The Optimist

It’s official, we’re going electric in a bid to combat Climate Change. If this is going to work we need somewhere to store all the power that’s going to be generated from Nuclear and Renewable energy sources. However, there must be a better solution out there than the batteries we currently use to store electricity, which often fail and have to be thrown away.

Jack chats to one of the founders of Aceleron Energy, a clean technology company that’s created a renewable lithium-ion battery which can be upgraded, repaired and recycled - meaning it never has to be thrown away.

Want to discover more about Aceleron Energy? Take a look at their website here: https://www.aceleronenergy.com/

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

According to the UK Government the residential sector accounted for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. But there must be alternative ways of building housing that will help us cut this figure down to almost zero?

Jack chats to the founder of EcoVert Solutions, one of the few builders in the UK certified to design and build ultra-low energy Passive Homes - a form of housing which requires very little heating and cooling.

Want to discover more about EcoVert Solutions? Take a look at their website here: https://www.ecovertsolutions.co.uk/

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

Space is no longer the final frontier and could soon be a place which humans are visiting regularly. But what opportunities does space offer for helping to solve issues and challenges back here on Earth?

Jack chats to one of the team at Open Cosmos, a company which offers entrepreneurs, researchers, governments and companies the ability to use microsatellites in a bid to solve some of Earth’s biggest challenges.

Want to discover more about Open Cosmos? Take a look at their website here: https://www.open-cosmos.com/

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

Figures from the World Meteorological Organisation show that the human race has emitted about 375 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution. If we’re going to have any chance of tackling climate change then we need to start removing the emissions we’ve added to the atmosphere using the latest solutions available to us.

Jack chats to one of the founders of Treeconomy, a nature based carbon capture company which aims to incentivise landowners and offset buyers to harness the power of trees.

Want to discover more about Treeconomy? Take a look at their website here: https://www.treeconomy.co/

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

According to the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, nearly a third of all food produced in the world is thrown away. But there are solutions out there to make sure that the food we don’t eat doesn’t go to waste.

Jack chats to one of the founders of Chip[s] Board, a company which creates a revolutionary bio-plastic from food we throw away.

Want to discover more about Chip[s] Board? Take a look at their website here: https://www.chipsboard.com/

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

Jack Sheeran is back with season two of The Optimist Podcast and this time he’s been joined by an exciting array of guests who are at the forefront of their industries creating the solutions which are going to help us tackle some of the biggest issues facing us today.

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on this exciting new season!

Want to get in touch with Jack? Drop us an email via: [email protected]

Lockdown has meant that many of us have had to work from home. But what if companies and organisations took this as an opportunity to adopt new technologies & working practices that could change how we work forever?

Food production is going to have to increase by more than 70% by the time we reach 2050, according to the United Nations. 

So for the first episode of The Optimist Jack Sheeran takes a look at innovations that could revolutionise what food we eat and how it's produced, including: vertical farming, vegetarian meat and insects & bugs.

Get in touch by dropping us a voice message at: https://anchor.fm/the-optimist or send us an email via: [email protected]. 

Want to know more? Check out these sources we used to make this episode: 

World’s population expected to hit 8.5 billion by 2030: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/07/un-projects-world-population-to-reach-8-5-billion-by-2030-driven-by-growth-in-developing-countries/  How to feed the world by 2050: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/expert_paper/How_to_Feed_the_World_in_2050.pdf How much food does the world need? https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/05/food-how-much-does-the-world-need/ Food Loss & Food Waste: http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/ Vertical Harvest: https://www.verticalharvestjackson.com/ BBC Vertical Farming: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170405-how-vertical-farming-reinvents-agriculture Underground mushroom farm: https://www.businessinsider.com/underground-farm-paris-grows-vegetables-cycloponics-la-caverne-2017-12?r=US&IR=T Aerofarms: https://aerofarms.com/ Why vertical farming is growing in the UK: https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-management/why-vertical-farming-is-growing-in-the-uk Number of vegetarians in UK: https://vegsoc.org/info-hub/facts-and-figures/ Impossible foods: https://impossiblefoods.com/heme/ Quorn: https://www.quorn.co.uk/company Quarter of evening meals vegan/vegetarian: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42973870 Ultra-processed fake meat: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/12/quorn-revolution-rise-ultra-processed-fake-meat Third of Britons have stopped/reduced eating meat: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/nov/01/third-of-britons-have-stopped-or-reduced-meat-eating-vegan-vegetarian-report Modern Entomophagy: https://people.howstuffworks.com/entomophagy2.htm Edible Insects Farming: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/insect-farming IKEA tries out insects: https://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-making-burgers-hot-dogs-meatballs-bugs-2018-3?r=US&IR=T#the-flavors-include-coriander-basil-and-mint-theyre-sweetened-with-apple-juice-fresh-apples-and-lemon-juice-space10-also-makes-popsicles-for-dessert-10 Bug burgers in Switzerland: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/08/16/bug-burgers-switzerland-says-insects-whats-dinner/572553001/ The Grub Kitchen: http://www.grubkitchen.co.uk/ Growth in number of insects being eaten: https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2016/04/21/Insects-as-human-food-set-for-tasty-growth What is Quorn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wlprJOfNDA Heme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=n6U4H8WC9jg&feature=emb_title Quorn Mince: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ7Nfyt0qkw Subpod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_3VUDXbGH0 Aerofarms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgH3HGqJqFY

What's that next innovation that's going to change the world? This podcast is brimming with ideas that'll revolutionise how we produce energy, learn, restore and care for the environment, work, keep healthy, and so much more!

Get in touch by dropping us a voice message at: https://anchor.fm/the-optimist or send us an email via: [email protected].