“We all have a relationship with the sea.” — Tom Kay

Finisterre's founder Tom Kay created a sustainable clothing brand, born from the need to make innovative products for hardy British surfers and the life they lead.

On today’s episode of Sustainable, I talk to Tom Kay about the clothing brand that designs functional and sustainable products for people who love the sea.

Finisterre is an accredited BCoporation that stays true to its original design ethos of functionality and sustainability, remaining committed to its product, environment, and people.

In this episode, Tom shares how he started Finisterre in a flat above a surf shop and how it has grown reaching new customers that share Finisterre’s team’s passion for the sea.

In this episode, Tom and I talk about:

• Tom’s inspiration in starting Finisterre on a foundation of sustainability
• How Finisterre’s community has grown
• Challenges that Tom and Finisterre are faced with
• How being an observer of the sea influenced and impacted the work that Tom is doing with Finisterre
• How we all are connected to the sea
• Advice for people who wants to understand the sea better

More about Tom Kay

Tom Kay founded Finisterre in 2003 with the vision of making quality, ethical garment for hardy surfers of British seas. He started out with little business history or design experience in a flat above a surf shop with an innovative fleece that was designed to keep out chill winds and warms up cold bodied fresh from the sea.

Today, Finisterre is an accredited BCorporation that has received a range of awards including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals good business Award in 2010, Observer Ethical Business Award in 2008, and the Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award in 2008

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Mentioned on this episode:

• Finisterre

If you enjoyed this episode, check out episode 35: Sustainable Shoes with Galahad Clark

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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

“If you believe in the future of abundance or the future generation, align your decisions to your personal ethics and to organizations that reflect it.” — Tom Duncan

Did you know that you can build your wealth, save money, and save the planet all at the same time?

Yes, it’s actually possible through the use of blockchain technology!

Today on Sustainable I talk to Tom Duncan, the CEO of Goodbanc, about what blockchain technology is and how it can help us create a regenerative finance economy and restore our ecosystem. 

Goodbanc is a digital banking platform for impact investing that provides a low-risk way of investing in regenerative and renewable markets that allows flexibility by cutting out that middleman or any third party. Making money go further both for investors and the people who are receiving the investment.

In this episode, Tom is going to share how we can allocate our capital and invest it into something good that helps our planet.

In this episode, Tom and I talk about:

• Blockchain technology
• How blockchain is reforming the financial system to become more transparent
• How Goodbanc is  achieving its mission through blockchain technology
• Creating liquidity through tokenization
• Decarbonizing the planet and restoring the ecosystem through Goodwallet and Mangrove Tree planting projects from Goodbanc
• How to use our investment and money to buy time for our planet and give more back to the environment 
• Aligning your financial, investment, and purchasing decisions to your personal ethics

More about Tom Duncan:

Tom Duncan is the CEO of Goodbanc, a digital banking platform for impact investment, finance and green bonds that utilizes Liquid Technology Ltd blockchain and digital wallets. He is also Managing Partner at Liquid Token. He’s an experienced fund manager, investment professional involved in a number of high profile transactions involving blockchain ventures.

Mentioned on this episode:

• Goodbanc
• United Nations

If you enjoyed this episode, check out episode 132: Creating a regenerative economy with L. Hunter Lovins

SUBSCRIBE TO SUSTAINABLE: THE PODCAST

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

Recognizing our emotions is the key to our power. Start by being in tune with your body. Lie down and just listen to what your body is telling you. — Matthew Phelan

Whether you’re a small or large organisation, the key to a successful business is not only meeting your customers’ needs but ensuring that the work culture supports your employee’s well being. 

Micromanaging and controlling is not the best way to bring out employees maximum potential. So, how can an organisation thrive and ensure that its people are happy?

Join me today as we talk about happiness with Matthew Phelan, the Head of Global Happiness at The Happiness Index. 

The Happiness Index aims to improve the way organisations treat their staff. In this episode, Matthew shares how happiness is an important factor in creating a happier and healthier workplace.

