E186: Show Notes

Title: Exploring Careers in Sustainability In this episode, hosts Will Richardson and Charlie Luxton explore the booming landscape of sustainability careers, a sector that has witnessed huge growth in the UK job market. With sustainability-focused roles accounting for 1/3 of UK job postings, the industry has become a focal point for professionals looking to make positive environmental impact. To delve into this topic, we are joined by Serrol Osman, Director of Verdant Search, a renowned firm specialising in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and sustainability recruitment. Together, they unpack the evolving dynamics of the industry and provide invaluable insights, advice, and strategies for individuals looking to transition into sustainability careers.

1. Market Dynamics and Industry Disruption:

· Serrol reflects on the rapid growth of sustainability careers up to 2022, noting a slowdown due to global economic factors.

· The discussion covers shifts in salary structures, challenges in accommodating rising costs, and talent shortages at mid-level positions.

· Despite uncertainties, Serrol predicts continued growth driven by regulatory changes and corporate sustainability initiatives.

2. Confusion and Evolution in Job Descriptions:

· The podcast addresses confusion in job descriptions amidst the fast-paced evolution of sustainability roles.

· Serrol discusses challenges in finding the right talent, inconsistent salaries, and the need for clear job definitions to streamline recruitment processes.

3. Demand for Purpose-Led Companies:

· Both hosts emphasise candidates' desire to work for purpose-driven companies.

· Serrol underscores the importance of aligning company values with employee aspirations for enhanced retention and growth.

4. Evolution of Recruitment Profiles:

· Serrol predicts that, like digital transformation, specialised sustainability roles will be integrated into traditional business operations.

· The discussion highlights the role of sustainability leadership and reporting structures in driving meaningful organisational change.

5. AI and Future Job Trends:

· Serrol offers insights into AI's potential impact on green jobs, predicting shifts in productivity and new roles in design, research, and policy.

· Serrol stresses the significance of soft skills and emerging opportunities within the sustainability domain.

6. Advice for Aspiring Professionals:

· Serrol advises aspiring professionals to assess their skill sets and explore opportunities in education, voluntary sectors, and current companies.

· The discussion emphasises starting with broad sustainability concepts before specialisation and the value of diverse skill sets, including communication and adaptability.

Green Element Group is an environmental management consultancy offering a range of bespoke sustainability services, products, and resources to accelerate the just transition to a stable climate. The Group consists of Green Element Limited, Compare Your Footprint Limited, and Sustainability Solved Podcast and Resource Hub. Find out more about Green Element Group here and benefit from a 20% discount on the first year of subscription to Compare Your Footprint, the highest quality carbon footprint software for your organisation. When registering, click ‘Got a Coupon’ and enter code ‘PODCAST‘ to claim discount.

A big thank you to our sponsors!

This episode of Sustainability Solved is sponsored by Business Declares, a not-for-profit business network who inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency.

They are an active network of 100+ businesses who back our commitments to reach net-zero, restore and protect nature, and advocate for regulatory change.

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In this episode we look at the funny side of Climate Change with award winning comedian, podcaster and business speaker, Stuart Goldsmith. He grabbed the headlines at the Edinburgh Festival in 2023 with his show about Climate Change, called Spoilers. Stuart talks about his journey in stand-up over the last 20 years, and his mission to engage a wider audience on Climate Change through comedy.

Why did Stuart Goldsmith decide to make jokes about Climate Change?

• Stuart talks about spending 10 years as a street performer and his increasing feeling of ‘eco-dread’. He acted on this feeling by writing and performing comedy about Climate Change.
• Stuart talks about the challenges of performing material about the Climate Crisis to audiences.

How does Climate Change comedy compare to activism?

• Charlie asks Stuart whether this was a form of activism. Stuart has attended Extinction Rebellion protests and a Just Stop Oil meeting. He respects their commitment but didn’t feel like these were his normal social group.
• Will highlights when we tackle a new way of sending a message, it is a kind of activism. Will compares it to when he worked in sustainability in the early days of his career.
• Stuart talks about his journey writing jokes on the Climate Crisis and soliciting climate confessions from the audience. But tries to go further and influence his more famous comedy friends to include the topic in their material.
• Stuart wants his audiences to feel more comfortable starting a conversion about Climate Change with friends.
• Stuart also shares a joke about flying business class.

