Transforming Tomorrow

Can a big in-person event be sustainable? Or do all events need to move online? Do you spend your time at parties wondering how sustainable it is – and how it could be better? Hilary Barraclough oversees events organisation across Lancaster University, and she and her team try to make them as sustainable as possible. From promoting sustainable travel to and from venues, to ensuring lower levels of food waste from catering – and increasing the amount of vegan and vegetarian food being served, and cutting down on needless packaging, there are many ways to make a difference. Discover the challenges posed by cling film, the importance of educating and training events staff, how sustainability sits in importance for agencies organising events, an innovative milk packaging solution, and a whole new accreditation system to delight Paul. Does Jan’s sustainability obsession make as boring as she sounds at parties? And why is Paul cursing Warwick? Discover more about the wildlife walks Hilary mentions here: https://wildlifewalk.co.uk/ Episode Transcript

What do businesses get up to in the two-thirds of the world’s oceans outside national jurisdictions? Professor John Virdin has always loved the ocean – despite growing up hundreds of miles from the sea. As Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Programme at Duke University Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions in North Carolina, he has a job title too long for his business card, but a long-term dream of better protection and management of the way we use ocean to provide more food and jobs for people on the coast around the world. John works to analyse the activities of the biggest companies operating in the ocean, engaging with them to see what they are doing and might yet do to conserve the oceans. From wind energy companies, to dredging firms, to container shipping, marine construction, seafood, and offshore oil and gas – so many companies have a presence in the oceans. While these companies are head-quartered in a small number of countries, their operations and impacts span the globe. John explains the work being done to try to bring companies together to make progress, where the major impacts of their actions are, and what factors are influencing their behaviours. We confirm Georgia is not in Texas, bring out the comedy drum sound effect, doubt the possibility of mining a lobster, and explain the mystery of blue carbon. Will we keep Jan’s promise to talk about everything in the sea? And is Paul’s vision of a cruise ship with a wind turbine on top and fishing nets out the back just a crazy pipe dream? Find out more about John and his work here: https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/people/john-virdin Episode Transcript

What can you do to transform your business? What actions can you take to help it be more sustainable? How can your operations be part of the overall sustainability solution and shaping a better society – and how can this ensure your own success? Professors Julia Binder and Knut Haanaes from IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, are here to discuss their new book Leading the Sustainable Business Transformation, and the many topics it addresses. There are many positive examples of business practice across economic, social and environmental sustainability – and Knut even sees the sustainability ‘backlash’ as a positive sign. We take a journey from the importance of business schools in shaping behaviour and attitudes of future leaders, and impacting the bosses of today, to examine how using your head, heart and hands are all essential to pursuing and incorporating a sustainability perspective into business. Along the way, we take in system leaders, sustainability as a team sport, future-back thinking, the importance of entrepreneurs, Chief Sustainability Officer Barbie, and a quick dive into the career of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky! Find out more about Julia and Knut’s book here: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/leading-the-sustainable-business-transformation/ Episode Transcript

The law is back in town! How can you legislate for plastic pollution all around the world? Is it possible to get close to 200 countries to agree on the way forward? What will such a treaty include? Dr Alexandra Harrington is an environmental law specialist in Lancaster University Law School who has been part of the negotiations for a proposed international plastics treaty as a UN-accredited observer. It has not been straightforward – hence the lack of an agreement so far. She takes us behind the scenes on negotiations that have taken place around the world – even if all she ever gets to see are the never-ending corridors of conference centres – and explains why there is the need for a treaty around plastic pollution. And while it may seem to be taking a long time to reach a conclusion, it has been quite speedy compared to similar agreements. Discover how the plastics situation compares to mercury regulations and chemicals frameworks, how countries have banded together to wield their mass influence, and the unexpected connection between this issue and the effects of climate change for low-lying and island nations. And is it possible to say Alex’s title of Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Commission on Environmental Law Agreement on Plastic Pollution Taskforce without taking a breath? Plus, is there more to Busan than zombies and trains? Discover more about Alex’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/law/people/alexandra-harrington Episode Transcript

There are around 144,000 people in the district of Lancaster – from the city itself to Morecambe, the villages and rural areas beyond. They produced 8,998 tons of household recycling in 2023. So, why do these residents only recycle 36% of their plastics? What could you as a resident do to improve your habits? And what happens to the plastic that is recycled when the council collects it? It’s time to bring an end to our investigation of the Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives project – and we bring it all back home. Carly Sparks, Lancaster City Council’s Public Realm Improvement Lead, joins us to talk about their involvement in PPiPL as a waste collection authority. We look at the reasons different councils have different rules for recycling collections, how PPiPL has helped Lancaster City Council find ways to encourage residents to recycle more and in the right way, what can be done to avoid confusion over what can and cannot be recycled, and whether Jan is a conscientious recycler. Could she even become an exemplar – or a pariah – in her community? Plus, the importance of Sort, Wash and Squash. And why does Jan know so much about New Zealand soap operas? Read more about Lancaster City Council’s involvement with PPiPL here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/22/ And find out more about the Wash and Squash it campaign from the council here: https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/bins-recycling/recycling/recycling-boxes Episode Transcript

Do you know what happens to your plastic recycling after your bins are emptied? As we continue our journey through the plastics pipeline, we encounter bin juice and the Mafia. Lancaster University’s Dr Clare Mumford and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)’s Richard Hudson take the Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives project to the final stage of its process – how plastic waste is dealt with. It turns out plastic is not very sociable – one type does not get along with another – and this just adds to the complications when it comes to recycling. We talk about the importance of being able to predict how much waste people are going to produce; the post-Christmas purple polypropylene surge; the need to properly sorting your plastics before recycling, and how to avoid recycling contamination; why moving away from plastics does not automatically mean greater sustainability; and public pessimism over what happens to their recycling. Discover the wonderfully named Association of Cleansing Superintendents of Great Britain and how it grew to have 17,000 members in its current iteration; cringe at the perils of bin juice; and feel the tension rise when Paul’s jokes about the waste management industry being a front for organised crime turn out to be closer to the truth than he imagined. Learn more about plastic packaging and how it can be processed in the Fifty Four Degrees article here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/14/ And read the PPiPL white paper, Waste Matters, here: https://zenodo.org/records/10839761 Episode Transcript

Listening to this episode can change your shopping habits! Do supermarkets care about the planet? What actions are they taking to reduce waste? How are they changing their packaging to address the plastics problem? The team hit the road to speak with Katie Gwynne and Jane Routh, from Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives project partners Booths, about how the supermarket chain thinks and acts around plastic packaging, and how they are looking to change their own behaviours and those of their customers. With an ethos of ‘being the good grocers’ discover how Booths are looking to do the right thing on plastic packaging – both for their own products, and for those of their suppliers. Discover how they have been involved with PPiPL, what they have learned from the project – and their customers, the benefits of working with the other organisations involved, how supermarkets can use their collective influence to instigate change, the shift in attitudes across the industry towards sustainability, and what comes next for them. And do you know which is older – Booths or New Zealand? Paul makes the common mistake of thinking of post-colonial New Zealand, not when people first came to Aotearoa (the indigenous name for what became New Zealand). History is often complex. Pliny the Elder would approve of the conversation. Read more about Booths’ involvement in the PPiPL project here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/26/ And see their sustainability efforts here: https://www.booths.co.uk/sustainability/ Episode Transcript

How do you treat plastic waste in your home? Are you a good consumer? A good recycler or a wishcycler? And is recycling the first thing you see when you open the door to your house? Professors Alex Skandalis and James Cronin bring their marketing and consumer culture expertise to the Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives project – and to the podcast – to analyse consumer behaviours around plastic. But are they just making up all of the language and concepts they mention? From the Aztecs to the Dark Ages, the Victorians to the present day, we discover plastics have been around our culture for much longer than you might think and go far beyond drinks bottles and food containers. Discover a shift from plastic as an environmental saviour to a major sustainability problem, from a luxury item to something almost invisible in its ubiquity, and how the material is intrinsic to our modern-day society. See how the PPiPL team have looked at household behaviours – from their shopping habits to their plastic disposal routines – how actions around recycling at home and at work affect each other; and how individual choices and behaviours are shaped by many factors around you. And we find out the answer to the key question about whether Ancient Egyptians used plastics to wrap their mummies. Read more about consumer attitudes and behaviours towards plastics here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/18/ And read the PPiPL white paper on household recycling here: https://zenodo.org/records/10839795 Episode Transcript

It’s not just consumers who need to change their attitudes and behaviours around plastics. Packaging manufacturers and retailers need to take action too. Professor Linda Hendry makes a return visit to the podcast, explaining how her work on supply chains unites her interests in plastics as part of the Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives (PPiPL) project and on modern slavery. We look at how food producers, packaging manufacturers and retailers decide how to package and transport food before it reaches consumers; the role of government and regulation when it comes to packaging design and redesign – and the difficulties companies have in using packaging that meets these requirements; and how consumer attitudes affect how companies operate. Linda outlines the strategies businesses can apply to cut the plastic packaging and waste they produce, and explains the ‘regrettable substitute’ concept as she tells us why alternatives are not always better. We cover important issues of the day: Does Jan have a crisp addiction problem? Does Paul give his children too many crisps? Did Linda mislead her kids about how many crisps they had in the house? And how does this all fit in with packaging decisions? Plus, does Linda – or her domestic engineer – know whether the Ancient Egyptians wrapped mummies in plastic? Is there a serial killer on the PPiPL project? And how do the Minnesota Vikings defensive line of the 1970s fit into it all? Read more about the seven steps towards sustainable packaging innovation: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/10/ And read the PPiPL project’s white paper on packaging here: https://zenodo.org/records/10839787 Episode Transcript

“I just want to say one word to you. Just one word… plastics.” We don’t have Dustin Hoffman, but we do have a journey into a fascinating world as we take a deep dive into the Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives (PPiPL) project. Dr Alison Stowell and Professor Maria Piacentini join us as we discover how consumers think and behave when it comes to plastic food packaging, and how PPiPL hopes to change the attitude-behaviour gap. Discover how the project researchers have engaged with organisations from supermarkets to local government, SMEs to waste management firms, to gain a big picture of attitudes and actions, and make a real-world impact. What happens in your household when it comes to plastics recycling? Do you say you’re going to do one thing, but then do another? Do you make a concerted effort to buy packaging that can be recycled – or even packaging that is not made from plastic? There is so much to talk about, and many questions for all of us to consider when it comes to our usage of plastics – including how Nonna can swap out plastic for tea towels to bring a famous family pizza all the way from Glasgow to Lancaster. And how many words are in the sentence ‘It’s complex’? Find out more about the PPiPL project here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/ppipl/ And read more from the PPiPL team here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_21/ Episode Transcript

Take a moment to consider what your local area. Do you feel connected to it? Does it feel like a real home? Morecambe Bay is a natural marvel. Stretching from Fleetwood in the south to Barrow-in-Furness in the north, it encompasses Lancaster, Morecambe, and many small towns and villages along the Lancashire and Cumbria coastlines. And Paul feels right at home as he and Jan welcome Carys Nelkon and Dr Beth Garrett to reveal the wonders of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum to them. The curriculum involves more than 140 educators across the Bay and is embedded in day-to-day teaching. It uses the wonders of the area and its people and ties them into the National Curriculum. It allows children to develop a love for their home and take a practical interest in its future, and schools and colleges to take a fresh look at how they deliver education to young people. From birds to beaches, travel to the energy industry, there is a lot to cover. Discover why Morecambe Bay is such an important place, what brings its communities – and its schools and educators – together, how the Eden Project Morecambe has provided a spark to reinvigorate the area and develop the curriculum, and how Lancaster’s role as a civic university fits in. Find out more about the Morecambe Bay Curriculum here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/morecambe-bay-curriculum/ And read about the Beach Schools Network here: https://www.forestschools.com/pages/beach-schools And as a bonus, here is a starting point for finding out more about Patrick Geddes: https://camera-obscura.co.uk/article/patrick-geddes Episode Transcript

How can business and management schools help to shape the leaders the world needs? It’s time to examine how we operate, and how we can change to better suit the businesses of the future. Dr Marian Iszatt-White becomes our first return guest as she talks to Jan and Paul about her work on the B-School to ESG School project. Her latest work is looking at how Environmental, Social and Governance should be at the heart of a business school’s operations. Discover how we can help to ensure our graduates go into the world and make a positive change. How do students think about environmental and sustainability issues? Do opinions change depending on where they are from? How do lessons learned as a student compare to the reality of going into the world of business? Marian explains the disconnect between what students are taught and what they see happening across a University; how business schools can embed ESG at the core of their operations; and reactions among senior management and staff to the projects suggestions. Read more about the B-School to ESG-School project here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_23/47/

What is normal now was not always so. People used to smoke in bars and offices; junk food used to be advertised during children’s TV programmes; drivers and passengers used to travel in cars without seatbelts – but not now, and for some people it feels it has always been this way. Professor Carlos Larrinaga, from the University of Burgos, talks us through the process by which new ideas spread and become norms – both with and without regulation in place. With a focus around Carlos’s expertise on sustainability reporting, we look at how voluntary actions start to feel compulsory; and why it is that entrepreneurial heroes and their efforts to force change can take the focus away from important mundane advances that take place in the background. We ask why some regulations and laws do not change actions and attitudes; why companies can converge on a new behaviour and turn it into a norm without regulation; and how an understanding of accounting history helps Carlos with his work. Carlos explains how norms can differ from companies’ core values, how behaviours can change to align with new requirements, and whether some companies only comply with reporting in a symbolic way. And, as Jan and Carlos try to out-humble each other in an argument over who know more than the other, why does everyone want sausages for their dinner? Find out more about Carlos and his work here: https://investigacion.ubu.es/investigadores/35281/detalle

Jan is a joy rider. And that’s just great. Not everyone is an elite athlete, but we should all be active. The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is doing important work with some of the biggest names in their sector to help make this a reality. Emma Zwiebler, a World Championship and Commonwealth Games badminton player who is now CEO of the WFSGI, explains how the trade association body operates and how they have put this mission at the core of their activities. We investigate the issue of global physical inactivity, its wider costs to society, and the actions of WFSGI in trying to address the problem while working with the World Health Organisation. Discover how Emma and the WFGSI can elevate issues both for business and for countries; how they can influence across industries to deepen their impact; what is already happening, and how this can inspire future change; and how each of us takes a different approach to physical activity. And we are left pondering the questions of whether the head of the International Olympic Committee listens to Transforming Tomorrow, and if Jan and Paul will be recording future episodes while walking – or running?

