Net Hero Podcast – With Sumit Bose

the PC that goes on and on!

It’s that first world problem, three years on your computer needs replacing because it’s struggling and slow but what if you didn’t have to chuck it into the skip?
 
What if you could replace that cracked screen, or update the memory or even swap out the processor, so your laptop can go on and on?
 
That’s the idea behind Framework, a PC company from San Francisco led by Nirav Patel. They have built a pc you can update as time goes on and replace things like keyboards or screens, the premise being the more we can service ourselves, the less e-waste as computers can go on much longer.
 
Sounds like a dream for computer nerds! But will it work for people like me who just about can turn a computer on? Listen to our podcast and see if this really is way to cut the amount of waste and reduce emissions as Nirav believes it could work for lots more electronic products…
 
Please subscribe to the newsletter and the podcast. Also let me know if you have a story to tell, just email nethero@futurenetzero.com

Plastic that’s coming around again!

Plastic… enemy no 1 for the green lobby. We’ve learned to vilify it, from straws, to bags, to the giant rubbish patch in the Pacific. No one seems to have a good word to say about it these days. Especially as it’s a direct by-product of the oil and gas sector.
 
But stop a minute.
 
Where would we have been without plastic during the pandemic? How would I be typing this story without the plastic keys of my keyboard? Let me know how you’d get by without it? You can’t. From cars, to phones, to toys, to TVs. Medical equipment to windows. Plastic is vital.
 
The issue isn’t that all plastic is bad, the issue is a lot of it is very difficult to recycle and often there is no economic case to do so, until now.
 
This week I spoke to Adela Putinelu from Plastic Energy, a company that has found a way to do both things. They can take things like plastic film or the shiny foil plastic that your crisps come in and turn that back into the base chemicals that make plastic. This then goes back to the manufacturers or the petrochemical sector, negating the need to use fresh sources of oil to make plastics.
 
So, plastic gets recycled all the way back to its component material and we save on new emissions as there’s no need to dig up more fossil fuels for the feedstock.
 
I loved it! Listen in for the full story and remember to subscribe to our net hero newsletter and follow us on social media.
 
If you have a tale to tell contact us on nethero@futurenetzero.com.

Energy Saving the easiest shortcut to net zero?

Is net zero here already?
Well not quite but according Stew Horne, Head of Policy at the Energy Saving Trust and the guest on this week’s podcast, we are missing a massive trick.

Heat pumps: facts v fiction

Ah heat pumps - you love them or hate them.
I've never really worked out why they trigger such reactions in people. Many believe they are the ultimate answer to us decarbonising heat, others say they are an expensive redundant technology even before they are widely used.
What is the truth? Well I have often thought they can do a lot for the right home and office but only if the circumstances are right, eg a new build development. I have been less convinced if they can be a retrofit option for our buildings especially in terraced housing or compact commercial properties.
So this week Alistair Murray from Rendesco talks me through what they are, how they work and if they really are marmite or not! We discuss their use, cost and deployment and the truth behind some of the headlines, good or bad.

High voltage, high savings!

Two words from ancient history? Maybe actually two words for the green net zero future?
On the podcast this week I discuss if voltage optimisation is a bit of unloved technology, which could be helping businesses right now to cut their carbon and save money. The technology has been around for decades and works by making sure the electric machinery and devices operate at the optimal voltage, which is often a lot lower than the 240V we have as standard. It saves energy use and lengthens the lifespan of devices.
A decade ago many businesses used voltage optimisation but as the efficiency of products has improved, it’s become somewhat of a technology of yesterday but maybe that’s wrong.
I speak to Michael Lambert from powerPerfector who explains why voltage optimisation may actually be the right kit to help cut carbon and cost right now and why he believes its role in our decentralised energy future will be vital.
Listen and subscribe.

