As we approach the holiday season, where so much emphasis is put on families being together, I wanted to touch on the taboo topic of parental estrangement.

“Dirty Grief” is the phrase Stephanie Peirolo coined to describe that messy landscape of grief when a parent you are estranged from dies. 

Stephanie and Eugene S. Robinson are seasoned storytellers through the spoken and written word, along with music in the case of Eugene.

I first came across Stephanie when I heard her talk about her son’s death on The Moth. One might think that this is what she would want to talk about. But no. It is the story of her estrangement from her mother, and more recently, the unexpectedly messy grief she is currently walking through after her mother died. 

Eugene has his own story of estrangement from his father, and has also written about this in "Father: the Final Installment".

With such familial bonds, when they are frayed or fractured, others often want it to be ‘fixed’ as there is still hope whilst people are alive. There may be judgement from others who perceive you as not trying hard enough to either accept how the parent shows up or just accepting some behaviours which may never change. 

"We are meaning making beings, we need story and ritual to carry grief”

Stephanie and Eugene both honestly share their experiences, and the ripple effect such dynamics have on other family or partner relationships. Stephanie suggests not to rush that line from ‘grief to grace’ and to lean into chosen family. She believes there is a deep sense of knowing what is right inside oneself. 

My Guests

Stephanie Peirolo spent years working in advertising and is now a board-certified executive coach. She is a writer and storyteller whose work on The Moth has been featured on NPR and in the best-selling book All These Wonders. Her new book The Saint and the Drunk - A Guide to Making the Big Decisions In Your Life will be published in the spring.

Eugene S. Robinson, an author whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the LA Times, GQ, and Vice, spent time “in the trenches” at Adobe, Apple, Intel, Nikon. His books include A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderers Row, a memoir and Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass Kicking But Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking. He is the lead singer for the band BUÑUEL, touring soon through Europe.

You can listen to Eugene and Stephanie on their podcast The Bad Boss Brief.

Eugene's newsletter is Look What You Made Me Do

Stephanie's is The Consigliera Papers

Find them on Instagram @speirolo and @mrsleep3

https://consigliera.substack.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WebsjShV0ZA

https://eugenesrobinson.substack.com/p/father-the-final-installment

http://www.upperhand.biz

https://badbossbrief.com

Have you ever looked for a mentor or thought about becoming one? This week’s show explores the benefits on both sides.

Mentorship can help shape careers, foster inclusivity, and make a workplace less lonely by developing stronger connections across teams and experiences. Whether through formal programs or informal connections, mentorship creates opportunities, and nurtures growth on both sides.

My guests are:

- Sonata Louvigny

- Patricia Souza

- Inês Crisóstomo

- Sylvia Rohde-Liebenau

National Mentoring Day on 27 Oct was inaugurated at the Houses of Parliament in London, led by Chelsey Baker. In December 2023 the Official Journal of the EU published the Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions entitled “Mentoring: A Powerful and Meaningful Tool for the Europe of Tomorrow." (links below) 




During this conversation we discuss how to find a mentor, build a trusting environment for effective listening and communication and setting outcome expectations.

Two way Street

Mentorship can also be effective for mentors themselves, to develop stronger bonds and ideas within their organisation and learn how to ask good questions of oneself along with the other.

Inês Crisóstomo encourages people to reach out to someone you might admire professionally and ask for an ‘information interview’ with them for about 15 minutes.

“You are not alone”

Mentoring can be viewed as a learning conversation: learning about oneself; creating space for reflection and supporting action planning. It also helps to equalise opportunities, to create frameworks that support professional development. Informal networks often serve men more than women for example.

With over a decade in Science Management, Inês supports scientists to thrive in an ever-evolving research landscape. She coordinates the Mentoring Program sponsored by the Gender Equality Group at the University of Luxembourg and works as a mentor and coach. Her own background is a Ph.D. in Biology from ITQB-UNL (Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier ITQB NOVA, Lisboa), with research conducted at the Rockefeller University in New York, USA. She has worked at iMM (Lisboa, Portugal) and in the Vienna BioCenter (Austria).

