Straight Talking Sustainability

In this practical and uplifting solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow kicks off 2026 with a powerful reframe for sustainability professionals exhausted by negativity, what-aboutism, and constant battles over every small change. Drawing on groundbreaking research published in Nature Food, Emma demonstrates how clever behind-the-scenes switches can deliver massive carbon reductions (30% in one study) without guilt, arguments, or removing anyone's choices. This episode is essential listening for anyone tired of making sustainability harder than it needs to be.Emma introduces research by Flynn et al. titled "Dish swap across a weekly menu can deliver health and sustainability gains" that proves something revolutionary: you do not need to start with the hardest stuff, fight people, or remove choice to achieve meaningful carbon reductions. The researchers worked with a canteen serving 15 dishes across a five-day week, surveying diners' preferences and identifying where high-carbon meat dishes competed with lower-carbon vegetarian options. The problem was simple: when people's favourite vegetarian meal appeared on the same day as their favourite meat dish, they always chose the meat, meaning the vegetarian option never got selected.The solution was brilliantly simple: reshuffle the menu. Using what they called an optimisation model, the researchers rearranged dishes so high-preference vegetarian meals no longer competed with high-preference meat meals. No recipes changed. No meat-free Mondays. No lectures. No signs. Just a smarter order. The results were extraordinary: when the optimised menu rolled out, carbon footprint of meal choices dropped 30%, saturated fat dropped 6%, and crucially, no one complained or even noticed. This is what Emma calls "sustainability by stealth" or "Trojan mouse" approaches that deliver real impact without the exhausting battles.Emma explains why this matters profoundly for sustainability professionals drowning in negativity. Whenever conversations begin about reducing meat consumption or increasing plant-based canteen options, polar reactions emerge: accusations of "banning meat," claims of being a "Scrooge" after the consumerism-filled festive season, or walls of what-aboutism (what about wind turbine blades, range anxiety, plastic recycling rates). This negativity is not just draining; it actively kills momentum, derails conversations, and leaves sustainability teams fighting uphill battles daily whilst making minimal progress.The episode tackles why negativity is so prevalent in climate and sustainability conversations, particularly around politically sensitive topics like food, renewable energy, and flying. Emma identifies three common negative patterns: what-aboutism (endless objections ignoring any reasons something might work), accusations that sustainability means "banning everything" or "penalising us," and the exhausting cycle of needing to prove your case with facts whilst the other side throws up barriers. This approach misses the point entirely and more critically, stops all forward momentum.Emma introduces the concept that people need to hear things seven times before they will buy them (a classic marketing principle). If those seven exposures are negative, negative, negative, the battle becomes exponentially harder. The solution is not more facts, bigger business cases, or harder fights. The solution is reframing towards can-dos, easy wins, and low-friction changes that build momentum rather than requiring martyrdom. As Emma puts it: "Momentum beats martyrdom. We don't all have to be martyrs. We don't have to fight it all every day of the week."The dish swap research proves something powerful about human behaviour and organisational change. Once people experience success (seeing that changes worked without causing pain), they become far more...

