Easy Being Green? Lessons in sustainable business (Easy Being Green? Podcast)

Hello! Charli here, host of the Easy Being Green? Podcast, with a quick announcement. I’m taking a little break from editing and publishing the podcast for the next couple of weeks to take care of my own wellbeing, as I believe it’s super important to practise what you preach. Which means the next episode, with the wonderful Tess Coughlan-Allen from website performance agency Atomic Smash, will be out on Friday 2nd June.

In the meantime, why not catch up on some of the conversations we’ve already had this season?

Thanks for sticking with us while we take this small break over the next two weeks. Keep it Green and I’ll see you on the other side.

Today’s conversation is a super useful guide for ecommerce businesses who want to give back in an authentic and impactful way. Westen MacIntosh, CMO at social impact platform Virtue, talks us through:

• The challenges Virtue is addressing
• How to go about engaging your audience with a chosen cause
• The “hidden” benefits of giving back in this way
• The businesses or industries that are becoming most engaged with giving back

www.virtueimpact.com

easybeinggreenpodcast.com

In this episode, Charli chats with Leanne Savage, Founder of wellness brand, Acala Stem. 

Leanne's journey started in Cambodia a decade ago, where coming face-to-face with the reality of poverty ignited her desire to do something to change the world - even if it was just one person's world. 

**Trigger warning for infant loss about 6 or 7 minutes in. Another warning is given in the audio.**

Leanne and Charli also discuss: 

• Why it pays to be flexible when you are starting a business, and why you shouldn't necessarily get locked into your very first idea.
• How Lotus Silk might just be the most eco-friendly fabric ever discovered.
• Why it’s so important to Leanne to put her worker’s first and ensure their wellbeing, and how she does that through her business.
• The reality of cheap labour that we don’t see.
• How personal and professional purpose are - or should be - interlinked if you are to realise success. 
• How mistakes can happen for a reason... and might just lead to your best selling product.
• We even touched on how universal magic (or perhaps, inner intuition?) sometimes seems to just guide our business - and personal - decisions, and it feels like we are just along for the ride.

Connect with Leanne at https://acalastem.com or @acala.stem on Instagram.

If you liked this podcast, please let us know by subscribing and leaving us your five star review, giving our dedicated podcast Instagram a follow @theeasybeinggreenpodcast; or by emailing us at easybeinggreenpodcast@gmail.com.

Lyn Ferrand is a writer, director and filmmaker. She founded Turning Point Theatre Company and was the Creative Director of Buzzword Films. She is also Charli's Mum! Lyn’s work over her 40-year-and-counting career has addressed diverse health and social issues, from racism in rural communities, to the impact of parental mental illness on children, to bullying in schools, and the challenges faced by those who find themselves unexpectedly often, as the primary or sole carer for a loved one, through award winning theatre and training film dramas.

This conversation was recorded at the Dream Festival 2022 in Exeter, Devon. The festival was run by the Cygnet Theatre to bring art to unexpected places and helping everyone find their creative spark. 

In this chat, Lyn and Charli discuss their our own dreams - from one elder millennial to someone on the cusp of the silent generation; the different journey their lives and careers have taken as women; and the similarities in the challenges they both face, despite the generational cap.

Lyn’s new project CREATIVE ROAD offers workshops, theatre and film to those working in mental health, with carers and in the NHS. For more information, head to lynferrand.com or find her on LinkedIn.

If you would like to get in touch with Charli, you can do that by heading to easybeinggreenpodcast.com, or finding us on Instagram @theeasybeinggreenpodcast.

If you are enjoying this podcast, we would so appreciate your 5 star review, which helps other purpose-driven business owners, founders, and employees, just like you, to find us!

We've come a long way in a short time when it comes to period products. From homemade menstrual cloths and belts, to today's super comfortable and stylish period-proof underwear. From talking in hushed tones, if at all, about our 'time of the month', to openly discussing techniques for using menstrual cups with our friends. From a ban on the word 'period' in TV commercials, to break-through advertising depicting the realities 50 percent of the population face once a month.

In today's episode, Charli takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the last 50 years of period product marketing, looking some of the roadblocks faced by brands along the way, and ending up with a look into the latest trend in period care - reusables. Why are they so popular? Why are they needed? How are they made? Are they more expensive - for both the end user, but also for a business to manufacture.

This episode features insights from Preeti Murli, Founder of period care brand LUX, who shares her own challenges, successes and lessons learned from her sustainable business journey.

All the links, videos and graphs mentioned in this episode can be found in the accompanying article at https://weareearthcollective.com/from-rags-to-reusables-the-evolution-of-how-we-make-market-and-talk-about-period-products. 

Connect with Charli by emailing easybeinggreenpodcast@gmail.com. For more, head to easybeinggreenpodcast.com or @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

Today’s conversation is with Polly Buckland and Natalie Welch, Co-founders of B-Corp Marketing Agency, The Typeface Group. 

