Straight Talking Sustainability

This podcast tackles the often overwhelming world of sustainable practices with straightforward advice and relatable insight. Key Topics Covered Overwhelm and where to start with sustainability at work or at home The importance of mindset: "putting your green glasses on" Visible actions vs. invisible actions for sustainability How small changes shift social norms and influence others The underesti...

In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma welcomes Charly Cox, Executive Director of Climate Change Coaches and a pioneer in the field of climate coaching. Together, they explore the psychological aspects of driving sustainable change in organizations, the unique challenges faced by sustainability professionals, and practical strategies for overcoming barriers to effective climate a...

In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma explores the limitations of competitive mindsets in tackling systemic challenges like climate change. Drawing on the concept of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, Emma illustrates how organizations acting in self-interest by hoarding knowledge or refusing to collaborate actually end up moving slower and increasing costs for themselves and the sector as...

In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma welcomes Annie Beavis to discuss navigating difficult conversations in sustainability, building resilience during economic turbulence, and supporting each other within the industry. The episode highlights the work of Not Sustainable, a collective focused on impact, and dives into the realities of driving change, especially in medium-siz...

In this solo episode, Emma discusses the importance of building capacity, capability, and resources—what she analogizes as "building an army"—to effectively drive sustainability initiatives in businesses and organizations. She shares her personal journey into carbon literacy training, the challenges of scaling training across large organizations, and the development of her “Train the Trainer” mode...

This week, Emma is joined by sustainability sector stalwart and optimist Mark Shayler for a deep dive into his book You Cant Make Money From a Dead Planet. Mark shares his career journey, the challenges and lessons of working in sustainability, and his recent personal health scare. The conversation tackles why businesses must embed sustainability at their core, the importance of systems thinking,...

Welcome to this week's episode of Straight Talking Sustainability! Host Emma Burlow takes inspiration from "The Gambler" song to explore when to push, pause, pivot, or fold your sustainability efforts within your business, particularly when sustainability is being deprioritised. Key Topics Covered Sustainability's Changing Environment The landscape for sustainability in business has shifted dramat...

In this practical product design episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Dr Vicky Lofthouse (industrial designer, sustainable innovation consultant working across aerospace to face cream) to explore why circularity remains frustratingly niche despite massive opportunities, how Triton Showers removed single-use plastic whilst reducing costs through unexpected se...

In this grounding and practical solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow tackles the frustrating value-action gap (why 80% of people care yet nothing changes), revealing that sustainability fails not because colleagues don't care but because systems don't support change, friction remains everywhere, and everything stays optional rather than default. Inspired by Outrage an...

In this revealing Speak Up Woman episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Joanna Yarrow , former IKEA sustainability leader now working on regenerative placemaking at Human Nature, to explore why urgency is rising whilst agency remains absent, why sustainability professionals (predominantly women) are burning out in unachievable roles, and why being told your pr...

In this intellectually stimulating solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow draws unexpected connections between Richard Dawkins' 1976 concept of memes from "The Selfish Gene," Professor Alice Roberts' book "Dominance" exploring Christianity's spread across the Roman Empire, and the historic Green Party by-election win in Manchester to explain why some workplace sustainab...

In this practical and inspiring episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Cathy Benwell , co-founder of A Good Thing, a Community Interest Company (CIC) that has created a matchmaking platform connecting 1,000 UK businesses donating surplus items with 3,500 charities and non-profits desperate for exactly those materials, from construction supplies and hotel beddi...

In this timely and practical solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow challenges decades of climate communication focused on warming, heat, and melting ice caps by asking a provocative question: should we be talking more about global wetting, given that people find it incredibly easy to talk about weather (especially rain) but remarkably difficult to discuss sustainabilit...

In this practical and liberating episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , Emma Burlow talks with Claire Osborne , accredited climate career coach with 15 years of sustainability experience and more than 2,000 hours coaching clients from organisations including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Amnesty International, Octopus Energy, and Unilever. Together they explore why experienced sustainabili...

In this practical and clarifying solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow cuts through net zero jargon by introducing the Five Pillars framework from the Race to Zero campaign's Exponential Business Playbook , giving listeners a step-by-step maturity model that reduces overwhelm, helps organisations identify where they actually sit on the journey (often further ahead than...

In this profound and paradigm-shifting episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Steffi Bednarek , Director of the Centre for Climate Psychology and author of Climate Psychology and Change , to challenge one of sustainability's most damaging narratives: that feeling anxious about climate change represents a disorder requiring treatment. Steffi flips this entirely...

In this essential and clarifying solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow demystifies one of sustainability's most intimidating concepts (system change) by walking listeners through a practical framework from Nigel Topping's Race to Zero TED Talk that has been stuck on her office wall for years. With three simple visual rules (ambition loops, exponential goals, and shared...

In this insightful and energising episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Crista Buznea , Head of Sustainability Marketing at Ecologi, to explore how effective communication can transform sustainability from a worthy burden into an engaging, dopamine-filled journey that drives real business action. With a background spanning tourism marketing at Heathrow and TU...

In this practical and uplifting solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow kicks off 2026 with a powerful reframe for sustainability professionals exhausted by negativity, what-aboutism, and constant battles over every small change. Drawing on groundbreaking research published in Nature Food, Emma demonstrates how clever behind-the-scenes switches can deliver massive carbon...

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Sian Cuffey-Young , founder of SAEL Environmental in Trinidad and Tobago, to explore the intersection of food waste, food security, and climate action in Caribbean island states. With 20 years of experience in waste management and a mission statement that "waste is sexy," Sian brings infec...

In this powerful year-end compilation episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow revisits the three solo episodes that resonated most strongly with listeners in 2025, addressing the thorniest challenges facing sustainability professionals today. From navigating conversations with climate sceptics to avoiding the "evangelical trap" that alienates colleagues, to breaking free from...

In this practical and inspiring episode of Straight Talking Sustainability , host Emma Burlow sits down with Sanita Garley , Net Zero Transition Plan Lead at B&Q, to explore the often-discussed but rarely-demonstrated journey from setting net zero targets to actually implementing change across a major retail organisation. With over 20 years in buying and product development before transitionin...

In this action-packed solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow delivers exactly what sustainability-conscious listeners have been asking for: five straightforward switches that make the biggest dent in your personal carbon footprint, complete with referral codes, money-off promotions, and practical bonus links worth £332 to remove every excuse for inaction. Top 5 Carbon‑Cu...

In this career-focused episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow sits down with Nick Valenzia, co-founder of Leafr (the world's largest marketplace for sustainability skills), to unpack the brutal realities facing sustainability professionals today: unclear career pathways, exhausting job searches, and the dangerous myth that passion alone will get you ahead. Nick reveals how Le...

In this game-changing solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow reveals the counterintuitive strategy that's transforming how organisations achieve climate action: forget trying to convince everyone and focus on activating just 25% of your workforce to create unstoppable momentum. Emma unpacks the frustrating paradox facing sustainability professionals everywhere: if 80% of...