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