The Typeface Group offers services like email marketing, SEO, communications and design, with a focus on reducing marketing waste. We dug into many topics in this energetic conversation, including:

• The impact and responsibility of being a B Corp.
• Reducing, reusing and recycling marketing waste.
• What good culture really means - and what it looks like - in business.
• How addressing the often overlooked ‘People P’ in People, Planet and Prosperity can start very simply with your own team.

This was a fun episode that was interrupted a couple of times by technical issues, which I think I have managed to edit out, but apologies if there is some robot sounds in here at some point! 

https://thetypefacegroup.co.uk/

https://easybeinggreenpodcast.com/

Welcome back to Easy Being Green? Lessons in Sustainable Business. This is episode seven and I am chatting to Esther Knight, who is the co-founder & CEO of the sustainable fashion house, Fanfare Label.

In this episode, Charli and Esther cover the topics of:

• Where the mainstream fashion industry has been going wrong, and why Esther - who used to work in the mainstream fashion industry, decided to leave it behind to first work with Vivienne Westwood, and eventually go on to cofound Fanfare Label.
• How Esther embeds the UN's Sustainable Development Goals into Fanfare Label's business values.
• The involvement the fashion industry has on modern slavery, and the importance of ensuring the wellbeing of workers, and how Fanfare Label does that.
• The best way to buy clothes sustainably, and what to look for to make sure your items of clothing in your wardrobe could be in there for the next 20 years.
• Esther's predictions for the fashion industry in the next 5, 10, 20 years.

And of course, we asked Esther the question we ask all our guests - is there such a thing as a truly sustainable business, yet?

If you're interested in learning more about Fanfare Label, please give them a follow on Instagram at @fanfarelabel and head to the website www.fanfarelabel.com.

This podcast episode is also available as a written article on WeAreEarthCollective.com. Connect with Charli by following Earth Collective at @weareearthco on all social media channels; give our brand new, dedicated podcast Instagram a follow @theeasybeinggreenpodcast; or email us at easybeinggreenpodcast@gmail.com.

Today’s conversation is with Phil Kiel, who is the UK managing director of Hello Earth - an eCommerce Digital Marketing Agency with a conscience.

I have known and worked with the awesome humans at Hello Earth since its inception and now, I’m so proud of the partnership that Earth Collective has with this forward-thinking agency, which trademarked the term USSP - Unique Sustainable Selling Point - to recognise just how important sustainability is to modern businesses.

Hello Earth walks its talk. It’s a B-Corp certified, net zero business, with a climate positive workforce that puts its impact strategy front and centre on its website.

Phil is an absolute guru in paid social and we covered a lot of ground in today’s episode, including…

What on earth was all that business with iOS14?

How to navigate Facebook audiences, especially now keywords like 'sustainability' have been removed from interest targeting.

The moral dilemma we all face when we see the likes of Patagonia boycotting Facebook advertising.

Dealing with imposter syndrome and running your own race.

And the question of the hour - should we ALL be using TikTok?

To connect with Phil and learn more about the Green Growth Project, head to https://www.greengrowthproject.com.

Click here and here to read the articles Phil mentions in the episode.

For more, head to easybeinggreenpodcast.com or @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

On Monday 4th April 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its final report in the current assessment cycle, titled Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change. It was the third report in this series; the first two reports told us that climate change is here and now; and it's causing huge disruptions to the natural world and to human beings. This third report tells us we are still not doing enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but also provides advice on the action we can take to limit global warming.

In this episode, Charli breaks down the latest report, to answer these questions:

1. What are these reports all about?
2. What does Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change tell us?
3. Why do we need to stay below 1.5'C?
4. What do we need to do, according to the IPCC Climate Change 2022 report, to stay below or at an average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees celsius?

If you like this episode, please do subscribe or follow this podcast. If you leave us a 5-star review, we will be eternally grateful! 

You can follow Earth Collective on all social media channels @weareearthco.

This episode will also be available as a transcript at weareearthcollective.com.

References:

CLIMATE CHANGE 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change Launch on YouTube.

Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change Report.

What does 1.5C mean in a warming world?

WHY IS 1.5 DEGREES THE DANGER LINE FOR GLOBAL WARMING?

Global Warming of 1.5 ºC

NOAA: Arctic warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet

The sad truth about our boldest climate target

This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold

Closing the funding gap: The case for ESG incorporation and sustainability outcomes in emerging markets

Factbox: Key takeaways from the IPCC report on climate change mitigation

Soil-Based Carbon Sequestration

District heating and cooling

Decentralised energy: powering a sustainable future

This fortnight’s episode is a little late, and that’s because we did a special Earth Day collaboration with our mates at Greenpixie. Charli spoke with Head of Sustainability Rory Brown about the tangible ways that businesses can achieve Net Zero, and the impact that putting the world online has had for the planet, in a special one-off masterclass. 

