Citizen Zero Issue 03

03

The magazine for responsible business and culture

IMPA C T

INNO VAT ION

A D V E N T UR E

ENTERPRISE

ZettaScale on innovation and positive impact

How VANK designs for people and planet

Greener gear for responsible travellers

SolarAid empowers entrepreneurship

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EDITORS

N

o two days are the same working in this space.

One day you’re talking about the transformative power of solar light, the next about turning beer into leather or tackling play inequality, the day after – if you can keep up – pirates and knightly virtues. It’s confirmation, if needed, that making an impact or contributing to some kind of meaningful change, is the responsibility of everyone, everywhere. It’s why we were so inspired by global citizenship and shared action to start with.

Take our pirates as an example. We recently spoke with Angelo Corsaro, CEO of innovative tech company ZettaScale.

Theirs is a fascinating story that demonstrates the potential impact in every sector, industry, and innovation. Corsaro founded ZettaScale in 2022 based on his own desire to make a positive impact in the world by solving real problems, and a mission to bring every connected human and machine the unconstrained freedom to communicate.

He tells us about the constraints and challenges in communication protocols (sets of rules or procedures for transmitting data between electronic devices), and how the company’s Zenoh protocol is tackling them. The incredible thing is the impact of a technology like Zenoh. Improving connectivity, for example, helps remote operations during natural disasters or crises, can improve things like life-saving remote surgery and medical innovation, and minimise energy use in personal devices and emissions associated with technologies like data centres.

Elsewhere, we have conversations with some other great changemakers. SolarAid’s John Keane talks about how solar lights are empowering people across sub-Saharan Africa, we find out how Aduna Superfoods is harnessing the power of the baobab tree for wellbeing and entrepreneurship, Chris Desai tells us about his journey to saving the world’s oceans, and we explore the life of Scott Poynton, who has dedicated his career to helping businesses become more impactful.

CONTACT

hello@citizenzero.online EDITOR-I N-CH I EF

Matt High CR EATIVE DI R ECTOR

Steve Shipley PU B LIS H ED BY

© Citizen Zero 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

03

Empower Your Journey.

Make a Global Impact.

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Picture yourself studying marine conservation in a hybrid model, then diving into hands-on projects to protect endangered species. Envision learning about social work principles and then applying your knowledge to make a tangible difference in local communities worldwide.

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DISCOVER MORE

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BIG PICTURE

Andreia from JFC/ Unspash

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA In 2016, the award winning Corredores Verdes project planted 8,800 trees in urban areas to counter the severe heat caused by urbanisation.

Today, it provides wildlife-friendly habitats with increased biodiversity, improved air quality and has reduced the average temperature by 2°C.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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CONTENTS

54

20

12

42

52

08

12 | REGULARS

34 | REGULARS

52 | PIONEER

BRIEFING

DIRECTORY

BEER TO LEATHER

The people, innovations, and stories on our radar

Essential picks for responsible consumers

Meet the team turning the apparel industry on its head

20 | INNOVATION

42 | SOCIAL

54 | SOCIAL

CUTTING-EDGE IMPACT

HEALTHY PLANET

Connecting humans and machines with ZettaScale

How the ‘tree of life’ is empowering female farmers C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

LIGHTING EVERY LIFE SolarAid on the transformative power of light

68

102

112 86 68 | ENVIRONMENTAL

86 | TRAILBLAZER

112 | INVENTORY

THE FUTURE IS BLUE

LIFETIME OF CHANGE

OUTDOOR & ADVENTURE

Chris Desai’s journey from fast fashion to ocean saviour

Scott Poynton on putting the soul back into business

Explore nature with greener gear and gadgets

84 | ENTREPRENEUR

102 | INNOVATION

LOOK GOOD. DO GOOD

CLEAN INTERIORS

Supporting African artisans through responsible fashion

How VANK is revolutionising interior design thinking C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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I could tell you my grades.

Or I could tell you how engaging and volunteering in the community though the Youth Empowered program has developed my understanding and empathy towards others.

MY STORY IS MORE THAN NUMBERS.

Global Citizen Diploma

globalcitizendiploma.org

116

126

118 116 | PIONEER

126 | TRAILBLAZER

ETERNAL LIGHT

PLAY FOR ALL

Space: the next frontier for renewable energy

Marie Williams on tackling global play inequality

118 | SOCIAL

140 | REGULARS

NEXT-GEN INNOVATORS

THE GUIDE

beVisioneers’ Mariah Levin on tomorrow’s changemakers

Education and entertainment for sustainable citizens

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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BRIEFING

Briefing T H E P E O P L E, I N N O VAT I O N S, A N D S T O RI E S O N O U R R A D A R

ECONOMIC: BUSINESS

GREEN AND INCLUSIVE There’s more to sustainability than reducing carbon emissions or your impact on the environment.

Just ask Nissan. The car giant has recently outlined a sustainability plan focused on becoming a greener and more inclusive business that will empower its workers, while creating safer cars and recycling batteries. The Nissan Social Program 2030 focuses on six core pillars: safety, quality, responsible sourcing, communities, empowering employees, and intellectual property.

It supports Nissan’s aim to become a people-centric business, including delivering on education to nurture future engineers in new and emerging technologies and contributing to social initiatives for children and young people. Nissan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which means net zero carbon emissions across all operations – it plans to reduce per-vehicle manufacturing CO2 emissions by 52% and cut per-vehicle driving CO2 emissions for new models by 50% in Japan, the US, Europe, and China. nissan-global.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

E N V I R O N M E N T: C I R C U L A R E C O N O M Y

GIVING CLOTHES ANOTHER LIFE Marks & Spencer has launched a dedicated clothing repair service for the first time, part of a new circularity agenda and a key pillar of its Plan A roadmap to drive sustainability. The retailer has partnered with clothing repair and alterations experts SOJO, a small team of tailors, riders, developers, and creatives working to accelerate change in the fashion industry.

Customers can use a dedicated online hub, M&S fixed by SOJO, to select and book a range of bespoke repair services from zip replacements to invisible knitwear mending, with repairs starting from as little as £5. Clothing can be sent to the in-house repair team, repaired, and returned directly to customers. The initiative comes after M&S research revealed that only 10% of the population is confident enough to repair clothing themselves and 60% of consumers look for retailers to offer more services that support them to lower their carbon footprint.

IN NUMBERS:

The partnership is part of ‘Another life.’, a programme launched across M&S websites, apps and in-store, that brings together all its circularity services. Another Life

national heat records have been broken so far in 2024, with an additional 130 monthly national temperature records also being shattered.

customers can also donate pre-loved clothes and textiles to Oxfam, which sells the items to raise funds to help fight for an equal future without poverty.

weforum.org corporate.marksandspencer.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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I N N OVAT I O N : C L I M AT E T E C H

CHARTED TERRITORY An international team consisting of the University of Edinburgh, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, British Antarctic Survey, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science has completed the first continent-wide mapping study of Antarctica. Using a European Space Agency Satellite to sweep the continent, they surveyed plant life in previously uncharted areas to form a baseline for monitoring how Antarctica’s vegetation responds to climate change. Previous research has shown that the environmental sensitivity of Antarctica’s vegetative species makes them excellent barometers of regional climate change, so monitoring their presence could provide clues as to how similar vegetation types may respond to climate in other fragile ecosystems across the globe, such as parts of the Arctic. ed.ac.uk

E N V I R O N M E N T: L I F E B E LO W WAT E R

FUNGI POWER When it comes to decomposing, you’ll struggle to beat fungi.

Particularly as they now have the potential to ‘eat’ plastic waste as well as natural materials. Scientists at Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries have identified a type of microfungi from freshwater ecosystems that can survive exclusively on plastics, degrading them into simpler forms. Plastics made from polymers can persist in the environment for decades because they aren’t degraded, but the research team has found a group of fungi that can break down even complex polymers without any pre-treatment of the plastics and without the addition of sugars as an energy source.

They believe this ability may have evolved in response to the increasing presence of synthetic materials in their environment. igb-berlin.de

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

I N N OVAT I O N : A R C H I T E C T U R E

NATURAL BEAUTY If you look hard enough you can see the Argen

and bio-inspired construction and low-energy

River beyond the undulating roof – designed to

building methods. Its wave-like roof is created

echo the meandering waterway - of the Hybrid

using a lightweight hybrid structure of cross-

Flax Pavilion. If you can tear your gaze away from

laminated timber and robotically wound flax

the incredible building, that is. The experimental

fibres. At its centre lies a climate garden to facili-

structure, designed as the centrepiece of

tate natural cooling, and it features a recycled

a garden show in Wangen im Allgäu, Germany,

concrete and CO2-reduced cement floor that

is the creation of students and researchers at

minimises building services.

the University of Stuttgart researching bio-based

itke.uni-stuttgart.de

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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SOCIAL: FINANCIAL INCLUSION

FINANCE MATTERS Citizen Zero talks to Nick Holt, Head of Solutions and Delivery, Europe at Marqeta about how financial inclusion underpins sustainable development and why access and equal rights to economic resources and financial services helps tackle poverty.

Why is accessibility to financial services so important?

The necessity for financial inclusion can’t be overstated. People being able to access, store, move, and manage money is crucial for the global economy, firstly at a business level to ensure innovation, competition and growth, but also to enable consumers to manage their daily lives and drive economic growth through buying goods and services.

It’s estimated that 1.1 million adults in the UK are without a bank account. Being unbanked is the ultimate example of financial exclusion, as people can’t store money or send/ receive payments.

How does exclusion impact people’s lives?

Being able to access funds in a secure, reliable manner is an essential tool to survive in the modern world. In fact, without access to financial products and services, people risk not having their basic needs met (e.g. water, housing and food) and losing access to vital resources (internet, education).

Exclusion from financial services, bleeds into exclusion in almost all other areas, meaning people can’t access the products and services they rely on to survive.

What about challenges around financial literacy?

Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting and investing. A strong foundation of financial literacy can help support various life goals, such as saving for education or retirement or running a business, and ensures individuals are less vulnerable to market disruptions or financial fraud.

However, in 2015, only 35% of men and 30% of women worldwide were classed as financially literate, according to the S&P Global Finlit Survey. While rates have likely risen, it demonstrates the need for investment to ensure people globally have the required financial literacy skills to make economic decisions that are in their own interests. marqeta.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

ECONOMIC: SPORT

POSITIVE IMPACT English Premier League football clubs are now much more frequently engaging on sustainability measures and climate impact, says a new report from Sport Positive Leagues. The report maps out operational environmental sustainability efforts at top-flight football clubs considering things like sustainability policies in place, energy use and efficiency, sustainable travel programmes, food served at match days, and water conservation.

It found that three clubs have their environment or sustainability efforts externally accredited, five are signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Sports for Climate Action, six have net zero targets, and six have on-site clean energy generation at stadiums or other facilities. sportpositiveleagues.com

S O C I A L : S U S TA I N A B L E C I T I E S

CONTAINED LIVING Get past the fact that it’s a former shipping container – and once you’re inside, how will you really know – and you’re ready to take advantage of a minute home being branded as ‘the pinnacle of sustainable living’. The ex-metal box now teeny home has come on London’s property market for just £75,000 (less than a fifth of the price of the average flat in the city). It has space for a double bed, a small living room, a kitchenette, and a room for a dining table and chairs. It reportedly surpasses all building regulations, is low energy and ESG compliant, and has a state-of-the-art ventilation system. independent.co.uk

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ECONOMIC: RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

BOARDROOM TO BIODIVERSITY Against a backdrop of increasingly complex and impactful challenges, the concept of being nature positive is emerging as a core strategic enabler for businesses and their leaders. Nature positive is a transformative approach to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, and ensuring that natural ecosystems are preserved and enhanced.

Businesses, leaders, and employees are adopting nature-positive strategies that are contributing to these goals, and helping develop long-term sustainability. A nature-positive business strategy involves assessing impacts and dependencies on nature across the value chain, and implementing policies that actively restore and enhance natural ecosystems as part of business operations. Leaders can drive naturepositive practices by setting an aspirational vision, ensuring effective governance, and applying natureinclusive risk management and performance metrics.

The benefits of driving nature-positive business strategies include improved operational efficiency, greater long-term organisational resilience, better regulatory compliance, and enhanced brand reputation. weforum.org

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

E N V I R O N M E N TA L : WA S T E MANAGEMENT

BETTER EVERYDAY There’s endless supplies of second-hand Ikea furniture on online marketplaces like eBay or Gumtree. Sadly for the sellers, they might have some competition. The Swedish furniture giant is trialling Ikea Preowned, its own second-hand online site where customers can sell to each other. Listings are put up by the seller, and Ikea’s algorithms generate the details of the item, including measurements and the original retail price. Following trials in Madrid and Oslo, Ikea Preowned could go global by December. ikea.com

I N N OVAT I O N : S PAC E

CLEAN SKIES Airbus has joined forces with satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability leader Astroscale, to tackle the growing challenges of space sustainability and satellite longevity.

The partnership will explore collaborative opportunities in the field of in-orbit servicing and space debris removal, including innovative methods to identify, capture, and remove space debris from Earth’s orbit. This is crucial for maintaining a more sustainable space environment. astroscale.com C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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INNOVATION

CUT TING-EDGE IMPACT Knightly virtues, innovation for positive impact, and transforming the way humans and machines connect: Angelo Corsaro introduces us to ZettaScale

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ANGELO CORSARO, ZETTASCALE

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

T

o be clear, knightly

The business, founded in 2022, was born out

virtues and pirates

of frustration from Corsaro and a small team at

wasn’t how we in-

the lack of change and development to address

tended our hour with

existing constraints and challenges in communi-

Angelo Corsaro to

cation protocols (a protocol is a set of rules

begin. We’d planned

or procedures for transmitting data between

to dive straight into

electronic devices). The founding mission was

the small matter of

straightforward: to revolutionise data communi-

how his company,

cations in IoT, robotic, and automotive companies

ZettaScale Technology, is disrupting the tech

through the provision of cutting-edge technolo-

industry to bring every connected human and

gies including distributed systems, real-time

machine the unconstrained freedom to commu-

applications, and communications protocols.

nicate – and help people, organisations and industries cut energy use and meet their net zero

In just two years, ZettaScale has made a signifi-

ambitions while they’re at it. But sometimes you

cant impact in robotics and automotive; the

just have to go with it. Particularly when you’re

company has been named among the top 10

speaking with someone as inspiring as Corsaro.

startups in vehicle communications, one of the 50 most innovative French startups, and one

Of course, Corsaro isn’t the first to highlight the

of the five best digital tech startups. Its Zenoh

relevance of the seafaring tradition to business

protocol has been the foundation of much of

and solving our biggest challenges. Steve Jobs

this growth, quickly being embraced by both

famously told his developers in the early days of

the robotics and automotive communities.

Apple ‘it’s better to be a pirate than join the navy’, highlighting that pirates were often regarded

Zenoh is a pub/sub/query protocol that unifies

as courageous, willing to take risks, and could

data in motion, data at rest, and computations

move fast because they were unencumbered

and is the only protocol on the market that can

by bureaucracy and politics.

span from the microcontroller to the data centre.

