The Master Pods: Recent Episodes
The Master Pods
We interview masters of sustainable development research and business - whether they are a master of sustainability in their line of work or master’s student! A new episode is released every Wednesday!
📬 Email: info@masterpods.eu
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Join Rachael, Laura and Olivier on the last episode of this season 2. With 30 sustainability professionals who came on the podcast we wanted to share some insights about how it went, a sneak peak into our summer and finally, what comes next! Tune in to listen to this fun, relaxed conversation where we also found who each of us would like to have dinner with!
See you next year!
Dear Podders,
This is the last interview in season two and we hope you enjoy it. Laura talked to Ella and Amelie about their children's book on plastic. It is so important to teach the young generation, isn't it?
We hope you enjoy it - and hear you next week for our season 2 finale!
<3
The Master Pods
Ever wondered what it's like to be the one documenting what nature looks like and how we humans are changing it?
This week we talk with Marcus Westberg, a photographer who has been featured in the New York Times and National Geographic. His latest project has been documenting the forestry industry in Sweden and exposing its darker side.
We also talk about sustainability challenges and other aspects of wildlife and conservation photography. Tune in!
Follow Marcus' work on his Instagram @marcuswestbergphotography and on his website at marcuswestberg.photo
This week’s guest is best known for having skied over 2 million vertical feet in a year (that’s over 600,000 metres)! He’s also an ambassador for Protect Our Winters (POW) Canada, an environmental group composed of enthusiasts and pro athletes, who believe their love of adventure in nature demands they fight to save and protect it. Do you agree with their mission? Tune in now!
Have you ever thought that mobility might not be gender-neutral? Ines Kawgan-Kagan has and decided to focus on this topic in her PhD. After that, she and Carolin Kruse decided to found the AEM Institute, which focuses on just and accessible mobility. Listen to this week's episode to find out more about this incredibly timely topic.
A picture is worth a thousand words - and this week’s guest proudly vouches for that! Marie Warner Preston is an illustrator and graphic designer that bridges the gap between art and science. Tune in to hear about the journey that brought her from the chem lab to her drawing pencils.
Howdy Master Podders!
On today's episode we welcome Josefina Oddsberg Gustafsson, CEO of Bee Urban, a company based in Stockholm that specializes in finding ways to create habitats for biodiversity in cities.
Care to guess one of the hardest things that Josefina is fighting for? Getting companies to pay for biodiversity. With a biodiversity crisis looming and many researches having dubbed our time the Sixth Mass Extinction, finding ways to incorporate biodiversity's ecosystem services into cities and businesses may be one of the most important aspects of solving the climate & biodiversity crises.
Tune into this conversation with Josefina to find out more about her story and her amazing journey to revolutionize cities!
Follow Bee Urban here: @beeurban.se and beeurban.se to visit the website!
Hope you'll enjoy the episode!
Love,
Laura, Rachael & Olivier
Do you love playing card games? Ever wondered why there are only white people displayed on the cards? That's at least what Sam did. And that's how Spielköpfe was born - diverse playing cards with images painted by different artists. Find out in this episode which card game Sam likes to play the most and how to become self-employed during college.
And if you are in the mood to learn a new game, The Master Pods recommend shithead (also known as vändtia in Swedish).
Rachael, Laura & Olivier :)
Did you know that the majority of rainfall in cities is diverted to the sewers? Instead of seeping into the ground to replenish groundwater supplies? This is a big issue, and it is only one of many that this week's guest is tackling with her company, Waterweg. Tune in to hear what Wies van Lieshout has to say about circularity, and how to make waste into a valuable resource! Check it out!
Hello! In this week's episode, we talk with TJ Preston, who after spending years researching battery chemistry decided to also add a very personal element to his list of provided services: career advisory. Finding that the academic path often has a hard time preparing young researchers for making long-term decisions about the possibilities that their careers offer to them, TJ now works with many clients who are interested in incorporating aspects of sustainability into their life and professional paths: long-term thinking and strategy. You can find his work at soldrevet.com
Hey Master Podders,
Do you sometimes wish you were self-employed? Our guest this week, Joana Schönborn, decided to do just that after graduating from university and became the co-founder and CEO of Sustainable Thinking. Listen in to hear Joana Schönborn talk about her work, the KLIMA Thinking Circle and how it is to found a business with two friends.
