Did you know coral reefs provide a buffer - protecting our coasts from big waves, storms, and floods? In a time with more frequent natural disasters due to the changing climate, there’s an important message to learn: when people live in harmony with nature, we minimize our environmental risks and can even benefit from strengthened ecosystems. Today’s guest knows all about nature’s role in our lives, offering science-based solutions that reflect the best environmental ethics and facilitate outcomes for the planet, people and profit. In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Dr. Deborah Brosnan, marine resilience specialist, environmental consultant in risk reduction and problem solving, and Champion of Environmental Solutions.  Deborah Brosnan’s consulting company Deborah Brosnan & Associates offer ideas through regulatory, corporate, and community elements to provide the most cost-effective, prompt and valuable solutions, when it comes to local environmental issues. For example, she tells us all about the importance of natural vegetation on coastlines, whether coral reefs or mangroves, to prevent damage from floods and storms. Working with highly-skilled experts, her work lies at the intersection of cutting-edge science and real world decision-making involving environment, endangered species, development, energy, sea level rise, climate change and hazards - places where the stakes and risks are high. Listen to the episode, to find out all about her work and what we can do be more environmentally-friendly! Website: http://www.deborahbrosnan.com (http://www.deborahbrosnan.com) Twitter: https://twitter.com/deborahbrosnan?s=20 (https://twitter.com/deborahbrosnan?s=20) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeborahBrosnanAndAssociates/ (https://www.facebook.com/DeborahBrosnanAndAssociates/) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahbrosnan/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahbrosnan/)

Sustainability Matters Today

Smart Solutions to Environmental Risks | Dr. Deborah Brosnan

In this Episode I speak with Rachel Finesilver, Manager of Sustainability & Responsible Business at Lloyds Banking Group, and Champion of Sustainable Banking. According to a report by Morgan Stanley analysts, the cost of stopping climate change and reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, is 50 Trillion US Dollars. That includes a whole array of alternatives to our current carbon-inefficient activities, that need to be invested in and developed further. From renewable energy to electric motors and cars, to carbon capture methods, biofuels and hydrogen power.  The banking sector plays a big role, as with financial power comes a responsibility not only to shareholders, but also to the earth and everyone on it. Smaller green and socially-responsible Banks have long been attracting customers with their commitment to transparency, but traditional banks are following suit.  Lloyds Banking Group is putting their money where their mouth is, by aiming to reduce the carbon emissions they finance by 50% by 2030. That includes commitments to support UK renewable energy projects, equivalent to powering on average 5million homes by 2020. Lloyds is leading the way in green financing in the banking sector, and they are actively working on reducing the emissions and waste of their own businesses.  Listen to this episode, to find out all about the importance of green banking, exactly how Lloyds Banking Group aims to make a change and much much more.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Website: https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/our-group/responsible-business/financing-a-green-future-together/ (https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/our-group/responsible-business/financing-a-green-future-together/) Linkedin Rachel Finesilver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-finesilver-58805316/?originalSubdomain=uk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-finesilver-58805316/?originalSubdomain=uk) Linkedin Lloyds Banking: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lloyds-bank-commercial-banking/ (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lloyds-bank-commercial-banking/)

