The power of innovation
9 months ago, a journey of discovery began for me when I met my mentor, Elizabeth Corse. I learned that I could develop a career with passion and make a difference - as climate change is the biggest fight facing humanity. Recently, I have felt consumed by eco phobia and anxiety because I have felt hopeless as I have struggled to feel optimistic about the future of the planet. The day before I visited Sustainable Ventures I was watching the news and I heard that the first ever red warning was being issued, I was made aware that this might be the coolest summer of my lifetime and the news brought home to me a sense of urgency that we should all be feeling. We cannot delay taking action anymore. The time I spent with innovators who are making a real difference was so refreshing and made me realise that people are taking action! This dedicated climate tech coworking space is filled to bursting with climate tech startups and l felt right at home there. Until last week I genuinely had no idea that spaces like Sustainable Ventures existed where founders could cultivate a community, and bounce ideas off one another in a collaborative space for like-minded people. In one afternoon, I spoke with an early-stage VC, a B-Corp cleaning company, a group who are changing purchasing habits, solar power innovators, and a company that is reinventing the commercial toilet.
Elizabeth tasked me with interviewing founders to find out what they are doing to combat climate change. I had the pleasure of meeting Georgie Crosswell the Brand Partnerships Manager at Buy Me Once. Buy Me Once is tackling the throwaway culture by selling long-lasting products that will last a lifetime. Georgie illustrated to me the importance of having a deeper connection with the things we own so that we are less likely to get rid of them.
Buy Me Once has been based at Sustainable Ventures since it was founded in 2011. By being part of a community Georgie felt motivated to change people’s purchasing habits as ‘short-lived products are a key driver of waste and climate change.’
One of the things I picked up on when I spent time at Sustainable Ventures was that people were optimistic about the future because young people were seeing that if we reimagined what is possible and educated ourselves about climate change we can look to a brighter, greener future.
Georgie emphasised that she like many people who care about the environment, is outraged that the government could do more but as they are blinded by the enormity of the challenge and are focused on short-term targets that they fail to commit to making a difference.
'Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies, in our economics and in our politics’
- Sir David Attenborough
Later in the day, I spoke to Jodi Scott the Communications and Partnerships Manager at Delphis Eco. I really enjoyed talking to Jodi as we shared similar concerns about people's apathy towards climate change and the lack of understanding that we are all part of the battle. Jodi ensures that the Delphis’ messaging is on brand, their tone of voice is consistent, and she also manages partnerships. Delphis create 100% sustainable cleaning products that are made of recycled plastics and their products ‘contribute to minimising waste, pollution and natural-resource depletion at every stage.’
Jodi shared with me her story of where her passion for protecting the environment began. When Jodi was 12, she was at an outdoor camp in Oregon, pond dipping in the lake when she pulled up plastic. She thought that it was unusual that plastic could be found here as on the surface, the lakes seemed well protected, but the instructor explained to Jodi in an attempt to console her that the plastic arrived there because someone has carelessly littered, and the plastic has made its way to the lake. She knew that from this moment she had to dedicate herself to protecting the environment for the next generation.
Delphis unlike many of the other companies based at Sustainable Ventures have a private office but operates within the hybrid, unconventional community. Jodi relished the opportunity to work cooperatively with others, and she shared with me Delphis’ Collaborate To Zero Notebook. Their notebook is a collection of interview highlights from conversations the founder of Delphis’, Mark Jankovich, has shared with entrepreneurs and ‘forward-thinking leaders.’ The notebook is filled with inspiring ideas, tips and opinions for ‘driving collaboration and speeding up the race to net-zero.
Delphis are also making a conscious effort to spread awareness about climate change and how if we all change our purchasing habits we can make a diffecrence. In 2011, they launched The Eco Turtle Project, a scheme that combines environmental education for school children and entrepreneurship. They provide each school with cleaning products and allow parents to refill their Delphis Eco refill at the school for £1 making the switch to sustainable cleaning products accessible to all. Tim the Turtle is made of recycled plastic and teaches children about the difference they can make within their own home, by inspiring the next generation Delphis is changing attitudes towards the climate crisis.
Jodi explained to me that because Delphis are part of the circular economy they aim to be ‘green at every step’' from manufacturing their products to their afterlife. Delphis for this reason are a B-Corp and have received two Royal Warrants for their commitment to being green at every step. I asked Jodi about how companies become a B-Corp, and she explained to me that it is a rigorous process to prevent greenwashing. Companies are assessed for their social and environmental impact and every aspect of a company are scrutinised from human resources to diversity. As a B-Corp Delphis have to ensure that their suppliers conform to environmental standards.
At Sustainable Ventures, they have installed Propelair toilets which save 5 litres of water with every flush throughout the building. To find out how they work I met with Joe Harrison the Design Engineer at Propelair. Propelair are reinventing the traditional toilet which saves people money and uses less water. All around the world, there is a growing scarcity of clean water, the catalyst for an environmental emergency, by using less water the Propelair toilets minimises its contribution to this problem. Joe told me that washrooms lead to 90% of all water usage in commercial settings and so their toilets are a great alternative to the inefficient traditional toilet systems.
Sustainable Ventures is the home of climate technology and innovation and I was intrigued about how Sustainable Ventures came to be the hive of activity It is today. At Sustainable Ventures there is an ecosystem of 400+ startups, who are all dedicated to making the world a better place. I met with Rachel Kelly the Community Coordinator who manages the accounts of the companies based at SV, offers business support, organises events such as the upcoming pub quiz, accelerates growth, and ides marketing advice. She explained to me how startups get discovered by SV’s investors and ho
With founders access grants as part of accelerator schemes. Sustainable Ventures are also Europe’s largest sustainability cluster and over the last 5 years, their Sustainable Accelerator scheme has enabled 2000+ investors to contribute to solving the planet’s greatest challenges. The appetite for spaces like these is growing and so Sustainable Ventures is expanding to the floor above at County Hall. The architects involved in this project are going to be using reclaimed materials to minimise waste, and the floor will be built in accordance with the companies' values.
Lambeth Council are one of Sustainable Ventures’ largest investors as they, unlike many other councils, have a very green agenda and through their workspace fund they are able to invest in innovation and enterprise. They also carry out research into demographics of the startups based at Sustainable Ventures, for example they appreciate diversity and inclusion and ensure through their internship and mentorship programmes that everyone is offered the same opportunities. Every three months Lambeth Council runs a review of Sustainable Ventures and assesses progress and value added by the various support schemes offered by Sustainable Ventures.
Rachel told me about Bagboard a company based at County Hall; they are on a mission to empower consumers to have greener shopping habits by rewarding people who use their bags for promoting sustainable brands. Their bags are replacing single use plastic bags with recyclable paper bags in independent stores in London while also revolutionising how businesses advertise their products. Through their ingenious Bagboard app they are able to track how many people have noticed the sustainable bag they are advertising on their bag. People are then rewarded with their new digital currency ‘conscious coins’ which people can spend on products from sustainable brands that Bagboard has partnered with. As paper bags are better for the environment people are helping to remove plastic from our oceans as they are also partnered with NGO Plastic Bank. Lambeth Council are also doing a trial in their markets where the vendors are using Bagboard’s bags!
“We envision a world where every spend you make not only reflects what you want, but what you want the world to look like.”
- Bagboard
Undoubtedly, the power of innovation is what will lead the way to a brighter future where our planets stability is prioritised. Visiting Solivus on the hottest day on record was also a stark reminder that more needs to be done to protect our planet because we really don't have anymore time to waste.
