In this special episode, the usual host Emma is interviewed by her colleague and co-founder of Not Sustainable, Rebecca Watson. The tables are turned as Emma shares her journey, expertise, and reflections on her 30-year career in sustainability. The conversation covers her background, the evolution of her work, her approach to training and advisory, and her motivation for supporting individuals and organisations in delivering meaningful sustainability action.

Emma’s Background & Career Path

• Started in sustainability in 1997, with a degree in Environmental Science and early experience in conservation and compliance (01:08)
• Pivoted to work in climate and set up Lighthouse Sustainability, focusing on training and advisory work (01:55)

Approach to Training

• Majority of Lighthouse’s work is carbon literacy training, including workshops, short courses, and "train the trainer" programmes (04:00)
• Emphasis on building capacity in organisations by embedding skills internally (05:11)

Ideal Clients & Advisory Work

• Works with a variety of organisations, from SMEs to large corporates (e.g., B&Q, BT, Openreach) (07:02)
• Focused on helping organisations cut through complexity and set meaningful priorities (08:23)

Strategic Impact & Board-Level Support

• Helps organisations integrate sustainability strategically, not just as an add-on (10:24)
• Experience as a board member and strategic advisor, including roles such as CSO (13:13)

Hearts & Minds: The Importance of Motivation

• Sustainability training is about engaging people’s values and motivations, not just technical knowledge (22:38)

Advice for Listeners

• Don’t get stuck in the weeds: focus on what's material and significant (32:02)
• Start where you are, leverage your influence, and don’t hesitate to seek external support or coaching (33:01)

• Not Sustainable Not Sustainable
• The Carbon Literacy Project: carbonliteracy.com

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In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma welcomes Lucy Hawthorne, founder of Climate Play, to unpack how play—especially using LEGO—can be a powerful tool in making sustainability engagement more effective and enjoyable. They discuss the neuroscience of play, overcoming cynicism, and practical facilitation techniques to unlock creativity and connection in sustainability journeys.

• Lucy Hawthorne's journey from environmental campaigning to play-based sustainability facilitation 02:11
• The limitations of traditional moralistic and fear-based sustainability approaches 02:46
• Introduction to LEGO Serious Play as a facilitation method 06:45
• How using LEGO unlocks new ways of thinking, connection, and imagination 08:52
• The science: neuroscience of play and embodied cognition 08:56, 19:51
• Overcoming organizational resistance to play-based methods 12:34, 14:50
• A live micro LEGO exercise exploring the "Three Horizons" future-thinking tool 19:24
• How facilitation via play can level hierarchies and increase inclusive participation 26:36
• The importance of imagination and creating positive, strengths-based visions of the future in sustainability work 31:03
• Expanding play-based facilitation across sectors—business, academia, coaching, and more 35:09
• Playfulness as a mindset: responding to uncertainty and experimenting beyond the status quo 38:21

• "What if sustainability wasn’t so miserable?" — Lucy Hawthorne 13:56
• "The LEGO is the method, but the mindset is about being willing to experiment and see opportunities." — Lucy Hawthorne 38:21

• Website: climateplay.org

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In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma discusses the emotional and practical impacts of climate change amidst record-breaking heat in the UK. She dives into the ways misinformation and social media can fuel anxiety and helplessness, and highlights how the People's Emergency Briefing provides both vital information and a sense of community. Emma reflects on her own skepticism about community events, the key lessons from the briefing—including the economics, health, and security implications of climate change—and actionable steps listeners can take to get involved and inspire real change.

• Climate anxiety, doomscrolling, and the emotional toll of environmental crises
• Misinformation on social media and the importance of community
• The People's Emergency Briefing: format, impact, and key speakers (celebrities, scientists, military strategist, NHS doctor, energy economists, and more)
• The economics of the UK energy transition: why renewables make sense
• Health impacts of climate change, with input from NHS professionals
• Security and global threats posed by the climate crisis
• The importance of shifting from just facts to community-led action
• Practical ways to get involved: attending and hosting screenings, workplace discussions, and community-building

• People’s Emergency Briefing: nebriefing.org
• Map of screenings (mainly UK, with some international)
• Information on how to host your own screening
• Workplace version coming soon (about 30 minutes)
• Write to your MP: Follow the call to action to urge Parliament to debate a National Emergency Briefing, modeled on COVID updates
• Lighthouse Sustainability: lighthouse-sustainability.co.uk
• Connect with Emma on LinkedIn Emma Burlow | LinkedIn

1. Attend a Screening: Find a local showing of the People’s Emergency Briefing or watch online.
2. Host Your Own Event: Bring the film to your school, workplace, church, or community group.
3. Spread the Word: Share the film and the podcast with friends, colleagues, and on social media.
4. Engage in Positive Community Building: Use social media as a tool for connection rather than division.
5. Invite Global Perspectives: If you're outside the UK, reach out to Emma to share how climate change is affecting your region.

• Send your ideas for future episodes to Emma
• Share the episode with anyone who’d benefit from it
• Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your preferred platform

Let's keep learning and taking action together!

