In the final episode of season 8, President Mahoney dives into the interdisciplinary work shaping the future of sustainable energy with Dr. Mariela Cavo and Dr. Tim Volk from SUNY ESF’s Bioeconomy Cluster. Together, they explore how integrating economics into environmental research helps us better understand the true costs and benefits of renewable energy solutions like biomass. Mariela, an environmental economist, emphasizes the need to address market failures and account for hidden social costs. At the same time, Tim, a biomass expert, underscores the importance of making renewable systems economically viable. From Onondaga Lake to sustainable aviation fuel, this dynamic conversation reveals how collaboration across disciplines is essential to building an equitable, efficient, and sustainable future.

In this episode, President Mahoney sits down with Eden Gardner and Bailey Cunha-Bustamante, the President and Vice President of MOSA (Mighty Oak Student Assembly), to explore what sets the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) apart. Eden and Bailey share how ESF fosters a deeply engaged student community, where hands-on involvement and leadership opportunities are woven into the academic experience.

They dive into their journey of revitalizing MOSA post-COVID, breathing new life into student government and reconnecting the campus community. The conversation also looks to the future, as both leaders reflect on how their experiences at ESF are shaping their ambitions to influence policy and governance — particularly by bringing scientists and scientific perspectives into the decision-making process.

This episode is a testament to the power of student leadership, resilience, and the importance of scientific voices in shaping our world.

Welcome to Season 8 of the Campus Conversations Podcast! In this episode, President Joanie Mahoney sits down with Dr. Jamie Shinn, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, and DR. Nathan Young, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sustainable Resource Management. In this conversation they discuss the delicate dance around terminology related to climate change, the importance of being able to communicate with people who are affected by extreme weather, and the potential for getting involved politically to help make informed change.

In the final episode of this season, President Mahoney has a fantastic conversation with Laura Schifter, a senior fellow with the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment program. She leads This Is Planet Ed, an initiative of Aspen Institute aiming to unlock the power of education as a force for climate action and solutions.

In this conversation, they discuss Laura's motivation to become more involved in educating about climate change, understanding how it affects what is important to you, and how to educate and inform about what's important. They talk about the Higher Ed Climate Action Plan that President Mahoney and SUNY Chancellor King participated in with Laura and the Aspen Institute.

In this episode, President Mahoney speaks with Spencer Berg. Spencer is an Environmental Studies major with a minor in Landscape Architecture. He is also the president of the Environmental Studies Student Organization, known as ESSO, the Chief Academic Officer for the Mighty Oak Student Assembly, and an R.A. in Centennial Hall. Listen in as Spencer talks about what drew him to ESF, his interest in politics, environmental activism, the SUNY system, and the importance of decision-making with the environment in mind.

In this conversation, President Mahoney speaks with the Director of Sustainability at ESF, Sue Fassler. Listen in as President Mahoney and Sue discuss ESF's Sustainability Action Plan, encouraging small changes in habits that can produce a big impact, the value of having difficult discussions, and being OK with trying something and failing.

As we kick off season 7, we welcome back Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer! President Mahoney and Dr. Wall Kimmerer talk about her new book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World and the benefits of a gift economy. The conversation builds on the role of the serviceberry tree and how we can incorporate its relationship to the natural world into our lives.

In this conversation, President Joanie Mahoney speaks with the Commissioner of New York State's Department of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball. Listen in as they talk about how he fell in love with farming helping his grandparents out as a child, the benefit of owning and maintaining a currently active farm in New York while being the Commissioner of Agriculture, the future of farming in New York State and the New York State Fair's role in generating excitement around the wealth of opportunities in agriculture in New York State.