Sustainable Matters

Maria Zeb Benjamin lives and works in Cumbria, where she strives to bring farming, nature and ethical business together.Her partner is a sixth generation farmer, and together they run Dodgson Wood, the farm’s diversification business that makes the most of what they produce in an ethical and sustainable way. They make Jersey cow’s milk soap under the brand The Soap Dairy, they co-founded The Wool Library to promote British wool breeds and established Lake District Tweed. Maria also oversees the farm’s off-grid eco holiday accommodation. . 'Maria tells Sarah her story, starting in Scotland, a spell at art school, making films in London and eventually the Lake District.You can find out more about the work done at Dodgon Wood here https://dodgsonwood.co.uk/'Maria Zeb Benjamin was nominated for the show by our previous guest, the fashion educator and TikTok star Andrea Cheong.Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of companies, NGOs and experts working to achieve a net zero economy by 2040.In this episode, he talks about: giving up his ambition to get into the cabinet when he realised he wasn’t prepared to play party loyalty games: the influence and encouragement of his intellectually curious mother; his fears about what Trump's presidency will mean for the Paris Accord, and his belief that the technical solutions for climate change already exist.Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability  BIO Lord Turner was appointed as an independent peer to the House of Lords in 2005 and is also an honorary fellow of the Royal Society (the UK academy dedicated to promoting science excellence). He became a Trustee Emeritus of the British Museum after serving on its board of directors from 2013 until 2020.Lord Turner advises regularly climate and government bodies - including the COP Presidency and ministers in the EU, UK, China and Australia, and is often featured in global media as an expert on the energy transition, including in the Financial Times, Economist, BBC, CNN and Bloomberg.He holds several roles in industry: he is the Chairman of insurer group Chubb Europe; Chairman of UK bank Oaknorth Ltd.; and on the Board of AESC Japan, the manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. More recently he was appointed adviser to Watershed Technologies Inc.During his public policy career, Lord Turner chaired the Financial Services Authority (2008- 2013) where he played a lead role in the redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation. From 2008 to 2012 he chaired the Climate Change Committee, an independent body advising and overseeing the UK’s government on their path to a zero-carbon economy. The recommendations set out in their first report "Building a low-carbon economy” were adopted by the UK government in full. Between 2002 and 2006 he chaired the UK Pensions Commission and recommended the creation of a system of defined contribution pensions which included an ‘opt-out’ element that proved transformative. He also chaired the Low Pay Commission (2002-2006) and was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry(1995-2000).Lord Turner is the author of “Between Debt and the Devil” (Princeton 2015), and Economics after the Crisis (MIT 2012). 

Andrea Cheong is a fashion educator who thinks her work dovetails with sustainability activists.She hosts the podcast Fashion Our Future, has written a book called Why Don't I Have Anything To Wear? and created the viral Mindful Monday Method. Through all these, she hopes to encourage people to shop more responsibly and minimise their impact on the planet.In this episode she talks to Sarah about how she accidentally became an influencer, how learning to sew can transform your relationship to fashion and nominates a shepherdess as her sustainability hero!Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Dr Tony Juniper CBE has devoted his entire life to campaigning for nature and has been described by journalists as “the most effective of Britain’s eco-warriors”.   Tony began his career as an ornithologist and went on to join Friends of the Earth, initially leading the tropical rainforest campaign and later appointed as Executive Director and Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International. Now he is Chair of Natural England and a prolific writer. His books about the rainforest, parrots, climate change and the ecological economy all place nature at their centre. And he can even credit King Charles as one of his co-authors. Tony was nominated to be on the podcast by Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts. Sarah Mukherjee caught up with him at UN COP16 Biodiversity Summit, in the Colombian city of Cali in South American. They talked about his career, being consistent and encouraging diversity in sustainability - so that campaigners can include 'the whole world' in the important conversations about nature, "without which we are nothing." Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Craig is Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts. He has been described as “one of the country’s top environmental campaigners”, by The Guardian as “the very model of a modern eco-general”.In 2021, was included in The Sunday Times Green Power List of the UK’s top 20 environmentalists.He and Sarah talk the episode which inspired Craig to get into all things 'green' , how COP summits really work and what needs to be done now to make real change to our planet.Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Martin Lines is a third generation farmer from Cambridgeshire, who takes his role as custodian of the land very seriously.He is also CEO of The Nature Friendly Farming Network which advocates for sustainable food and farming in the UK.Martin was nominated for the podcast by the food writer and campaigner Henry Dimbleby, who says he loves the way Martin 'shows' rather than 'tells' when he talks about things that work.You can see Martin in action on YouTube, where he gives detailed accounts of the things he has tried on his farm.In this episode, Martin talks about his school days and his ambitions for the future as well as the challenges he had pivoting the farm away from older production techniques.Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Henry is the author of the National Food Strategy, co-author of The School Food Plan, founder of the Chefs in Schools and the restaurant chain Leon. He is also the author of a new book called Ravenous - described as a “jaw dropping guide to the modern food system”. He wrote the book with his wife, Jemima Lewis. In this interview we talk about Henry’s love of food which ranges from cooking it, selling it, studying it and helping us to make better choices about it: As individuals and ( he hopes) as a country. He also nominates Martin Lines as the next guest in the series, as someone who is full of good ideas about making food production more sustainable.Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability

Polly Billington, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for East Thanet at the next election. She worked as a reporter for the BBC for many years, before leaving to become a special advisor to Ed Miliband - she was the media director for his successful bid to lead the Labour party in 2010. In 2016, she founded UK100, a network of local government leaders in the UK, who have committed to ambitious action on climate, clean energy and clean air. She was the CEO until 2022.Polly was nominated for the podcast by Rachel Kyte, whose interview was episode 3 in our podcast series. In this episode she talks about being practical, realistic and joined up in effecting change for communities in the UK. She also reflects on her career in the media and her new job working in politics. Sustainable Matters … A podcast series full of solutions and optimism for a more sustainable world, brought to you by IEMA: transforming the world to sustainability