Sustainability Champions

At Sustainability Champions, we believe many - if not all - of the solutions to reversing climate change and healing the planet are already available. From global energy needs to better insulated housing to planting trees, there are experts and companies all over the world offering remedies to earth’s biggest headache. Local councils and cities can take advantage of these amazing businesses and technologies today; however, with so many solutions, it’s easy to sometimes get lost. Today’s guest focuses on highlighting and supporting the most revolutionary businesses to make it easier for others to work with the best of the best.

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden and Champion of Rewarding Sustainability. Ashden, a London-based charity, rewards and promotes sustainable projects based in Europe and the developing world through its annual Ashden Awards. This year's award ceremony will take place online this Thursday, July 2nd 2020!

They’ve scoured the globe to find the front runners in the race to halt the climate crisis and create a fairer world - and the winners will be presented on Thursday. Listen to the episode to find out more about Ashden’s work of supporting sustainable innovations, the solutions that inspire them, and how they’re putting efforts into practice.

Resources:

At Sustainability Champions, we believe many - if not all - of the solutions to reversing climate change and healing the planet are already available. From global energy needs to better insulated housing to planting trees, there are experts and companies all over the world offering remedies to earth’s biggest headache. Local councils and cities can take advantage of these amazing businesses and technologies today; however, with so many solutions, it’s easy to sometimes get lost. Today’s guest focuses on highlighting and supporting the most revolutionary businesses to make it easier for others to work with the best of the best.

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden and Champion of Rewarding Sustainability. Ashden, a London-based charity, rewards and promotes sustainable projects based in Europe and the developing world through its annual Ashden Awards. This year's award ceremony will take place online this Thursday, July 2nd 2020!

They’ve scoured the globe to find the front runners in the race to halt the climate crisis and create a fairer world - and the winners will be presented on Thursday. Listen to the episode to find out more about Ashden’s work of supporting sustainable innovations, the solutions that inspire them, and how they’re putting efforts into practice.

Resources:

The average American uses up to 500 single-use plastic bags per year. Unfortunately, most of the bags that are put in the recycling bin aren’t recycled and end up in landfills. Dissolved plastic particles accumulate in oceans, float in the air, and contaminate our food supply. To solve our plastic waste crisis, we need to find reusable options that reduce the amount of plastic we produce and use. Today’s guest offers exactly that.

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Andy Keller, CEO of ChicoBag and To-Go Ware and Champion of Reusable Plastic Alternatives. ChicoBag offers a number of reusable and easily storable tote shopping bags, while To-Go Ware produces reusable containers and utensils, like bamboo fork and knife sets and steel containers.

Following their mission of eliminating single-use plastics and being sustainable, ChicoBag is  a certified B Corporation, they have set themselves Zero-Waste Goals and they pledge 1% of their revenue to environmental charities. To raise awareness on the detrimental effects of plastic usage, Andy even invented and occasionally dresses up as the “Bagmonster”, a costume made of 500 single-use plastic bags, the yearly consumption of an average American.

I hope you enjoy the episode! If you did, please subscribe and leave a review to support us!

Resources:

The average American uses up to 500 single-use plastic bags per year. Unfortunately, most of the bags that are put in the recycling bin aren’t recycled and end up in landfills. Dissolved plastic particles accumulate in oceans, float in the air, and contaminate our food supply. To solve our plastic waste crisis, we need to find reusable options that reduce the amount of plastic we produce and use. Today’s guest offers exactly that.

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Andy Keller, CEO of ChicoBag and To-Go Ware and Champion of Reusable Plastic Alternatives. ChicoBag offers a number of reusable and easily storable tote shopping bags, while To-Go Ware produces reusable containers and utensils, like bamboo fork and knife sets and steel containers.

Following their mission of eliminating single-use plastics and being sustainable, ChicoBag is  a certified B Corporation, they have set themselves Zero-Waste Goals and they pledge 1% of their revenue to environmental charities. To raise awareness on the detrimental effects of plastic usage, Andy even invented and occasionally dresses up as the “Bagmonster”, a costume made of 500 single-use plastic bags, the yearly consumption of an average American.

I hope you enjoy the episode! If you did, please subscribe and leave a review to support us!

Resources:

How do we use a crisis to spur change? The Coronavirus epidemic has slashed economic growth and unemployment has risen to never-before seen levels. Crises like these are often a gateway to change, whether political reforms, overthrowing dictators or healing the planet.

Today’s guest is an expert on changing our society - and in particular our mindset - where profit has been the ultimate goal. Social and environmental effects can be at the forefront of every investment opportunity and everyone plays an important role in changing our culture.

