Sustainability Demystified

The New Zealand government has announced its support of the expansion of a voluntary credits nature market through the running of pilot projects across New Zealand. “We want to connect those caring for the land with investors who support conservation. Nature credit markets help fund trusted environmental projects that actively protect and restore ecosystems,” says Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard. What though are nature credits? How and why should businesses buy them?

Where can a sustainable business go for funds, grants, or loans if it wants to help pay for its sustainable transition or get a boost for growth? Turns out options have dried up a little in the last few months and initiatives like the Sustainable Food and Fibres Fund have been cancelled or replaced with something that isn’t linked to sustainability.

There are still options though, for starters, check out my.nzte.govt.nz/article/how-to-fund-your-sustainable-initiative and eeca.govt.nz.

This week we're discussing the gender pay gap and the highly controversial changes to New Zealand law.

The Equal Pay Amendment Bill, introduced 6 May 2025 and passed 7 May 2025, sends a strong signal on the government's priorities towards women's rights in our country, and in this episode we discuss what the Bill means for the workforce and the nuances associated with the topic of gender pay parity.

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Wouldn't it be great if sustainability was easier? All the tracking, monitoring, collating, calculating... it can be overwhelming – and for many businesses, it’s where the momentum stalls before it even begins. But what if it could be MUCH easier? That’s where the right tech platform can make all the difference.

In this episode, we speak to Caroline Thalund, founder of S360 – a powerful, practical platform built to make sustainability work more manageable, actionable, and impactful. Whether it's tracking carbon emissions, calculating your gender pay gap, or managing B Corp certification, S360 brings everything into one place – simplifying reporting, reducing admin, and making it easier to drive real progress.

Caroline shares how the platform was born out of her own frustration managing sustainability across complex organisations – and how it now cuts up to 90% of the admin load. But the conversation goes far beyond software. We explore why business sustainability change is so difficult (and how it's surprisingly similar to trying to start a gym habit – she even shares the trick to going from zero motivation to jumping off the couch to go), the behavioural science behind driving real action (hint: there are elephants involved), and what it takes to build a culture of shared responsibility.

It’s a fun, far-reaching discussion – from SDGs to psychology, tech tools to visual tricks, and even the elevation of Denmark’s tallest mountain (not what you think!). A must-listen for anyone involved in business sustainability or organisational change… have a listen!

🎧 Learn more about the S360 platform: https://s360.solutions

Are you confused about carbon and carbon credits? Don’t worry, so is everyone… apart from our special guest for this episode, Sean Weaver, who is Chief Executive and founder of Ekos, a company that helps businesses measure, reduce and offset their carbon footprint. Sean is a man who speaks fluent carbon and he founded Ekos as part of his mission to find effective solutions to the impending climate crisis. 

In this episode, we hear how Sean moved from biodiversity expert to climate activist when he crossed what he calls "the holy shit threshold" after doing some research into climate science. 

Sean explains why carbon credits are an essential part of the transition to net zero; he talk about how 'perfect is the enemy of good', and why even non-native exotics like controversial pine forests have a part to play in the energy transition. We touch on the NZ emissions trading scheme and how it could be improved and Sean tries to help us understand what actually is carbon. All this and more in this episode's deep dive into carbon and the carbon market. 

Mind the Green Gap! What is it and what can we do to close it? That's what we're discussing this week on the show.  

The Green Gap, is the gap between people's intentions and their ability to take action. Often times we want to do right by the planet but there are obstacles or frictions that limit our ability to do so.  

Have a listen to how the Green Gap affects you as an individual and a business. 

 Some things to check out from the show:  

 The latest on the buses on bikes update: https://www.metroinfo.co.nz/news/metro-bike-racks-back-in-operation-for-daytime-use/ 

 The update on New Zealand wool use in government buildings: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/557634/new-procurement-rules-urge-wool-use-in-government-buildings 

 Instagram @earthlyguy 

Landfill shouldn't be our first thought, what other options are out there? This episode, Tam and Millie discuss take-back schemes, how they work for different sectors, and how you can weigh in on the issue of repairability of household items in New Zealand. Follow the Right to Repair Amendment Bill at www.parliament.nz and check out All Heart NZ for repurposing your old office or construction supplies: allheartnz.org.nz

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How do you pull yourself out of the pit of climate doomerism? Given there's a lot of bad news doing the rounds right now, it's easy to feel yourself falling deeper and deeper into the pit of despair. In this episode, Tam and Millie find reasons to be positive about the progress the world is making on the biggest issues we're facing, and why it might not be all bad news.

To give yourself something positive to take away from this episode, go check out Hannah Ritchie's book, Not The End of the World: https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/not-the-end-of-the-world-how-we-can-be-the-first-generation-to-build-a-sustainable-planet-1

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@sustainability_demystified

What the frock does Trump mean for sustainability? It's a big question and one that is troubling sustainability professionals and climate activists the world over. In this episode... Tam and Millie discuss their reactions and responses to the tsunami of negative news coming out of the US right now as climate denier and fossil fuel lover, Donald Trump, along with cronies like Elon Musk, take the reins of power and waste no time in rolling back critical climate initiatives, for example, pulling out of the Paris Agreement, pausing wind farm permits, and reversing EV incentives—all while doubling down on fossil fuels ('drill baby, drill'). Meanwhile... reports show that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, and for the first time ever, global temperatures exceeded 1.5ºC of heating. So, you know, nothing to worry about...

Tam - who's suffering from a bit of climate distress - and Millie, who is relentlessly climate optimistic - discuss:

- Whether it's best to stay or go from social media platforms owned by billionaires who are tugging their forelocks to Trump?

- Aotearoa New Zealand's 'shockingly underwhelming' new climate target

- a 'progression' of a measly 1 per cent on the previous target.

- How renewables are now way cheaper than fossil fuels

- A great book called Not The End of the World by Hannah Ritchie:

https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/not-the-end-of-the-world-how-we-can-be-the-first-generation-to-build-a-sustainable-planet-1

... and more!

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The future is electric, which is why in this episode we sit down with Sarah Aubrey, one of Australia’s most respected advocates for electrification and electric vehicles.

Sarah is passionate about decarbonising our homes and transport. As well, she is a prolific poster on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube under her social media account @ElectrifyThis, through which she works tirelessly to simplify the facts about clean energy and electric vehicles... while fighting off fossil fuel trolls.

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@sustainability_demystified

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