Inês knows how important mentorship can be in a research environment and is accredited by the MCAA (Marie Curie Alumni Association), EMCC, EMCC Luxembourg (European Mentoring and Coaching Council), and the CARE network (Career Advisors Supporting Researchers in Europe), fostering collaborations and knowledge sharing within global communities.

Patricia Souza is the co-founder of WeSTEM+ (Women in Excel STEM) and a Leadership Development and Inclusion Consultant focused on creating more inclusive and equitable business environments. She is also the co-chair the Membership Stream for the NextGen chapter of Lead Network and a board member of the BeLux Chapter.

Patricia believes in empowerment through guidance, and a build-up of confidence and leadership through a good mentor. However, she also states that mentorship is a two-way relationship with a ripple effect to the circles of influence for both participants.

“It’s about building a relationship that can change the trajectory of their life.”

Sylvia Rohde-Liebenau is a leadership expert who worked in HR for many years, where she became involved with mentoring. Sylvia created the first ever mentoring programme at the European Investment Bank and later, together with Rita Knott, the Youth Mentoring Programme in Luxembourg. Today she works as an executive coach to leaders on all levels, with a focus on leadership presence, resilience, communication and impact.

For organisations, Sylvia believes mentor programmes are fantastic (and cheap) L&D tools that cover several purposes, in particular:

1) fostering a cohesive organisational culture

2) passing organisation specific knowledge to newcomers and younger professionals,

3) creating networks

4) fostering a learning environment

Mentors give back AND about learn about themselves.

Mentees: “You get as much as you put in (it’s not a free lunch)”

Keys to successful mentoring include building trust and openness at the start; clear agreements and engagement from both sides; basic coaching skills for mentors.

Sonata Louvigny is an EU project and program management leader, coach and mentor. Her starting point in mentoring was experiencing the negative impacts of mismanaged mentoring within her team. Sonata's master's thesis was on managing the mentoring process and to help various organisations develop effective mentoring programs aligned with their goals. She is a member of professional mentoring associations such as IMA and EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council). She worked with EMCC Luxembourg, where her role was to oversee the accreditation process for coaches and mentors.

Sonata warns that a mentor could be in a position of authority over the mentee, which is more common in traditional mentoring but not in developmental mentoring, and therefore professional guidelines are really important.

Through her work she believes that mentoring is not just a hobby but requires specific competencies and skills. Effective mentors should be aware of the professional standards, continuously develop their capabilities, and, if they wish, seek accreditation to ensure they provide high-quality, impactful mentoring.

How to find a mentor

My guests suggest:

- Identify people that inspire you.

- Reach out to them

- Join groups

- Find peers

- Take advantage of organisations that create mentorship programs (workplace, non-profit organisations, educational institutions, professional associations, government initiatives, and community organizations, among others).

Links:

Mentorship Platforms for anyone, for example:

https://nationalmentoringday.org/history/timeline

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023IR1537


https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-rohde-liebenau-phd-b51b0328/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciasouza11/

http://we-stem.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonata-kucin/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/inescrisostomo/

https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-luxembourg/

University of Luxembourg (@uni.lu" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.mentoring-club.com/

https://nationalmentoringday.org/history/timeline

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023IR1537


https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-rohde-liebenau-phd-b51b0328/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciasouza11/

http://we-stem.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonata-kucin/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/inescrisostomo/

https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-luxembourg/

University of Luxembourg (@uni.lu) • Instagram photos and videos

From a reflection of the COP29 results & what we can do, to Office Hours and a rousing invite to sing Christmas Carols in Echternach next weekend.

On this week’s show we talk to Andrew Ferrone about the latest COP29 results from Baku with Tessa Moeller.

We also have Adam Petersen to tell us about his new show, Office Hours, on Today Radio.

And Jeff Hemmen is inviting us all to either sing, play or come to watch the ‘Big Christmas Wind Orchestra & Choir’ who will perform in Echternach on 15th December.

