The Sustainability & You Podcast

Sustainability & You Episode 38 - Jules Peck

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we interview Jules Peck, a partner in ERM, on his formative role in the development of Responsible policy engagement. Jules has a thirty year career working on sustainable development within and at the interfaces of the worlds of business, government and civil society. Jules’ career has been in and around politics with the UN, at the EC in Brussels, London and Washington. He has also been active in the development of purpose and sustainability led businesses working with CEOs, Boards and senior management of many of the world’s largest companies. In particular, Jules has been a driving force behind the Responsible Policy engagement guidelines which provides guidance on the corporate approach, accountability framework and guidance on disclosure.  The guidelines force alignment between corporate climate action with policy engagement, and inevitably highlight discrepancies in certain instances. We explore what this means for business and the positive impact a best in class approach can deliver.

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 37 - Martin Hartley

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we interview Martin Hartley, world renown polar photographer. We talk about the power of photography and the visual arts in educating people on the impact of climate change, with a particular focus on Martins work in the polar regions.
Martin has spent more than 400 demanding days working in the Arctic and Antarctica on more than 20 polar expeditions and assignments. Time magazine has acknowledged Martin’s contribution to science with its prestigious Hero of the Environment award for his research work on multiple surveys of the frozen Arctic Ocean. In 2017 Martin joined a North Pole expedition to collect snow depth measurements for the European Space Agency’s CryosSat (sic) programme, which is being conducted in concert with NASA’s Operation IceBridge (sic) mission.
Martin’s passion for using his hard-won expedition and photographic expertise to benefit the future of our planet has taken him beyond the polar regions to desert, jungle, mountain and oceanic environments. He has documented indigenous communities, corporate responsibility initiatives and groundbreaking scientific programmes.

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 36 - Jaya Vaidhyanathan

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast, we speak to Jaya Vaidhyanathan, CEO of BCT Digital. She is renowned as both a pioneer and a trailblazer in the realm of financial technology. Since joining BCT Digital in 2014, Jaya has led the company through significant innovations that have reshaped the landscape of risk management in banking. Jaya spearheaded the development of rt360 in 2016-17, a pioneering technology enabled point solution that revolutionized risk management.  In 2022, under Jaya’s guidance, BCT Digital launched rt360-ESG, the first ever solution dedicated to track Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) parameters.

We talk about the intersection of sustainability and technology, and how technology can be used effectively in the execution of sustainability strategies. Used well, Jaya advocates that technology solutions can be a cost effective solution that increases compliance with chosen standards of reporting, transparency, effective reporting, monitoring and measuring of ESG related KPI’s.  Importantly, we discuss the importance of good governance in the implementation of sustainability initiatives, and how technology can be used to bolster that.

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 35 - David Hill CBE

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast, we speak to Professor David Hill, CBE. David has significant experience in consultancy, nature conservation and company business strategy. He runs an ecological consultancy company, and is founder and Chair of the Environment Bank Ltd. He was previously Chief Scientific Adviser to RPS Group plc. David has been actively involved in promoting environmental markets to provide new and innovative ways of mitigating for impacts on ecosytem services arising from development, industry and corporate businesses. We talk about the importance of biodiversity in the fight against climate change, the global economic risks and opportunity it presents, the role of government and the private sector, as well emerging commercial natural capital opportunities. These discussions are set against a backdrop of broader biodiversity considerations, policy development and land use theory. 

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

 

Sustainability & You Episode 34 - Angelica Afanador & Tjeerd Krumpelman

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we interview Angelica Afanador – a Director at Guidehouse – and Tjeerd Krumpelman – Global head of Business Advisory, Reporting & Engagement at ABN AMRO. Angelica and Tjeerd have critical leadership roles within the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) as Executive Director of the PCAF Secretariat and member of the PCAF Board, respectively.

We explore the development of the PCAF global standards for financial institutions to measure the greenhouse gas impact of the investment and lending activities of their portfolios. This involves a deep dive into what it means to measure financed emissions, what data is required to do so and how financial institutions can make strategic mid- to long-term decisions towards their sustainability goals and reaching net zero.

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 33 - Jessica Attard

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we interview Jessica Attard, Programme Director for Health and Social Programmes at ShareAction.  Jessica is an experienced, entrepreneurial and socially conscious leader with a strong track record of developing cross-sector partnerships that improve population health and wellbeing. 

We explore ShareAction’s approach to system stewardship with an emphasis on the health aspects. We discuss their framework for health, what we mean by health and how organisations and investors should approach their obligations to generate a healthier society. As well as bolstering the concept of fiduciary duty to include such considerations, we discuss wider risk assessments that take into account health impacts with the economic system as a result of investment activity. 

