Disabilities Justice

February 22, 2022 by Kristen Pue

“Kyla's been an imaginary dictator for 10 seconds and she's already got a revolt on her hands.”

Kristen and Kyla are joined by Megan Linton from Invisible Institutions, a documentary podcast exploring the past and present of institutions for people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Canada. They discuss the current state of institutions, how persons with disabilities are treated within the system, why institutions are run as they are, and what could replace the system.

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Energy Transitions

February 08, 2022 by Kristen Pue

“What's hard is there's a policy cognitive dissonance, where you don't want to put money into the system you're trying to leave; but if you don't do that you risk that system becoming more fragile, and then risk the political consensus you've built in order to actually get the motion to decarbonize in the first place.”

Kristen and Kyla talk with Rory Johnston, founder of Commodity Context, about the road to a just energy transition. Topics: what exactly is the energy grid; what are the economics behind decarbonizing; what is the reasoning behind continuing to invest in fossil fuels; what will the Alberta oil-sands look like over the next ten years; what are the local and geopolitics behind decarbonizing.

The Olympics

February 01, 2022 by Kristen Pue

"I'm just pulling up the Olympic sponsors list right now... oh yeah, it's a real axis of evil as far as corporations go."

Kristen and Kyla are joined by Abdul Malik of the Off Court Podcast to discuss what it would take to have an ethical Olympics. Topics include: effects on the environment, vulnerable citizens, and athletes; global politics; sponsorships; corruption; labour movements; the value of sports to our community.

Abdul recommends:
Bad Sport and Drive to Survive on Netflix
NOlympians by Jules Boykoff

Decarbonization

January 25, 2022 by Kristen Pue

"I think it's pretty on point that we're talking about decarbonization a little bit late into the podcast because we're also talking about decarbonization a little bit late into the climate crisis."

In this "better late than never" episode, Kristen and Kyla are joined by Robert Miller to finally look at what decarbonizing is and what it will need to look like in the next ten years in 5 major areas of greenhouse gas emissions: Energy, Transport, Industry, Building, Agriculture

Monopolies

January 11, 2022 by Kristen Pue

BIG announcement! Pullback has joined the Harbinger Media Network, a progressive Canadian podcast network. To celebrate, Kristen cooked up an especially dystopian episode exploring the history and current effects of monopolies on consumers, workers, and democracy.

End of Year Quiz 2021

December 28, 2021 by Kristen Pue

Kristen and Kyla are joined by previous pod guests Robert Miller, Samie Luc, and Jagen Johnson to revisit events of the past year on a special end of year quiz show.

Food Rescue

December 14, 2021 by Kristen Pue

Kristen and Kyla speak with Madison Maguire, Head of Operations for Ontario with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue charity. Topics: what does the work of a food rescue charity look like, who do they serve, who benefits from expanding work in this area, and how has the pandemic improved Second Harvest’s digital presence?

Reacts: Just Eat It

November 30, 2021 by Kristen Pue

“Well as Prime-Minister-King I just outlaw all other grocery stores and grocery stores can’t be for profit anymore.”

As part of the ongoing series on food waste, Kristen and Kyla are joined by Robert Miller to discuss the documentary “Just Eat It”, and their second attempt at dumpster diving.

Food Justice

November 16, 2021 by Kristen Pue

In their most challenging challenge in a while, Kristen and Kyla go dumpster diving! Kristen shares her research on the topic of food insecurity, how it's been affected by COVID-19, why food waste is such a problem, and what we can do to improve access to food for all.

Cultural Appropriation

November 02, 2021 by Kristen Pue

Kyla and Kristen are joined by Panthea, Saliema, and Biraima to discuss cultural appropriation. Panthea is a television, film, and theatre actor, and founder and Managing Artistic Director of Medusa Theatre Society, and Saliema and Biraima are members of the Daily Dose of Blackness podcast and media group designed to centre and celebrate Black youth experiences and struggles.

