"Don't try and solve everything. Just help one person or two, and that's fine." - Guy Battle

A resilient community is better achieved when the gap between the Private, Public, and Voluntary sectors are bridged. When we unite together to create social value, we have an increased impact on our communities, workers, and the environment.

Today on Sustainable I’m speaking to Guy Battle. Guy, is the Chief Executive Officer at the Social Value Portal whose mission is to promote better business and community wellbeing through the integration of Social Value into day to day business and the uptake of The Social Value Act.

In this episode, Guy talks about how his career shifted from building sustainable buildings towards Social Value. And what it means to achieve Social Value.

In this episode, Guy and I talk about:

• Sustainability as a triple bottom line issue
• Social value strategy
• The National TOMS Framework 2019
• Transforming the relationship between the private and the public sector
• Getting organizations to be more sustainable
• Making better use of the public sector's money
• Getting back to society

More about Guy Battle

Guy Battle is a Sustainability Consultant with over 25 years of experience. Guy originally trained as an engineer and has worked on many award-winning projects with internationally renowned architects.

Guy was the lead partner for Sustainability at Deloitte LLP, where he worked closely with many corporates helping them solve some of the key sustainability challenges facing the world of corporate business. 

In 2014, Guy founded The Sustainable Business Partnership and also set up the Social Value Portal to focus on unlocking the inherent social, environmental and financial opportunities that businesses should do to create value.

LinkedIn

More about The Social Value Portal:

The Social Value Portal is an on-line solution that allows organizations to measure and manage the contribution that their organization and supply chain makes to society, according to the principles laid out within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. Our solution allows organizations to report both non-financial AND financial data and rewards organizations for doing “more good” in the community.

We can measure environmental, social and economic activities and will help identify and measure the additional Social Value delivered through your project in terms that are meaningful to your customers.

Social Value Portal

Mentioned in this episode:

• National Social Value Conference 2017
• National TOMS Framework 2019
• Social Value Act
• James Lovelock
• Gaia Philosophy

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 119 pursuing Excellence in Business for People, Planet And Profit

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“There are solutions around waste, around plastics and they are here. There are more solutions coming and... it’ll take more responsibility for how we can get better at managing waste”. — Nick Palmer

There are many solutions in managing waste and one of them is pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is not a new technology in decomposing waste. Some businesses have already adopted this process and innovatively transformed it to positively impact our environment. 

On today’s episode of Sustainable, you’re going to learn about the benefits of pyrolysis in making small-waste transformation with Nick Palmer. 

Nick is the Business Development Director of PyroCore, a leader in small scale, future-ready pyrolysis solutions. His 20 years experience in sales and marketing enabled him to effectively engage with businesses around the world to advance Pyrocore’s vision in revolutionizing the way waste is processed.

He will explain what pyrolysis is and how waste can be converted into something valuable. He also talks about the benefit of using small-scale transformation and how PyroCore’s technology is helping to elevate and transform waste management.

In this episode, Nick and I talk about:

• What is pyrolysis
• The benefit of using it to make small-scale waste transformation
• How PyroCore transforms waste into something valuable
• The challenges of transforming waste into something new
• The financial drivers that impact sustainability actions

Where to reach Nick:

LinkedIn

More About PyroCore:

PyroCore an environmental company that offers a range of small scale waste to energy and waste to product technologies with a focus on troublesome and problematic waste streams. They recover value from waste otherwise destined for landfill, which makes significant positive economic, environmental and operational contributions.

To know more about PyroCore and the services that they provide, you can visit their website here.

Mentioned in this episode:

• PyroCore

If  you enjoyed this, check out episode 143: Finding New Uses for Plastic with Caleb Rick

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“Think about valuing water. Think about how important water is - to you, your family, your community, your business and act accordingly.”⁠— William Sarni

80% of the water discharged globally is untreated. People don’t have access to safe drinking water on a consistent basis.

We’re facing increasing water scarcity due to climate change. Poor water quality and sanitation, negatively impact people's lives. Affecting food security and livelihood, especially in other parts of the world.

The good news is, these problems can be solved! 

Today on Sustainable, I talk to William Sarni, the CEO and founder of Water Foundry, a company committed to solving water scarcity and water quality challenges, about the water challenges that we’re currently faced with and how to solve them. 