It delivers extreme performance and, thanks to

And it makes perfect sense. Listen to Corsaro

its low resource usage, can enable businesses

(whose name is a literal translation of corsair

and organisations to save energy and reduce

and who claims family heritage related to both

their emissions. Corsaro joined us to discuss the

knights and pirates) talk about his own passion

evolution of Zenoh to its soon to be released

for technology and positive impact, or how

Version 1.0.0, and how it improves energy use

ZettaScale’s unique culture of innovation, cour-

But first, those pirates…

age and conviction in a common objective, and democratising technology and solutions drives real change in people’s lives, and you quickly understand how powerful an approach it can be.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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THE SEVEN KNIGHTLY VIRTUES “ZettaScale operates very differently from other companies,” Corsaro explains, picking up on the theme. “We have a really strong set of values and a way of working that drives everything we do, and we really are a team and a unit – the word manager is forbidden, for example, as we don’t think people should be told how to work. Instead, our key principles are about courage, individual responsibility, clarity, and a shared desire to make things happen. The pirate analogy, for me, is all about shared experiences, unity rather than just taking orders as navy sailors do, equal leadership, and all of us working towards a common objective. It’s something that’s really important to me.”

It’s a set of values and a passion for making an impact that’s always been in Corsaro. “My own values, inspired by my family, have always centred around being honourable and thinking about how you influence others – I was taught at a young age the idea that anything you do should create a positive outcome and that if you’re able to influence and positively impact other people’s lives, you’d better do so. I got into technology when I was young, too. I remember being around 10 years old or so and being fascinated with seeing early robots and making technology communicate, I recall just thinking ‘wow, this is what I want to do’.”

These values are central to Corsaro and ZettaScale’s work, so much so that the company’s team of 60 ‘Zettlers’ live and work

by Seven Knightly Virtues of courage, justice, mercy, generosity, faith, nobility, and hope.

“I think it would be great if all companies had such a strong set of values,” says Corsaro, introducing the concept.

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“ZETTASCALE OPERATES VERY DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER COMPANIES. WE HAVE A REALLY STRONG SET OF VALUES AND A WAY OF WORKING THAT DRIVES EVERYTHING WE DO”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“Courage, for example, is essential to innovate

give up on that belief. Generosity is about us

because you’re doing something that no one

giving back and being part of something that

else has tried so you have to be brave enough

improves the status quo for everyone.”

to go for what you believe in. Justice ensures we have a fair workplace and are equally fair and

The last plays an important role in how the

trustworthy when working with our customers.

company works, with a core focus being on

That’s particularly important; we’re essentially

connecting every human and machine, and

building the nervous system of complex infra-

the democratisation and decentralisation of

structures so our customers have to be sure

technology – all ZettaScale’s solutions and

we’re a partner they can collaborate with and

technologies are open source, a decentralised

trust. Faith and hope drive our belief in what

software development model that encourages

we do and the good impact we think it can have

open collaboration. “Technology should be

on the world, and our nobility means we’ll never

developed to support humans, not overpower

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

25

us or make us redundant,” Corsaro reflects.

“They were intended to be used in a fixed local

“I’ve seen technology advance massively over

network with an underlying assumption there

my career, but things like open source have been

would be low packet losses, which means data

so powerful, particularly for areas like education

getting lost as it travels through a network and

and giving more people access to opportunities.

failing to reach its destination,” says Corsaro.

We talk a lot about things like cost reduction

“Those assumptions were true in things like an

in tech, while sometimes forgetting the really

air traffic control management system, but didn’t

incredible impact it can have in areas like learning.

hold up as soon as you have a wireless network like WiFi, 4G or 5G. At that point I was actually

“Connectivity, which Zenoh addresses, is also

working with the standardisation consortium

so important for society,” he continues. “Think

that was pointing out these challenges and

about things like remote operations, which are

trying to push development and innovation

essential in natural disasters or crisis situations

forwards, but nothing really changed.”

like the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It’s a great example of what’s possible when you bring humans and machines together. Remote surgery is another case in which connectivity and helping people to connect and work with machines can literally save a life. The downside of this kind of innovation is that some of the infrastructure and the protocols we have in place aren’t at the standard that’s required, can actually constrain communication and, as a consequence, negatively impact things like energy efficiency or people’s privacy.”

INNOVATION THROUGH ZENOH These constraints were the genesis of ZettaScale. Corsaro became aware of the challenges while working as Chief Technology Officer at ADLINK Technology, which manufactures and develops edge hardware and software.

Historically, the business had operated in aerospace and defence but newer work in growing or evolving markets like robotics, automotive, and smart city development demonstrated the constraints and challenges of existing protocols like DDS (Data Distribution Service).

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“THINGS LIKE OPEN SOURCE HAVE BEEN SO POWERFUL, PARTICULARLY FOR AREAS LIKE EDUCATION AND GIVING MORE PEOPLE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES”

In a move reminiscent of the bold and courageous pirate spirit Corsaro admires, he left that group, formed ZettaScale as a spin-off of ADLINK and started developing Zenoh. During this formative period, he and the ZettaScale team were driven by two core objectives: to develop a protocol that could run from very small devices like microcontrollers up to data centres with no loss of performance, inspired by the challenges experienced in ensuring data flow from the countless sensors used in smart cities, and to create a protocol that could unify data in motion and data at rest.

“We always had challenges when maintaining data stored on the periphery of a system,” says Corsaro of the second objective. “If you store data closer to you in a system, it’s faster to access – if you’re battery powered you don’t need to waste energy sending it to the cloud. But if you do that with existing technology it can be hard to keep track of where data is stored because you know where the databases are, but don’t know which data is contained by the databases.

“Imagine you have a temperature or noise sensor,” he continues, explaining the importance of unifying data in motion and at rest. “It produces a string of values and, when you distribute this information you use what’s known as a publish/ subscribe protocol. These have location transparency, which means as long as I know the name of the data I can express a subscription from anywhere on the network and the protocol will get me that data – I don’t need to know where the source of the data is. The problem is that as soon as the data gets stored somewhere, I lose the location transparency because I need to know the precise location of the database where the data is stored.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“I REMEMBER BEING AROUND 10 YEARS OLD OR SO AND BEING FASCINATED WITH SEEING EARLY ROBOTS AND MAKING TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATE, I JUST KNEW IT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“Our hypothesis was that, if we manage to have location transparent data at rest then we no longer need to know where the data is stored, you can keep it stored on the edges of your system,” says Corsaro. “This completely changes the way in which information can be routed. Now, with Zenoh, you can very efficiently and without constraint, distribute data, store it wherever you want, and retrieve it from anywhere on the network. This is powerful because it means you can keep things decentralised, which is really important for many modern use cases like robots or in vehicles.”

ZettaScale has grown rapidly over the last couple of years, driven by the uptake of Zenoh by key players in robotics and automotive. The robotics industry was an early adopter of Zenoh, with it being chosen by the Robot Operating System (ROS), an open source set of software libraries and tools that help researchers and developers build and reuse code between robotics applications. The company has seen several commercial deployments of Zenoh in robotics, and in automotive where it is collaborating with General Motors to develop the framework for the next generation of software-defined vehicles.

DRIVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY Beyond current use cases, Zenoh has the potential to have a far broader impact, with several companies in transportation, robotics, and telecoms turning to ZettaScale to significantly cut the amount of energy required to send data.

“Previous technologies forced you into topological constraints whereby even if you’re in the same room – imagine you want to control your thermostat from your mobile phone as an example – that communication goes through a data centre thousands of kilometres away,” Corsaro explains. “People think that’s acceptable C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

29

because devices are labelled as ‘power efficient’,

any more, so imagine the energy and cost savings

but the bulk of that energy is actually used in this

for the company, as well as the wider impact to

kind of nonsensical journey halfway around the

the planet and environment.”

world that data has to take.

Zenoh could also be impactful in other areas

30

“Zenoh has no topological constraints, so it al-

of sustainable development and innovation,

lows you to communicate directly with anything

in particular the growing deployment of autono-

in your network,” he adds. “In the current climate,

mous and connected vehicles such as drones,

thinking about how we can minimise the energy

last-mile delivery robots, and urban aerial

use of our own devices, and the significant emis-

mobility solutions, says Corsaro: “The volumes

sions associated with data centres, is crucial.

of data that will need to be shared to enable this

And Zenoh, which is one of the best technologies

transition are staggering, and the existing cloud-

to reduce energy consumption in this process,

centric architecture we have in place won’t scale

can have a massive contribution here if we deploy

to the level needed for mass adoption. That

it properly. Take a warehouse as an example,

makes the decentralisation of a solution like

where you have hundreds of autonomous mobile

Zenoh critical to ensure these kinds of technolo-

robots and other technologies working around

gies can operate effectively. For us, there’s the

the clock – that’s a lot of communication, and

opportunity to drive scalability of important

therefore a lot of energy, going back and forth to

innovations, and to reduce energy consumption

the cloud. With Zenoh you don’t need to do that

while we do it.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“CONSIDER THINGS LIKE REMOTE OPERATIONS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL IN NATURAL DISASTERS. IT’S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE WHEN YOU BRING HUMANS AND MACHINES TOGETHER”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

31

“THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN MINIMISE THE ENERGY USE OF OUR OWN DEVICES, AND THE SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DATA CENTRES, IS CRUCIAL”

MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ZettaScale will soon release version 1.0.0 of Zenoh, the first version of the protocol that guarantees core backwards compatibility, following an ongoing validation and evolution process that Corsaro describes as ‘obsessive’. The focus for the company, he says, remains largely in the robotics and automotive sectors where there continues to be rapid innovation and – in the case of the automotive industry – revolutionary changes in the ways vehicles are designed, built, and manufactured.

However, he and the Zettlers are also dedicated to exploring new ways of making a positive impact for people and organisations. “Zenoh has great horizontal applicability, meaning there are many potential use cases to open up in the future,” he adds. “I’d love for us to get into the medical industry, for example. It’s an area where there’s huge potential for innovation but, in something like home care where you have to monitor complex life parameters, integration of existing solutions is challenging. It would be interesting 32

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

to create a way in which these can be monitored without people’s personal data being stored on a cloud, and Zenoh gives you that freedom.

“Clinical data is another area we could really make a difference in,” says Corsaro. “I was working on a project with MIT when I became aware of the issue of morphine narcolepsy, which can happen as a result of people self-administering too much morphine when in hospital. Doctors use pulse oximeters to monitor patients, but they’re very sensitive meaning false alarms happen frequently and a lack of trust in the equipment results in real alarms sometimes being ignored. We could avoid that but the information of the pulse oximeter, and the heart and respiratory rate monitors aren’t integrated and data fused because they’re using different protocols. Imagine how unifying all that data could make a real difference.”

For the immediate future, Corsaro plans on taking ‘one battle at a time’ as he and the company develop and grow. “I don’t wake up in the morning wanting to be a billionaire,” he remarks. “I get out of bed to try and make a good impact and solve the problems that exist. Our plan is to create a sustainable company with a team that loves working here and really feels our mission and values. We’re in no rush. The focus has to be on good engineering, getting things right, and remaining confident in our conviction and our plans – it all comes back to believing in our knightly virtues, after all.” zettascale.tech

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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DIRECTORY

Directory ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS FOR RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERS

COFFEE KREIS More than two billion cups of coffee are consumed every day worldwide and 99% of used coffee grounds are treated as waste. Add that to the 250 billion single-use coffee cups disposed of every year and you realise coffee has a problem. In landfill, this waste causes greenhouse gas emissions and acidic leachate, which damages soils. Coffee Kries does it differently, collecting used coffee grounds to make these sustainable, reusable and biodegradable cups.

It then repurposes them at the end of their life. coffeekreis.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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RASHKI FEDE A typical leather cow-hide bag requires more than 10,000 litres of water and over 100kgs of CO2 per metre. Not so for Rashki’s Fede tote, a vegan bag made from Banofi, a banana fibre-based leather made from banana crop waste and which has a significantly lower environmental impact than both animal and plastic leather. rashki.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

BIRD BLACKCAP There’s 12 layers of Forestry Stewardship Council-approved bamboo, beach, and sandalwood, and two layers of recycled aluminium in these unassuming sunglasses.

Which sums up Bird’s approach to protecting nature by design perfectly. It operates a stringent supply chain, and makes its products from recycled and natural materials. findyourbirds.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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STIR IT UP LUX House of Marley, created in collaboration with the Marley family to celebrate Bob Marley’s love for music and planet, places its sustainable and ethical credentials as highly as it does its audio quality. Stir It Up Lux is high-spec technology. It’s also crafted from sustainable materials like cork, bamboo, and reclaimed post-consumer waste. thehouseofmarley.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

DR MARTENS GENIX NAPPA It’s leather, but not as you know it. Dr Martens’ new Genix Nappa collection is designed to tackle leather waste. Developed in collaboration with sustainable recycled leather company Gen Phoenix, it uses leather offcuts that would otherwise be destined for landfill to create a soft, durable and lower carbon alternative for shoes and boots. drmartens.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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PURE X MCLAREN A quick disclaimer: we’re not promising you’ll be hurtling around town at the pace of this scooter’s sister F1 car. But, however fast you’re going, you’ll be doing it with zero emissions thus helping reduce air pollution. You’ll also get 31 miles range, folding handlebars, 10” puncture-resistant tyres, and 710w of power. pureelectric.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

1352: REFRESHED SNEAKERS Canadian households throw away $1,352 of food waste every year. A number that Hellmann’s Canada is handily reminding people of with its 1352: Refreshed Sneakers.

A partnership between the food brand and sustainable trainer company ID.EIGHT, the shoes are made from food waste from produce like apples, corn, and grapes. hellmanns.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

41

SOCIAL

42

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Aduna’s Andrew Hunt talks superfoods and the ‘Tree of Life’, empowering female farmers and entrepreneurs, and tackling the challenges in Africa’s Sahel

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

43

It’s quite remarkable, the baobab tree.

producers. Aduna, a certified B Corp, works

Prehistoric in its origin and predating man-

in partnership with grass-roots NGOs to

kind and the splitting of the continents it

empower female farmers with sustainable

has, for more than 200 million years borne

incomes, and regenerate and restore land

the brunt of everything the planet – and

in the African Sahel region.

us – can throw at it. It’s little wonder it’s known by the communities who hold it close

Tell us about your journey to starting

in their traditions and folklore as ‘The Tree

Aduna, particularly how you ended up

of Life’. For those same communities, the

moving to and working in West Africa

baobab is a source of nutrition and health,

for four years?

food security, and economic welfare.

I grew up in London and started my working life in advertising, investing all my energy

44

We joined Andrew Hunt, co-founder and

and creativity into promoting products

CEO of plant-based sustainable superfood

I didn't believe in, for clients who mostly

brand Aduna, to find out more about how the

didn't appreciate it. Although I was doing

baobab and other African superfoods are a

well, I started suffering from anxiety and

vital lifeline for thousands of small-scale

questioning my purpose in life. It eventually

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

spiralled into a full-on meltdown; I ended

What did that period teach you about life

up quitting my job, and my mind turned in

and work in that region, the challenges

on itself. For six months I was unemployed

faced by local communities, and the impact

and clinically depressed. At the age of just

of climate change on marginalised people?