My guests are:

- Dr. Andrew Ferrone, Deputy Director for Climate and Sustainable Development, IPCC Head of Delegation Co-Coordinator of EU Negotiation team on science issues at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

- Tessa Moeller, upcoming Ph.D. student and contributing author to the last IPCC report

- Dr. Adam Petersen, presenter of Office Hours on Today Radio

- Jeff Hemmen, Organiser of the Big Christmas Wind Orchestra & Choir

COP29

Andrew Ferrone & Tessa Moeller are not pessimistic about our climate future and work hard to bring their research to both policy makers and the general public.

Andrew Ferrone is a seasoned attendee of the COP events and shares his insight of the latest one, where the key message was the adoption of a climate finance commitment aimed at supporting the Global South. He has not lost hope and can see that combined efforts in all domains, across all countries could, will, and already does make a difference.

If you want to make a calculable difference yourself go to Carbon Nerd from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. They have examples of how an individual can reduce their carbon footprint.

Make research more actionable

Tessa’s work focusses on ‘overshoot’, the likely move above the 1.5°C Paris Agreement’s temperature target and its potential consequences for global mean sea level rise.

The higher the temperature peaks, the longer the overshoot, the greater the risk of crossing irreversible thresholds in the ice sheets, which in turn, locks in faster and more substantial long-term sea level rise.

You can read more about Tessa’s work in her recent publication in Nature Communications article (summarized here ). Tessa’s broader aim in the climate conversation is to make research more actionable. 

By complete coincidence, Adam Petersen used to run oil rigs in Baku for BP, amongst other places. He talks about the brilliant science which also takes place on the rigs in order to minimise emissions and how fossil fuel scientists are a deep part of this transition conversation.

Office Hours

Adam Petersen’s ‘business’ show is more about understanding the business world around us here in Luxembourg, and in connection to the world around us. You can find his show, Office Hours, on RTL Play.

The Big Christmas Wind Orchestra & Choir

Jeff Hemmen fell in love with carol singing whilst studying in the UK, and so he brought it back to Luxembourg.

Next weekend, everyone is invited to sign up and sing or play traditional carols in the beautiful and oldest city of Luxembourg, Echternach. This is an open invitation to all to enjoy a Christmas moment with the beautiful Christmas market, and you’ll even be rewarded with a free Glüvin for your efforts. It is important you sign up for numbers however.

He also talks about the wonderful work done by shareaction.org

Listen to the show

Tune in to The Lisa Burke Show on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon, and Tuesdays at 11am. Please do subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify, rate and review!

You can get in touch with Lisa on LinkedIN or via her website.

LINKS:

https://unfccc.int/news/cop29-un-climate-conference-agrees-to-triple-finance-to-developing-countries-protecting-lives-and

https://carbonnerd.list.lu

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49863-0

https://play.rtl.lu/shows/en/office-hours/episodes

https://www.bigchristmaswindorchestra.lu/

https://www.lisatoniburke.com

LUNEX legends undertake the Laponie Trophy to raise money for the Red Cross’s programme to support families with trauma through nature activities.

Imagine the drudgery of a one hour commute each way to work: France to Luxembourg and back again, to do an office job for the Red Cross Luxembourg. This was Sonia Barjonnet a few years ago. She wanted to do more for her employer, the Luxembourg Red Cross, rather than ‘just’ an office job. Sonia wanted a challenge, and with a random google search for ‘Adventure Travel’ she happened upon the Laponie Trophy. Her reasons:

“Because I don't like the cold, I've never been to Lapland; because I'm not sporty, I've never run a marathon; for all of these reasons, I signed up, a bit by chance, for the Laponie Trophy in 2024 in aid of the LRC.”

This three day event in January, with temperatures hovering around -30 degrees Celsius, takes place in Lapland and requires proper preparation. The first day is a walk / run with rackets for about 10-15km; the second day is an orientation race; the final day involves a Nordic ski 4 x 800m relay race and then an obstacle course. It’s not for the faint of heart.

On top of hard training, Sonia had to start using social media to communicate and ask for sponsorship. 

