Marketing Director: “Climate is Trapped in the Culture Wars” | Sam Zindel, Gen R founder
Sam Zindel is Managing Director at digital marketing agency Propellernet and founder of GEN R. Gen R is an environmental movement that uses music and art to support nature. He's created a jukebox that plants trees for every song played - and it spent the summer with Fatboy Slim.
Sam's mission is to drag environmentalism out of the culture wars and root it back into popular culture where it belongs. No sandals required. No technical jargon. Just fun, accessible climate action that meets people where they already are - at gigs, festivals, and in the pub.
In this episode, we dive into:
Why 80% of people care about the environment but the climate movement is still stuck in an echo chamber - and how to fix it
The story behind the 1959 vinyl jukebox that plants trees, displays holographic bees, and ended up at Fat Boy Slim's Brighton cafe after debuting at Glastonbury
Why scaring people with sea level rise or confusing them with "scope 1 emissions" are terrible entry points to climate action
The school play moment that changed everything - when an 8-year-old read a story about a hummingbird and called out the adults in the room
How Propellornet went from measuring a 91-ton carbon footprint to funding a million trees in three years (and why offsetting for £1,000 felt "appalling")
The three core principles of Gen R: individual decisions without judgment, collective responsibility, and accepting imperfect progress
Why "movement is a message" - from reusable cup schemes at festivals to train travel included in football tickets
The power of imagination over climate denial - even if you don't believe in global warming, who wouldn't want cleaner air at the school drop-off?
Why nature is a superpower in climate storytelling and how the Wildling app makes it accessible to everyone (not just National Trust members)
Book recommendations: How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee, From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins, and Net Positive by Paul Polman
Thank you to Ecologi for supporting the podcast. They're the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out @Ecologi_hq at https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth
Follow the jukebox journey at @gen_r_jukebox on Instagram
Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/
And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/
00:00 The Jukebox that Fatboy Slim hosted
07:40 Engaging Popular Culture for Environmental Change
13:28 Behavior Change Through Storytelling
16:38 Collective vs. Individual Action in Climate Solutions
22:31 Personal Responsibility and Grassroots Action
28:43 Inspiring Hope and Fun in Environmentalism
31:24 The Hummingbird Story that changed Sam’s life
43:09 Awakening to Environmental Responsibility
51:39 Measuring and Reducing Carbon Footprint
58:00 Investing in Nature and Community
01:02:11 The Role of Business in Sustainability
01:09:39 Long-Term Change vs. Short-Term Solutions
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Meet the man organising an Emergency Briefing for your MP | Nick Oldridge
Email your MP to get them to attend! Visit https://www.nebriefing.org/
Send them their personalised video invite (already made): https://docs.google.com/document/d/18BWde8rCy2pBFL_Eid-rEJ6XIQqSUEqq_lnj9TZaapI/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.r7al6r613w88
Nick Oldridge is on a mission to get all 650 UK MPs into Westminster Central Hall for the National Emergency Briefing - a crucial wake-up call about the climate crisis happening in just 23 days from recording. As the co-founder of Climate Science Breakthrough, which created viral videos featuring comedians like Joe Brand and Jonathan Pie translating climate science, Nick knows how to break through the noise.
In this episode, we dive into:
Why the UK's claimed 50% emissions reduction is "clever accounting" that doesn't include major sources like Drax power station, aviation, or imported goods.
The eight expert speakers who'll deliver 10-minute TED-style talks covering everything from food security to NHS collapse to national security threats.
How comedy became the unexpected vehicle for climate communication - and why Joe Brand's appearance on Good Morning Britain marked a turning point
The shocking perception gap: people think net zero will cost 28% of GDP when it's actually just 0.2% - or £1.30 per person per week.
Why shifting to a plant-rich diet could free up land the size of Scotland and why the economic benefits of reaching net zero would save the UK £37 billion annually
Nick's "one-way gate" moment with climate scientist Kevin Anderson that transformed him from observer to activist, leading him to invest his children's inheritance into climate action
The power of ending on positive solutions, from renewable energy to nature recovery, and why "movement is a message"
This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth
Find out more about the National Emergency Briefing at: https://www.nebriefing.org/
Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/
And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/
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Why the climate debate is LOSING. (And how to fix it) Will Hayler, founder of Blue Earth Summit
Will Hayler is the co-founder of Blue Earth Summit, the leading gathering for leaders, investors and changemakers driving a regenerative future. Their headline event is over 3 days with over 7,000 total attendees, 1,500 business attending and attendees with over £10bn of assets under management.
The mission of Blue Earth is to “transform the way the world works”. So in this episode, I asked
This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth
You can learn more about Blue Earth Summit at: https://blueearthsummit.com/
Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/
And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/
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“The BIGGEST problem with the sustainability movement is…” Adam Bastock People Planet Pint founder
Adam Bastock is the founder of People, Planet, Pint. A sustainability meet-up that he’s scaled globally to 15 countries, with only 1.5 full time employees.In this episode, we cover:Why he’s mellowed on personal actionHow not to get stuck into perfectionismWhat people focus on that doesn’t matterHow gamification works to change behaviourDifference between demand and need in sustainabilityHow thinking of people as light vs. dark green is helpfulThe game that even sustainability professionals get wrongHow climate action can be thought of as a marketing funnelWhy presenting logical facts doesn’t result in logical outcomesThis podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxthYou can find out more about Adam on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambastock/Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/
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An expert guide to becoming an impact millionaire, Oliver Dauert
Oliver Dauert is on a mission to make you an impact millionaire. He’s an ecopreneur with a community with over 40,000 people.He’s the founder of Wildya where he helps people do exactly that: ecopreneurs go from idea to impact.Oliver explains why food systems—not energy—are the frontline of biodiversity loss, how shifting to a more “plant-powered” diet creates outsized impact, and why awareness of nature’s decline lags so far behind climate change. We explore the drivers of nature loss (habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, invasive species, and climate change) and what ordinary people can do to make a difference.We also dive into parenthood, community building, and how to actually start conversations about nature with friends and family without turning them off. Oliver shares his take on regenerative agriculture, ecopreneurship, and why being an “impact millionaire” beats chasing unicorn status.This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxthYou can find out more about Oliver on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-dauert-49016075/Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/00:00 What Does “Building a Wilder World” Mean?02:51 Everyday Examples of Nature Loss04:32 Simple First Steps to Reconnect with Nature07:10 Why Biodiversity Awareness Lags Behind Climate10:08 Kids, Travel & The Spark for Caring About Nature12:24 The Main Drivers of Nature Decline15:29 Food Systems & the Impact of Diet20:19 Becoming More Plant-Powered21:08 Parenthood & Long-Term Thinking About Nature25:56 How to Start Conversations About a Wilder World33:49 What Is Regenerative Agriculture?38:43 Balancing Work, Life & Time in Nature44:16 What It Means to Be an Ecopreneur49:56 Inspiring Ecopreneur Examples (SUGi, Patagonia)53:50 The Mindset & Habits of Ecopreneurs58:18 Book & Documentary Recommendations for Nature Lovers1:07:06 Most Underrated & Overrated Things in Nature
"How can we unf*ck our climate and planet" is what I'm asking leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy-makers and doers taking action for our climate and planet.
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