Banking on a greener future

Money makes the world go round. But does it make it better?
For centuries, the world of finance has always been at the heart of everything we have done from trade to infrastructure, from wars to disaster relief. Commerce drives all our decisions and choices, whether we like it or not.
So where does it sit when it comes to net zero? Well the past three years there have been big commitments made to help fund decarbonisation and level up the global debt mountains, to help poorer nations tackle climate change. But has much really happened?
We need finance to fund all these changes but the returns are often years away, that means we still have lots of money making returns from fossil fuels at present. So are we anyway near a finance system that cares about greenery, rather than being in the black?
Join my great chat with Heather Buchanan, CEO of Bankers for Net Zero, as we explore the true colour of net zero money…

Insects: Nature’s waste warriors!

Insects are the kings of the planet. They live everywhere and are the most numerous animal on Earth.
We’ve heard endless stories about how eating insects will be the key to cutting our emissions from our food chain. I’m not so sure we’d all be switching to a cockroach curry or stick insect pie.
But they are nature’s ultimate waste disposal experts and one company has come up with a way to use them for just that.
In this podcast I speak to Larry Kotch, co-founder of Flybox. It does what it says and makes modular boxes which grow soldier fly larvae, they are voracious eaters and can munch through organic waste. But not only do they eat the waste, so you don’t have to incinerate or send to landfill, they are also a great feed stock for the petfood, fishing and agriculture sectors.
So you make money, reduce waste and cut emissions all naturally! Now that’s a real buzz, listen now and subscribe.

Decorating the net zero way!

What if you could recycle your floor tiles or wall decorations time and again?
 
The start of Spring is almost here and it’s generally the time to throw things out and spruce stuff up. DIY shops get very busy soon as everyone looks at a home makeover.
Walls and ceilings can be repainted. Furniture can be repaired and replaced but floors? We’re normally stuck with them for years.
But what if changing your floor wasn’t as expensive? What if it wasn’t as bad for the environment either?
Designer Susana Lopez  has created a company called ALDStone which specialises in sustainable flooring. She’s come up with a reusable underlay, which can have, wood, tiles or carpet laid on it time and time again. It’s brilliant for thermal insulation and made of sustainable materials.
So is this the future for green flooring? Listen in and let me know what you think. For me it’s a very clever idea!  Enjoy the podcast and share it with your friends.

The science of better heating...

The weather is all over the place right now but it's certainly been cold and I'm sure you've had your heating on.
The affordability of heat is a real issue for society, politicans and the energy industry. We have people despite government subsidies, really struggling to pay to keep warm. Our homes leak heat endlessly and our businesses and industries are no better.
So how can we tackle the heat question? How can we keep warm or cold, (think of the growing need for air conditioning around the globe), in the most low carbon way? That's part of the conundrum being studied at Leeds Beckett University's Sustainability Institute. I spoke to Professor David Glew who is Director of the institute to discuss what we can do to address the issue of heat and the wider science behind cutting emissions.
Listen in to a brilliant discussion which covers a wide range of subjects on how important science based testing of net zero technologies is for our future.
Subscribe and keep sharing!

Fashion that doesn't cost the Earth?

Can you look good without killing the planet? We all know the cost of fast fashion not just on resources but also on people, from child labour, to using chemical polluting dyes, it’s an industry that has come under scrutiny a lot over recent years.
But there is another side to it that is perhaps less discussed, that’s the enormous carbon footprint. Clothes are generally made from natural or synthetic fibres. The latter we all know are mainly by products from the hydrocarbon industry but natural fibres like silk and cotton also have a huge emissions impact.
On this week’s podcast Ietje Klaver is my guest and she’s from a company called Pyratex, which is trying to cut the carbon from our clothes right at the start of the journey – the original fibres. They are using recycled cotton fibres from old clothes, ones grown from seaweed, orange and banana waste and using new techniques trying to make textiles which can be reused again and again.
So could this innovation keep fashion on the right side of the climate catwalk? Listen in and subscribe!