25, it felt like my life was over.

Living and working in West Africa was a breath of fresh air. I was embraced by the

At my lowest ebb, I got a random phone

people and fell in love with their warmth,

call from a family friend, offering me the

vibrancy and culture. At the same time,

opportunity to volunteer with a farming-

I gained insights into the challenges faced

based social enterprise in The Gambia.

by rural communities in the Sahel region

I didn’t want to go, but thankfully my friends

of Africa, who are cut off from economic

and family put me on the plane. Having

activity while bearing the brunt of climate

planned to be there just six weeks, I ended

change, as manifested by unpredictable

up staying for four years. I discovered a form

rains, drought and deforestation. With

of grassroots business, where sales trans-

environmental degradation comes poverty.

lated directly into tangible positive impacts

They are two sides of the same coin.

in the lives of people who needed it. It was the inspiration behind the creation of

Themes like entrepreneurship and impact

Aduna as a vehicle to connect remote rural

clearly underpin your approach. Where does

communities in Africa with Western health-

that come from and did your time in the

conscious consumers, through delicious,

Sahel influence your view on what ‘impact’

nutrient-rich superfoods.

really means to people and communities?

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

45

My dad was an entrepreneur in urban regeneration and was always most concerned by the impact of the built environment on the community – I guess I inherited some of his traits. The social enterprise I ran in The Gambia connected neglected communities to the market, and the impact was very visible.

Just two weeks after a good tomato harvest, for example, we would return to the same household farm to find the kids were now in school, or the family was building a new room to their house so that everyone didn’t have to sleep in the same bed anymore.

I started thinking about ways to scale it up: how could we connect these remote communities, many of which are struggling for survival, with affluent consumers in the developed world, to the benefit of all?

How did you go from those foundations, and your passion for purpose and community, to building Aduna?

The concept was to create the business as a vehicle for identifying underutilised, indigenous ‘superfoods’, pioneering them into the market, and plugging in rural communities via a direct, sustainable sourcing model. To achieve this, we work in partnership with a grassroots conservation charity in Northern Ghana that in turn creates and manages a network of women’s cooperatives.

We started with a baobab sourcing pilot in 2014, working with just three communities.

Fast forward 10 years and we’re now working with more than 100 communities, comprising more than 3,000 women. This means there is a tangible, traceable, high-impact connection, all the way from a consumer who picks up one 46

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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of our products from the shelf, right the way through to an individual baobab producer and the family she provides for.

The word ‘Aduna’ itself means 'life' or 'world' in Wolof, a language I learned to speak in The Gambia. It speaks to the connectedness of all living things. This is a philosophy we live by and that has been at the centre of everything we do from day one.

The baobab tree is an incredible work of nature, from superfood through to restoring land and being the heart of the community.

Can you tell us what it means to the people who live and work with it?

The baobab tree, also known as the ‘Tree of Life’, was the first ever flowering plant on earth and is abundant in the Sahel region of Africa.

There’s no such thing as a baobab plantation, every tree is community owned and wild harvested, providing food, water and shelter for both animals and humans. They have adapted to survive in the harshest conditions, storing water during the rainy season, then bearing fruit when all around them is dry.

Baobab is the only fruit in the world that dries on the branch, and is a powerhouse of nutrients packed with vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and prebiotic fibre; it tastes just like zesty sherbet. Despite its benefits, baobab isn’t widely used locally in Ghana – most of the fruit was going to waste and the trees were at risk of being chopped down and replaced by cash crops. Now they’re generating additional and sustainable income, they are well protected by communities, ensuring their longevity.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Women are often adversely affected by many of the challenges the Sahel region faces. How do you help empower them and how far-reaching are the benefits and impact of your initiatives?

It’s the women in the communities that own the rights of access to the baobab trees and are the collectors, so the income from harvesting and selling the fruits goes directly to them, which as we know has an economic multiplier effect on the local communities.

This system is reinforced by the creation and management of strong cooperatives, including a savings and loans component.

As a result, through our baobab supply chain, we’ve created sustainable incomes for over 3,300 women, helping them provide food, healthcare, and education for over 20,000 family members. By involving women in our supply chains, we're promoting gender equality and economic empowerment, leading to stronger communities and inclusive growth.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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How do you approach making an industry

the superfood industry hinges on sustain-

that’s also centred around positive impact?

able sourcing. Looking for accreditations

While we now include superfoods from all

like Organic and FairWild certifications can

over the world in our products, we special-

help too, as they provide evidence of trace-

ise in what we call transformational

ability and sustainability.

superfoods from Africa. These must meet three main criteria:

What goes into making a FairWild-certified

• Have an impressive nutrient profile, with

baobab supply chain?

clear health benefits for consumers, based

FairWild is a third-party audit-based certifi-

on a history of indigenous usage.

cation, combining FairTrade principles with

• Generate sustainable livelihoods for small-

ecological sustainability for wild-harvested

scale producers, empowering them to

crops. Achieving FairWild for our baobab

provide for their families.

supply chain – and launching the world’s

• Be drought-resistant and regenerative,

first ever FairWild-certified range of super-

helping restore nutrients to depleted soils

food powders (our new Superfood Blends)

and/or nurture local ecosystems

– is the culmination of 10 years work.

At the heart of this is our partnership with

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Examples include baobab fruit, moringa

ORGIIS Ghana, a local conservation NGO

leaf, and fonio grain, all of which are

that works directly with the communities to

exceptionally nutritious, delicious, and

create and manage cooperatives, sustainably

impactful. We’re very proud to have intro-

harvest and process baobab fruit, and grow

duced all three of these ingredients to the

and distribute new seedlings to help restore

UK market. Creating a positive impact in

soil and regenerate the tree canopy.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

What about building the Great Green Wall

Where do you want to see Aduna go from

initiative and restoring degraded land? How

here and what does future impact look like?

is Aduna contributing to areas like these?

Our aim is to bring our delicious, sustainable

The Great Green Wall is an inspiring African-

superfoods to even more people around the

led movement to fight desertification and

world. Our new range of FairWild-certified

climate change by planting a wall of trees

Superfood Blends is our latest offering.

across the continent. With our NGO partner,

By teaming up with great partners, we can

we've already planted over 35,000 baobab and

make a bigger difference, supporting more

moringa trees in Northern Ghana. This pro-

communities in Africa and expanding our

vides income for local communities and helps

land regeneration programmes. It's a wonderful

protect our planet for future generations.

cycle of positive impact, and although we’ve already been going for 12 years, it feels like

By working with organisations like the

we are only just getting started.

African Union and UNCCD, who have provided grant funding for some of the

aduna.com

community-based initiatives, we're helping to make reforestation and sustainable development a reality in the Sahel.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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STARTUP

“No animals. No plastics.

No toxic chemicals.

All Arda materials start somewhere good”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN Meet the startup turning the apparel industry on its head. And there’s no plastic or animals in sight The ‘Bermondsey Beer Mile’, home of historic London’s beer brewing and leather industries might, on face value, seem an unlikely place to start a sustainable biomaterials revolution. But only if you don’t move with the times. What if, for example, you harnessed that rich, artisanal history for your benefit? Or combined the abundant waste feedstock from the still-active local brewers with a touch of science and ambition?

Now you’re thinking like Brett and TJ, two entrepreneurs who – after experimenting around TJ’s kitchen table – found a way to turn brewers’ spent grain (BSG) into a sustainable, circular alternative to leather for use in fashion, home goods, automotive, and other applications. The apparel industry is responsible for more than 9% of global CO2 emissions, 20% of wastewater, and the use of over two billion animals every year.

To mitigate this impact, they founded Arda Biomaterials on a simple premise: brewers take raw barley grain and extract the sugar to make beer – for every 100 litres of beer there are 20 kg of BSG, which is rich in protein and fibre and can be mixed with other planet-friendly ingredients to create New Grain, the company’s alternative leather. New Grain is 100% plastic and animal free, can be coloured and treated like natural leather, and is biodegradable at the end of its life. arda.bio C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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SOCIAL

Lighting every 54

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

g life SolarAid’s John Keane on the transformative power of solar energy, how light can change lives, and achieving universal access to electricity

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

55

T

he flick of a switch.

sure your newborn child is delivered by more

You probably don’t

than a torch or candle light? For nearly 600

even notice yourself

million people in sub-Saharan Africa with no

doing it. Or realise

access to affordable clean energy, this is the

the ways in which the

reality. Countless communities in economically

same simple action

or geographically hard to reach places see their

you perform count-

working days end when the sun sets unless they

less times a day can

use batteries, kerosene lamps or paraffin candles

quite literally change

– all of which are expensive, dangerous, and

a life. On a basic level, access to electricity gives

potentially toxic alternatives to electric lighting.

you the freedom to switch on a light that extends the day so you can complete important tasks

“Imagine removing electricity from everything,”

around the home, read, create, or work should

says SolarAid’s John Keane. “It’s how I try to con-

you need to. It also makes it possible to enjoy

vey to people just what the situation is like for the

time with your friends and family without confin-

remote communities we work with. Growing up

ing social activity to daylight hours.

in the UK, where every facet of modern life uses electricity, is world’s apart from a rural village in

But what if you need a life-saving operation after

Zambia but think about having no electricity not

sundown or have to travel miles over dangerous,

just in your home but your work, your school, your

unlit terrain in an emergency? You may need to

hospitals and cities, and you start to realise the

keep a business open to make money, or make

economic and social impact it would have.

“That’s everyday life in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where there is no light or electricity in homes and schools, few radios and mobile phones for communication, education, and information, where three out of four health facilities across the continent have unreliable access to electricity and one in four has zero access,” he continues.

“These are areas impacted heavily by poverty and the climate crisis. In Zambia, for example, the grid is largely hydro-powered but water levels are low as a result of rising temperatures.

It means that, if you’re lucky enough to have access to electricity you routinely face power cuts and power rationing; in rural hard-to-reach areas there’s little chance of any access at all.”

JOHN KEANE, CEO, SOLARAID

Having held multiple positions with SolarAid since its inception in 2006, Keane rejoined the

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

DALITSO HALARIO, LIGHT LIBRARIES, MALAWI

“I felt compelled to start looking at simple, easy to access solutions that could make an immediate impact” organisation, which tackles poverty and climate

that can give you headaches and eye strain. I took

change by building sustainable markets for

a small radio with me and a stack of batteries but

clean, safe, and affordable solar lights in Africa,

ran out quickly. Losing the ability to listen really hit

as CEO in 2017. Passionate about changing the

home how important a tool radio is across these

‘unacceptable reality’ of people living without

communities for education, entertainment, and

access to electricity and light, he has devoted his

important information to support livelihoods.

career to establishing solar projects, enterprises, and innovation after seeing firsthand the chal-

“I felt compelled to start looking at simple, easy

lenges of living without light.

to access solutions that could make an immediate impact,” Keane notes. “I was convinced there

“I was privileged to live in close proximity with the

must have been a way to power a light or play

community and within households, and I still ground

a radio with renewable energy that wasn’t

myself in those early experiences,” says Keane,

dependent on the kind of high-tech or expensive

recalling his time volunteering in a rural village in

solutions we’re used to in the West – affordability

Tanzania in 2000. “You notice the simple things

was key. It was just a case of finding a way to

you’re used to are more difficult. By 6/6.30pm

deliver a small amount of power that could make

everything ground to a halt; we had kerosene lights

a very big difference in someone’s life and then

and I’d sit and read but it’s not pleasant – kerosene

thinking about how to scale from there. That’s

is costly, can be toxic, and only gives a dim light

still the essence of SolarAid today.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“This isn’t just about a light bulb in a home or a small-scale solar solution, it’s about trying to act on the inequality in the world and addressing the fact that some people still live in abject poverty” NELIE BETON, MAYI WALA, MALAWI

DRIVING UNIVERSAL ACCESS SolarAid was established in 2006 to fight poverty and climate change based on an ambitious vision to create a world where everyone has access to clean, renewable energy. It uses a pioneering trade not aid approach focused on developing sustainable enterprise and scalable programmes to catalyse local markets for safe and clean energy access for rural African communities.

Over its history SolarAid has spearheaded the first generation of pico solar lights – small solar lights that have the potential to fast-track access to electricity for millions of people living beyond the reach of on-grid energy markets – distributing more than 2.3 million solar lights over the last decade. It has reached more than 12 million

TRAVELING TO ST PAULS MULUNGUSHI SCHOOL IN KAPIRI ZAMBIA

people with clean, safe and renewable light.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

While this progress is significant, urgent and game-changing action, innovation, and collaboration is still necessary to ensure that the world achieves the targets set out in Sustainable Development Goal 7: to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030. Between 2010 and 2021, 51 countries achieved universal energy access and global access rose from 84% to 91%. However, global uncertainty and the effects of the COVID pandemic have slowed the pace of energy access in sub-Saharan Africa where SolarAid works, with the poorest and most remote regions being left behind. This impacts areas such as poverty reduction, education levels, gender equality, and socioeconomic development.

Patterns of energy access differ across Africa, but the largest challenges are affordability, accessibility, and securing investment in infrastructure and generation. Malawi, where SolarAid has been building a sustainable solar market since 2006, is rated the fourth lowest country for energy access in the world with only 5% of people in rural areas having access and poverty rates reaching 71%, making affordability a significant barrier to progress. In other vast and sparsely populated countries like Zambia – where Keane joins Citizen Zero from – the availability of solar lights in inaccessible areas poses a challenge as a result of the costs of bringing products and solutions to rural communities and households.

“Real change can’t happen in isolation,” Keane states. “You can’t grow up and be educated in the UK then live in a Tanzanian village and not begin to wonder ‘why is life like this? Why is there such a disparity? Why do such differences exist?’. Really, this isn’t just about a light bulb in a home or a small-scale solar solution, it’s about C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ENESS NALIWA, FROM CHIMWEMWE MAYI WALA GROUP IN HER HOME IN NYAMA, MALAWI

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“Women play a huge role in the communities, and there’s still a significant gender aspect to energy access that just doesn’t get talked about enough”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

61

REPAIR TECHNICIAN RODGERS MWAMBA

“It doesn’t take long working with a community to understand the immediate needs and how these various solutions can be implemented to make an impact,” Keane explains. “Light is the obvious and most pressing problem for many. I recall walking between villages at night and, if the moon isn’t in the sky, you can see nothing, not even a hand in front of your face. It’s a real demonstration of how much even a small solar light or LED comes into its own.

“But it doesn’t stop with light,” he continues.

