The Sustainable Jungle Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sustainable Jungle
The Sustainable Jungle Podcast is a mission driven show, focusing on solutions for the world's sustainability and conservation challenges. Hosts, Lyall and Joy, talk with some of the most interesting and inspiring people working to future proof our planet. Join us as we create a place to encourage and galvanize positive change.
Corinne Lefebvre is the founder of River Organics, a Top Rated brand in our Sustainable Jungle Brand Rating System. Based in North Carolina, River Organics creates vegan, cruelty-free, and plastic-free makeup made from mostly certified organic, plant-based ingredients, using lab-made, conflict-free mica and compostable packaging.
In this episode of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, Joy speaks with Corinne about her personal journey, from art history student to beauty founder, how she’s continuing the mission she began with her late husband Fabien Scorza, and what it’s been like building a small-batch brand that is prioritizing both health and impact (an unusual combo!).
🎥 Watch the full video and join the discussion on our Substack.
🎧 Or listen to the audio version right here, in the show notes (or wherever you get your podcasts).
In this episode we cover:* Corinne’s personal background and path from art history to sustainable, plastic-free beauty * The founding story of River Organics * Corinne’s clear passion for creating high performing products from organic ingredients & compostable packaging * Lessons from running a zero-waste, small-batch operation * Why River Organics earned our Disrupting (Top-Rated) badge in our Brand Rating System * Corinne’s reflections on the beauty industry today and the changes she’d like to see in the industry
Members-Only Bonus SegmentIn the bonus segment, Corinne shares a deeply personal look at what it’s been like to carry River Organics forward, the toughest moments she’s faced, and the values that continue to guide her work.
Access the bonus content by becoming a member on Substack.
Other Ways to Support the PodcastIf you enjoyed this episode, we’d love your support:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Share with a friend
- Subscribe for more inspiring brand stories
- Leave a review, we’d love your feedback!
Julian Silva is the founder of Plastno, a Top Rated brand in our Sustainable Jungle Brand Rating System that’s tackling waste in the household essentials space. Through compostable trash bags, refillable cleaning products, and the Plastnofy app, Plastno is making it easier for consumers to reduce waste and live more sustainably—all while prioritizing transparency and ethical production.
In this episode of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, Joy speaks with Julian about his personal journey into sustainability, the origins of Plastno, and what it’s like to build a sustainability-focused company in an industry often filled with misleading claims.
You’ll hear about:
- Julian’s personal background and path into sustainability
- The founding story and mission behind Plastno
- Compostable trash bags, refillable cleaning products & the Plastnofy app
- Challenges, wins, and values shaping Plastno’s journey
- Why Plastno earned our Top Rated badge and the importance of transparency
- Reflections on the waste and cleaning industries and what the future could hold
Members-only bonus:
In the bonus segment, Julian opens up with his personal reflections on managing a business like Plastno, navigating tough tradeoffs between values and growth, and what he’d do with unlimited resources. He also shares his hopes for Plastno and the wider low-waste movement.
To access this bonus content, you can become a member at https://members.sustainablejungle.com/become-a-member/ or as a paid subscriber on our Substack: https://sustainablejungle.substack.com/subscribe
Important Links:* Plastno: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/plastno-brand-rating-review/ * See the brand rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/plastno/ * Watch the video: https://sustainablejungle.substack.com/p/julian-silva-plastno-81 * Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-81/
How to Support the Podcast:Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
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- Leave a review
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Annick Ireland is the co-founder of Immaculate Vegan, a pioneering online marketplace for ethical and vegan fashion. Since launching in 2018, Immaculate Vegan has become a global destination for stylish, animal-free, and more sustainable alternatives to mainstream fashion—curating brands that align with strict ethical and environmental standards.
In this episode of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, Joy speaks with Annick about her journey into vegan fashion, the origins of Immaculate Vegan, and the evolving vegan fashion space.
You’ll hear about:
- Annick’s personal journey and career path leading up to Immaculate Vegan
- The founding story and mission behind the platform
- Common misconceptions about vegan leather and animal leather
- How Immaculate Vegan assesses materials and brand partners
- Annick’s vision for the future of sustainable and ethical fashion
Members-only bonus:
In the bonus segment, Annick gets personal about managing overwhelm, navigating tricky tradeoffs, and what she’d do differently with unlimited resources. She also shares her hopes for the platform’s future. To access this bonus content, you can become a member at https://members.sustainablejungle.com/become-a-member/ or as a paid subscriber on our Substack: https://sustainablejungle.substack.com/p/bonus-episode-80-annick-ireland
Important Links:
Immaculate Vegan: https://www.immaculatevegan.com/
Watch the video: https://sustainablejungle.substack.com/p/annick-ireland-80
Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-80/
How to Support the Podcast:
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
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- Leave a review
- Share this episode with someone who cares about conscious fashion
Allison Callaway is the founder of Activist Skincare, a refill-first beauty brand on a mission to reduce waste, promote ingredient transparency, and deliver truly effective skincare. Since launching in 2018, Allison has formulated every product herself —balancing ethical sourcing, small-batch production, and thoughtful packaging choices. Activist Skincare has since earned our Top Rated badge for its commitment to sustainability, product performance, and ingredient integrity.
In this episode of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, Joy speaks with Allison about her journey into sustainability, the origins of Activist Skincare, and more...
You’ll hear about:
- Allison’s career path to ultimately founding Activist Skincare
- How Activist Skincare’s refillable model works—and why it matters
- Highlights from our brand rating and what makes the brand stand out
- Lessons from a solo founder building a purpose-led skincare company
- Reflections on the beauty industry
Members-only bonus:
In the bonus segment, Allison gets personal about the challenges of running an activist-led beauty brand, balancing motherhood with mission, and thoughts on where we're at as a society right now. She also shares honest advice for other purpose-led founders—and what she’d do differently with unlimited resources. To access this bonus content, you can sign up to become a member here.
Important Links:
- Shop Activist Skincare: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/activist-skincare-rating/
- See the brand rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/activist-skincare/
- Become a member to access bonus content: https://members.sustainablejungle.com/become-a-member/
- Watch the video: https://youtu.be/vRtpxQRfU4Q
- Sign up to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter/
- Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-79/
- Find other rated brands: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-directory/
How to Support the Podcast:
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Leave a review
- Share this episode with someone who cares about conscious consumption
Lindsey McCoy is the co-founder of Plaine Products, a pioneering zero-waste personal care brand born from a desire to tackle plastic pollution. After witnessing firsthand the impact of plastic waste while living in the Bahamas, Lindsey and her sister launched a line of refillable aluminum bottles to replace single-use packaging in the bathroom.
In this episode of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, Joy speaks with Lindsey about the origins of Plaine Products, the evolution of the refill model, and how the brand earned our Top Rated badge through exceptional sustainability practices.
You’ll hear about:
🌴 Lindsey’s personal journey from nonprofit work to sustainable beauty
♻️ How Plaine Products’ refill system works and why aluminum was the material of choice
🏆 Key insights from our brand rating process
💡 Challenges and wins of building a mission-led brand
🌍 What the future of zero-waste beauty might look like
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/-kq0YaVMyOU
Important Links:
👇 Shop Plaine Products: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/plaine-products-brand-rating/
🔍 See the brand rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/plaine-products/
🌱 Register your interest to become a member: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA
💌 Sign up to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter/
📝 Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-78/ https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-directory/
How to Support the Podcast:
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
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⭐️ Leave a review
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In this episode, we’re joined by Katie Schmidt, founder of Passion Lilie—a New Orleans-based fashion brand that blends timeless design with deep fair trade values. Katie and her team work hand-in-hand with artisan partners in India, helping preserve traditional techniques and uplift local communities through meaningful employment and long-term collaboration.
Passion Lilie is also one of our Top Rated brands, recognized for their ethical sourcing, customer-loved products, and sustainability commitments. In this conversation, Katie shares how she built a business that prioritizes people, purpose, and craftsmanship.
You’ll hear about:
- Katie’s personal journey and founding story
- How Passion Lilie supports and uplifts artisan communities in India
- Why slow fashion and timeless style are core to the brand’s mission
- Highlights from our brand rating and what makes Passion Lilie a Top Rated brand
- Reflections on ethical fashion and industry change
Important Links
👇 Shop Passion Lilie: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/passion-lilie-brand-rating-review/
🔍 See the brand rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/passion-lilie/
🌱 Register your interest to become a member: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA
💌 Sign up to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter/
📝 Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-77/
💚 Find other rated brands: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-directory/
How to Support the PodcastThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Leave us a review on your favorite platform
- Share it with someone who cares about conscious consumption
Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚
Meet Bernardo Carreira, founder of 8000Kicks—the brand behind the world’s first waterproof hemp sneakers.
In this episode, Joy speaks with Bernardo about the personal story behind the company, how he (with the help of his grandmother) launched an innovative hemp footwear brand, and what it takes to build a business rooted in sustainability, ethics, and performance.
8000Kicks is one of Sustainable Jungle’s Top Rated brands—recognized for its use of innovative materials like hemp, strong supply chain transparency, fair labor practices, and commitment to reducing its footprint.
