Voices of Sustainability: Season 2, Episode #4
Hallie Cole
TRT: 21:13
Hello and welcome to the Voices of Sustainability podcast. My name is Halle Cole, and I will be your host and reporter for season two. This season we're looking ahead and continuing the dialogue about sustainability. These episodes feature in-depth conversations with leaders who are helping shape what sustainability will look like in the years to come. I'll be speaking with professionals across fields to highlight the various strategies and challenges faced by the government, businesses, and nonprofits who are all striving to balance economic growth with environmental and social responsibility.
In this episode, I'm joined by Dickson Monk, the Executive Director of the Columbia World Affairs Council, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering international engagement and connecting South Carolina communities to global opportunities. We explore how international collaboration can advance sustainability and how the nonprofit connects South Carolina to the global community. Let's get into it.
Hallie Cole
Now to get us going, I'm going to ask you, Dixon, just to share a little bit about yourself, your role, and about the Columbia World Affairs Council as an organization.
Dickson Monk
Yeah, hi. Thanks for having me here today. I'm very excited to join you. I'm Dickson Monk. I'm the Executive Director of the Columbia World Affairs Council, which is a nonpartisan, nonprofit located here in Columbia, South Carolina. We were founded in 1993, so we've been around for a while—31 years now. And we do a lot and operate in a lot of different areas. So the easiest way to sum it up in an elevator statement is that we provide global educational programming through speakers and panels and films and art and you name it, to create a safe and open space to address and discuss the critical global issues facing our lives today.
And then on the other side of that, we also facilitate innovative international exchanges, hosting ambassadors and diplomats and business leaders and thought leaders from around the world here through various programs, either just visiting as diplomats or people here to interact with our business ecosystem, or other artists, or you name it. Think of us as a connector, connecting people around the world with the folks right here.
Hallie Cole
That sounds like great work that you guys are doing. I like to start off every episode just by asking the interviewee how they personally define sustainability. And for you specifically, how does this definition show up with the work that you do?
Dickson Monk
Yeah, that is a simple but complex, but good question. So I think of sustainability just as the ability to keep things going, to maintain what we're doing now. And of course, with growth always being the objective to do more and do better and how we're able to keep doing things without imploding or things falling apart. For sustainability in the nonprofit world, it is a matter of basic survival and trying to, you know, find the funding. But really what our mission is, is the sharing of information and of connecting people to share that info in a way that creates cross-cultural understandings or just greater understanding of issues that we're all dealing with.
So in that regard, in two ways, sustainability is in the background and sometimes the foreground of everything we do, right? We look at knowledge as having kind of its own supply chain and connecting thought leaders from, be they in academia or be them leading in the business world or government leaders who are facing challenges in their own country and their own cultures, their own corner of the world, and sharing those challenges and hopefully solutions with us is its own sort of form of keeping us current and keeping us sustained and focused on what we're doing and how to do it better.
Hallie Cole
How do you kind of see international collaboration shaping the future of sustainability?
Dickson Monk
I think it plays a huge role in it. We are—like it or not—in a globalized world. We are more connected than we have ever been in human history through the technological advancements that have really shaped the way that we do human—the way that we interact, the things that we need, the way that we get things that we need. So it has always been an essential part to everything that we do. And I just love that now we are really putting a lot of thought into that and concentration, like kind of drawing that out and realizing that we need to learn how to keep the human experiment going to put it on a kind of broad scale, right? And so like with all things that we do, I find that when people from different parts of the world get together in a room and speak to one another, then that transfer of knowledge happens organically and in a really beautiful way that we're able to see these challenges again that people are facing back home in their countries or in their cultures and how they relate to the challenges that we have here and the diversity of perspectives, right, of being able to listen to other people in a different part of the world and a different culture with a different environment and how they are viewing it is probably going to be a little different from ours.
And the solutions that they come up with are going to be a little different, or we've come up with solutions that, you know, our friends have not. So it's, again, just streamlining the sharing of information and the successes in addressing the challenges that we all face. And, and again, you know, people in other areas will maybe have been dealing with an issue that hasn't really hit home for us yet, or something that we haven't recognized as even an issue. Because, you know, sustainability is a long term project, right? So we want to think about things, you know, 100 years into the future, the long time machine, if you will. Even though we might not have run dry in a certain area of critical minerals or of some sort of supply chain issue doesn't mean that that won't be an issue in the future for us. And so learning about that way in advance allows us to better prepare for our future. It's a wonderful thing to kind of crowdsource the knowledge of the world and to bring that together.
