International perspectives on eco-social work practice

Eco-Social Work in Australia

Guest: Dr Meredith Powers(she/her) - Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at University of North Carolina, Greensboro, USA

Introduction to this episode:

The Eco-Social Work in Australia podcast series has been expanded to include guest interviews with social work professionals who either practice outside of Australia or with individuals who work in closely allied fields, such as public health or psychology. This has been a conscious decision made in light of the recognition that social work is a global as well as national profession, and one which benefits from the sharing of interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise, particularly in connection to dealing with the practice implications of increasing physical environmental challenges such as global heating and climate disruption.

My guest in this episode is a good representative of this more cosmopolitan direction for the series. Dr. Meredith Powers(she/her) is an American based and internationally focussed practitioner across a range of roles. Dr. Powers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at UNC Greensboro, USA. She teaches and conducts community engaged scholarship on topics of climate justice, climate migration, eco-social worldviews, and eco-therapeutic practices for well-being. She is the Founder and Director of the Climate Justice Program of the International Federation of Social Workers. And she also established and co-administers the global Green/Eco Social Work Collaborative Network.

SUMMARY OF MAIN INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS - and approximate time elapsed in minutes

• General introduction – 0.50
• Guest self-introduction – 3.38
• What is the significance of eco-social work practice (ESW) in 2022? – 10.00
• How can ESW help tackle key physical environment challenges? - 15.28
• The 2022 IFSW People’s Summit – 23.30
• The need for mainstream SW involvement with physical environment problems – 27.43
• What could/should the short to mid-term future hold for ESW practice? – 33.28
• Guest take home message – 46.56
• Close of interview and thanks to guest – 49.46
• Total run time – 51.03

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE DISCUSSION

A listing of any books, publications or digital media information sources relevant to eco-social work and mentioned during discussion.

• Dr Meredith C.F. Powers academic profile and publications list
• Anthropocentric and ecocentric worldviews and Climate Justice Program
• Book on fungi: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures (M.Sheldrake, 2020).
• Book: Braiding Sweetgrass- Indigenous wisdom Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants(Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2020)
• Paper by Kim Zapf (2010) on the SW concept of people as place/learning to live well in place
• Quote by author B. White on saving and savouring the world.
• Eco-therapy – the use of Green and Blue Spaces and nature connectedness approaches and research.
• Paper on radical self-care – see Meredith Powers’ academic profile and publications
• IPCC (2022) - latest report on climate change explainer (Australian perspective, March 2022)
• The concept of ecokin and climate change influence on natural disaster events
• IFSW linked event discussed: Co-building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind’ People’s Summit 29 June- 2 July 2022, Virtual Event
• Book on leadership Meredith mentioned: Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age

GUEST AND CONTACT DETAILS:

Guest: Dr. Meredith Powers E [e-mail] WEBSITE

Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE):

T 07 4639 2135 E [e-mail] WEB Facebook

Production:

Produced for HOPE by Andrew Nicholson T: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

This episode recorded in Toowoomba, S.E. Queensland, Australia on 29th April 2022

Artwork: Daniela Dal'Castel Incidental Music: James Nicholson