SustainaPod

This year’s summer was one of the hottest on record. As the world battles with the impacts of climate change, it is taking a toll on the mental health of people around the world. ‘Eco-anxiety’ is a term coined to reflect a heightened state of anxiety and worry related specifically to environmental harm caused by human activity and climate change. Young people, whose futures stand to be the most af...

What is AI? Is it all just about Chat GPT? Paco and Milly discuss with guest Flynn Devine. Flynn Devine is the Programme Coordinator from the Alan Turning Institute. He talks about how AI can be used for positive impacts on policy, and governance frameworks for responsible innovation and the ethical development and deployment of AI… as well as his own major projects! They also talk about the term...

Making a difference to the world starts one school meal at a time, but also requires a systems change. What does this look like in practice? Tune in as host Belinda speaks with the Founder and Chairman of The Alliance for Sustainable Schools (TASS), an international non-profit network of schools working together to help accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Anthony shares TASS’s visio...

Marine ecosystems play an important role mitigating the impacts of climate change; what is it like working at the forefront of conservation efforts? Host Rachel talks with Kelvin So, a project manager for ocean conservation work at WWF-Hong Kong. We talk about key challenges in Kelvin’s line of work, effective tips for advocacy, and also the implementation of the Shui Hau Clam project, which aimed...

Businesses have a key role to play in our world’s collective effort to decarbonise for a more sustainable future. What is it like working with these businesses as a corporate sustainability consultant? In this episode, host Rachel chats with Isabella Kong, a Sustainability Consultant at ERM, and recipient of ERM’s Environment Analyst Rising Star Award. Isabella shares how her educational journey s...

What is it like working at a fast-growing climate tech startup at the forefront of technologies to mitigate climate change? Host Belinda speaks with Tiffany Yu, a technical business analyst at Treeconomy, a UK startup using remote sensing data to quantify the impact of nature-based solutions. We talk about her journey to working at Treeconomy, and break down the world of carbon credits and offsets...

We’ve all heard of the United Nations, but what is it really like to work there? Host Chinny is joined by Carter Cheng, the Program Evaluation Lead at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. We discuss her motivation to join the UN, the intricacies of working within her field, and what it was like working in the field of agricultural technology during her time i...

How can elements of sustainability be incorporated into landscape planning? Host Rachel chats with Chin Chin Lam, an urban planner and a Hong Kong youth delegate at COP27. Chin Chin is also the founder of the social media platform “Urban Acupuncture Hong Kong”; she shares her ideas on sustainable urbanism, and her future aspirations in implementing local projects in Hong Kong. 

How does a sustainability practitioner create impact in their role for a particular industry? Co-hosts Chinny and Rachel speak with Justin Yeung, a Sustainability Executive at Techtronic industries (TTI). Justin shares his experiences as an in-house sustainability practitioner, and how he balances his day job with running 2041 Hong Kong, a youth-led organisation he co-founded seeking to inspire, a...

SustainaPod is proud to present the Green Careers mini-series! This eight episode series will spotlight the career journeys of eight professionals working across a range of industries and sectors. We’ll explore key sustainability topics most pertinent these different professions, and our guests also offer key advice for succeeding in their line of work.  We’re pleased to introduce episode 1 of the...

Menstruation is a well known topic, affecting half the world population monthly. But it's also a hush-hush topic, taught only vaguely in most schools. Co-hosts Chinny and Tim discuss with Sakshi Vasudev, the Founder and CEO of Bampads!, a youth social enterprise aimed to improve the environmental and social sustainability of periods and their accessibility through education and creation of their r...

What is the role of social entrepreneurship in advancing sustainable development? Co-hosts Belinda and Arwen chat with Jordan Wolken, the Global President of Bridges for Enterprise, a global student-led non-profit working to support social entrepreneurs in developing countries. We discuss the social entrepreneurship landscape, leading a global NGO, impact investing, and the importance of being ope...

How can we make packaging that doesn’t last forever and pollute the planet? In this episode, co-hosts Rachel and Savannah speak with Devana Ng, the co-founder of The Invisible Company. Devana shares the story behind creating the #INVISIBLE BAG that fully dissolves in hot water and how they’re working to tackle the plastic pollution crisis one bag at a time. Be sure to also listen in if you want to...