If you missed that, fear not! You can hear Charli and Rory's conversation right here, right now. PLUS some bonus content that was not in the masterclass, diving into how Rory ended up in his role at Greenpixie and of course the question we ask all our podcast guests - is there such a thing as a sustainable business, yet?

Running a Digital Carbon report on your website is the first step towards achieving net zero. Head to greenpixie.com, click on ‘products’ and select ‘website carbon report’, and the good humans at Greenpixie will give you a 30% discount on a digital carbon report when you enter EARTHCO030 at checkout.

To find out more about Greenpixie, head to www.greenpixie.com, or follow them on Instagram at @greenpixiehq.

This podcast episode is also available as a written article on WeAreEarthCollective.com. If you’d like to get in touch with Charli about this episode, or have ideas for a future one, you can do that by direct messaging her via @weareearthco on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok. 

Welcome back! We are kicking off today with a bang. The first conversation of this season is with Stéphane Zahrai, Head of Product for the Impact Platform at Ocean Bottle. On the face of it, Ocean Bottle makes reusable water bottles from ocean-bound plastic. But behind the scenes, the impact of this company extends so much further than only addressing the (very big systemic) issue of plastic waste. Find out all about Ocean Bottle at https://oceanbottle.co. Read the transcript for this episode at https://easybeinggreenpodcast.com and connect with us at @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram. Please support us by subscribing / following and leaving us a review.

Easy Being Green? Lessons in sustainable business.

LAUNCHING FEBRUARY 2022

Join Charli, your host and planet-positive writer and marketer, as she explores the notion that there is no such thing as a truly sustainable business… yet.

Every fortnight, Charli will be sharing the stories, the successes and the challenges faced by the movers and shakers in the world of sustainable business, so you can take notes from their lessons learned.

If you are or are aspiring to be a green business, this is the podcast for you.

For more, head to easybeinggreenpodcast.com or @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

Today's conversation with Tess Coughlan-Allen, from website performance agency Atomic Smash, explores how the agency has been supporting the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) in its mission, vision and in communicating its impact, with an accessible, inclusive and sustainable web platform. We also discuss the link between the performance of a website and its impact on people and planet, what keeps Tess motivated and whether there is such a thing as a truly sustainable business... yet?

Find Atomic Smash at www.atomicsmash.co.uk.

Episode transcript is at easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Connect with Charli at @theeasybeinggreenpodcast or hello@easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Gousto. Hevea.  Hello Earth Agency.  Ecologi. Drop Bear Beer Co. Bared Footwear. Boody. Weleda. Onya. Maker’s Mark.

What do all these businesses have in common?

Along with more than 4,700 other businesses across 78 countries around the world, they are all B Corps. But what does that mean? What is a B Corp?

March is B Corp month, so what better opportunity to dig a little deeper into this initiative, and find out more about the ‘B’ logo that has been popping up on meal boxes, marketing agency websites, ecommerce product packaging, asset manager and financial planner email signatures, design studios, beauty brands and so much more over the last 15 years.

This podcast covers:

• What is a B Corp?
• How does a business become B Corp certified?
• What areas are measured by a B Corp certification?
• How often does a B Corp need to re-certify?
• Should your business apply for a B Corp certification?
• Should we be looking for B Corps when making purchasing decisions?
• What is B Corp Month?

Check out the "Good News" shop I mention here.

For more, head to easybeinggreenpodcast.com or @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

Andy Hawkins is the Chief Purpose Officer at Business On Purpose - a business that helps other businesses become forces for good, through impact assessment and B Corp Certification.

This conversation covers the ins and outs of B Corp, what it is, why it’s important and how a business can use the programme to continually improve its impact on the 3Ps. 

Connect with Andy by visiting businessonpurpose.uk, dropping an email to andy@businessonpurpose.uk or finding Andy Hawkins on LinkedIn.

Get in touch with Charli via email: hello@easybeinggreenpodcast.com, or Instagram: @theeasybeinggreenpodcast. 

Episode transcripts available at easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Today's chat is with Scott Gooding,  nutritionist, exercise coach, author and the founder of The Good Farm Shop. We covered what regenerative farming is and how it can positively impact our precious ecosystem and climate crisis, what the barriers are to its uptake from both a business and a consumer point of view, how extreme crises, like the pandemic, have impacted our values and the way we work, the impacts of media sensationalism and catastrophising on action and division of society, and much more. A real variety of topics.

The Good Farm Shop: thegoodfarmshop.com

How to green the world's deserts and reverse climate change | Allan Savory

Transcript at easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Today's conversation is with Olivia Sibony who, among many other things as we will find out!, is the Head of Impact and Growth at Angel Investment Network about what happens when the world of impact and sustainability collides with the world of investing and finance, and how best to align profit with purpose.