Halloween Spooktacular

October 19, 2021 by Kristen Pue

“Now I’m picturing the Lorax with guns taped to his hands.”

In this special Halloween episode of Pullback Podcast, Kristen and Kyla are joined by activist Robert Miller to talk Squid Games and share spooky stories inspired by capitalism. Robbie shares a folktale based on his Welsh heritage; Kyla puts a modern twist on a classic ghost story; and Kristen tells a tale from the Gilded Age.

Ethical Giving

October 04, 2021 by Kristen Pue

Kristen explains donations to Kyla. How do you choose an organization to donate to, and how do you recognize a good charity from a bad one? What's the difference between non-profits, foundations, and charities? How do you know your money is being well used? What is the most effective way to support an organization you care about?

Meal Kit Services

September 21, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"Oh she has a vineyard! That's the third! I know three things about Martha Stewart."

This week Kyla and Kristen explore the ethics behind meal kits. Topics: How environmentally friendly are they? Does less food waste really make up for all that single-use plastic? How are workers treated in an industry experiencing explosive growth in a short span of time? Who are meal kits for?

Reacts: The Waste-Free World by Ron Gonen

September 06, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"You've got my brain now on what's the most eco-friendly weapon. I think it might be nunchuks."

Kristen and Kyla are joined by activist Robert Miller to discuss the book "The Waste-Free World" by Ron Gonen, an in-depth look at how transitioning to a Circular Economy could help curb the extremes of climate change. This is a divisive book that makes some great points while undermining it's own message by narrowly focusing only on how Capitalism is the best way forward. Tune in for a lively, thoughtful discussion full of fun facts!

Reacts: The IPCC Report

August 23, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"The best cure for anxiety is doing something. Even if it's small."

In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Climate Activist Robert Miller to discuss the impacts of the AR6 Climate Change 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Topics: What is the IPCC; what makes this report different; ways to handle climate anxiety.

Eating Local

August 10, 2021 by Kristen Pue

“I do know somebody who in University lived in a tiny apartment and had a deep freeze in his bedroom… it seemed slightly murdery, but it was just because he liked to buy discount chicken.”

In this episode, Kristen and Kyla dive into the ethics of eating locally (it might be more complicated than you think!) Topics: what is the reasoning behind the Eat Local movement; explaining the Slow Food movement; how to eat local; Localism vs Cosmopolitanism; is eating local really better for the environment and for systemic inequality?

Conflict Minerals

July 27, 2021 by Kristen Pue

“That’s typically what taxes are, Kyla. We just don’t apply them to a lot of big companies…”

Kristen and Kyla wrap up their discussion on electronics by exploring the complicated story of conflict minerals. Topics: what are conflict minerals; Democratic Republic of the Congo and conflict minerals; The Enough Project; what companies can do; what legislation can do; what you can do.

Ethical Pets

July 13, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"Anybody who can afford a Sphynx cat can also afford to pay somebody to wash their cat’s folds for them."

Kristen is on vacation, so Kyla takes the opportunity to talk about her new kittens (her favourite subject these days). But is it ethical to keep pets? Topics: mental health, breeding, the history of kitty litter, how to dispose of pet waste, vegan pet food, going waste free, alternatives to keeping pets.

Consumer Electronics and the Environment

June 29, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"I remember years ago going to an optometrist, and they ask how many hours of screen time I have in a day and at the time I think I sort of sheepishly said like 4 hours, or something like that, knowing it was actually higher. But today if I went it's like… well how many hours am I awake in a day?"

In part 2 of the electronics summer series, Kristen and Kyla discuss the impact of our favourite tech items on the environment. Topics: mining; rare earth mineral refining and toxic waste; e-waste dumping and recycling; the right to repair and planned obsolescence; what you can do.

Consumer Electronics and Human Rights

June 14, 2021 by Kristen Pue

"I'm sure engineers are going to hate that description as well."

Kristen and Kyla explore the ethics of consumer electronics, starting with a deep dive into human rights. Topics: the history of electronics; what's in a computer; supply chains; factory working conditions.