Sustainable(ish) 2023 Review
It's been another busy year at Sustainable(ish) HQ (aka my house..!).
One of the things about being self-employed is that you don't get annual reviews and people giving you a pat on the back and saying 'good job'. It's very easy to constantly focus on the next thing, and all the things still on the to-do list, and very easy to quickly forget the progress that has been made, so I find it helpful to spend a bit of time looking back at the year and taking a minute to reflect and remember what I've done.
This year, I'm going to share it here. It seems incredibly self-indulgent, so apologies in advance. Even if I'm the only one who ever reads it, it will make it easier to find to refer back to next year!
Carbon Literacy Training
I can't tell you how much I enjoy delivering Carbon Literacy training - let's face it, 8hrs of 'sustainability' training doesn't sound like the most fun, and it is very much an emotional rollercoaster. But taking people on that journey and seeing their confidence in their own ability to create meaningful change is an absolute joy and and an honour (obviously I would much rather Carbon Literacy training wasn't necessary and we weren't in the midst of climate and ecological crises).
The numbers are...
- Over 300 people trained
- 3 new courses developed:
1) A collaboration with Vet Sustain to develop and deliver Carbon Literacy for the Veterinary Profession - we've had nearly 100 people take part in the course, from all over the world, and from a really wide range of roles within the profession. The collective emissions savings from the pledges are the equivalent to driving more than 12 times round the world!
2) A new course for Bloomsbury Publishing Plc - it was fabulous to have the opportunity to work with Bloomsbury to create a bespoke course for them, and to help them start to roll it out within the company
3) A course designed to help anyone who wants to create their own Carbon Literacy course for their community, workplace or sector - I piloted this in the summer, and am looking forwards to running it 'for real' in 2024.
- Total CO2e savings of 202,750kg - the equivalent of over 40 return flights from Heathrow to Sydney
And so many lovely comments like this one here:
"I thought the two days were excellent, absolutely thought provoking, and pitched at a level which promotes genuinely possible behaviour change."
Have you done Carbon Literacy training this year?
Is it one of your 2024 goals?
There's dates for Jan, Feb, March and April here, and do get in touch if you're interested in developing a bespoke course for your organisation.
Speaking and workshops
I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to deliver 35 different talks and workshops in 2023, from 'lunch and learn' sessions for big corporates and international conferences, through to evening talks for WI's as well as some sessions with schools.
I try very hard to make these sessions fun and light-hearted - no one really wants to give up their lunch hour to be bashed over the head with the big green bashy stick and told how awful they are! And to make sure that everyone leaves with at least one action they can take away -no matter how small. Hopefully these sessions sow the seeds and inspire more people to make a start, embrace the messy imperfections, and go on to make a bigger difference.
Do drop me an e-mail (jen@sustainableish.co.uk) if you're interested in any talks or workshops for your organisation in 2024!
The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse
Aka my favourite place to hang out on the internet!
47 amazing courageous tired eco-worriers joined the Clubhouse in 2023, swelling the numbers to over 160 in total.
Here's some numbers:
- 6 'themes' covered throughout the year: Sustainable(ish) on a budget, food and gardening, travel and transport, waste and plastic, fashion, and self-care. And of course, we've had a good dollop of Christmas stuff at the end of the year!
- Over 30 opportunities to jump on a call - whether that's a more formal webinar type call where I introduce the theme, the challenges and the ideas for action, an informal 'small group call' where we basically have a natter and a catch up, or a 'JFDI' (Just F*cking Do It) call where we log on and then go away and do something we've been putting off for ages and then come back and share how we got on!
- Countless books read and reported on during our bookclub sessions
- Amazing guest sessions from some of our wonderful members on 'getting recycling right' from Sarah, and 'buying and selling on Vinted' from the brilliant sustainable stylist Becky Barnes, and a brilliant video series on growing your own from Claire Brown at Plant Passion
- We've played bingo, celebrated Sustainable(ish) wins, and also had a good old cathartic rant and a moan when things aren't going 'quite to plan'
The doors to the Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse will be opening again in January - you can sign up to the waitlist here if you'd love a bit of structure and support for a more sustainable 2024!
The Sustainable(ish) Podcast
After an unintentional break for most of 2023, I finally got the podcast back on it's feet in September, and 14 episodes have hit the airwaves this year. The podcast is hard work and takes a lot of time - it's a labour of love as I've failed spectacularly to 'monetise' it, but it does give me the opportunity to speak to so many amazing people who I wouldn't otherwise the opportunity to chat to!
This season we've had everyone from climate scientists (Climate Science 101 with Dr Adam Levy, and Debunking some climate myths with Dr Ella Gilbert) to amazing campaigners (Your council and climate action with Annie Pickering, and Badvertising with Leo Murray), as well as some brilliant 'ordinary people' who have stepped up and started extraordinary initiatives (Keeping outdoor kit in action for longer with Re-action, Active(ish) for Earth with Tash Acres, and The forgotten joy of sharing with Rebecca Heaps).
A massive thank you to all of my guests for so generously giving up their time to share their expertise and their brilliance and all the amazingly impactful stuff they're doing.
Download numbers put it in the top 10% of all podcasts globally, which feels a little bonkers, and it's almost made it into the top 100 science podcasts on iTunes (peaked at 107 - would be amazing to see it break through!). All of which feels pretty good for a tiny little independent podcast with no funding or sponsorship, and little old me doing all the work!
Thank you so much if you've listened, subscribed or reviewed.
Learning
There is always more to learn in the sustainability space and it's one of those things that the more you know, the more you realise you don't know! I've taken part in some great workshops and courses this year including:
- Biodiversity Collage - including facilitator training, so I'm hoping to be able to offer this brilliant workshop in 2024!
- Nature Wise Eco Literacy - Cynnal Cymru
- Advanced Carbon Footprinting, GHG Accounting, Net Zero targets and Carbon Reduction Planning for Organisations - Northumbria University
- Digital Collage
- Behaviour change for sustainability leads - Sustainable Sidekicks
Other stuff
And there's been a whole host of other stuff too! Including:
- A LOT of posting on social media!
- This e-mail list which goes out to over 5000 people - thank you for subscribing and for sticking around!
- A 'new look' - thank you Lucie Gray Creative!
- The Crap-free Christmas course and webinar
- Work with my local town council and my kids school
- Volunteering for the Climate Emergency UK Council Climate Scorecards
- Co-creating a 'Greener Veterinary Practice' modular course with Vet Sustain