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Indranil Ghosh, Author of “Powering Prosperity: A Citizen's Guide to Shaping the 21st Century”, CEO and Founder of investment firm Tiger Hill Capital and Champion of Sustainable Investing.

In his recently-released book, Indranil sets out the necessary functions of society that are needed to ultimately achieve change. From the need for inclusive institutions to empowering communities, he provides an in-depth guide to planning for a better future. As an investor, he puts his theories into practice, supporting developing companies that have a positive environmental and social impact.

Listen to this episode to learn Idranil’s vision for a better future and the individual’s power in helping make the required changes.

If you like what you hear, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review!

Resources:

How do we use a crisis to spur change? The Coronavirus epidemic has slashed economic growth and unemployment has risen to never-before seen levels. Crises like these are often a gateway to change, whether political reforms, overthrowing dictators or healing the planet.

Today’s guest is an expert on changing our society - and in particular our mindset - where profit has been the ultimate goal. Social and environmental effects can be at the forefront of every investment opportunity and everyone plays an important role in changing our culture.

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Indranil Ghosh, Author of “Powering Prosperity: A Citizen's Guide to Shaping the 21st Century”, CEO and Founder of investment firm Tiger Hill Capital and Champion of Sustainable Investing.

In his recently-released book, Indranil sets out the necessary functions of society that are needed to ultimately achieve change. From the need for inclusive institutions to empowering communities, he provides an in-depth guide to planning for a better future. As an investor, he puts his theories into practice, supporting developing companies that have a positive environmental and social impact.

Listen to this episode to learn Idranil’s vision for a better future and the individual’s power in helping make the required changes.

If you like what you hear, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review!

Resources:

It’s estimated that the average meal travels about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate in the US. What if we could grow most of the fruits and vegetables we eat in the cities where we live?

We’re talking about “vertical farming”, a new way of farming indoors that will reduce unnecessary food mileage, use less space, and deliver a higher yield than traditional farming. Because the food is grown in the city where it will be eaten, it can be picked when it’s perfectly ripe and delivered to the customer within a few hours.

In this episode of Sustainability Matters Today, I speak with Chris Davies, CEO of Harvest London, and Champion of Vertical Farming.

Harvest London is a vertical farm in London that supplies specialty produce - like herbs and vegetables - to restaurants. Their hydroponic farming methods (meaning their produce is grown in water instead of soil), is incredibly efficient: they can grow crops in 5 weeks, year-round. We discuss the future of the food industry and that today’s technology can be the turning point for the vertical farming industry.

Hope you enjoy the episode! If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

Resources:

It’s estimated that the average meal travels about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate in the US. What if we could grow most of the fruits and vegetables we eat in the cities where we live?

We’re talking about “vertical farming”, a new way of farming indoors that will reduce unnecessary food mileage, use less space, and deliver a higher yield than traditional farming. Because the food is grown in the city where it will be eaten, it can be picked when it’s perfectly ripe and delivered to the customer within a few hours.

In this episode of Sustainability Matters Today, I speak with Chris Davies, CEO of Harvest London, and Champion of Vertical Farming.

Harvest London is a vertical farm in London that supplies specialty produce - like herbs and vegetables - to restaurants. Their hydroponic farming methods (meaning their produce is grown in water instead of soil), is incredibly efficient: they can grow crops in 5 weeks, year-round. We discuss the future of the food industry and that today’s technology can be the turning point for the vertical farming industry.

Hope you enjoy the episode! If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

Resources:

If you live in or have been to the UK, you may know that they have the biggest sandwich industry in the world: 80 million pre-made sandwiches are sold every year! During production, the crust and ends of the loaf are cut off and thrown away because they can’t be used in the sandwich. So what can we do about all this bread waste?

In this Episode of Sustainability Matters Today, I speak with Louisa Ziane, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Toast Ale, and Champion of Sustainable Beers.

Toast Ale is a UK brewery that takes the unused ends of bread from the sandwich industry and uses it to replace virgin barley, to create amazing “planet-saving” lagers, pale ales, and IPAs. Having already saved almost 2 million slices of bread from being thrown away, they also act as a social enterprise, donating all of their profits to charities in order to ultimately deliver systemic change to fix the food system.

Their bread-beer recipe is also open to the public so hobby brewers can make their own beer. Plus they’re constantly collaborating with other breweries around the world: from the US to the Netherlands to Iceland - their goal of reducing wasted food is really picking up speed! And if all that isn’t enough, the beer is delicious and is stocked in some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets!

I hope you enjoy the episode! If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to support us!

Resources: