GoodGeist

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we sit down with the amazing urbanist and cultural heritage expert Dr Banu Pekol to rethink our notion of 'home' as a human right, as a store of memory, and as a foundation for belonging. From Istanbul’s Sulukule to Cape Town’s District Six, Banu analyses how, when housing policy ignores people, renewal becomes removal and communities become museums while...

Send us Fan Mail What if the secret to national wealth isn’t faster growth or smarter tech, but a fairer invitation to participate? We sit down with Dr Hermann Stern to unpack the Prosperity Gate—a striking pattern in World Bank data showing that most countries grind along a poverty “brick” until they expand political inclusion enough to trigger a steep rise in income per capita. Once through the...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered why so many people say they love nature yet so little seems to change? We sit down with Savita Wilmott, CEO of the Natural History Consortium, to unpack the stubborn care–to-action gap and share practical ways to move from saying you love nature to doing something about it. We dig into the Festival of Nature as a living case study. By keeping it free, thematic, and w...

Send us Fan Mail Billionaire wealth is hitting historic highs while one in four people face hunger—so what exactly is growth doing for the rest of us? We sit down with Prof. Öner Günçavdı to unpack the mechanics behind inequality and global economics.  Starting in Turkey and widening to global trends, we trace how housing, education, and healthcare drift out of reach when asset values dominate pol...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Ümit Şahin—physician, public health scholar, and long-time climate advocate—as he traces his journey from medical school to air pollution research and climate policy, showing why health is the most human lens for energy choices. He dismantles the idea that nuclear can deliver on time or at scale, pointing to rising costs, long lead times, and unresolved waste, whi...

Send us Fan Mail In our first episode of 2026 we sit down with Chris Annous from More in Common to look at how values-based research can bridge divides—and why pride in place may be the most underrated lever for social and climate progress right now.  Chris shares how his team’s segmentation moves beyond left-versus-right to reveal seven distinct worldviews, and how that map helps leaders speak to...

Send us Fan Mail It's time for some GoodGeist year-end reflections from our co-host Damla and Steve. We take you across 2025’s most revealing sustainability moments, from radical listening that halted deforestation by focusing on community health, via an off-grid box turning sunlight into clean water within hours, to city-scale transport fixes that make streets safer, air cleaner, and commute...

Send us Fan Mail Want a sustainability claim that inspires without inviting a regulator into your inbox? We sit down with Steve Meyer, director of Carbon Blue Solutions, to explore how.  From mangrove forests and seagrass meadows to desert halophytes, Steve first of all explains why blue carbon stores CO2 for millennia and how that changes the maths on offsets, resilience, and coastal protection....

Send us Fan Mail What if a walk could change how a city works? We sit down with walking artist, activist, and academic Morag Rose to explore psychogeography as a living practice—one that uses curiosity, conversation, and gentle mischief to reclaim streets from noise, ads, and exclusion.  From dérives guided by pigeons and dice to community-led wanders across Manchester, Morag shows how moving side...

Send us Fan Mail The airport‑as‑engine of growth story is powerful, but the data tells a different story. We sit down with Denise Auclair, who leads the Travel Smart campaign at Transport & Environment, to unpack a new Europe‑wide study that tracks the real relationship between air traffic and prosperity across 274 regions.  The headline is striking: in much of northern and western Europe, eco...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we sit down with Golden’s founder and CEO, Sam Fankuchen, to explore how AI, ethics, and interoperability can transform volunteering from good intentions into measurable, scalable impact. Sam’s story begins with a near loss on 9/11, a moment that reshaped his purpose and his focus on removing friction so more people can contribute meaningfully and safely. We look a...

