Switch

Today we talk about building sustainability into your business, with special guests Adam Doffman and Zac Huddart from Lola’s Cupcakes. Lola's is iconic in London and UK-wide for their fresh, handcrafted and delicious cakes.

Lola's didn’t start out with sustainability at its core, but is now doing a lot of work in this area. It is a great example of a company pivoting its operations to be more sustainable, despite it being challenging to do so. Other companies could draw inspiration from this, which made us want to get them on the podcast even more!

We discuss how an established business begins switching to a more sustainable model. Where do you start? And what brought about the shift? We also ask Adam and Zac for their view on working for a values-led company like Lola's, for those who might be looking to gain a similar experience.

Check out Lola's sister company Next Day Solar, as mentioned in the episode. Next Day Solar is making solar power accessible to everyone who wants to play a part in creating a better future.

Tell us what you think about the episode or the topics covered at podcastswitch.com or @podcastswitch.

Today we discuss physical activity and the links it has to social impact. We start by discussing the intersection of yoga, yoga philosophy and social impact, as there are links there which Lydia, as a yoga teacher, has come to realise through her training. We then move to other ways in which physical activity and sports can have socially positive effects.

A couple of links to initiatives we mention in the episode:

• GoodGym - Helping the community while getting a workout
• Fight for Peace - Combines boxing and martial arts with personal development and education for kid. Teaching peaceful, fun conflict without the need for violence.
• Equality - LGBTQ+ sports leagues and clubs around the world are a demonstration of the socially-connecting and educational power of sports, for example Queer Surf Club.
• You can  try a gym powered by human energy - Terra Hale in London runs the lights and speakers on pedal power - one class generates enough energy to supply a computer for a day.

Tell us what you think at podcastswitch.com or @podcastswitch.

Today we haven’t chosen an easy topic, but it's an extremely vital one: Mental Health. 

We are grateful that this topic is not new, as over the past few years mental health is slowly coming into the everyday conversation (from workplaces addressing it, to parents and children communicating about it more, to governments increasing funding in it). However, we want to use this platform to expand the dialogue and also dive into how mental health is fundamental to achieving the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs) and how it intersects with sustainability as a whole.

On today’s episode we will discuss:

• A quick refresher on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Connections between mental health and the SDGs
• How mental health is essential in achieving the SDGs and vice versa

Check out the SDGs at https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

Tell us what you think at podcastswitch.com or @podcastswitch.

We've talked on the show about spending power and the impact that buying more sustainable products can have on the planet and society. However, what about the impact of our 'wealth', i.e. the money we hold in bank accounts, investments, pensions, etc?

Our wealth has a significant impact on carbon emissions, for example. You can create 27 times more impact on carbon emissions/climate change through your savings/investments than you can by cutting out meat from your diet and stopping flying COMBINED!!!?

And since 68% of UK savers want their investments to consider people and planet alongside profit, in this episode we break down how wealth can have a negative impact, why it matters and how to switch it up and use your wealth for social good as much as possible.

Check out https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/ - a movement to ensure the money invested in UK pensions is used to build a better world.

If you’re looking to change who you bank with, I recommend using the UK Government’s Current Account Switch Service.

Bronwyn King TED talk - Oncologist talks about pension: https://www.ted.com/talks/bronwyn_king_you_may_be_accidentally_investing_in_cigarette_companies#t-35173

ShareAction: A charity working towards an investment system that truly serves savers and communities, and protects our environment for the long term.  https://shareaction.org/

A great blog outlining comparisons between different banks, with our former podcast guest Besma Whayeb: https://www.curiouslyconscious.com/2020/02/best-ethical-banks-current-accounts-uk.html/

PLEASE NOTE: Ashna and Lydia are not financial advisors. They do not have any professional or academic training in finance or investments. All of the content of the episode is based on their own amateur research, opinion and personal experience.

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What is Switch?

The reason we started Switch is because we want sustainable living to be mainstream. The podcast acts as a small piece in the puzzle towards this goal by opening up the conversation on sustainability, helping people to feel more positive, empowered and effective in how they can improve the planet and society.

Say hello at www.podcastswitch.com or follow us on social media @podcastswitch.

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The reason we started Switch is that we want sustainable living to be mainstream. The podcast acts as a small piece in the puzzle towards this goal by opening up the conversation on sustainability, helping people to feel more positive, empowered and effective in how they can improve the planet and society.

One key thing we haven’t actually touched on much though is how we can all open up a conversation at home, with our loved ones, friends, at school, work, and so on. It’s not just about being empowered with knowledge if you want to make change, it’s also about having the confidence and permission to speak honestly with those around you.