LUNEX LEGENDS

Dr. Kim Buchholtz, born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, is Assistant Professor in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, chair of the exam board and programme leader for the Bachelor in Physiotherapy here at LUNEX in Luxembourg. 

“The hill that I am willing to die on is that we should (almost) all be doing more physical activity than we do for our mental and physical health… it’s more powerful than medication in preventing disease.”

Her motto is ‘Lift as you rise’ - use one’s privilege and opportunity to provide spaces and mentoring for those less experienced, less privileged and less supported than us to have the same or better opportunities in life than we have had.

Kim believes that young adults should be able to see themselves in their role models, and therefore wants to show her current and former students, and patients, that “even a  geriatric millennial with low cold tolerance can trek through the snow at -30 degrees for a good cause!”. 

Dr. Buchholtz was recognised in 2018 as one of the Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in the Health category.

Dr Johanna Johannsson Ingvarsdottir is a senior lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Health at LUNEX.

Similar to Sonia, Johanna had a bucket list of activities she wanted to pursue. One was to visit Lapland, another was to complete a sports challenge. The Laponie Trophy combines both. 

Johanna believes “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, so long as you don’t stop!”

Jessie Tembo is the LUNEX Legends Social Media Manager & student.  Sophia Harith is a Research Fellow at LUNEX, lecturer and Programme Leader for Bachelor in International Sports Management, plus a reserve on the team. They would all like to you follow them and their training on social media, but more importantly sponsor them on their GoFundMe page:

https://www.helloasso.com/associations/lunexlegends/collectes/lunexlegends-lapony-trophy

https://gofund.me/bef3798b

Or here:

https://www.helloasso.com/associations/lunexlegends/collectes/lunexlegends-lapony-trophy

Instagram: @lunex.legends

LUNEX www.lunex.lu

Croix Rouge Luxembourg

Kim and Johanna have also decided to support the Luxembourg Red Cross, but more specifically their Service d’Accompagnement et de Transition (SAT) who organise outdoor activities for children or families at risk of social isolation, or who have just moved here as immigrants. This is led by Melodie Neves.

As of today, there are approximately 89 children ranging from 4 to 12 years in age, coming from Turkey, Chile, Colombia, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, Kosovo, Angola, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Peru, Eritrea, Gabon and Oman. 

Melodie’s team built the ‘First welcome’ centre for those arriving in Luxembourg fleeing war zones. It is the first point of social contact for these children and their families, when they land in a strange country, entirely aligned with the mission of the Luxembourg Red Cross: to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people.

SAT helps children with trauma slowly and gently integrate, learn Luxembourg’s languages and culture through building trusting relationships.

“Komm mat an d’Natur” was created to offer children and families with trauma the chance to reintegrate with educational activities in nature that strengthen their well-being and develop their social skills. The aim is to combat social isolation and build self-confidence.

https://www.raid-feminin.com/sahara-trophy/laponie-trophy-raid/

Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise (@croixrougelu" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://200youngsouthafricans.co.za/kim-buchholtz-2018/

Dr Johanna Johannsson Ingvarsdottir is a senior lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Health at LUNEX.

Similar to Sonia, Johanna had a bucket list of activities she wanted to pursue. One was to visit Lapland, another was to complete a sports challenge. The Laponie Trophy combines both. 

Johanna believes “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, so long as you don’t stop!”

Jessie Tembo is the LUNEX Legends Social Media Manager & student.  Sophia Harith is a Research Fellow at LUNEX, lecturer and Programme Leader for Bachelor in International Sports Management, plus a reserve on the team. They would all like to you follow them and their training on social media, but more importantly sponsor them on their GoFundMe page:

https://www.helloasso.com/associations/lunexlegends/collectes/lunexlegends-lapony-trophy

https://gofund.me/bef3798b

Or here:

https://www.helloasso.com/associations/lunexlegends/collectes/lunexlegends-lapony-trophy

Instagram: @lunex.legends

LUNEX www.lunex.lu

Croix Rouge Luxembourg

Kim and Johanna have also decided to support the Luxembourg Red Cross, but more specifically their Service d’Accompagnement et de Transition (SAT) who organise outdoor activities for children or families at risk of social isolation, or who have just moved here as immigrants. This is led by Melodie Neves.