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow sits down with Sian Cuffey-Young, founder of SAEL Environmental in Trinidad and Tobago, to explore the intersection of food waste, food security, and climate action in Caribbean island states.With 20 years of experience in waste management and a mission statement that "waste is sexy," Sian brings infectious energy and unflinching honesty to one of the most overlooked sustainability challenges: the fact that our largest waste stream receives the least attention whilst people go hungry.Sian's journey into food waste began with composting education, which she loved, but she deliberately avoided the broader food waste challenge for years. Everything changed when Trinidad and Tobago released waste characterisation study results showing food and organic waste had increased from 27% to 33% of the waste stream over a decade.Under those results, a woman commented, "I wish I had some of that food to feed my family." That single statement crystallised Sian's mission.As she explains, the Caribbean region can feed itself six times over according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, yet food insecurity persists whilst good food is deliberately soiled with disinfectant and disposed of by supermarkets practicing "soil and dump" policies to avoid liability.The conversation reveals the unique challenges of sustainability work in island states with limited land space, voluntary rather than mandatory waste separation, and funding heavily skewed towards plastic waste initiatives because "that's where the money is coming from."Sian describes food and organic waste as sitting "quietly undiscovered in the corner" despite being the largest waste stream, receiving minimal attention compared to highly visible plastics pollution.This funding imbalance forces social entrepreneurs like Sian to look outside the region for support, connect with international networks, and get creative with limited resources whilst addressing society's most fundamental need: feeding people.Throughout the episode, Sian candidly discusses the reality of running a social enterprise in the environmental services sector, including experiencing her toughest financial year in a decade of operation.She describes feeling "forgotten" as a small service-based business competing against larger companies for contracts, constantly applying for highly competitive grants where all Caribbean organisations compete for the same limited funding pool, and questioning whether she should switch from food waste back to plastics where money flows more freely.Yet every time she prays and asks whether she is in the right space, the answer remains the same: "You need to stay here."Emma and Sian explore the systemic barriers preventing progress, including the absence of Good Samaritan laws in most Caribbean islands (only the Bahamas and Barbados have them), the lack of food waste legislation making separation mandatory, companies hiding behind liability concerns rather than finding workarounds for food donation, and the political cycle of starting and stopping initiatives whenever governments change.Sian's travels to China, the United States, and throughout the Caribbean provide perspective on what is possible, from smaller plates in Chinese hotels designed to reduce waste to comprehensive food waste reduction programmes in other regions, but returning home often brings deflation when implementation proves difficult.The conversation takes an inspiring turn when Sian shares what sustains her through the hard years: her faith, her husband's unwavering support ("the biggest pom poms out of all the husbands in the world"), and wanting her children to see their mother pursue something she is passionate about even when it is hard.Her philosophy of "don't take no for an

In this powerful year-end compilation episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow revisits the three solo episodes that resonated most strongly with listeners in 2025, addressing the thorniest challenges facing sustainability professionals today.From navigating conversations with climate sceptics to avoiding the "evangelical trap" that alienates colleagues, to breaking free from the paralysis caused by knowing business-as-usual will not save us, these episodes tackle the psychological and practical barriers that prevent meaningful climate action.After training over 800 people in carbon literacy and working in the sustainability sector for nearly 30 years, Emma knows that technical knowledge alone does not drive change. The episodes featured in this compilation reflect the real struggles sustainability professionals face daily: how to respond when confronted with climate denial, how to engage colleagues without appearing to recruit them for a cult, and how to take action when the magnitude of system change feels overwhelming and impossible.Episode 22: How to Survive a Conversation with a Climate Denier emerged from Emma's own LinkedIn encounter with someone claiming Italy and Argentina were pulling out of the Paris Agreement (information found nowhere except "word on the street"). This episode provides five common denier arguments and five practical survival tips, emphasising that climate denial, whilst noisy, remains exceptionally rare.Out of 800+ people Emma has trained, only one openly identified as a climate denier. The key insight: save your energy for the moveable middle rather than battling immovable objects, but know how to navigate these conversations when professionally trapped.Episode 34: I'm Not Recruiting For A Cult tackles the uncomfortable moment when Emma was told by a senior management team member: "If you're going to convince us to change our habits, you're going to have to come up with some better evidence."This episode dismantles the decades-old sustainability sector habit of trying to prove our point, recruit converts, and convince sceptics through ever-more-impressive graphs and data. Emma argues that leadership is not about convincing people to jump from A to Z, but about meeting them where they are, listening in the corners, and helping them identify what matters to them rather than drowning them in evidence about what should matter.Episode 40: From Stuck to Starting: How to Move Forward with Your Sustainability Goals addresses the paralysis created by knowing that business-as-usual and incremental tweaks will not solve the climate crisis. Inspired by consultant Liz Gad's experience of consciously buying a refurbished phone only to have the company force-send an unwanted screen protector anyway, this episode explores the anxiety caused by working within systems we cannot individually change.Emma provides practical frameworks for moving from "I can't" to "what can I do?", starting with micro-actions that build confidence without expecting anyone to achieve system transformation overnight.Throughout this compilation, Emma's core philosophy emerges: sustainability professionals must stop positioning themselves as evangelical messengers recruiting converts, and instead become curious facilitators who help people connect their existing values to meaningful action.The shift from convincing to listening, from recruiting to exploring, and from paralysis to micro-progress represents the practical psychology of change that technical sustainability training often overlooks.These three episodes collectively address what Emma calls the "unwinnable issues" that drain energy and create burnout: the rare but anxiety-inducing prospect of climate denial confrontation, the counterproductive dynamic of appearing to recruit colleagues for an...

