Jo Royle is a British environmental leader, trans-ocean skipper, and founder of Common Seas, an organisation tackling plastic pollution at its source. She co-designed and skippered Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran built from reclaimed plastic bottles, across the Pacific Ocean to raise global awareness of plastic pollution. Over her career, Jo has worked with 22 governments to reduce plastic waste, led pioneering research that uncovered the first evidence of microplastics in human blood, and co-led the Global Ocean Legacy campaign, securing protection for over 4.4 million km² of ocean – including Pitcairn, one of the world’s most remote marine reserves. She also helped launch the international Plastic Pact with King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) International Sustainability Unit, now spanning 19 countries and more than 900 member organisations. Her work has been featured by the BBC, National Geographic, Vogue, and TEDx, and she is the recipient of the Geddes Environmental Medal. Today, Jo focuses on ventures supporting resilient coastal communities and advancing the rights of nature.

TOP TIPS

1. See Nature as Infrastructure

Healthy oceans, soils and ecosystems underpin supply chains, workforce wellbeing and long-term economic stability. Nature is not a “nice to have” – it is critical infrastructure. Treat it accordingly.

2. Design for Resilience, Not Just Efficiency

Systems optimised only for speed and yield become fragile. Living systems build strength through diversity, recovery time and cooperation. Organisations that design for resilience will outperform those that design only for growth.

3. Fix the Design Flaw

We built many of our economic systems as if we were separate from nature. We are not. When we ignore ecological limits, the consequences show up in human health, instability and risk.

4. Redesign as a part of nature – because separation was the flaw.

Think Regenerative Regenerative systems circulate value, respect limits, build redundancy and reward care. This is not idealism. It is applied intelligence – informed by nearly four billion years of research and development.

5. Lead Where You Stand

Everyone has a role:

Citizen: Spend time in nature – we protect what we experience.
Corporate: Give nature a voice on your Board. Governance shapes behaviour.
Investor: Direct capital toward long-term ecological resilience.
Policy: Support clear regulation – strong signals accelerate innovation.

6. Imagine the Legacy

We designed the systems we live within. We can redesign them. The ocean is already signalling. The question is whether leadership is ready to respond.

Written by Jo Royle

---

Please note, the views expressed by the original article author are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of Washingtondowling Associates Ltd or The SHE Show and therefore we take no responsibility for the content or accuracy of this post.  

Dr Kate Rawles is passionate about using adventurous journeys to help raise awareness and inspire action on our most urgent environmental challenges. A former university lecturer, she now works freelance as a writer, environmental advocate and public speaker. Her most recent ‘Adventure Plus’ journey, The Life Cycle, involved cycling the length of South America on a bamboo bike she built herself. En route she explored biodiversity, and why losing it is as great a threat as climate change. Kate is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a member of the Adventure Syndicate and an eco-ambassador for the Lake District Foundation. The Life Cycle; 8000 Miles in the Andes by Bamboo Bike (Icon Books 2023) was shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Festival Adventure Travel book and chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of their top ten books about travel in 2023.

TOP TIPS

1. WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

‘Biodiversity’ refers to the astonishing range of living beings and ecological systems with which we share the planet, on land, sea and freshwater. From oak trees to ants; plankton to whales; native forests to peat bogs, the abundance and diversity of life is vital to all life, including human life.

2. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO BIODIVERSITY?

It’s crashing. Average populations of wild animals have fallen 73% since 1970 (WWF Living Planet Report, 2024). A landmark UN report warns that one million species of plants and animals are heading for extinction. As a result, “We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.” (Sir Robert Watson, chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)).

3. CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT THE ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE WE FACE.

Climate change is not the only environmental issue we face. Scientists have identified biodiversity loss as one of the most serious of multiple, interconnected ‘planetary boundary’ issues. We can’t tackle any of them in isolation. (Rockström et al, Stockholm Resilience Centre)

4. GREENWASHING WON’T CUT IT.

Greenwashing won’t cut it. But it’s not too late to make a difference, if we act together, effectively, locally and globally, across all sectors of society, and fast. The changes we need are systemic and transformative, “a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values.” (Sir Robert Watson)

5. WE’VE NOT BEEN HERE BEFORE.

We’ve not been here before. There is risk and uncertainty. Viewing this as an adventure can help frame the kind of leadership, mindsets and values we need for a successful transition to a genuinely sustainable future.