As of today, there are approximately 89 children ranging from 4 to 12 years in age, coming from Turkey, Chile, Colombia, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, Kosovo, Angola, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Peru, Eritrea, Gabon and Oman. 

Melodie’s team built the ‘First welcome’ centre for those arriving in Luxembourg fleeing war zones. It is the first point of social contact for these children and their families, when they land in a strange country, entirely aligned with the mission of the Luxembourg Red Cross: to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people.

SAT helps children with trauma slowly and gently integrate, learn Luxembourg’s languages and culture through building trusting relationships.

“Komm mat an d’Natur” was created to offer children and families with trauma the chance to reintegrate with educational activities in nature that strengthen their well-being and develop their social skills. The aim is to combat social isolation and build self-confidence.

https://www.raid-feminin.com/sahara-trophy/laponie-trophy-raid/

Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise (@croixrougelu)

https://www.croix-rouge.lu/fr/service/structures-daccueil-et-deducation-integree/

https://www.croix-rouge.lu/en/

Financial advisors can be quite intimidating, especially if we feel we’re starting ‘too late’, or we don’t have ‘enough’ money. Dr. Sophie Jablonski and Minna Schmidt are on a mission to break that stigma and encourage more people to talk about money matters in a healthy way.

On The Lisa Burke Show this week, Sasha Kehoe starts off by giving us a reflection of the week's news. 

Flourishing Financially in mid-life.

Dr. Sophie Jablonski and Minna Schmidt set up Flourish Financially to help empower people both mentally and financially, the two being highly combined.  Their main community are midlife women who fall into the statistical bracket of being behind men in building wealth. The gender wealth gap across all countries has been averaged as about 77%: that’s to say for every €100 earned by a man, a woman earns €77. There are many reasons for this including taking time out to raise a family, returning part-time and sickness.  Women are also less likely to talk about money, often end up dependent on others, especially in older years, despite also living longer on average.

For many people, it’s midlife, that crunch-point of perhaps raising a family plus parents who might need more help, to heavy workloads, plus possibly divorce, where one contemplates the purpose of having a buffer in life; a financial blanket to ease the inevitable moments of hard times. This duo want to encourage anyone, whatever stage of life you are in, to take control of your own financial health.

Unquestionably, more money means more freedom: freedom of choice; freedom to find the best healthcare for aging parents; freedom to leave a bad marriage.  Sophie and Minna hope to inspire and create a community who is more aware of their own financial options, without feeling shame or fear, whatever the starting point; at whatever age.  Sophie is particularly clear that positive psychology is linked to a flourishing mindset, and when this part is ‘right’ the rest can follow.

How is your Financial Health?

Sophie and Minna have developed a Financial Flourishing Scale - a reflective tool to help people understand where they stand on their financial health journey— thriving, languishing or surviving. Using evidence-based insights from positive psychology and financial resilience research, it’s a great starting point for building financial well-being.

Access the tool for free here: Financial Flourishing Scale https://flourishfinancially.org

The PROVIDERS celebrate their 25th anniversary at Den Atelier

The Providers started out 25 years ago in a garage in Kehlen with three teenagers. It’s now grown to a 10-piece band and old members will join them to perform at their sold-out show at Den Atelier on Saturday.

However, there are two tickets left. In this show, Pit Mass talks about The Providers and mentioned how many people will be on stage for this show.

Write into [email protected] with your answer after listening to the show!

Website of Minna: https://www.minnaschmidt.com

Website of Sophie: https://drsophiecoaching.com

LinkedIn of Minna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minnaschmidt/

LinkedIn of Sophie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sophie-jablonski/

Instagram of Minna: https://www.instagram.com/minnaschmidt/

Problems with traceability of the EU's Covid Recovery Fund is one of the issues Tony Murphy discusses, with concern, on this show.