Members-only bonus: In the extended bonus segment, we go behind the scenes to discuss the personal challenges of running a mission-led company, how Bernardo balances innovation with business realities (and a grueling workload), and some more killer advice for other sustainability focused entrepreneurs. Stay tuned for details on how to access this exclusive content or register your interest here: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA
Important Links
- See 8000Kicks' Rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/8000kicks/
- Visit 8000Kicks (affiliate link): https://www.sustainablejungle.com/8000kicks-brand-rating-and-review/
- Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter
- Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-76/
- Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pODntNv5zRY
- Find other rated brands: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-directory/
- SJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablejungle/
How to Support the PodcastThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Leave us a review on your favorite platform
- Share it with someone who cares about conscious consumption
Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚
We’re continuing our series of conversations with the founders and leaders behind the brands we’ve rated—this time with Aram Terry, the Co-founder of MasayaCo.
MasayaCo is a regenerative furniture brand rooted in reforestation, craftsmanship, and long-term impact. Top Rated through our Brand Rating System, MasayaCo is built on a vertically integrated model that largely controls its entire supply chain—from seedlings to finished furniture—ensuring both environmental and social responsibility.
In this episode, Aram shares his journey from his Peace Corps service in Nicaragua to founding MasayaCo, and how the company grew into a full ecosystem that now includes Masaya Homes and Masaya Teak, and what it really takes to build a values-led business.
We talk about:
✔ Reforestation, regenerative design, and vertical integration
✔ The realities of supply chain control and staying mission-aligned
✔ What helped MasayaCo become a Top Rated brand
✔ Why long-term thinking and transparency are so important
🎧 Members-only bonus: Aram reflects on the challenges of leading a mission-driven business, how he manages difficult trade-offs, and what he believes needs to shift in our culture of overconsumption. Stay tuned for details on how to access this exclusive content or register your interest here: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA
Important Links
- See MasayaCo's Rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/masayaco/
- Visit MasayaCo (affiliate link): https://www.sustainablejungle.com/masayaco-brand-rating/
- Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter
- Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-75/
- Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DQJ1jKhnlqg
- Find other rated brands: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-directory/
- SJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablejungle/
How to Support the PodcastThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Leave us a review on your favorite platform
- Share it with someone who cares about conscious consumption
Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚
We’re continuing our new chapter of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast—where we dive into the real stories behind the brands we’ve rated on their sustainability efforts.
In this episode, we’re joined by Jennifer Roberge, co-founder of The Kind Pet— the first online marketplace devoted exclusively to sustainable pet products—and co-owner of Boba & Vespa - a plastic-free, zero-waste pet toy brand made in the USA that was recently Top Rated by Sustainable Jungle. Jennifer shares how her passion for conscious consumerism and animal welfare led her to launch The Kind Pet. We explore her journey from founding the retail platform to acquiring Boba & Vespa.
We talk about:
- What makes a more sustainable pet brand
- Why circularity and end-of-life design matter
- How to build trust in an industry full of greenwashing
- The challenges—and rewards—of staying true to your mission
🎧 Members-only bonus: In our extended conversation, Jennifer opens up about the personal challenges of running a mission-driven business, tough trade-offs, and what it really takes to keep moving forward. Stay tuned for details on how to access this exclusive content or register your interest here: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA
Important Links
- See The Kind Pet Rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/the-kind-pet/
- Visit The Kind Pet: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/the-kind-pet-brand-rating-review/
- Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter
- Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-74/
- Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hwFIi3V_Jtg
How to Support the PodcastThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
- Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
- Leave us a review on your favorite platform
- Share it with someone who cares about conscious consumption
Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚
We’re back! In this relaunch episode, we introduce the new direction for the Sustainable Jungle Podcast—one that dives into the real stories behind the brands we rate for their sustainability efforts.
Joining us is Sara Redmond-Neal, founder of Small Mighty CSR, a sustainability consultancy that helps small and medium sized businesses build practical, credible, and values-driven sustainability strategies. With nearly two decades of experience, Sara makes sustainability accessible to every business with low-cost resources and practical training.
Through Small Mighty CSR, she offers services such as sustainability strategy development, ESG maturity assessments, coaching for internal teams, and communication support to help avoid greenwashing and build trust. Sara also provides practical free resources including her Quick Start Checklist, CSR Check-up and Sustainability Strategy DIY Guide.
Sara provided valuable feedback in shaping our sustainability rating framework. We talk about Sara's career path, what she sees as critical for more sustainable brands, what businesses often get wrong, and why credible sustainability claims are more important than ever.
Sara also shares actionable advice for brands working to improve their impact and thoughts on how the industry can shift toward real change.
🎧 Members-only bonus: In our extended conversation, Sara shares some of the emotional challenges of working in sustainability—including eco-overwhelm—and shares practical strategies for staying grounded and optimistic in the face of slow progress... along with even more advice for brands and consumers. Stay tuned for guidance on how to join!
💚 Learn more about our brand ratings
📹 Watch on YouTube
🔒 Member content coming soon – stay tuned or register expression of interest here
👩💼 Connect with Sara
✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter
📝 Show notes
How To Support The Podcast
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:
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- Leave us a review on your favorite platform
- Share it with someone who cares about sustainability
Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚
Meg Carney is an outdoor and environmental writer with a passion for environmental advocacy. She primarily covers topics within the outdoor industry ranging from the best new products and greenwashing to the scientific coverups of hazardous chemicals. Her work can be found in digital publications such as Field and Stream, Popular Mechanics, and GearJunkie, and her environmental journalism extends into podcast production with her original shows, Outdoor Minimalist and Forever Chemicals.
We discuss Meg's deep connection to the natural environment, her book, The Outdoor Minimalist and her podcast by the same name but mostly we focus on her current original podcast show called Forever Chemicals which dives deep into the history and impact of PFAS and the direct actions we can take to make a difference to planet and people.
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Find the show notes here and the video here.
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Dr. Saleem H. Ali is currently Chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware (USA). His career in academia, industry and as a National Geographic explorer has exposed him to a range of industries, professions and over 160 countries. Dr. Ali is a Member of the The United Nations International Resource Panel and a nonprofit board member for Adventure Scientists and Mediators Beyond Borders. He has written several books that deal with sustainability themes and his latest book Soil to Foil: Aluminum and the Quest for Industrial Sustainability delves deep into the significance of aluminum in our lives and its profound implications for our planet's health.
In this episode, we cover his educational and career highlights, we go deep on his new book which is applicable to a wide range of audiences from industry professionals to consumers. We also touch on COP28, climate change anxiety and actions we can all take to build a better future.
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Kate Flynn is an entrepreneur passionate about creating a more sustainable future. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sun & Swell, a Certified Women-Owned, B-Corp based in Santa Barbara, CA with a mission to eliminate single-use plastics from the packaged food industry and build a more circular food system.
Kate earned her MBA from Harvard and holds a BA in Economics from University of California - Santa Barbara. Prior to launching Sun & Swell, she was a Management Consultant and CPA. She lives in Ojai, California with her husband and co-founder, Bryan, two small children, and labradoodle.
We cover a bunch of juicy topics including: the evolution of Sun & Swell into a mission based B-Corp, making low waste living more accessible, Kate’s personal journey, sustainability in the food industry, Kate’s advice on building a business with meaning and so much more.
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Find the show notes here and the video here.
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Daphna is the co-founder and CEO of TIPA, a global compostable packaging company providing innovative solutions for the fashion and food industries. Daphna established TIPA in 2010 and was ahead of the curve when she recognized that there was an urgent need to revolutionize packaging systems and reduce plastic pollution around the world. Daphna has received multiple awards for her work, including being named as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2019.
In this episode we cover Daphne’s journey, TIPA and their product range, the complexity and nuances of the industry, what it takes to be truly compostable and Daphne's advice for budding entrepreneurs.
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Before co-founding Aro Homes, Carl Gish was a "product and brand executive with a track record of driving growth, creating shareholder value and building successful teams and brands from Unilever, Amazon, Dyson, eBay and early stage companies".
Aro Homes is revolutionizing residential construction with its carbon-negative, beautiful, and efficient homes. Their mission is to "deliver beautiful homes that accelerate our progress toward a carbon-neutral future".
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Find the show notes here and the video here.
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Jenny Hu is the CPO and co-founder of SHADE by SHADY.CLUB, an online tool for finding sustainable fashion. With a background in building technology with an emphasis on human experiences and behavior, Jenny has spent the last two years building SHADE to empower consumers to choose sustainable choices when it comes to their fashion habits.
SHADY.CLUB was founded with a desire to “stick it to The Man (otherwise known as fast fashion)” and currently offers their first product (SHADE) in Beta: A simple but powerful Chrome extension that integrates visual search into a fashion customer’s shopping journey by suggesting similar, more sustainable alternatives.
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Stephanie Devine is the CEO and founder of The Very Good Bra, the world-first, zero-waste lingerie line that is so pure it can be buried in the garden and or home composted at the end of its life. Stephanie is a serial entrepreneur. One of her companies was a brand specializing in wire free bras in natural fibers and proper cup sizes, born out of being unable to find one as she went through breast cancer treatment. This experience ultimately led to the founding of The Very Good Bra as Stephanie learned about the apparel industry and its wasteful ways. She spent years sourcing and developing this product to prove it could be done, and that with some effort and forethought up front, we could produce products with their end in sight. Stephanie is now OBSESSED with leaving no post-consumer waste. The brand uses no polyester thread, nylon labels, synthetic elastic or spandex/elastane.
Stephanie has a unique and beautiful story which she generously shares in this episode including her journey with breast cancer and how it has inspired her to do more for people and the planet. We also cover her zero waste revelation, toxicity in common lingerie materials and how she’s trailblazed her own sustainability focused path in the fashion industry.