He also talks about how technology and data can give employees a voice and ensure that happiness is at the centre of every organisation.

In this episode, Matthew and I talk about:

• How people experience happiness and why it’s the key to making the working environment a healthier place to be
• How listening and understanding what your body is telling you can increase your happiness
• How The Happy Index brings data into feelings
• Creating a culture of happiness and flexible working within your own organization
• Key things to learn from the data gathered by The Happiness Index
• How focusing on happiness impacted the way Matthew lives his daily life

More about Matthew:

Matthew Phelan is the Co-founder and Head of Global Happiness at The Happiness Index, a privately owned company that combines unique talents of business experts, data scientists, organisational psychologists, developers, product designers, and generally lovely people!

As the Head of Global Happiness, he’s on a mission to globally expand happiness and understand how people experience happiness. 

LinkedIn

Twitter

Mentioned on this episode:

• The Happiness Index
• Working With Humans by Matt Phelan and friends Podcast
• GaryVee
• Who wants to play Gary V or not Gary V?
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Bodily Maps of Emotions

If you enjoyed this episode, check out episode 25: Employee Engagement with Aidan Tracey

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. — Albert Einstein

When it comes to saving our planet from climate change, there is no such thing as plan B. Why? Because we only have one planet and we can’t afford to make more mistakes than we already have.

Today you’re going to meet Lubomila Jordanova the brain behind Plan A, the first-ever data-driven crowdfunding platform in the fight against climate change.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about what kind of data they use to predict where and how climate change will hit the hardest. It sounds complex but Lubomila is going to simplify everything for us!

In this episode, Lubomila and I talk about:

• What kind of data Plan A uses to make predictions and how their algorithm uses that data to identify where and how climate change will hit the hardest
• Approaching climate change differently
• The challenges in getting Plan A off the ground
• The six themes (r combination of systematic problems) that created climate change
• How climate change is affecting people's lives in ways other than just the changing climate (e.g. war)
• How focusing on creating a sustainable world impacts the way Lubomila lives her life
• How the science of climate change works

More about Lubomila:

Lubomila Jordanova is the founder and CEO of Plan A, the first data-driven crowdfunding platform in the fight against climate change. It was founded in 2017 and its work mainly focuses on oceans, forests, wildlife, sustainable energy, sustainable living and waste management. In 2018, Lubomila was chosen by Business Punk as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs to watch in Berlin.

LinkedIn  

Mentioned on this episode:

• Plan A

If you enjoyed this episode, check out episode 130: An innovative solution to end poverty with Mike Freni

“What is happening within us as humans i.e. our inner nature, is reflected out in the natural environment itself.” - Tabitha Jayne

Even though the world has greatly advanced, we are still living in very challenging times. With these advancements, we have made our lives better than ever but we’ve also never faced such a global threat either.

If I ask you what’s the greatest challenge mankind is facing today, what would your answer be? 

Join me today as I talk about humanity’s greatest challenge. No, it’s not about climate change but it is something deeper.

We’ll explore the stages of human development and what it means to collectively grow as a species. I will also touch on the topic of what is stopping us from reaching our full potential individually and as a group.

After listening to this episode, I invite you to take the time for a walk out in the natural world. And you’ll gain the wonderful benefits that you can only get when you spend your time outside in nature.

In this episode, I talk about:

• How can we control the environment? How can we change other people?
• Our capability to adapt to the changing environment
• Stages of human development
• Using the environment as a way for us to develop individually and collectively as a species
• Spiral Dynamics vs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (stages of development)
• The gaps and the biggest issue that’s stopping us from facing our greatest challenge
• The importance of collaboration and connection
• The only question that is worth asking when we are faced with humanity’s greatest challenge

Mentioned on this episode:

• Episode 151: Laundry Sustainability with Todd Cline
• Andrew Carnegie

If you enjoyed this episode, check out episode 127: Our Relationship with the Natural World by Tabitha Jayne

"If you're exposed enough to something that's not natural to your body; It's likely going to cause harm through interaction with molecules in your body."