<3 The Master Pods
Hey y'all! Have you ever shopped at a package-free or zero-waste shop? These conscious stores seem to be popping up all over the place these days - and for good reason! Tune into this week's episode with our special guest, Kate Pepler. Listen to Kate's story about why and how she founded The Tare Shop, the first package-free shop in her province. Check it out!
If you've ever looked at a map before, you've interacted with geospatial data. But someone needs to make these, collect the data, model it and display it in a way that makes sense. This is what Adam Feinberg does. Adam works with environmental analysis using GIS at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation 🌱. Tune into this week's episode to hear about what it means to have this kind of job, to make choices that impact whole ecosystems, and learn more about the world of maps and spatial data. And of course, as always, we get to know the person behind and how Adam came to be a geospatial analyst!
The Master Pods is 1!! We know, it's a big deal. This week, meet Kelsey Medina, our marketing guru (i.e.: the person whose posts you've been liking on LinkedIn), and join the four of us for a very special episode where we update you on our lives, look back on the past year and take a peek at what's to come! PSA: the episode features talk of Obama, poop, and Olivier pulling a Matrix-style escape. The topics are not necessarily related. Go get it!!
What do you think is the best way to make an impact? Tim decided to join the Green Party in Germany, where he now steers the course of politics as a finance policy speaker in the Bavarian parliament. We are incredibly happy to have him on the show to talk about his career as a politician, his campaign slogan, and some tips he has for aspiring politicians.
Ever heard of stone paper? The Club of Rome names it as one of the top 100 sustainable innovations that the world needs. And Roel Schatorjé seized the opportunity to make that happen! Along with his co-founder, they started up Moyu, a stone paper notebook company based out of the Netherlands. Tune in to hear his story! (and to hear this stationery nerd wigging out over their new releases 👀😏).
Ever wondered how our cities are planned? How sustainability can be incorporated into the design of the city? On this week's episode, Mustafa Sherif tells us about his life story, from being fascinated by architecture to ending up working as an urban planner at AFRY in Stockholm. He also specializes in social sustainability, meaning his job is literally to make cities more human centered. We think that's pretty neat! Mustafa also has a podcast called Urbanistica where he talks with his guests about the various aspects of urban planning and architecture.
Join us for a great conversation on cities, life paths, choices and great advice! Mustafa recommends these resources:
-Gapminder test, to assess how well you know the current state of human development in the world? Spoiler alert, you probably know less than you think.
-Sustainable Development Goals homepage, for some useful information on the goals themselves and how to reach them!
Find out more about Mustafa at mustafasherif.com
Hope you'll enjoy it :)
Dear Podders,
Do you ever think about how much energy your data storage consumes? Data centers in Germany alone consume between two or three percent of the whole energy supply of Germany. That's one of the many facts that Sebastian Ullrich, founder and CEO of Protos Technolgie drops in our latest podcast episode. Tune in to hear us talk about Sebastian's original plan to become a DJ, his idea of a downsizing strategy, and why the IT Industry needs green IT seals.
Love,
Laura, Rachael & Olivier
Hey Podders, do you struggle with meeting sustainably-minded people at your workplace? Are you looking for your sustainability tribe? Gina MacIlwraith gets to work with her tribe every day of the week as the general manager of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. Tune in to find out how her job works, how to join the ISSP society, and what professional stepping stones brought her to where she is today. Then check out the ISSP website at www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org.
Hi Master Podders!