“Small power for radio is invaluable, particularly where the service is used for educational purposes, to provide agricultural programmes and essential information to communities, or for antrying to act on the inequality in the world and

nouncements like drought warnings and climate

addressing the fact that some people still live in

or temperature warnings. Likewise, mobile

abject poverty. I’m not an economist or in a posi-

phones enable communication, access to market

tion to change policy, but at SolarAid we’re very

prices and information, and engaging customers

practical people. It means we can work with

if you run a business, and they don’t need much

communities to understand the actual and im-

power so are perfect for solar energy. Beyond

mediate energy needs, test and trial the

that, we work with healthcare facilities with appli-

appropriate solutions, and get to work.”

ances that don’t need much power, like small pulse oximeters that were invaluable during

To reach universal access by 2030, off-grid

COVID or foetal dopplers that allow nurses to

renewable energy solutions like those provided

monitor a baby’s progress during pregnancy.”

by SolarAid will play a critical role. The organisa-

62

tion provides lights ranging from a handheld

SUSTAINABLE SOLAR ENTERPRISES

study light through to a solar system that can

SolarAid focuses on building local, sustainable

light a school classroom or ward in a healthcare

businesses that can be scaled and provide

clinic. This range began with a simple concept:

the best opportunity to achieve true universal

small solar panels that can fit in the palm of a

energy access. Its trade not aid model creates

hand and harness the power of the sun to charge

local markets that allow solar lights to reach

small batteries that are then used to power ef-

places and people that traditional markets don’t.

ficient LED lights. These affordable and small

To deliver this it established a social enterprise,

lights are a crucial first step in reaching a cleaner

SunnyMoney, in 2008. This uses an innovative

and safer renewable future – SolarAid says this

distribution model to sell solar lights in rural off-

first step has a greater impact than any subse-

grid communities, helping to instil trust, create

quent step up the energy ladder.

greater demand in new and often unfamiliar C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

technologies, and build the foundations for a

“We’re proud of how we’ve enabled that

sustainable solar market in sub-Saharan Africa.

through SunnyMoney and been part of the solar revolution on this continent; we’ve created the

“We really believe in business-based solutions

technology, grown the awareness and demand,

and catalysing markets, it’s not just dropping a

and satisfied it with a local market. As a result,

solar light into a community,” Keane explains.

more people are using solar energy and solar

“Developing the infrastructure and sustainable

lights in Africa than ever before. That’s rightly a

access to products that are affordable and good

cause for celebration. But I’m always drawn back

quality is where we make the difference. Take

to our overarching ambition of creating a world

one light as an example – when it breaks, it’s

where everyone has access to clean and renew-

finished and the access to everything light

able energy by 2030 and there are still virtually no

brings is over. If you have an ecosystem of entre-

examples of that in sub-Saharan Africa. There are

preneurs who sell the lights and have the

still people who struggle to afford even a basic

knowledge, tools, and skills to repair and update,

solar light that may cost five dollars, so the urgent

then suddenly you have a local market where

challenge is to now reach the toughest market

those lights can shine for years.

segments, overcoming the barriers of poverty

“We believe in business-based solutions and catalysing markets, it’s not just dropping a solar light into a community”

FABRIOLA DAVIDSON, LIGHT LIBRARIES, MALAWI

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

63

“If you have an ecosystem of entrepreneurs who sell the lights and have the knowledge, tools, and skills to repair and update, then suddenly you have a local market where those lights can shine for years”

64

and deprivation to deliver clear, affordable, sustainable energy into communities considered low margin, high risk, and beyond reach.”

Product and process innovation is key to this, says Keane, pointing to increased focus on innovative new programmes, initiatives, and models designed to reach these communities and facilitate replication and scale across new geographies. “When you’re developing a marketplace and asking people in poverty or on very low incomes to make an investment decision it’s a difficult prospect, even if it can change their life,” he adds. “We see this as the gap between what the market can do and what it can’t, and we’re trying to develop game changing innovations and new business models that can reach this segment of the population.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

An example of this approach are SolarAid’s Light

“We’ve also introduced our Light A Village pro-

Libraries, which help low income students ac-

ject, which is an energy-as-a-service model

cess solar lighting. Light Libraries make solar

where customers pay the utility provider for the

lights available through rural schools, where

electricity they use,” adds Keane. “Instead of

students can rent them for less than a penny or

asking someone to pay for a solar system that

choose rent-to-buy options. Each school is

will light the home, play a radio, or charge mobile

equipped with lights that can be borrowed and a

phones, we install it for free and then train local

solar home system that lights classrooms and

customer service representatives to install and

enables a higher standard of education.

repair, creating long-term and sustainable income. You’re taking away the risk of investment

Students take lights home to study, read, and

for people and creating the infrastructure to

socialise, while their families also benefit from

enable 100% of the community to have access

having light in the household. Over time, the solar

to basic solar light and power. From there you

lights help households save money – renting is

can scale and consider other energy needs like

cheaper than buying a candle, for example – while

installing in schools and health facilities, or to

also generating revenue for local schools and

support farmers with things like irrigation, or

boosting education budgets. Each Light Library is

cooling and storage systems that boost produc-

linked with a locally recruited solar entrepreneur

tion, livelihoods and incomes and, ultimately, the

who can offer lights for sale in the community.

economy to fight poverty.”

KENEDY BULEYA, TAMBALASAJIWA VILLAGE, MALAWI

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ELECTRICITY CHANGING LIVES

forward and that she used her solar products to

In many rural communities, women and young girls

light her home, play the radio and power a sewing

are adversely affected by lack of access to elec-

machine so she could generate income. Those

tricity. Conversely, because they are the primary

simple stories are always so inspiring.”

users of household energy and trusted members of social networks and community groups,

SolarAid will continue to focus on innovation, with

SolarAid has found that women are often the best

the emphasis on scaling and growing new pro-

placed to bring renewable energy to remote areas

grammes like Light a Village, says Keane: “It’s

despite persistent barriers to running businesses

really driving us, and the exciting prospect is that

and engaging in entrepreneurship.

you can potentially install hundreds of these small solar systems a week and deliver community

SolarAid runs the Mayi Wala programme, which

training so everyone knows just what’s at their

supports women solar entrepreneurs in reaching

fingertips. The idealist in me still believes we can

last mile communities and provides access to

achieve universal access, at least for solar home

group-based training, finance, and business sup-

systems, across the continent by 2030 but it will

port. The organisation trains the Mayi Wala, which

take a lot of hard work. Nations, governments,

translates to ‘Shining Mothers’ in Malawi’s national

and organisations are all looking for solutions, but

language, in financial management, marketing, and

there’s still a lack of knowledge of how to deliver

the benefits of solar products, and helps to boost

– that’s where SolarAid is so important in showing

their businesses in the local community. It provides

practical solutions and engaging with partners to

them with solar lights on interest-free loans to

develop ways in which we can scale.”

enable them to scale. To date, there are 147 active Mayi Wala groups across Malawi, which have sold 9,179 solar lights resulting in over 45,000 people

THAUZENI CHIBWEZA, MALAWI

accessing clean and affordable energy.

“Women play a huge role in the communities, and there’s still a significant gender aspect to energy access that just doesn’t get talked about enough,” Keane explains. “The Mayi Wala are women working together in cooperatives, which makes it easier for them to develop and grow and for us to engage and train them. It’s an incredible project.

They support and help each other, work through their training and access finance together, and then go on to kickstart solar businesses that support and serve the community. I met a wonderful woman in Malawi, a grandmother in her 60s. She showed me her solar light and her phone charger, telling me that Malawi was moving 66

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SAIDI SANDUKA KEEPS HIS SHOP OPEN WITH THE HELP OF SOLAR LIGHTS, MALAWI

“More people are using solar energy and solar lights in Africa than ever before” To do so, says Keane, will require securing private

“One I always remember is being hosted by a

investment for growth, the development of pos-

family in Western Kenya who had a small solar

sible subsidy models designed to overcome

system lighting the home. There wasn’t work, or

financial barriers to access, and the continued

farming, or anything like that. It was just an even-

growth of solar markets and technologies. To this

ing meal, the radio playing, and a family around

end, all of SolarAid’s programmes are open-

the table eating and laughing together. All of that

sourced to encourage replication and the

was happening because of access to electricity.

development of collaborative partnerships. The

It was a wonderful moment and I felt privileged

organisation also actively shares results, know-

to be with a group of people simply having a good

how, and lessons learned to facilitate wider

time together – you multiply that by 150 million

adoption of successful approaches and fast-track

and that’s really the kind of impact and joy that

universal energy access across the continent.

we all want to see.”

For Keane and SolarAid, every small win on that

solar-aid.org

journey represents a crucial step closer to universal access and a chance for people and families to live in a better way. “I see so many incredible things happening,” he recounts.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ENVIRONMENTAL

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THE FUTURE IS BLUE

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Cleaning the oceans, diversifying conservation, and leaving fast fashion behind: Chris Desai’s journey from Leicester to the Earthshot Prize

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I

“

t was a restaurant car park,” recalls

millions of marginalised people working

Chris Desai. “A family threw their

to support it, backing Desai into an almost

rubbish out of their car next to us

inevitable epiphany. A little over five years

and I remember my mum picking up

later, he heads up two global conservation

every single piece, knocking on their

projects (UEARTH sits alongside UOCEAN),

window, and throwing it back in all

one the UK’s most respected BAME-led

over the driver. I was pretty young,

charities, promotes and encourages inclusiv-

but what came next has always stuck

ity in environmental conservation, and runs

with me. She told them ‘take your

an organic, sustainable fashion brand.

rubbish home with you, this is our planet, my home, and my children’s

“I’m a third generation sailor,” says Desai

home’. It’s pretty powerful seeing someone

of his enduring love affair with the ocean.

being an activist like that when you’re a kid.

“I’ve sailed since I was young and have

I guess you’d call it positive reinforcement.”

always been out on the water whenever I could. I feel at home there, it’s a spiritual

It’s often the smallest actions that define our

place and somewhere I always find peace.

lives. Desai’s journey is no different, except

When fashion and the lifestyle that went with

for the fact you can add several more defining

it became too much, it was the obvious way to

moments like this one to the list. Like

take some time out; I basically left the world

experiencing what it meant to be the son of

behind to learn how to sail professionally.”

a refugee in 1980s England. Like working in fast fashion only to realise the terrible impact it has on the environment. Like recognising the distinct lack of working class or Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) charity participants when wanting to donate his own company’s money. Or, how a lifelong love of water ended up being the catalyst that spurred him to rid our oceans of plastic. Turns out, it’s a winning combination.

UOCEAN, a grassroots solution for saving the oceans from plastic by 2050, and The Vayyu Foundation are the sum of these influences. The latter was set up by Desai in late 2018 after a decade’s stint as Creative Director at a leading fashion brand – years of travelling for work, meeting suppliers worldwide, and seeing firsthand the impact the industry has on the planet and the 70

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“I’M A THIRD GENERATION SAILOR. I FEEL AT HOME ON THE WATER, IT’S A SPIRITUAL PLACE AND SOMEWHERE I ALWAYS FIND PEACE”

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TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY Desai spent 10 years in fast fashion, seeing enough to make him want to make meaningful change both personally and for the planet.

“I travelled, I’d visit sites around the world and saw things I’ll not forget: rivers dyed different colours from runoff from factories, terrible working conditions, people who were already marginalised or suffering being taken advantage of for cheap labour – just the degradation of our planet. It spurred me on to working with BAME communities, too.

I saw how the industry works, how privileged the store groups and buyers are but how disproportionately they affected people of colour around the world. The East creates the products for Western consumers and is basically left with the pollution and fallout from how people are working. I had to get off and get back to who I really was” 72

“I’D LOST WHO I WAS. IF YOU LOVE THE PLANET BUT YOUR JOB AND CAREER DON’T ALIGN WITH THOSE INNER BELIEFS, YOU CAN’T HELP FEELING A HYPOCRITE AND WONDER WHY YOU’RE DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Sailing lessons turned into a six-month

standards and decently paid employment.

journey of discovery around the world, where

Its clothes use sustainable fabrics like

Desai ditched the phone and laptop, instead

organic seaweed, bamboo, linen, and cotton,

focusing on authenticity and purpose. “I’d lost

and pure cashmere and ethical wool, while

who I was,” he reflects. “I’d been working

factories use closed-loop water systems to

relentlessly and lost sight of the impact I was

minimise environmental impact.

having – if you love the planet but your job and career don’t align with those inner beliefs,

Despite the brand’s success, Desai couldn’t

you can’t help feeling a hypocrite and wonder

settle, feeling he still had more to give. The

why you’re doing what you’re doing. I dis-

spark came after recognising a distinct lack

tinctly remember a moment that changed me:

of diversity in the charities he was looking

I was meditating, the sun was shining over the

to donate to. “I went to six UK charities

ocean, and I could see dolphins swimming.

wanting to give money towards action

I just felt deeply connected to the planet and

around clearing oceans or coastlines, and it

to the water, and a real responsibility to stop

just struck me,” he explains. “It wasn’t just

what I was doing and take action.”

about race, but social class too – I’m from a working class multicultural family and

Initially setting out to change the fashion

never really met anyone like me during the

industry, Desai founded Vayyu, an organic

conversations I was having. On top of that,

and sustainable luxury fashion brand that

I just found it frustrating: when I asked them

offers a viable and impactful alternative to

what action they took, how much plastic

the unsustainable fast fashion model. Vayyu

they cleaned, or their results the answer

has a transparent supply chain using green

always seemed to revolve around ‘doing

and ethical Fair Wear Foundation-accredited

more research’. If the house is on fire, you

factories that ensure responsible labour

don’t stand around analysing how hot it is.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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DIVERSIFYING CONSERVATION

“IF THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE, YOU DON’T STAND AROUND ANALYSING HOW HOT IT IS”

Desai started his own charity, The Vayyu Foundation, to have a significant environmental impact while promoting and encouraging inclusivity in environmental conservation with ethnic, isolated, and marginalised communities. As the son of an Indian immigrant father who escaped Uganda after being politically ostracised and a Scottish mother with German heritage, it’s a subject close to his heart. “We grew up in Leicester in the UK in the 1980s, and it was a pretty hostile environment at that time with racism and discrimination commonplace,”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

something for everyone regardless of age, colour of your skin, religion, gender, or orientation. It’s about a singular movement united by our shared desire for a healthy planet, conservation has to be something that brings us all together.”

The Vayyu Foundation connects isolated and marginalised communities to raise awareness of conservation, and encourage action on blue and green environmental issues such as river and ocean plastic, coral reefs, marine life, mangroves, tree reforestation, green skills, and food growing. Practical action is mobilised through two global environmental projects: UEARTH 2050 focuses on UK reforestation and community green spaces, while UOCEAN 2050 works with local communities in the UK and internationally to combat canal, river, and ocean plastics and restore marine ecosystems.

he remembers. “I’ve experienced it firsthand, as did my parents when they were raising me and my brother. A lot of the time, it was just about survival.

