Transforming Tomorrow The Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business

In 2023, around 6.8 million people in the UK were in severely insecure work – little over a firth of the working population. Work Foundation Director Ben Harrison dials in from London to discuss the issue.


Ben tells Jan and Paul about how the Work Foundation works as it tries to influence policy across the UK. He covers issues of flexible working, how economic changes in recent years have affected working patterns, and the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic.


What are decent and insecure work? How does the Work Foundation’s Insecure Work Index function, and what does it tell us? Are particular groups and parts of the country more affected by insecure work? What responsibilities do employers have towards their employees during times of financial hardship?


Discover more about the Work Foundation’s research and activities on insecure work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/our-work/insecure-work/

Dr Joanne Larty joins Jan and Paul to enlighten them on her work with businesses in Cumbria on sharing best sustainability practice. 


Through Project INSPIRE, Joanne and her team are speaking to pioneering companies across Cumbria to discover how they are tackling sustainability challenges, how it ties into the history and landscape of the county, and how their practices can be spread. 


What issues do business face? How can they move to a new way of operating? And, most importantly to Paul, how do you really pronounce Furness, and why does everyone get it wrong? 


Discover more about Joanne’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/joanne-larty 


Read more about Project Inspire here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_19/14/

Find out what we have for you on upcoming episodes.

Matt Healey talks Jan and Paul through his journey from an outdoor education professional to becoming a PhD researcher looking at our connections with nature.


The UK has the lowest connection with nature in Europe, and Matt’s work encompasses how we each appreciate nature in our everyday lives, the importance of considering nature from a non-human-centric perspective, the value of nature, and the importance of connecting with nature from a young age.


Plus, find out how connected to nature are Jan and Paul?


Read more of Matt’s work on ‘Taming the Green Monster’ here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_17/47/

Professor Alona Armstrong returns to give Jan and Paul a whirlwind tour of the work that takes place across the Lancaster Environment Centre and the Energy Lancaster research centre.


Discover the work of Energy Lancaster here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/


And find out about the research taking place in Lancaster Environment Centre here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/research/

Energy Lancaster Director Professor Alona Armstrong takes Jan and Paul on a wonderful journey into the world of solar power, which continues to outperform predictions for its output and effectiveness.


How many solar parks are there in the UK (clue, it’s not seven or 300)? How can solar parks affect biodiversity? How long do solar plants last? How do floating solar farms work? How many homes can a solar plant power? And did Paul really do the maths to answer that question so quickly in his head?


All these questions and more will be answered – and we discuss if you could wear solar powered clothes?


Discover the work of Energy Lancaster here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/


And find out more about Alona’s research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/energy-lancaster/about-us/people/alona-armstrong