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

 

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 32 - Maya de Souza

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we speak to Maya de Souza. Maya leads the Business in the Community’s (BITC) Circular Economy Taskforce considering the connection between better management of resources, safeguarding natural environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the vital role that business can play in achieving change.

Prior to this, Maya led Defra’s (the UK Government Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) Circular Economy Policy and International Engagement Team. Her responsibilities included developing policy and a programme on waste prevention, taking forward the development of policy measures to support designing out of waste through standards and consumer information, analysing the relationship between the  policy framework and a transition to a circular economy, as well as engaging internationally in this field. 

She has broad environmental policy experience from working on the natural environment – leading on soil protection policy and farming standards – as well as flood risk and green public procurement.

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

 

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

 

Sustainability & You Episode 31 - Daniele Visioni

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast, we interview Daniele Visioni. Daniele is a Post-Doctoral Associate at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). He has a PhD in Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry at Università degli Studi di L'Aquila (Italy) in 2018.  We talk about the different use cases of climate modelling, their accuracy, interpretation and how they can evolve. In particular, we focus on the reliance placed on them in certain quarters of the financial community and emphasis a degree of caution that should be exercised in doing so. Our young ambassador Emily Baigent joins us on this episode, having studied climate modelling as part of her masters. 

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

 

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 30 - Young Ambassadors

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast, Josephine Bush is joined by the Sustainability & You Young Ambassadors. They all discuss the highs and lows within Sustainable Finance during 2022, the outcomes of COP27 and COP15 and how the agreements at these COPs impact their work and careers. They also discuss how and why focus on nature financing increased in 2022, what global action the Young Ambassadors hope will be taken in 2023 and how to remain positive when things feel tough for sustainability.

 

The Young Ambassadors joining this podcast are;

Katie Davies. Katie recently joined political communications agency Seahorse Environmental, where she works as a consultant specialising in energy and sustainable finance. Before this, Katie was a journalist at IJGlobal reporting on mergers & acquisitions in the renewable energy sector across Europe.  

Stephanie Glover. Stephanie is Head of Strategy and Sustainable Finance for Guernsey Finance. Stephanie represents Guernsey at the United Nations Financial Centres for Sustainability network and is a member of TheCityUK Next Generation Leadership Council.

Phillip Schauer. Philip is a Senior Consultant at Guidehouse and Technical Assistance Lad for the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF).

Tilly Wickens. Tilly works in the renewables space and was a Commercial Lead for Clean Energy Capital.

Emily Baigent. Emily is completing her Master’s degree in Carbon Management at the University of Edinburgh and is a Placement Sustainability Consultant at TFT. Emily is passionate about sustainability within buildings and has a degree in Building Surveying.

 

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

 

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com

Sustainability & You Episode 29 - Mindy Hernandez

In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast, we interview Mindy Hernandez, discussing the intersection of behavioural science and sustainability. Mindy leads the World Resources Institutes’s Living Lab for Equitable Climate Action (https://www.wri.org/initiatives/living-lab-equitable-climate-action). She is an applied behavioural researcher focusing on pro-social behaviours like energy conservation, voting, and medication adherence. Previously, Mindy advised governments, companies, donors, and NGO’s around the world on applying behavioural science to measurably improve programs and policies, including working as a liaison to the White House’s Social and Behavioural Science Team for the U.S. Agency for International Development.  We talk about the role of behavioural science in the formulation of environmental policy, influencing behavioural change in particular as it relates to demand side responses, the moral aspects of consciously influencing behaviours and the further potential of behavioural science as an instrument to move us towards net zero goals. 

You will be interested to note that The Living Lab and WRI's Sustainability team is working on a very practical “Playbook for Sustainable Businesses”. The aim of this is to provide an actionable toolkit for business leaders on what actions to prioritize within their institutions. This includes help on tracking/quantifying progress, tools and templates on everything from how to devise impactful business travel and catering policies to how to build a green supply chain and procurement systems. If you or your business might be interested in supporting the Playbook or being a Beta tester for this Playbook, please get in touch with Mindy.hernandez@wri.org.

In this episode, we also welcome Katie Davies as a new young ambassador to the S&Y platform. Katie recently joined political communications agency Seahorse Environmental, where she works as a consultant specialising in energy/sustainable finance. Before this, Katie was a journalist at IJGlobal reporting on mergers & acquisitions in the renewable energy sector across Europe. Her work included writing exclusives on large-scale renewables deals, alongside in-depth case studies on a variety of sectors. Katie graduated from the University of Manchester in 2020 with a first-class BA in History, before obtaining a Master's degree from UCL – also in History.

 

Sustainability & You is a not for profit platform designed to bring together experts, influencers and decision makers in the field of sustainability and climate change. Our mission is to bring together leading voices to explore solutions and accelerate change. We bring together both senior and younger voices so that all those impacted by climate change are heard.

Josephine can be contacted at jrbush@sustineristrategy.com