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Erin Meezan is the VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface Inc, a publicly listed company in the USA that manufactures carpet tiles and has earned a reputation as a leader in sustainability.
Erin led the company to unveil a new mission in 2016 – Climate Take Back, tackling the single biggest threat facing humanity: global climate change. This mission is focused on creating a path for Interface and others to reverse global warming, not just reduce carbon emissions.
We first caught up with Erin back in episode 21 so we highly recommend going back and listening to that episode to learn more about Interface and also about Erin personally, including how she got started in this fascinating career. Today we cover the latest progress from Interface, Erin's thoughts on what has changed over the last 3 years, #corporateinfluencing and much more...
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Sam Le Roux is the Canadian co-founder of SOLIOS Watches. “SOLIOS Watches is a Canadian company based in Montreal. [Their] main purpose is to disrupt the Watch and Fashion industry by offering high quality, elegant and eco-friendly solar powered timepieces. [They] want to give people the option to consume sustainable goods without having to sacrifice on design, attractive price or durable quality. [They] believe [they] can influence a new way to live and consume as a society and together create a real change in the way the world perceives fashion.”
We cover how this affordable luxury watch brand is driving innovation and change in a very traditional industry that is very much associated with fast fashion and negative environmental and social impact. We go deep in particular on the material choices Solios has made and their dedication to constant improvement.
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“Gautam Shah is the founder of Internet of Elephants, a social enterprise that develops groundbreaking digital tools to engage people with wildlife. For most of his life, living in the United States, India, Argentina and Kenya, he’s had incredible experiences with wildlife around the world, but no positive impact on that wildlife. In 2014, Shah decided to change that and quit his job of 20 years as an IT consultant at Accenture to pursue new ways that technology could be used towards wildlife conservation.
Through unique mobile games, augmented reality and data visualizations that use GPS and other data gathered about individual animals, Internet of Elephants tells the stories of individual animals studied by conservation organizations and individuals all over the world. In doing so, Shah hopes to catalyze whole new approaches to engaging the public with wildlife.
He is still ruining his back and his eyesight behind a desk and a laptop, but at least he is using his background and experience towards what is most important. Shah lives in Nairobi with his wife and newborn daughter.” - National Geographic
We cover Gautam's transition to working in conservation and the innovative work Internet of Elephants is doing to build an army of urban conservationists.
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Adam founded Move For Hunger in the summer of 2009. Adam’s family has owned a moving company in New Jersey for nearly 100 years (dating back to Great Grandpa Lowy). After years of seeing so much food wasted when people move, Adam decided to take action.
Move for Hunger is a network of socially-responsible relocation companies providing their customers, clients, and residents with the opportunity to donate their food when they move. Members of Move For Hunger also volunteer to host/assist with community food drives, participate in cause marketing campaigns, and create employee giving programs. Since 2009, they have delivered more than 22 million pounds of food to food banks across the United States and Canada.
We cover Adam's family history in the moving business, the incredible work Move for Hunger is doing and his thoughts on tackling social and sustainability issues at scale.
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Noel Kok is a storyteller specialising in wildlife and conservation filmmaking. He is passionate about telling African conservation stories and both enabling and building black talent in the industry. He is also the Co-Founder & Programmes Director at Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers Congress (NEWF). He is a recipient of the National Geographic Society COVID-19 Emergency Fund for his inspiring project in St Lucia, South Africa.
NEWF is a “platform in Africa aimed at bringing together nature, environment and wildlife filmmakers, scientists, conservationists and broadcast media to engage, contribute and connect whilst creating a path to conservation through film by amplifying the challenges faced by the natural world and driving solutions through impactful creative science communication. Through an integrated slate of programmes NEWF is inspiring and incubating emerging science, nature, wildlife and conservation storytellers in digital media in africa. Dedicated to discovering the next generation of filmmakers.”
We discuss Noel’s winding career path, the challenge of finding black filmmakers and the importance of enabling the next generation of storytellers to positively shape our natural world through film.
Fundamentally, Noel answers the question we’re all asking - How do you change the story?
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Simon Griffiths is the Co-founder and Head Honcho of Who Gives a Crap, a mission based company that sells “good looking, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues direct-to-consumer and donate 50% of [their] profits to help build toilets for those in need”. Simon co-founded the business with the big hairy goal of having a huge impact on the world’s global problems - and they’re doing it! Since 2013, they’ve donated $8M to water, sanitation and hygiene projects and initiatives around the world!
We discuss all this and more including advice for other aspiring mission based entrepreneurs.
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Meera Jain is a teacher, a close friend of Sustainable Jungle and The Green Mum! The Green Mum’s Instagram account is an incredibly honest, authentic and non-judgemental space to learn about living a greener life, especially with kids. Meera focuses on low impact living including zero waste, plant based and vegan food and everyday eco choices and trade offs.
In this episode, we cover Meera’s reflections on her own journey and some of her top tips for mums and others. We also cover conscious consumerism and her thoughts on making the holiday season that much more thoughtful.
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Georgina is on a mission to reduce overconsumption by using positive storytelling to shift social attitudes. As the founder of pebble, she has inspired consumer change through her much-loved magazine, events and online community for the last 3.5 years. She has 17 years experience as a magazine publisher and editor, has worked with corporations and charities as an editorial and comms strategist.
Pebble is a sustainable lifestyle magazine covering ethical fashion, design, food and travel. #pebblesmakeripples.
In this episode we talk about the impressive projects pebblemag has covered over the last year including their very own pebble forest! We also cover Georgina’s two books that are coming up for release early next year and the upcoming futurefest pebblemag will be hosting in November which we at Sustainable Jungle are super excited to be part of.
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Carlee is a co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization dedicated to amplifying the minority voices in the field of shark science. Originally from Detroit, MI, she moved to south Florida and received her B.S. in biology from Florida Atlantic University in 2016. She currently works as a marine turtle specialist, helping to protect sea turtles in Florida. This past summer she received her M.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University. Carlee’s master’s research examined how provisioning (feeding) tourism affects the behavior, habituation and abundance of nurse sharks in Belize. She continues to work in the field of shark science, working to increase diversity in this field.
We cover all of this fascinating and important work and much more!
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Alfred Adjabeng is the founding executive director of Reach Out to Future Leaders Movement (ROFLM), a community-development-based organisation that is responsible for ensuring that young people are educated, empowered and engaged for local development in Ghana.
School Farms is ROFLM’s flagship programme. School Farms supports rural schools in Ghana to be food sufficient by creating community-driven farms to grow what they eat.
Alfred is also passionate about social innovation, development practice, public policy and environmental sustainability. He is a Chevening scholar at the Institute of Development Studies, the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. He also has several impressive accolades:
- Awarded African Youth SDG Achiever of the year by Africa Youth SDGs Summit and the UNDP in 2018
- Selected to be one of 40 Young African Innovators to Attend Africa4Tech Conference in Morocco in 2016
- Was among 40 young people in Ghana awarded the 2016 MBC Fellowship for contribution to local agriculture development in 2016
- Came second place in the 2016 West Africa Regional Mandela Washington Fellows Regional Conference’s pitch competition (pitch was on ‘Achieving Zero Hunger in Schools-The school farms programme approach’)
- Youth keynote speaker at the second Global Youth Summit on Youth Agribusiness, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship Summit on Innovation in Dakar-Senegal.
- Awarded the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders by President Obama in 2015
- Was among 23 young Africans awarded SETAfrica 2014 Fellowship by Makerere University Business School in Uganda for contribution in advancing Social Entrepreneurship in Africa.
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Dr. (Hon) Wong Siew Te, founded the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in 2008. One of the few Malaysian wildlife biologists who was trained in Taiwan and U.S.A., Wong has been studying and working on the ecological conservation of the sun bear since 1998. His pioneering studies of sun bears in the Bornean rainforest have taken him into the most threatened wildlife habitats on Earth, where field work is exceedingly difficult.
Seeing sun bears in dreadful captive conditions inspired Wong to set up the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in 2008.
We cover all this in detail as well as the recently released book that has been written by Australian Author Sarah Pye about Wong’s life and his quest to save the Sun bears.
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Ndéye Marie Aïda Ndiéguène is a Sénégalese author, social entrepreneur and climate activist. She has written two award winning books, founded a construction company called Eco Builders Made in Sénégal and has represented Sénégal at the UN Youth Climate Action Summit. She has also been named as an Ashoka Africa Youth Champion, a Youth Connekt Africa Awardee and a SUSI’s Fellow . Marie has also set up a Climate Summit for climate leaders in Sénégal.
Eco Builders Made in Sénégal uses recycled materials like tyres, bottles and plastic bags to build affordable food storage solutions for farmers in rural areas. This innovative engineering company not only massively extends the life of farmed food like onions and potatoes but also focuses on developing skills in rural communities through community engagement and training.
In this episode we talk about this incredible innovation in detail as well as Marie’s thoughts on doing business as a woman. We also cover the award winning books she has written and her passionate climate activism.
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Tamsin is the co-founder of Onloan, a UK based fashion rental company. Having always been passionate about doing something meaningful, Tamsin has had several impactful roles in her career including volunteering for Technoserve at a coffee mill in Zimbabwe, working for impact investor Acumen as the Executive Operating Officer of a Cotton Ginnery in Uganda and helping social entrepreneurs get funding while at ClearlySo. Tamsin has also refined her business skills while working as a Management Consultant in London and is energised by combining business with social impact - a passion that led her to Onloan!
