Up To Some Good Podcast by Claudia Lee

This is my first solo episode since I’ve launched the podcast! Since discovering Tony’s Chocolonely, I have always wanted to learn more about the cocoa supply chain and actions we can do as consumers to minimise the negative environmental and social impacts of cocoa farming.

Here’s a summary of my short solo episode:

🍫An overview of why cocoa farming is unsustainable

🍫Why cocoa farming is linked to deforestation

🍫The exploitation of farmers and child labour in cocoa supply chains

🍫Key problems identified by the 2020 Cocoa Barometer

🍫How can consumers support more sustainable chocolate production?

Sustainable Chocolate Brands mentioned:

@pumpstreetchocolate, @conspiracychocolate, @tonyschocolonely, @altereco_foods

Links to sources: 

In Episode 23, Founder of LIVIN Farms, Katharina Unger speaks to me about why insects are a sustainable protein source,  what it will take to convince more consumers to try eating insects and the best tasting insect she’s tried! LIVIN Farms’ contributes to a more sustainable food system by making insect proteins readily available, both for consumption and industrial uses.

Here is a summary of our conversation

📐What is Social Impact Design?

🥣 Why the current system of animal feed is unsustainable

🐜How can you grow insects with the LIVIN Farms ‘Hive’?

🧹How can insects contribute to waste management?

⭐️Why insects are a very sustainable protein source

Follow @livinfarms or head to their website: https://www.livinfarms.com/

Katharina’s Book Recommendation: Factfulness

A business that Katharina thinks is Up to Some Good: Kern Tec

*Timestamps:

2:00 Passion for social impact

4:43 Living in HK lead to curiosity about the food system

6:03 The appeal of social impact design

8:27 Why the current system of animal feed is unsustainable

11:39 Finding the sweet spot to add value as an industrial designer

13:15 Our experience eating insects

15:12 The average person consumes 500 insects yearly, but how?

16:04 How can you grow insects with the LIVIN Farms ‘Hive’?

19:36 Why using insects as a waste management solution is a win win scenario

24:40 Are there health benefits to consuming insects instead of other proteins?

26:19 Why insects are a very sustainable protein source

29:49 What will it take to convince more people to start eating insects

32:22 How using insects as fishmeal can help to preserve the world’s fish stocks

35:07 Learning and relearning to develop new products

44:25 Using design to solve a climate related challenge for the Masaai Community

In Episode 22, I speak to Kisum Chan, the Co–Founder of Rice Inc. Kisum and his co founders developed Rice Inc to empower smallholder rice farmers in Asia, when they found that 70% of farmers still live in poverty and that most farmers are only paid 5% of the retail price of rice. Rice Inc solves this by providing equipment that helps to reduce waste during harvesting and offering farmers a fairer pay for their rice. Kisum and his team won the prestigious Hult Prize in 2018 for their unique vision!

We talk about Kisum’s challenges as a biomed student entering business competitions, why there is so little fairtrade rice and also the benefits of working with a therapist!

Also, if you’re in London and you love your grains, I’m partnering with Rice Inc to offer the first 20 listeners a 10% discount off Padi Rice! Use my discount code: CLAUDIA10

Here is a summary of our conversation:

🥇Journey to winning the world’s largest social impact competition (The Hult Prize )

🤝Empowering smallholder rice farmers to escape poverty so they can waste less and grow better rice

💭Does ‘fair trade’ rice exist?

📲Discovering the best way to connect with Asian farmers

 📚Leveraging your available resources to hone your business idea

Follow @thericeinc or head to their website: https://eatpaddi.com/

Individuals and businesses that Kisum thinks is Up to Some Good

– David Yeung: @greenmonday.david 

– Aspire Food Group: https://aspirefg.com/

*Timestamps:

2:40: Journey to winning the world’s largest social impact competition (The Hult Prize )

6:38 How changing your mindset about a challenge is the first step towards contributing good to the world

8:11 Empowering smallholder rice farmers to escape poverty so they can waste less and grow better rice

10:17 How does Rice Inc help farmers reduce wastage during rice farming?

14:16 The financial situation of farmers in Asian regions

17:25  How to identify the right farming communities to work with & conducting on the ground research

24:00 What does a conventional agricultural commodity supply chain look like?

25:48 Does ‘fair trade’ rice exist?

34:22 How does Padi Rice achieve carbon neutrality?

37:10 Exciting trends in the agritech industry

40:05 Discovering the best way to connect with Asian farmers

45:58: Leveraging your available resources to hone your business idea

51:20 Why working with a therapist will always pay dividends in your career and personal life

In Episode 21, I talk to Steph Hon, the Founder of Cadence. Always on-the-go, the inspiration for Cadence came to Steph while she was on a camping trip, when she noticed that many women struggle with packing light and compact. Cadence is Steph’s solution for on-the-go individuals; the capsules are compact, refillable and magnetic and which can hold anything from your supplements to your skincare and jewellery. Made from ocean bound plastic, they’re are also designed to reduce the plastics that harm our oceans.