This week we're joined by Henner Busch, who is a researcher at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies in Sweden (LUCSUS). Henner has worked as a consultant and wrote his doctoral thesis in sustainable urban governance and tries to understand, among many other things, the justice aspects of sustainable transitions. How do we transition to fossil-free societies that not only carbon-free but also just and equitable? How do we ensure that no one gets left behind? How is life as a researcher? How does it work? What is sustainability? And how do we solve the climate crisis? These are just some of the questions we touched upon in this episode! Tune in to hear more :)
Happy listening,
See you next week!
Hey Master Podders,
the transport sector is responsible for 1/5th of global CO2 emissions. Crazy, huh? We know that something has to change and so does Lisa Osbäck, social sustainability manager at Scania, a Swedish heavy duty company. In this episode, Lisa talks with Laura about what she thinks needs to be done to solve the climate crisis, why she doesn't like it when companies only focus on certain SDGs and what the Scania climate day is.
An episode you should not miss!
Love
Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Hey friends, what would you do if you saw waste pile up and crime rates skyrocket in your community? Would you take action? Danny Chibinda did. And his programs were so successful that they were adopted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)! This week, Danny inspires us with his work that has helped significantly improve living conditions and welfare as the Director of Housing and Social Services in Lusaka, Zambia. We hope you enjoy this week’s episode as much as we did!
Hello Master Podders!
This week you're in for a mind-bending episode. Olivier chats with Timothée Parrique - one of the world's leading experts on degrowth - about his quest to completely rethink modern economics. We explore the concept of degrowth and make some stops in feminist economics, ecological economics and backcasting.
You can follow his work and thoughts on timotheeparrique.com and on his twitter @timparrique
Hey Master Podders,
join us in this week's episode where Laura talks with Nils Pfeufer about his role as a policy officer at the BMU Germany - the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Natur Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Super interesting for everyone who ever thought about working in the public sector.
Also, Nils has a great instagram account where he posts hiking tips for people living in Berlin (it's in German though). You can check it out under @explore.brandenburg
Love
Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Hey friends! We have lots in store for you this week: from saving sea turtles in Nicaragua, to reducing ecological footprints, to the importance of empowering local communities! Join us as we speak with Sol Rodriguez, the Built Environment Director and co-founder at Casa Congo. Tune in today to find out more!
Check out more of the great work they do at: www.casacongo.org
Hello Master Podders!
Join us in this week's episode where Olivier talks with Shanice Tadeo about sustainable fashion and her work at eversoslow.com , a sustainable fashion blog. We explore the concepts of slow fashion, of minimalism and discuss the state of the current fashion industry!
Shanice is also a member of Ethical Influencers and writes extensively about fair and sustainable fashion and lifestyles. You can find her on Instagram @eversoslow
Hello Master Podders!
In this week's episode, we talk with Anne Kästner, who is a sustainable finance specialist at SEB. After doing an internship in 2019, Anne became a sustainable finance analyst and then a specialist. Tune into this brand new second season of the podcast where we talk with sustainability professionals to find out more about who they are and what types of jobs exist in this new sector!
You can follow Anne Kästner on LinkedIn
Love,
Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Welcome back, friends! In this week's episode, we are chatting with Anitra Paris, a clean energy policy analyst for the Western Canadian-based Barkley Project Group. This one is chock-full of advice and quotable moments! Tune in to find out what her job entails, and what advice she has for aspiring sustainability professionals.
Hello Master Podders! In this week's episode, we talk with Marina Nart who is a sustainability strategist. She started her own firm called Beyond 2030 and helps companies and organizations develop strategies to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.
Tune into this brand new second season of the podcast where we talk with sustainability professionals to find out more about questions like: what jobs are there in sustainability? You can follow Marina on LinkedIn and find her work at marinanart.com Love, Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Hello Master Podders! In this week's episode, we talk with Adam Wallin, who works as a climate engagement advisor at We Don't Have Time. We Don’t Have Time is a social network for everyone, who wants to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis. Tune into this brand new episode, where Laura and Adam talk about how he got to where he is now, his sustainability podcast recommendation, and much more. You can find Adam Wallin on LinkedIn and WeDontHaveTime.org Love, Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Welcome back Master Podders!