Lloyds Bank | Financing A Greener Future Together

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, more than 90 percent of a bottle of standard cleaning product is just water. Considering that people in most developed countries have access to clean water, this current production scheme seems like a waste. Factories mix their cleaning solution with water, package it in bottles and ship it around the world. Shipping products with heavy water requires more trips because of bulky packages, more carbon emissions and more work. Come to think of it, mixing cleaning products yourself doesn’t sound like such an unusual solution - think of how we make coffee at home: we buy dried coffee grounds and add hot water. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Jon Bostock, co-founder of Truman’s, author of the book “The Elephant’s Dilemma” and Champion of Breaking Supply Chains.  Truman’s offers sets of powdered cleaning solutions for laundry machines, dishwashers and toilets that need to be mixed with water before use. With their subscription, all of your cleaning needs are handled because let’s face it: we all need to clean, so why not do it sustainably and with non-toxic products? The only thing they don’t provide - according to their website - is the motivation to clean; unfortunately, that’s something we have to get ourselves…  Jon is also the author of “The Elephant’s Dilemma”, a guide based on his personal experiences creating businesses and products that fly above our norm and status quo. He shows that many people are chained to their current reality and big things can happen once we reimagine our future and break free. His book is an urgent battle cry asking us to step forward, live a more fulfilled life and leave a legacy for future generations. If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: https://www.trumans.com (https://www.trumans.com) Book: https://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Dilemma-Break-Reimagine-Future/dp/1544509847 (https://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Dilemma-Break-Reimagine-Future/dp/1544509847) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trumancleans (https://www.instagram.com/trumancleans/) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumancleans (https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumancleans/)

Strong, Non-Toxic Cleaners - Just Add Water!

There are 11 million diaper-age babies in the US. Each baby uses an average of 65 diapers per week. That results in over 37 BILLION disposables being tossed EACH YEAR in the US alone. With raising awareness of single-use plastic bags, bottles and straws, why are diapers, which currently make up 30% of non-biodegradable waste in American landfills, disregarded? In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Liz Turrigiano, Co-Founder and CEO of Esembly, and Champion of Sustainable Diapers. Esembly offers a sustainable diapering system that is built to last to help avoid all those throw-away diapers that end up polluting our environment and aren’t easily recyclable.  With Esembly’s service, you’ll only need 48 diapers from birth through potty training. They are still reusable afterwards, meaning you can pass them on to other families or let Esembly buy the diapers from you to either be used again or recycled properly. Their other products include skin care and laundering products as well as a variety of accessories.  Parents can make a huge positive impact on the planet with this switch and while it may seem a little gross at first, Liz assures us that it’s the natural and healthier way to go. She even compares the clean-up process to just washing the dishes!  If you want to test out the diapers for yourself and your little ones, you can get a 15% discount by using this link: https://esemblybaby.com/discount/Champions15 (https://esemblybaby.com/discount/Champions15) or typing in the code “Champions15” at checkout.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: https://esemblybaby.com (https://esemblybaby.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esemblybaby/ (https://www.instagram.com/esemblybaby/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esemblybaby (https://www.facebook.com/esemblybaby)

Organic & Sustainable Diapers

One of the biggest problems hindering a stronger global response against climate change, is that the effects are not felt equally all over the world, but in certain areas to a much stronger extent. Polar ice caps melting, ice bears stranded on drifting ice, floods and forest fires reaching unprecedented scales - while the west bears the most responsibility for climate disasters, they rarely feel the consequences. To accept our responsibility in causing the climate breakdown takes an effort of education, visually showing how terrifying natural disasters are and connecting the dots in how our lifestyles cause the change.  In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Ashley Cooper, Environmental Photographer and Champion of Climate Photography. Ashley Cooper has been capturing the effects of climate change and renewable energy on all continents and the most remote places you could think of, since 2004. His journeys have taken him to Inuit villages in the arctic circle, tiny island states in the south pacific, and all across the world. His photos, published by The Guardian, WWF and other charities, magazines and news publications, aim to purvey the urgency of acting on climate change, as well as positives we can take from initiatives that are already well established, like renewable energy. We talk about some of the amazing experiences Ashley has made on his travels all around the world, and how he views the climate crisis from having witnessed the effects first-hand.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: http://www.globalwarmingimages.net/index.html (http://www.globalwarmingimages.net/index.html) Book: http://www.imagesfromawarmingplanet.net (http://www.imagesfromawarmingplanet.net) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cooper-20417a13/?originalSubdomain=uk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cooper-20417a13/?originalSubdomain=uk)