During our conversation, we discussed the process of engineering the capsules, hiring for culture fit and how she’s been inspired by Formula One as an entrepreneur. 

Here is a summary of our conversation:

🏃🏻‍♀️Journey to launching Cadence

🥽Engineering Cadence Capsules

🏝 Sourcing from at-risk beaches around the world

♻️ How the manufacturing process ensures ‘no plastic is left unused

❌The problem with virgin plastic containers

Follow @keepyourcandence or head to their website to find out more: https://keepyourcadence.com/

I'm partnering with Cadence to offer my listeners 10% off Cadence product. Use my discount code: CLAUDIA10

A business Steph thinks is Up to Some Good: Halfdays (@halfdays), https://www.halfdays.com/

*Timestamps: 

4:04 Journey to launching Cadence

7:00 Engineering the capsules and the advantages of being your own target user

8:01 How to hire for culture-fit

13:40 Sourcing plastic from at-risk beaches around the world (Sourcing Partner: Envision Plastics)

15:00 A process that gives new life to plastics and ensures ‘no plastic is left unused’

17:27 The problem with virgin plastic containers in the self–care industry

30:11 The significant amounts of waste in the hospitality industry

33:35 Getting enough sleep means you can be ‘on’ when you need to be

37:41 On Formula One and teamwork

Welcome to Episode 20 of Up to Some Good! In this episode, I speak to Founder and Director of Good Energy, Juliet Davenport. Good Energy is a UK based renewable energy supplier with a mission to power a greener, cleaner world. When Juliet launched renewable energy company in 1999, it was the UK’s first 100% renewable electricity supplier! We talk about the challenges of launching an energy business, why the UK’s weather makes wind energy a popular resource as well as Juliet’s love of Jam filled doughnuts.

Renewables is a subject I am not too familiar with, but Juliet breaks it down and makes it very approachable – I definitely recommend this for listeners who want to understand more about how renewable energy works!

Here is a summary of our conversation:

- 🔍Challenges of launching an energy business in the 1990s;

- ☀️How wind and solar farms can bring value to the local community

- 🔋Potential of renewable energy in Asia

- 🏘Working with small households who generate their own power

- 🚨Exciting trends in the renewable energy industry

Follow at @goodenergyuk or head to their website to find out more: https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/

A business Juliet thinks is Up to Some Good: Too Good to Go App (@toogoodtogo.uk)

*Timestamps: 

3:35 Early stages of Juliet’s career and her journey towards starting Good Energy

4:40 Initiating a consumer led approach to a zero-carbon planet

6:35 Challenges of launching an energy business in the 1990s;

- Key challenges: (1) Gaining  licence (2) Buying power from suppliers

9:18 How wind and solar farms can bring value to the local community

- Discounted electricity supply for local communities

- Selling sites back to community – local ownership

- Cross promotions with generators who are also customers

13:00 Why wind power makes up a big part of the Good Energy’s fuel mix (hint: think UK weather!)

14:40 Potential of renewable energy in Asia

16:08 Is renewable energy generation feasible in densely populated cities?

17:10 Working with small households who generate their own power

19:00 Convincing consumers to shift to renewables

20:45 Renewables are close to achieving price parity with traditional energy companies

23:48  Using ‘Guiding Principles’ and having strong internal communications is key to ensure business decisions align with vision

29:30 Greenwashing in the energy industry

32:40 Exciting trends in the renewable energy industry

40:12 Minimising EV driver’s range anxiety by installing more EV charging points

In this episode, I talk to Crystal Lee, co-founder of eco-resort Kapuhala. Kapuhala is an eco-resort with locations in Koh Samui and Sicily (plus a fitness centre in Hong Kong!). Crystal and I discuss what it means to travel sustainably, key elements of an eco-resort and the future of travel post-covid.

Follow at @kapuhala.koh.samui @kapuhalasicily, or head to their website: https://www.kapuhala.com/

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**UTSG Promotion** Crystal has partnered with UTSG to offer special offers to UTSG listeners - listen to the episode to find out more! Details about prizes and how to enter 

The two available offers are:

How to Enter:

Results will be announced on June 30th!

This episode features my conversation with Anushka Purohit, CEO and Co-Founder of Breer. Breer is a Hong Kong based beer company that brews beer with surplus bread from bakeries, thus helping to reduce the large amounts of food waste produced in the city.

Currently a final year Engineering student in Hong Kong, Anushka and her co-founders pitched the idea of using surplus bread to brew beer at a social innovation competition and won! With the prize money, they launched Breer.

We talk about the process of launching Breer, how ingrained values in Hong Kong society is a challenge to waste reduction, the difficulties of coming to terms with her new role as an entrepreneur and more!

