Sustainability Matters Now Podcast

A University of Warwick podcast exploring the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social.

Through conversations with staff, students, and partners at Warwick and beyond, we examine how universities, organisations, and communities put sustainability into practice; from grassroots recycling initiatives to climate politics, and from student wellbeing programmes to institutional transformation.

Hosted by ⁠Dr Tom Ritchie⁠, Chair of the ESD Action Group at the University of Warwick, this podcast goes beyond environmental issues to explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals, equity and inclusion, and the real-world challenges of creating thriving, resilient communities.

Join us monthly for stories of innovation, leadership, and sustainable change in action.

This podcast is supported by the Energy and Sustainability Team at the University of Warwick.

Upcoming Episode

Sustainability and Green Careers: Reimagining the Guidance We Give

Korin GrantLink opens in a new window, Assistant Professor in Career Studies and Coaching at the University of Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning, discusses her research on green career guidance and what it means to align careers education with a sustainable world.

We examine why sustainability is still missing from so much careers practice, how green careers extend far beyond environmental jobs, and what it would take to embed sustainability thinking into the guidance every student receives.

Available: Tuesday 1st Sept at 12:00 GMT

S1E7 - Sustainability and Careers: The Case for Green Career Guidance

September 2026 - Korin GrantLink opens in a new window, Assistant Professor in Career Studies and Coaching at the University of Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning, discusses green career guidance:

We examine why career guidance so often stays silent on sustainability, why there is no neutral position on this issue, and what her UK-wide survey of careers professionals reveals about the barriers to changing that.

Listen on Spotify Episode Transcript

S1E6 - Sustainability and Politics: You Can't Separate Them

June 2026 - Professor Caroline Kuzemko, Professor in Political Economy of Climate Change at the University of Warwick, discusses her new book:

Climate Politics: Can't Live With It, Can't Mitigate Without It.Link opens in a new window

We examine why politics is so often sidelined in climate research and policy, whose voices have been left out of climate decision-making, and what it takes to build climate action that is both effective and socially inclusive.

Listen on Spotify Episode Transcript

S1E5 - Sustainability and Strategy: Leading Institutional Change

May 2026 - Professor Stéphanie Panichelli-BatallaLink opens in a new window, Academic Director for Sustainability at the University of Warwick, discusses Warwick's new Environmental Sustainability StrategyLink opens in a new window.

We examine how the university is narrowing its strategic focus, closing gaps in areas like circular economy and digital sustainability, and building the governance infrastructure to make sustainability a shared institutional responsibility.

Listen on Spotify Episode Transcript

S1E4 - Sustainability and Gamification: Building Habits Through Rewards

April 2026 - Josh Cleall⁠, CEO of ⁠Team Jump⁠, and ⁠Yurong Tian⁠, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Warwick, discuss ⁠Warwick's Green Rewards Platform.

We examine the platform's impact at Warwick, where more than 77,000 actions have been recorded, highlighting its role in supporting behaviour change through habit-stacking and advancing the University's strategic sustainability priorities.

Listen on Spotify Episode Transcript

S1E3 - Sustainability and Partnership: Biodiversity Restoration in Practice

March 2026 - Dr Molly WilliamsLink opens in a new window, School of Life Sciences, and Gemma WilkinsLink opens in a new window, Head of Sustainable Campus Operations, discuss Warwick's white-clawed crayfish reintroduction projectLink opens in a new window.

They share how e-DNA sampling, cross-sector partnerships, and landscape-level thinking made species recovery possible on campus. This project is supported by funding from Natural England via the Species Recovery Programme

Listen on Spotify Episode Transcript

S1E2 - Sustainability and Student Leadership: Activism in Education

February 2026- Helena RatcliffeLink opens in a new window, Students' Union Ethics and Environment OfficerLink opens in a new window, alongside Luke DaviesLink opens in a new window, Taran TalbottLink opens in a new window, and Finley Arcos-Archard from the Students' UnionLink opens in a new window Sustainability ForumLink opens in a new window, discuss how activism has shifted since COVID.

They share how they're rebuilding momentum and reconnecting climate justice with social and economic justice.

Listen On Spotify Here Episode Transcript

S1E1 - Sustainability and Individual Action: How One Person Transforms Campus Culture

An image of Gary Stocker, guest on the first episode of the Sustainability Matters Now Podcast.

January 2025 - Gary Stocker, Test Engineer and Green Champion at WMG, has spent over five years collecting niche recyclable materials across Warwick—from soft plastics to pens—that would otherwise go to landfill.

He shares how he built a university-wide initiative from a single collection box, and why grassroots action matters: "If I don't do it, who is going to do it?"

Listen On Spotify Here Episode Transcript

Coming Soon

Upcoming episodes explore student wellbeing as social sustainability, the politics of climate action, and sustainability leadership across institutions.

We'll feature conversations with staff, students, and partners from Warwick and beyond, examining diverse challenges across environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Contact: Tom.Ritchie@warwick.ac.uk to be a guest on a future episode, suggest a topic, and submit a question for a future episode!