Hallie Cole
For sure. And you mentioned, you know, diversity of perspectives and different backgrounds, even. With this global conversation around climate and equity, how do you navigate challenges that could arise from different perspectives, different backgrounds, or even different expectations of sustainability across different cultures and sectors?
Dickson Monk
That's a good question too. And in a way, you know, you're doing it right if you run up against a challenge and perception. Those kinds of conversations that I think have the greatest outcome and are better able to help people connect the dots. And that's really a big part of what we do too, is like taking this large world that we have and connecting the dots, similarities and differences and finding solutions through that. Again, diversity of issues. And because we are interconnected—and I know everybody there at the Moore School thinks about supply chains probably more than the average person and how interlinked those supply chains are, you know.
Companies and governments and people are working on things to which collaboration is essential. And I think that we've also—not to digress, but I think that we've also seen the The more we've looked at this, that incorporating those voices that are not our own, but also the voices that are less heard, maybe people who are on the front lines of these issues, especially when thinking about climate and environmental issues that the people who are facing that impact directly in the fields or in their factories are maybe not always the people who are in the boardroom or in the classroom. And so getting those perspectives in are, I think, really essential too, and so we can be better prepared and have a better chance at sustaining our work and our progress.
Hallie Cole
Kind of along the same lines of what is influencing either y'all's goals or current projects, partnerships, how have global sustainability trends been influencing what you guys are working on, or how you guys go about assessing your work?
Dickson Monk
I think that as a nonprofit working in this space, which is an intersection of so many different areas of society—again, education, government, arts, culture—that we stay nimble and agile to addressing the concerns that we hear about, right. And so, we just try to stay relevant and current to what is happening around the world. And so I think the issues in the field of sustainable growth research, if you will, or sustainable development are really brought to our attention just through talking to people again and through those collaborations. And you know, not uncommon for people from a country here studying what we're doing in the energy sector to say, you know, “This is what we found back home and how we were able to address that challenge. But this other thing came up that now has become like a big issue. And how do we deal with this?” And again, I think getting that sort of panel of people together in a room and talking are able to make people aware of it.
So we find out about new trends and addressing sustainability through these international exchanges that we have. And then we try to bring in other people who might have solutions or ideas, or at least are facing the same challenges to share with us what they know. So it's kind of an organically evolving issue that we try to stay abreast of as best as possible.
Hallie Cole
Going along this exchanging of ideas, what role do you think cultural exchange and diplomacy can play in shifting perspectives on sustainability at the more individual- or community-level?
Dickson Monk
I love this question. This is really good. I think it plays a huge role, and I think the local plays a bigger role on the macro level than we realize too. You know, in thinking about this, I'm reminded of a friend and colleague of mine, Shani Gilchrist, who has been working on some papers that are highlighting like the power of the subnational actor and on the global stage and how, you know, these are issues that we face right here in our own backyard that we have to address and how we do that and the action that's taking on them really, I think, our power is located right in our backyard, while the solutions might not be. But realizing that us here at the local level, advocating with our representatives or with our business leaders or in just our own personal practices, have this huge impact and can be translated up rather. I think we think of power and change and policy is coming from like the top down. But I think that we as local actors have a great ability and responsibility to address these issues right in our own lives.
I mean, child of the '70s here and was brought up with the thinking that, you know, the change starts local. Every bottle you recycle, every light switch you turn off, you know, helps us head off the environmental challenges that were coming at us. And I think that's still true. And I think that's true on a kind of thought economy level, too, of like, the solutions that we come up with, right here in Columbia, and advocate up to our representatives to form policy and take that to a federal level, and the diplomats who then exchange ideas between countries, you know, it can really have a tremendous impact.
Of course, we are all global citizens, we're just, we're people, right, living in a place. And we can't be at all places all at once. So doing what we can right here in our own backyards and learning what we can from our neighbors, and then taking that to those international exchanges in any number of ways—be them in a boardroom or through an ambassador or a classroom, you know—is really where that transfer and change happens.