It’s Paul’s worst nightmare – a whole episode about ranking and accrediting business schools! Learn how business schools build sustainability into their operations; why accreditation bodies – whose backing schools rely on for their prestige – take the issue so seriously; and how important the topic is when it comes to rankings. Rose White, External Accreditation Manager at Lancaster University Management School, comes ready for Paul to rant about whether rankings should be important to anyone – and she gets just what she expects! Rose and Jan might be unable to convince Paul of the merits of benchmarks, but is he more open to accreditations? The difference between these two approaches will become apparent in the conversation. For accreditations, we cover everything from why business and management schools want to be accredited in the first place; who pays attention to these accreditations; the innumerable acronyms that come with the process; how sustainability is a key pillar to overall strategies; and the importance of showing people how we do engage in sustainability. And as Paul tries to avoid starting a fight over rankings, we discuss their audience; their changing consideration of sustainability’s importance; whether they are as important – or more so – than accreditations; and throw in some breaking and Raygun for good measure! Episode Transcript

Jan’s considering a new career – should she become a sustainability officer? Chief Sustainability Officers are among the fastest growing jobs in the UK – but who are these people, what do they do, and does anyone actually listen to them? Dr Katherine Ellsworth-Krebs, from the University of Strathclyde, brings gifts from her allotment to the studio as well as an avid interest in all things sustainability that started in childhood in Washington state, USA – where she was surprised to learn not all other youngsters had the same obsession. She also comes with a healthy dose of cynicism! Through her work with a whole host of sustainability managers, we discover which businesses are leading the way by employing sustainability managers; what regulations are in place to encourage companies to have one; the importance of getting everyone on board when it comes to sustainable behaviour; and the stresses facing those pushing the sustainability agenda. How does Jan slip up when it comes to her attitudes towards reporting? Why has Katherine stolen Jan’s ‘keystone actors’ term to apply to sustainability managers? And what will Paul do with his orchard’s worth of cooking apples? Find out more about Katherine and her work here: https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/ellsworth-krebskatherinedr/ And listen to the episode with Dr Carolynne Lord covering her work with Katherine on sustainability fairy tales here: https://pod.co/transforming-tomorrow/fairy-tales-and-mermaids Episode Transcript

Bring back the accountants – and the taskforces! It’s time to look at how companies identify and report on nature-related impacts and opportunities. We make an investigation of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and its work with the Pentland Centre’s Dr Neytullah Ciftci – Neo to his friends – who works with Jan on that very topic. Discover how companies can change nature; how these changing ecosystems could be a risk to your business; and the importance of analysing supply chain impacts as well as your own operations. We look at how companies are adapting to the TNFD framework, and how widespread reporting is; discuss how TNFD fits in with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD); gain an understanding of the different biodiversity scenarios for companies looking up to 100 years into the future; and hear Paul wonder if he knows too many accounting acronyms. Reporting under the TNFD is moving quickly, with new reports expanding our understanding of the reporting framework. Here are the four most complete biodiversity scenarios within TNFD reports we have found to date, and the TNFD’s guide on scenario analysis. KAO TNFD Report: https://www.kao.com/content/dam/sites/kao/www-kao-com/global/en/sustainability/pdf/biodiversity-tnfd.pdf Kyuden Group Integrated Report 2024: https://www.kyuden.co.jp/english_company_news_2024_h240925-1.html Norinchuking Climate & Nature Report 2024: https://www.nochubank.or.jp/en/sustainability/backnumber/pdf/2024/climate_nature.pdf Sekisui TCFD & TNFD Report 2024: https://www.sekisuichemical.com/sustainability_report/pdf/2024_TCFD_TNFDReport_E.pdf TNFD (2023) Guidance: https://tnfd.global/publication/guidance-on-scenario-analysis/ Find out more about Neo and his work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/neytullah-ciftci And catch-up on the previous episode that covered the TCFD with Duncan Pollard here: https://pod.fo/e/272bf5

How can businesses have a positive impact on nature? We hear a lot about the negative effects organisations have on the planet, but they can also be a force for good. By helping to restore nature, firms big or small, local or global, can help themselves and their operations – and maybe all of us. But what are they actually doing, and why can it be so hard for them to tell us? Dr Tim Lamont, a marine biologist in Lancaster Environment Centre, explains his work on corporate reporting around nature restoration, and how the subject fits in with his expertise on tropical coral reefs and how we look after them. Discover how humans have damaged the planet, how the current generation is equipped with tools to repair it, and why Jan was described as ‘not a complete idiot’ and how her accounting expertise fits into the picture. Can Paul’s inherent pessimism be overcome as we discuss the different ecosystem restoration practices from around the world; the importance of involving local people in restoration efforts and of long-term commitment over short-term attitudes; what can be done to drive change; and whether companies are more than just evil, faceless entities? Plus, a bonus discussion on the size of Cumbria and how it could be used as a term of measurement. Find out more about Tim and his work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/about-us/people/timothy-lamont And read his paper co-written with Jan and others here: https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/201803/1/CombinedPDF_Lamont_adh2610_accepted.pdf Episode Transcript