Capturing The Climate Crisis Where It Hits Hardest | Ashley Cooper

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Jules Hayward, Learning Executive Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Starting any career involved in changing global systems can sometimes be daunting. When we have a goal to positively impact the way our current economic and social systems interact with  the earth and environment, it’s easy to feel small and powerless. We need to take the time to think about and figure out the role we can play in making us more sustainable.  To make change, it’s paramount to acknowledge the current systems of thinking and accept the importance of letting natural systems regenerate and restore themselves. We can then adapt our society to a better way of living with the aim to evolve into a circular economy. If you’re looking for a career in sustainability, this episode will give you some amazing advice and tips.  Jules joined her team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in summer 2011, straight after completing her MSc with Forum for the Future in Leadership for Sustainable Development. She has a background in educational displays after working at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for five years, responsible for designing horticultural displays that communicated core messages about biodiversity and conservation. She has a core interest in the process of learning, mapping this against the systemic role learning can play in accelerating the transition to a circular economy.  In this conversation, we explore the importance of system thinking for finding global solutions and the fact that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when choosing how to shift our approach for the better. We discuss some interesting career tips for people wanting to have a purpose-driven career working on either climate change, business, education, policy making, urban planning or any other important area. Crucially, Jules also discusses ways to overcome apocalypse fatigue in order to start making an impact in our daily lives.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Jules Hayward Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-hayward-356a2729/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-hayward-356a2729/) Ellen MacArthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenmacarthurfoundation/ (https://www.instagram.com/ellenmacarthurfoundation/)

Finding A Career in Sustainability

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Patrick Marsden, Partner and Co-Owner of MaCher and Champion of Sustainable Product Design. Not creating a product in the first place is the most sustainable thing you can do when creating products. Starting with the simple question “why” allows us to understand if the product is important to make in the first place and ultimately minimize our carbon footprint. MaCher is a global design company specializing in marketing products from design to delivery. Years of experience and a team made of people from America, Australia and Asia, contribute to their unique ability to design branded accessories and more. Additionally, they received B-Corp certification in 2014, balancing purpose and profit with a focus on helping other businesses reduce their environmental impact.  Every year, MaCher sets themselves sustainability objectives, which are aligned with the United Nations’ Global Impact 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Plus each year, they release transparent reports that detail their success and failures on their journey to healing the planet. They’re helping brands be more eco-friendly, while setting an example for for-profit businesses to make a meaningful contribution to our planet. If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: https://macher.com (https://macher.com) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/macher/?originalSubdomain=au (https://www.linkedin.com/company/macher/?originalSubdomain=au) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macherusa/ (https://www.instagram.com/macherusa/)

Eco-Friendly Design For A Sustainable Future

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Bob Garner, Co-Owner of Casal dei Fichi and Champion of Sustainable Holidays. When we take a vacation, we oftentime enjoy luxuries beyond imagination in destinations around the world, whether artificial beaches and 5-star hotels in Dubai, enormous resorts in Mexico, or cruises that travel around the world.  When we get our well-deserved breaks from everyday life, we tend to ignore how wasteful and carbon-inefficient travelling can be. Air conditioning every step you take, lunch-buffets that end up wasting food, and electrical bills we’re glad we don’t have to pay. A step towards eco-friendly holiday destinations is a step in the right direction.  Casal dei Fichi is a farmhouse with holiday apartments, built and renovated with sustainability in mind such as solar panels, replacing air conditioning with smart window-placement and architecture, long-lasting, efficient LED lights with movement sensors and much more. They even installed a charging station for electric cars to encourage greener transportation. To further their sustainable mission even more, they also have an offset-program with local restaurants, which plants trees when you eat at their partner restaurants.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Website: https://www.casaldeifichi.com (https://www.casaldeifichi.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Casaldeifichi (https://www.facebook.com/Casaldeifichi)

