Racing Green

A staggering 8 million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into our oceans every year, and we have yet to comprehend the full scale of its long-term effects on our ecosystems and food sources. This distressing reality brings the urgent need to address the ever-growing problem of ocean plastics to the forefront. Microplastics, the most insidious form of this pollution, have infiltrated even the most remote aquatic environments, posing a grave threat to marine life and wreaking havoc on delicate ecosystems across the globe. 

In this daunting scenario, Fionn Ferreira's pioneering research technology emerges, as a beacon of hope. With Fionn’s innovation, we stand at the precipice of a turning point—a chance to reclaim our oceans and set the stage for a cleaner, more sustainable planet. 

In this episode, we speak to Irina Druzhinina, Senior Research Leader of Fungal Diversity & Systematics at Kew Gardens, who talks to us about a fungus that has the rare ability to break down polymer chains in plastic. This research brings hope to scientists that there is a biological solution to the terrifying levels of plastic waste we are experiencing on our planet.

In this episode, we speak to Richard Dillon, CEO of Ivy Farm Technologies, who talks us through the current environmental issue they are trying to tackle. Raising livestock for meat, eggs, and milk is estimated to generate more than 14% of global greenhouse gasses, the second highest source of emissions and greater than all transport combined. It is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. But with a reluctance to change our daily lives, can science save our bacon? Does Ivy Farm, a revolutionary cultivated meat production company developing the technology to grow real meat at scale without farming, have the solution? 

In this episode Jeffrey Young is joined by Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, CEO OF ENSO. They discuss the issues surrounding vehicle emissions, the rise in electric vehicles, and ENSO's aim to dramatically reduce microplastics through their sustainable tyre technology. ENSO is looking to deliver tyres with uncompromised performance, without passing the cost to drivers or the environment, moving electric vehicles to a truly sustainable future. This fascinating episodes explores this innovative technology, its challenges, and what the future looks like for sustainability in the automotive industry. 

This mini-series explores sustainable events.

Today, the events industry is more popular than ever – generating over $1.1 trillion US dollars in global revenue annually and predicted to increase more that 10% over the next 5 years. Nonetheless, the environmental impact of large scale events is significant and difficult to reduce. The very nature of events, bringing together tens if not thousands of human beings into a physical space, requires the single use of vast resources to deliver captivating experiences and crucial profitability. So, how can we ensure we leave the smallest environmental footprint possible within an industry aimed at consistently delivering ever greater spectacles to audiences? 

In this 3-part series on sustainable events, we’ve chosen three of the most impressive global event organizations with sustainability at their core to understand their visions and challenges for operating a planet-friendly event. 

In the third and final episode of this series, we talk with Julia Pallé, Sustainability Director at Formula E, the international electric car racing tournament. They discuss how the events themselves can be a vehicle for driving sustainability on an even bigger scale. 

This mini-series explores sustainable events.

Today, the events industry is more popular than ever – generating over $1.1 trillion US dollars in global revenue annually and predicted to increase more that 10% over the next 5 years. Nonetheless, the environmental impact of large scale events is significant and difficult to reduce. The very nature of events, bringing together tens if not thousands of human beings into a physical space, requires the single use of vast resources to deliver captivating experiences and crucial profitability. So, how can we ensure we leave the smallest environmental footprint possible within an industry aimed at consistently delivering ever greater spectacles to audiences? 

In this 3-part series on sustainable events, we’ve chosen three of the most impressive global event organizations with sustainability at their core to understand their visions and challenges for operating a planet-friendly event.
 

In part 2 of this 3-part series, we meet with Rose-May Lucotte, Co-Founder and COO of ChangeNOW in Paris, the largest event of sustainable solutions for the planet. 

This mini-series explores the sustainability of the events industry. 

Today, the events industry is more popular than ever – generating over $1.1 trillion US dollars in global revenue annually and predicted to increase more that 10% over the next 5 years. Nonetheless, the environmental impact of large scale events is significant and difficult to reduce. The very nature of events, bringing together tens if not thousands of human beings into a physical space, requires the single use of vast resources to deliver captivating experiences and crucial profitability. So, how can we ensure we leave the smallest environmental footprint possible within an industry aimed at consistently delivering ever greater spectacles to audiences? 

In this 3-part series on sustainable events, we’ve chosen three of the most impressive global event organizations with sustainability at their core to understand their visions and challenges for operating a planet-friendly event. 

In part 1, we talk with Dan Cæsar, CEO of the Fully Charged Show, the World's No.1 Clean Energy & Electric Vehicle event. Together we explore the challenges of balancing event necessities with sustainability and how to educate partners on best practices. Fully charged is also a high-profile Podcast and YouTube channel. They discuss the rising popularity of electric vehicles and how Fully Charged Live has been a showcase for and supporter of this technology. 

In this episode Jeffrey Young talks with Ties van der Hoeven, Co-founder of The Weather Makers – a pioneering Dutch ecosystem regeneration company using nature to help regreen our planet.

After centuries of change, both natural and man-made, many of our planet’s deserts that were once flourishing ecosystems, have now become barren landscapes, lacking in life, greenery, and natural vegetation. 

In this conversation, Ties van der Hoeven discusses the monumental challenge The Weather Makers have taken on to regenerate Egypt’s Sinai desert, by using innovative technology to create the conditions required to bring life back to the desert. 

In this episode, Jeffrey Young is joined by James McMicking, VP of Strategy at ZeroAvia, a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on hydrogen-electric aviation solutions. They discuss how a new aviation technology based on hydrogen could pave the way to sustainability in an industry with no easy answers. ZeroAvia’s model is to retrofit existing aircrafts and convert them to running on hydrogen. Jeff and James discuss the impact that the current aviation industry has on the planet and look forward to the day when flying can become a sustainable travel option.

James’ 20+ year career combines strategy and engineering across multiple sectors, notably automotive and aerospace. Following his Masters Engineering degree, James joined engineering consultancy Ricardo as a drivetrain engineer and went on to manage R&D projects for automotive clients around the world. In 2021 James was awarded a commendation by the Air League for his contributions to the UK aerospace industry.