcast, Femeena Valappil breaks down the myths around this concept and sheds light around the most recent science around this field. Femenna recently joined Penn State University as a Postdoctoral scholar where her research focuses on developing sustainable solutions at the water-food-energy nexus. Currently, she studies growing duckweeds as a potential medium for nutrient recovery ...

In this episode of SDGTalks I invite on Alison Lomax, the director of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, to discuss marine mammal conservation in the west coast of Scotland (https://hwdt.org/). Alison outlines the trust’s approach to conservation through citizen science and the engagement of the wider public in the support of sighting and tracking. The conversation is close to me, as I plan to set out on an adventure race to fundraise for the charity in August of next year. (https://www.yout...

Camila Olmedo Mendez is passionate about how humans can activate their personal capabilities to alter the status quo and drive sustainable change. Camila is the co-founder of START, a volunteer organization that seeks to equip youth to create impact projects and collaborate with volunteering. Camila has been very active on different platforms such as Unleash, the Unschool School of Disruptive Design, Resolution Project, and One Young World. In this SDG Talks, we will learn about her work with fa...

What does innovation in the water sector mean? How do you "actually" innovate? In this SDG Talks podcast, we are honored to have Barry Liner discuss the different obstacles and opportunities around innovation in the water sector. We will cover some of his biggest successes, failures, and messages to fellow Water-Prenuers out there! Barry Liner is the Chief Technical Officer of the Water Environment Federation. Barry's passion for sustainable development was truly ignited when he spent 2003 worki...

Why is proper nutrition so important? How can we spread this education to those across Kenya and the world? In this episode of the SDG Talks Podcast, you will hear from Maureen Muketha who is a nutritionist that is passionate about Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger. Maureen is the founder of Tule Vyema - Swahili word for ‘Let’s Eat Right’. Tule Vyema is an organization that raises awareness of proper feeding practices in communities so as to eliminate malnutrition incidences which are...

Voted as a top Indian purpose-driven leader, Pratik Gauri is a serial social entrepreneur, investor, public speaker, and writer committed to making the world a better place by creating the 5th Industrial Revolution through servant-driven leadership. Pratik works for the 5th element group who is helping to facilitate this 5th industrial Revolution. They work with brands to amplify brands their brand warmth by unlocking millions of dollars for social causes using shared languages of the United ...

What does renewable energy actually mean and what are the different types? How can individuals, businesses, and governments play a role to adopt more renewable energy sources? In this episode, you will hear from Assmaa Almaairgy (also known as Sam). Sam is a 27-year-old environmentalist and blogger from Egypt who founded her company 6 years ago. Her company, Earthava, strives to inform people about environmental concerns and to guide them to a greener living lifestyle. To learn more about Sam’s ...

Thiago Jesus is a senior project manager at People’s Palace Projects, an arts organisation based at Queen Mary University of London, working on cross-cultural initiatives between Brazil and the UK. One of his current projects is an ongoing programme of artistic residencies for cultural preservation at the Kuikuro indigenous territory in the Xingu, Amazon region. Since its start, Thiago has produced 3 expeditions to the region, a BBC World Service radio documentary and various exhibitions includi...

The youth can change the world! Since a very young age, Yasmin has been involved in social impact and worked along other young people in issues ranging from homelessness and human trafficking to the refugee crisis and human rights education. She deeply believes in the power of youth to create change and believes with the right tools; the youth can play a significant role in changing the world. In this podcast we will discuss different tools that people can leverage, especially the Global Change ...

PFAS in the water is a common news headline that we see today. But what does PFAS in the water actually mean? In this SDG Talks, you will hear from Chris Olivares who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Berkeley working on chemical treatment of PFAS and their impact on microorganisms for pollutant clean up. His research surround how microbes and pollutants interact with climate changes impacts and what it means for guaranteeing equitable access to safe water. Chris Lin...

Deya Ward is a zoologist, filmmaker and speaker who is passionate about the natural world and conservation of natural ecosystems. Having completed her masters degree in wildlife filmmaking two years ago, Deya has worked at the BBC on David Attenborough’s landmark series Seven World’s One Planet and is now working with another production company on a wildlife series produced for Netflix. Although Deya is an advocate of all wildlife, her hero is the orangutan, and she spent 8 months living with th...

Sustainable Farming is not a myth. In fact, we have the capacity to grow more, eat healthier and live in harmony with mother earth… if we are willing to change our practices. In this SDG Talks, you will hear from sustainable agricultural specialist George Chapman on a range of topics around sustainable farming. George is a 24 year old Australian that grew up on a Tea Tree farm and developed an interest in agriculture at a young age. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture a...

In this SDG Talks podcast we hear more about Corina Shika Kwami's journey and experiences working on infrastructure, health and tech projects from over 10 countries around the world. Corina comes from a broad background, and has recently completed here PhD in Civil, environmental and geomatic engineering from the University College of London, focusing on innovations in the governance of water utilities and infrastructure in Colombia. With a unique set of STEM and arts experiences, Corina strives...

In this SDG Talks podcast we will explore the "forgotten SDG 16" through positive storytelling with Kasha Slavner. By sharing stories of people who have triumphantly overcome adversity, we can learn about what it means to make the world a better place despite all obstacles. Kasha Sequoia Slavner started The Global Sunrise Project which is multi-award-winning GEN-Z documentary that creates positive impact media. Kasha is a recognized global youth leader, Kim Phuc Peace & Diana Award recipient, 10...

In this SDGTalks we turn the tables on one of our hosts, Kevin Sofen, and discuss his journey and social enterprise Wristponsible, an organisation which raises financial capital and social awareness for water projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. You will hear about how Kevin approaches water projects and discuss the specific water opportunities in Flint. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-sofen/ Wristsponsible: https://wristsponsible.com/ Flint Water Opportunity: ht...

In this SDG Talks with Kelsey Zlevor, we discuss urban planning, the impact of COVID-19 on public spaces, and how the urban framework plays a significant role in the UN SDG 2030 roadmap. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kzlevor/ Kelsey Zlevor’s understanding of the role of place-- where we live, work, and play -- stems from her multidisciplinary background education in Environmental Science and Master's of Community and Regional Planning. Kelsey currently practices at Cameron McCart...

In this podcast with Radhika Ralhan we discuss key collaborative actions that are required to scale up SDGs, SDGs in Indian Context, how the private sector is contributing to advance the SDGs agenda, and why we can’t keep writing fancy reports without action. Radhika Ralhan is a Global Impact Young Leader from India, awarded by the prestigious Atlas Corps Fellowship 2020. She is a sustainability systems expert, with a decade long work experience of driving the SDGs agenda by curating innovative ...

Camilo Huneeus Guzmán is an industrial Chemical Engineer with international experience in engineering, public policy and emergency response. Camilo currently works at United Nations Development Program within water management and focuses on water innovation and transboundary water management. Camilo was a graduate teaching fellow at Yale University and you can learn much more about his past experiences via the links below: Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilohuneeus/ Digital Tra...

Luke Barbagallo’s mission is to be an active participant 
in a collective journey towards social, economic and environmental sustainability. He is driven by an inquisitive nature and an unwavering commitment to realizing a better tomorrow. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukebarbagallo/) Luke believes that strong community engagement and agency is the key to successful and sustainable communities, and I’m passionate about connecting local change-makers with government and private business in order...