We are delighted to be joined by the brilliant Rebecca Kinge and Izzy Sargent of the Southampton Climate Action Network (SoCAN) to discuss the crucial work they and community collective colleagues are conducting across the city of Southampton. Although climate focused in the name, their work addresses all the different dimensions of sustainability and this episode explores this through a local community action group.

We also get to learn about the sustainability journeys of both Rebecca and Izzy, showing how different peoples paths can be, but how they can end at a convergence point that makes the best of personal skills and experience.

If you would like to learn more, please visit these pages:

Local is the New Global film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOs5T-R2p8k

Southampton National Park City - https://southampton-national-park.com

So Collective Climate Futures - http://www.socollective.org.uk/Imagine-Climate-Friendly-Futures

SoCAN calendar of events - https://www.sotoncan.org.uk/calendar/

Transition Southampton Repair Café - https://transitionsouthampton.org/projects-repair-cafe/

Episode Guests: Rebecca Kinge and Izzy Sargent

Episode Host: Simon Kemp

Episode Producer and Editor: Eleanor Howell

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics. This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainability centred around the climate change and adaptation challenges facing communities along the Mekong River Delta.

In episode 3 we address the visit of four sustainability researchers from the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam to the University of Southampton to continue the collaboration on climate change and adaptation research projects.

Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode guests: Phan Ky Trung, Le Kim Ngan, Nguyễn Kiểu Điểm, Nguyễn Tan Loi

Episode producer: Libby Kale

Episode editor: Ellie Howell

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics. This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainability centred around the climate change and adaptation challenges facing communities along the Mekong River Delta.

In episode 2 we continue to discuss the opening visit where nine students and researchers from the University of Southampton visited the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam to collaborate on climate change research projects and undertake cultural exchange activities to develop an understanding of the people and the environment of the region.

We recognise that some may feel flying to a region to collaborate on climate and sustainability research is counterintuitive, possibly even hypocritical. However, conducting partnership research on these crucial challenges can only be authentic if it is achieved by understanding the real-life complexities facing people and working with these communities, and not by researchers stating what the possible solutions may be from a wholly different part of the world.

Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode guests: Angelina Spilnyk, Daniel Locke, Irene Ruiz Espejo, Jamie Robinson, Lily Rudduck, Massimo Risoli, Samuel Inkster, Stefania-Myrto Staiculescu

Episode producer: Jack Dinham

Episode editor: Ellie Howell

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics. This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainability centred around the climate change and adaptation challenges facing communities along the Mekong River Delta.

In episode 1 we address the opening visit where nine students and researchers from the University of Southampton visited the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam to collaborate on climate change research projects and undertake cultural exchange activities to develop an understanding of the people and the environment of the region.

We recognise that some may feel flying to a region to collaborate on climate and sustainability research is counterintuitive, possibly even hypocritical. However, conducting partnership research on these crucial challenges can only be authentic if it is achieved by understanding the real-life complexities facing people and working with these communities, and not by researchers stating what the possible solutions may be from a wholly different part of the world.

Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode guests: Angelina Spilnyk, Daniel Locke, Irene Ruiz Espejo, Jamie Robinson, Lily Rudduck, Massimo Risoli, Samuel Inkster, Stefania-Myrto Staiculescu

Episode producer: Jack Dinham

Episode editor: Ellie Howell

This is just a bit of fun. Not a serious sustainability research, education or careers episode, this is an informal recording of some of the Meliora team chatting before, during and after the 2025 Green Gown Awards.

We reflect on the podcast journey to this point, discuss our favourite episodes to date & the 2024 awards in the pub before the awards, attend the 2025 ceremony, chat to one of the co-chairs of the EAUC who run the GGA the brilliant Prof Zoe Robinson, the announcement of the Next Generation Learning & Skills award, the thoughts of the production and editing team after the awards (I'm not really 'that' competitive honest), and a closing reflection at a horribly early time the morning after at Birmingham New Street Railway Station.

We recognise this episode may be seen as a little self-indulgent, but we thought some people may enjoy a light-hearted insight into the more informal celebratory side of sustainability in the HE sector. We hope you enjoy it :)

Episode hosts: Prof Simon Kemp, Jack Dinham, Libby Kale, Ellie Howell

Episode guests: Prof Zoe Robinson and the background comments of the Green Gown Award guests

Episode editor: Ellie Howell

We are delighted to welcome the inspirational and all round wonderful sustainability expert Professor Denise Baden to what is now the 'Green Gown Award Winning' Meliora podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton.

Denise continues to innovate in her approach to maximising the sustainability impact of her work. We chat about her journey to sustainability, her academic expertise and teaching, creativity leading to research awards, and her current work as a sustainability fiction author.

Links to Denise's highly recommended brilliant work are below:

https://www.dabaden.com/

https://www.greenstories.org.uk/

https://habitatpress.com/

linkedin.com/in/denise-baden-3742793

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/creative-climate-communication-7300475505529540608

https://bsky.app/profile/dabaden.bsky.social

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5wzjrb/professor-denise-baden

Episode guest: Professor Denise Baden, University of Southampton

Episode host: Professor Simon Kemp

Episode producer and editor: Jack Dinham

The Meliora podcast is back for a new academic year, and we're joined by the brilliant Jenny Abery (Principal Educator) at the wonderful Hawk Conservancy Trust (https://www.hawk-conservancy.org/) to chat all things wildlife, studying, building a conservation education career, and the lifelong relationships and connections from studying at University.

We always love having our alumni join us on the Meliora podcast, and as ever it was an absolute joy to welcome Jenny back. She was always such an impressive natural communicator and excellent student when studying with us at the University of Southampton, and it's always so great when someone has the job that so perfectly suits them!

Episode guest: Jenny Abery, Principal Educator at the Hawk Conservancy Trust

Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode producer and editor: Ellie Howell

Billy Weir MSci Environmental Science joins us again for his episode, this time on his Masters research project "Assessing the impact of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction on fish populations in Plymouth, England".

Abstract - Rewilding has become an aim for conservation across the globe, and a crucial aspect of that is species reintroductions. Ecosystem engineers such as Eurasian Beavers (Castor fiber) are an excellent example of a species that can return to nature-deprived countries, such as the UK, and increase biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. The return of Eurasian beavers across Europe and the UK represents a conservation success story, despite some controversies surrounding localised flooding.

This study investigated the impact Eurasian Beavers have on fish populations at a reintroduction project at Poole Farm, Plymouth, England. Seine netting sampling was conducted and eDNA samples were collected across three sites at Poole Farm. This data was compared to a fish population survey that occurred in October 2021 and supplemented with land imagery of the enclosure to assess beaver impact.

The data suggests that Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) dominate the stream at all sites, and that the beaver dam provides Brown trout (Salmo trutta) with a large obstacle that they cannot pass to upstream areas, despite other literature finding otherwise.

We suggest it’s crucial to continue monitoring the fish population at Poole Farm, and at beaver reintroduction projects across the country, as beavers become more established.

Episode guest: Billy Weir MSci Environmental Science

Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode producer and editor: Libby Kale