What do big companies do to positively contribute to sustainability efforts, and to wider society? What does your employer do? Is it enough, and could they do more? Brands and brand values send messages and have their own sustainability identities, so it’s time to look at how this affects their actions. Kaeisha Gibson, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Pentland Brands, discusses how brands including Speedo, Canterbury, Endura, Mitre, and more, approach their strategies towards sustainability. The conversation focuses in on the Berghaus outdoor gear brand and its B-Corp certification, which demonstrates their determination to be a positive influence on the world and do no harm. Learn why Berghaus pursued B-Corp status, what they do to maintain that certification, how they challenge themselves to improve, the plans for other brands under the Pentland banner to follow the Berghaus lead, and how old Jan’s Berghaus rucksack is. Plus, after Jan uses the word ‘groovy’ once again without irony, does Kaeisha have the power to have her fired? And does Paul really only wear branded clothing? Find out more about Berghaus’s B-Corp certification here: https://www.berghaus.com/positive-business/bcorp.list

The battle between good and evil comes to Transforming Tomorrow. What is good? What does ‘good’ mean in the context of how you do business? We look at how companies can balance profit with doing right in the world, why it doesn’t necessarily take as long as you think to move to a new way of thinking and working, and whether the world needs to be in crisis to force corporations to act. Professor Steve Kempster explains his work on Good Dividends, and how he has worked with businesses to see how they work and if they can change it for the better. Discover what a Benefit Corporation is, how purpose-led businesses perform against their competitors, and whether Steve has hope for the future. Plus, Steve sets out to change our understanding of Adam Smith – and contemplates if he would be the kind of person to give you a High Five – and Paul becomes self-conscious about his eyebrows. Find out more about Steve and his work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/pentland/about/meet-the-team/steve-kempster Discover the Good Growth programme featuring Good Dividends here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/business/good-growth-burnley/

Put on your activism boots and join us on a journey from the Antarctic to Sweden and the Arctic, China, Lancaster and many places in between. We find out the differences between being an activist and an academic, how you go from being one to the other, and how experience as an activist gives you unique and invaluable insights for research. Frida Bengtsson describes her journey from growing up in a family where Greenpeace was an important presence, to being lead of the organisation’s Global Oceans campaign, before becoming a PhD researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Frida’s work now looks at ocean governance and transhipment (and we will definitely find out what that means), introducing Jan and Paul to a world where understanding vessel ownership leads to murky waters, where regulations in the middle of the seas can be a maelstrom of confusion, and where we consider the ethics behind a fish finger sandwich. What happens on fishing boats that stay at sea for months at a time? What is it like meeting with an organisation as an academic when you last met them while working for Greenpeace? And why does Jan send Frida pictures of ships in every port she visits? Discover more about Frida and her work at the Stockholm Resilience Centre here: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/meet-our-team/staff/2021-06-01-bengtsson.html And read about Frida’s new paper on reefers and transshipment here: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/reefers Episode Transcript

We’re blasting off into space! Find out all you need to know to mine an asteroid – though be warned, it’s not that simple. Discover which laws you have to follow beyond Earth’s atmosphere, how we get to asteroids in the first place, and what this might mean for life here and millions of miles away. Dr Craig Jones joins Jan and Paul for an astronomical start to the new series. He specialises in asteroid mining and the myriad issues that arise when it comes to considering how it could be done, and what the practice could mean for sustainability. The discussion covers potential harm to the ozone layer, how space junk could damage satellites and our oceans, and if all this is a pathway to building a back-up colony should Earth fail. And what does William of Orange have to do with asteroid mining rights? Read more about Craig's asteroid mining research in Fifty Four Degrees: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_22/30/ And discover more about Craig’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/craig-jones Episode Transcript

What are externalities? How does the EU have environmental effects beyond its borders? What is justice? We bring Season One of Transforming Tomorrow to a close with Jan answering some of the questions that have come up during previous episodes. Jan explains externalities, and how (not when) they can be internalised; why it is important to know about the EU’s impacts; and the many elements to justice. Plus, a sneak peek at what is coming up in Season Two. Find details on the Frontiers of Justice book Jan mentions here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674024106) And the paper on justice and earth systems is here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01064-1

What is ‘future normal’? How will the world look years from now? How will businesses operate? How could they make your children proud? And how does sustainability fit into all this? Professor Nick Barter, from Griffith University, takes Jan and Paul through the origins of the phrase from his time working with industry while completing his PhD with Jan at the University of St Andrews. Covering topics from corporate direction-setting and vision to culture and language, learning from nature, and enabling others, Nick talks to us about how companies can change to be part of a world they want to live in. Find out more about Future Normal here: https://futurenormal.net/

Like evaluations? Does anyone? It’s time to change your mind and learn about creative evaluation. Jan and Paul welcome Dr Elisavet Christou and Violet Owen to enlighten them. Co-authors of the Little Book of Creative Evaluation, they explain what Creative Evaluation is, and how it can be used across many disciplines. Elisavet and Violet discuss their EViD tool, which helps people with their evaluation processes; the value of hearing from different voices; the importance of design; and why evaluation is so much more than a tick-box exercise. Jan gets to talk benchmarking again. And is Paul right to be worried that the team are secretly being evaluated the whole time? Check out the Little Book of Creative Evaluation here: https://creativeevaluation.uk/ And read a little more about the work here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_20/34/