Here is a summary of the podcast:

🍞How a bakery hangout inspired the team to brew beer with bread

🧮 How local bakeries save money by giving their leftover bread to breer

🍺Creating the beer’s flavour profile based on the specific type of bread

📍Using the Breer app to connect consumers to their mission

🖋Documenting the carbon footprint of Breer

🇭🇰 Challenges specific to reducing food waste in Hong Kong

👩🏻‍💻Balancing life as a final year student and an entrepreneur

Follow at @breerhk or head to their website: https://www.breer.com.hk/

An individual Anushka thinks is Up to Some Good: David Yeung (@greenmonday.david)  Founder of Green Monday (global plant-based platform), Green Common and Omnipork

My guest in Episode 17 is Herman Wong, Co-Founder of Beams Coffee. Beams is an adaptogenic and sustainable coffee brand Herman launched during the pandemic with his sisters Sharon and Chamani Wong. Intrigued by functional medicine and our bodies' amazing self-healing ability, Herman decided to incorporate mushrooms into his favourite drink, coffee. Believing that what is good for our bodies should also be good for the planet, the siblings sourced compostable and biodegradable coffee pods for their blends.

Our conversation covered everything from healthy rituals to the potential of blockchain as a solution to logistics processes. I learnt so much from Herman during the podcast and I hope you will too!

This is a summary of our conversation:

- What is adaptogenic coffee?

- How a health scare inspired the launch of Beams

- Sourcing compostable and biodegradable coffee capsules

-  The added costs of a sustainable coffee brand

-  Innovative approaches to sustainable coffee farming

- Can blockchain help to verify sustainable operations in the supply chain?

- Applying startup lessons to grow and scale Beams

- An entrepreneur’s internal struggle is often the bigger challenge

If you want to try BEAMS Coffee, head to their website to order or find our where they are available in Hong Kong: https://beamscoffee.com/

Remember to also checkout their beautiful content on Instagram @beams.coffee 

Follow Up to Some Good on Instagram @UpTo_SomeGood 

My guest in Episode 15 is Nicola Fan, an award-winning filmmaker based in Hong Kong. She is currently one of the fifty filmmakers worldwide selected to participate in Werner Herzog’s 2021 Film Accelerator Lab.

Originally a graphic designer working in an advertising firm, Nicola took a leap of faith to pursue a career in film almost a decade ago. Nicola’s first zero-budget documentary ‘Inspire Hope’ shone light on a critical issue of caged homes in Hong Kong, while her 2016 documentary ‘She Objects’ explores the media's influence on young girls in Hong Kong.  From short films and documentaries to MVs, Nicola hopes to use the universal language of film to transcend boundaries between people, cultures and places.

Our conversation covered so many aspects, from film’s unique power to create empathy, minimising unconscious biases as a filmmaker to Nicola’s experience with the Wim Hof method.

Here is a summary of our conversation:

- Creating empathy with film

- The leap of faith: Pivoting from a graphic designer to a filmmaker

- The importance of really ‘LISTENING’ as a documentary filmmaker

- Did becoming a filmmaker affect her passion for film?

- Tackling the stigma of mental health through her new short film ‘Daffodil’

-  Daily grounding practices and switching between Auto and Manual mode

Follow Nicola on instagram @nicolafan or visit her website https://www.nicola-fan.net/! Also, remember to checkout her recent short film @daffodil.film. 

Nicola's selected Up to Some Good platform: Participant Media (@participant) 

Follow Up to Some Good on Instagram @UpTo_SomeGood 

My guest in this episode is Pixie Acia, Soul Cycle Master Instructor, a certified fitness and yoga instructor and the Founder of retreat Surf Sweat Serve. I met Pixie at one of her retreats in El Salvador in 2019 and have always been inspired by her unique ability to tell stories and to empathize. As a believer in the power of movement to transform, Pixie uses fitness to inspire and cultivate community everyday

During our conversation, we talk about how she stays motivated as a fitness instructor, why community is the new currency, how she inspired Soulcycle to stop selling plastic water bottles and much more!

Caveat: Certain parts of the podcast are a little laggy due to bad connection! Also, we may have gotten too excited to talk to each other that we’ve overlapped during certain parts of the conversation, regardless, you will definitely still be inspired by Pixie’s magic.

Here is a summary of our conversation:

-  Why dopamine became her drug of choice

-  Staying motivated as a fitness instructor

-  The importance of malleability and adaptability

-  Confronting trauma and shame from her past

-  Holding space and cultivating community as a fitness instructor

-  The Little Boy and the Starfish: How small things accumulate

Follow Pixie @purposefulpixie, or checkout her website: https://www.pixieacia.com/

I know we can’t travel yet, but when we can, I definitely recommend her retreats. You can find out more via @surfsweatserve or www.surfsweatserve.com

Follow Up to Some Good on Instagram @UpTo_SomeGood