Chemistry is everywhere! From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, chemistry is all around us. We even breathe it.

Chemistry has done great things for our society. It has made our products more effective, and our economies more prosperous. But often at a cost for our environment and health. As chemistry continues to further the quality of our lives it can also make our world more sustainable.

Today on Sustainable, I talk to dr. Joel Tickner about chemistry and its potential to help create a sustainable world. Joel is the Executive Director of the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council (GC3), whose vision is a world where green chemistry is standard practice throughout the value chain. The GC3 works toward that vision by catalysing and guiding action across all industries, sectors and supply chains.

In this episode, Joel introduces green chemistry and how it can put less strain on the environment and natural resources as well as benefiting human health. We discuss how common chemicals used today were a breakthrough when invented but have environmental and health impact that are unacceptable. We also talk about the importance of implementing green chemistry to make the future design and production process sustainable and in alignment with the natural world.

In this episode, Joel talks about:

• What green chemistry is and how it will benefit us and our environment
• Building and impacting chemical design to achieve sustainability
• Teaching the next generation of chemists and chemical engineers to take social and environmental impact into account in their design
• Why training working chemists and chemical engineers to re-think that molecular design is very important for the future
• Effectively enhancing the natural state of molecules for our benefit
• Learning from how nature adapts to minimize the negative impact of toxic molecules
• The chemical alternatives that allow us to meet our goals but have low impact on our health and the environment
• Scaling innovative products and collaborative innovation
• Sustainable consumption and the demand for safer chemicals
• Importance of leadership within the government regarding green chemistry projects
• Educating investors about opportunities regarding the chemical industry and profit returns
• Incorporating chemical risk management into projects

“We need to start thinking differently. Now we that we understand the problems much better, we need to really focus on the solution and put the resources into that.” - Joel Tickner

More about Joel Tickner:

Joel is a leading expert on the application of green chemistry and alternatives assessment in science and policy. He has served on a number of EPA and Natural Academy of Sciences advisory committees and advises government agencies around the world.  Joel is also a Professor of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and is also the Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment (A4) and the Co-Director of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI).

More about GC3: 

GC3 members are champions and innovators in the fields of green chemistry and the production of safer chemicals, materials and products. Approximately 75% of GC3 members are individual companies and 25% are representatives from non-governmental organizations, local, state and federal government agencies, and consulting firms.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Bhopal disaster – one of the world's worst industrial disasters
• Paul Müller - the inventor of DDT and a Nobel prize winner
• Making Better Environmental Decisions and Alternative to Risk Assessment by Mary O'Brien
• Episode #151: Laundry Sustainability with Todd Cline
• GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance
• Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act
• Eat Grub
• Ellen McArthur Foundation

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 129: Accelerating Hydrogen Energy Solutions with Traver Kennedy

A sustainable business leads to a sustainable future.

Sustainability is becoming the new norm in today's competitive market. Growing numbers of conscious buyers and green consumers has led businesses to create products and services to meet these new consumer needs in order to add value and build trust for their brands.

That's why many businesses are adopting sustainability management because it efficiently optimizes the use of resources (human, natural, and financial) and reduces the cost and risk while creating opportunities to develop a strong brand reputation. Regardless of its benefits, some companies haven’t joined the sustainability journey yet. Angela Casler from the Sustainability Management Association (SMA) is on a mission to educate everyone about sustainability management and ultimately make it a norm within businesses.

Today on Sustainable, Angela and I talk about transforming leadership to make sustainability management become the norm within businesses.

Angela is the founder and CEO of Sustainability Management Association, a 501 c6 non-profit that educates professionals on how to achieve success through environmental conservation, social responsibility, and economic performance. SMA provides a simple study guide to give people the standard metrics used in project management and manage sustainability and create a strategy around it.