6. THE ECOLOGICAL AND CLIMATE EMERGENCIES AFFECT US ALL – AND WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY.

The ecological and climate emergencies affect us all – and we all have a role to play. The business sector, like all sectors, both relies on healthy ecosystems and flourishing biodiversity, and has immense potential to lead nature-smart, nature-positive change. Exactly what this means will vary according to the nature of your business, but the first step is always shared: commit to finding out where both your dependencies and your opportunities to contribute lie (if you don’t already know.)

7. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

#1:  We’ve learned that nature bounces back faster than we thought, if it is protected going forwards.

#2: We can all do more than we think.

Written by Dr Kate Rawles

---

If you want to hear more from Dr Kate Rawles she will be speaking at our next event The SHE Show North East, 25th March 2025, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

---

Please note, the views expressed by the original article author are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of Washingtondowling Associates Ltd or The SHE Show and therefore we take no responsibility for the content or accuracy of this post.  

The SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Show Conference and Exhibition is an annual series of events all about People, Behaviour and Culture Change, focusing on 6 key elements:

• Overcoming Adversity and Resilience
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Behaviour and Culture Change
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Inspirational Leadership
• Legal Advice and Updates

Each event attracts 200-250 delegates. Initially targeting SHE Directors, Heads of SHE and senior SHE Managers from cross sectoral industries – who form the vast majority of our audience.

The forward thinking and out of the box nature of the event also attracts Senior Managers/Directors outside of the SHE arena such as HR, Procurement, Quality, Operations, Facilities, Corporate Social Responsibilities, Compliance, Technical, CEO/COO and Managing Directors. Which emphasises the importance that to create a successful SHE culture within any organisation, the message must resonate throughout all departments and not just focus on “converting” the “converted” in order to view Safety, Health and Environment as a value and not just a priority.

The SHE Show has a long history of being a key date in any forward-thinking organisation looking to embed and/or develop health, safety and environment within their culture.

Embracing Sustainability

As a renowned events provider, committed to reducing our carbon footprint, Washingtondowling Associates Ltd (owners and organisers of The SHE Show) has made a bold move to switch to a completely plant-based buffet lunch menu (Sponsored by MSite), along with working closely with the Hilton to source vegan products for the breakfast reception and mid-morning break!

Further to this we have also opted for a vegan meal the evening prior at our Networking Evening Dinner to help further reduce the events carbon footprint (with a Chicken substitute meal available upon request).

In 2018, scientists behind the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage of farming to the planet found avoiding meat and dairy products was the single biggest way to reduce our environmental impact on the planet.

Hilton Newcastle Gateshead commented on the move:

“The food you will have during your stay has been carefully curated – with strong flavours to please all palates. We have also taken into consideration the carbon impact of the dishes. It is our pleasure to confirm that the dishes have a low CO2e impact. With Hilton, we are taking advantage of their partnership with ClimbCo, carbon off-setting our full event and accommodation consumption”

The Hilton brand, is synonymous with excellence, aligning with The SHE Show’s core values. Hilton’s Worldwide commitment, to reduce their carbon footprint, across the planet by 2030, paving the way towards a net-zero future:

• With 100% of Hilton hotel’s mapped against environmental and social risks.
• A 49% reduction in carbon emissions since 2008.
• Annual goals, set to reduce energy, water and waste.

In addition to their environmental and sustainability goals, Hilton support and invest in communities, by contributing to the local economy, developing a talented workforce, and fostering local relationships, that help ensure success.”

 

1. DON’T PANIC!

The climate crisis can feel like an overwhelming ‘omnishambles’ where the scale and urgency of the challenges we face creates paralysis. Running around like well-intentioned but headless chickens won’t help! So the first thing to do is breathe, be calm, and conjure up the space and time for proper reflection and innovative thinking.