“You recognise how strong many of those communities are, but how constant stigmatisation just removes opportunities and creates a lot of self-imposed barriers,” adds Desai. “We’re trying to break those down with the foundation and open up conversations about the environment and conservation in the communities we work with. The goal really was to make C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“UNTIL WE HAVE SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN FOOTPRINT AND THEIR OWN POLLUTION, I WON’T FEEL SETTLED” _ CHRIS DESAI

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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TACKLING THE PLASTIC PROBLEM

He set up the first litter pick in early 2020 dur-

Desai began UOCEAN in early 2020. The

ing the COVID 19 lockdowns in the UK,

initiative distils his influences and experi-

knowing people would want to get out of the

ences, focusing on community and tackling

house, meet, or exercise. “I just thought I’d try

ocean and river waste, but also breaking

and give them a better reason,” he says. “I set a

down the stigma sometimes attached to

challenge on social media: ‘if you want to clean

things like collecting litter and community

up a local river, canal, or beach then get out

action. “It’s funny,” he says, “we have this

there, pick up the plastic, and we’ll rebrand it

view of certain jobs or activities like clean-

by giving you litter pickers and blue vests’. It

ing or waste collection, and look down on

was basically a case of who can collect the most

the people doing it. I wanted to flip that on

plastic waste towards our overarching goal that

its head, make conservation cool or trendy

still exists of removing one billion kilos – in

irrespective of who you are and where

2020 that figure represented just 1% of the

you’re doing it.”

world’s oceans and river plastics.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“IT’S ABOUT A SINGULAR MOVEMENT UNITED BY OUR SHARED DESIRE FOR A HEALTHY PLANET, CONSERVATION HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER”

watching me approached and said ‘don’t

“I’ll tell you a story about breaking down

entering the marine environment every year.

stigma,” he continues. “I went out myself in

Almost 1,000 species of marine animals are

a case of ‘be the change you seek’, but as

impacted by ocean pollution and over 500

soon as I started picking litter I felt embar-

locations worldwide are recorded as dead

rassed. I still don’t really know why. It was a

zones where marine life cannot exist. Without

feeling that only lasted for a short while but,

action it is projected that, by 2050, plastic will

as I was busy an older lady who I’d noticed

likely outweigh all fish in the sea.

worry, your community service will be over soon, keep going’. It was the biggest blow I’d ever had. On top of feeling a certain way about what I’d been doing, I’d also been judged. After a fair bit of soul searching I realised it was affirming more than anything – removing plastic is something we should all be proud about, not ashamed of, and doing something good for the planet shouldn’t be a punishment.”

Plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution with most of this entering the oceans via rivers and coastlines. There are an estimated 75 to 199 million tons of plastic waste in our oceans, with 33 billion pounds

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“CHAPTERS TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR LOCAL WATER BODY AND ALL THE ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, WHETHER IT’S CLEARING UP PLASTIC, CREATING MEDIA, ADVOCACY, OR PETITIONING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Instead, it has to be authentic and based entirely around the needs of the area and the local communities.

“In Leicester, for example, we have a lot of river plastics but there’s an educational piece to that, too,” he continues. “There is a big Asian community around the river, for which it’s traditional to put the ashes of loved ones into the water when they die.

Unfortunately that means a lot of plastic statues and religious items also end up in the river, so we focus on improving understanding of what can and can’t be used. There’s also a lot of plastic from students in the universities, so we often work with those institutions to find ways to educate and prevent the waste from entering the river at all.

Elsewhere in the UK, reports Desai, UOCEAN’s Weymouth chapter is dedicated to removing microplastics from the local waterways, in Kent the team focuses on education and water pollution, and London’s chapter is currently working on upskilling people to be

KEEP PUSHING, KEEP BELIEVING

involved – this includes padi or scuba dive

UOCEAN, which has grown to an ecosystem

courses for underprivileged communities,

of 33 chapters globally across Europe, the

and training on paddle boarding and boats.

US, India, Africa, and Asia, has several approaches to tackle the problem. Chapter

Beyond picking litter by hand UOCEAN

members remove plastic pollution from

embraces new and innovative technologies

rivers and waterways by hand, boat, and

and solutions in the fight against plastic.

kayak, and engage in educational projects

This includes autonomous machinery like

and collaborations to foster environmental

river robots, deploying river and sea drones

stewardship. “Chapters take ownership

to monitor river and ocean health and gather

of their local water body and all the actions

data, and deploying plastic barriers in rivers

associated with it, whether it’s clearing

and entries to the sea. The barriers, which

up plastic, creating media, advocacy, or

are open source, low cost, and locally made,

petitioning the local government,” Desai

run across the breadth of a river and reach

explains. “We don’t guide what they do.

around 30 cm under the water to allow fish

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

81

to pass under. Desai is close to launching a river barrier in Leicester, with UOCEAN intending to implement 155 in the UK and more than 1,000 globally.

“It’ll be the first of its kind,” he says of the plastic prevention solution in his hometown. “They’re a more efficient way to collect plastic pollution but symbolically I see them as an imaginary line in the sand, a way for the community to say enough is enough, we’re not sitting by and letting it happen without taking action. It’s so important to do this in cities and with people who,

“THE GOAL REALLY WAS TO MAKE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF AGE, COLOUR OF YOUR SKIN, RELIGION, GENDER, OR ORIENTATION”

often, never had anything to do with conservation because it was often focused on

Desai and UOCEAN have a long way to go

coastal areas. It’s been shown that 80%

before that goal is met. But, you sense, he

of ocean plastics actually come from cities,

wouldn’t want it any other way. With a focus

so if we can stop pollution happening at

on rolling out more plastic prevention barriers,

its source and make sure it never enters

new workstreams like plastic offsetting projects

the ocean we’re not just protecting the UK,

and replanting mangrove forests, and building

but the whole world.”

more chapters worldwide, that one billion kilos target suddenly doesn’t look out of reach.

“I’m proud of what our volunteers and team leaders have achieved around the world,” Desai reflects. “I’m not necessarily proud of myself, I never want to start thinking like that – it’s a dangerous place and the last thing we need is complacency. I’m a very small part of the UOCEAN web, and the mindset and desire in the organisation is what continues to drive us forwards. But we can’t stop. Until we have seven billion people on this planet taking responsibility for their own footprint and their own pollution, I won’t feel settled. For that we have to keep pushing and keep believing.” uocean.org

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

83

ENTREPRENEUR

LOOK GOOD. DO GOOD. Responsible fashion doesn’t stop with clothes. Just ask In Our Name and the countless artisans and entrepreneurs it has helped empower

Fashion has to change. Absolutely. But, in doing so, it should go further than just cleaning up its act.

It should empower, encourage, uplift and protect, and lead a movement that delivers broader impact. That’s the premise behind In Our Name, a conscious, responsible, and socially impactful clothing and accessories brand that supports artisans and microenterprises in Africa through sustainable economic partnerships.

In Our Name was founded in 2021 by Liza Njoki Colbeck to reshape perceptions of African-made products and empower small producers in Colbeck’s native Kenya – the company’s moniker is inspired

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“THERE IS A R I C H N E S S, B E A U T Y, AND COMPLEXITY IN A F R I C A N C U LT U R E , LANGUAGE, DANCE, AND NAMING T R A D I T I O N S, A N D T H E ARTS WHICH ARE OFTEN IGNORED AND G LO S S E D OV E R ”

by the rich sociocultural meaning of African

in the informal sector, focusing on developing

names and the unique stories and meaning they

a product-to-market ecosystem, providing training

hold. Motivated by a rich heritage of culture,

and mentorship, as well as financial support

arts, and creativity, In Our Name supports

to help them develop regular and stable incomes.

the many artisans and small producers who make up the vast informal sector in Africa which

Alongside this initiative, In Our Name supports

consists of small workshops, and home and

underserved women and girls in Kenya by

community workshops.

repurposing waste fabric into washable sanitary pads, promotes traceability, responsible sourcing,

The informal sector is the backbone of many

and circular practices to minimise impact on the

African economies, responsible for more than

environment, nurtures inclusive action in commu-

81% of jobs. However, it’s typified by poor work-

nities, and supports Kenyan reforestation efforts.

ing conditions and irregular and low incomes.

In Our Name’s 100% Initiative supports artisans

in-our-name.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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TRAILBLAZER

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

A lifetime of change We speak to Scott Poynton about meaningful change, protecting people, nature, and planet, and why we should put the soul back into business decision making

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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Y

ou may not know Richard St. Barbe Baker.

You should, of course. Like Scott Poynton does.

The pioneering botanist, forester, and founder of the ‘Men of the Trees’ conservation and protection group, has an enduring legacy. He’s also the

reason we’re here talking to Poynton. For while the Australian impact entrepreneur has spent the last 25 years inspiring strong, credible sustainable and regenerative action around the world, it was listening to Baker as a boy that set him on course to leading real and impactful change in the way businesses affect the planet.

It was lucky that the young Poynton heard Baker at all. Growing up in rural Australia on the outskirts of Melbourne, he quickly fell in love with nature, spending long days outside exploring, learning the value of self-reliance and solitude, and nurturing a strong connection with the surrounding flora and fauna. Poynton was set on becoming a vet – his first business venture of selling tadpoles to the local pet shop aside. Until, on a rare Sunday afternoon indoors he heard Baker over the radio telling stories of travelling the world, inspiring people to understand nature, and working to protect and plant trees.

“Two minutes into a 30-minute broadcast, that was it. I’d decided: I’m going to be a forester,” he recalls. “It resolutely set my path in that direction, despite not even really knowing what the job was.

I was very lucky, I don’t think young people necessarily have that kind of direction until later but, for me, whatever fork I came to in the road from that point on it was always about which decision would get me closer to being a forester. The whole journey just unfolded from listening to the radio.”

Poynton studied forestry at Canberra’s Australian National University. Here, he had the opportunity to fulfil a lifelong wanderlust, spending three months in the Middle Hills of Nepal living and working with families, studying trees, forests, people, and nature.

“It was a great test,” he says of the experience. “I’d always had this hankering to go overseas, and it was a chance to find out how I could cope. I got sick, it was hard work, but I loved every minute of it and knew that my life choice had been right.”

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SCOTT WITH FINN

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After studying, Poynton worked as a forester in the small, isolated town of Fingal in Tasmania where he was surrounded by mountains and worked on natural and plantation forest management projects. Following a brief interlude to complete a Masters at Oxford University before returning to forestry in Tasmania, Poynton fell into consulting work and a visit to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. “I was a project manager for two years working on reforestation,” he explains. “We were researching and implementing the best ways in which we could restore forests and land that had been cleared after the Vietnam war. It was a fascinating experience and by that point I was hooked on travel, seeing the world, and working overseas.”

Poynton continued to travel, his time in consulting seeing him visiting more countries, engaging with the natural world and the people he encountered, and working with businesses seeking direction

AT TRANSFORMING CONSERVATION EVENT

and guidance on their own impact journeys. “I really enjoyed, and was most effective, working with

what others are going through and find a way to

organisations that were having problems or

cooperate to deliver better outcomes.”

needed help. I was able to go into those situations with pretty big companies and help them

CONNECT, COOPERATE, CHANGE

navigate paths that were good for their own

This approach has underpinned much of Poynton’s

business, but also for people and the planet.

subsequent work, spending a large part of his career at the intersection of companies and NGOs,

90

“I’ve always had this deep-rooted passion for

navigating complex conflicts focused on environ-

change and taking positive action – just feeling

mental impact and leading to profound and

that when something’s not working, let’s figure

unprecedented breakthroughs. It kickstarted

it out, understand that we can do better, and get

in the late 1990s where, after moving to the UK,

it fixed,” says Poynton, reflecting on his work.

a European-wide NGO campaign against garden

“Since I was young I’ve believed in the importance

furniture made in Vietnam from wood harvested

of living according to our fundamental values,

illegally in Cambodia led him to found the non-profit

connecting with and listening to our inner voices,

Tropical Forest Trust (TFT). The campaign was

and how that can lead us on the path to making

tough on furniture providers, driving them to act,

true change. I have a desire to look at conflict or

work on engaging NGOs, and make changes to

problems and say it doesn’t have to be like this,

their business models. Poynton’s work in Vietnam

things can be solved if we talk, if we understand

meant many companies turned to him for help.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

often to those around them but also to nature.

That makes the chance for things to get better so much harder – I saw it when I was in Tasmania and NGOs were fighting with the Forestry Commission, as they battled things just continued to get worse.

I fundamentally believe that we can only solve the world’s problems if we cooperate, sit down and treat each other as people, and work together on the best possible outcome.

“We had seven founding members in the TFT and initially it was about making them understand they couldn’t just pin the problem on their suppliers,” says Poynton. “My response to that argument was ‘you’re selling the products, so you’re profiting from forest destruction, human rights abuses, or the possible destruction and extinction of species like the Sumatran Tiger or Orangutans. You have to be part of solving the problem’. The absolute breakthrough we pioneered off the back of that was the concept of responsible sourcing. It’s The Tropical Forest Trust, which later became The

commonplace now, but at the time it was a real

Forest Trust, started by assisting those trading

change in terms of businesses taking responsibility

tropical wood products to link their supply chains

for their supply chains.”

to well managed forests and help forest managers achieve FSC certification. It worked with factories and buyers to monitor wood sources and supply chains, verified raw materials were legal and from well managed forests, and established environmental credibility for timber product traders. Today, as Earthworm, it works with businesses to co-create solutions with companies, farmers, NGOs and governments to serve people and regenerate nature.

For Poynton, the focus was on mediating between conflicting parties, building on his natural passion for collaborative problem solving and delivering through connection, cooperation, and change.

“Bad things happen when people fight,” he says.

“Two minutes into a 30-minute broadcast, that was it. I’d decided: I’m going to be a forester”

“They get hurt and there’s collateral damage, most

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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IN TAMALE WAREHOUSE

Response to the scale of the challenge varied

that starts with the individual. This philosophy has

between businesses, says Poynton. Some,

helped him mediate business and NGO conflict,

shocked by the impact they were having, went all

and seen leaders make profound decisions that

in on working towards finding solutions driven by

have transformed entire industries and saved

a passion to change and a visceral dedication to

millions of hectares of forest. Before that point,

not being associated with the kinds of impact TFT

says Poynton, there’s the small matter of ‘two

was setting out during discussions. Others under-

parties thrashing at each other and basically only

stood the brand implications illegal trading would

communicating through press releases’.

have on their business and used it as impetus, while some, for their own reasons, didn’t fit with

“The essence of my experience is that before

TFT’s values and mission.

businesses can find their way to cooperation, they had to reach a place where they felt absolutely

92

The path to that level of change isn’t always easy.

lost,” Poynton says. “You’d work through phases

Poynton ardently believes it’s built on a deep con-

of anger, indignation, despair and negotiation, and

nection to our inner voice, an understanding and

eventually you reach the point where you just have

connection with our emotions, and an openness

nowhere to go and don’t know what to do – that’s

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

when you can move forward. Change happens deep in the hidden recesses of the human heart, and the path to cooperation only opens up when leaders stopped trying to use their head to find a clever way out of the mess they’re in and instead listen to their inner wisdom and guidance: ‘do we really want to be linked to deforestation, or to human rights abuses and the death of animals?’.

The answer’s no. We didn’t really change people.

Most people are fundamentally good. We just helped them connect to their true journey and, for most of us, that’s not to go out into the world and cause destruction.”

PIONEERING REGENERATIVE ACTION After 17 years Poynton stepped aside from TFT , leaving a legacy of work in more than 60 countries and the establishment of forest conservation and social livelihood programmes with thousands of companies and NGOs worldwide.

