Straight Talking Sustainability

In this summer episode, Emma Burlow reflects on how to communicate about sustainability in everyday work and life, inspired by an out-of-office response from Abby Chicken. Rather than overt activism, Emma Burlow suggests six subtle but powerful strategies for integrating sustainability into your communication and encouraging cultural change—without shouting from the rooftops.
The 6 Significant Shifts for Summer
Update Your Out-of-Office:

Instead of a generic auto-reply, use out-of-office messages to share sustainability stories, highlight your travel choices, or express climate concerns. Abby Chicken's thoughtful message offered a great example at 01:23.

Use Climate Stripes:

The climate stripes graphic (from the University of Reading) visually tells the story of rising temperatures without words. Add them to your LinkedIn banner, email footer, or as a background in meetings (08:45).
LINK #ShowYourStripes

Host a National Emergency Briefing Screening:

Organize a viewing, either subtly for interested colleagues or as a bigger event. The National Emergency Briefing now offers workplace screenings (10:13).
LINK National Emergency Briefing

Get Carbon Literate:

Take the “carbon literacy” training—even for sustainability professionals—to refresh knowledge and direction (11:51). Emma Burlow offers a special discount for listeners (see episode audio for details).
Carbon Literacy Training - Lighthouse Sustainability
Use Code STS50 for 50% off individual Carbon Literacy training places on our Open courses in 2026.

Role Modelling:

Share and normalize sustainable habits like walking, cycling, taking the train, or eating vegan—even just mentioning them helps shift culture (14:14).

Share Your Everyday Actions:

Highlight any sustainable or community-oriented activities such as repairing items, using a tool library, or swapping clothes (18:14). Small “Trojan mice” nudges can be more powerful than grand gestures.

Key Quotes
“Small “Trojan mice” nudges can be more powerful than grand gestures."
“Facts and evidence don't move people. Peer pressure and feeling part of a tribe is what moves people.” — Emma Burlow 16:04

Call to Action
Try one (or more) of the six shifts above in your workplace or community.
Rate and review the podcast on Spotify/Apple to help more people find it (00:44).
Connect with Emma Burlow on LinkedIn, visit lighthouse-sustainability.co.uk, and subscribe to the newsletter “The Beacon.”

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In this episode, Emma sits down with Elise Foster Vander Elst from the Design Museum to discuss the significant role museums can play in driving sustainability and tackling the climate emergency. The conversation reveals how museums leverage their trusted status, how collective action sparks innovation, and how every job can contribute to meaningful environmental change.
Key Topics & Highlights
Role of Environmental Impact Lead
Elise Foster Vander Elst shares her dual role at the Design Museum, overseeing exhibitions and leading sustainability practices from material reduction to influencing departmental decarbonisation 01:14.

Staff Numbers & Agility
The Design Museum, with around 100 staff and many volunteers, is described as a “mini speedboat” able to act swiftly, unlike larger institutions 01:51.

Public Expectations vs. Awareness
Insights from the Act Green Survey: 77% of respondents think museums should influence on climate, but only 17% believe museums are prioritising it—highlighting a disconnect 02:58.

Museums as Trusted Messengers
Museums (and curators) are amongst the UK’s most trusted professions, behind only nurses, librarians, doctors, and teachers (05:40).

The Power of Community and Networks
Elise Foster Vander Elst describes collaborative initiatives among museums and cultural institutions, such as the South Ken Zen Network and shared sustainability programmes 08:11.

Local and Sector-wide Collective Action
Discussion about how locality and sector-specific approaches can accelerate change and foster information sharing 10:09.

Design’s Critical Role in Climate Action
Examples of museum exhibitions (e.g., Waste Age, How to Build a Low Carbon Home) and research programmes (e.g., Future Observatory, projects on eliminating single-use plastics in the NHS) 13:40.

Change as a Constant
Both speakers challenge the narrative that “people don’t like change” and instead frame historical and societal progress as evidence that humans continuously adapt 20:21.

Addressing Imperfection and Green Hushing
Elise Foster-Van der Elst introduces the concept of “green hushing,” the danger of staying silent about progress for fear of criticism, and the value of sharing both successes and mistakes for collective learning 35:12.