Irishman Tony Murphy is at the helm of the EU financial watchdog, as President of the European Court of Auditors.

The European Court of Auditors is one of the seven EU institutions and it’s based in Luxembourg. With nearly 1000 staff members, their role is to scrutinise the way in which EU money is spent; make it transparent, traceable and accountable. Plus, does the use of the money ultimately serve the EU citizen?

And so, one part of the job is to follow the money trail, the other is to ensure the performance or use aligns with the EU’s broader strategic priorities.

2024 has been a year of major reports, most prominently the Draghi report on EU competitiveness and the Letta report focussed more on the single market. Letta also emphasises the need for much stricter control on state aid for those most in need. Both highlight the challenges facing the EU in terms of being a global player, competitiveness, the internal market and industrial policy.

‘Sustainable’ Debt versus ‘necessary investment’ is something that auditors have to consider and advise on, when thinking about the future of the EU and kicking the problem down the line, for future generations to pay for.

Tony Murphy talks passionately on the EU’s COVID recovery funds which are a huge problem in terms of following the money - it is not transparent and not easy for  the auditors to see whether the money is or was actually used in the right manner as designed

https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/news/NEWS2024_04_NEWSLETTER_03?mtm_campaign=NewsletterAnalytics&mtm_kwd=RelatedNews&mtm_source=Newsletter-2024-4-2&mtm_content=https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/news/NEWS2024_04_NEWSLETTER_03

They ECA examine revenue and spending in every area of the EU’s work from growth and jobs to environmental policy and climate action.

https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/what-we-do

They undertake ‘performance audit’ reports which digs into whether EU action and funding is efficient and effective - does it deliver results for citizens. Naturally there are also the ‘compliance’ and financial audits to see if rules are being complied with.

  https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/search-publications#k=#l=1033

ECA governance and structure https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/governance

 

ECA’s activity report for 2023 (2024) – this gives a good brief overview of our role and work https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/news/NEWS-AAR-2023

 

Just published (yesterday): ECA plan of audits for next year and afterwards: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/news/NEWS-WP-2025 

Today we discuss the whole energy life cycle of a home and how, perhaps in the future, we should consider a ‘carbon-wallet’ for our lives, which includes where we live and its own carbon costs.

"Build nothing, build less, build efficiently, build with less impact"

Architects have to think of many things. Resource-efficient designs will help reduce the need for new construction and demolition. In a world facing resource scarcity, the way in which materials are sourced and buildings are constructed must change.

My guests are architects Carine Oberweis and Philippe Nathan, civil engineer Lee Frank and Paul Baustert, policy maker and Attaché at the Ministry of the Economy in Luxembourg.

Carine is passionate about creating healthy living spaces with low-energy design. Having spent many years working in Ghana (and being the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ghana in Luxembourg), Carine also works on developing new building products made from waste material. This is an industry with huge future potential.

Lee Franck works with the construction industry, currently responsible for about 40% of carbon emissions, to devise low carbon designs.

Architect Philippe Nathan has worked on The ‘Grande Porte des Alpes’ in Lyon, developing a vision of a decarbonised and resilient region by 2050. 

As Attaché at the Ministry of the Economy in Luxembourg, Paul Baustert works on preparing legislation related to the whole life carbon of buildings.

Where does carbon reside in our homes?

This is not as obvious as it may seem. Every bit of material that makes our home has an energy cost to it, which is why it is not always the most energy efficient decision to demolish and build again.

We are all very aware of energy consumption when it comes to heating, ventilation and electricity, not least because this is an on-going (and likely increasing) cost.  However, we are less conscious of the ‘stuff’ that our buildings are made of. This is grey energy.

For so long the conversation on reducing energy consumption has circled around insulation, energy efficient windows, machines to vent the house mechanically, but not the overall carbon dioxide savings.

We are now moving to a ‘whole-life’ carbon approach, and new legislation is on its way to take into account the impact of the materials that go into construction. From 2028 onwards, for a new building to be permitted, it needs to have its carbon footprint calculated over its life-time, energy consumption and carbon in the materials to build it. From 2030, limits on how much carbon can go into a building will come into place.