One person’s coffee waste is another’s treasure…  in this episode co-hosts Belinda and Chinny sit down with Zuzanna Zielińska, the Co-Founder of Denmark startup Connecting Grounds. Connecting Grounds  is a social, nonhierarchical purpose-driven startup, turning coffee waste into nutritious foods. We discuss the bigger challenges with the agricultural system today, the journey for Connect...

Rainbow Leung is the founder and director of SOA Hong Kong, a marine conservation organization and research assistant at the City University of Hong Kong. Host Belinda chats with Rainbow about what it’s like working at the science-policy interface, the key to effective marine conservation in Hong Kong, why eco-engineered tiles are better for biodiversity, and what makes Hong Kong so ecologically s...

How can urban cities be a hub for youth-led action for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? Co-hosts Belinda and Chinny chat with Gladys Ng, ESG Community and Project Manager at Genervision House, an NGO in Macau working with a community of passionate youth working to engage society in knowledge sharing and advocacy about sustainable development. We dig deep into strategies for effective communit...

What can youth do to drive the transition towards more sustainable food systems? In this episode, co-hosts Chinny and Belinda sit down with Natalie Cheung, a fellow of Project Melo, a Hong Kong platform which brings university students together with leading CEOs on an experiential learning journey. Natalie’s shares her experiences working on organizing a food sustainability initiative and on susta...

Delving into the realm of youth-led initiatives like our podcast, Deeya discusses the concept of sustainable literacy with Bailey Cherry, founder of ReBooked. In this episode, the two talk about the uniqueness of ReBooked as Hong Kong’s largest bookstore for pre-loved books, and how individuals can extend the idea of sustainable literacy. Dedicating years of patience and persistence to building Re...

We continue the conversation with Christie and Justin after they return from their travels to Antarctica by discussing their experiences starting 2041 Hong Kong, an effort to bring the ‘Antarctic Spirit’ back to their home city. Stay tuned to learn about how youth can foster effective partnerships across sectors and industries, and the role of innovation in sustainability education that the pair e...

Is Antarctica as cold and mysterious as it seems? What are penguins really like? In this episode, host Belinda chats with Christie Lai and Justin Yeung, two university students who traveled to Antarctica as part of an expedition with famed polar explorer Robert Swan. After their travels, the pair formed 2041 Hong Kong, a youth-led organisation catalyzing cross-sector and intergenerational action f...

Wellness, at both the personal and societal level has been collectively emphasized in the past few years as we continue to live with the Coronavirus pandemic. What can we do as individuals to make conscious lifestyle choices to nourish ourselves in relation to the environment around us? Host Belinda chats with Julina Halim, certified nutritionist and wellness coach on various holistic components o...

*This is Part 2 of our discussion with Stephanie! How can we create more empowering and accessible opportunities for young people to have conversations about mental health? In this episode, co-hosts Kadence and Belinda sit down with Stephanie Ng and our very own Deeya Basin. Stephanie is the Founder of Body Banter, a Hong Kong based non-profit empowering youth through various mediums and advocacy...

How can we create more empowering and accessible opportunities for young people to have conversations about mental health? In this episode, co-hosts Kadence and Belinda sit down with Stephanie Ng and our very own Deeya Bhasin. Stephanie is the Founder of Body Banter, a Hong Kong based non-profit empowering youth through various mediums and advocacy projects on body image and mental health. Deeya h...

What can we do? How can we help? Why do young people need to step up in the world of Engineering? In the final episode of the Engineering Series, Paco and Milly discuss the critical pointers from each episode of this series. Both planning on studying Engineering at university, and they discuss why they enjoy engineering, and the impact sustainability has on our world. Music by TuesdayNight from Pi...

NOTE: THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED BEFORE THE PASSING OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II. Therefore King Charles III was referred to as "the Prince of Wales". Why Tyre Dust? What’s the big deal? In the fourth episode of this Engineering Series, Paco talks to Hanson Cheng of the Tyre Collective Team. Since 2020, their project to remove tyre wear from our air has received a lot of exposure from many news outlets. T...