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A podcast on sustainability, hosted by Damla Özlüer and Steve Connor, brought to you by the DNS Network. Looking at sustainability issues, communications, and featuring global guests from a wide variety of sectors such as business, NGOs and government.

JAN 21

Big Little Lies About Climate, with Ümit Şahin

Send us a text We sit down with Ümit Şahin—physician, public health scholar, and long-time climate advocate—as he traces his journey from medical school to air pollution research and climate policy, showing why health is the most human lens for energy choices. He dismantles the idea that nuclear can deliver on time or at scale, pointing to rising costs, long lead times, and unresolved waste, while renewables and efficiency deliver rapid, affordable cuts now. We dig into discourse power: how calling fossil fuels “hydrocarbons” sanitises harm, how “unabated” creates loopholes, and how the term “sustainability” drifted from survival ethics to a growth-friendly label. Then we turn to COP politics. With shifting geopolitics and frayed multilateralism, COP31 in Turkey emerges as a crucial mitigation COP. Ümit outlines a focused playbook: push an explicit fossil fuels transition, accelerate electrification of transport and heat, tighten 2030 targets aligned with 1.5 degrees, and audit false solutions against costs and timelines. He calls for disciplined framing, health-forward benefits that voters feel, and cross-border collaboration between Turkish NGOs and the global movement. We close on urgency with hope, inspired by youth leadership that turns climate from a future worry into a present demand. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

27 min
JAN 14

There's More in Common, with Chris Annous

Send us a text In our first episode of 2026 we sit down with Chris Annous from More in Common to look at how values-based research can bridge divides—and why pride in place may be the most underrated lever for social and climate progress right now. Chris shares how his team’s segmentation moves beyond left-versus-right to reveal seven distinct worldviews, and how that map helps leaders speak to what people actually care about rather than what the loudest voices demand. The heart of the episode is a surprising finding: across backgrounds and politics, people name their local parks and green spaces as their biggest source of pride. When those spaces feel neglected, it becomes a daily reminder that nothing works. When they’re cared for, it’s proof that improvement is possible. We also touch on lessons across Europe, where similar pressures play out with national nuance, and preview Chris’s work on men and masculinity, highlighting a “crisis of provision” that is reshaping political identities. If you care about sustainability, public trust and campaigns that actually move people, this conversation offers a practical playbook rooted in real lives. Have a listen, subscribe, and share with a colleague. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

29 min
12/24/2025

2025 - a GoodGeist Retrospective

Send us a text It's time for some GoodGeist year-end reflections from our co-host Damla and Steve. We take you across 2025’s most revealing sustainability moments, from radical listening that halted deforestation by focusing on community health, via an off-grid box turning sunlight into clean water within hours, to city-scale transport fixes that make streets safer, air cleaner, and commutes saner. It's 25 minutes of practical optimism, gathering stories that prove change is built locally and scaled through trust, clarity, and good design. Our tour spans continents and disciplines. We revisit the ethnography of behaviour change, new money concepts and sustainable finance, and the thorny dilemmas of philanthropy and concentrated wealth. Guests challenged language itself: when “sustainability” feels poisoned by greenwash, how do we reframe for honesty and impact? From “belly’s not bins” to cocoa that respects farmers and forests, food became a lens for agency at home and accountability in supply chains. We also dig into retrofit and property innovation, the unglamorous but essential work of upgrading what we’ve already built to cut carbon, bills, and cold homes. And the closing truth we carry into 2026? No-one can be sustainable alone. Hold the line with us, share this conversation, and if it moved you, subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more people can find it. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

27 min
12/17/2025

The Creative Truth, with Steve Mayer

Send us a text Want a sustainability claim that inspires without inviting a regulator into your inbox? We sit down with Steve Meyer, director of Carbon Blue Solutions, to explore how. From mangrove forests and seagrass meadows to desert halophytes, Steve first of all explains why blue carbon stores CO2 for millennia and how that changes the maths on offsets, resilience, and coastal protection. Then we shift to the communications frontier and EcoApprase, an AI-assisted tool that scores green claims on clarity, evidence, scope, and risk. It flags risky phrases like planet-friendly and net zero without boundaries, offers practical rewrites, and stays current with fast-moving case law so marketers can publish with confidence. We talk with Steve about how, across the UK, EU, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, we see the same pattern: bold sustainability stories need proof, baselines, and clear KPIs. India’s rapid enforcement and real-world pollution pressures are accelerating adoption, while “recyclable” claims face a tougher test when local facilities don’t exist. The message is simple: creativity thrives under discipline, and defensible claims help teams avoid both greenwashing and greenhushing. And along the way, Steve shares what keeps him motivated—watching genuine builders get the backing to scale solutions that matter. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

