Greenfluence

There are many moving parts in the energy transition, more so from the Asian region. We spoke to Christina Ng, Co-Founder of Energy Shift Institute to help us understand the lay of the land, from the context of relevance of 1.5C and the role the Global South can play.

As an experienced standard-setter, Christina also emphasises the importance of science-based standards and a rules-based approach in Asia.

We also discussed:

• Use of Coal in Indonesia
• Comparison on Indonesia's and Australia's taxonomies
• The role of think tanks in the climate ecosystems
• How we need to interpret the 1.5C target

Our climate transition is full of all nuances and regional challenges all ideally working towards a common goal. Don't miss this episode about a region who will shape it.

We live in an ecosystem where there is strong distrust in sustainability while demand is stronger than ever. As CEO of Sustainable Choice Group, Kiarne Treacy knows this space better than most.

Kiarne is passionate about authentic sustainability marketing, and leads initiatives that combat greenwashing and promote transparency. Sustainable Choice Group, a B Corp and ESG leader, helps businesses upskill, track and publish their sustainability progress and consumers understand the sustainability of brands.

As a LinkedIn Top Voice, Kiarne has been vocal on challenges in the sustainability industry and better business practice in the space.

Enjoy our first in-person convo in Melbourne:

• Red flags in sustainability comms
• Greenwashing and the cost of going silent
• Marketing challenges from different organisation types
• Her founder journey - building Sustainable Choice Group

A candid and enjoyable journey from someone shaping both the consumer and business landscape in Australia.

What if we could change the impact make, in how we give and the work we do? In this episode, we spoke to Grace Adams who broke down the intruiging concept of effective altruism (EA) - growing in prominence with our desire for purpose in this increasingly confusing world.

Premised on 'doing good better' - EA inherently acknowledges the scarcity of resources and time, using evidence, reasoning and dynamicism to solve problems.

For Grace, it was her goal to live a meaningful life. And after listening to a talk from Australian ethicist Peter Singer and from the 'Giving What We Can' organisations - she had found her calling.

This was a fascinating conversation, not only covering the principles and philosophy but also application:

• Are humans naturally altruistic?
• Importance of scale, tractability and neglectedness to determine causes
• A common misconception in the space and the emotional aspect
• Why the Lead Exposure Elimination Project is doing great work

We talk lots about impact, but understanding where it can be made...that's where Effective Altruism can make a difference. Enjoy this episode!

___________________________________________________________

Effective Altruism Australia

Effective Altruism

80,000 Hours

Giving What We Can

In today's episode, Vis spoke to Sharelle Polack, an agricultural and environmental scientist with over 30 years experience working in areas such as agriculture, food systems and sustainable land management.

A theme Sharelle emphasised was the need for human's relationship with nature and acknowledging that we must think in cycles.

Her strength as a systems thinker was evident discussing challenging and solutions in the agricultural space, food waste, integration of nature and climate and reporting, biodiversity reform in Australia among others.

The dedicated work of individuals like Sharelle encourage us to connect, advocate and see greater meaning on the state of nature and importantly the journey forward.

A valuable conversation for all.

______________________________________________________________________________

Sharelle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharelle-polack-systemsthinker/

Tree Project: http://treeproject.org.au/

For all that we talk about ESG and purposeful business, how many corporates and policymakers question the system on which its built - growth and GDP. Tom Foster is doing exceptional work to help us better understand alternate economic models, bring to life concepts of post-growth and Doughnut economics.

In this era of polycrises where we have exploited our planetary boundaries, we need a reframe. Our conversation brings exactly that:

• The limits to growth and influence of the economic profession
• Importance of planetary boundaries to create a 'Goldilocks' economy
• Interpreting polycrises
• Incorporating post-growth concepts in redefining productivity

It's no secret the dominant neoliberalism thinking is failing to meet humanity's needs. Tom's insights highlight the need for us to mobilise to a system which values scale, distribution and allocation while considering the well-being of people and our planet.

Hope that you find the episode insightful.

___________________________________________________________

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfoster66/

Tom's Essay - The Luck of the Draw: Generational Loss and the Young’s Vanishing Future: https://findingnature.substack.com/p/taking-licks-and-rising-again

Beyond green growth (YouTube video): https://www.youtube.com/live/YxJrBR0lg6s

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.

____________________________________________________________

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!