How can executives change their operations and attitudes – from nature restoration to modern slavery – to be more sustainable and responsible? How hard is it to get people to accept the difficulty of the task. Linden Edgell – Inquisitor, Collaborator and Explorer extraordinaire – joins Jan and Paul from Perth, Australia, among her 150 mango trees to answer these and other questions. Linden is ERM’s Global Sustainability Director and is a member of the Pentland Centre’s Advisory Board. She has worked in government and latterly in consulting, where she is seeking to bring about change in corporate behaviour. What developments has she seen over the decades? How do companies balance profit, sustainability and longevity? Can you walk and chew gum?

Increase your knowledge of salmon tenfold as we look at the environmental impacts of a major industry. Farmed salmon is the UK’s biggest food export – and Dr Josi Fernandes is obsessed! Josi joins Jan and Paul to talk about her work looking at salmon farming practices and sustainability in the UK and how her research in the area all started over a conversation in the pub. We discover what Josi has learned from speaking with salmon farmers, processors and retailers – though not everyone wanted to talk. We take in the differences between farmed and wild salmon; how farmed salmon came to be such a big market; the industrial scale of production; potential futures for the industry; and whether anyone in the studio eats salmon in the first place. Find out more about Josi’s research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/josiane-fernandes2 You can discover Paul Greenberg’s Four Fish book here: https://www.paulgreenberg.org/books/four-fish/ And see more on Mark Kurlansky’s Salmon book here: https://www.markkurlansky.com/books/salmon-a-fish-the-earth-and-the-history-of-their-common-fate/

Do investors really care about sustainability, or is it all about the money? If they do care, what powers do they have to make companies change their ways? Jan and Paul welcome Professor Mark Shackleton to discuss the world of finance and how it intersects with sustainability. They discover why the King can’t enter the City of London without permission; how data can be used to influence ‘green’ investing; and how shareholders can instigate change. Among discussions of ethics and politics, they find the time to talk about physics and Paul’s strange childhood fascination with global stock exchanges. Find out more about Mark’s research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/mark-shackleton

Would you spend more for green products? Really? Really really? Even if you would, is it possible consumers can change how businesses operate through such decisions? Jan and Paul welcome back Professor Dakshina De Silva, and Drs Anita Schiller and Aurelie Slechten to discuss the factors that influence consumer spending on green goods; different cultural attitudes towards green spending; how income levels affect these attitudes; and whether the future is carrying your own ice cream spoon. Read more about the team’s research into green consumer spending in this short article: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_18/10/

Communities with lower-income residents can be impacted more by pollution. But why? And can anything be done? With pollution impacting health and employment opportunities, can regulations help these communities? Will they make industries pack up and leave? Or is that just a handy excuse? A crash of economists invades the studio to talk to Jan and Paul about how industrial pollution ties in with economics and sustainability. Professor Dakshina De Silva, and Drs Anita Schiller and Aurelie Slechten explain how economists view the world –and how we can measure the social costs of pollution. And we discover shockingly that there may be a ‘Wrong Side’ of the river in Lancaster.

Does planting new hedgerows help farmers, and how? Is having a connection with nature important to a farm’s success? And, where’s Jan? Paul is left to fly solo after a car breakdown means Jan cannot make it to Orton, and the farm of Jim Beary. Luckily, Lake District Farmers Head of Purpose and Sustainability Phil Scott can help out as the trio discuss life at Gaythorn Hall, a farm in the far east of Cumbria that falls within the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From his home among the flocks of sheep and herds of cows – as well as smaller numbers of pigs and chickens – Jim tells us about his past experiences in farming – including a ‘horrifying’ time on an arable farm as a crop sprayer – and his determination to do things less intensively and more sustainably to create high-quality food. We learn about the benefits of working with LDF, how to adapt to circumstances and the environment, how Jim has learned from his mistakes, soil resilience, and more sustainable feed types. You can see Jim’s Instagram account at @farmer_beary Listen to Jan and Paul’s first farm visit here: https://pod.co/transforming-tomorrow/down-on-the-farm-part-one

Paul and Jan have finally made it to the farm! But where is the sustainability? Are farmers really invested in biodiversity? We are on Cartmel Fell, in South Cumbria, to meet Fiona Daley, who along with husband Dave owns and runs Hodge Hill Farm, where a new-born calf is among the audience. Fiona and Dave have a small herd of Belted Galloway cows and are members of the LDF network. LDF Head of Purpose and Sustainability Phil Scott joins everyone in the barn to discuss key sustainability issues. Why did Dave and Fiona return to farming seven years ago with a determination to do things differently/ What is the significance of regenerative farming, wildlife and nature – and of sharing best practices across farms? And what is the wince-inducing difference between a bull and a steer? We even talk farming numbers, as it turns out Fiona is a qualified accountant.

