Sustainably U Podcast

As we promised, this season is all about bringing you to the solutions and introducing you to the champions who help you reach your sustainability goals as a business, individual, and society.

Meet Nadine Zidani - She is the founder of Nadine Zidani sustainability consultancy which helps companies shift the needle, by supporting businesses in their transition to a sustainable business model. Creating sustainable solutions for the often conflicting needs of people, the environment, development, and successful business is the goal she tries to achieve.

Listen to the episode to find out what step you can take as a business towards achieving sustainable development goals, one step at a time. What are pushbacks, roadblocks, and misconceptions you need to break to reach there?

In this episode, we talk to Jen Sault, the Founder of Thrift for Good, a passionate environmentalist, and fund-raiser for children’s projects. Thrift for Good is a UAE-based company that rehomes preloved items to reduce waste and help children around the world. They are zero waste and process everything that comes through their doors. If you are an environmentalist or a fashion lover, this episode is for you.

Shopping secondhand help reduce waste in the fashion industry, by keeping clothes out of landfill and extending their lifecycle. Thrift for Good goes one step ahead - every garment that comes through their doors is repaired and sold and if it is not repairable they are donated to their partner companies and used in upcycled furniture, nothing goes to waste.

Thrift for Good is not the 100% solution to the inherent unsustainability the fashion industry needs to address. However, it keeps clothes out of landfills, gives an alternative to fast fashion, reduces carbon and chemical pollution caused by clothing production, lowers water consumption, and contributes towards socio-economic sustainability.

Listen to the episode to learn more.

Fashion is part of a broader system like many industries have become a conscienceless money-making machine. In modern times it has evolved into a system that is based on fast moved consumerism, overproduction, and a global and unregulated supply chain adding to the huge problem of pollution, waste, and selling garments at the cost of anything.

In this episode, we explore the landscape of fashion evolution and how the industry is built on selling more and buying more. How and why it is important to change these mind games that lead people to believe that buying more will make them look/feel better. We talk about what has to change in the core of fashion's DNA to make it sustainable.

Clothes are also an artistic and individualist expression, it's heritage, and culture for human beings so it is of utmost importance to come up with solutions that are a win-win for people and the planet (the planet should not degrade at the cost of greed and obsession.

Season 1 was an amazing journey. We learned, changed, and grew tremendously. As we start season 2, Vibha is ready for birth, and this season is about giving birth to a more sustainable you as a business and individual. In this season we discuss how to create and transition into more sustainable businesses and communities. We take a deep dive into sustainable business models, real estate, and sustainable production/consumption. We have a lineup of experts and change-makers from fashion, philanthropy, real estate, and sustainability. Hope you enjoy this season as you learn how to grow into a sustainable world.

We looking forward to your suggestions and feedback so we can cater to your curiosity, about what interests you when it comes to learning about sustainability.

Are electric cars really the way to go to achieve a sustainable living or is it a hoax? Is it really the solution for the future towards zero emission? The waste electric cars produce and cost to our planet to manufacture​ these cars are green washed to give a squeaky clean picture.

Vibha and Philip sit down with Mitesh Zaveri, an automotive engineer, a car consultant, automotive reviewer and content creator who has worked in the field for many years, to understand the manyfold answers to our burning question. Is electric care the answer to sustainable, zero emission transportations? Listen to know more.

If you like to listen to Mitesh's Car reviews listen to him on : https://www.instagram.com/mistermzeecars/

or

https://www.youtube.com/c/MrMZEE

In this episode, SUP takes a trip to The Sustainable City Dubai. Can one live in a deluxe locale while being sustainable? If someone can make such a place, Dubai will be the first to do it, and they have. But, does it deliver all that it promises? Let's find out.

Simy and Philip continue their survey of the energy landscape, while Vibha is re-energizing at a Yoga retreat. We talk about the pros and cons of wind energy, biogas and, of course, hydrogen. We explain how hydrogen can be a safe and reliable energy for the future. Then we move on to nuclear fission vs. fusion, and end with waste as an important source of renewable energy. We conclude that sustainability can be achieved without compromising on reliability by having a mix of energy sources.

Welcome back to the Sustainably U Podcast. This week, Simy and Philip discuss sustainable energy, while Vibha is getting her batteries recharged at a Yoga retreat. In this episode, we discuss petroleum, solar and geothermal energy. What are their positives and negatives? How can we get to Net Zero with energy? Can we increase our energy availability to allow for human flourishing while also living sustainably in and with nature? Join us as we discuss these complex questions.

This is a story of a couple passionate about food, agriculture and sustainability.

In this episode, we speak to Jessica and Humaid to understand how one can operate a sustainable agricultural farm in a desert with limited natural resources. Rooted in Emirati and Bedouin cultural values, the farm2table concept is about learning from the rich history of UAE, sourcing local produce to create circular systems while serving great food. Born at Expo, Alif Cafe by Farm2Table received a highly favorable response for its creativity with the menu and the quality of its organic local produce.

Hear some fascinating stories of UAE's history of farming while we understand the potential of organic farming in a desert, learn about local medicinal herbs and how food and environment affect our gut health.

Did you know funny looking or odd shaped produce are not displayed on grocery store shelves and end up being thrown away for cosmetic reasons causing a huge amount of food waste?

In this episode, we interviewed Daniel Solomon, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of EroeGo, UAE's first ugly-food produce distribution service, to learn how he rescues rejected produce from being wasted and further contributing to the negative impact on the environment.

Eroego is a modern day solution that brings technology to bear to prevent food waste by actually reducing the cost to the customer and providing a value added service delivered right to their door. Discover the fascinating story of Daniel Solomon's Eroego, a story that may be a seed of inspiration for your next big innovation. At SUP, we believe that Sustainability in food = Managing food waste.

Date of recording: April 23rd, 2022.