During this time he achieved several notable successes including supporting ScanCom International and Global Witness to lead the transformation of the wooden garden furniture sector,

“I’ve always had this deep-rooted passion for change and taking positive action”

CIB and Greenpeace to secure the first FSC certified Congo Basin forest, Nestlé and Greenpeace to announce the world’s first ever No Deforestation commitment, and Golden Agri Resources and Greenpeace to announce the first palm oil industry No Deforestation policy. He also supported Perhum Perhutani, the Indonesian State-owned teak corporation to remove 4,000 weapons from their forest protection programme and instead partner with communities, Asia Pulp and Paper and Greenpeace to announce a No Deforestation policy that saw bulldozers removed from two million hectares of forest, and Wilmar International and Climate Advisers to announce the world’s first No Deforestation commitment by a major trader.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“We can only solve the world’s problems if we cooperate, sit down together and treat each other as people, and work collaboratively on the best possible outcome”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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Rather than dwell on celebrating these successes,

covering climate action, regenerative supply

Poynton saw them as the foundation on which to

chains, community wellbeing, transparent claim

keep building. “Things have definitely changed,

verification, and forest protection. In the spirit

but we’re not quite in a brave new world just yet,”

of Poynton’s previous work Pond Foundation is

he explains. “There are certainly more compa-

action-oriented, uncompromising in its approach,

nies worldwide aware of their impact on the

and built on a belief in verification and ‘walking the

planet and which have a strong sense of not

walk’ rather than mere certification.

wanting to be engaged with anything that can be damaging. That’s a real positive. But there’s still

“We’d done great work with TFT but all I could see

a larger group carrying on regardless, and many

were claims coming out from businesses, particu-

that don’t necessarily deeply live the change but

larly around climate change, and it just felt like

are taking action, if only to show they have the

greenwashing instead of action,” says Poynton.

right policies in place or to be able to compile

“I remember reading a report about the no defor-

their latest report or marketing collateral. We’ve

estation work we’d supported that showed there

got a long way to go and there’s no longer any

were six million hectares of stranded forest assets

excuse for doing nothing. No matter the context,

in concessions in Indonesia that wouldn’t be felled

business can do far more than a net zero claim

because of our work. I realised that while they’re

or an ESG policy on a website.”

being protected from bulldozers, they weren’t being protected from climate change so, if I were

In early 2021 Poynton launched Pond Foundation,

really going to save those forests and live up to the

an impact enterprise that supports member

inspiration I heard on the radio all those years ago,

businesses to pioneer strong, credible, and

I had to tackle the impacts of climate change by

regenerative action through five key initiatives

working with organisations on regenerative action.”

AGENTS OF CHANGE

“Before businesses can find their way to cooperation, they had to reach a place where they felt absolutely lost”

Poynton launched My Carbon Zero as the organisation’s founding initiative built on the premise that going carbon zero means taking responsibility for all of the carbon a business or an individual has emitted as scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. It offers ISO 14064-guided greenhouse gas reporting services that extend to the inception of a business, as well as guidance on reducing emissions and connections to credible carbon removal project partners.

“I got tired of companies putting out reports on their emissions from the previous year, and listing how they were going to offset them,” he states.

“That’s great, but what about the year before that,

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

WITH KRISHAN RAO

and the year before that? And what if your busi-

organisations and farmers in Ghana to supply

ness has been operating for 50 years? All of those

Bambara groundnuts. Hilary’s Kids helps organi-

cumulative emissions are in the atmosphere and

sations engage in regenerative community work,

contributing to climate change. My Carbon Zero is

particularly around supporting children and edu-

about working with businesses that are prepared

cation, while Forest Love sees Poynton head back

to look at their entire lifetime carbon footprint and

to his roots and focus on protecting forests.

start tackling it. If you can’t do it all, that’s fine, even taking 10% out of the atmosphere is probably

“There’s so many forests just hanging in there

more action than everyone else in the world.

around the world,” he says of the latter. “We’re

Then we’ll work to push that up to 15% and invest

working with Chloris Geospatial, a tech company

in credible projects that help heal communities,

that’s developed a platform for measuring forest

nature, and the planet.”

carbon stock, gains, and losses for any landscape, anywhere in the world. It means we can measure

Since then, the foundation has launched other

how many tons of carbon a forest sequesters

initiatives including Regen 21, which supports

or adds to the atmosphere over a given time all

members to develop regenerative supply chains

the way back to the year 2000. If the forest is

and is currently working in partnership with food

a carbon sink we sell the carbon to My Carbon

company WhatIF Foods to build a regenerative

Zero members, with the funds supporting local

agricultural supply chain with partners and

community development programmes.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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TREE PLANTING IN IVORY COAST 98

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T W O

Then there’s Earthtrust which, says Poytnon, “comes from my displeasure and dislike of certification schemes. I believe there’s more that can be done than paying auditors to tell us we’re doing a good job. It has ended being a race to the bottom that’s about cost more than anything else. Earthtrust is about credible and radical transparent verification.

“It’s a digital solution designed to verify company claims and bring unprecedented levels of transparency and verification directly to customers,” he adds. “In essence, it’s a case of getting brands

“The absolute breakthrough we pioneered was the concept of responsible sourcing”

to share the data with us – if they say they’re being regenerative then you should be able to see soil improvements, better livelihoods for farmers, and measurable impact. We take that data and democratise it by hosting it on a website.

It’s in the early stages and we’re working with

interconnected braids that we need to bring

several companies but, understandably, there’s

everything to, from the intellectual and practical

a nervousness about the level of transparency

skills through to the emotional, physical, spiritual,

we’re putting out there. I’ve spent my life helping

and mental ability to take action.

companies on these journeys and it’s tough venturing into the brave new world of no defor-

“Humans only change when they’re uncomfort-

estation or human rights protection, but they must

able, so we need to be agents of change that can

do it. And I can tell you, once they cross into that

drive businesses and leaders on these journeys,”

place, they find their businesses flourish, they’re

he adds. “When people get out of their heads and

doing better for the world, and people want to

into their guts and soul, it’s the best journey they’ll

engage with them.”

ever travel in their life. It’s about finding that balance between the intellectual or practical that

It’s a long time since Poynton chanced upon

makes money, and the emotional and the spiritual

Baker’s inspirational words on the radio but,

that tells them how they’re making money isn’t

you sense, the spirit, ambition, and passion for

right and needs to change. If they can get that

change remains undimmed. “People tell me I’m

thing braided together in a way that they live

doing too much, well hell, there’s a lot of problems

a consistent life with who they are as people,

affecting things on a huge scale and my attitude

then collectively we can move mountains very

is ‘let’s have a go, work with as many people as

quickly. That’s the magic, and I wish it upon

we can, and try and make a difference’. All of the

every leader in the world.”

things we’re working on are linked, they’re not so much pillars as intertwined and

scottpoynton.me C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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WELLBEING

INNOVATION

THE ART OF

EVERYWHERE 102

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

VANK’S SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE AND INTERIORS FUSE AN EYE FOR STUNNING AND INTELLIGENT DESIGN WITH A DEEP EMPATHY FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET. NATALIA SOCHACKA TELLS US MORE

VANK does things differently. As Citizen Zero discovered when we met Growth Marketing Manager Natalia Sochacka. Taking five minutes after a busy Milan Design Week, where the Polish design firm exhibited its innovative and sustainable circular furniture solutions, Sochacka discussed the company’s sustainable manifesto and how it uses natural products to transform interior spaces.

VANK designs interiors and furniture using biocomposites made from things like hemp and flax, and incorporating recycled industrial materials.

As Sochacka told us, it’s a design process underpinned by a desire to make intelligent products imbued with a deep respect for nature and the planet.

˂ VANK ACOUSTIC POD

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

103

Where does VANK’s sustainable ethos come

of the whole system. This Symbiocene

from, and what are the core principles?

mindset opens up new perspectives for

We have a manifesto that responds to three

a livable future.

trends: conscious consumption (particularly among the newer generations), the

In interior design, the trend for wellbeing is

Symbiocene, and wellbeing.

focused on self-care and is also turning to slow design (a movement in which interiors,

The generations entering today’s labour

including everything from architecture to

market value freedom, and independence

kitchen items, are made thoughtfully and

and strong personal values play a large role

responsibly) and circular design principles.

in their decision-making processes. Many in Gen Z believe it’s important that the mission

How do these trends influence the way

or vision of their organisation aligns with

VANK thinks, designs, and creates?

their own values because they want to have

We’ve proved that smart and durable plant-

real impact in what they do. Research also

based materials are a suitable substitute

shows that a quarter of students want to

for conventional raw materials in the manu-

know if their potential employer has a plan

facture of wall panels, movable partitions,

to reduce their CO2 emissions. It’s why our

and cubicles for work or meetings.

work has to meet expectations of office users and customers wanting to lower the environmental impact of their businesses.

The Symbiocene megatrend is a shift from an anthropocentric (human-centred) approach to one focused on the entire ecosystem; a world where we care for nature as much as nature nurtures us. It’s a philosophical concept proposed by Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht. Humans have caused significant harm to the Earth’s geology, climate, biodiversity, and ecosystems in the Anthropocene era; Albrecht suggests it is characterised by destructive and unsustainable practices that have led to ecological degradation and various crises.

VANK’s goal is to shape a new mindset towards a sustainable human-nature relationship, in which nature is no longer treated as a resource, but as an equal part 104

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

˂ VANK_DRONN

˄ VANK ELLIPSE

In 2021 we set out to redesign our acoustic panel by applying circular design principles. At that time, it was manufactured

“VANK’S GOAL IS TO SHAPE A NEW MINDSET TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIP, IN WHICH NATURE IS NO LONGER TREATED AS A RESOURCE, BUT AS AN EQUAL PART OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM”

from polyurethane foam which, due to its petroleum-based origin and inability to biodegrade or recycle, poses significant problems to the furniture industry. The new component had to be more sustainable without sacrificing functionality or contouring capabilities.

Since 2022 we’ve been using renewable fibre crops like flax and hemp to make a biocomposite, VANK_BIO. Biocomposites combine plant-based fibres with a polymer and bring clear environmental advantages – VANK panels contribute to the development of a circular economy and have a negative carbon footprint, for example. After use, VANK_BIO panels can be disposed of as part of a composting process.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“THE COMPANY’S BOARD IS 100% FEMALE, AND MOST OF OUR MANAGERS ARE WOMEN”

106

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

107

VANK’s technology produced shapes designed to guarantee soundproofing. Soon it became clear that we could give the panels an infinite number of shapes. By steering clear of primary petrochemicals and using renewable raw materials instead, we reduce CO2 emissions.

Flax and hemp also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and contribute to the climatic stability of the planet.

Our green transformation was recognised by the German Sustainability Award, and in 2022 we won the Green Product Award and Iconic Design Awards, the competition of the German Design Council.

How is VANK accelerating circular economy principles, and why does creating with mobility and flexibility help?

We believe in a circular economy model that limits consumption of natural resources,

˄ VANK_RING

reduces the amount of waste generated, and increases the use of biodegradable, renewable, and recyclable materials. We also create with mobility, configurability, and flexibility of furniture in mind.

Furnishing a space in an agile way became important during the COVID pandemic and it has remained a mainstay of the hybrid work model. The VANK_CUBE system, a modular cube system made of flax and hemp biomaterial, offers the opportunity to easily arrange offices and co-working spaces exactly as the organisation and its workers need. This is particularly important when the size of the leased space, the number of employees and clients, the functions of individual rooms, and the general arrangement of the office

“WE BELIEVE IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY MODEL THAT LIMITS CONSUMPTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF WASTE GENERATED, AND INCREASES THE USE OF BIODEGRADABLE, RENEWABLE, AND RECYCLABLE MATERIALS”

changes frequently.

108

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Our ACOUSTIC PODS make mobile rooms that can be reassembled or reused when an office is rearranged or a company moves location, reducing the amount of waste generated in the construction industry.

The pods are made of biocomposite or nonwoven recycled plastic (rPET), both of which can be composted or recycled after use. With wheels the pods can be moved within a room, making it possible to rearrange the space without any assembly or finishing work. The freedom of setting up mobile rooms means the product can always meet the needs of the organisation.

It also makes the workplace more employeefriendly and boosts creativity.

The design of our VANK_RING collection also incorporates circular design principles.

The range of chairs, sofas, and stools, are made

˄ ACOUSTIC PODS

from industrial polyurethane foam waste and use a design approach that makes it possible

Bringing VANK_CUBE into well-established

for components to be recycled after use.

and rigidly structured companies makes it possible to break down hierarchies and blur

Why is hemp such an important material

the lines between individual departments

for sustainable products, design and

– the design fosters creative thinking and

construction?

a culture of collaboration. It’s also easy to

The construction industry causes up to

assemble and disassemble, enabling tempo-

40% of annual global emissions. Hemp

rary workstations or exhibition spaces at

is an incredible alternative – it can be used

trade shows, conferences, and workshops.

for insulation material, in floors and walls, and it actually stores more carbon than it

Modularity means that a number of VANK_

requires to be made and transported.

CUBES together can be used as a desk, a workshop meeting table, a front office desk,

The fashion and textile industries also use

a storage unit, a shelf for household appli-

huge amounts of our planet’s resources.

ances, or a space-dividing unit. Anyone

Right now the main raw material is cotton,

using it can create many different furniture

but it can also easily be hemp instead as it’s

forms and modify them as necessary, virtu-

more efficient, and needs less water and

ally without limits.

pesticides, making it a great replacement.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

109

Hemp grows up to five metres in 3- 5 months and is one of the fastest ways to absorb CO2

“VANK PANELS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND HAVE A NEGATIVE CARBON FOOTPRINT. AFTER USE THEY CAN BE DISPOSED OF AS PART OF A COMPOSTING PROCESS”

– it binds up to four times more CO2 than trees. Fast-growing fibrous plants are annually renewable, and hemp can be planted twice in a single year. Plants used for fibre production don’t require fertilisation and have low water consumption; their root system goes deep enough to supplement their water requirements from groundwater.

From a design perspective, hemp’s long fibres provide strength, while absorbing minimal water and remaining relatively tear-resistant, even when wet. Traditionally it’s been considered ideal for ropes, textiles and sailcloth but industrial hemp is increasingly being used as a sustainable textile and

˅ VANK_RING

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building material.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

˂ VANK_LONG

filling. It’s a modular design that lets users make sofas or seating units from armchairs and is made for home offices and living rooms, as well as office buildings, hotels, and other public facilities. After use, VANK_LONG can be disassembled and its components recycled.