Or is it a pipedream? The Pentland Centre are working with Lake District farmers to move towards net zero meat production. Discover the unique challenges facing farmers in the Lake District; find out how farmers are cooperating with Lancaster research; and learn the differences between Net Zero, Carbon Neutral and Carbon Positive. Dr Laura Giles, the Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate working with Lake District Farmers, joins Jan and Paul to discuss her work – and tell us what her role means and how it operates. Laura is working with LDF to understand how livestock farmers in the Lake District can work towards Net Zero meat production (the project is not making wild claims of Net Zero meat). This takes in soil science, farming practice, and even accounting – to Jan’s delight. Watch a film showcasing some of the work taking place on the KTP here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZmmOGboCbE Find out more about the LDF work in the introductory podcast: https://pod.co/transforming-tomorrow/lake-district-farmers

We’ve learned all about farming – and soil! – now we discover how farming and sustainability go together. Do farmers care and how do they show it? Jan and Paul talk sustainability with Lake District Farmers’ Phil Scott about the organisation’s sustainability ambitions. As seagulls and buzzards circle, they look at how LDF think about sustainability in their own operations and those of the farmers in their networks, and the overall impact of their work. Phil explains the efforts reflect engagement with communities, proper discussions with farmers around their practices, and a real understanding of the natural environment of the Lake District. Plus we look at the key issue of how eating meat can fit into a sustainable lifestyle.

There is more carbon in soil than in the Earth’s atmosphere! But how has human activity has changed soils over the centuries? Professors Jess Davies and John Quinton, from Lancaster Environment Centre, bring their expertise to focus on the work being done with the Lake District Farmers. They tell Jan and Paul about the effects farmers have on their land – and how they have affected it over the past centuries – and what might happen in the future. Using science, they can advise on the best path forward. Plus, a bonus mention of Pliny the Elder! Find out more about the Sustainable Soils research group in Lancaster Environment Centre here: https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/sustainable-soils/

Join us as we start our journey looking at meat farming in the UK’s Lake District. As we explore how sustainable farming can be, we meet the Lake District Farmers (LDF). Jan and Paul travel to Ulverston – or Oolverston as Jan would have it – to meet LDF’s Phil Scott and find all about the organisation and its work with farmers across Cumbria. LDF work with a network of around 50 farmers to process and sell high-quality meat. But how does this network benefit the farmers? Why do top chefs want their products? Why are they working with Lancaster University – and how? And what are the challenges facing the Lake District’s fell farmers?

Professor Henrik Österblom, Director of the Anthropocene Laboratory at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, comes to the podcast with possibly the best job title so far. Henrik is one of Jan’s favourite super-scientists, and he joins Jan and Paul from Stockholm. But just what does Anthropocene mean, and how does it tie in with sustainability? How is the world changing due to human activity? How have we affected the behaviour of animals – do frogs really eat lightbulbs? What are the empirics of hope? Are there positive signs that we can tackle the challenges we face? How does art and creativity fit into sustainability science? And just what is Henrik’s favourite seabird (and Jan and Paul’s)? Find out more about the Anthropocene Lab and its work here: https://www.anthropocenelab.se/ And you can discover the Sounds of Science book Henrik talks about here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780443152672/the-sounds-of-science

We’ve discussed modern slavery on a global scale before, but now Dr Divya Jyoti joins Jan and Paul to bring the issue closer to home. Divya’s research has taken her to the factory floor, and to the city of Leicester – where there were once claims of 10,000 people living in modern slavery – and has led her to shine a light on left-behind people, those often-forgotten people in our societies. What has Divya learned from her work in Leicester? What have been the effects on the city of the allegations and investigations? Have people paid enough attention to the impacts on the communities? Find out more about Divya’s work on modern slavery in the fashion industry here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/spotlight/modern-slavery/

In 2023, around 6.8 million people in the UK were in severely insecure work – little over a firth of the working population. Work Foundation Director Ben Harrison dials in from London to discuss the issue. Ben tells Jan and Paul about how the Work Foundation works as it tries to influence policy across the UK. He covers issues of flexible working, how economic changes in recent years have affected working patterns, and the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. What are decent and insecure work? How does the Work Foundation’s Insecure Work Index function, and what does it tell us? Are particular groups and parts of the country more affected by insecure work? What responsibilities do employers have towards their employees during times of financial hardship? Discover more about the Work Foundation’s research and activities on insecure work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/our-work/insecure-work/

Dr Joanne Larty joins Jan and Paul to enlighten them on her work with businesses in Cumbria on sharing best sustainability practice. Through Project INSPIRE, Joanne and her team are speaking to pioneering companies across Cumbria to discover how they are tackling sustainability challenges, how it ties into the history and landscape of the county, and how their practices can be spread. What issues do business face? How can they move to a new way of operating? And, most importantly to Paul, how do you really pronounce Furness, and why does everyone get it wrong? Discover more about Joanne’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/joanne-larty Read more about Project Inspire here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_19/14/

