Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Green Gown Award winning Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, Mya Harvey, Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Tyler Domone-Hollands, Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Unearthing secrets of the global sand industry
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In this student takeover episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton, we investigate a highly important yet easily overlooked resource - sand. What happens when something we assume is limitless turns out to be one of the most exploited materials on Earth, sitting at the heart of a global sustainability crisis?
Drawing on global, regional and local examples, we explore how sand underpins modern life, from infrastructure and technology to urban mega-expansion. Through real-world investigation, our discussion highlights the way in which communities and natural environments are affected by the consequences of sand mining, questioning who holds responsibility for change. With urban expansion growing so rapidly, can we truly balance the global infrastructural demand for sand with sustainability? This discussion aims to highlight the most detrimental impacts of the sand mining industry whilst also presenting potential solutions, allowing listeners to rethink the hidden impact of one of the world's most important resources.
This episode is part of the Student Takeover Season on the Meliora Podcast and is a group project from the University of Southampton UOSM2043 Global Sustainability Challenges module.
Group member roles
Researchers: Bailey Reeves, Daisy Powell, Jack Durrans, Barnaby Williams and Neha Vijayakumar
Podcast hosts: Bailey Reeves, Neha Vijayakumar
Podcast guests: Daisy Powell, Jack Durrans
Editor: Barnaby Williams
