Small99: Small Business to Net Zero

Are 15-minute cities ruining our lives? Are they a secret government plan to trap us all where we live? Or are they simply a way to make our cities cleaner and more convenient?

In this episode, Adam + Simon debunk some of the hype around 15-minute cities and explore the ways they have made cities better places to live. The benefits range from cleaner air to faster transport times to increased property prices.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/630f7c60e90e076ecaa8a75b/nts-2021-factsheet.pdf

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/health-damage-from-cars-and-vans-costs-6-billion-annually-to-nhs-and-society/

The cost of reducing your Greenhouse Gas Emissions to NetZero can often feel expensive, especially when compared to doing nothing. However, the cost of adaptation is much higher.

The cost of insurance is rising, and many places are already facing huge bills for adapting to the Climate Crisis.

In this episode, Adam + Simon discuss how the Climate Crisis is already way ahead of schedule and how businesses can start to make their businesses more resilient.

The articles shown and referenced in this episode are:

https://www.ft.com/content/ed3a1bb9-e329-4e18-89de-9db90eaadc0b

https://www.ft.com/content/272fac7a-9d8f-4afe-a489-0ea6b5837ee5

https://www.ft.com/content/b4bf187a-1040-4a28-9f9e-fa8c4603ed1b

https://www.ft.com/content/eafeddeb-6dca-42d9-9f22-d821d158ec6d

https://www.ft.com/content/2d6fc319-2165-42fb-8de1-0edf1d765be3

https://www.ft.com/content/ba2cdf7d-898d-4b22-b40b-8d2d80b631f8

Lithium is getting a lot of bad press. Many people are concerned about the ethics of Lithium mining and batteries 'embedded carbon'. But who is behind this rise in concerns? Why do these same people not ask the same questions about the fuel they put in their cars?

Fossil fuel PR is working overtime to stoke fear of electric vehicles, and it seems to be working. In this episode, Adam + Simon bust some myths, and PR spin, around the environmental impacts of Lithium batteries.

Our stats in this episode are from this article: https://earth.org/lithium-and-cobalt-mining

3 billion trees are cut down every year just to make cardboard boxes, which are often single-use. Why don't we reuse the good ones? Jack Good turned this simple idea into a business, Reuseabox.

Not only are these boxes up to 50% cheaper, but they also help with reforestation, as Reusabox is planting 1 million trees.

This week, Adam + Simon discuss how doing the right thing when making sustainability choices not only saves money but also creates a resilient business with a lasting legacy.

Find out more about Reusabox at https://www.reuseabox.co.uk

Connect with Jack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-good-19428479

AI uses a lot of energy. Recently, there have been many headlines about companies' energy usage soaring as they increase their power usage to run AI. Google and Microsoft both recently announced they are now off target for their Net Zero plans and will have to work hard to get back on track.

Adam and Simon discuss why AI uses so much power and what is being done to try to reduce it.

There are lots of stats and links in this episode:

https://www.ft.com/content/383719aa-df38-4ae3-ab0e-6279a897915e

https://submer.com

https://blog.veoliawatertechnologies.co.uk/the-water-footprint-of-ai-data-centres

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/02/google-ai-emissions

https://www.ft.com/content/61bd45d9-2c0f-479a-8b24-605d5e72f1ab

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RW1lmju

https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/unsustainable-use-online-video

This week, we're joined by Tom from Sprigg, Glasgow salad bars that is challenging the way the takeaway food business operates.

Tom tells us about the challenges of operating a business that relies on fresh produce as the climate changes and pushes prices up and down. He explains how he boldly decided to introduce a reusable bowl scheme and how that has strengthened his brand.

He also shares how partnering with an e-cargo delivery bike company has expanded his business.

Learn more about Sprigg: https://sprigg.co.uk

We're joined by Tim from the Secret Capsite, who decided to think long-term when it came to improving the campsite.

Tim explained that wildlife and biodiversity are at the centre of everything they do on the campsite, so when moving the washhouse, the normal concrete solution wouldn't cut it. Working with a local architect, Tim has created a unique structure and combined it with solar PV and rainwater harvesting to create a truly inspiring building. The guests and the wildlife love it too!

All of this was a cost for Tim, but these decisions are long-term, and they're strengthening his brand and business by attracting customers who want to spend time in nature and keep coming back with their friends.

Learn more about the Sectrect Capsite: https://thesecretcampsite.co.uk/

In this episode, Adam and Simon ask, "Is Net Zero possible for a small business? Following the recent 'roll-back' of the Scottish government on the Net Zero commitments and lots of other big businesses and government seeming to scale back, is Net Zero even possible?

In this episode, Adm and Simon discuss how the emissions in your supply chain are linked to your own emissions and why this matters.

They also explain how being part of a big business supply chain will start to impact your small business's need for a carbon reduction plan.

In this episode, Adm and Simon discuss how a recent Guardian headline could be doing more harm than good. They discuss how it might be encouraging, or even justifying, a lot of people to stop taking Net Zero action.

What are the consequences of this, and should they have been more responsible?

Old Article - https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change

Recent Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/just-57-companies-linked-to-80-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-since-2016