The Earth Set Podcast

Recorded live at the Blue Earth Summit 2025, this episode captures the energy, optimism, and innovation driving climate action today.

Join hosts Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth as they speak with founders, thinkers, and changemakers across the event — from the Internet of Energy to plastic-free design, community power, steward ownership, and climate tech for good.

You’ll hear from:

• Dan Travers, Open Climate Fix, on AI and decentralized energy

• Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet, on designing waste out of the system

• Howard Johns & Reg Platt, People Owned Power and Emergent Energy, on bringing solar to every street

• Sophie Lambin, Kite Insights & Hurd, on unlocking employee-led climate action

• Patrick Andrews & Erica Neve, Yoak & Steward Ownership Alliance, on reimagining business through nature

• And more innovators from across the Blue Earth community

From the buzz of the summit floor to the big ideas shaping our regenerative future — this episode is a celebration of the current of change flowing through people and projects redefining what’s possible.

📅 Attend our live events in London: earthset.co
💬 Follow us on LinkedIn

In this live Earth Set founder session, Fiona Howarth, Founder and Director of Octopus Electric Vehicles, joins her Earth Set co-founder Amy Rennison to share how a simple idea—and one Google search—grew into a business that’s helped thousands make the switch to electric.

From setting up a leasing company during lockdown to raising over £1.4 billion in finance for EVs, Fiona’s story is a masterclass in scaling with purpose. She talks about the messy middle of startup life—the “Batphone” days, the 2,000 unexpected leads, and building a team culture that puts people before problems.

This episode was recorded live at Blue Garage as part of the Earth Set founder community series.

🎧 Listen in to hear:

• The origin story of Octopus EV and how it scaled from idea to impact

• Why culture and purpose drive growth that lasts

• Lessons for founders navigating uncertainty and rapid scale

• How the energy and transport transition is converging faster than we think
  

About Earth Set Earth Set is a network and live podcast series where the people accelerating a net-positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.

🎟️ Attend our monthly events – held on the first Tuesday of every month in London🌍 Find upcoming events, speakers, and community highlights at earthset.co

In this live Earth Set conversation, we check back in on the UK’s journey to net zero — one year on from our first climate progress panel — to find out who’s winning, who’s lagging, and what it will really take to hit our 2030 and 2050 targets.

Our guests bring the data, the context, and the challenge:

• Emily Nurse, Head of Net Zero at the Climate Change Committee
• Dave Jones, Co-founder and Global Insights Director at Ember
• Ben Westerman, Policy and Advocacy Director at Electrify Britain

Together, they unpack what’s changed in the past year — from the halving of UK emissions since 1990 to the surge in clean power and electric transport. You’ll hear that:

• UK emissions fell another 2.5 % in 2024, marking a tenth straight year of cuts.

• Surface transport is now the UK’s biggest emitter — but one in five new cars is fully electric.

• Battery costs dropped 40 % last year (and may fall another 40 % in 2025), transforming the economics of clean power.

• Yet 71 % of new homes were still built with fossil-fuel heating in 2024.

The discussion explores why battery tech is scaling faster than anyone expected, why heat pumps are still lagging, and how shifting the way we price electricity could unlock real public support for the transition.

It’s a conversation about progress and perception — because the road to net zero isn’t just about targets and technology, it’s about making people feel the benefits of the transition in their homes, their bills, and their daily lives.

• 🎙 Guests: Climate Change Committee | Ember | Electrify Britain
• 🎟 Join us live — Earth Set events run on the first Tuesday of every month in London.
• 📅 Find upcoming events, speakers, and tickets at earthset.co.

Welcome to Earth Set, the podcast where the people accelerating a net positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.

In this episode, hosts ⁠Amy Rennison⁠ and ⁠Fiona Howarth⁠ sit down with James Arbib — investor, futurist, and co-author of Stellar: A World Beyond Limits — and How to Get There.

James argues that we’re standing at the edge of a transformation bigger than any industrial revolution:

• ​Clean energy becoming super-abundant and near-free
• ​AI and robotics creating artificial labour that could end scarcity
• ​And the possibility of moving beyond today’s extractive economy to something truly regenerative.

Together, they explore how technologies like solar, wind, and AI might unlock what James calls a “stellar world” — one that functions more like a star, radiating energy and value without constant extraction. It’s a conversation about economics, innovation, and human behaviour — and how we can shape the transition rather than be swept up in it.

Each episode of Earth Set is recorded live at our monthly events in London, where founders, investors, scientists, and policymakers gather to imagine what comes next.

If you’re curious about the future of work, energy, and civilisation itself — and want to stay hopeful while taking action — this one’s for you.

• ​🎟 Attend our monthly events – first Tuesday of every month in London
• ​📅 Find speakers and tickets at earthset.co
• ​💬 Follow us on LinkedIn for live clips and community updates
• ​🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen

Welcome to Earth Set, the podcast where the people accelerating a net positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.

In this trailer, hosts Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth introduce the vision behind Earth Set and what listeners can expect each month, from live events to in-depth conversations with the changemakers shaping a regenerative economy.

You’ll hear what “net positive” really means (spoiler: it’s about making things better, not just less bad) and how Earth Set connects founders, investors, scientists, policymakers, and innovators who are reimagining how we live and work on a changing planet.

Each episode is recorded live at our monthly Earth Set events in London, where ideas collide, networks grow, and collaboration sparks real impact. The podcast brings those conversations to you, wherever you are.

If you care about the future of the planet and want to stay hopeful while taking action, this is your community.

• 🎟 Attend our monthly events on the first Tuesday of every month in London
• 📅 Find upcoming events, speakers, and tickets at www.earthset.co
• 💬 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates and live clips
• 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen