Sustainability Matters Today

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Bob Garner, Co-Owner of Casal dei Fichi and Champion of Sustainable Holidays. When we take a vacation, we oftentime enjoy luxuries beyond imagination in destinations around the world, whether artificial beaches and 5-star hotels in Dubai, enormous resorts in Mexico, or cruises that travel around the world. When we get our well-deserved breaks from everyday life, we tend to ignore how wasteful and carbon-inefficient travelling can be. Air conditioning every step you take, lunch-buffets that end up wasting food, and electrical bills we’re glad we don’t have to pay. A step towards eco-friendly holiday destinations is a step in the right direction. Casal dei Fichi is a farmhouse with holiday apartments, built and renovated with sustainability in mind such as solar panels, replacing air conditioning with smart window-placement and architecture, long-lasting, efficient LED lights with movement sensors and much more. They even installed a charging station

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions I speak with Jakob Muus, Founder and CEO of Tracks For Trucks and Champion of Sustainable Supply Chains. Did you know that the road freight industry is responsible for roughly 6% of the European CO2 emissions? Our global world depends on intricate supply chains to move food and goods from centralized production facilities to sales points all around the world. Optimising our network of transport, whether trucks, ships or trains, will lead to both reduced CO2 emissions while also saving money for the companies moving the goods. Especially because the road freight industry runs on small margins, all cost savings helps. So do we go about improving the situation? Tracks For Trucks is an analytics firm that compiles data from freight trucks to help reduce environmental footprints and increase their efficiency. Every modern truck comes with a constantly-updating SIM card that sends data from multiple sensors to cloud-servers, Tracks for Trucks uses that data to develop st

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Francesco Majno, Co-Founder and CEO of Crické Food, and Champion of Insect Proteins. To facilitate our growing populations and to reduce the waste, inefficiency and the negative environmental impacts of meat farms, we need alternative proteins. On this podcast, we’ve already spoken about highly technical solutions like plant-based and cell-based meats, and now we’re looking at a different approach. To solve global problems, we need to think radically and be open to a wide variety of strategies. And that’s where we see that insects are a sustainable alternative protein. In fact, up to two billion people around the world eat insects as part of their regular diet. So what’s the easiest way to popularize this idea in countries where this is not common? Crické Food produces crackers made with cricket powder and flour, making a hyper-sustainable, protein-rich and nutritious snack for anyone. Crickets and insects, in general, are both a great source of prot

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Christine Riley Miller, Head of Sustainability at Samsonite, and Champion of Sustainable Luggage. We love seeing global companies commit to sustainability. It shows that being planet-friendly is possible even for the biggest players on the market, without disappointing their shareholders. When a company's products are made from sustainable materials and are built to last a long time, you could argue that sellers are missing out on revenue. We live in times where new kitchen appliances, clothes and electronics will only last a few years, while the same things that have been passed down from grandparents have stood the test of time. Today’s guest knows that building to last is the right thing to do. Samsonite is a global luggage and travel accessories manufacturer that takes the helm of brands like TUMI, Hartmann, American Tourister and others. They value sustainability highly and have implemented a number of policies across their global lines of produc

In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Ian Pritchett, Co-Founder and Director of Ssassy Property and Greencore Construction and Champion of Making Sustainable Homes. On a global scale, households are responsible for 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Building housing with energy and carbon efficiency in mind, doesn’t only benefit the planet, it also saves families a lot of money. Whether it’s better insulation and airflow, green energy providers or solar panels on roofs, gardens and more green areas for higher biodiversity, the list of ways to improve construction is endless. Unfortunately, the average construction of a home emits about 50-60 tons of greenhouse gas. As we’ve seen with many other products and ventures, the possibilities exist for construction and homes to be carbon neutral, or even carbon negative. Ssassy Property is a property development firm that constructs sustainable, efficient and beautifully designed homes in and around Oxfordshire. Following the philosophy of G

We’ve spoken with a number of companies revolutionising the food industry with plant-based, cell-based and cultivated meat, dairy and fish products on the Sustainability Champions podcast in the past. Over the past few years, these sustainable innovators have become the center of attention and investment all over the world because of the methods they are developing to produce animal protein that don’t harm animals, don’t have lengthy and inefficient supply chains and don’t emit massive amounts of greenhouse gasses. These disruptive ideas can make a massive difference to our future and the bright minds behind these companies are getting lots of support! In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Andrew Ive, Founder and Managing Partner of Big Idea Ventures, and Champion Of New Protein Investments. Big Idea Ventures is a venture capital and accelerator fund solving the world’s biggest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs. Their first fund and accelerator (based in both New York

Much of the agriculture industry is broken. Global concerns around food security, extreme weather and increased costs to both the consumer and the environment must be addressed. Currently, there are three ways of growing crops: outdoor, greenhouse and indoor; however each method has its challenges. Outdoor farming leaves us at the mercy of mother nature and as a result many farmers rely on pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment. Greenhouses may be efficient, but don’t unleash the full potential of crops because glass windows block out UV-light. And with indoor farms, artificial lights can’t replace natural sunlight, which is crucial to a plant’s growth. Combining all the options to create a clean, green and pure option is what we need now. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Ingo Mueller, CEO of AgriFORCE, and Champion of Farming in a Biosphere. AgriFORCE has developed an environmentally-friendly and clean form of growing high-value crops that can be set up in almost any wea

Transitioning to a more sustainable future takes time and effort. Despite piling consumer pressure and groundbreaking technological innovations, not all businesses are taking the steps towards protecting the planet. When the old ways of doing business are easier than the sustainable choices, companies could do with some support in transitioning, and today’s guest knows exactly how to offer a helping hand. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Carl Pratt, Founder and CEO of Future Planet and Champion of Creating Communities. Future Planet is a platform that helps empower people to connect with likeminded changemakers in order to build a world that works in harmony with nature. Members of Future Planet are part of a dedicated community, they can attend themed events, and contribute to amazing campaigns. Rubbing shoulders with sustainable entrepreneurs, business leaders and activists, helps to accelerate the transition to better, healthier and climate-friendly businesses. With love and suppor

This company has turned 1 million plastic bottles that would otherwise have gone to landfill or ended up in the ocean into luxury travel bags! What a great way to divert waste and reduce energy consumption. Cheap technology and fast-fashion products often break after just a few uses, wasting all the materials and energy used in production. Incorporating sustainability into our everyday lives often means buying products that are built to last. It also means making products from recycled waste like plastic. And today’s guest does both: recycling plastic bottles into high-quality products that can last generations. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Victor Sanz, Creative Director at TUMI and Champion of Sustainable Bags. TUMI is a high-end American manufacturer of totes, backpacks, luggage and travel accessories that are built to last. Longevity has always been one of TUMI’s core principles and following their recent announcement, they’re launching lines of high-end bags made from recycled

What if cows were treated so ethically that vegans drink their milk? The dairy, meat and fish industries have come under a lot of scrutiny over the years. As a result, many conscious consumers around the world are switching to a vegan diet to avoid animal products altogether. But what if there were an animal-friendly and humane approach to treating cows that would make their milk suitable for anyone concerned about ethics? In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I interview Nimai Pandit, co-owner of Gopal Farm, and Champion of Ethical Milk. Located in the Hudson Valley in New York, Gopal Farm specializes in growing both specialty, heirloom Indian vegetables, spices and Ayurvedic herbs, as well as ethical milk products from their small herd of dairy cows. In Sanskrit, Gopal means "Friend of the Cow" to highlight the special care Nimai and his team treat their cows. Even though vegans don’t eat or drink any animal products, Nimai believes their cows’ milk is suitable for anyone with ethical concerns about

Shockingly, microplastics are an ingredient used in a wide variety of industries - ranging from agriculture to cleaning to pharma. They’re called “intentionally added microplastics” and they make products more effective. At the same time, pesticides are a hot topic in farming: while they protect crops from weeds, fungi and insects, long-term exposure to these chemicals can damage the environment. Considering pesticides sometimes use microplastics in their formula, this is a product that is ripe for a Sustainability Champion to disrupt and create an environmentally-friendly alternative! That’s exactly what today’s guest offers: a biodegradable pesticide that avoids microplastics in order to make agriculture and other industries more sustainable. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Sean Smith, CEO of Eden Research and Champion of Sustainable Biochemistry. Eden Research is a publicly-listed company that develops and supplies breakthrough bio-based chemicals and natural microencapsulation te

Yes, plastic made of potatoes is a thing. And that’s what we’re talking about in this episode of the Sustainability Champions podcast! All sectors within the design industry are under growing pressure to find ways to become more sustainable with the products they produce. As consumers demand companies to shift to more sustainable practices, companies are looking for better options, especially around the way plastics are used and recycled. Today’s guest presents another solution that fits perfectly into the circular economy and involves some interesting source materials. In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Rob Nicoll, Co-Founder and CMO at Chip[s] Board and Champion of Potato Plastics. Chip[s] Board creates bio-plastics out of waste from the potato industry. They make durable plastic that is biodegradable and recyclable post-use. Currently, their plastic is used to produce glasses and other fashion items. The name of their game really is sustainability because they’re aiming to become Cra

Startup Accelerators mentor and provide some funding to new companies, with the goal of helping startups reach success. Benefiting from experienced mentors, funding and access to contacts and a strong network, participants have a higher chance of seeing their company grow. As we’re witnessing a shift towards businesses focusing on solving some of our biggest environmental challenges, we’re thrilled to see investors and mentors focusing in that direction. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Hannah Davis, Program Manager at Techstars Sustainability Accelerator and Champion of Accelerating Sustainability. Techstars is a worldwide Accelerator Program that recently started a partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Their Sustainability Program works with companies that are building a world where people and nature can thrive together. That includes anything from regenerative agriculture to carbon sequestration to green energy. Techstars have stepped up their impact game with this program and i

The clothing industry has massive opportunities to become both resource-efficient and good for the environment. Although fast-fashion results in tons of out-of-season clothes to be thrown away and producing clothing sustainably is currently costly, consumer demand and behavior is evolving. Today’s guest says that change is coming to the industry as big industry players begin making the shift to eco-friendly products and practices. Innovations in recycling and circular production are the necessary catalysts to spur and create an environmentally-friendly fashion industry. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Isaac Nicholson, Co-Founder and CEO of Circular Systems and Champion of Recycled Textiles. Circular Systems turns a variety of waste into high-quality fibers and yarns, which textile producers and apparel manufacturers then use to make clothes. These circular technologies include their Agraloop fiber, which uses food-crop waste to make BioFibre and their Texloop Recycling, which recycle

This may be a bit taboo, but I’ll say it anyway: we love meat. What we don’t love is the industrial farming methods used to produce meat. It’s bad for the planet, requires a huge amount of resources, and it’s cruel to animals. That’s why we love seeing bold solutions to our food challenges that deliver positive change, without compromise. Today’s guest makes a great point: “Meat is here to stay.” Taking into account the growing middle-class around the world and meat’s significance in different cultures, eating meat isn’t just here to stay, it’s a growing trend: more and more people are eating meat. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Krijn de Nood, Co-Founder and CEO of Meatable and Champion of Pioneering the New Natural. Meatable is developing cultivated meat, which is created using the cells of an unharmed cow or pig, putting them in a vat that looks similar to those found in beer breweries, and growing these cells into meat. Taking just three weeks to produce, their meat uses signific

Reversing climate change is a daunting task. Governments have too many interests to follow and the climate change discussion is politicised. To make big changes, we need a new and revolutionary idea that supports protecting the environment for us and future generations. A global government that has one goal: protecting the planet. In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Angus Forbes, author and international environmentalist and Champion of Global Climate Solutions. The current government structures we have do not fully support our fight against climate change and other environmental challenges. In true visionary fashion, Angus created the idea of the Global Planet Authority (GPA), a governing body that sits above national governments and has the power of taxation and regulation to protect and heal the planet in the ultra long-term. In this conversation, Angus outlines his ideas and explains why he thinks a global government is not as radical as it may first seem. In his words: “We need no o

Many buildings today are broken. Frustrated with the way even newly-built offices and skyscrapers waste energy and cause people discomfort, today’s guest set out to find a solution. Mismanaged properties tend to display weird behaviours - like the air conditioning or heating running unnecessarily, using energy and emitting carbon and costing money. In comes Demand Logic’s Building Management System, which can save property managers 10-30% of energy costs! In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Mike Darby, Co-Founder and CEO of Demand Logic and Champion of Sustainable Energy Management. Demand Logic provides facility managers of large-scale office buildings with a real-time data tracking system that offers insight into Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems, utility meters and internal environmental sensors for temperature, CO2, air-quality, humidity and occupancy, all of which allow for office building optimization that can save lots of carbon emissions and money. Listen

At Sustainability Champions, we believe many - if not all - of the solutions to reversing climate change and healing the planet are already available. From global energy needs to better insulated housing to planting trees, there are experts and companies all over the world offering remedies to earth’s biggest headache. Local councils and cities can take advantage of these amazing businesses and technologies today; however, with so many solutions, it’s easy to sometimes get lost. Today’s guest focuses on highlighting and supporting the most revolutionary businesses to make it easier for others to work with the best of the best. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden and Champion of Rewarding Sustainability. Ashden, a London-based charity, rewards and promotes sustainable projects based in Europe and the developing world through its annual Ashden Awards. This year's award ceremony will take place online this Thursday, July 2nd 2020! They’ve scoured the globe to fin

The average American uses up to 500 single-use plastic bags per year. Unfortunately, most of the bags that are put in the recycling bin aren’t recycled and end up in landfills. Dissolved plastic particles accumulate in oceans, float in the air, and contaminate our food supply. To solve our plastic waste crisis, we need to find reusable options that reduce the amount of plastic we produce and use. Today’s guest offers exactly that. In this Episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Andy Keller, CEO of ChicoBag and To-Go Ware and Champion of Reusable Plastic Alternatives. ChicoBag offers a number of reusable and easily storable tote shopping bags, while To-Go Ware produces reusable containers and utensils, like bamboo fork and knife sets and steel containers. Following their mission of eliminating single-use plastics and being sustainable, ChicoBag is  a certified B Corporation, they have set themselves Zero-Waste Goals and they pledge 1% of their revenue to environmental charities. To raise awarene

How do we use a crisis to spur change? The Coronavirus epidemic has slashed economic growth and unemployment has risen to never-before seen levels. Crises like these are often a gateway to change, whether political reforms, overthrowing dictators or healing the planet. Today’s guest is an expert on changing our society - and in particular our mindset - where profit has been the ultimate goal. Social and environmental effects can be at the forefront of every investment opportunity and everyone plays an important role in changing our culture. In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Indranil Ghosh, Author of “Powering Prosperity: A Citizen's Guide to Shaping the 21st Century”, CEO and Founder of investment firm Tiger Hill Capital and Champion of Sustainable Investing. In his recently-released book, Indranil sets out the necessary functions of society that are needed to ultimately achieve change. From the need for inclusive institutions to empowering communities, he provides an in-depth guide to