An average size house in Luxembourg has a carbon footprint of roughly 200t CO2 in the materials. That’s about 100 return flights to the United States. If we reduce the carbon footprint of our house by 20%, we save the equivalent of about 20 return flights or the offset of an average person in Luxembourg’s carbon footprint over 2 years (an average person’s carbon footprint in Luxembourg is 18t/annum)! And if we scale this up to a global scale – we could build one city like Paris each week in energy savings.

How can we change this situation fast?

Lee Franck has a few suggestions here:

- Build Nothing: do we need to build more? Could we convert existing buildings? Stop demolishing! “Demolishing and building something new which claims to be “green” is greenwashing.”

- Build Less: what is enough?

- Reuse materials: start the mindset of urban mining. All existing buildings are material banks. We need better data management systems to log this however.

- La frugalité heureuse: what are our fundamental needs to be happy? For example, cellars are highly carbon intensive to build. Can we use one space in multiple ways.

- Logistics: how to transfer one component from an old to a new building.

- Leave things ‘unfinished’  (exposed ceilings and floors etc.)

- Build efficiently: use fewer resources for the same needs

- Carbon footprint calculation and set goals on how much carbon should be used

- Build with timber. There is a common misconception that building in timber has a negative carbon impact. Global demand for timber is predicted to quadruple by 2050 and although at least in Europe forests are growing, this demand cannot be met and these monoculture plantations come with a loss in health of the forests and biodiversity and illegal sourcing.

- Innovation for better materials and products.

What is the role of an architect in our society?

Architects play a unique role in society, enhancing lives by thoughtfully considering how people live, work, and shape their environments. In today’s fast-paced world, homes should offer a sense of calm and grounding.

Carine believes in creating a home which has a soothing effect on the human senses, through careful consideration of volume, colour, touch, acoustics, and even scent. Architects and engineers also have to design for communities, to encourage human interaction whilst ensuring privacy and reducing isolation.

Carine’s work in Ghana develops her passion for empowering local communities and promoting social equity.

“In response to global challenges such as the climate crisis, demographic changes, economic instability, and disrupted supply chains, the focus is on finding innovative, sustainable solutions - local solutions to local problems.”

Collaborative efforts in West Africa have led to the development of new building materials from waste, with plans to apply this knowledge to projects in Luxembourg. Carine’s vision aligns with the philosophy of "build nothing, build less, build more clever, build with less impact." She encourages us to value what already exists, appreciating imperfections both in life and in the built environment.

“It's about embracing nature-based materials, minimising transformations, and reducing both embodied and operational energy. For example the Gulf of Guinea may seem distant, the ripple effects of its developments will touch us all. Global well-being is a shared responsibility, shaped by the daily decisions we make. Every choice has global consequences, underscoring the interconnectedness of our world and the urgent need for sustainable, responsible practices.”

Paul has the unenviable task of thinking about the whole building ecosystem with associated environmental challenges in order to put together a framework of policy decisions that will help the country for generations to come.

Carbon Budget

As a final thought, Carine Oberweis has a suggestion for us to consider as we move towards the New Year - what is your carbon budget?

“To grasp the importance of global well-being, we must recognise it as a shared responsibility - one shaped by our everyday decisions. Each choice we make has a compounding effect on the world, emphasising our global interdependence and the urgent need for sustainable, mindful practices. Imagine it like a monthly budget, with a limited "carbon wallet" for spending. With each choice, your carbon budget gets smaller, and by the month’s end, we hope you've managed to keep enough for future flexibility. Let's start thinking of each decision as an investment in the world of tomorrow, striving to make each choice one that preserves our collective resources for the long term. What’s your carbon budget for 2025 ?”

Tune in to The Lisa Burke Show on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon, and Tuesdays at 11am on Today Radio.

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Coping with blindness, then paralysis, to showing us that we can achieve more than we thought possible.

Blindness

Mark Pollock started losing his sight from childhood, culminating in blindness just before his finals at Trinity College Dublin in 1998.