Empowering Staff and Sharing Tools
Highlights from carbon literacy training at the museum, empowering every department to engage in sustainability efforts (33:29), and the use of carbon calculators to inform decision-making 31:23.

Design Museum: designmuseum.org
Gallery Climate Coalition: galleryclimatecoalition.org
Future Observatory programme: (via Design Museum)
Carbon Literacy Project: carbonliteracy.com

Connect & Continue the Conversation
Visit the Design Museum and explore their exhibitions.
Engage with your local museum on sustainability programming and events.
Reach out to Emma Burlow and Elise Foster Vander Elst on LinkedIn.
Share your questions and ideas for future episodes.

For more insights and upcoming episodes, subscribe to Straight Talking Sustainability and sign up for the Lighthouse Sustainability newsletter, The Beacon.
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In this episode, Emma Berlow dives deep into the concept of cognitive dissonance—how it impacts our response to climate emergencies, and why so many people seem immobilized or contradictory in their climate actions, especially amid heat waves and wildfires.
Emma Burlow also shares personal reflections on her recent work with Innovate UK’s Battery Innovation Programme, offering listeners a sense of hope about the ambitious projects and funding happening behind the scenes, even when media headlines can feel overwhelmingly bleak.
Key Topics Covered
Personal Reflections & Recent Activities
Sitting on a funding assessment panel for Innovate UK's Battery Innovation Programme, which will invest £452 million between 2026–2030
Experience in the Mighty Heart course with Rhian Sherrington

Cognitive Dissonance & Climate Inaction
Definition and origins of cognitive dissonance (05:00)
Real-life example: the Dorothy Martin “alien flood” case and what it teaches us about entrenched beliefs and resistance to change
Why facts and evidence often fail to change minds where identity and worldview are wrapped up in old paradigms

How to Spot Cognitive Dissonance
Disconnection between language and action (e.g., ambitious targets without real follow-through, greenwashing) (09:26)
Personal and organizational examples
Importance of authenticity and setting an example

Emotional and Societal Barriers
Climate anxiety vs. societal overwhelm (04:01, 15:53)
Difference between apathy, stupidity, and psychological overwhelm
The importance of taking manageable, meaningful action—both micro (daily habits) and macro (community initiatives, industry change)

Moving Forward: What Can You Do?
Encourages listeners to have open, nonjudgmental conversations about climate impacts with colleagues outside the sustainability bubble (18:08)
Questions to ask: “Are you noticing anything?” and “Is our response proportional?”
Listen more than you speak to open new doors for engagement

Memorable Quotes
“It’s too simplistic to put this down to a spreadsheet, and a triple bottom line, or some sort of moral argument.” (07:22)
“It’s not your job to fix other people. It’s your job to put the gears and levers in place.” (13:28)
“If you can listen more than you talk, I promise you, you will learn something, and that might just open a door that didn’t exist before.” (19:57)

Recommended Actions
Name and recognize cognitive dissonance—in yourself and others—but don’t use it to shame or divide (16:00)
Foster safe, open, and non-judgmental spaces for climate conversations in your community or workplace
Focus on action and agency, however small, and seek out opportunities to support or initiate positive change

If you enjoyed this episode or found it useful, please share with a friend or colleague. Subscribe, rate, and review to help more people find Straight Talking Sustainability!
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This week, Emma Burlow is joined by Heather Davies to discuss why repair is quickly becoming the new recycling, especially in the context of sustainability and community impact. Heather Davies shares the inspiring story behind the Re-Action Collective, a growing network aimed at amplifying local repair, upcycling, and community reuse of outdoor gear.
They explore how repair initiatives started at a grassroots level in ski resorts, evolved into a collective model, and now connect around 70 organizations internationally. They discuss the importance of "finding the others" — bringing together people with shared purpose to build momentum for community-led repair and circular economy practices.
Key Topics
Origins and Growth of the Reaction Collective: From a local community event to an international network supporting 70 organizations 01:29–05:00
Importance of Community in Repair: Tackling loneliness, sharing skills, and the power of collective agency 06:34–09:24
Skills Loss & Consumer Habits: The shift from repair to replacement explains the decline in repair knowledge and capacity 10:25–11:24
Brand Initiatives: How companies like Patagonia, RAB, and Alpkit are changing the landscape of repair and where gaps remain 12:33–14:31
The Case for Decentralized Repair: Heather Davis's white paper explores barriers, solutions, and the value of supporting local repairers 15:45–17:19
Making Repair More Accessible: Comparing centralized brand repair vs. community/local repair shops 18:44–23:35
Policy & International Perspectives: Insights from France’s right to repair policy and bonus scheme; discussion on VAT and government incentives 25:02–29:38
Challenges of Scaling Repair: The current role of the third sector and the need for more support to reach greater scale 30:35–31:08
Action Steps for Listeners: How to engage with local repairers or support the movement 32:32–34:37