Hallie Cole
You know, I guess I could say that Darla Moore is, in a way, my local community, or one of my local communities. In this sense, how do you see universities such as USC—what role do you see them playing in influencing changes or even contributing to more sustainable development, say, in our city of Columbia?
Dickson Monk
Right. Well, I think they're doing a lot. I think that it's exciting to have—well, a great example, I think, would be the Center for Sustainable Growth within the Darla Moore School of Business, which is in itself a sort of think tank addressing these issues up to a global scale. I've had the great pleasure in the past year to bring a number of international delegations through the Moore School and especially to meet with the Center for Sustainable Growth and to talk to Kealy Carter—Dr. Carter's the director.
You know, just recently we had a delegation here from Egypt who were representatives of their kind of national power industry and very interested in learning all that they could and sharing all that they knew about shaping the growth of their energy sector in a sustainable way. They have challenges ahead of them that the human need for energy consumption is just leapfrogging beyond our capabilities of producing it, right? And so it's a huge issue. And everybody's thinking about it. These guys were too. And coming to talk to Dr. Carter and the Center for Sustainability [Sustainable Growth] was one of the highlights of their visit because it's such an essential area to research and think on for this to continue to work.
I mean, it's like we just come up with more needs for energy every day. And as we jump into how the Internet's already revolutionized the world. We're just adjusting to that now. And now AI is going to revolutionize the world all over again. And with that come these big data centers that take tremendous amounts of power, never—you know, like beyond my comprehension. And how are we going to power all of that? And how are we going to keep the lights on? I mean, that's the essence of sustainability. How do you keep the lights on? So these were really powerful engagements that we had at the Moore School. And there's the university sitting in the middle of a state that is now in the past year been named a federally designated innovation hub for energy. So there are—is a tremendous effort across the state to address our growing energy needs and how we meet those needs sustainably so we can keep going.
Hallie Cole
You were talking about, you know, just a slice of the pie of the whole picture. With that also comes policy developments, regulation. You talked about changes, but I wanted to ask you if there were any specific trends or policies that you think are redefining what sustainability looks like. How do you see these international or even just domestic policy developments affecting your work and affecting what you guys choose to take on?
Dickson Monk
So much of what's leading things, I feel like, are new technologies and innovations. And these are also just innovations and thought—creative ways of approaching problems. And I feel like that's what's really driving stuff. Policy happens. Of course, we're in a, you know, a strange moment in the policy world right now. But we're also in a state that is driving sustainable solutions. You know, it's all just fascinating to me to try and keep up with. And so creating these platforms, these spaces, to discuss the ideas from multiple perspectives and a lens outside of policy and just having people exchange these ideas, I think is really powerful. And I learn something every time it sparks new ideas. And then kind of seeing the translation across the different sectors, you know, like a creative solution in, say, farming could spark an idea in education or in energy that can be translated over in a way that's beneficial.
Hallie Cole
Now we are already at the end. Just to close, I also like to ask if there's any advice that you would like to offer to young professionals, students, or just anyone who is wanting to stay involved in the sustainability space, make an impact in the sustainability space. Since you're at the intersection of global engagement and local action, if you had anything in particular to share.
Dickson Monk
Yeah, absolutely. I tell all the young people that I meet who are interested in going into something international—be it diplomacy, foreign service, business, all of it—that there is an international component to everything you do. We are very connected now. Anything that you do that isn't immediately clear as international, find the international component, and it'll enhance what you're doing. Engaging with that, and your interests globally will make your life a richer, more full experience and will really give you a leg up in the world.
I think the exact same thing goes with sustainability. I think that there is a component of thinking about sustainable growth and anything that you're doing that'll be a huge benefit to you in the long term if you have that sort of mindset. And just about any area that you're interested in studying or going into for work will have a component of sustainability to it. If you already are coming into it with that in mind, you'll do much better and you'll make the world a much better place. So keep your mind open and be bold and go after your passions, but just keep the rest of the world around you in mind because you're a part of it.
I hope you enjoyed this episode with Dickson and gained a deeper understanding of how international collaboration can shape a more sustainable future. It's a great reminder that local action and global perspective can go hand in hand. Tune in next time to hear from Cristina Paredes, the Executive Director at SC Nexus, and all about how her organization is helping to advance energy innovation and infrastructure. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you next time.