In this episode, Michael speaks with Stephen Posner, the Director of Pathways to Planetary Health at the Garrison Institute. The Garrison Institute is located in Garrison, New York along the Hudson River. Its mission is to apply the skills and wisdom cultivated through contemplative practice, together with the insights emerging from science, to today’s urgent social and environmental challenges, leveraging transformational change and helping build a more compassionate, resilient future.
Stephen obtained his PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont in 2015, and has maintained an active research program that among things has focused on the role of boundary spanners, or organizations that are able to bridge gaps between groups and perspectives. Stephen’s answer to the question, what makes a good boundary spanner, emphasizes the importance of what he calls “self attention work” and developing a self-awareness of the reasons behind one’s own actions. Stephen also speaks about the importance of contemplative practice which is a major theme of the Garrison institute, and the importance of combining contemplation with action.
References:
Posner, S., Fenichel E.P., McCauley, D.J., et al. 2020. Boundary spanning among research and policy communities to address the emerging industrial revolution in the ocean. Environmental Science and Policy 104: 73-81.
Neal, J., Posner, S., Brutzman, B. 2021. Understanding brokers, intermediaries, and boundary spanners: a multi-sectoral review of strategies, skills, and outcomes. Evidence & Policy.
Stephen’s recent blog entry on combining inner and outer change: https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/blog/integrating-inner-and-outer-systems-change/
Metamorphosis event page: garrisonmetamorphosis.org
124: Social capital and community resilience with Daniel Aldrich
123: Co-production and creativity with Josie Chambers
FFM #3: Mapping coastal fisheries with Paige Roberts
122: Decolonizing Conservation with Mathew Mabele
FFM #2: Reality-based fisheries policy with Bubba Cook
121: An end-of-year pod with the editors of the International Journal of the Commons
120: Land use, agriculture and the anthropocene with Billie Turner II
119: The Duty to Consult with Victoria A. Bikowski
FFM #1: Ocean policy with Elizabeth Mendenhall
118: Using games to teach about collective action and the commons with Eric Klopfer
Insight Episode #54: Dan Holland
Insight Episode #53: Dan Brockington on the myth of fortress conservation
Science and Practice #13: Land Conservation with Peter Stein
117: Coral reefs and collaborative science with Joshua Cinner
Insight Episode #52: Erin O’Donnell on the rights of nature
Insight Episode #51: Kaitlin Cordes on coffee and commodity chains
116: Stewardship salons and social science in the US Forest Service with Lindsay Campbell
115: Complex landscape mosaics and the paradox of pastoral tenure with Lance Robinson
Science and practice #12: Nature-based solutions with Margot Clarvis
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Behavioral Grooves Podcast
Hidden Brain
The Science of Happiness
The Psychology Podcast