So, in this episode, we unpack our own challenges on this issue and discuss things we think are helpful when you want to discuss your values on sustainability or anything else in a constructive way.

Tell us what you think/let us know your tips at podcastswitch.com or @podcastswitch.

Welcome back to Switch Podcast. This new season we are exploring our core foundations and how sustainability intersects with them. In season 1 & 2 we put a spotlight on some of our biggest environmental challenges such as plastic waste, food systems, fast fashion; and brought in guests who were doing some pretty cool things to tackle these. 

This season we will be looking into more conceptual topics and diving a bit deeper as we talk about things like relationships, careers, communities, and how we can push for a more sustainable/ holistic way of living.  

This weeks topic is all about careers and how to get the job that is aligned to your values.

Areas to explore:

• Our career paths and what drove us to make the decision we did
• The passion vs. income dilemma 
• Privileges associated with the above dilemma 
• Why now could be a good time

Tell us what you think/let us know your tips at podcastswitch.com or @podcastswitch.

This week we’re joined by Sarah from TALA, which makes sustainable active/casual-wear that is super stylish! We’re actually in love with this brand…

They are inclusive. Their collections are for every body, designed to make everyone feel comfortable and empowered with high-performance designs and flattering fits. And we think their instagram reflects this - it feels like it’s celebrating everyone of all ethnicities, sizes and abilities.

They are also sustainable, with all their products made with recycled or upcycled materials. Their packaging is also recycled and recyclable, and the tags are made from 100% plantable paper.

They are also affordable, transparent about every aspect of their supply chain and the sustainability of each item, and they are constantly researching and trialling the best in sustainable materials.

Right now, it feels like marginalised groups across the globe are demanding respect, justice and equal rights and are finally being heard - from the Black Lives Matter movement to trans-gender rights activism. People will not stand oppression by patriarchal power structures any longer. 

But in among this fight, are some voices not being heard? Patriarchal dominance, which presupposes masculine attributes are more valuable than any others, has led to the marginalisation women, children, queer people, and people of colour. But interestingly, there is another 'group' adversely affected... Nature. The degradation of nature (land and animals) and most environmental issues are a result of generations of patriarchal aggression and domination toward the environment - treating it as a commodity to be controlled and consumed.

Ecofeminism is an ideology and movement that sees climate change, gender equality, and social injustice more broadly as intrinsically related issues, all tied to masculine dominance in society.

How interesting. We had never realised that the environmental fight is so closely linked to other social injustices, and by helping one we are helping the others. We dissect what ecofeminism is, our views towards it and what we can do to help.

Enjoy x

Hello! Welcome to the first in a series of collaborative episodes with Switch and The Wise Consumer. Madeleine (AKA The Wise Consumer) uses her podcast to sit down and chat with entrepreneurs from all walks of life whose mission it is to use their businesses as forces for good. A woman after our own hearts!

In our first collab episode, we discuss how we - meaning both ourselves and wider society - can come together to make the world a better place. 

In particular, we discuss the urgent need for compassion, understanding and trying to be better in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s important for us to come together more than ever. We talk about what we are learning and reflecting on, how we can move forward together and what actions we can take to help become better allies. 

We hope you enjoy this episode. We aren't perfect but we are learning, growing and coming together with our voices and actions.

Check out The Wise Consumer at: https://thewiseconsumer.com/ 

How do you get a whole industry to change its practices?

This week we’re so excited to be joined by Kerry Bannigan, Founder of the Conscious Fashion Campaign which engages global fashion industry events - e.g. trade shows, fashion weeks, conferences - to commit to the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign increases awareness and inspires action in fashion companies en masse by targeting big industry events (with a captive audience!). By working with the event organisers and initiatives, sustainability principles are embedded throughout the events’ marketing, operations and logistics. This, in turn, puts out the message to the fashion industry involved that sustainability is important, educates them in why, and encourages them to form partnerships committed to taking action at scale. Fashion is an influential sector, the global industry being worth 3 trillion dollars, so if it gets behind the SDGs it has a big impact.

Today we talk firstly about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and how they translate into the fashion industry. Second, we discuss what it takes to influence a whole industry. 

Website: www.consciousfashioncampaign.com 
Facebook: @consciousfashioncampaign 
Twitter: @consciousfash
Instagram: @consciousfashioncampaign 

#SDGFashion

This episode we’re joined by Laura Winningham, CEO of City Harvest London. 

City Harvest puts surplus food to good use in a sustainable way. 