William is an internationally recognized thought leader on water strategy and innovation. He has worked with multinational companies, water technology companies and NGOs as a sustainability and water strategy advisor for his entire career.

Access to clean water is possible and Will is going to help us better understand the world of water as he talks about the importance of educating the public on how to properly manage water. 

Bringing new thinking to old challenges, Will encourages us to rethink, reboot our approach to solve water problems fast.

Will also talks about the digital transformation of the water section and how this is going to help us achieve our goal of having universal access to safe drinking water sanitation and hygiene.

He also Will talks about the water challenges that we are currently facing and how to solve them. He also talks about the importance of understanding the value of water and how education and proper management of water can efficiently help us solve water problems.

In this episode, Will and I talk about:

• The water challenges the world is facing today and how to solve them
• Educating the public on how to manage water
• Understanding the value of water
• Encouraging diversity, collaboration and innovation to solve problems with water faster and more efficiently
• Taking action in solving the water challenge by being more committed and passionate
• Educating multi-national water technology companies that water is the key to their business and why
• The reason why William is so passionate about water
• Democratizing access to actionable information
• Creating a global movement and awareness on the value of freshwater
• The actions that William does to show his appreciation for water
• Connecting to our nature and humanity

Connect with Will

LinkedIn

More about Water Foundry:

Water Foundry is a company committed to solving water scarcity and water quality challenges within our lifetime through innovation in business strategy, technology, partnership, business models and funding/financing.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Water Foundry
• UN SDG 6

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 141  Effective Water Use by Mimicking Nature's Systems with Mike Jenzeh

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“Care for the environment comes I believe you know, with living a healthy life”  — Jeff Mendelsohn

When external investors come into a community to develop it, there is the real risk that they end up creating a community that’s disconnected from the very people who live within it. This model of community regeneration is people broken

If we want to bring back into our communities then we need to start by helping those who live within them. We also need to return ownership of the community to those who are at the heart of it.

Today on Sustainable I’m speaking to Jeff Mendelson the founder of LocalCode. He is a social entrepreneur, who started off his sustainable entrepreneur journey by founding New Leaf Paper. He is also a strategic advisor, investor, and systems thinking.

Launched in Jan 2019 LocalCode is a hybrid non-profit/for-profit company supporting the formation of healthy communities with thriving Main Streets in towns and cities across North America. It empowers local enterprises to overcome the strategic advantages enjoyed by national chains and franchises, outperform them, and revitalize Main Street.

We discuss what regenerating local communities means for the environment and how LocalCode is helping to do this and giving back to the heart of the community

In this episode, Jeff and I talk about:

• How Jeff is creating harmony in the world by focusing on enterprises
• What is LocalCode?
• What you need to know about the regenerative community
• How to engage the community to support the local economy
• What it means to have a healthy main street and a local trust
• Apprenticeship and the Imbalanced Money System

Connect with Jeff Mendelsohn

LinkedIn

More about LocalCode:

LocalCode provides cities with essential research and policy recommendations to support local economic revitalization. Drawing on the success of innovative programs in other cities that have revitalized Main Streets, we translate lessons in successful local development to the context of each community. We steer cities to develop solutions and evidence-based programs that build the local economy, rather than the default “big box retail” approach to development.

LocalCode

Mentioned in this episode:

• New Leaf Paper
• Desolation Wilderness
• BristleCone Pine Trees

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 160 Humanity's Greatest Challenge: Adapting to the world we currently live in

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“Algae is a resource and there are opportunities here for the brand and for the industry to come together and use technology as a business mechanism to drive and improve sustainability.” ⁠— Ryan Hunt

Algae is emerging as a leading resource in our transition to a sustainable world. They grow faster than normal plants and thus many are using them as an alternative material in making commercial products like the flexible foams you see on some major shoe brands today.

Join me today on Sustainable as I talk to Ryan Hunt, the co-founder, and Chief Technology Officer at Algix, about using algae as a new-eco conscious product. Algix is a clean technology company finding creative answers to eco-questions with the use of algae.  

In this episode, Ryan shares how he uses science to create eco-innovations to make a difference in the world.  He also talks about what inspired him to do make more products using algae and how he is incorporating it in other brands. There are many opportunities when it comes to using algae. Tune in and learn the amazing things it can do to improve sustainability and build more sustainable materials for people and the planet!