Send us Fan Mail Direct (sort of) from the bustling floor of Ecomondo in Rimini we have a great  conversation with Filippo Nani, president of FERPI in Italy and veteran strategist in public relations.  Together with Filippo we explore how credible communications can unlock real progress on sustainability, from major strategic decisions to building stakeholder trust, with the stories that inspire a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat with activist and former architect Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov as he shares his journey from major architecture studios to founding No Objectives, a nonprofit using design, marketing, and policy interventions to turn 'minority rights into majority action'. We dig into playbooks that move the needle: a municipal carbon budget calculator that t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we're talking to Yunus Arıkan, Director of Global Advocacy at ICLEI, to look at how local government is at the centre of global climate action, and why the path to 1.5°C runs through streets, budgets, and everyday choices. From the Earth Summit and Local Agenda 21 in the nineties to COP30 in Belém, we connect the dots between global agreements and real change...

Send us Fan Mail What if money could finally measure what we truly care about—care, safety, culture, and thriving ecosystems—not just cash in the bank? We sit down with evolutionary economist Makoto Nishibe, head of the Good Money Lab, to explore how economies and the money that powers them can evolve together.  Starting with Japan’s “lost decades,” Makoto explains why top-down policies and a sing...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Greenpeace veteran Steve Warshal to hear how bold actions, smart science, and sharp strategy turn radical ideas into real‑world results. Steve takes us inside the environment movement’s highs and lows, the cramped rooms where direct actions were weighed, and the quiet moments where patient resilience mattered more than headlines. We talk about why legislation is t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat with broadcaster and property expert Kunle Barker to unpack a practical, hopeful blueprint for net zero in the real world. From the state of decarbonisation to the retrofit reality, Kunle explains why we won’t build our way to 2050 targets and how policy, funding, and design can unlock action at scale. We explore the power of “carbon budgets” for everyday l...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we're with Alessia Trabucco, Clean Mobility Coordinator at Generation Climate Europe, as she reveals how young voices are reshaping climate policy across the continent.  Alessia explains how Generation Climate Europe brings together over 300 organisations across 46 countries to campaign for young peoples' perspectives to be recognised. Their successful ca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we're talking to Sait Beyazyürek of NeedsMap, in a fascinating look at how to transform disaster relief through innovative digital solutions that connect those in need with those who can help. NeedsMap functions as a digital marketplace for social good. Rather than commercial transactions, the platform facilitates the exchange of essential items and services u...

Send us Fan Mail In this exciting episode we talk to Dana Clouston, Head of Sustainable Finance at Barclays Business Bank, as she takes us on a journey from her roots in New Zealand agriculture to her current position at the forefront of sustainable finance innovation. Dana shares how Barclays is working toward becoming a net-zero bank by 2050 through three key strategies: supporting clients on th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General of Polis Network, takes us on a journey through the evolving landscape of sustainable urban mobility. With over 21 years of experience working with European cities on transport innovation, Karen shares powerful insights on how municipalities are navigating the transition to more sustainable, equitable mobility systems.  En route...

Send us Fan Mail How do we create cities where people and not cars take centre stage? Mobility expert Gerwin de Boer takes us on a journey through the compellingly logical world of sustainable transportation planning. De Boer approaches sustainable mobility not as an ideological crusade but as the only sensible solution for creating liveable urban spaces. Working with Goudappel, the Netherlands&ap...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we talk to Tamsyn Hyatt, Director of Evidence at Frameworks UK, and talk about how strategic communications can drive meaningful social change. With a rich background spanning history, law, science, and activism, Tamsyn has dedicated her career to making complex social issues understandable through the power of framing and narrative. The conversation unlocks what f...

Send us Fan Mail What drives someone to dedicate their life to tackling the climate crisis? For Simon Stiell, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change , it's deeply personal. His tiny Caribbean island home was devastated by Hurricane Beryl just one year ago—a stark reminder of climate change's human toll that fuels his work on the global stage. In this episode we talk...

Send us Fan Mail Sustainability and positive social change don't just happen by accident – they require strategic communication that cuts through the noise and inspires action. In this episode we're talking to Adeela Warley, Chief Executive of Charity Comms, as we explore the vital role communications plays in driving meaningful impact for charitable causes. Adeela reveals how her passio...