Eco-Friendly Holiday Destinations

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions I speak with Jakob Muus, Founder and CEO of Tracks For Trucks and Champion of Sustainable Supply Chains. Did you know that the road freight industry is responsible for roughly 6% of the European CO2 emissions? Our global world depends on intricate supply chains to move food and goods from centralized production facilities to sales points all around the world. Optimising our network of transport, whether trucks, ships or trains, will lead to both reduced CO2 emissions while also saving money for the companies moving the goods. Especially because the road freight industry runs on small margins, all cost savings helps. So do we go about improving the situation?  Tracks For Trucks is an analytics firm that compiles data from freight trucks to help reduce environmental footprints and increase their efficiency. Every modern truck comes with a constantly-updating SIM card that sends data from multiple sensors to cloud-servers, Tracks for Trucks uses that data to develop strategies and solutions for greener supply chains.  And considering the fact that before Tracks For Trucks, data analysis was done in lengthy spreadsheets with an error factor of up to 400% , their solution can impact the entire freight industry on a large-scale.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Website: https://www.tracksfortrucks.com (https://www.tracksfortrucks.com) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tracksfortrucks (https://www.linkedin.com/company/tracksfortrucks) Twitter: https://twitter.com/TracksForTrucks (https://twitter.com/TracksForTrucks)

Data Makes The Trucks Go Greener | Tracks For Trucks

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Francesco Majno, Co-Founder and CEO of Crické Food, and Champion of Insect Proteins.  To facilitate our growing populations and to reduce the waste, inefficiency and the negative environmental impacts of meat farms, we need alternative proteins. On this podcast, we’ve already spoken about highly technical solutions like plant-based and cell-based meats, and now we’re looking at a different approach.  To solve global problems, we need to think radically and be open to a wide variety of strategies. And that’s where we see that insects are a sustainable alternative protein. In fact, up to two billion people around the world eat insects as part of their regular diet. So what’s the easiest way to popularize this idea in countries where this is not common? Crické Food produces crackers made with cricket powder and flour, making a hyper-sustainable, protein-rich and nutritious snack for anyone. Crickets and insects, in general, are both a great source of protein and environmentally-friendly. When compared with cows, crickets require 0.05% the amount of water, 7.5% the amount of land, and they emit 1% the amount of greenhouse gas. Additionally, they contain almost twice the amount of protein as beef and are rich in vitamins and iron.  In this episode, we talk about the challenges of getting beyond the taboo of eating insects in Europe and North America, other insect cuisines we can expect in the near future, and the efficiencies insects could bring to our food system. If you want to try Crické Crackers, you can order them on their website linked below (currently only in Europe)! If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: https://crickefood.com (https://crickefood.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crickefood (https://www.instagram.com/crickefood) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crickefood (https://www.facebook.com/crickefood) Twitter: https://twitter.com/crickefood (https://twitter.com/crickefood)

Eating Insects For Food

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Christine Riley Miller, Head of Sustainability at Samsonite, and Champion of Sustainable Luggage. We love seeing global companies commit to sustainability. It shows that being planet-friendly is possible even for the biggest players on the market, without disappointing their shareholders. When a company's products are made from sustainable materials and are built to last a long time, you could argue that sellers are missing out on revenue. We live in times where new kitchen appliances, clothes and electronics will only last a few years, while the same things that have been passed down from grandparents have stood the test of time. Today’s guest knows that building to last is the right thing to do.  Samsonite is a global luggage and travel accessories manufacturer that takes the helm of brands like TUMI, Hartmann, American Tourister and others. They value sustainability highly and have implemented a number of policies across their global lines of products, from recycling materials, to easy repairs and products that last. Learning how an industry leading corporation like Samsonite implements their philosophy is truly fascinating.  If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Website: https://www.samsonite.co.uk (https://www.samsonite.co.uk) Instagram: http://instagram.com/mysamsonite (http://instagram.com/mysamsonite) Twitter: https://twitter.com/MySamsonite (https://twitter.com/MySamsonite) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/samsoniteeurope (https://www.youtube.com/samsoniteeurope)