In this episode, we talk about how you can manage sustainability and transform leadership to create a more sustainable world. Also, Angela tells us how you can join and become a member of an organization for sustainability professionals.

In this episode, Angela and I talk about:

• How to transform leadership towards a more sustainable future
• The purpose and the main reason why Sustainability Management Association (SMA) was founded
• The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and how to incorporate it in business
• Why education and learning about sustainability is important in transforming a leader
• Challenges that people need to be aware of
• Products and services that meet the needs of our planet
• Creating a culture of sustainability and preventing the culture of fear
• Procurement solutions to change the way we complete our daily task within our organization
• Strategically embracing sustainability
• The meaning of Social Responsibility
• Interconnected relationship between business and the human environment
• The positive impacts and results from the people who’re engaging with SMA
• Stories about amazing ways that people are transforming 
• Angela’s personal story and experience from the 2018 California wildfires and what we can learn from that
• How to maintain our ecosystem and create a healthy environment where people can thrive along with species in forests
• The sense of urgency that we are on the fight for survival
• The resilience of our ecosystem 

When all of us are working together, we can create solutions to help people, planet, and profit. And it’s our generation's responsibility to take action over it.

More about Angela:

Angela, is a full-time lecturer at California State University, Chico’s Department of Management and also serves as the principal partner of Sustainability Management Consulting, a strategic planning consulting company.  

With more than 25 year’s management experience in the financial services, international banking, transportation and consulting industries, Angela has been a small business owner since 2005 with SB Bear Trucking and founded Sustainability Management Consulting in 2010.   

Connect with Angela: 

LinkedIn

More About SMA:

The Sustainability Management Association’s vision is to establish the field of sustainability management as a management norm. Through the leadership of their directors and of their 2500+ members from 33 US states and 18 international countries, the Sustainability Management Association is transforming leadership through education, collaboration and innovation.

www.sustainabilityma.org

 Mentioned in this episode: 

• Sustainability Management Certified Professional (SMCP): The First Professional Accreditation (Study Guide)
• Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
• The 2008 Californian Wildfires

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 119: Pursuing Excellence in Business for People, Planet, and Profit with Ann Pike

"You don’t have to believe in the problem to believe in the solution. There are opportunities to make more money while solving the problem." ⁠— Hunter Lovins

What do roasted termites, crickets or grasshoppers taste like? Wasp, termites, locusts, caterpillars and ant eggs; just reading their names, trigger up a feeling of disgust for many but for some, it’s a nutritious delight! 

In large parts of the world insects are a staple food source, whereas we consider it squeamish here in the Western world. EAT GRUB has come up with a sustainable solution to supply the increasing world population with protein as farmland is decreasing, by revolutionising Western food culture with insects.

EAT GRUB has committed themselves to change the way people think about insects as a food source by educating the public and developing quality nutritious tasty products.  You might be seeing “grasshopper bourguignon” or “soupe de cricket” soon at a restaurant’s menu near you! 

Today on Sustainable Neil Whippey and I talk about insects, the sustainable superfood that’s rich in protein. Neil eats bugs for breakfast and is on a mission to normalize eating insects.

Learn what a tasty, nutritious and sustainable superfood is like as Neil talks about edible insects, the food innovation and its future.

In this episode, Neil talks about:

• How they came up with the idea of insects as a viable food source and business product?
• Who eats insects and why should too
• Cooking insects
• Adapting a new form of diet and normalizing eating insects
• The tasty "Cricket Energy bars"
• From pop-up shops to cookbooks
• The best way to convince people to try and eat insects
• How to use your money to drive the change that you want
• Offering nutritious snacks and going to schools to educate kids about insects
• How focusing on sustainable protein sources impacted the way Neil live his daily life

There's nothing to fear if you recognize this (eating insects) as a solution. Not only are you eating tasty and nutritious food but you're also helping reduce the destruction to the environment by consuming from sustainable food sources.