Mark’s blindness is tied to the date of the Good Friday Agreement being signed on 10 April 1998 in Northern Ireland. He speaks of the uncertain years of autopilot after this diagnosis, the five stages of grief and the sense of being left behind as his friends went off to start their adult lives.

Mark had to navigate the loss of what he had assumed was his identity; one very much tied to being a sportsman, defined by things he did. He speaks of being a spectator on the sidelines of his life.

Slowly, as he emerged from this state of shock and grief, he moved from being a spectator to competitor, designing a life with clarity, confidence and commitment. Small goals built up confidence. Always a lover of endurance sports, he went on to attempt many such feats, both ‘successfully’ and other times needing to be helicoptered off mountainsides.

Mark went on to become a global adventure athlete, competing in ultra-endurance races across deserts and the first blind person to race to the South Pole in 2009.

Paralysis

Perhaps a worse tragedy occurred in 2010, when a fall from a second story window nearly killed him, leaving Mark with a broken back, fractured skull and many internal injuries. He survived, just, but paralysed.

Since then, Mark has redirected his attention to the intersection of humans and technology to cure paralysis in our lifetime. Off-air he spoke to me about a particular teenager he shared a ward with, whose life’s potential was wiped away at the time he was paralysed from the neck down.

Mark Pollock works to inspire us all, optimise performance and build collaborations and communication channels that can ultimately effect change. He is Chairman of Collaborative Cures.

Mark now works a lot with neuroscientists, to understand how to best achieve a state of flow. He also believes in collaboration with an element of competition to get the best results. This also requires great communication, and that relies on trust.

Run in the Dark

Mark is the founder of the global running series Run in the Dark and here Luxembourg plays an important role! This event will be held on 13 November at 8pm in 50 cities around the world, with 25,000 people running 5km and 10km. You can choose to race, walk or be a Marshall or volunteer on the night.

If you want to support Mark’s work you can contact him here:

https://www.markpollock.com/

runinthedark.org/volunteer

Colleagues Vanessa Phelan and Sarah Tapp join Lisa to discuss a bookshop book and more besides.

The first shocking fact about this month‘s Book Club is that we found a communal date after one try. For three working women, with children and other jobs, this is rather remarkable. 

We start our discussions by talking about Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum.

And, as always, there is a conversation full of books to follow. 

Tune in to The Lisa Burke Show on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon, and Tuesdays at 11am.

Lisa discusses the significance of the "minority vote," swing states, and other topics that will impact the U.S. elections coming up in November. Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, Retired Ambassador Dr. Carlo Krieger, and U.S. Diplomat Meghan Dean share their thoughts on this week's show.

Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins observed the importance of having the right to vote in childhood, watching her Grandmother pick cotton in the morning and teach school in the afternoon so that people could learn how to write their names and therefore vote, once that law eventually came into place.

Dr. Jefferson-Jenkins took up the baton to become a life-long advocate and activist for civil rights and social justice. She is a voice for under-represented populations and served two terms as the President of the League of Women Voters of the United States and Chair of the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the only woman of colour to have ever done so.

Retired Ambassador Carlo Krieger served around the world: Brazil, China, Russia; and as Deputy in the Embassies of Washington D.C. and Vienna. His academic passion is social anthropology, and in this conversation we learn about Carlo’s knowledge of how Native Americans are discriminated against when it comes to their right to vote.

Meghan Dean is the U.S Embassy Luxembourg’s spokesperson. She served as a Deputy Spokesperson for European Affairs and at the State Department Operations Center, the Secretary of State’s 24-hour crisis management and communications centre in Washington, D.C. Meghan served at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia and on the State Department’s Ukraine Desk. Meghan is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Albania and Georgia. She talks about the Electoral College, the complexity of the American elections and that it’s not one Federal election but 50 state elections.

On the evening of Tuesday 8 October 2024, Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, was in Luxembourg at the behest of Miami University Luxembourg Foundation’s inaugural event, supported by the US Embassy in Luxembourg.