Consumption, Economics, Education and Wellbeing
About this event series
Part Two of the event series focused on the themes of consumption, economics, education and wellbeing. The consumer market is changing rapidly. There has been a rise of veganism, entire nations are boycotting single use plastic and we are seeing the emergence of the application of circularity in design and production from large corporations and new start-ups alike. The consumer action is fuelled by a rise in eco-anxiety and with businesses response to the scientific data with creative solutions.
Rethinking the structure of the economy to stop environmental damage will be better for the mental-health and wellbeing of all of us and interventions and tools for improving and maintaining these conditions are a key factor in sustainability. Education for sustainable development is at the heart of societal transformation, encouraging individuals, organisations and communities in adopting more sustainable and climate conscious behaviours.
LSBU set out to explore how we could rethink our economy and our consumption patterns to stop environmental damage and to improve the mental-health and wellbeing for all of society. This included an exploration of the impact of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.
Our prominent guest speakers included:
- Dillie Keane
- IKEAProfessor Jill Atkins
- Times Higher Education
- Mental Health Charity Mind
- Royal Parks
- Bankside Open Spaces Trust
- Aja Barber
- Studio XAG
- The Sustainable Angle
In the lead-up to the event, we interviewed some of our key speakers asking them about their current role, what they were doing as individuals to tackle issues around sustainability and climate change and their thoughts on the future. Read the Part Two session speaker interviews here.
There were events in Part Two of the series: Consumption, Economics & Education, and Wellbeing. See more detail on the events below.
Keynote speakers
Keynote Address: The Unexamined Action
Expert: Dillie Keane, author of blog ‘Shit You Don’t Need’
Keynote Address – How can we create retail installations that don’t cost the earth?
Expert: Gemma Ruse, Founder & Creative Director at Studio XAG
Panel Discussion: The impact & influence of the fashion world on sustainability & the climate emergency
Experts:
- Aja Barber. Writer and influencer is sustainability, ethics, intersectional feminism, racism and buying habits.
- Paola Masperi. Founder of award-winning fashion brand Mayamiko.
- Amanda Johnston. Curator and consultant at The Sustainable Angle.
Session lead: Ronke Fashola, Course Director – Fashion Promotion & Marketing and Fashion Buying & Merchandising, LSBU
School: Arts & Creative Industries
LSBU staff
Session: How creativity can replace our need for consumption
Lead: Jasmine Pradissitto, Artist & Visiting Lecturer, LSBU
School: Engineering
Session: Global consumer culture, impulsive buying and money budgeting – who buys more and saves less?
Lead: Barbara Czarnecka, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, LSBU
School: Business
Session: Is Sustainability Embedded to Business School Curricula?: Initial Findings from a UK wide study
Leads: Grace O'Rourke, Lecturer in Marketing, LSBU and Barbara Czarnecka, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, LSBU
School: Business
Keynote speakers
Keynote Address: Extinction Governance and Engagement
Expert: Professor Jill Atkins, Chair in Financial Management at Sheffield University, author of ‘The Business of Bees’ and ‘Extinction Governance’
Keynote Address: Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into LSBU's Group Strategy
Experts: Duncan Ross, Chief Data Officer, Times Higher Education Supplement & Richard Duke, Director of Strategy & Planning, LSBU.
