A brand new season of Greenfluence saw us talking about big questions that matter, and Australia's role. In a world marked by geopolitical turbulence, Luke Heilbuth is a critical and thoughtful thinker on using sustainability to navigate uncertainty.

A former diplomat in Lebanon during the Arab Spring, he is now the CEO of BWD Strategic - an independent BCorp sustainability consultancy.

Luke is a big advocate of Australia's 'middle power' advantage in our evolving world, highlighting our ~ $4.1t superannuation pool, critical minerals advantage and geography.

He also does not shy away from challenges in corporate sustainability, and value of systems thinking. Luke is thoughtful and thorough with his insights, discussing both climate justice and integenerational inequality.

A timely episode, and a must-listen for anyone who wants to better understand sustainability in a broader context.

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Luke's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-heilbuth/

Luke's Substack: https://lukeheilbuth.substack.com/

BWD Strategic: https://bwdstrategic.com/

For over a decade the EU has played a leading role in sustainability leadership and reporting.

In Part 3 of our 'State of Play' series with &BLOOM, we explored the landscape with our resident expert Sydney Straver:

• Key EU regulations such as the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR),  Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
• Navigating challenges and pushback on regulations due to political shifts and implementation difficulties for businesses
• Discussion of push towards defense stocks
• How exposed non-European entities can prepare

Don't miss our insightful discussion in the full episode!

ESG and Sustainable Finance has gone through a challenging period recently, and a fair bit of it has been driven based on policy in the United States.

In Part 2, of our State of Play Special with &BLOOM explores trends in the US in 2025, notably:

• Potential cut in climate funding (Inflation Reduction Act) and how climate disclosures are negatively affected
• Response from businesses

• Implications of Tariffs
• Why changes can prompt a rethink on how to interpret ESG and business strategy

In this volatile political environment, it's important to know the trends. Don't miss this listen!

Trying to keep track of sustainable finance but not sure where to start?

Well we have teamed up with our friends at &BLOOM to deliver a State of Play: Sustainable Finance series covering four key jurisdictions: Australia/New Zealand, EU, US and Asia.

For Part 1, we delve into Australia and New Zealand - looking into mandatory sustainability reporting, challenges, the industry and what to look forward to.

Whether you're brand new to sustainability or in the thick of reporting and stewardship - we hope you find value in this listen and keen to hear your feedback!

A serial social entrepreneur, Tom Dawkins knows how to build and grow impact driven businesses. He co-founded StartSomeGood, a platform for to support social good projects/businesses with fundraising, education, community and partnerships. More recently, Tom and the team at LendForGood are solving the problem of the 'missing middle', by connecting enterprises to impact investors to access much needed funding to help them scale.

Tom has a wealth of experience and is a great story teller:

• Concept of privilege and the influence of his parents in shaping his path
• "Missing middle", and need for angels in the impact investment space

• The journey/transition in StartSomeGood to LendForGood
• Dream for LendForGood - "like a family office in your pocket"

Tom makes things happen, and the best thing is you can get involved with LendForGood. Don't miss this listen, be inspired and take action!

From shaping New York's cycling infrastructure in the 90's to teaching a pioneering university course on underground spaces - Antonia Cornaro's dedication to improving our urban landscapes is world class.

Listen more about:

• Antonia's work on New York City's first cycling map and master plan in the 1990s

• Examples of underground energy solutions, such as district heating and cooling systems and geothermal energy

It was clear how much potential beneath the ground, as Antonia mentions "underground infrastructure, it's water, it's energy, it's roads, it's metro.."

Enjoy amazing insights from a true leader.

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Antonia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniacornaro/

Amberg Engineering: https://ambergengineering.com/

ITACUS: https://about.ita-aites.org/wg-committees/itacus

Making our roads and streets better is not just about less traffic, but how we get around - an area Geert Kloppenburg is very much immersed in.

A mobility expert, Geert is internationally recognised for his vision on transport, implementation and financing. He helped introduce electric vehicles into The Netherlands in 2008, founding DOET (Dutch Organisation for Electric Transport) and founded the 'Low Car Diet' which encouraged greater travel by public transport, bike and electric cars.

This candid conversation provided a plethora of real-world insight learnings on how we can move better:

• Flexible on-demand transport system, with a case study of Istanbul
• How to measure economic value/quantify more sustainable transportation on society
• Discussion of Sydney's transport network and cycling challenges
• A key aspect often forgotten in cycling policy measures

For Geert, having a goal is vital - " what is the first goal? Why do we do this? What kind of city do we want? Where do we want to live in?"

Hope you enjoy this episode!

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Geert's Website: https://geertkloppenburg.nl/

Geert's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geertkloppenburg/

How can we redefine the concept of a city, more sustainable and future proof for society's needs?

Underground spaces and urban design is Joyce van den Berg's forte and plays a vital role in the Netherlands development as Chief Design/Landscape Architect at the City of Amsterdam.

Making the transition from a designer into her work in sustainable cities, Joyce has integrated a systems approach. Looking into areas previously overlooked such as biodiversity and soil management creates efficiency and also opportunity.

Gain great insights from Joyce:

Don't miss the chance to hear from a world leader, with an excellent eye for design and passionate for sustainability!

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Joyce's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joycevandenbergamsterdam/

OpenResearch Amsterdam: https://openresearch.amsterdam/en/page/58877/integral-design-method-public-space

It's becoming harder and harder to decipher the signal from the noise - no matter what we read/hear.

The climate is no different, lobbying, politics, unethical corporate behaviour are just some reasons mis/disinformation is rife across the space. Couple that with the manipulative and sensationalist nature of social media platforms creates an unruly storm preventing robust climate policy and transition away from fossil fuels.

This is why today's episode is so important. We spoke to Chris Cooper, a disinformation expert and Co-Founder of Research & Action Hub, who sheds light on tactics used, highlighting examples from the Australian Liberal Party and also use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs).

Hear Chris speak about:

- Shift to climate delayism

- Challenge of 'trustworthy' content and role of social media

- How political and lobbying actors dissuade pro climate views

- Messaging climate information in response to cultural values

We spoke to Chris the week before a US election, so no doubt a timely listen, as the energy transition continues as a political football.

Hope you enjoy this listen.

What a year! Wrapping up 2024, is the second episode of our Climate Policy series with Net Nada.

We have one the most dynamic and driven people Australia's climate-tech space - Stanley Tanudjaja.

Stan recently completed his Honours in Renewable Energy Engineering, and also boasts an impressive experience including renewable energy consulting, academia in labs and three venture backed start-ups.

His most recent venture was co-founding Giants Collective, bringing together some of the world's most ambitious young people to build world-changing things.

Ready to answer the big questions, hear Stan talk about:

A highly enjoyable conversation at the amazing Greenhouse space and can't wait to see what Stan has in store in the future!

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Show Notes