Notable Quotes
"We only really have true agency when we act collectively." — Heather Davies 05:18
"If you send something off for repair and it comes back, it's very transactional. Whereas, when you build a relationship with your repairer, you value the repair more." — Heather Davies 22:27
"Once you've repaired something, you're more likely to repair it again." — Heather Davies 22:47
"Our goal has always been to support the people and to help them support their communities." — Heather Davies 36:56

Take Action
Find something in your home that needs repairing, and take it to a local repairer 32:32
Read Heather Davies' white paper on decentralized textile repair—contact her via LinkedIn to get a copy34:35
Support community repair initiatives—offer opportunities, funding, or simply help spread the word 34:37

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it, subscribe, and leave a review!
Instead of a linear model (buy, use, discard)—which results in unnecessary waste, avoidable carbon emissions and rising costs for customers—Re-Action supports circular alternatives already working locally. These alternatives focus on repair and maintenance; collection, resale and redistribution; rental and sharing; upcycling and reuse; skills and knowledge exchange. By connecting and supporting the people already providing these services, Re-Action builds more visible and robust circular systems.
Through her work with Re-Action, Heather has developed a particular interest in repair, identifying what she calls "the repair gap". She's finalising a white paper arguing for more decentralised repair solutions that are more resilient and benefit customers, communities and the repairers themselves. The white paper will be out soon.
LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-davies-communicating-sustainability/
Re-Action website: https://re-action-collective.org/
Re-Action LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/re-action-collective/
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In this episode, Emma tackles the “unspeakable C word”—climate—and explores why, even amid extreme weather and record-breaking heatwaves, there’s a widespread reluctance to talk about climate change directly. Instead, conversation often pivots to coping strategies and adaptation, neglecting the root causes and mitigation.
Talking About Heat, Not Its Cause
Society focuses on the discomfort and practicalities of extreme heat, rarely acknowledging climate change as the driver 03:00.
Surrendering to Adaptation
Communities and individuals are quick to find ways to adapt—air conditioning, altered routines—while skipping over discussions about how to prevent or stop escalating temperatures 07:03.
Softening of Language in Business
Businesses are increasingly using vague terms like “responsible growth” or “sustainability” in place of “climate emergency,” often as a form of avoidance 09:32.

Key Takeaways
Socially Organized Denial:
Referencing sociologist Kari Norgaard, Emma Berlow describes how society keeps climate conversations abstract and disconnected from daily life and action 06:13.

The Adaptation Leap:
There’s been a jump to adaptation solutions at the expense of mitigation efforts. This risks making climate impacts seem inevitable and unchangeable 08:53.

The Challenge for Sustainability Professionals:
Emma Berlow calls on listeners to recognize avoidance—both in themselves and their organizations—and push for honest, direct conversation about climate causes and action 10:46. She urges listeners to perform a “counter move”: naming the climate issue and advocating for action where appropriate.

Ripples of Change:
Even small acts—like discussing climate more openly in community groups—can create positive ripples, slowly shifting what is considered normal conversation and action 17:07.

Personal Challenge
Spot softened language or avoidance in conversations around heat and climate.
When safe and strategic, respond with honesty about climate causes and the need for mitigation—don’t just nod along or join in the avoidance 15:31.

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