Mohammed Sallam is the co-founder of PCCDS, as well as numerous other projects, such as Green Shelter for Future Generations. He has a diploma in law and humanitarian law from the university of Oujida in Morrocco, and is from Palestine where he lives and oversees projects from.

With his background in law and from his home in Palestine Mohammed has many interesting insights into the relationship between social and environmental issues in Palestine. We talk about the work PCCDS are doing, activism, system change and practical policies and so much more.

Although we didn’t touch on it a lot, the issues in Palestine politically are also very real, and very difficult, if you want to read more about it: https://bdsmovement.net/

How did we end up wasting 1.3 billion tonnes of food while facing food insecurity in some of the wealthiest countries on earth? Irene, a passionate food waste activist blending activism and academia, delves deep into the heart of this issue in our latest episode.

Join us as we explore the dysfunctional food and economic systems that lead to unfair income distribution and widespread inequality, with alarming consequences for public and environmental health. Irene's expertise as a dumpster diver, urban forager, community builder, and PhD candidate in "Sustainable Food Systems" at the University of Tasmania creates an action-packed, theory-heavy discussion you won't want to miss!

Discover the historical and political lock-ins that perpetuate wasteful food systems and gain insights into how we can revolutionize the way we deal with food waste.

If you're passionate about food waste activism, climate grief, and the concept of degrowth, this episode is a must-listen!

“Knowledge is power.”

Today we have two interviewees: Isabella Ostovary in the office of Books for Trees in Europe and Evans on the ground at their project Badilisha on Rusinga Island in Kenya. 

Books for Trees organizes resources that Kenyans use to plant trees, operate sustainable businesses and pass on these experiences to future generations.

Rusinga Island is suffering from poverty and natural degradation. By involving local communities in all decision-making with this project, they are shifting the trend. We talk about the importance of education and its critical role in the fight against climate change.

“The biggest challenge is the disconnection between humans and nature.”

Marga is a green influencer and activist. Her brand name ‘Margreen’ seeks to find and share solutions and methods to help make our everyday more eco-friendly.

In this captivating conversation, Marga fearlessly tackles the negativity surrounding environmental news and the overwhelming attention given to pessimistic content on social media. Discover how she's determined to break this cycle and create a positive shift by sharing practical solutions that prove it's not all gloom and doom.

But that's not all! Marga's journey takes us beyond her inspiring words, as she reveals her privileged collaborations with remarkable individuals and groundbreaking start-ups at the forefront of combating climate change. Be prepared to be amazed by their innovative solutions that are shaping a sustainable future.

Tune in now and join the movement with Marga on Gone West's podcast!

“Great story starts in a VW camper.”

Loyd and Claire are the owners of Siesta Campers, the van rental company that owns and restores old VW buses in Portugal. It all started with the first VW bus brought all the way from California. Nowadays, Siesta Campers rents over 70 vehicles from 4 locations in Portugal and Spain. 

We at down at their home in Southern Portugal, where we planted trees together. We talk about Siesta Campers, their camper van rental company and how it evolved, about slow travel, electric vehicles and the move towards off-grid life.

Note: in this episode we mention electric vehicles. However, we realize the issue with battery recycling is much more complicated, and we do not promote this as an ultimate solution to a transportation issue related to climate change.

”We spend a lot of resources, energy and water on producing food that, in the end, is not even the healthiest food. We need to produce on a local level, using permaculture techniques instead.”

Rui is the founder and director of Live with Earth, a Non-Profit Organization for Global Sustainable Development & Circular Economy based in Portugal. 

We talk about community and the main pillars of eco villages. We break down the principles of circular economy, which means that there doesn’t exist any waste, and everything is transformed into different forms of energy. We also speak about food production and the possibilities that can change the way we produce our food in a more sustainable way.

“I wish climate education was embedded into all the different lessons you get taught at school. Climate change is a problem that involves every sector and every discipline it’s perhaps the most interdisciplinary topic that there is and the most challenging dilemma that we currently face.”

Hannah is a recent Cambridge graduate and now works in providing climate education for schools in Cambridge and around the UK.

She has previously co-led the Sustainable Development Working Group at Generation Climate Europe, working on topics including the UN SDGs, EU RRPs and sustainable finance. She was also the Publications Coordinator at ClimaTalk, where she was involved in the team’s coverage of COP26. At COP27, Hannah represented the interests of the UK's young people with the Future Leaders Network.

We are talking about the impact the youth voices are making and also about the passion and community around them. We also touch upon an important topic about the link between the climate crisis and youth mental health.

Yanik is the founder of Seawater Solutions, a Scottish company turning degraded land around the world into blue ecosystems like salt marshes and mangroves. The company has a focus on creating bio-economies through seawater farming as a way to make restoration a tool for improving livelihoods and resilience.

We talk about agriculture and aquaculture in ecological spaces. How do we incorporate modern life in cities and these ecosystems? How climate change leads to conflict, and how it devastates the coast of Africa?

“The environmental destruction is not caused by Africans, and it’s not caused for the benefit of Africans.”

Cedric Dzelu is a Global Climate Change Ambassador and Development Finance Specialist from Ghana. His aim is to support and educate young people and governments within his work with organizations such as YMCA and the African Youth Commission, amongst others.

In this episode, we talk about the value of education, climate finance, mobilising voices for change and the reality of pollution in Cedric’s home continent, Africa. The reality is that many of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries have done little to cause climate change. We touch on unequal wealth distribution and what needs to happen to change that.

Johanna is a 4th generation cacao farmer from the Dominican Republic. After travelling through Europe and studying with some of the best chocolatiers in the world, Johanna decided to return to her homeland in an effort to protect/preserve her family's ancestral cacao plantations, support local job opportunities for women and share her healing through cacao therapies and ceremonies.