Conversations in sustainability

In the latest episode of Conversations in Sustainability , Dr Lisa Portolan sits down with Lottie Dalziel, founder of Banish, to explore her journey towards making sustainability more accessible and recycling less confusing for everyday Australians. Lottie shares the story behind Banish and its pioneering BRAD recycling program, the biggest lessons she's learnt throughout her sustainability j...

On this week’s episode of Conversations in Sustainability, Horizon’s Managing Director Dr. Lisa Portolan sits down with City of Sydney Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore to discuss the role of local government in building a more sustainable, liveable and equitable city. The conversation explores Sydney’s long-term environmental strategy, the challenges of balancing housing affordability with sustai...

On this week’s episode of Conversations in Sustainability, Horizon Senior Account Executive MJ Hanna sits down with sustainability consultant Michael Mobbs to discuss eco-friendly design and the everyday changes that can make a difference. The conversation also explores Mobbs’ innovative ‘Coolseats’ food waste composting project for the City of Melbourne earlier this year, and how food waste recyc...

Most businesses don’t set out to create waste. But changing systems built around convenience, cost and habit is rarely as simple as finding a more sustainable alternative. In the latest episode of Conversations in Sustainability , Dr Lisa Portolan speaks with Bearhug founder Tom Field about what it takes to challenge established ways of working in logistics. Together, they explore the realities of...

Most people say they care about sustainability. But when it comes to everyday decisions, good intentions often compete with price, convenience, habit and trust. In the latest episode of Conversations in Sustainability , Dr Lisa Portolan speaks with Muja founder Salem Lassoued about the attitude-behaviour gap and why understanding how people actually make decisions may be the missing piece in drivi...

In this episode of Conversations in Sustainability, we're joined by Lars Ljung, Sustainability Manager at Planet Protector Packaging, an Australian company turning textile waste into innovative, sustainable products. From insulation made from sheep's wool to recycled denim, Lars communicates how the work that Planet Protector does is helping drive the circular economy and challenging how...

What happens to the millions of tyres Australia throws away every year - and why aren’t more of them becoming something new? In this episode of Conversations in Sustainability, Dr Lisa Portolan speaks with Lina Goodman, CEO of Tyre Stewardship Australia, about one of the country’s most overlooked waste challenges. From “free-riders” and illegal dumping to the limits of voluntary schemes, Lina unpa...

In this episode of Conversations in Sustainability, we sit down with Catherine Fitzpatrick, founder of Flequity Ventures, to unpack the confronting reality of financial abuse, and how the systems we rely on every day can be quietly weaponised to control and harm.  Drawing on her experience as a senior banking executive, Catherine shares how analysing millions of transactions revealed hidden patter...

In this episode of Conversation in Sustainability, we speak with Professor Veena Sahajwalla, SMaRT Centre, UNSW, explores how innovative recycling technologies are transforming the way society thinks about waste. Rather than viewing discarded materials as useless, Professor Sahajwalla emphasises that waste should be understood as a valuable resource that can be reprocessed into new, high-quality p...

What role does creativity play in climate action?  In our latest episode of Conversations in Sustainability, Dr Lisa Portolan sits down with Matt Bray, environmental activist, founder of Hothouse Magazine & Studio, and Vice President & Creative Director of Comms Declare, to explore how storytelling, design, and culture can drive real-world climate impact. From challenging fossil fuel narra...

In this special International Women’s Day episode of Conversations in Sustainability , host Dr Lisa Portolan turns the spotlight inward to speak with Horizon’s Founder, Liz McLaughlin. With more than 25 years in strategic communications and public relations, Liz has helped organisations navigate complexity, manage crises and lead through change across both the public and private sectors. In this c...

In our latest episode, we’re joined by Michael Bullock and Giuseppe Serpentino from Biesse , one of Italy’s most iconic machinery manufacturers. At first glance, industrial machinery might not seem like a sustainability leader - but Biesse is quietly changing that. From circular design and modular repairability to hydrogen-powered innovation, their machines are built to last decades, reduce waste,...

Lindsay Hermes joins us to talk about Australia's growing sustainable seaweed industry. Get your tickets to Seagriculture Asia-Pacific here .