In this episode, Ryan and I talk about:

• Ryan’s inspiration in using algae to make more sustainable products
• The process of converting biomass into bio-oil and using algae as an advance mechanism for environmental remediation to absorbing CO2
• The algae economy
• Incentivizing algae
• The challenges in combining science and entrepreneurship
• Integrating Algix into supply chains
• Creating durable products with a longer life span
• Opportunities for algae

More about Ryan

Ryan is the co-founder of ALGIX, LLC. He considers himself as a technologist, combining science and entrepreneurship to create eco-innovations and make a difference in the world. 

He is very passionate about science and technology. He’s been studying and researching physics and bioengineering for a wide variety of topics in material science, microbiology, horticulture, biophysics, and biochemistry.

His research mainly focus on algae-based waste water treatment, bioelectromagnetics, biocomposites and photosynthetic optimization.

LinkedIn

More about Algix:

ALGIX is a clean technology company finding creative answers to eco-questions using algae. They help industries rely less on environmentally harmful processes and materials as well as helping sustainability-focused brands source innovative materials to achieve their goals and bring new-eco conscious products to the market.

ALGIX utilizes the vast potential of algae to improve our planet by enhancing lives and addressing society’s most pressing challenges. They’re revolutionizing systems essential to life by providing clean water, protein-rich foods, and sustainable plastic products to the world.

Mentioned in this episode:

• ALGIX
• ALGIX’s partner brands:
• • VIVOBAREFOOT
  • Adidas
  • TOMS®
  • Clarks®
  • Billabong

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 17 Sustainable Buildings

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Finds your purpose and follow it. — Virginia Cinquenani

On today’s episode of the Sustainable, Virginia Cinquemani, the founder and director of Green Gorilla Consultants, a company focused entirely on sustainability professionals, joins us to talk about how we can empower sustainability professionals and help our clients what sustainability is all about.

Virginia is also a qualified architect, project manager and BREEAM AP. She’s very passionate for sustainability and has written a book to help sustainability professional in their works called “Integrating BREEAM throughout the Design Process”.

In this episode, Virginia shares how she and Green Gorilla Consultants is enabling professionals to become stronger and more fulfilled in their work so that they can spread the message with sustainability further. She also talks about how she’s addressing the frustrations of people who work within the sustainability sphere and why technical skills are not enough when working on sustainability projects.  Moreover, we also discuss how to seel sustainability and adapt to your client’s language, how to reduce the performance gap within our own work, as well as the current state of the construction industry in the UK.

In this episode, Virginia and I talk about:

• How coaching and further training help sustainability managers work better?
• Why technical knowledge of sustainability is not enough when you’re a sustainability professional
• Using a language that’ll enable you to communicate better with your clients and help them grasp and understand what sustainability is
• How to sell sustainability
• What sustainability means for Virginia
• Forgetting the word “sustainabiluty” and how to shift the polarization from people who’re comfortable using language that doesn’t connect with others
• Educating your clients, actively listening, and adapting to their needs
• Virginia’s thoughts on the current happening within the UK construction industry
• Using sustainability as a way of achieving quality to make businesses more resilient
• Reducing the performance gap within our work

Where to reach Virginia:

LinkedIn

More About Green Gorilla Consultants:

Green Gorilla Consultants is a unique leadership training and coaching (CPD Accredited and IEMA Approved) company focused on empowering sustainability consultants, letting their inner green gorilla loose, and become stronger, more assertive, and more resilient by providing them with the best toolkit to confidently stand on their own and take on sustainability projects.

To know more about Green Gorilla, you can visit their website here.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 168: Embodied Carbon with Anthony Pak

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 144: The Role of Coaching in Creating a Sustainable World

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"We need to shift our relationship with nature, holding it sacred." -Anthony Pak

Making sure that resources are renewed and recycled is what green buildings are for. But have you ever thought about the resources and energy it takes before even making a building?

The manufacturing and transport of these materials have already left a carbon footprint way before construction begins. This carbon footprint combined with the building’s end of life emissions is called: Embodied Carbon.

