At a Distance

Rebecca Solnit, the author of books including “A Paradise Built in Hell” (2009) and “Orwell’s Roses” (2021) and the co-editor of the new collection of essays “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility,” discusses the long view as a “mind-blowing” way of looking at the world, why the majority of people tend to be altruistic and resourceful in a disaster, and why the climate crisis requires eschewing a scarcity mindset for one of abundance.

The culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of the new book “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods,” talks about the importance of engaging with local foodways, why “the idea that eating McDonald’s is universally bad is woefully unaware of class and racial conflicts,” and how Indigenous communities across the U.S. are fighting to protect their heritage.

Architect, writer, and curator Pedro Gadanho, author of the book “Climax Change!” and a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University, discusses how architects must increasingly innovate through densification and adaptive reuse rather than building anew; existing buildings as “material banks”; and the importance of downgrading our consumption levels, particularly in the Western world.

Architect and novelist Lesley Lokko, the founder and director of the African Futures Institute and the curator of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, discusses how, for her, the rich context of Africa has always served as a “testing ground for ideas” about the future; why she has become disenchanted with the academic establishment over time; and how architects serve as translators between the imaginary and the real. Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR. http://www.mudwtr.com/slowdown

Marina Koren, a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers science and space exploration, speaks about why the “overview effect,” the cognitive shift that can occur when seeing the Earth from outer space, needs to be studied and understood in a more nuanced way; the ongoing Elon Musk–Jeff Bezos space-race saga; and the vast, galaxy-wide importance of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR. www.mudwtr.com/slowdown

Atmospheric physicist and climatologist Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the founder of Bauhaus Earth, talks with us about reforesting the planet and “re-timbering” cities, the potential for the built environment to become a “hero” in climate restoration, and the vast number of solutions to be found by looking to nature and Indigenous cultures. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Israeli-born, Boston-based architect and urban planner Moshe Safdie, author of the new book “If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture,” discusses approaching architecture with humility and in service to society, the staying power of his Habitat 67 housing complex in Montreal, and his vision for creating the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Fashion designer Suzanne Lee, the founder of Biofabricate, speaks with us about a new era of materials that could lead to more circular and regenerative systems, misunderstandings around the term “biomaterials,” and leaning into biology as a means of pushing the parameters of fashion forward. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Karenna Gore, the director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, talks with us about spirituality as an outlet for humility, why we’re in a “species-wide identity crisis,” and how the paths forward we choose now about the climate crisis are ultimately about human survival. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Photographer and poet John Mack, founder of the nonprofit Life Calling Initiative, discusses our online and offline realities; why and how humanity is going through a “metaphysical migration”; and despite our current technological ease and efficiency, the deep human desire for non-virtual experiences. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Philosopher David Chalmers, author of the book “Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy” and co-director of the N.Y.U. Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, speaks with us about his predictions of where A.I. is heading; why he doesn’t rule out a “Google level” of consciousness; and how, rather than a single version of utopia, multiple utopias could reveal themselves through a “dynamic process of search.” Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Joseph Awuah-Darko, the founder and director of Institute Museum of Ghana and the Noldor Artist Residency in Accra, talks with us about creating the country’s first independent arts residency and fellowship program for African artists; his ongoing research efforts targeting e-waste; and the importance of creating sustained longevity for, and critical discourse around, African contemporary art. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

Kyle Smitley, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit charter schools Detroit Achievement Academy and Detroit Prep, talks with us about her entrepreneurial path to education; joy, comfort, and belonging as essential to school culture; and the value of listening to community feedback. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en