Onloan believes that great clothes should be enjoyed, not consumed. So they loan women clothes, for work and the weekend, from the best contemporary brands, on a monthly subscription.
Tamsin shares her thoughts on squiggly careers, fast fashion and why now is the time for fashion rental. We also cover how Onloan works and some of the extraordinary brands they offer. And of course, the world is still smack bang in the middle of dealing with and figuring out how to recover from COVID-19 so we chat about that too.
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Jerry Yudelson is the author of 12 professional books in the field of green building and sustainable design, an arena where he’s known globally as “The Godfather of Green.” As a campus organizer for the very first Earth Day in 1970, Jerry’s recollections are featured during an Earth Week in the A+E History Channel’s podcast, History This Week. Jerry’s nine-word resume reads simply: Engineer by training. Marketer by inclination. Writer by Avocation.”
His new book, The Godfather of Green: An Eco-Spiritual Memoir, published on Earth Day 2020, combines his career as an active environmentalist with an inspiring story of spiritual awakening and discovery.
In this episode, Jerry shares what it was like to live with out-of-control air and water pollution in the 1960s and 70s in Los Angeles and how he was involved in organising the very first Earth Day on his college Campus in 1970 which of course, helped lead to real change. Jerry also shares his reflections on what we can learn from the current Coronavirus pandemic and he tells us all about his latest book, titled the “Godfather of Green: An eco spiritual memoir”.
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Jenny Whelan is a true eco-warrior and is the Admin Director / Enrolment & Payroll Officer of Albert Park Kinder in Melbourne, Australia. She was the driving force that ultimately converted the Kinder into the very first Carbon Neutral early learning center in Australia.
Oscar Pearce is the School Captain (Student Head) at the local high school, Albert Park College, in Melbourne, Australia. He is working with Jenny and others to drive change, both at Albert Park College and in the community, towards a more sustainable future.
In this episode we talk about what it took to become carbon neutral, how they are inspiring other schools and even facilitating this movement and various thoughts on education, school strikes and how things are changing for our young people.
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Ayana Young is a podcast and radio personality specializing in intersectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology and land-based restoration. Graduating summa cum laude with an undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University including a double major in Art History and Theology and a minor in Philosophy, as well as education through Columbia University in Ecology and Eastern Religions and Restoration Ecology at the University of Victoria, Young has a strong academic background at the intersections of ecology, culture, and spirituality. She was studying at Columbia when the Occupy Wall Street movement began and amid the burgeoning resistance in Zuccotti Park, she co-created the Environmental Working Group.
For The Wild is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land based protection, co-liberaton and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift from human supremacy towards deep ecology.
For the Wild run their own activist and restoration activities including the holistic restoration of a redwood forest… listen out for this particular part of the conversation as it was a revelation to me that not all tree planting is equal. We also chat about Ayana’s background, her journey and her passion for old growth forests.
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“Dan is the Co-Founder and Chief Grain Officer of ReGrained, a mission-driven ingredient platform that leverages technology and culinary science to transform beer waste into food. Dan is an entrepreneurial systems thinker and loves tackling seemingly intractable problems through creative entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through ReGrained, he has become a thought-leader about food waste business models, "edible upcycling" and the circular economy for food.”
“ReGrained rescues the nutritious grain created every time beer is brewed. Powered by patent-pending tools and culinary creativity, [they] elevate this overlooked but awesome ingredient to the hero status it deserves with [their] award-winning upcycled nutrition bars, puffs and premium ingredients.”
In this episode, we talk about the food waste problem, this no-brainer solution, Dan’s journey in mission-based entrepreneurship, the challenge of perishable sustainable food packaging and what’s next for REgrained.
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Mike Smith is an experienced entrepreneur, having spent the past decade building start-ups across a range of industries including technology, surfing, hospitality, fashion and wine. He’s also the founder of registered Australian charity The For Good Group and The Seaweed Project. He is also the founder of Zero Co.
“[Zero Co] is on a mission to eliminate single-use plastic from every Aussie kitchen, laundry and bathroom. To do that we’ve created a circular supply chain that replaces single-use plastic packaging with beautifully designed dispensers (made from plastic waste pulled from the sea) and refill sachets (made from recycled materials diverted from landfill).Zero Co works via an incredibly simple 4 step process: you order, we deliver, you return, we refill. It’s just like the milkman…reimagined!” – Zero Co
We cover Mike’s journey starting Zero Co, their mission, how they’re doing it and Mike’s advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs.
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Maya K. van Rossum has served as the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network since 1994. Maya is the founder of the national Green Amendment Movement. In her role as the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya has dedicated her life to being the “voice of the Delaware River.” She has taken on industry, government, and even the U.S. Army, preventing harm to the River, communities, and environments she bravely champions. Now, Maya is working to empower individuals across the nation to stand up for their environmental rights by pioneering the Green Amendment Movement through her organisation the Green Amendments For The Generations..
The goal of the Green Amendments For The Generations initiative is to advance a Green Amendment movement that sweeps the nation and secures for all people constitutional recognition and protection of their inalienable rights to clean water, clean air and healthy environments.
We cover all this and more in this fascinating conversation!
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Chris Fisher is an archaeologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University. He is the Director for the Center of Archeology & Remote Sensing (CARS). Chris has performed fieldwork throughout Latin America, Europe, and North America. His work is featured in the New York Times Bestselling Book, The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. He founded the Earth Archive out of his experiences using remote sensing technologies in Mexico & Honduras to better understand the causes and consequences of urbanism and environmental change.
The Earth Archive is an unprecedented scientific effort to LiDAR scan the entire surface of the Earth before it’s too late.
In this episode, we cover more on The Earth Archive, the meaningful applications of the technology to mitigate the impact of climate change and their plans for the coming year.
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Georgina Wilson-Powell has been a magazine editor for 16 years, she has a slight obsession with setting up magazines and brands and flying by the seat of her spotted (now organic bamboo) pants. Her previous roles include Associate Publisher in Dubai responsible for BBC Good Food and Lonely Planet Traveller magazines; an exclusive blogger for BBC Travel and managing many Time Out travel guides. She set up her first magazine aged 21 focusing on music and street art magazine back when street art was called graffiti.
Georgina is also the founder of pebble magazine, pebble magazine is a fast growing destination for a stylish, sustainable life with a passionate audience. They are all about supporting businesses that have developed fairer ways of trading and making choices that lighten the load of your life on the planet. In their words: “What we’d really like is just to say we’re a magazine about living a good life full of adventures and for all this talk of eco this and ethical that not be needed any more, because it’s just the way we all do things.”
Listening back to this episode we spend a lot of time laughing which reflects how much fun this conversation was. We chat about how Pebble Mag came to be, how consumerism is changing and the role of media in driving change… oh and we talk about innovation in fashion… with hemp and stinging nettles making notable mentions
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Adam has a long history in ethical investment, with an expertise in superannuation, ESG (environmental, social and governance) research and constructing ethical sharemarket indices. He leads the ethical investment team at Future Super and is a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to founding Future Super, Adam spent almost 10 years at Australian Ethical Investment as a senior manager in business development and marketing. He is a director at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, an organisation dedicated to shareholder advocacy and engagement. Adam is also the portfolio manager for the Thomson Reuters Australian Fossil Fuel Free Index, and a member of the Responsible Investment Committee for the Betashares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF and Betashares Australian Sustainability Leaders ETF.
Kirstin is the Managing Director at Future Super where she is leading the movement to use the power of money to invest, advocate and campaign for a future worth retiring into. Kirstin began her career as a Solicitor at Freehills before moving to Bain & Company where she specialised in financial services strategy, working for clients in banking, insurance and wealth management in Australia and Canada. She has done pro-bono work for non-profits including the Aboriginal Trust Fund Remuneration Scheme, OzHarvest and Whitelion, chaired the board of the Youth Food Movement Australia, and founded Aussie Babywearers for Refugees.
In this episode, we talk about the power of money and how your retirement investments can contribute in a massive way to changing the world for the better… and how simple and easy it is to do just that. We also cover Future Super’s leading approach to building an incredible team, what they’re doing to promote a fair, inclusive and enjoyable workplace and how they’re driving change, not only through investing members funds but also out on the streets.
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Dave grew up in Bendigo, Victoria and tries to spend as much time as possible exploring remote parts of Australia. He’s always felt a bit guilty driving a diesel 4WD to get to pristine natural places, which is what inspired Jaunt. With two decades of experience leading top digital experience agencies combining emerging technology with beautiful design, he’s excited to bring sustainable technology to adventure travel.
Jaunt creates unique journeys to explore regional Australia through a bespoke car rental service with iconic cars up-cycled into electric vehicles. Catering to the growing demand for tourism products that are more adventurous, more attuned to local culture and more sustainable. Their vision is to work in partnership with regional communities and have the mechanical and electrical engineering work completed locally.
We cover all these topics and more… in fact look out for Dave’s perspective on finding purpose in what you do… for us that is a gem of an insight…
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PATCH was born when James Dutton (the founder of Nutricare) noticed that while trying to protect his son’s adventure wounds his skin was in fact reacting badly to a common wound covering and making the wound worse. This puzzled James and he set off on his mission to find out why. He was shocked to discover that there is an array of chemicals that lurk in the common plasters. He became motivated to find better alternatives when he found that Charlie wasn’t alone with his reactions.