How does Stuart gather research?

• Stuart talks about taking part in Climate Fresk, a workshop designed to teach the fundamental science behind Climate Change, and also playing EN-ROADS, an online simulator with the ability to test and explore cross-sector climate solutions.
• Will and Stuart discuss the impact of flying that’s both negative and positive to society.
• Stuart talks about interviewing people for his podcast, The Comedian’s Comedian, using one example of a global sustainability person for a huge US investment bank talking about Climate Change, politics, and Trump. This interviewee stressed that capital money has decided that [Climate Change] is real, so we can’t pretend it’s not real.
• Charlie offers the example of Trump supporting the reopening of coal mines, but none opened because no-one would invest in them.
• Stuart raises climate justice, and the fact people are already running for their lives. He asks what will humanity look like in the future?
• Charlie responds by quoting James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, where he recorded that if we hit an increase if 5-5 degrees above pre-industrial levels we could go from 8 billion people down to 1.5 billion living in the far North and far South.

What’s the worst thing Stuart jokes about?

• Stuart doesn’t communicate how horrible a topic is to his audience, or they will stop listening. He thinks we need to safeguard our mental health.
• Stuart talks about being a parent and offers a ‘worst thing’ joke related to his fellow playground dad’s...

Season 5, Episode 184: Sustainable Standstill: Why major housebuilders aren’t going green This episode we interview Ian Pritchett, the co-founder of Greencore Homes in Oxfordshire. They build airtight, energy-efficient, timber frame houses, from their factory in Bicester. Ian shines a spotlight on the challenges of the ‘business-as-usual’ housebuilding planning system and champions the need for a new national planning policy that is fit for the future.

The problem

· Charlie asked Ian what the planning system is doing to respond to climate change challenges and pressures around development.

· Ian is frustrated at the planning system. Trying to do something different and better is a challenge. It gets closer scrutiny and there is more bureaucracy.

· National Government and housebuilders are focused on volume, not sustainability. They are more interested in avoiding a housing crisis, than a climate crisis.

Environmental impact

· Ian reports that every time a new house is built it generates over one hundred tons of carbon emissions (CO2), plus the use of the house will emit carbon. The total carbon budget for Oxfordshire’s five local authorities is 26.3m tonnes of CO2 by 2050. With their plan to build 100,000 new homes in the next 10 years, they will use between 80-100% of that budget on new housing alone.

· Sustainability regulations are dumbed down to keep volumes up. It is a choice between the quantity or the quality of housing. Ian explains that we can have both.

· Charlie asks Ian if we can build our way out of a housing crisis and why does volume win Government votes.

· Ian explains that we are living longer, there are smaller households and spare housing is not where employment is concentrated, hence why the Southeast is the focus of housebuilding.

A planning system fit for our future

· Ian wants a new national planning policy that is fit for the future and focuses on more important areas such as energy, carbon, wildlife, biodiversity, and community.

· Greencore’s mission is to move the house building industry from an unsustainable to sustainable model answering questions such as can you lock up more carbon than you emit? Can you generate more energy than you use? Can you improve wildlife and biodiversity? · Ian talks about how Greencore works to the One Planet Living framework. It is building places where people want to live and can live sustainably, can live happily and healthily.

· Charlie and Ian discuss the issue of landowner wealth and a need to involve the local community to ensure they benefit.

Are greener houses more expensive? · Will talks about how Cardiff University proved that an environmentally friendly home could be more affordable than a normal home.

· Ian reports that there are some higher costs when building sustainably at a smaller scale. However, these costs will come down when building at volume.

· Charlie offers an example of one of his affordable housing projects and how lower running costs could be included in rent and mortgage agreements.

· Ian talks about the idea of houses built to encourage zero energy bills and the problems with this not being valued by residents.

The problem with parking space

· Ian is concerned about housing schemes being dominated by parking and car ownership. He sees a future where we make more use of shared sustainable transport and offer examples of where this is happening. Decisions also need to be made around green space vs car parking space.

· Charlie and Will discuss the pros and cons of electric car sharing in housing projects.

How to innovate faster

· Ian talks about how economics will drive innovation in this space faster. One way is to reduce stamp duty on low-carbon homes which would drive demand, supply, and legislation.

· Will and Charlie discuss getting a better mortgage for a low-carbon home, and Charlie uses the...