In this practical and inspiring episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow sits down with Sanita Garley, Net Zero Transition Plan Lead at B&Q, to explore the often-discussed but rarely-demonstrated journey from setting net zero targets to actually implementing change across a major retail organisation.With over 20 years in buying and product development before transitioning into sustainability three years ago, Sanita brings a refreshingly commercial perspective to the sustainability challenge, proving that expertise in carbon science matters far less than understanding how to get things done within business realities.Sanita's transition into sustainability began when she identified a critical gap: the sustainability team worked incredibly hard to engage commercial colleagues, but those colleagues (herself included at the time) simply were not engaging. The pressures of margin targets, sales goals, and daily commercial realities created a barrier that well-intentioned sustainability professionals could not penetrate.Recognising an opportunity to become the conduit between these two worlds, Sanita approached her manager Sam Dyer (Head of Responsible Business) and requested a chance to try a maternity cover role. Three years later, she now leads B&Q's entire Net Zero Transition Plan, focusing particularly on the notoriously complex Scope 3 emissions from products and vendors.The conversation tackles imposter syndrome head-on, with Sanita admitting she felt massively out of her depth initially, knowing very little about carbon. However, her commercial mindset proved invaluable: "Give me a target, I'll go after it and I'll hit it."By reframing carbon reduction as another business objective rather than an insurmountable technical challenge, Sanita demonstrates how non-sustainability professionals can bring fresh, practical approaches to what often feels like an impenetrable field. Her wide remit across B&Q's entire product range (rather than a focused category) presents unique challenges but also opportunities for systemic impact.Throughout the episode, Sanita emphasises the critical importance of speaking stakeholders' language and respecting their pressures. Coming from the commercial world, she understands when not to have conversations ("it's a really bad time of year, guys") and how to frame sustainability requests in ways that resonate with buyers facing their own intense targets.This commercial fluency, combined with genuine respect for colleagues' expertise, creates what Sanita describes as a "true exchange" where she relies on product experts' knowledge whilst they benefit from her sustainability guidance.The discussion explores B&Q's impressive sustainability heritage, including founding membership of the FSC 30 years ago, pioneering peat-free compost, and achieving over 99% certification for wood and paper products. However, Sanita acknowledges that communicating these achievements to customers remains challenging when sustainability often does not resonate as strongly as retailers hope.Her pragmatic response: "Let us do the heavy lifting for now" rather than waiting for consumer demand to drive every change. This philosophy of responsible business means making sustainability improvements behind the scenes because "you know what's right," even when customers are not yet asking for it.Emma and Sanita discuss practical examples including the plant pot recycling initiative (collection points in 120 stores creating a closed-loop system), CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) implementation where B&Q leads supplier engagement despite being the only retailer asking for certain data, and carbon literacy training that has now reached over 100 colleagues with ambitious plans for 2026.The plant pot scheme, whilst not a major carbon reducer, demonstrates how visible,...

In this action-packed solo episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow delivers exactly what sustainability-conscious listeners have been asking for: five straightforward switches that make the biggest dent in your personal carbon footprint, complete with referral codes, money-off promotions, and practical bonus links worth £332 to remove every excuse for inaction.Top 5 Carbon‑Cutting Hacks1. Switch Bank 💰🌍One of the biggest instant switches you can make - though it’s rarely included in carbon footprint tools!£10k saved in a high‑street bank (e.g. HSBC, Barclays) = over 2 tonnes CO₂The same amount with Nationwide or the Co‑operative Bank = less than 0.5 tonnes CO₂Bonuses:Nationwide: £175 switch bonusCo‑op Bank: £100 switch bonusResources:MotherTree’s Carbon Emissions Bank League Table (June 2023)Bank.Green – find ethical & sustainable banks near you2. Switch to Renewable Electricity ⚡🌱One of the first and most impactful steps:Cuts dependence on imported fossil fuelsReduces carbon emissionsSupports the transition to a greener grid📊 In the UK, renewables in the national grid have grown from 14% to 41% in just one year.Resources:UN & Carbon Brief: Five reasons why switching to renewables is smart economicsOctopus referral link: £50 credit3. Switch OFF or DOWN 🔌❄️Small changes at home = big savings.Smart meters: save £50+ per year and give real‑time control over energy usePrinciple: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage itInsulation: pays for itself quickly once you start tracking usageThermostat: set to 18°C (WHO guidance for healthy adults; slightly higher for very young/old)