Today on Sustainable, I talk to Anthony Pak, the founder of the ECN Vancouver, the first local chapter of Embodied Carbon Network. We Discuss the blindspots of the building community and what we should think about and consider before we build buildings. ECN organizes events that empower building industry professionals to become champions for embodied carbon!

In this episode, Anthony talks about his article on Embodied Carbon; and how it has raised awareness and has opened doors to educate the building industry about it. 

In this episode, Anthony and I talk about:

• What Embodied Carbon is
• The Blindspots of the Building Industry
• Addressing Embodied Carbon
• Where to get Answers about Embodied Carbon

More about Anthony Pak

Anthony is the Principal of Priopta, one of the first companies in North America to provide a Parametric Life Cycle Assessment consulting service.

Anthony is also the founder of the ECN Vancouver, the first local chapter of Embodied Carbon Network.  

LinkedIn

Anthony’s Embodied Carbon Article

More about Embodied Carbon Vancouver:

The Embodied Carbon Network is a growing movement that aims to address the gaps within sustainable construction in a move to prevent the excess production of carbon while we build sustainable cities and communities of the future. 

It brings together leading experts in building design to help create dialogue and collaboration to accelerate our transition to a sustainable world.

What does it take to make that building in the first place? think about all the materials that go into it. All those materials have upstream environmental impacts it took something to extract those resources.

Embodied Carbon Vancouver

Mentioned in this episode:

• IPCC Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry
• Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy
• Embodied Carbon Network
• Eco Expo Asia 2019
• The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do About It

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 17 Sustainable Buildings

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“When your vision becomes more powerful than your memory, then your future becomes more powerful than your past.” — Paul Dunn

Imagine what the world would be like if every transaction you make contributes to making a difference in other people’s lives and the environment?

Today on Sustainable, I talk to Paul Dunn, the chairman of  B1G1. We discuss it’s giving activities and positive impact with the Sustainable Development Goals. B1G1 is a revolutionary global social enterprise and non-profit organization with a mission to create a world full of giving!

In this episode, Paul shares how B1G1 is helping businesses achieve more social impact and contribute to the bigger vision - a world of peace and prosperity. He also talks about the book “LEGACY” and how people and businesses can change the way our world evolves.

In this episode, Paul and I talk about:

• What inspired B1G1 to align their giving activities and positive impact with the Sustainable Development Goals
• How businesses can make a difference in our world
• The SDG’s as a pathway for humanity to come together and achieve powerful things
• The challenges of integrating SDG into your work
• Paul’s giving story
• The LEGACY book and the reader’s feedback
• The impact of every little thing that we do
• How giving through B1G1 can inspire families and children to make a difference

More about Paul Dunn

Paul’s work as Chairman of the revolutionary B1G1 has been featured in leading-edge publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, Trendwatching, Springwise and online through the key technology newsletter Mashable, as well as Voice of America.

He is a four-time TEDx speaker and a hugely respected and admired business leader. He frequently travels around the world, educating businesses about B1G1 and sharing inspiring business insights.

LinkedIn

More about B1G1:

B1G1, a social enterprise and non-profit organization with a mission to create a world full of giving.

Unlike conventional giving models, B1G1 helps small- and medium-sized businesses achieve more social impact by embedding giving activities into everyday business operations and creating unique giving stories. Every business transaction can impact lives for as little as just one cent.

B1G1 ties every giving and impact created to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals represent the global community’s next step in ending poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and tackling climate change by 2030. 

Since launching over 10 years ago, B1G1 has helped small and medium-sized business owners around the world create over 100 million positive impacts that help us work towards a world of peace and prosperity for people and planet.

B1G1

Mentioned on this episode:

• UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Article: Now we can make the Global Goals (SDG’s) connect so much more
• Brené Brown's first TEDx Talk
• Nicola Sturgeon TEDx Talk
• Masami Sato ( Founder & CEO of B1G1)

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 32 CSR vs. Sustainability with Ioana Tetelea

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If you’re enjoying Sustainable: The Podcast be sure to subscribe in your preferred Podcast Platform to get notified on the latest episodes. Let me know your thoughts about this episode by leaving a review and rating.

To find out more about creating systemic and transformational change for people and the planet, head on to  www.earthself.org

“If you think you have an idea that might make a difference, just get on and do it.” — Ben Dear

If you were to die tomorrow, what would your legacy be? What contribution do you want to leave behind? How do you want to be remembered?

