Thrivable Scotland

Osbert Lancaster

Thrivable Scotland is for people building a better world in the face of the climate, nature and political crises. I believe the path to genuine hope and meaningful action isn’t to focus on survival, but to aim higher – to create the conditions where people and the rest of nature can thrive right now and into the future, whatever the polycrisis brings. Join me, Osbert Lancaster, as I meet people across Scotland who are working to build resilience, regenerate natural systems and heal society. I walk with them and learn what they’re doing, why it matters and what’s working. Back in the studio, with co-host Morag Watson and guest listeners, we reflect on the interview and how that approach could be replicated, adapted and scaled in different contexts. We draw out key insights and practical lessons that we hope will inspire you and inform your work.

Episodes

  1. How citizen science can help tackle the climate and nature crises

    11 Jun

    How citizen science can help tackle the climate and nature crises

    I’m Osbert Lancaster, and at Thrivable Scotland I’m asking how can we build resilience, regenerate natural systems and heal society, so people and the rest of nature can thrive, whatever the polycrisis brings next. If we’re going to regenerate nature, we need to know what state nature’s in right now and whether it’s getting better or not. While remote sensing is really powerful in many situations, sometimes you need to be hands on, on the ground or even in the water. So I met up with Rebecca Lewis who has built up a citizen science network that is generating open access data about the health of rivers across Scotland and heard how this data is starting to improve water quality and biodiversity at scale. From my conversation with Rebecca Lewis you will: Hear how Rebecca started volunteering in her local river and went on to leading a network of trained, volunteer citizen scientists who monitor the health of rivers at sites across Scotland.Learn how the data is collected, and how the project engages with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and is helping form catchment partnerships.Gain practical advice from Rebecca’s experience if you’re considering developing a citizen science project. In the second segment of the show, I’m joined by co-host Morag Watson, climate and energy policy specialist, and guest listener Nadine Andrews, systems thinking and nature connection practitioner, to discuss my conversation with Rebecca. Our reflections include: The power of making the hidden world visible for engaging people with nature.How becoming more aware of the state of nature can lead to a sense of powerlessness.The importance of such projects offering a genuine sense of agency, where people can see that their actions are having a meaningful effect. Connect: Guest: Rebecca Lewis, Scotland & Northern Ireland Manager, BuglifeGuest Listener: Nadine AndrewsCo-host: Morag WatsonHost, me Osbert Lancaster Learn More: BuglifeGuardians of Our Rivers ProjectScottish Environment Protection AgencyClimate Psychology Alliance From the Thrivable Scotland Bookshop: Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (source of the "world of wounds" quote) Be part of the Thrivable Scotland community: Subscribe to my Notes for a Thrivable ScotlandJoin our upcoming eventsEmail me with questions or comments: pod@thrivablescotland.com

    57 min
  2. Focus on what’s strong, not what’s wrong – if you want people to thrive

    14 May

    Focus on what’s strong, not what’s wrong – if you want people to thrive

    When we want to make social and environmental change, our culture, institutions and education encourage us to assume people need more information, skills, resources etc before they can act. Anthony Morrow and his team at one of Scotland’s largest housing associations take the opposite approach. They support tenants and local communities by believing that people are already capable, recognising and focusing on their existing strengths. From my conversation with Anthony Morrow you will: Learn about Asset Based Community Development and how using this approach Anthony and his team have prevented homelessness and transformed lives, while saving money for Sanctuary Group and for society.Hear why housing is fundamental to sustainability, not just because people need stable homes to thrive, but also because of the connections between housing, health, climate and more. In the second segment of the show, I’m joined by co-host Morag Watson and guest listener Ruchir Shah to draw out key insights from my conversation with Anthony, including: How this strength based approach can be applied in other contexts.The importance of upstream prevention and the difficulty of attributing results to specific projects and funders.The relationship between stories and data when trying to engage people and get support from managers, colleagues – and politicians. I’m Osbert Lancaster, specialist facilitator and host of the Thrivable Scotland podcast. Connect: Main Guest: Anthony MorrowGuest Listener: Ruchir ShahCo-host: Morag WatsonHost: Osbert Lancaster Learn More: Sanctuary ScotlandABCD Training and Resources - Cormac Russell and Nurture DevelopmentScottish Violence Reduction UnitShumela Ahmed - Resilience Learning PartnershipGary Stevenson: Refugee Riots – Salience and Storytelling From the Thrivable Scotland Bookshop: The Power of Mattering by Zach Mercurio Be part of the Thrivable Scotland community: Subscribe to my Notes for a Thrivable ScotlandJoin our upcoming eventsShare your feedback pod@thrivablescotland.com

    1hr 10min

  3. 12 May

    Discover Thrivable Scotland

    If you're working to make the world a better place, I think you'll find my new Thrivable Scotland podcast inspiring and useful. I'm Osbert Lancaster and after working in sustainability for 30 years I've decided we need to try a fresh approach. In this short trailer I'll tell you how Thrivable Scotland came about and what you can expect, including: 👉 The three key elements of this new approach: focus on thriving, not survival; focus on the present, not the future; focus on what's working, not what's wrong. 👉 How I'll be interviewing people across Scotland who are building resilience, regenerating natural systems and healing society. 👉 How with my co-host Morag Watson and guest listeners, I'll be discussing how lessons from successful projects can be shared, scaled and applied in different contexts. Listen to this trailer to find out more!

    5 min

Trailer

About

Thrivable Scotland is for people building a better world in the face of the climate, nature and political crises. I believe the path to genuine hope and meaningful action isn’t to focus on survival, but to aim higher – to create the conditions where people and the rest of nature can thrive right now and into the future, whatever the polycrisis brings. Join me, Osbert Lancaster, as I meet people across Scotland who are working to build resilience, regenerate natural systems and heal society. I walk with them and learn what they’re doing, why it matters and what’s working. Back in the studio, with co-host Morag Watson and guest listeners, we reflect on the interview and how that approach could be replicated, adapted and scaled in different contexts. We draw out key insights and practical lessons that we hope will inspire you and inform your work.

Information

  • Creator
    Osbert Lancaster
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Osbert Lancaster
  • Show Website
    Thrivable Scotland