While thousands of Londoners go hungry each day, safe, healthy, usable food is being disposed of. City Harvest collects this from all segments of the food industry and delivers it to 300 organisations that provide meals to vulnerable people. These include homeless shelters, soup kitchens, childrens' programs, centres for the elderly, and refuges for women experiencing domestic violence.

This is good for society and the planet in several ways! It saves the services’ money, freeing up funds for vital services. It saves restaurants money. And it diverts food from landfill where it would release greenhouse gases. 

With Laura, we learn more about the issues of food poverty and food surplus. We also find out how City Harvest is continuing to operate on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is the impact of this crisis on the needs of people? What is the impact on food surplus? What is the impact on operations for City Harvest?

Check out and support at: www.cityharvest.org.uk
@cityharvestlondon

Refillable deodorant mentioned: www.wearewild.com

Today we are with The Food Waste Project, which is a consultancy service dedicated to advising the hospitality sector with a particular focus on corporate offices, on food waste prevention and reduction strategies.

We have spoken endlessly about food waste both from the consumer side and business side. Other episodes: Olio, Toast Ale, Oddbox, and Too Good To Go

The Food Waste project is a B2B company helping businesses find Food Waste solutions by consulting them on their journey. They focus on helping people reduce food waste in office spaces, which is an area that can easily be forgotten about. 

Today we really wanted to discuss a) the impact of COVID on a start-up and b) how food waste will be impacted when we reach a new normal

Another brilliant international friend of ours, based in Sweden, A Good Company creates elegant, thoughtful and sustainable everyday products - from stationery to personal care items. Simple and beautiful!

They don’t take shortcuts, thinking about every step in the journey of their products, from how they’re made to how they are transported.

We could go on about how much we love AGC’s products, but that’s not only what we’re here to talk about. We want to get Anders’ view on being good in a ‘bad’ world. 

AGC recently published a report which reviewed the Fortune 500 strategic goals. Looking for climate-related objectives, they found only 6% of these companies’ strategic goals sought to address climate change, distributed across 89 of the 500 companies.

Why is this so, even after all the increased awareness about climate change in recent years? What are the implications of these companies undervaluing the planet? And how does Anders think this will all change as a result of COVID-19?

Check out A Good Company at agood.com 

*EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT* A Good Company is offering Switch listeners an exclusive discount code for 20% off your first order! Use code SWITCH2020 - enjoy!

This week we’re joined by Sarah Divall from Hubbub, a foundation helping provide inspiration and practical actions that are good for you and the environment. They believe that to create positive environmental change at the scale and speed needed, we need to get everyone on board. So they design campaigns that inspire ways of living that are good for the environment. They disrupt the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. We do this with knowledge and playfulness, and won’t make you feel bad. 

That really resonates with us here at Switch! Like us, they address things we’re all passionate about and are relevant day-to-day, like fashion, food, the homes we live in and the spaces around us. They offer practical and realistic solutions that help cut waste, make clothes last longer, save money and create cleaner spaces to live and work in, and more often than not bring people together.

 Today we want to talk about ‘change’. 

• Change that we are forced to face during COVID-19- but understanding how we can sustain these changes 
• There are some interesting comparisons to make between change in our current situation and change when things are ‘normal’. What motivates it? Can we change without being forced to by a lockdown? 

As experts in change, what can we learn from Hubbub about what generates positive and sustained change? And how do we deal with change when it’s thrust upon us?

FUN FACTS:

• A new survey by YouGov found that 42% of Brits said they valued food more than they did before the crisis, with one in 10 sharing activities such as shopping with a neighbour for the first time
• A third of people are now throwing away less food and 38% say they are cooking more from scratch. A smaller proportion (6%) said they had tried a vegetable box or ordered food from an online service for the very first time
• As the lockdown brings less air pollution, more wildlife, quieter streets and a slower pace of life, one of the poll’s most startling findings is that 85% of people want to see at least some of the personal or social changes continue. Just 9% want a complete return to normal after the crisis 

In our 40th episode we are super egg-cited to bring you a light-hearted conversation focused on Easter. Sadly, we're still not with each other due to the Coronavirus lockdown here in the UK, but that’s the beauty of podcasts - we can do them online if we need to! During this time, we want to keep on with our mission to open up the conversation on sustainability, and provide useful content that will help keep you motivated and offer some light relief.

As we all know, Easter is coming up, and as it may be slightly different for us all this year, in this episode we see how we can still enjoy it in a sustainable and safe way. We keep this episode kind of simple and fun, providing some ideas you can easily adopt with the things you have around your house. 

