REGISTER NOW: WEBINAR: "An elemental experiment in empathy as nature", Tuesday 7 October 2025, 4.00 to 5.30 pm AEDT by Zoom
17th September 2025
REGISTER NOW: Wiley IAG Geographical Research Webinars 2025 Emergent elemental geographies:
"An elemental experiment in empathy as nature"
Presentation and discussion with Suzanne Vallance, Melissa Robson-Williams, and Flo van Noppen, Landcare Research, Aotearoa New Zealand
Tuesday 7 October 2025, 4.00 to 5.30 pm AEDT
Register at: https://bit.ly/4ituMNh
Abstract: We continue to see environmental decline, species extinction, climate change, growing waste streams and other wicked problems. This witnessing occurs because we retain and reinforce society–nature binaries where the relationship is largely for our benefit. A good partner in a reciprocal, respectful, and empathetic relationship would act otherwise. Our experiment explored whether it is possible to promote different relationships with Nature within constrained budgets and limited timeframes. Our experiment in empathy (as Nature) tested the hypothesis that “if Nature set our research strategy, we would do different research and/or do research for different reasons”. We invited participants to a retreat to rewrite an existing research strategy as elements of Nature. A comparison of before and after strategies developed by air, water, soil, landscape, plants, and animals shows that giving Nature a say over our research may result in some intriguing changes to research practice.
Format: Presentation and discussion with Suzanne Vallance, Melissa Robson-Williams, and Flo van Noppen, Landcare Research, Aotearoa New Zealand.