Hello, and welcome to the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power project team here at the Sustainable Earth Institute (SEI). We are a diverse group of researchers from various backgrounds across the social and geo sciences, who have come together to ask some big questions about what it really means for geothermal power to be a part of our society. We are one of a partnership of organisations, including the commercial partner Geothermal Engineering Ltd, and the British Geological Survey. TheRead more
Polly Higgins – Ecocide: The Earth needs a Lawyer
It should come as no surprise that Polly Higgins presents in such an eloquent, passionate and engaging manner. Pursuing her instinct to stand up to injustice, Polly trained as a lawyer and practiced for some years “solving other people’s problems”. Then at the end of a long case she describes looking out the window at the Court of Appeal and thinking “The earth is being injured and harmed and nothing is being done about it” and “The earth is inRead more
Book review: An Air That Kills
Alan Ramage On behalf of Plymouth Green Book Club At the invitation of Professor Iain Stewart, I am opening this blog on behalf of Plymouth Green Book Club, which read Dr John Rieuwerts’s book “An Air That Kills” earlier this year. It is an important contribution to the public’s understanding of an issue which has rightly gained a high profile in Britain’s media. Dr John Rieuwerts lectures at the University of Plymouth and has very kindly agreed to contribute toRead more
Plymouth University at Benthic Ecology Meeting, Myrtle Beach, USA
Dr Louise Firth, Dr Antony Knights (Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre) and their PhD students, Anaelle Lemasson and Katie O’Shaughnessy gave oral presentations at the 46th Benthic Ecology Meeting to represent Plymouth’s expertise in marine Benthic Ecology. Anaelle was supported to attend the event by the Royal Society and British Ecology Society, and Katie was supported by The Challenger Society for Marine Science, The Marine Institute Education Fund and Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association. Louise was invited to take partRead more
In the theatre of science, the storyteller is king
On a visit to the Joshua Tree National Park in California Tim Smit paid a “king’s ransom” for a meteorite about the size of a grapefruit but far heavier. At Tim’s talk for the Sustainable Earth Institute, the meteorite was circulated through the lecture theatre for all to experience directly. When it was passed to me, two things went through my mind. Firstly, that this object had its origins beyond the boundaries of Earth and I had therefore the privilegeRead more
Engaging ‘harder-to-reach’ service users – Food as a Lifestyle Motivator
This blog was originally posted on The Fuse Open Science Blog. See the original post here. My research (the Food as a Lifestyle Motivator (FLM) project, funded by the Sustainable Earth Institute’s small collaborative awards) has explored the use of creative methods to engage with homeless individuals in discussions about their wellbeing. The project demonstrates that food, as well as being central to many health concerns, may also be a powerful ‘lifestyle motivator’ for those on the edges of society.Read more