Mentioned on this episode:

• United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals
• Eat Grub: The Ultimate Insect Cookbook
• Natural Capitalism by Hunter Lovins, Amory Lovins and Paul Hawken
• Episode 150: Circular Economy for waste management with TomSzaky
• Episode 151: Laundry Sustainability with Todd Cline
• United Nations

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 93: The Mushroom Revolution with Eric Jong

The darkest hour is before the dawn. — Winston Churchill

It’s said that the darkest hour of the night comes before the dawn. When I look around, I see so much fear. There’s climate emergency’s being reported all around the world and species extinction continues to go on.

Because of this, I feel like now is the time to question the narrative of whether or not we can create a sustainable world.

Join me today as I talk about the certainty of a sustainable world. I’m going to share 3 points in connection to the rhetoric narrative that the media is portraying and showing to us in relation to a sustainable world.

In this episode, I talked about:

• The reason why I’m talking about the certainty of a sustainable world
• Confirmation bias in relation to the certainty of a sustainable world
• How the external world can be a reflection of what’s going on within us
• Challenging the notion of extinction by redefining it into the light of evolution
• How can we ensure that what you’re doing is fundamentally making a change?
• The continuous cycle within the natural world
• The need for having a powerful vision to align to
• Reframing and shifting from the narrative of extinction to evolution
• How to create change that enables a world of peace and prosperity for people and the planet

Look at the vision you’re telling yourself, how is this impacting your behaviour?

Question your fears then acknowledge them as you forward together with others who believe in the same vision as you. There is still hope even in the worst of circumstances. So don’t give up, a sustainable world is on its way after the darkest hour.

Mentioned on this episode:

• United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals
• Andy Egan (Episode 146: The Power of Tree Techcnology)
• International Tree Foundation
• Hitler
• World War II
• Joanna Masie
• The 6th mass extinction event / Holocene extinction
• Winston Churchill
• Angela Casler
• Sustainability Management Association

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 78 with Laura Storm on exploring how to move towards a more sustainable world

No matter how empowering you are as a leader, if you're in a traditional system, empowerment is still inhibited. — Michael DeAngelo

In a constantly changing and complex environment, companies need to correctly address new challenges and opportunities. To do this they need an organizational structure that lessens obstacles to meet company goals and achieve work efficiency.

Today on Sustainable, I talk about holacracy, a revolutionary management system that replaces conventional management hierarchy and how it's being implemented to transform organizations in the corporate and non-corporate sectors with Michael DeAngelo.

Michael DeAngelo is an experienced business leader with C level executive experience in different industries including healthcare, entertainment and technology, and natural resources. He's an avid beekeeper and holacracy practitioner from HolacracyOne - a company that practices holacracy and spearheads its development.

We'll be exploring how this structure is helping businesses around the world empower its employees through hierarchy abolishment and leadership distribution.

In this episode, Michael talks about:

• What is Holacracy and why is it important?
• The difference between holacracy and traditional management system
• How holacracy works in a practical application
• How Michael self-organize in amplifying individual strengths
• Misconceptions around holacracy and self-management
• How to manage multiple roles within departments
• The “space” for reaction in holacracy management system
• The challenge of implementing holacracy
• Examples of habit that are hard to change
• What company and leader is holacracy good for
• Holacracy in relation to the circular economy and how the two complement each other
• How focusing on Holacracy impacted Michael’s life

Connect with Michael:

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn

More about HolacracyOne:

HolacracyOne is the company spearheading the development of the Holacracy method. It was founded in 2007 by Brian Robertson and Tom . We’re a non-conventional company in many ways: we’re based in the USA but all our business partners work from home. We don’t have any employees, we’re all legal partners in the company, and we’ve adopted Holacracy in our bylaws.

Learn more about HolacracyOne and everything about holacracy here.

If you enjoyed this, check out episode 25: Employee Engagement with Aidan Tracey, Home Energy Scotland