Luggage That Doesn't Break After Every Flight

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Ian Pritchett, Co-Founder and Director of Ssassy Property and Greencore Construction and Champion of Making Sustainable Homes. On a global scale, households are responsible for 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Building housing with energy and carbon efficiency in mind, doesn’t only benefit the planet, it also saves families a lot of money. Whether it’s better insulation and airflow, green energy providers or solar panels on roofs, gardens and more green areas for higher biodiversity, the list of ways to improve construction is endless.  Unfortunately, the average construction of a home emits about 50-60 tons of greenhouse gas. As we’ve seen with many other products and ventures, the possibilities exist for construction and homes to be carbon neutral, or even carbon negative.  Ssassy Property is a property development firm that constructs sustainable, efficient and beautifully designed homes in and around Oxfordshire. Following the philosophy of Greencore Construction, they build high performance, low carbon buildings using natural materials (predominantly hemp, lime and timber). Listen to this Episode to find out about the amazing difference thoughtful property development can make, and why carbon negative homes are even possible! I hope you enjoy the episode! If you do, make sure to leave a review and subscribe to support us! Resources: Ssassy Property: https://ssassyproperty.com (https://ssassyproperty.com) Greencore Construction: https://www.greencoreconstruction.co.uk (https://www.greencoreconstruction.co.uk) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssassyproperty (https://www.instagram.com/ssassyproperty) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssassy-property-ltd (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssassy-property-ltd)

Carbon Neutral Homes Are Possible!

We’ve spoken with a number of companies revolutionising the food industry with plant-based, cell-based and cultivated meat, dairy and fish products on the Sustainability Champions podcast in the past. Over the past few years, these sustainable innovators have become the center of attention and investment all over the world because of the methods they are developing to produce animal protein that don’t harm animals, don’t have lengthy and inefficient supply chains and don’t emit massive amounts of greenhouse gasses. These disruptive ideas can make a massive difference to our future and the bright minds behind these companies are getting lots of support! In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Andrew Ive, Founder and Managing Partner of Big Idea Ventures, and Champion Of New Protein Investments. Big Idea Ventures is a venture capital and accelerator fund solving the world’s biggest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs. Their first fund and accelerator (based in both New York & Singapore) invests in plant-based foods and ingredients as well as cell-based proteins in order to positively impact climate change, animal welfare and people’s health. With applications to join the accelerator open until September 4th, 2020, they’re constantly looking to support ground-breaking businesses to help them reach global markets. If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Website: https://bigideaventures.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigideaventures/ Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigideaventures/

Alternatives to Meat-Based Proteins Are On The Rise

To reduce our carbon emissions, it’s important to figure out where we can do better and where we can make the most impact. As companies become more and more climate-conscious, they need support in finding the areas of their business that are carbon-inefficient. To reduce our footprint, we first need to know which of our actions are most detrimental to the environment. From there, we can work on either improving our practices or finding sustainable alternatives. It’s only through accurate tracking of our carbon footprint that we can know where and how we can improve. In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Mauro Cozzi, Co-Founder of Emitwise and Champion of Carbon Emissions Tracking. Emitwise is a software company that helps businesses track and reduce carbon emissions across their operations and supply chains. Using AI-powered software, they automatically track a company’s carbon footprint, uncovering any abnormalities, with the aim to reduce their emissions. They’re accelerating the transition to global carbon neutrality, and making sure that whatever we do, our data is correct. In a data-driven world - where making the maximum impact towards reversing climate change is urgent and important - focusing on both financial and carbon efficiency is crucial to saving the planet. If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Website: https://www.emitwise.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emitwise/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/emitwise

Tracking Carbon Will Help Emit Wiser

Showcasing individuals, businesses, and organizations who are working to heal the planet every day. Learn how you can incorporate sustainability into your daily life.

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Sustainability Matters Today

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