LSBU staff
Session: Spirals, Spikes and Spinning Wheels: Temporal models challenging the sustainability agenda
Lead: Dr. Helen Powell, Course Director, Creative Advertising with Marketing, LSBU
School: Arts & Creative Industries
Session: Embedding sustainability into accounting education – an empirical study at LSBU
Lead: Usha Mistry, Senior Lecturer, LSBU
School: Business
Session: Responsible Futures: Skills and Competencies for University Community Wellbeing and Student Employability
Lead: Alex Misfud, Responsible Futures Project Manager, LSBU
School: Law & Social Sciences
Session: Being bad to do good: using reverse psychology to embed Life Cycle Thinking and knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals in design and engineering curricula
Speakers:
- Dr Benjamin Lishman, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, LSBU
- Professor Elizabeth Newton, Associate Professor of Psychology, LSBU
- Year 2 Students: Beth Browne, Javane Lawrie, Dimitri McGrath-Karvelis and Zaynab Patel
- Year 4 Students: Joseph James and Luke Kingham
Lead: Professor Deborah Andrews, Associate Professor in Design, LSBU and CEDaCI project lead
Schools: Engineering & Applied Sciences
Session: A new economics for a post Covid world: how to make the change
Speakers:
- Dr Sarah Abdaless, Head of Division of Accounting, Finance and Economics , LSBU
- Mark Winter, Lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Economics, LSBU
- Dr Chistoph Biehl, Lecturer in Responsible Business, Department of Management, University of Birmingham
Lead: Dr Hugh Atkinson, Distinguished Research Fellow, The Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Bristol
Schools: Business, Law & Social Sciences
Session: The contribution of Education for Sustainability to changing patterns of consumption and improving individual well-being
Speakers:
- Jaya Gajpara, Course Director for Education for Sustainability, LSBU
- Rolf Jucker, author of blog ‘Sustainability Writings’ and the book ‘Can We Cope with the Complexity of Reality?
- Paul Maiteny, Ecologist & Psychotherapist plus Lecturer in Education for Sustainability, LSBU
Lead: Dr Glen Strachan, Education for Sustainability Programme, School of Law & Social Sciences, LSBU
School: Law & Social Sciences
Keynote speakers
Keynote address: Managing your wellbeing during COVID-19
Expert: Kerry McLeod, Head of Content (Information), Mind
Keynote address: IKEA Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
Expert: Ailen McCreadie, Live Lagom Programme Manager UK&IE, Health and Sustainable Living, IKEA Ltd
Panel Discussion: The impact of gardening & outdoor space on our mental health & wellbeing and how individuals & communities living in urban areas can create green spaces
Speakers:
- Mary O’Connell, Head of Parks & Community, Bankside Open Spaces Trust
- Molly Gadenz, Green Hub Coordinator, Bankside Open Spaces Trust
- Laura MacMahon, Community Learning Officer, Royal Parks
- Iain Boutlon, Chair of Trustees, LEEF (London Environmental Educators Forum)
Lead: Jaya Gajpara, Course Director, Education for Sustainability, LSBU
School: Law and Social Sciences
Panel Discussion: Repackaging Christmas: gifts to protect the planet and its people
Speakers:
- Luke Gaydon, Co-Founder, Terra Neutra
- Amruta Kshemkalyani, Founder, Sustainability Tribe and #ZeroWasteUAE Social Initiative
- Wayne Hubbard, Chief Executive Officer, The London Waste and Recycling Board
- Professor Patrick Callaghan, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences, LSBU
Lead: Thomas Empson, Sustainability Project Manager, LSBU.
LSBU Staff
Session: You're Not What You Think: How to Manage the Internal Self-Critic
Lead: Dr. Daniel Kolubinski, Psychology Lecturer, LSBU
School: Applied Sciences
Session: Remove clutter, welcome organisation and enjoy a more peaceful and sustainable life at home
Lead: Isabelle Lamy, Decluttering & Home/Office Organisation Expert, IDea for your space
Session: Mental health ecologies: space, design and lived experiences of distress
Lead: Professor Paula Reavey, Professor of Psychology, LSBU
School: Applied Sciences
Session: Lighten up! How daylighting can benefit your wellbeing & the environment
Lead: Zoe De Grussa, Sustainability Engineer and Communications Designer, British Blinds & Shutters Association
School: Engineering
Session: Not My Problem: Recognising and reducing personal risks and harms in alcohol use
Lead: Professor Antony Moss, Professor of Addictive Behaviour Science, LSBU
School: Applied Sciences
Session: Ways you can maintain and sustain your mental health and wellbeing
Lead: Professor Patrick Callaghan, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences, LSBU
School: Applied Sciences
Useful links
Consumption, Economics, Education and Wellbeing programme
(PDF File 108 KB)
Consumption, Economics, Education and Wellbeing practical takeaway guide
(PDF File 647 KB)
In this section
- Carbon, Climate, Energy and Resources
- Consumption, Economics, Education and Wellbeing
- Equality: Food, Water & Politics