Tell us about VANK’s company culture and its championing of women We are a creation of modernity, and believe in a world where women are empowered to shape reality, make strategic decisions, and VANK_RING

achieve success. The company’s board is 100% female, and most of our managers are women – it’s because of them that VANK is renowned in the worlds of business, design,

Hemp has zero-waste potential. For VANK’s

and architecture.

biocomposite we use bast fibres from the stalks, which remain in the fields after the

We’re driven by gender equality and providing

seeds, flowers and leaves have been used.

equal opportunities for growth and develop-

It means we don’t compete with food or

ment, and we foster a modern, empathy-based,

medicine production because only waste

democratic model of leadership where our

parts of the plant are used to make our

passion for natural resources and the environ-

panels. This way there is no waste in nature,

ment is prominent. This approach also extends

everything is recycled.

to the local community where we are involved in and support initiatives that contribute to

Are there any of your home products that

a better quality of life.

encapsulate VANK’s sustainable design approach?

vank.design

VANK_LONG is a circular collection of industrial-style furniture designed for rest and relaxation, but with sustainability at its core. It makes use of waste from the textile industry, limited edition zero-waste natural leather dead stock, and an organic latex C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

111

INVENTORY

OUTDOOR & ADVENTURE Discover a more responsible way to explore nature with our collection of greener gear and gadgets

ADVENTURE 1 When Potential Motors founder Sam Poirier was living in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, he saw firsthand how electrification and better vehicle safety changed lives, economies, and the environment. It inspired him to open up sustainable adventuring to everyone. Adventure 1 is the result.

It is, in essence, an electric camper van packed with all the comforts you’d expect, but it’s a camper van that will get you anywhere. That’s thanks to Potential Motors’ AI-driven predictive systems that see and recognise terrain and preemptively adjust vehicle settings in real time. potentialmotors.com

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

G2 CAMPERVAN Fully electric, solar equipped, and capable of exploring for more than 250 miles per charge, Grounded’s G2 is built on the premise that the world would be better if people had the freedom and self-reliance to live, work and explore anywhere. groundedrvs.com

ID. BUZZ Beneath the technology and smart systems, the iconic style of Volkswagen’s Classic Camper runs through the DNA of the ID. BUZZ. Only now you also get fully electric mobility, up to 275 miles range, and a 7-seat cabin made from recycled materials. volkswagen-vans.co.uk C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

113

SUUNTO OCEAN Think of Suunto as less a brand, more a community of explorers, adventurers and athletes dedicated to a life outdoors and protecting the planet through shared responsibility. It’s an ethos that runs through all the company’s products, like the Suunto Ocean, a tech-packed smart diving watch that draws on this expertise and is made in Finland with 100% renewable energy. suunto.com

ALL TRAILS We can make more of an impact when we work together. In the case of All Trails, a hiking, walking, cycling, and running-focused app developed to connect people with the outdoors, that happens through sharing. All Trails believes nature unites us. It allows people to share trails and routes while celebrating the wild. alltrails.com

114

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

OUTERKNOWN X GOT BAG Collaboration is a powerful thing. In this instance, it results in a line of durable bags and backpacks responsibly made from Ocean Impact Plastic – plastic waste that has or is likely to have a negative impact on the ocean – and other recycled materials rescued from critical Indonesian waterways. The brands behind the range are GOT BAG, which developed the world’s first backpack made from ocean plastic and Outerknown, a sustainable clothing company founded by pro-surfer Kelly Slater. outerknown.com

MANTIS HAMMOCK A case study in travelling light, and with minimal impact, the Mantis is a lightweight all-in-one hammock. The nylon fabric used to create its body is 100% recycled and bluesign approved, using no harmful dyes or chemicals. Kammok, its maker, even uses manufacturing scraps to make tote bags to reduce waste and overall impact. kammok.com

PATAGONIA PROVISIONS Why is a clothing company making food? A good question. And one that Patagonia answers by explaining how industrial agriculture depletes soil, poisons water, and threatens that outdoors. By developing Provisions, it is supporting regenerative farmers, responsible sourcing and harvesting, and responsible food production instead. patagoniaprovisions.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

115

PIONEER

ETERN How Space Solar is exploring the next frontier of renewable, clean energy The sun always shines in space. And because

and human influences like extreme weather,

the constant, clean solar power is unaffected

natural disasters, geo-political complexities

by the weather, seasons, or the time of day

and conflict. Space Solar intends to harness

it’s possible to use solar panels to capture 13

space-based solar power to provide a baseload

times more energy than you would down here,

constant power 24/7, which is essential for

on Earth. Space Solar, a UK-based tech firm,

the electricity grid and backs up other ground-

intends to do just that by developing and com-

based renewable energy solutions.

mercialising affordable, scalable, and clean space-based solar power by the early 2030s.

To do so, it will use a 2GW, 1.7 km-wide satellite in high earth orbit that carries 60,000 layers of

116

Energy security relies on dependable and

lightweight solar panels and a system of mirrors

affordable energy, which is resilient to natural

to concentrate sunlight onto the panels.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

NAL LIGHT Electricity that’s generated is converted into

WATCH: SPACE-BASED SOLAR POWER

high-frequency radio waves, and the power is beamed to a receiving antenna at a fixed point on the ground.

Space Solar will use reusable heavy lift earthto-orbit rockets like SpaceX’s Starship to carry the system to space, where it will be assembled by autonomous robots. It says there is over 100 times more solar energy available in a narrow orbital band around the globe than all the energy needs of humanity in 2050.

spacesolar.co.uk

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

117

SOCIAL

beVisioneers: nurturing tomorrow’s innovators Citizen Zero meets Mariah Levin, Executive Director of beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, to discuss her passion for positive impact, supporting tomorrow's change makers, and reimagining education

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

119

Tell us about your own journey, particu-

another and the planet, and that drives my

larly where your passion for inclusive

passion. I’m very fortunate to work at the

economies and societies, and making a

intersection of the environment, innovation

positive impact comes from.

and equity through beVisioneers: The

As a kid raised in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1980s

Mercedes-Benz Fellowship and at The DO

and 1990s, inequality was a very visible

School Fellowships.

reality. My subway ride and walk to school took me past people without homes and

How has your approach to things like lead-

struggling with life on the streets. I didn’t

ership development, opportunity and

understand why, in a city with so much

inclusivity, and the environment evolved

wealth, there were so many individuals and

over your career, and how drastically has

families in need. That question continues to

awareness of these themes grown in re-

shape my work.

sponse to sustainability challenges?

Environmental issues in particular require

120

The issue of inequality is becoming even

leaders to think and act more inclusively, as

more pressing, despite incredible advances

those who are most affected by the effects of

in medicine and technology, because the gap

climate change are the same people with less

between those with and without means is

access to decision-making tables. Networks

widening in most countries. I believe socie-

and power remain concentrated in specific

ties and humanity can do better for one

circles, and some of the challenges we face

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

today arise from the fact that those circles are not exposed to diverse, lived realities. At The DO School Fellowships, we work with a wide variety of incredibly smart and deserving people with great ideas coming from lived experience in their communities. Our goal is to ensure they build confidence and develop tools to broaden their reach and impact so the changes societies pursue genuinely address challenges that diverse people face.

How does your work incorporate environmental impact and the future of our planet, and can you tell us how environmental risks adversely affects the opportunities of young people?

At The DO School Fellowships, we’re deeply dedicated to helping our partners and young entrepreneurs discover future opportunities in the new economy. There are no long-term

“To build a more sustainable future, we need innovation from young people around the world.

At beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, we nurture planet-positive ideas from their inception, regardless of entrepreneurial experience or economic status"

economic opportunities or agency without protecting the planet, and labour market trends are starting to confirm this. Data shows that the number of jobs requiring green skills is growing at twice the rate that those skills are available in the market. People with green skills have a nearly 30% higher chance of getting hired in today’s market – in the energy sector alone, we’re expecting a net increase of 13 million jobs by 2030.

Young people have an enormous chance to pioneer and drive the sustainability transformation we need, and the right training, knowledge and networks will help them to seize this opportunity. Our organisation aims to support a shift in the narrative and training around green jobs so that reality reflects the very rich opportunity we have on our doorstep.

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What did your time as Head of the WEF’s

that established leaders have built over time.

Forum for Young Global Leaders teach you

When experienced and emerging perspec-

about the importance of incubating young

tives and assets are effectively combined, the

ideas, encouraging tomorrow’s changemak-

result can be extremely powerful in driving

ers, and the role of young people in building

change. This is why we make sure to integrate

a more sustainable and fair future?

intergenerational exchange into our fellow-

I learned that leadership is most powerful

ship programs at The DO School Fellowships.

when it combines the experience of established leaders with the dynamism of

What do you think about alternatives to

emerging leaders. At The DO School

traditional education in tackling some of the

Fellowships, I continue to see emerging

challenges we face, particularly things like

leaders’ willingness to question the status

leadership and citizenship skills, nurturing

quo as a huge asset to societal transforma-

innovation and practical application?

tion. Their risk calculus is different and their

We’re at a moment in time when traditional

read on what’s possible is broader, and the

education needs extreme reinforcing and reim-

inspiration this questioning and energy

agining – literacy rates across 10-year-olds

offers the world is unmatched.

have dropped by 13% since the pandemic, which indicates just how fragile traditional

However, young changemakers need support

education systems are. I absolutely advocate

and champions to build traction and cred-

that we must figure out ways to ensure univer-

ibility to get their ideas off the ground. They

sal access to high quality education. However,

need resources and the practical know-how

I also believe that humanity is innately curi-

that comes with experience and longer-term

ous and lifelong learning opportunities play

networks. These, and others, are the assets

an important role in bolstering the best parts of our nature, which is why I am so proud of our work to extend learning opportunities through The DO School.

Research shows that many of the skills our workforce will need exceed traditional curricula like resilience, creativity, self-awareness, or curiosity. Fellowship programmes, maker spaces, peer mentoring, coaching, and on-the-job training build on tested principles of self-directed, applied and experience-based learning that exercise and prioritise these very skills. For adult learners especially, these more flexible and self-guided formats ensure that skills-building doesn’t end at graduation.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

Tell us more about beVisioneers: The

and global exchange within our community,

Mercedes-Benz Fellowship and how it’s

enabling us to address challenges locally

helping nurture a global community of

that we may not be able to solve globally.

planet-positive innovators?

To build a more sustainable future, we need

It’s a multi-year fellowship, starting with a

innovation from young people around the

12-month intensive programme that provides

world. At beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz

Fellows with the training, expert support and

Fellowship, we nurture planet-positive ide-

resources to bring their planet-positive ideas

as from their inception, regardless of

to life. It involves a 24-hour per month com-

entrepreneurial experience or economic

mitment in a hybrid learning journey, and is

status. The journey starts with a 12-month

centred around three learning labs: Personal

hybrid-learning programme focused on the

Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability

implementation of each Fellow’s project.

and Venture Sustainability.

Funded by a donation from Mercedes-Benz, we provide the programme free of charge to

Each Fellow gets 1:1 mentoring and is assigned

all Fellows and provide basic living and

a venture coach to further support them in their

technology support for those who could not

journey. Individual mentors offer support to

otherwise participate. Upon completing the

Fellows on their growth as leaders based on

intensive 12-month programme, Fellows

real-life experiences and through insights,

continue to receive support to scale their

practices and connections. They also help

projects and develop their leadership skills.

them sustain their motivation and wellbeing.

We’re always on the lookout for mentors and

We’re building the biggest global environ-

open applications to the public at certain times

mental fellowship, aiming to train 1,000

of the year. If people are interested in what it

Fellows annually by 2025. One of our guid-

takes to be a mentor they can visit bevisioneers.

ing principles is promoting local, regional,

world/mentors for more information.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“Young people have an enormous chance to pioneer and drive the sustainability transformation we need, and the right training, knowledge and networks will help them to seize this opportunity”

Are there any projects or innovations from the first cohort that show the innovation or impact potential of the programme?

There’s so many, but I’ll give you one from each region of our first cohort. In South Africa, Thabo Blessing Mngomezulu is introducing biogas technology in his local community as a renewable energy source to replace polluting fuels like wood, coal and LPG. Bioslurry is also promoted as an organic alternative to chemical fertiliser to improve soil health and crop yields. 61,200 households will have access to affordable biogas for cooking and heating once Thabo scales his project to five plans across several villages.

In Europe, Saskia Manson is developing a data-driven platform which aims to make it easier for construction professionals to implement reuse strategies. Saskia predicts 98,000 tonnes of CO2e could be saved across London per year if 30% of major construction projects implement reuse strategies with the help of her project.

Many barriers to education and entrepre-

Chaitanya Sakre is tackling severe flooding

neurship, such as the need for a proven track

in Indian megacity Mumbai. His project

record, often stand in the way, but we believe

focuses on a water-absorbing asphalt that

that academic or entrepreneurial credentials

transforms entire neighbourhoods into

aren’t the sole indicators of success; a true

safer, low-flooding areas. A pilot with

understanding of a problem and a genuine

a flood-proofed road to a newly built hospital

passion for creating change are the real meas-

is underway. According to Chaitanya’s

ures of success. By ensuring that at least 50%

research 146,000 people could be protected

of our fellows come from economically dis-

from excessive street flooding if his solution

advantaged backgrounds, the fellowship

is scaled in just one Mumbai neighbourhood.

empowers grassroots innovators to drive change from within, creating solutions that are both impactful and authentically rooted in their lived experiences.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

How do projects go from ideation to realisa-

Likewise, our programme not only touches

tion, and can you tell me more about the

young people directly, but also mentors com-

successes and outcomes of the first cohort?

ing with decades of professional experience.

Because The DO School Fellowships work

We’re proud to have significantly increased

with early-stage entrepreneurs, we’re very

their awareness of and impetus for action

focused on building their leadership capac-

around sustainability, as well, across nearly

ity, resilience and peer support for the

90% of our surveyed mentors. It is only

courage it takes to tackle ambitious projects

through this type of intergenerational, interna-

and face the ups and downs of realising a

tional and intersectoral exchange and action

vision. In the case of beVisioneers: The

that the changes we need will unfold.

Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, I am proud that over 95% of our Fellows have developed a

bevisioneers.world

greater sense of confidence in taking deci-

thedoschool.org

sions and owning a leadership role within their communities within just 12 months.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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ECONOMIC

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH P L AY Marie Williams discusses the importance of play, co-creating with children, and tackling play inequality around the world

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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WATCH: MARIE WILLIAMS ON HOW WE END THE PLAY EMERGENCY AND MAKE PLAY POSSIBLE FOR ALL, TEDXLONDONWOMEN

M

arie Williams remembers

For Williams, a senior chartered engineer

the moment well. After

at the time with experience in aerospace,

two weeks of volunteering

nuclear fusion, and software design, the

in Tanzania she’d become

moment was a catalyst. It showed the huge

close to Esther, the three-

difference play can make to children and

year-old girl who walked

communities, and demonstrated that every-

every day from her home,

one can contribute towards engineering

joining the group of com-

solutions and creative programmes.

munity members, local

“When I got back to work, I just couldn’t

skilled workers, and over-

stop thinking about what we’d done, the

seas volunteers, and

way we’d engaged the community by

becoming Williams’ favourite wood sander

co-designing the spaces we built with them

in the process. On this day she was inspect-

to suit their specific requirements, and

ing the colourfully painted structures the

the need for play I’d seen,” she recalls.

team had built in the dry, empty field with

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interest. Finally daring to climb one of the

“I saw firsthand the challenges of the space

short wooden stumps and jumping off she

– it was pretty desolate, the ground was

realised its purpose: it was for her and other

hard, it was hot and there was little shade,

children to play on.

so there just wasn’t anything for children C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

community, Dream Networks recognises

“ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES PREVENT CHILDREN FROM PLAYING”

that children and young people across the world need access to inclusive and safe spaces where they can play and thrive.