The result (after much evolution) is a completely compostable (and safe for worms) wound care product and Nutricare, the holding company that will ultimately support the development of various sustainable products.
We cover how this idea developed, a lot more detail on the actual PATCH strips, how James plans to expand the product range and thoughts on running a sustainable business including going through the B-Corp registration process.
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Danielle Doggett is the co-founder and Managing Director of Sailcargo Inc, the “freshly emerging freight company, here to make a name in the sustainable transportation market.” SailCargo are currently building their very first ship in their rustic shipyard on the Coast of Costa Rica. Ceiba, this first ship, “will offer something unique to both exporters and importers: the opportunity to finally close the loop for their most important organic, sustainable products.” – they will transport these important products between the Americas, all while running an entirely carbon negative operation.
In this discussion, we cover the ubiquity and destruction of modern day shipping, how Sailcargo will not only build Ceiba in a sustainable way but how they plan to actually deliver carbon negative shipping. We also cover their innovative funding model, operating a sustainable start up in Costa Rica and how the project is doing so far.
Danielle was calling in from an ultra rustic shipyard on the coast of Costa Rica so the audio for this episode is a little hummy, but hey on the bright side, how amazing is technology that we can even bring you this story from the other side of the world!
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Adam Baske is the Director of Policy & Outreach at the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and has over 15 years of ocean-related experience, with specialties in global tuna fisheries, international environmental policy bodies, and marine education. Adam has worked in diverse fields across the spectrum of marine conservation and management, including as a fisheries observer in Alaska, as an educator on-board a state-of-the-art sailing school vessel, and as a manager for an international campaign aimed at reforming the world’s largest tuna fisheries.
Julie Thomas is the Project Manager on the beautiful island St Helena. As Project Manager, Julie uses her knowledge and experience to support the St Helena's tuna fishing industry to develop and expand, whilst ensuring that the island’s maritime zone is sustainably managed for future generations. She has been involved in the existing commercial fishing industry on St Helena Island for over 10 years. Her exposure to the fishery includes practical and theoretical knowledge as she is an executive committee member of the St Helena Commercial Fisherman’s Association (SHCFA) and also represents the fishermen and the industry as a member of the St Helena Fisheries Corporation (SHFC) Board.
The International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) works to develop, support and promote socially and environmentally responsible pole-and-line and handline tuna fisheries around the world. IPNLF’s ambition is to contribute to thriving coastal fisheries, including the people, communities, businesses and seas connected with them.
This was a multi-country recording with Adam and Julie dialing in from the US and St Helena respectively. While the recording is by no means perfect, we were pretty impressed that technology held out, especially from St Helena which is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! We enjoyed learning about one-by-one fisheries and covered the destructive fishing methods that are decimating our ocean life, why the pole and line approach is a sustainable alternative, why it’s not so black and white when considering different and opposing approaches to saving the world like veganism and sustainable fishing, the latest in food trace-ability and if you are a tuna eater, how you can do so in a way that supports both coastal communities and marine environments around the world.
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Susan Stevens is the founder of Made With Respect, an online platform that supports sustainable brands, inspired by a desire to live a more meaningful life. Susan is passionate about being part of the solution in protecting the precious resources around her that are often taken for granted by encouraging consumers to make more conscious choices. Living in New Zealand, a beautiful country with clean beaches, oceans, rivers and lakes, she feels most at peace when she's on or in the water with her husband and 3 children surfing or paddle-boarding. Susan wants to ensure her children and future generations continue to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature. Through her journey her passion was ignited to create a business that supports and enables, a business with a purpose that delivers social and environmental impact.
We cover Susan's motivation and her journey, the key values of her online platform, what constitutes a sustainable brand, the importance of supporting sustainability focused brands what are some of her favourite brands and her thoughts on making the world a better place.
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Brendan Condon is a respected Melbourne-based authority in the field of environmental restoration, among many other things. He has founded numerous sustainability oriented companies including Australian Ecosystems, Biofilta, Cirrus Fine Coffee and Live at the Cape. Brendan is a passionate eco-warrior with immense empathy for humans and the natural world and is actively building his vision of the sustainable city of the future – with a strong focus on urban gardens and redirecting valuable resources that are currently being treated as waste streams
We decided to record this episode outside in Brendan’s very own pop up urban garden in the car park of his inner city offices. For those listeners out there who haven’t had exposure to your typical inner city Australian birdlife, apologies in advance, they do settle down after a while… and this conversation is well worth persevering for. We talk about his journey, 4 of his impressive businesses including a sustainable coffee company and his sustainable living property development… all of which we found incredibly compelling and inherently positive.
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Kate Gilman-Williams:
“Kate Gilman Williams wrote [Let’s Go On Safari] when she was 8 years old. A trip she took to South Africa – and the friendship that developed with her safari guide, Michelle Campbell - inspired her to write Let’s Go On Safari! Upon learning about the threats facing wildlife, Kate came home determined to do something to help the animals who were being harmed by humans - and she knew her generation could help.Kate is now 9 years old and in third grade at Trinity Episcopal School in Austin, Texas.
Michelle Campbell:
Michelle Campbell was born in South Africa and lived in five different countries growing up. She fell in love with the bush at age seven when her family took her on safari. She never forgot that experience and years later, whilst working as an economist, she decided to follow her dream to become a safari guide.
We were so lucky to talk to these two ladies while they were on their book tour together around the US. We talk about the importance of wildlife advocacy, what readers of ‘Let’s Go on Safari’ can expect from the book and Michelle’s other important project “Wild Wonderful World”, which focuses on connecting people from around the world to conservation projects in Africa, a model that developed after Michelle and her partner spend well over a year exploring the continent and learning about conservation issues.
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Ben Young is a caffeine enthusiast and passionate environmental advocate. He is also the founder of Frank Green, a company specializing in solving the single use plastic problem through beautiful, practical reusable products. They are most well-known for their stylish, curvy coffee cups and water bottles. Since their inception in 2013, Frank Green has grown into one of Australia’s most loved reusable cups and bottles brands and is rapidly expanding around the world.
We caught up with Ben at the Frank Green headquarters in Port Melbourne, Australia and we couldn’t help but be inspired by his enthusiasm and energy, he was literally shaking with excitement as he spoke about the company’s vision, their iterative approach, how they’ve built sustainability into their value chain, advice for purpose-driven start ups and Frank Green’s big plans for the future.
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Olivia Kennaway is the founder of sustainable, ethical fashion label Lalesso and more recently, Asha:Eleven. Olivia helped drive the ethical fashion movement in Africa with early involvement in the Ethical Fashion Forum. She was also the instigator of what is today, Soko Kenya, which was then set up by Joanna Maiden in the Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary (and now manufactures ethical fashion for big brands like Asos Africa). She is passionate about building an inspirational label that considers both planet and people by taking sustainability to the next level.
We caught up with Olivia in Betty’s Bay, a small coastal town just outside of Cape Town on a moody and stormy day (so please enjoy a little wind whistling as background ambiance).We covered Olivia’s particularly inspiring journey in ethical and sustainable fashion, her impact on communities and individuals and the brand values that she has built into Asha:Eleven to take it to the next level of sustainability.
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“Justine is the Director of Progress Namibia Technical and Advisory Services. Her academic qualifications include natural science, law, and education. She has most recently been working on the broad framework of sustainable development, including system thinking and economic transformation. Justine has extensive experience working on themes that are interconnected, such as climate change, sustainable land management, poverty eradication, among others. She has a large portfolio of work supporting African governments in their sustainable development planning, and has recently been working closely with the Sustainable Development Goals. Justine leads the Secretarial work of the WE-Africa (Wellbeing Economy Africa Research and Action Network), and is a member of the core research group of the WE-All (Wellbeing Economy Alliance). Justine has published widely on themes from economic transformation, alternative measures of economic wellbeing, as well as climate change, global transformation, and ecology. She has also had extensive experience in developing, implementing and evaluating different projects and strategies all over Africa, including for various UN and bilateral agencies, governments, and business. Justine's biggest passion is the redefining of value systems towards a more equitable world.”
We cover all sorts of ground including growing up as a conservation kid, how looking after yourself and re-evaluating what is most important is vital for doing good in the world, how working in sustainability can be a lonely place, how she and her team are driving the wellness economy in Africa away from old-school metrics like GDP growth and finally, Progress Namibia’s very impressive work.
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“South African Angie Gullan developed Africa’s first structured wild dolphin swim program in 1996 after a two year pilot study in Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique. Under the supervision of Dr Vic Cockroft (The Centre of Dolphin Studies SA), Dr Almeida Guissamulo (The Natural History Museum of University Eduardo Mondlane) & Dr Vic Peddemors (Natal Sharks Board) a set of standard operating procedures were developed that included the implementation of a dolphincare code of conduct with data collection. Angie has worked closely with various governmental institutions in Mozambique to shed light on the importance of ethical marine mammal tourism and the implications of such activities in the area.”
We visited Mozambique’s small coastal town and beach-side paradise, Ponta do Ouro – a spectacularly pristine and beautiful place well known for the incredible diversity of ocean life. We so enjoyed the wildlife, both on land – hello Samango monkeys – and in the water (we saw wild dolphins, incredibly beautiful fish and corals and we spent our evenings watching humpbacks migrate up the coast). At the end of our dreamy week there, after a dolphin encountour, we caught up with Angie and discussed swimming with wild dolphins (in the most ethical and sustainable way possible), the importance of marine reserves and why dolphins are such remarkable mammals.