30 min
12/03/2025

The Feminist Art of Walking, with Morag Rose

Send us a text What if a walk could change how a city works? We sit down with walking artist, activist, and academic Morag Rose to explore psychogeography as a living practice—one that uses curiosity, conversation, and gentle mischief to reclaim streets from noise, ads, and exclusion. From dérives guided by pigeons and dice to community-led wanders across Manchester, Morag shows how moving side by side can dissolve hierarchies, surface hidden histories, and open a path toward more just, accessible and sustainable places. We dig into the Loiterers Resistance Movement and its simple, radical premise: the streets belong to everyone Morag challenges the myth of the lone flâneur by centring collective walking and a feminist ethic of care. We talk accessibility and crip time, acknowledging that bodies move at different speeds and that true inclusion requires benches, toilets, lighting, and safe routes as standard, not extras. Morag’s new book, The Feminist Art of Walking, and her monthly First Sunday invitations offer a blueprint for community-led exploration that turns urban design into a shared conversation. If you’ve ever wondered who public space is really for, this conversation hands you the map to redraw it together. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

27 min
11/26/2025

The Myths of Aviation, with Denise Auclair

Send us a text The airport‑as‑engine of growth story is powerful, but the data tells a different story. We sit down with Denise Auclair, who leads the Travel Smart campaign at Transport & Environment, to unpack a new Europe‑wide study that tracks the real relationship between air traffic and prosperity across 274 regions. The headline is striking: in much of northern and western Europe, economic growth tends to drive more flying rather than flying driving growth. Once networks mature, extra frequencies deliver diminishing returns, and the old promise of expansion starts to look like a costly habit. We explore why aviation’s emissions are so hard to tackle and we also dig into tourism balances: when cheap flights pull residents abroad, local economies can lose more than they gain, especially when a small group of frequent flyers accounts for a large share of trips. Join us as we map a practical route to sustainable travel with Denise: clearer evidence, better choices, and systems that reward time, health, and climate, not just passenger counts. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

35 min
11/19/2025

AI Shaping the Future, with Sam Fankuchen

Send us a text In this episode we sit down with Golden’s founder and CEO, Sam Fankuchen, to explore how AI, ethics, and interoperability can transform volunteering from good intentions into measurable, scalable impact. Sam’s story begins with a near loss on 9/11, a moment that reshaped his purpose and his focus on removing friction so more people can contribute meaningfully and safely. We look at the state of AI and how to create an ethical framework for its use, with guardrails and evals that keep outputs accountable. We also discover that if you want to stay ahead in an AI-driven world, you need to absorb the very latest innovations on a daily basis. Sam explains why agents are changing the resource equation for nonprofits and public agencies—automating research, fundraising, policy mapping, and programme audits while keeping humans in the loop. The result is a “shadow organisation” that scales capacity without sacrificing trust. If you lead a team or support a cause, this conversation offers a playbook for ethical AI adoption, cross-sector collaboration, and systems thinking that actually moves the needle. Have a listen to our latest GoodGeist! Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

33 min
11/06/2025

The Italian Take, with Filippo Nani

Send us a text Direct (sort of) from the bustling floor of Ecomondo in Rimini we have a great conversation with Filippo Nani, president of FERPI in Italy and veteran strategist in public relations. Together with Filippo we explore how credible communications can unlock real progress on sustainability, from major strategic decisions to building stakeholder trust, with the stories that inspire action across industries. Filippo traces his path from journalism and government spokesperson to agency leadership, revealing how narrative craft and public accountability shape the green economy. We unpack the persistent “green vs growth” myth and examine why investors, banks, and customers increasingly reward companies that commit to measurable, transparent climate strategies. The theme is clarity over hype: no easy fixes, but real momentum where incentives, proof, and purpose align. We also dive into the changing craft of communications. How AI, used well, gives practitioners more time for strategy and better tools for research and analysis. Anchored by FERPI’s Venice Pledge, Filippo argues for ethical AI practices, disclosure to stakeholders, and keeping humans at the centre of every decision. Listen in to a great conversation about the future of communications - and sustainability - in Europe. Follow GoodGeist for more episodes on sustainability, communications and how creativity can help make the world a better place.

9 min

A podcast on sustainability, hosted by Damla Özlüer and Steve Connor, brought to you by the DNS Network. Looking at sustainability issues, communications, and featuring global guests from a wide variety of sectors such as business, NGOs and government.

Creator

DNS
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

99
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 GoodGeist
Show Website

GoodGeist