In a 2022 Tedtalk Williams, highlighted the need for us all to address the global emergency and suggests how this can be done through designing with children and building local connections with communities.

Through its programmes – Safe Haven and Love Plays – it creates play areas tailored

to do. It focused me on the amount of space

to the needs of the community and the forms

that exists that isn’t conducive to any kind

of play that children desire. Children and

of play,” says Williams. “I was working

collaboration are at the heart of this process

with Atkins Realis, a company that had

through a co-designing approach that engages

helped me to thrive as an engineer and also

children, encourages creativity, learning and

develop my passion for play and social

development, and provides them with the

impact. I was working as a senior aerospace

agency and tools to create their own play

engineer and later in the ITER nuclear

spaces. Approximately 75% of the people

fusion project developing solutions to make

Dream Networks works with are under the

energy use more sustainable. However,

age of 18, or are BAME or women.

I was impact-led and, while I was doing good work, I felt the problem of play calling me. It just seemed like there was so much more needed elsewhere.”

CHILDREN CO-DESIGNING THEIR PLAY SPACE IN A LONDON SCHOOL AS PART OF THE LOVE PLAYS PROGRAMME

Williams embraced the challenge and formed Dream Networks in 2016, a social enterprise that addresses play inequality around the world by enabling businesses, communities and educational institutions to collaboratively design and build sustainable play areas in marginalised communities. Inspired by William’s time in Tanzania and her lifelong passion for working and volunteering with children, including as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) ambassador in schools and youth worker in her local C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

129

“We work with schools and organisations that create play spaces like homebuilders and local authorities. We also work with the charitable or social responsibility areas of businesses – play inequality is linked to financial hardship and inequality, and social and economic deprivation, so including businesses in the conversation is essential,” Williams explains. “It’s highly collaborative and centred around co-design and children leading the way we make spaces; we follow a situated practice style, which is about putting children in authentic learning environments, immersing them in activities and using creative problem solving. When we reach the building stage, we always try to use sustainable, natural, or local materials and work with the local community to promote the conservation and innovative use of natural resources.”

TACKLING PLAY INEQUALITY Millions of children worldwide have no access to safe and inclusive spaces. In the UK alone, one in eight children live in households with no gardens, meaning families have to rely on public play spaces.

Yet, around 800 playgrounds have closed over the last decade leaving children without safe and accessible spaces. “There are some universal truths that are driving this emergency,” says Williams. “Predominantly, it’s about the environmental and economic factors, including things like privatisation of land and public spaces, and growing urbanisation with a lack of planning policies that prioritise play. It all leads to less space, which children desperately need to use their physical abilities, and for thought and imagination-led play.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T W O

“WE PRIORITISE SUSTAINABLE AND LOCAL MATERIALS, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO CREATE REGENERATIVE SPACES THAT PROMOTE NATURE AND CULTURE” “There’s other cultural issues and things like mindset around what constitutes play and where the risks are in play spaces,” she adds. “In the African urban context, for example, you have to pay to use public playgrounds and parks in many urban areas, which immediately excludes people from using the space. More broadly, public spaces and playgrounds in urban areas are often used for something culturally significant or a dominant sport, and that lack of diversity increases inequality. Global planned play spaces are often standardised, which can be limiting in terms of equipment and diversity of play opportunities, but also physically for people with disabilities. There is also a bigger equity issue to address around the world when so many play spaces focus on physical play provision like football and climbing – if a child

CONDUCTING A PLAY AND DESIGN WORKSHOP DURING NAIROBI DESIGN WEEK 2024

is hungry, not able to engage in physical activity or not interested in it, they can feel alienated and unable to play.”

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T W O

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MOLO STREET PROJECT

“WE ENGAGE THE CHILDREN AS TRUE DESIGN PARTNERS”

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

CHILDREN PLAYING ON PLAY SPACE CREATED IN BARAA SCHOOL TANZANIA AS PART OF LOVES PLAYS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME WITH ATKINS REALIS

Play is essential for children’s development

children, but is fundamental to their devel-

and learning. Through play, children learn

opment and intrinsic to their health and

about the world and themselves, develop

happiness in the present moment.

confidence and social skills, and improve their cognitive, physical, and emotional

SDG 4 calls for, among other things, greater

wellbeing. Such is its importance that

access to childhood development and

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention

learning, preparing all children for primary

on the Right of the Child (UNCRC) creates

education, increasing the number of young

a specific right for all children to have rest

people with essential skills including

and leisure, and to engage in play and

STEM, literacy and digital literacy, the

recreational activities appropriate to their

knowledge and skills to promote sustain-

age and to participate freely in cultural life

able development and the use of sustainable

and the arts. The Convention recognises

materials, and the ability to understand

that free play is not an optional extra for

global sustainability issues.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

133

“CREATIVITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE ERA WE’RE IN, IS A CRITICAL SKILL THAT HELPS PEOPLE ADDRESS THE INEQUALITIES IN TERMS OF ACCESS PEOPLE CAN HAVE TO VARIOUS ROLES IN LIFE, LIBERATE AND RELEASE INNOVATIVE THINKING, AND CREATE A SENSE OF IDENTITY” 134

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“There’s always been a need for play,” Williams says. “The engineer in me loves seeing children work in a creative way, solving problems through actively engaging with the space around them, and running workshops where I get to see them express ideas, sketch, and design – it’s all part of the play process. We engage the children as true design partners because we want to give them the agency to design, the ability and practical skills to create, and the knowledge transfer to be able to articulate clearly the problems they face and what they actually want. Creativity, especially in the era we’re in, is a critical skill that helps people address the inequalities in terms of access people can have to various roles in life, liberate and release innovative thinking, and create a sense of identity.”

THE JOY OF CO-CREATION Dream Networks uses key design thinking principles when engaging children in co-design of play spaces: empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Says Williams: “We empathise a lot – it’s essential. It’s about considering what the gaps are in terms of play needs within the environment, the space, the culture, and where the play is needed. We do it by using taxonomies, or different types of play.

“With younger children observation is key to get a sense of what they’re doing in the play space,” she adds. “If it’s imaginationled, for example, we’d look at enhancing

CO-DESIGNED PLAY SPACE PRODUCED THROUGH THE SAFE HAVEN PROGRAMME AT SURREY SQUARE PRIMARY SCHOOL, LONDON

the environment to encourage that type of play. It may be that there’s a lot of physical activity, which would mean we’d have to consider how we’re meeting the needs of

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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“THERE IS ALSO A BIGGER EQUITY ISSUE TO ADDRESS AROUND THE WORLD WHEN SO MANY PLAY SPACES FOCUS ON PHYSICAL PLAY PROVISION LIKE FOOTBALL AND CLIMBING – IF A CHILD IS HUNGRY, NOT ABLE TO ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR NOT INTERESTED IN IT, THEY CAN FEEL ALIENATED AND UNABLE TO PLAY”

The co-design process moves through a define stage, during which Dream Networks, children and communities run through workshops and ideation stages to set a project brief that combines standard considerations around things like safety and available space, with drawing, ideas, material choices, and other suggestions from the children. Here, constant feedback is essential to hone and refine the brief and the children’s ideas, and Dream Networks encourages the use of design technologies like CA. Lastly, children pitch their designs or present to each other to test and finalise a co-created play space that represents their specific needs and which Dream Networks can deliver successfully. Eighty percent of the 450 children who have taken part in dream networks co-design programmes have shared an increased confidence in themselves or interest in design, engineering and STEM as a result of taking part.

The organisation works with children in this way through two core programmes: Love Plays and Safe Haven. The first

136

children with mixed abilities. Other taxono-

enables Dream Networks to address social,

mies address things like inclusivity,

economic, and environmental needs

neurodiversity, and physical abilities. I

through play spaces designed by children

don’t believe in gender-based play spaces,

with the support of businesses. As part

but we do sometimes consider gender from

of the programme businesses donate their

a cultural perspective. The process is very

time and resources to support children

analytical and creative. We encourage

and communities make their dreams of

young children to use visual cues, to paint,

play a reality, and to answer three core

to tell their story and communicate through

needs: physical and cognitive development

their teachers, whereas we get the older

cultivated through outdoor play, practical

children to tell us what they like about play,

and engaging application of STEM in school

what they enjoy in the space, what they’d

education and improved career aspirations,

like us to and more. It’s all about prompting,

educating younger generations on

watching, learning, and understanding.”

sustainability.

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T W O

PLAYFUL ENGINEERS PROJECT

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T W O

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“We work with some great companies who want to make a positive impact through STEM,” Williams explains. “We help them to actively engage with the community around where they operate and provide volunteers from their own teams who help enable the children to go on incredible creative, interactive, and very empowering journeys. With Love Plays we often work in more marginalised communities, and a big part of the business opportunity is to provide positive role models to young people during our workshops, which is hugely important for social mobility. It’s always inspiring to hear how the volunteers talk about their ability to affect change and impact children’s lives.

Fantastic volunteers from companies such

“MORE RECENTLY DREAM NETWORKS HAVE ADVISED UK HOMEBUILDERS ON HOW TO CREATE SOCIAL VALUE AND ENGAGE WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES IN A MEANINGFUL MANNER THROUGH CO-DESIGN AND PLAY”

as Atkins Realis, Tony Gee and Partners, New Cleo, BMT and Arup have been crucial to children feeling empowered to design.”

In the Safe Haven programme play spaces are developed collaboratively with community members and built in public or residential spaces, providing local children with a safe and fun space to play that renews their environment. More recently Dream Networks have advised UK homebuilders on how to create social value and engage with their communities in a meaningful manner through co-design and play.

The focus is providing play to wider communities, focusing on celebrating their culture and improving both the play facilities and economic development.

Communities are involved in the build process, during which Dream Networks aims to create play features from 100% sustainable, local materials and incorporate the use of renewable energy sources.

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C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

“We collaborate with architects, property developers, urban designers, and NGOs to provide community-led and sustainable solutions,” says Williams. “From our perspective, it’s about providing a way to help them actively participate in the community and get the best possible outcome. We do a lot of the work with regards to taylor our delivery of the projects and co design in a manner that really helps the children, young people and community to be creative and have their designs come to life.”

Since 2016 Dream Networks has brought co-designed, inclusive play spaces to more than 40,000 children across England and Africa. Its work, delivered by more than 200 volunteers dedicated to empowering children and communities, has seen thousands of creative ideas generated by children in its STEM programmes and more than 15 schools co-design and improve their play spaces. “I don’t think I’ve ever stopped playing,” says Williams. “Being playful has helped me jump from a career in aerospace engineering to nuclear fusion to producing software, and ultimately launch Dream Networks to help make play possible for all.

We have such vivid memories of playing when we’re younger because play is so important to us all – play is a child’s human right and it’s fundamental to their development and to them thriving in life.” dreamnetworks.co.uk

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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THE GUIDE

SOUND & VISION Education and entertainment for sustainable citizens

FILM FASHION REIMAGINED

PODCAST THE MINIMALISTS A lesson in how to streamline your lives and find more happiness which, let’s be

Amy Powney had a unique childhood, growing up on a farm and living off grid in Lancashire with her activist parents.

It’s little surprise that, as the designer and creative director behind cult fashion label Mother of Pearl, she has always felt uneasy

honest, sounds like a good thing. The Minimalists, Emmy-nominated Netflix stars Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus, and T.K. Coleman are the self-confessed ‘prophets of anti-consumerism’. theminimalists.com

about the devastating impact of her industry.

In Fashion Reimagined, we follow her story as, after winning the coveted Vogue award for Best Young Designer of the Year, she embarks on a mission to use the prize money to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment and transform her entire business. fashionreimaginedfilm.com

FILM ACTIVATE A six-part National Geographic documentary series on the work of Global Citizen, a movement powered by millions worldwide dedicated to ending extreme poverty.

Episodes focus on specific issues connected to poverty and include global stars like Hugh Jackman and Pharell Williams. globalcitizen.org 140

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

BOOK THE CLIMATE OPTIMIST HANDBOOK In challenging times, it can be hard to find the courage to choose positive change, or to spread optimism to others concerned about the future. The Climate Optimist Handbook seeks to change that narrative.

Author Anne Therese Gennari, who started her journey as a climate optimist in her early twenties, has spent her life understanding, creating, and nurturing optimism from a place of resilience, courage, and self-love. Her book offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical tools to move us from a place of fearing climate change to acting with empowerment and excitement. theclimateoptimist.com

EVENT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE BAKU 11– 22 November 2024 | London COP29 President-Designate, H.E. Mukhtar Babayev has set out several key priorities for this year’s conference. They include: keep 1.5 degrees within reach and leave no one behind and finalising Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. unfccc.int/cop29

DOWNLOAD BIKEMAP APP Started by a group of passionate cyclists in 2007 and now used by more than nine million people worldwide, Bikemap celebrates cycling, wellbeing, and the outdoors by helping passionate riders create and share unique cycling routes across more than 100 countries. bikemap.net C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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THE GUIDE

PODCAST JANE GOODALL: THE HOPECAST Jane Goodall needs little introduction.

And, with someone who has led such a rich and meaningful life, sometimes the best thing is to sit back and listen to them. You can do that here. In Hopecast, Goodall takes listeners on a one-of-a-kind journey through her extraordinary life.

She speaks with changemaking guests from around the world who have made an impact across different areas. The series of compelling and engaging conversations explores themes around compassion, hope, inspiration, and building a better world. janegoodall.org

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DOWNLOAD MY LITTLE PLASTIC FOOTPRINT

FILM THE SCALE OF HOPE

Few diets can be more worthy than a plastic

Former Obama White House Climate

diet, and My Little Plastic Footprint is the

Advisor, Molly Kawahata, prepares for

guiding light on your path to reducing

a climbing expedition in the Alaska Range

plastic consumption. The app helps you

while struggling with mental illness and

understand your current plastic footprint

working to create a new climate narrative

and what you can do to improve it.

framed around systemic change and hope.

mylittleplasticfootprint.org

patagonia.com C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

BOOK REGENERATIVE BUSINESS

EVENT LONDON CLIMATE TECHNOLOGY SHOW

A modern bible for business leaders who

27 – 28 November 2024 | London

want to have a positive impact. Regenerative

An exhibition centred around climate

Business ditches capitalism, instead focus-

tech innovation, advancing the global

ing on making a difference based on the

net zero economy transition, and shaping

systems of nature, connecting with our wild

a sustainable future with groundbreaking

soul, and celebrating creativity.

and collaborative technologies.

thedirtyalchemy.com

climatetechshow.com

FILM DEEP RISING Narrated and executive produced by Jason Momoa, Deep Rising journeys from the deepest oceans, including some of the most unchartered and inaccessible places on the planet, to the future of green energy.

Along the way we learn how the two are inextricably linked. We see fragile and mysterious ecosystems hidden in the depths, and explore the inner workings of the UN’s International Seabed Authority and its mission to highlight the damaging effects of the oil and gas industry and deepocean mining to extract metals for electric battery technology. deeprising.com

C I T I Z E N Z E R O ——— I S S U E T H R E E

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