We are kicking off Season 2 by welcoming back Jordy van Osch, who is the Chief Technology Officer at Chainable. Jordy co-founded Chainable in the Netherlands in early 2020. Chainable's mission is to become the world's first circular kitchen, where kitchens are not sold to customers but are instead offered through a Kitchen-as-a-Service model. Tune into this brand new second season of the podcast where we talk with sustainability professionals to find out more about who they are and what types of jobs exist in this new sector!
You can follow Jordy on LinkedIn and find his work at chainable.nl
Love,
Rachael, Laura & Olivier
Hello everyone, we are so happy to be introducing our second season of the Master Pods! In it, we are shifting our focus away from the sustainable student to the sustainable professional.
Every week, we’ll be publishing an interview with a person working in the field of sustainability to give you an idea of all the jobs and the positions available in this new rapidly growing sector.
On the schedule, we have everything ranging from sustainability strategists to CEOs to entrepreneurs to influencers to sustainable finance specialists and many more! Our goal is to get to know these people. Who are they? How did they get where they are today? What drives them? And what advice do they have for you?
We publish every Wednesday on all the major platforms, like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Feel free to hit the subscribe or the follow button, that would help us a lot and that way you get notified when a new episode is out.
If you have any questions or you know someone who you think would be perfect for an interview on this podcast, don’t hesitate to contact us, You can DM us or send us an email at info@masterpods.eu
Happy listening, we hope you enjoy our content!
Music credits: Jakob Roséen
Do you remember the best sustainability tips and tools from this season? Or do you know how many people have listened to our episodes? Tune in to hear Rachael, Olivier, and Laura talk about season 1, and what we learned, what we heard, and what went wrong. In the words of Olivier "here are some tips, some tricks, some shenanigans aaaand some talk about season 2." YES, there will be a season 2 and we are stoked to tell you more about it.
Did you know your local products may be shipped across the country and back to your supermarket because of logistical supply chains? From the farm to your home, there’s a whole organizational network behind. Find out how we can make it a little more sustainable in this week’s episode with Esther Lutz.
One credit card's worth... That's how much plastic the average person consumes every week! This week, Jordy van Osch tells us about the issue of microplastic waste and how we can stop these harmful particles from entering the environment (and our food system) using the circular economy. Tune in to learn more and to find out how you can make a difference in your community, and the world at large, using this research!
Ever wonder what tools democracies have at their disposal to solve the most complex and pressing issues? From abortion rights to meaningful climate action, citizens’ assemblies can help whole societies move forward. Do you know what they are? Tune into this week’s episode where Olivier interviews Tomasz, who has researched the Irish Citizens’ Assembly to find insights into how we can use such tools to transition to sustainable societies. Lots of love, the Master Pods team!
What happens to your favorite sweater after you grow out of it? In today's episode, María talks to Laura about fiber to fiber recycling, a new recycling technique that creates new threat out of old textile waste. Listen in to find out more about Marías love for waste.
Are you age-ist..? An aging population is a reality in many western countries, so how can we make sure that these valuable members of society are kept feeling useful and productive? In this week’s episode, Matilde tells us about how everyone can be included in sustainable development - no matter their age! Follow Matilde’s experience with The Grannies Came To Work, a program that is gaining momentum across Portugal!
Most of us look for specific labels when we buy our food. Organic, fair-trade, we all know them! But are they really effective? Tune into this week's episode and listen to Rudi who studied the Swedish eco-label KRAV and its reputation of setting a very high bar in terms of environmental performance. She looks at how the KRAV certification affects soil! You know, the stuff that literally all of our food comes from!
Over the last couple of years, most people have understood that eating meat harms the environment. But what does vegetarianism have to do with the dominant culture and hegemonic masculinity? This week's guest, Carolin, focuses on environmental vegetarianism and its power, and the episode will, for sure, make you think again about just how political meat is.
To mine or not to mine? That is the question. Our world is being increasingly filled with mineral-rich batteries and devices, so how does mining impact the local communities that work and live near the mines? Tune into this week’s episode Julia Schwab chats with Rachael about her research and what she learned while living in a mining town in Chile.