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“Born and raised in Slovenia, Primož Kovačič is an entrepreneur and geodetic engineer who lives in Nairobi, Kenya. Primoz is a co-founder and director of Spatial Collective, a social enterprise that supports communities and organizations in adopting available technologies to collect, manage, own and use data that is important to them.”
Michelle Gathigi is a Nairobi local and the Spatial Collective Operations Manager. She is an International Relations Graduate from the University of Birmingham and is “passionate about community development and particularly see the benefits of empowering community members to be innovative, creative and proactive in improving their lives.”
We hung out with Primož and Michelle in the Spatial Collective office in the busy, lively “silicon savanna” of Nairobi. We discussed how knowledge and data can give power back to the people and make real, meaningful change.
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Tomás and Marcelo are two Costa Rican biologists who founded deep travel, ecotourism company, the Oropopo Experience, based in San José, Costa Rica. They have a “strong passion for the understanding and protection of tropical environments, as well as sharing the scientific information with people”. Their mission is to “provide authentic experiences around ecosystems and communities of Costa Rica, highly focused in biology, human quality and operational sustainability”.
We spent two weeks hanging out with these two passionate biologists in San Jose as well as the jungles and towns of rural Costa Rica. It was quite the epic adventure and at the end we sat down with Tomás and Celo to chat out what floats their boat, mindfulness in nature, their favourite moments in wild places, why Costa Rica is winning at conservation and renewable energy and thoughts on becoming a more sustainable person. We recorded this episode on the banks of the Tortugeuro river so you will hear the sounds of birds, boats and locals going about their business. Enjoy!
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Misha Teasdale is the Tree-E-O of Greenpop South Africa, a tree planting eco-education organization, popularizing the green movement and coordinating climate-action events and festivals in Southern Africa. Misha has a B-Tech in Sustainable Industrial Design, and before he started Greenpop, had a colourful career, including a journey from Cape Town to London, where he profiled NGO's and CBO's across the continent to attract CSI funding and encourage knowledge sharing and grassroots volunteering. He also drinks coffee, bikes, runs mountains, and practices low-impact living!
We visited Greenpop’s Eden Festival of Action, held in Knysna, South Africa, a small town hit by devastating forest fires and in desperate need of re-greening. We interviewed Misha in the middle of a very high energy tree planting day, in a forest, right next to the ocean so you can hear the waves, the birds and the delighted shrieks of high-school students throughout the episode. We discuss many things but most importantly, we cover how the very special Greenpop events make exceptionally positive change on more than just the environmental front. We were blown away by the energy, love and care that defined the Eden Festival of Action for us so as you listen to this episode, we would encourage you to think of someone who may be interested in attending one of these life-changing festivals and share this episode with them… or perhaps you might like to head over to South Africa and participate yourself?
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Rafael Robles is a biologist, researcher and an esteemed leader in the rural town of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Rafa has also lived and worked in Mexico and has contributed to conservation projects all over the world. He is passionate about his country and their significant efforts to protect their wild places. Rafa has spent a lifetime protecting and improving both human and “wild” life in Tortuguero, Costa Rica and has made extraordinary contributions to making this a model sustainable, rural town
We visited the small village of Tortuguero Costa Rica with our friends from the Oropopo Experience and were really impressed by the village’s intense focus on sustainability and protecting their wild. We were fortunate to get time with local leader, Rafa and enjoyed sitting down in his very ‘alive’ garden (we had a sloth hanging about overhead!) on the edge of the Tortuguero National Park to discuss small town sustainability, surviving a pit viper snake bite and Costa Rica’s success in prioritizing conservation and sustainability.
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Ian Dommisse is an Architect from Cape Town, South Africa. After learning about eco bricks, an innovative “invention” that uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make building materials, he founded the Ecobrick Exchange, “an environment awareness enterprise that facilitates the construction of preschools in underprivileged communities using unrecyclable plastic waste”. Their programmes “empower individuals to address the shortage of quality education facilities, implement sustainable waste management systems and raise environmental awareness.”
We managed to catch Ian while the Ecobrick Exchange was on their big Winter Tour, a series of educational events held in Winter throughout South Africa. Specifically, we managed to gatecrash an epic Eco Festival called the Festival of Action, run by Greenpop (a tree planting eco-education organization, popularizing the green movement in South Africa) and boy are we glad we did, it was outrageously inspiring to see the work these folks do in action – Ian and the Ecobrick Exchange team included! We managed to find a semi-quiet spot, nestled on the outskirts of the Knysna Forest to sit down with Ian and chat about the wonder of ecobricks and how they can be (and are being) used as a powerful tool to tackle our huge plastic pollution problem.
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Luis Ricardo Murillo-Hiller is a Costa Rican entomologist working at the University of Costa Rica. He has been passionate about butterflies his entire life and believes protecting them will help us save the few remaining forests we have. Ricardo founded the Live Butterfly Exhibition together with his professor in 2010 as a way of educating school children about diversity, natural history, sustainable development and butterflies! He, together with his team, also conduct research on genetics, diseases, natural history and they help support breeders who export butterflies for exhibitions globally.
The team at Oropopo Experience introduced us to Ricardo and we visited him in his live butterfly exhibition on the university campus. It was, as you would expect, a little noisy, being in the middle of the big city, San José, but in our little pocket of paradise, we were surrounded by the most beautiful butterflies and jungle sounds - the perfect backdrop to cover some butterfly related topics including why they're so important to protect and how we can all do something to help by planting the right flora in our backyards!
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Fabian was born and bred in Southern Africa. He grew up on a farm in the Kalahari and has always been fascinated by nature and our impact on it as humans, especially when it comes to agriculture. He has studied extensively, covering Botany, Environmental and Geographical Science, Zoology, Agroecology and Permaculture. He now dedicates himself to educating others about the “thrive-ability” permaculture design principles can offer and has some pretty incredible impact stories from working with rural communities in Namibia.
We hung out with Fabian at his farmhouse outside of Windhoek Namibia and along with marvelling over his incredibly sustainable off-grid lifestyle (think solar panels, parabolic stove, solar oven, french drains and veggie garden - in the DESERT!), we got to chatting about about permaculture and how this design system can help with a whole raft of human problems
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Listeners, thank you for your support and feedback over the last 25 episodes! We're entering new era and based on your feedback, slightly adjusting our release schedule and podcast length.
Let us know if this new approach works better!
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Sara and Daniel are nature-loving, eco-warriors and experts on sustainable travel. They are are the founders of Peru Eco Expeditions, a Sustainable, Ecotourism company based in Cusco, Peru that specialises in luxury, customised and sustainable expeditions. They have both enjoyed long careers in tourism in both Peru and the United States and are visionaries when it comes to the tourism industry in Peru. They want to see epic things happen to create a viable and sustainable industry well into the future.
We got to know Sara and Daniel on two of Peru Eco Expedition’s epic bike and trek experiences and boy, was it good fun! We then sat down in the Amazon Cloud forest next to a gorgeous waterfall at the end of almost a week together and captured the essence of what we spent most of our trip time talking about: the importance of connecting to nature, tourism as a double-edged sword, how to be a sustainable tourist, why the Peruvian Amazon Cloud Forest is such an important and special place and what you can do to make the world a better place.
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“Award-winning wildlife expert, author and public speaker, Gareth Patterson, is known internationally for his efforts to protect the lions and elephants of Africa. His wildlife work has featured widely in the media, books and in documentaries.” Gareth has written extensively about his experience rewilding George Adamson’s last lion cubs and subsequently written about his discovery of a viable population of elephants in the Knysna Forest. He continues to work to raise awareness and build passion for the wild with his recent children's’ book “Born to be Free”, his upcoming project “Beyond the Secret Elephants” and his ongoing efforts to reignite African Environmentalism through Sekai Africa.
We visited Gareth Patterson in his cottage on the edge of the beautiful Knysna Forest in South Africa and together with his beautiful bush dog, Tuli (you can hear her grunting and sniffling throughout), covered how Gareth became well-renowned lion man, working with George Adamson's lions, truly incredible stories about rewilding lion cubs, the remarkable story of the secret Knysna elephants in South Africa, Gareth's upcoming project, his new children's book, 'Born to be Free' and his vision for African Environmentalism.
This Episode is dedicated to Gareth’s very special bush dog Tuli who sadly passed away shortly after this episode was recorded. You will be able to hear her joining in throughout this episode, making her presence known
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“An award-winning television presenter and filmmaker, Bonné de Bod, is well-known for her in-depth reporting on wildlife and environmental issues. For nearly a decade, Bonné has presented in both Afrikaans and English on South African television. Awards include the prestigious SANParks Kudu Award for Best Journalist in 2015 and an ATKV-Mediaveertjie in 2016. Her Kudu award stated that she received the nod due to her “passionate, balanced reporting on wildlife conservation issues as well as keeping the public updated and informed about environmental issues in South Africa.” For the last 4 years, Bonné, together with her co-filmmaker Susan Scott, has been working on a film about the rhino horn war and the devastating impacts on our beloved real-world unicorns. The film is called STROOP: Journey into the Rhino Horn War and is due to be released in San Francisco on 9 September 2018!