Today on Sustainable, I talk to Ben Dear the founder of Osmosis Investment Management about pragmatic investment solutions built on a more sustainable future. 

Osmosis Investment Management is a majority-owned employee and management company consisting of experienced portfolio management and environmental research specialists who are at the forefront of integration sustainability data into investment portfolios through their unique Model of Resource Efficiency (MoRE).

In this episode, Ben is going to talk about ethical and sustainable investing solutions. He shares what inspired him to set up Osmosis, his own investment management company and how the film An Inconvenient Truth gave him the epiphany of how he wanted to be remembered and what legacy he wants to leave.

In this episode, Ben and I talk about:

• What inspired Ben to set up his own investment management company
• How do we define sustainability
• ESG investment
• Transparency and disclosing data
• Greenwashing in the financial industry
• Winning the economic battle before the environmental one
• Leaving a legacy and contribution to the world 

More about Ben Dear

Ben founded Osmosis in 2009.  Prior to Osmosis, Ben launched, developed and sold two businesses in the financial sector. 

Utilising the proceeds of both corporate transactions, he founded Osmosis with the intent of growing a globally recognized brand within the asset management industry, utilizing a core philosophy that sustainability and returns are not mutually exclusive.

Today, Osmosis manages investments on behalf of institutional clients from the UK, Europe, Scandinavia and North America with approximately $1.7bn in assets under management.

LinkedIn

Twitter

More about Osmosis Investment Management

Osmosis is an award-winning sustainable investment manager that was launched in 2009 and is headquartered in London.

MoRE or The Osmosis Model of Resource Efficiency is a proprietary investment database developed and maintained by Osmosis, allowing them to create an objective, sustainable, alpha generating investment factor, through the identification across the 32 economic sectors of companies who are generating more revenue consuming less resource than their sector peers.

You can learn more about Osmosis by visiting their website here

Mentioned on this episode:

• An Inconvenient Truth
• Osmosis Investment Management
• Article: No, We Are Not Running Out of Forests

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 66: Making Better Financial Decisions with Jeannie Boyle

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If you’re enjoying Sustainable: The Podcast be sure to subscribe in your prefered Podcast Platform to get notified on the latest episodes. Let me know your thoughts about this episode by leaving a review and rating.

To find out more about creating systemic and transformational change for people and the planet, head on to  www.earthself.org

“Coaching takes everything deeper. It enhances what you already have and helps you discover new things” — Snjolaug Olafsdottir

Coaching is a changing journey. It’s about having the freedom and flexibility to explore what you really want to do. Through coaching, you give others the awareness to make better decisions for themselves. But if we don’t have the right information, how do we start doing that?

On today’s episode of Sustainable, I talk to Snjolaug Olafsdottir about integrating coaching into your current skill set. We also touched on the journey that took her from Iceland to Scotland where she’s currently working and interning with me while going through the transformational change coach training program. 

Snjolaug is an environmental engineer who works as a sustainability consultant in Iceland. She was a former guest back on episode 114 where we talked about the need to be selfish with sustainability.

In this episode, Snjolaug shares her journey and what led her here, why she decided to intern with us, as well as her experiences on the training journey. 

In this episode, Snjolaug and I talk about:

• How you can implement and integrate coaching into your work and business
• How coaching can be utilized to change the way business is done
• Evolution of coaching
• Snjolaug’s coaching experience
• Snjolaug’s experience of the Earthself Transformational Change Coach Training Program

More about Snjolaug Olafsdottir

Snjolaug holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering and is currently working as a Sustainability Consultant. She’s the owner of Andrymi Consulting, a firm that specializes in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. 

LinkedIn

Mentioned on this episode:

• UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Episode 114: Selfish Sustainability with Snjolaug Olafsdottir
• Carbon footprint

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 114: Selfish Sustainability with Snjolaug Olafsdottir

SUBSCRIBE TO SUSTAINABLE: THE PODCAST

If you’re enjoying Sustainable: The Podcast be sure to subscribe in your preferred Podcast Platform to get notified on the latest episodes. Let me know your thoughts about this episode by leaving a review and rating.

To find out more about creating systemic and transformational change for people and planet head to www.earthself.org