Hello Master Poders! Have you ever played an escape game? Join us for this week's episode where Olivier talks with Emmy who has designed an escape room from the ground up. But there's a twist! Sustainability is baked into the whole design concept! Listen to find out more about how we can use games to accelerate sustainable behavior change and shift attitudes to collectively tackle climate change.
You have probably experienced this feeling before: you see a post about climate change and the message makes you feel absolutely helpless. This is called apocalypse fatigue, a numbness resulting from confrontation with too much negative information. Listen in to this weeks episode to find out more about this phenomenon and successful climate change communication with our wonderful guest Lotta Harms. Tune in next week for another short segment on important theses within sustainable development.
What solutions exist to holding off the emerging water crisis? The Master Pods are back from break and this week Rachael chats with Leonie Schiedek about her research on good water governance, where she fills us in on what governments and stakeholders can do to delay (or maybe even prevent?) the growing global water crisis. Find out how in this episode, and tune in again next week for more awesome content!
Tune into this week's episode where Olivier talks with Anne about climate-smart investments in the financial sector. Anne has been quantifying the transition risks to low-carbon economies by developing different types of scenarios for equity portfolios. Come listen to Anne’s episode to find out more about the importance of sustainable investments and the risks associated with climate change on our economies!
In keeping with last week's episode on fast fashion, we are joined this week by Sophie Ridler. Sophie conducted research on the oft-overlooked designer's perspective in accelerating change from fast fashion to circular fashion. This week, learn about how designers see their role in sustainable initiatives, their take on leadership in the industry, and how the burden of COVID-19 on thesis research can be saved through virtual means.
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content!
Music credits to Jakob Roséen.
Hello and welcome back to the 7th episode of The Master Pods. Today, we have Jakob Roséen with us, our funky beats provider, who focused on the role of the entrepreneur in the quest to achieve circular economy. Find out more about the Swedish Start-up Sellpy, circular economy, and the fashion industry!
Hello and welcome back to the Master Pods! Cruise along on this week's podcast where Olivier chats with Diandra about integrating gender in climate responses at the United Nations. Having interned at the Netherlands' mission to the UN, Diandra lets us take a peek behind the scenes at how the role of gender equality is viewed from different member states and the role that gender plays in effective climate action and development aid. Do you know about the intricacies of gender and climate? Tune in again next week for some more awesome and sustainable content. Keep it cool and safe out there! Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Welcome back! This week on the podcast, Sagnik chats with Rachael about the potential for green rooftops in Uppsala, Sweden. He discusses the impacts on food security, energy security, and how having one even save you a little money. Is your green thumb up to the task?
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content.
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Welcome to the 4th Episode of The Master Pods. Today, we have our host Laura talk to Benjamin Jungblut about his research on changing dynamics of rural development in Dolakha, Nepal. He will be talking about the The Rural Development Tuki Association (RDTA) and what challenges they are currently facing.
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content.
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Welcome to the third episode of the Master Pods. Today we have our host Rachael talk to Olivier about how to reduce health inequalities with urban green infrastructure. Urbanization trends are putting more stress on surrounding ecosystems which may also cause people’s health to worsen. Can we reconcile the two? Listen to find out more.
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content.
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Welcome back to the podcast! Up this week, join your host Laura Meßner and learn about sustainable greenhouses, energy transitions, and the energy-water-food nexus in Alberta, Canada with our guest, Rachael Gradeen.
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content.
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Tune into our first full episode with this week's guest (and Master Pods co-founder) Laura Meßner. Join your host this week, Olivier Rostang, and dive into the details of bus rapid transit and its alternatives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Let's get started!
Tune in again next week for some more awesome content.
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.
Check out our short introduction episode to kick off the podcast! Get to know your hosts, hear about upcoming topics and sit through some seriously cringe-worthy jokes ;)
Tune in again next week for the first deep dive into the research!
Music credits to Jakob Roseen.