If you are an entrepreneur, a startup founder or simply someone with an idea for a sustainable business, this is an episode you can't miss as when it comes to connecting with Angel Investors, Liv really is an expert and she shared so many practical pieces of advice in this conversation.

Find Angel Investment Network at www.angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk.

Episode transcript is at easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Connect with Charli at @theeasybeinggreenpodcast or hello@easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

The environmental impact of Digital Carbon now matches that of the entire aviation industry. It equates to 4% of global emissions, and is increasing year-on-year, yet it’s not often discussed within the public domain.

Do you know what the Digital Carbon Footprint of your website is? Or what impact it has on the planet? We didn't, until we met Greenpixie. 

In this episode, Charli chats with John Ridd, the CEO and Co-founder of Greenpixie, a company that uses the power of software to make Net Zero a reality. 

Greenpixie is at the forefront of the next big climate conversation - digital sustainability. Despite accounting for over 4% of global carbon emissions, almost all businesses are unable to account for the footprint of their websites, applications, video calls, emails, cloud computing and other digital carbon. Greenpixie is here to change that.

Running a Digital Carbon report on your website is the first step towards accounting for your digital carbon. We’ve had done at Earth Collective and are now well on our way to being a low-carbon website. The report is comprehensive, easy-to-understand and plugs straight into your ESG reporting, offering detailed analysis of the website’s emissions, as well as steps you can take to reduce them, without compromising design or functionality. Also included in the report is a Greenpixie certification badge, as well as a free consultation with one of Greenpixie’s team about how they can measure your wider digital operations, such as email and video conferencing.

Get a 30% discount code on a digital carbon report from Greenpixie at greenpixie.com with the code EARTHCO30.

To find out more about Greenpixie, head to www.greenpixie.com, or follow them on Instagram at @greenpixiehq.

For more, head to easybeinggreenpodcast.com or @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

Is offsetting a dirty word? In today’s conversation with Mark Stringer, or "Strings", from SKoot Eco, we explore and dissect some of the criticisms of the way some businesses use offsetting without authentic and genuine intent to do good, and Mark offers his expert advice on how best to include offsetting as part of your Impact Strategy to address your businesses carbon footprint.

Skoot Eco, a Top 5% B Corp, is a new climate platform that enables businesses to take responsibility for their carbon footprint, by helping them to identify, avoid and offset CO2 on their journey to Net Zero. Check them out at skoot.eco.

Read the transcript for this episode at easybeinggreenpodcast.com and connect with us at @theeasybeinggreenpodcast on Instagram.

In today's empowering and inspiring conversation is with award-winning NCTJ-qualified journalist and brand strategist Sophie Turton, from brand storytelling agency Electric Peach, we cover:

• How Electric Peach started and what challenges it is addressing.
• How to combat the fear of putting yourself out there if you are suffering from purpose-hushing.
• How a brand or business should go about communicating its purpose, or talking about its sustainability creds.
• How the marketing industry - particularly in agency land - can move the dial away from competitiveness (where there is only one winner) and towards collaboration (where we all win in some way), when it comes to the betterment of the planet.
• What gets Sophie out of bed in the morning and does she think there is such a thing as a truly sustainable business, yet?

Connect with Sophie on LinkedIn here (and here is the article I mentioned in the episode).

Follow us at @theeasybeinggreenpodcast and easybeinggreenpodcast.com.

Today's conversation is with Professor, Author, Impact Coach and Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability Expert (and optimist), Dr. Jennifer Kuklenski, phD, MBA. Jennifer is also the founder of 3P Insights, where she works with businesses of all sizes, to help them strengthen their triple bottom line and support all three pillars of sustainability: People, Planet, and Profit. 

Jennifer is an award-winning Professor of Business in the Department of Social Responsibility at Northland College. She holds an MBA in Environmental Management and Sustainability and a PhD in International Development with an emphasis in Economics. Her areas of expertise are corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, and social impact, and she is an active, publishing member of the Academy of Economics and Finance.

Charli had the absolute pleasure of covering a whole variety of ground with Jennifer during our conversation, including:

• Her own professional journey and what got here to where she is today.
• The inspiration behind 3P Insights and what problem it is trying to solve.
• The use, misuse and overuse of the words 'sustainability' and 'purpose' in marketing, and how brands can avoid colour washing.
• Why businesses should reduce the amount of content we post.
• And of course, the question we ask all our guests, is there such a thing as a truly sustainable business, yet?

Connect with Jennifer via her Instagram, Twitter and Website. 

If you liked this episode, please do subscribe or follow this podcast. If you leave us a 5-star review, we will be eternally grateful!

You can follow Earth Collective on all social media channels @weareearthco.

This episode will also be available as a transcript at weareearthcollective.com.