We met up with Bonné in the Walter Sisulu Gardens in Johannesburg where the 3 of us pretended we were in the wild bush of the Kruger National Park and covered Bonné's career path to telling stories about the wild, the rhino horn problem and some of the amazing work being done to fight the rhino horn war including her upcoming film, 'STROOP: Journey into the Rhino Horn War'.
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Dipesh is quite the eco-leader and one of the founders of the Flipflopi Expedition, a remarkable plan to build a 60ft dhow out of recycled plastic and sail it from Lamu, Kenya to Cape Town South Africa ('just' 5,250km!). More on Dipesh: "Having lived on the Kenyan Coast for seven years, Dipesh became addicted to trash. He was obsessed with what else one could do with all the flip-flops and discarded bottles that he picked off the beach. For a few years, he had a lot of fun building giant size sculptures (have a look at Mfalme the Whale) from thousands of flip-flops as well as houses, water tanks and other structures from plastic bottles. Alas, his children, he was told, could not spend their lives picking trash, and school fees had to be raised, so he and his family left the coast and moved up country where he currently runs an outdoor adventure company near Mt Kenya where it's far too cold to wear flipflops."
We visited Dipesh in Nairobi, Kenya and shortly after, visited dhow maker Ali in Lamu where we got to see the "small" plastic pilot dhow for ourselves! In this wide-ranging discussion with Dipesh, we cover Dipesh's varied but mission-driven career path, the Flipflopi Expedition's key messages and the power of individual choice in changing the world.
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Erin Meezan is the VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface Inc, a publicly listed company in the USA that manufactures carpet tiles and has earned a reputation as a leader in sustainability. Erin came from an environmental law background and has always been exceptionally passionate about making a difference. Today she "leads a global team that provides technical assistance and support to the company’s global business, addressing sustainability at all levels – from operations and management, to employees and customers, and in policy forums". Erin is the definition of a changemaker and a leader.
We were fortunate to chat to Erin in early 2018 and were so inspired by Erin's path and the work that she and her team are doing at Interface. We covered Erin's career evolution, why Interface is an incredible example of sustainability leadership, how they're tracking against their aggressive sustainability goals and some advice for how to do the same in your workplace or business
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Aarón Bendfeldt is a young social entrepreneur based in Guatemala City. After visiting Norway and learning about effective waste management (amongst many other things), he co-founded Grønn, a social enterprise that "generates social, environmental and economical impact through its operation in Guatemala. [They] are creating Guatemala's first glass recycling platform for restaurants and upcycling glass bottles to manufacture handmade glassware and home décor items while providing economic opportunity to vulnerable women living in the most dangerous slums in Guatemala City".
We visited Aarón at the Grønn factory in Guatemala City. The factory is based in a vibrant area so there was all sorts of interesting and fun background noises, including a band that was practising for the Independence Day Festival! It was a fun backdrop for an inspiring, uplifting interview which covered the vaue of social entrepreneurship, turning waste into minimalist beauties, changing the lives of single moms from the most dangerous parts of Guatemala, Guatemalan Gangs and making a difference. Be inspired and enjoy!
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Danelle Murray, together with her husband Brendan, her two kids and her team, runs the Owl Rescue Centre and Sanctuary in Hartbeespoort, South Africa. "The Centre takes in hundreds of owls every year through their rescue efforts. The owls are rehabilitated and when they can survive on their own in the wild, are released in The Sanctuary - a farm which is located within a twelve thousand hectare protected conservancy." Danelle and Brendan are also working hard on a number of other projects including a plastic recycling program and a master plan to save the world with a giant ship. These guys are practical, hard-working legends that are out there making it happen.
We visited the Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort, about 1 hour outside of Johannesburg. Danelle very kindly showed us around, introduced us to some feathery and rather vocal owls and chatted to us about saving + rehabilitating owls, the Owl Rescue Centre's very own plastic processing plant, Danelle's book about their lives in Africa and buying a ship to haul plastic out of the sea!
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Philip Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, who, having been successful in business in the USA and Guatemala, sought meaning and purpose in his life and turned his hand to social entrepreneurship. He built Ecofiltro into a profitable business that serves clean water to the rural poor of Guatemala. Philip also mentors other social enterprises who focus on building financially sustainable businesses and have “doing good” at their core. He now lives in Antigua, Guatemala and also runs an organic coffee farm!
For us, this was an incredibly inspiring interview and we were grateful for the opportunity to learn about the following from Philip: Finding happiness in being a giver, how the concept of 'people, planet and prosperity' is entirely feasible, the Ecofiltro business model, sustainable manufacturing and the role of consumers and social enterprises in driving change.
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Eliza was born in the USA and grew up in Guatemala City to visionary parents who today, run The Jungle School for 400 kids in San Andres, Petén, Guatemala. Back in the USA, she enjoyed a career in PR and events before hearing the call to return to Guatemala to start Itza Wood, the social enterprise that uses local, responsibly sourced wood offcuts (that would otherwise be wasted or burned) to create beautiful heirloom pieces while employing local people and supporting education at The Jungle School.
This interview was done jungle style! We hung out with the fabulous Eliza in the gardens of the Jungle School in San Andres, Petén, Guatemala. The birds were singing, the spiders jumping and the wind blowing so please forgive the range of noises and momentary distractions ;). This was a relaxed and reflective interview that covered supporting education at the Jungle School, creating local employment, using sustainable, natural resources and creating beautiful one of a kind heirloom products
This interview was done outside so the audio can be a little windy at times! Hopefully, the sweet, jungle bird sounds make it worth it ;)
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Frank is a Southern Californian who spent his youth hanging out in nature. He pursued a career in the Navy until, on a prompt from his wife, realized that he needed more in his life. Today, he is the founder of Golden Coast Mead, a small meadery based in Oceanside California that supports healthy bee populations by buying organic honey from regenerative farms. Frank is a deeply thoughtful and deliberate guy and we really enjoyed the opportunity to learn from him!
We had the pleasure of hanging out with Frank at his meadery in Southern California. It was a rather fun and joyous episode, in no way due to the delicious and unique organic, coffee mead we were tasting along the way ;)
We cover Frank’s transition to work that makes him happy, saving bees by choosing suppliers wisely, Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, Regenerative Farming and where to get a good ‘ole mead in Southern California.
Really sorry about the beeping – there was all kinds of construction and meading action at the meadery in the background… you get used to it!
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Elysse is an “Entrepreneur, mentor, and unabashed wanderluster livin' it up in San Diego, CA”. She is the founder of Wabi-Sabi Botanicals, a luxury, ethical beauty line and ‘Be Led by Love’, a beautiful website about self-love and empowerment. Elysse is passionate about the betterment of women… all women!
We caught up with Elysse in her home state of California, USA and she graciously shared her approach to business, self-love and women empowerment all over the world. Many words of wisdom and advice on living a fulfilled meaningful life
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Nick Mott is an outdoor guy! He is also a conservationist, climber, and environmental journalist. He is the Assistant Producer for Threshold, the beautifully produced Podcast which uses” stories to explain how humans are changing and being changed by the planet”.
We met Nick on the Lions Lair Spur Trail Head in Boulder Colorado with the intention of interviewing him out in nature but it was so windy that we ended up having a sauna-like and somewhat noisy interview in the car! Nevertheless, we managed to learn more about Threshold Season 1 including latest updates, what to expect from Season 2 and more about Nick and his 2018 projects.
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Find the show notes here
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“Jenny Golding is a writer, musician, mom, and educator. She loves long rambles in the woods, writing songs, singing harmony, cross-country skiing, and adventuring in the wilderness with George and little George. After 20 years working for nonprofits in conservation and education, she now writes about Yellowstone and natural history topics from her home in Gardiner, Montana, and has published over 40 e-news and print articles for local nonprofits and other digital and print publications.”
“George Bumann can draw, sculpt, and teach about all aspects of Yellowstone. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in wildlife ecology and has spent thousands of hours studying the animals of Yellowstone and interpreting them through art, lectures and courses. It is this intimate, daily knowledge of wildlife, natural history, and animal communication which infuses truth and meaning into his artwork. His art and writing have appeared in popular and scientific publications, and his sculptures can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States and around the globe.”
We spent the most magical day roaming Yellowstone National Park while interviewing Jenny and George for our Podcast. We had almost 3 hours of audio! It was tough editing down to just 1 hour of the best gems from the day which include lessons on noticing the small things and truly listening to better understand the world around you, making deliberate choices about the life you want to live and how nature and wild places give you perspective!
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Show notes for this episode can be found here
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Cara Smyth is a leader in the Fashion Industry. She has built her career in management, brand building, and global scaling and has served as President of Jill Sanders America, a Director of Burberry and the CEO of Menichetti International in Milan. Today, Cara is an Executive Board Member and Vice President of Glasgow Caledonian University New York College (GCNYC) and is also the passionate founder of the College’s Fair Fashion Center.
The Fair Fashion Center (FFC) “focuses on the intersection of profitability and sustainability. With the unique mission to facilitate the incorporation of sustainable practices into fashion, the FFC is proving the business case for sustainability by turning global issues into industry opportunities. The Center is closely aligned with industry leaders and strives to create a fashion industry that is a respectful, regenerative ecosystem supporting people, planet and profits. Its efforts are built upon the recognition that systemic change in the fashion industry requires an approach that is aligned to the industry’s disciplines, and reconciled to the bottom line.”
In this episode, we learned about the complex world of fashion, how fashion can be used as a force for good and how the Fair Fashion Center is changing industry perceptions and turning sustainability into an opportunity.