Matt Healey talks Jan and Paul through his journey from an outdoor education professional to becoming a PhD researcher looking at our connections with nature. The UK has the lowest connection with nature in Europe, and Matt’s work encompasses how we each appreciate nature in our everyday lives, the importance of considering nature from a non-human-centric perspective, the value of nature, and the importance of connecting with nature from a young age. Plus, find out how connected to nature are Jan and Paul? Read more of Matt’s work on ‘Taming the Green Monster’ here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_17/47/

Professor Alona Armstrong returns to give Jan and Paul a whirlwind tour of the work that takes place across the Lancaster Environment Centre and the Energy Lancaster research centre. Discover the work of Energy Lancaster here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/ And find out about the research taking place in Lancaster Environment Centre here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/research/

Energy Lancaster Director Professor Alona Armstrong takes Jan and Paul on a wonderful journey into the world of solar power, which continues to outperform predictions for its output and effectiveness. How many solar parks are there in the UK (clue, it’s not seven or 300)? How can solar parks affect biodiversity? How long do solar plants last? How do floating solar farms work? How many homes can a solar plant power? And did Paul really do the maths to answer that question so quickly in his head? All these questions and more will be answered – and we discuss if you could wear solar powered clothes? Discover the work of Energy Lancaster here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/ And find out more about Alona’s research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/about-us/people/alona-armstrong

Pentland Centre Research Associate Lauren Thornton wants to talk to us about trust. Specifically trust frameworks and trust affordances – explaining how and where people can trust data, and to what extent; why different people will trust different things – and the challenges of building trust with the right audience. How does this all fit with sustainability data – especially given the uncertainty over how sustainability can be achieved, and that some people will try to twist data for their own means; and what is translucent reporting, and why might it be better than transparency? Plus, Jan uses the word ‘groovy’ in a totally non-ironic sense. Discover more about Lauren’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/lauren-thornton

Dr Di Wang dials in from Sydney, Australia, to talk to Jan and Paul about his work on sustainability reporting and materiality. Di talks about his experience of interviewing more than 200 businesses on their understanding of materiality – a concept that underpins reporting and which will be explained in the podcast. He explains why companies take part in greenhushing – and explains why he thinks the practice is only likely to increase. He also introduces us to the concept of brownwashing. And Paul's brainwashing is complete, as the word ‘benchmarking’ comes into his head unprompted. Find out more about Di’s work and research interests here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/di-wang And you can see Di’s paper on Sustainability Reporting and Materiality here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4687038

What is leadership? And what makes a good leader? Dr Marian Iszatt-White heads to the studio to talk with Jan and Paul about her perspective on leadership and management – as well as her time working in the oil industry. Marian discusses what authentic leadership is – and why we should or should not be authentic; how leaders address sustainability issues; where stewardship and accountability fit in; and the importance of teaching on how future leaders can be shaped by programmes such as Lancaster’s MBA. Find out more about Marian’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/marian-iszatt-white

What are wicked problems? How about clumsy solutions? And where does post-normal science fit in? In tackling issues such as climate change, scientists and researchers face complicated scenarios that are not easily explicable, with problems that are not always solvable in a clean fashion. Jan explains the development of post-normal science as a way of addressing huge modern (wicked) problems such as climate change, how there is not always a definitive answer to every question, and why uncertain (clumsy) solutions are better than none at all. Why is being uncertain a good sign? Why do we all need to be open to changing our minds? If we don’t rely on facts for solutions, does this lead to a post-Truth future? Do we need to involve more people from beyond science in drafting solutions? Can a solution to a wicked problem ever be permanent? We cover all these questions, and more. Find out more about the Cynefin Framework here: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework/

Paul’s head is going to explode as another new word to the English language is introduced to the podcast. Law PhD researcher Camilo Cornejo Martinez returns to talk to Jan and Paul about the importance of both local and global attitudes, actions and policies towards climate change. Discover more about Camilo’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/law/people/camilo-cornejo-martinez

The law won’t let Jan and Paul get away that easily! Another member of Lancaster University Law School, PhD researcher Camilo Cornejo Martinez, comes into the studio with the unprompted assurance that he is not an accountant. Camilo talks about his background as a practising lawyer in his home country of Chile; the different attitudes and approaches – legal and otherwise – to the environment and sustainability between Chile, the UK, and other countries; environmental courts; just transitions; and the rights of nature, and giving nature a voice. Discover more about Camilo’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/law/people/camilo-cornejo-martinez

The law has caught up with Jan and Paul! Dr Rafael Savva, from Lancaster University’s Law School, promises he won’t sue us, but will recording the podcast turn him into a supervillain? Rafael talks to us about corporate governance legislation; the differences between hard and soft law – and how they apply to corporate responsibility; the potential conflicts between environmental regulation and seeking profit; the power of shareholders; socially responsible investing; and the importance of defining sustainable development in order to shape future legislation. Discover if Paul and Jan would make good Law students – and whether Jan has any memory of her prior education in contract law. Find out more about Rafael’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/law/people/rafael-savva