A few months ago, our friends at Weeva worked with Juliet Kinsman and Simon London to produce an edutaining, easy-listening podcast about all things eco. It’s a great listen – wherever you are on your sustainability journey, you’re sure to take away some helpful nuggets of info on a broad range of topics, from electric cars to media misinformation. Here, we catch up with Juliet and Simon to find out more.

 

Find out more and listen to Funny Old World HERE. 

What motivated you to produce Funny Old World?

 

Juliet: Simon and I have always chatted about doing a podcast because we both feel that the world needs to understand sustainability better.

 

Simon: For me, it was about having a safe space to ask questions around sustainability topics that others might also be nervous to ask, knowing that, rather than being ridiculed, I’ll get concise answers. Perhaps if Juliet can explain these complex topics to me, others will be able to understand better, too.

 

Did any of the topics or research surprise you?

 

Simon: The thing that struck me is that there’s a flip side to everything, so comprehensive research is essential. Electric cars are a great example here. When you consider lithium mining needed to make batteries, it’s not as squeaky clean green as you might think.

 

Juliet: This represents so much when it comes to sustainability – it’s never a simple answer. I enjoyed our conversation about the media and speaking with Jennie King, Head of Civic Action and Education at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, about misinformation and disinformation. It was pretty scary to realise how much people are manipulated by the media. In this episode, Sarah Whitehead, Deputy Head of Newsgathering at Sky News, explained how much Ofcom regulates our news here in the UK. People from other countries don’t necessarily realise that.

 

Simon: Yes, that was a good reminder that everyone needs to check sources and scrutinise the information they share.

 

What would you like listeners to take away from the podcast?

 

Juliet: I hope that people with little interest in sustainability but don’t necessarily feel they know that much will listen, learn, and share with others. We’ve had so many people tell us they enjoyed it and shared it with people who haven’t woken up to the climate conversation yet, which is great. I’d love listeners to go away with a better idea of the key themes, whether hearing about biodiversity from Angela Terry or realising that offsetting isn’t necessarily a quick fix.

 

Simon: Something we chatted about in the final episode was about marginal gains — everybody can be a player in this conversation and can influence change. It’s our planet and our responsibility to do things a little better where we can.

Who were some of your favourite guests on the podcast? 

 

Juliet: We chose guests who are all great at explaining specific topics in a digestible and entertaining way. Of course, George Monbiot needs no introduction, but he would be one of my favourites. I adore activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan because her account of why she cares about the climate crisis is so evocative. Zita Cobb is always enlightening to speak with — she was why I decided to focus on sustainability seven years ago.

 

Simon: We picked guests that fit with the ethos of the podcast — to make complicated topics concise and engaging. They all did a brilliant job at taking our audience on a journey and providing information that might make people think or act differently.

 

Finally, could you tell us a little bit about Weeva? 

 

Juliet: In the hospitality industry, we’ve been saying that we wish we had a Fitbit to track and measure sustainability for years, and now, thanks to Weeva, we’ve got just that. I’ve been involved since the beginning, and part of Weeva’s strategy is to amplify messages and conversations that matter, so they very kindly made this podcast series possible. Every hotel should sign up – it’s one of the best ways of analysing impact and will be a game-changer for the industry.

 

Simon: For those that want to learn more, we had a brilliant conversation with Julie Cheetham from Weeva in the series. I loved how she explained that so much of sustainability is about people and community, something that another guest, Hans Pfister, echoed. It’s an important message for those that still want to go on holiday and travel but want to do it in a way that gives something back.

 

Find out more and listen to Funny Old World HERE.