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Find show notes for this episode here
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Harish Hande is the definition of a social entrepreneur. In 1995, after learning about the power of a distributed energy model, he founded SELCO India, which “provides sustainable energy solutions and services to under-served households and businesses” and recently won the 2018 Skoll Foundation award for social entrepreneurship. Harish has won numerous awards over the years and has an incredible amount of wisdom to share. Today he also heads up the SELCO Foundation and SELCO Incubation Center which support start-up social entrepreneurs working to alleviate poverty. The SELCO family helps the underserved out of poverty and eliminates the environmental and health impacts created by today’s kerosene, coal and wood energy sources.
We talk about setting up a social enterprise in the 90s, SECLO's approach and business model, key lessons Harish has learned along the way, SELCO's impact to date and the other 3 arms of the SELCO family: SELCO Foundation, SELCO Incubation Center and the SELCO Fund.
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Find the show notes here
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"Louis Masai is a visual artist based in London. He uses his research on endangered species as a topic of discussion to heighten the general public’s awareness of the ‘sixth mass extinction’. When not working in the studio, Masai travels around the world painting murals in cities, towns, and villages. These are often of locally endangered species. His paintings have reached out to people in ways that environmentalists and activists find hard to capture. To this effect, he often works alongside scientists, and conservationists as well as environmentally minded companies."
This episode is a little longer than the usual because we were enjoying ourselves and found so many topics that were fascinating to cover with Louis including Louis’ inspiration, his evolution as an artist, his local and international projects and the role of his art in communicating important messages. If you want to jump to a specific topic covered in the interview have a look at the timestamps in the show notes.
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Find the show notes here
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Todd Lemons is an economist, engineer and ultimately, an environmentalist (quite the unique combo). Over the last 25 years, Todd Lemons lived and worked in South and Central America, Mainland China and South East Asia. In that time, he has:
- Served as CEO for EnVision Corp, an “incubator for sustainability technologies and a leader in the development of market-based environmental finance solutions”
- Founded Infinite Earth which “develops and manages tropical conservation land banks and provides environmental offsets and private-label CSR solutions to companies across the globe”
- While at Infinite Earth, together with Biruté Mary Galdikas he founded the Rimba Raya Project, the first validated REDD+ project under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and helped define the criteria by which all projects are measured
- Most recently, founded Veridium Labs, an “environmental FinTech company offering a real-world application of blockchain technology that uses cryptographic environmental mitigation offsets”
In this episode, we cover Todd’s background, how he went from chopping down trees to saving them, the mechanisms being used to do this and how blockchain will be used to dramatically improve how carbon offsets are traded for companies and consumers.
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Find the show notes here
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Aaron ‘Bertie’ Gekoski is an environmental photojournalist, presenter, and film-maker. Over the last 10 years, Bertie has been at the coal face of animal conservation around the world including exposing Namibia’s annual seal cull, pursuing the ‘tortoise mafia’ through Madagascar’s sacred forests, training as an anti-poaching ranger in Zimbabwe, living on-board a commercial tuna fishing vessel and reporting on Borneo’s ‘Sea Gypsies’. His articles and images have appeared in more than 40 international publications, winning multiple awards including the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, photojournalist category. Bertie is a currently a TV presenter for the wildlife and conservation specialists, ScubaZoo TV (SZTV) and has a number of epic projects in the works including, the focus of our discussion, a project on the dark side of the on Wildlife Tourism industry. This is a long-term project for Bertie, kicked off by a trip he made to Thailand where he visited a number of popular animal tourist attractions.
This interview is a little different from our usual in that our topic is not a happy one. It covers Bertie's latest project which exposes the horrific cruelty behind the Wildlife Tourism Industry. The major objective of this episode is to raise awareness and educate ourselves and others on these issues and to ideally slow down demand and support for these types of cruel attractions.
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Find the show notes here (including the ink to Bertie's crowdfunding campaign)
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Ana Berliner is the President of the ATN (Associação Transumância e Natureza), a not-for-profit organization set up to own and manage the Faia Brava Nature Reserve, which is a private reserve in the Côa Valley region of Portugal. The reserve was started by Ana and her husband 20+ years ago with the purchase of 20 hectares of abandoned land. Ana is also the owner of the guesthouse in the small medieval town of Castelo Rodrigo. She is an inspiring person who is the centre of her community, working hard to save endangered species and bring economic development to this rural region of North Eastern Portugal.
We really enjoyed this relaxed conversation with Ana on location overlooking the beautiful Portuguese hills and valleys. We covered a bunch of topics including: how and why she started the Faia Brava Nature Reserve almost 20 years ago, rewilding in Europe and the species they’re helping to save from extinction, how Casa De Cisterna along with other ecotourism businesses in the Côa Valley region are conserving endangered species and how the ATN and Faia Brava work to build local economic development.
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Find the show notes here
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Hayden Wood is the CEO and co-founder of Bulb Energy, an award-winning renewable energy startup, based in London. Hayden has a background in management consulting and together with his friend Amit, spotted an unmet need in the UK’s energy market. They created Bulb in 2015 and have enjoyed the challenge of building a socially driven enterprise whilst delivering low prices and next level customer service.
We had a great discussion with Hayden on a number of topics, including his personal journey to becoming a co-founder of a successful renewable energy startup; the state of the energy market in the UK, how renewables are challenging the status quo, what the secret sauce is behind Bulb’s impressive growth and his advice on getting a next-gen startup off the ground.
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Find the show notes here
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James (Jim) Norrod is currently the Chairman of Recyclebank and the President and CEO of Tellabs Inc. Jim has a tremendous amount of experience making great businesses better and has, in recent years, increasingly focused his attention on mission-driven businesses.
Jim has a pretty impressive business improvement and leadership track record including the following:
- Segway Inc. as Chairman, President & CEO
- Infinite Power Solutions (IPS) as CEO
- Big Belly Solar as CEO
We had a thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of sustainability and business with Jim. He shared his thoughts on what the major differences are in leading a triple bottom line business vs a profit only model; what role consumers, businesses and governments should play in sustainability; if and when a Benefit Corp or B Corp type ethos will become mainstream; what businesses can do to use sustainability as an economic driver and many other nuggets of wisdom on making good business
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Find the show notes for this episode here
Note: Apologies for the poor audio quality in patches on this one - Skype was not playing ball!
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Umberto is a mountain guide in the Abruzzo Region and a naturalist photographer. He works between Abruzzo and Molise regions where, among the immense beech forests in the mountains or in the meadows, you can still see some extraordinary animal species. At the end of the 90s, Umberto had an emotional encounter with the bears of the valley which guided him to what has become his job. He is the creator and the director of Wildlife Adventures project and now he tries to convey the emotions he felt when he was young to those who walk along the paths and the mountains of Central Apennines with him.
Daniela is a conservation biologist who has undertaken several state funded studies of animal species in Abruzzo National Park, including the Marsican Brown Bear, wolves and Chamois (a species of mountain goat). She also works as a tour guide for Wildlife Adventures.
We spoke to Umberto and Daniela on location in Pescasseroli, Italy. They shared their favourite animal stories and the most impactful moments they’ve had in the wild. We also talked about why it’s important to spend time in nature, the role of eco-tourism in conservation, why humans and nature need to learn to co-exist and how the Abruzzo National Park has been successful in involving local communities.
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Find the show notes here
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Florence Gschwend is a PhD graduate from the Imperial College in London. She’s won numerous awards for her work in the use of waste wood for biorefinery applications. Florence was named as one of Europe’s most promising gamechangers under 30 by Forbes. She’s passionate about using her skills to help future-proof the environment. She now runs the Chrysalix Technologies startup which aims to further disrupt the behemoth fossil fuel industry, by turning wood that would otherwise go to the landfill or be incinerated into plastics or fuel.
We had a fascinating discussion with Florence on location at Chrysalix Technologies. We discussed a range of topics from her path to becoming a co-founder of a tech startup; the pros and cons of the bioeconomy; how Chrysalix Technologies aims to disrupt the 150 year old petrochemical industry; her tips, tricks, hacks and advice for scholars, students or anyone aiming to get their own tech startup off the ground.
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Find the show notes here
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Tim Flach is a world-renowned photographer. His body of work, which includes 5 published books (Endangered 2017, Evolution, 2013, More than Human, 2012, Dogs Gods, 2010 and Equus, 2008), focuses on a wide variety of animal species but is united by a distinctive style that is derived from his concerns with anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism. His interests lie in the way humans shape animals, and shape their meaning. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Norwich University of the Arts in 2013. His latest project, Endangered, showcases a selection of species that are on or near the brink of extinction.
In this episode, we had the opportunity to talk with one of the most fascinating animal photographers in the world today. Recorded onsite in Tim's studio in Shoreditch London, we covered a range of topics including Tim's journey to becoming a self sustaining photographer; why he defines himself as an animal photographer and not as a wildlife photographer; what his favorite and toughest animal subjects in his career have been; the role art plays in communicating the challenges of our generation and how we can reconnect people with nature.
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The Sustainable Jungle Podcast is a mission driven show, focusing on solutions for the world's sustainability and conservation challenges. Hosts, Lyall and Joy, talk with some of the most inspiring people working to future proof our planet. Join us as we create a place to encourage and galvanize positive change.
Join us in this (our first ever) episode of The Sustainable Jungle Podcast where we discuss what it is we’re doing, why we’re doing it and who we plan to interview.
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Find the show notes here
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