Hope you enjoy this episode. Let us know if you would like us to explore a particular topic - we're all ears.

Lots of love. Stay safe x

This week, as we figure out our new 'normal', we ask ourselves whether and how sustainability can still feature in daily life. Can we ensure things continue to move in a positive direction rather than a destructive one? In what ways can we support sustainability, even at a time like this? We break it down.

We look at a few levels at which we can make a positive difference - individually, across your community and system-wide.

We also just want to check in with each other and with you guys, as most of us are in a lockdown situation right now. What are we finding difficult? What isn’t as bad as we thought?

We hope you enjoy. Lots of reasons and ways to keep onward with your sustainability journey :) Lots of love and positive vibes your way! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

P.S. Let us know what else you'd like us to cover during this time to keep you entertained and feeling good 😊😊😊😊😊

Amidst the current crisis of COVID-19, we are dealing with new challenges we haven't really faced before. Lock-downs, washing hands for 'happy birthday x 2', stockpiling toilet paper,  business uncertainties, and so on. 

We don’t want this episode to be another conversation about how terrible this virus is for us, the economy, our health and wellbeing, etc. We do, however, want to have a conversation about what we can learn coming out on the other side as a society.⁠

Sometimes it takes a crisis to precipitate change. However terrible this virus is, perhaps it will lead to some positive shifts in how society operates. For example, workers are now taking more meetings online rather than travelling. Could this lead to a longer-term shift in working culture where less travelling becomes the norm, and which is ultimately better for the environment? ⁠

We are not trying to be insensitive to those affected by the virus but, again, we want to explore how we can shift positively as a society when we are on the other side.

We hope you enjoy listening, and if you have any comments or experiences you'd like to share, please do message us at hello@podcastswitch.com or on Instagram @podcastswitch.

Most importantly, please stay safe and healthy.

Hope this episode helps boost the mood even a little.

We are joined by wonderful guests Tash and Laura today, founders of Gather. Gather is a zero waste store and ‘refillery’, here to make it easy for you to live a life of less waste. They work to help the world know that living sustainably can be easy (and even fun - we can attest to this!).

Gather is one of an increasing number of ‘refilleries’ starting up in the UK (and the world) - a place to ‘gather’ your necessities, from food to cleaning products to toiletries. It’s genius! And a fun experience. Gather is also a sustainability hub - a place to gather together, learn and help each other to live more sustainably. Again, genius.

But why? Why reduce and reuse? And why build a community? Well, making small, everyday changes really can make a difference. A family of four switching to reusable water bottles would save 27 gallons of oil per year. Refilling your own containers at a bulk food store means less single-use packaging in the supply chain. And it’ll save you money! 

Also, we love the concept of building a ‘hub’ because sometimes we need support, shared learning, tips and encouragement to keep trying, and to know other people are in it with us, too. Together we can send a message to governments and big businesses, who in turn can nudge entire communities into doing things differently.

Learn about Gather at: https://www.wearegather.uk/our-story

Or go visit their shop in Peckham

121 Bellenden Road
Peckham
SE15 4QY

Today we are recording from the Too Good To Go UK office with co-founder Jamie Crummie. Too Good To Go, for those of you who don’t know, is an app connecting users to surplus delicious food from bakeries, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and more. 

Too Good To Go is rescuing 1 meal every second - so by the end of this podcast they would have saved roughly 2,700 meals from the bin. That is achieved by 14 countries across Europe, and over 19 million users! 

Rather than talking about all of the facts and figures of food waste, and getting to brag about TGTG (which we would love to do!) we want to talk to Jamie about how equally important education is on the matter of food waste.  

TGTG has a strong mission statement, but is backed by a whole team dedicated to tackling food waste through its four pillars: households, businesses, schools, and public affairs.

We want to understand how important it is for businesses to build supporting their mission into their DNA - and also understand how education can lead to long-term success with respect to a cause.

Today we’re joined by Amirah Jiwa, a Social Impact Strategist. She helps brands create and communicate impact. She is excited by products and experiences that deliver and inspire positive change - for consumers, producers, employees, the environment, and society at large. 

Amirah has experience working with a number of different companies about what makes them have a positive impact, and how they communicate that. So we want to discuss with her the idea of ‘greenwashing’, and how you can identify this versus real social impact. 

Also, how can brands that don’t have a positive impact take a stab at pivoting to a model which does some good. This is something we have questioned in previous episodes and would love to get a sense of the reality of what this would involve. 

https://www.amirahjiwa.com/