RfD | June: Groceries, Law, and Economics
Hello! Welcome to another Room for Discussion Newsletter. The team and I have outlined everything you need to stay informed about Room for Discussion events below. Take a look!
Events!
What’s coming up in June?
Creature x Room for Discussion -- 22nd of June, 18:00-20:00, Location TBA
Room for Discussion is joining up with Creature Magazine for a special event on the 22nd of June! We will be hosting a two-part, two-hour event with them on creativity in academia. In the first half, there will be a panel discussion consisting of staff members from the university. In the second half, there will be a socratic-style seminar in which we invite all attendees to join us in the larger discussion about what place, if any, creativity should have at UvA. As usual, we finish with a borrel for everyone who feels like hanging around!
What happened in May?
Public Speaking training
We would like to give a big thank you to all the people who showed up for Room for Discussion’s very first public speaking training! We had a great time together with the trainer Marjolein Burgerhout, and we are working on our follow-up event - so stay tuned!
Future Interviews: What's coming up in June?
Jouri Schoemaker -- 14th of June, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland (Dutch)
Wat begon als een afstudeerproject aan de TU Delft, werd, in coronatijd, razendsnel een veelbelovende social impact start-up die miljoenen aan investeringskapitaal ophaalde en droomde over Europese expansie. Jouri Schoemaker, de voormalig Nederlands kampioen in startups pitchen, had een duidelijk doel voor ogen. Samen met mede oprichter Martijn Bijmolt wilde hij met Pieter Pot van circulair en verpakkingsvrij boodschappen doen de norm maken. Dit leidde onder andere tot de mijlpaal van 5 miljoen verpakkingsvrij bezorgde boodschappen. Echter, afgelopen februari kwam er een einde aan die droom. Volgens Jouri groeide Pieter Pot “hard, maar uiteindelijk niet hard genoeg om het businessmodel op eigen benen rendabel te krijgen”. Om een faillissement te voorkomen werd Pieter Pot voor een symbolisch bedrag overgenomen door een derde partij; Jouri en Martijn zijn niet langer aandeelhouder van Pieter Pot.
Kom vooral langs als je geïnteresseerd bent in duurzaam ondernemen, het verhaal van Pieter Pot en meer wilt weten over de lessen die Jouri heeft geleerd als beginnend maatschappelijk ondernemer.
Ladislav Hamran --15th of June, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland
Eurojust is the legal agency at the forefront of the fight against transnational crime in Europe. From combating organised crime to terrorism, Eurojust is involved in resolving a wide range of cross-border conflicts.
To discuss the intricacies of Eurojust's operations and the significant role it plays in ensuring cross-border justice, we will be joined by Ladislav Hamran, the President of Eurojust. What strategies does Eurojust employ? How is cooperation between member states achieved? How is law and justice changing in our evolving society?
Join us if you wanna see how crime scenes become court cases!
Uri Gneezy -- 20th of June, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland
How do we motivate people to change their behaviour? Is traditional economics passé? And is it even ethical to nudge people in the ‘right’ direction? Coming to Room for Discussion to answer all those questions and more is Uri Gneezy, one of the world’s most influential behavioural economists. In his new book ‘Mixed Signals’, he uncovers the powers and pitfalls of offering people rewards.
Interviews: What happened in May?
Bjørn Lomborg -- 10th of May, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland
Interviewers: Patrik Blaszczok & Ella Otterbeck
The interview with Mr. Lomborg covered how Mr. Lomborg saw climate change and how he would solve it, as well as explored how you can make the world a better place in general. The interviewers asked Mr. Lomborg about how he would solve climate change if he had $50 billion. His answer: invest in green technologies (and ask for more money). This is because, Mr. Lomborg argued, the rich world is so reliant on fossil fuels that any attempt to stop using them would have large political ramifications that politicians are not willing to risk. Therefore, you should invest in other technologies until you find a feasible replacement fuel.
As for making the world a better place, Mr. Lomborg highlighted a selection of solutions from his new book on the topic: Best Things First.
Patricia Sellers --11th of May, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland
Interviewers: Benjamin Koponen & Lea Radziwill
Ms. Sellers: she brought poise, insight and a wonderful speaking voice. Ben and Lea asked her mostly about her role in the prosecution of sexual violences during the war in Yugoslavia as well as legal strategies to interpret sexual violence in the same manner slavery. Ms. Sellers was able to bring an important and, remarkably, often unknown testimony of the atrocities committed during the war in a shocking and eye-opening manner. She discussed how sexual violence against men in Yugoslavia was largely ignored during the court proceedings, and how it is often framed as torture instead of sexual violence.
Overall, it was an extremely insightful and moving interview: Patricia Sellers was excellent in telling stories that have ended up unheard, and gave a positive outlook on how the prosecution of sexual violence on men and women during wars can be approached in a more effective manner in the future.
Tom Middendorp -- 17th of May, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland
Interviewers: Morwenna Heemstra & Elias Marseille
Het interview begon met het bespreken van het persoonlijke leven van Tom Middendorp. We kregen over zijn opvoeding te horen, wat zijn tijd in het leger voor hem betekende en hoe het zijn gezin beïnvloedde. Daarna ging het interview over op het onderwerp van zijn recent geschreven boek: klimaatverandering. Het eerste discussiepunt was hoe Meneer Middendorp zich realiseerde dat klimaatverandering een bedreiging voor de veiligheid was. Daarna bespraken ze de manieren waarop klimaatverandering de veiligheid beïnvloedt en de mogelijke zorgen voor Nederland, met als voorbeelden het verder destabiliseren van de Sahel-regio en toegenomen migrantenstromen.
Volgens Tom Middendorp is klimaatverandering een ‘risk multiplier’, iets wat niet alleen conflicten kan veroorzaken maar vooral ook conflicten kan doen verhevigen. Ter illustratie sprak hij over watertekorten in Afghanistan die radicalisering onder lokale boeren veroorzaakten. Pas toen ze dit als onderliggend probleem konden aanpakken, konden ze het conflict in dat dorp oplossen.
Voor meer informatie over klimaatverandering en veiligheid kunt u zijn nieuwe boek lezen: Klimaatgeneraal
Quotes of the month
“The point here is, if you care about biodiversity, why wouldn’t you go after the 80% threat before climate change?”
- Bjørn Lomborg on the risks that climate change pose to biodiversity.
“It’s difficult to get them with regards to females - it’s almost impossible to get them with regards to males.”
- Patricia Sellers on trying to get statistical measure for sexual violence in conflicts.
That is all for this month! We’ll leave you with another quote:
"Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June."
- Al Bernstein