IDX Blog
Check out our editorials, blog pieces on our forums, and news from the UBC community and beyond.
Featured Editorials
Editorial: Food – A Basic Human Right, Both Abroad and At Home
If you have been keeping up with current global news, particularly when it comes to poorer countries and countries in conflict, then you may have learned that food security is part of the conversation, whether it is a factor driving conflict or migration, or a result of them.But what is food security? At first glance, it seems…
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Editorial: Is our love for “superfoods” more destructive than we think?
In Western countries, it has become commonplace or even trendy to consume so-called “superfoods” that developing countries produce and export. They sit on shelves in nearly every grocery store and their health benefits are well known to consumers. In particular, Western demand for grains such as quinoa and teff have exploded in recent years. But why?…
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News from the IDX Hub
Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities Workshop Forum + Workshop
IdeasXChange’s first 2016 workshop was constructed upon the words “resilient”, “sustainable” and “community”, presenting the importance of knowledge translation through collaborative learning and productive conversations. The ‘Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities’ workshop on February 11th was facilitated by three graduate students from the UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning: Maria Trujillo, Aaron Lau…
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An evening with Peter Klein – Emmy-award journalist and former producer of CBS 60 Minutes
On January 28, 2016, IDX hosted a special talk by Peter Klein, an Emmy-Award journalist. His 2010 class’ Frontline/WORLD documentary investigating the international electronic waste trade, earned him the Emmy for Best Investigative Newsmagazine. Mr. Klein is also a former producer of CBS News 60 Minutes, and is now growing the IRP into a major…
Corporate Social Responsibility Panel + Workshop
Is it possible for a company to add value to society and still make profits without harming the environment? Is it enough to let governments and NGOs take care of the environmental and social issues prevalent in the world today and let businesses escape corporate responsibility? And if it isn’t, to what extent should businesses…
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International Aid Panel + Interaction Workshop
IdeasXChange hosted an interactive workshop on the changing face of international development – one that focuses on encouraging local talent to find solutions to poverty instead of traditional aid-giving models established by Western countries. Over 40 participants ranging from UBC students and faculty, practitioners, and community members joined pioneers and practitioners in the field of international development.…
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Ecological Economics Panel Discussion + Workshop
IdeasXChange convened over 50 participants – ranging from UBC students and faculty, practitioners and community members with some of Vancouver’s most known ecological economists for a discussion on how to move towards more sustainable models to drive the economy. As the discussion around the environment increases, some economists and scholars are challenging the very foundations of economic models created to distribute resources.…
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Food Security Panel + Workshop
Approximately 30 participants from UBC and the community joined four insightful panelists for a workshop on food security hosted by IdeasXChange. Check out this article to learn more.
News from the UBC Community and Beyond
Remembering Mohammad Asadi Lari: 2017 Interview. Honouring his passion for youth and STEM Fellowship
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our friend Mohammad Asadi Lari passed away along with his sister, Zeynab onboard Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in Tehran. Mohammad was an outstanding human being on so many levels – kind, intelligent, a community giver – his passing is a great loss to…
Women’s Empowerment and Food Security in Rural South Africa: A Virtual Sit-Down with Dr. Elizabeth Vibert
Profile Recently, IdeasXchange published an editorial about food security that broke down the concept of food security and made linkages not only between agriculture and climate change, but also between developing countries and wealthy countries like Canada. Today, I virtually sat down with Dr. Elizabeth Vibert, an Associate Professor in the University of Victoria’s History…
New study finds controversial “liberation therapy” fails to treat Multiple Sclerosis
According to a study led by the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, opening up narrowed veins from the brain and spinal cord is not effective in treating multiple sclerosis. The conclusions derived from the so-called “liberation therapy,” which thousands of MS patients have undergone since 2009, debunk the claim that MS patients…
Urban Mining in Japan: Recycled Cell Phones Used To Make Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medals
Tokyo 2020 on Sustainability As Japan passes the halfway mark of their 7 years of preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, they are beginning to move from planning to execution. The Olympic Agenda 2020, a “strategic roadmap” intended to be a guide for the future Olympic games, was agreed upon by the International…
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Nation wide coverage for essential medications would improve access, save billions
By publicly funding essential medicines and covering the cost of nearly half of all prescriptions in Canada, $3 billion per year will be saved while removing financial barriers for Canadians. “Universal pharmacare has been long-promised but undelivered in Canada, in part because of concerns about where to start,” said Steve Morgan, a professor in…
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New forecasting tool predicts houses at risk of being torn down
According to a new forecasting tool developed by a UBC researcher and industry collaborator, around one-quarter of detached homes in Vancouver’s hot housing market could be demolished between now and 2030. This forecasting tool, called the teardown index, reveals that the lower the value of the residence relative to the value of the overall property…
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