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This podcast tackles the often overwhelming world of sustainable practices with straightforward advice and relatable insight.

• 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 underestimated impact of talking about and sharing your choices
• Tangible & easy sustainability actions you can take right now

1. Begin with Visible Changes

• Use a reusable coffee cup and water bottle.
• Choose walking, cycling, or public transport over driving.
• Reduce food waste and try more plant-based meals.
• Visible changes subtly shift social norms (05:49).

1. Tackle the Invisible (But High Impact) Actions

• Switch your bank to one with ethical investment policies.
• Review and update your pension to an ethical or low-carbon fund.
• Change your energy provider to a green tariff.
• These background actions move far more carbon and money than daily visible actions (08:03).

1. Share What You’re Doing

• Talk about your green choices with friends, family, and colleagues.
• Don’t hide or apologize for sustainable choices; sharing normalizes these behaviors and builds momentum (12:19).
• Community connections, whether local or at work, create a warm glow and reinforce positive changes.

1. Mindset Shift

• Don’t see “everything, everywhere, all at once” as pressure—it means there’s endless possibility.
• You can’t get it wrong if you try, learn, and keep going (18:45).
• Change happens through people, not just policies (19:49).

Show Links

£50 credit for Octopus Energy

Bank Green Tool

52 Simple Sustainability Hacks E-Book

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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 action.

• Charlie Cox's journey from coaching in West Africa to leading a team of climate coaches 01:01
• The psychological barriers to action in climate and sustainability work 02:00
• Why being a good leader is often more important than having large budgets in sustainability projects 03:21
• The "stuck" feeling experienced by many sustainability professionals, and the overwhelming scope of their roles 06:37
• The technical vs. people/communications skills required for effectiveness in sustainability roles 07:04
• The organizational challenges: lack of executive sponsorship and belief leadership 07:54
• The importance of coaching skills for sustainability professionals—especially introverts 10:12
• How climate change coaching differs from general business coaching 11:25
• Dealing with existential dread, burnout, and organizational contempt 12:27
• The power of using strengths-based and asset-based coaching approaches 17:31
• Shifting the identity from “knowledge holder” to “thought partner” 19:48
• Why self-regulation and deep listening are key for influencing others 18:06
• Strategies for maintaining belief and hope in the face of setbacks 14:20
• Insights into the Green Transition Coach course and its modules (building ecosystems, challenging mindsets, working with barriers, emotional regulation, and building ownership) 25:00
• The risks of becoming subservient or stuck in "servant mode" 27:43
• Mindset shifts, overcoming imposter syndrome, and changing organizational perspectives 31:05
• Practical communication tactics for influencing stakeholders and navigating difficult conversations 32:24
• Tips for making change appealing: make it familiar, reversible, and easy 47:41

• Sustainability is a people-centered job: Technical skills are important, but communication, influence, and psychological insight are critical for success.
• Belief leadership matters: Executive sponsorship must translate to active participation, not merely delegating responsibility to underpowered teams.
• Coaching skills enable action: Learning to ask powerful questions and adopting a strengths-based approach helps "stuck" professionals and organizations move forward.
• You don't need to be the font of all knowledge: Focusing on being a “thought partner” and building organizational belief in change is more effective than relying solely on technical expertise.
• Make change accessible: Breaking actions into small, reversible, and familiar steps can help overcome overwhelm—both for sustainability professionals and organizational decision makers.

• Find out more about Charlie and Climate Change Coaches
• Lighthouse Sustainability and the Beacon newsletter

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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 a whole. She emphasizes that issues such as secrecy and siloed efforts lead to fragmented results, ultimately weakening both individual organizations and collective impact. Instead, Emma challenges listeners to reconsider the dominant business paradigms rooted in scarcity and competition, arguing that these are outdated and fragile when it comes to solving urgent, complex problems.

• Leadership and the Race Against Climate Change
• Emma discusses the urgency around climate action but questions whether the competitive, race-like mentality is actually hindering meaningful progress 00:30.
• Prisoner’s Dilemma in Sustainability
• The classic dilemma is used as a metaphor for what happens when organizations protect their own interests at the expense of collective progress 02:40.
• Downsides of Competition
• Emma illustrates how competing in silos leads to duplication of effort, wasted resources, and slower progress—commercially and environmentally 03:31.
• Real-World Collaboration Example
• Emma shares a partnership story with Vicki Mistry, showing the benefits and challenges of genuine cooperation instead of competition 06:09.
• Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset
• The problems of business models based on scarcity of knowledge are unpacked, with a strong call to switch towards sharing, open training, and empowerment 08:47.
• The Train the Trainer Model
• Emma introduces a pyramid, scale-through-empowerment approach: embedding expertise in client organizations, rather than trying to own all the knowledge 12:45.
• Getting Beyond Ego
• Focusing on the mission—climate impact—over egotistical or short-term wins; sharing knowledge leads to more robust businesses and greater long-term success 09:00.

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Next week: Another guest and more hard-hitting insights into sustainable business. Until then: keep challenging and stay curious!

prisoners-dilemma

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