2. QUESTIONS MORE THAN SOLUTIONS

Everyone wants answers. Everyone wants to do something. That’s our natural ‘knee-jerk’ position. To leap to solutions, fixes and actions. However reflexive actions often fail to tackle upstream problems, so if we just jump straight to solutions then we may actually be compounding in-built systemic problems. Far more powerful is to try and ask the really difficult questions behind why we do things the way we do, challenge our existing assumptions and then to try and resolve those first.

3. WILFUL BLINDNESS

This is a legal principle – you are responsible for something even if you chose not to see it. Every organisation has ‘wilful blindness’ – a weak spot, an intractable question that is hard to acknowledge, an awkward or uncomfortable truth. The problem is everyone knows these ‘wilful blindnesses’ exist, but everyone pretends they don’t! What is the ‘dark secret’ at the heart of your organisation that no-one wants to talk about because it feels painful or unsolvable? Find it. Together. And address it.

4. TO CHANGE EVERYTHING, WE NEED EVERYONE

Climate change is not an unfortunate glitch of atmospheric chemistry, it is a symptom of the system. It’s caused by us, our work and our lifestyles. Everything matters. So everyone has a role from CEO to supply chain contractor. We need personal and professional action. So we must link individual to collective wellbeing, align the things we do at home with what we must do at work, create a new system in which the impact of the whole is vastly greater than the sum of the parts.

5. ENJOY YOURSELF

Change is a contact sport, but it doesn’t have to be grid-iron. Be playful, mischievous, have fun, use humour. Satirise the often ridiculous ways we currently do things, use levity to lighten the heaviness of the challenge. Make people laugh at their own cognitive dissonances and illuminate the way forward. If you really want to change the world – throw a better party.

Written by Ed Gillespie

---

If you want to hear more from Ed Gillespie he will be speaking at our next event The SHE Show South, 11th July 2023, DoubleTree by Hilton, MK Dons Stadium, Milton Keynes

---

Ed Gillespie

Ed Gillespie is a writer, communications specialist, serial entrepreneur and futurist. He is the author of ‘Only Planet – a flight-free adventure around the world’ a book about his circumnavigation of the globe without getting on a plane. Ed co-presents two leading podcasts, ‘The Great Humbling’ with Dougald Hine, and ‘Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts – Book of Revelations’ with comedian Jon Richardson and fellow reluctant futurist Mark Stevenson.

Ed is a lead facilitator with the Forward Institute where he works on responsible leadership with 40 of the UK’s biggest institutions, a Director of Greenpeace UK, a Trustee of Ecolibrium and Chief Futurist at the Global Destination Sustainability Movement.

Ed is actively involved in a number of pioneering ethical businesses as a Director or Investor, and has presented all over the world, giving dozens of talks a year from Hong Kong to Bratislava, Korea to Auckland. And he’s been heard by every kind of audience, from the UN and national governments, to multi-national corporations and global associations.

His speaking engagements include giving the inaugural ‘Bonn Speech’ on Global Transformation for the German Government, a keynote on ‘Fixing the Future’ in Barcelona, and an interview with a leading Spanish newspaper for this film.

---

Please note, the views expressed by the original article author are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of Washingtondowling Associates Ltd or The SHE Show and therefore we take no responsibility for the content or accuracy of this post.  

Attracting around 250 delegates to each annual event, including Senior SHE Managers, Heads of SHE and SHE Directors from cross-sectoral industries.

The SHE Show has a long history of being a key date in any forward-thinking organisation looking to embed and/or develop health, safety and environment within their culture.

Embracing Sustainability

As a renowned events provider, committed to reducing our carbon footprint, Washingtondowling Associates Ltd (owners and organisers of The SHE Show) has welcomed Delta-Simons as our new sustainability partner for The SHE Show North West, The SHE Show North East and The SHE Show South.

Delta-Simons’ team of sustainability experts will provide services to calculate the carbon footprint for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the operations relating to the delivery of  The SHE Show events, and identify how we can reduce our carbon footprint over the next 5 years.

This first assessment, will act as a “baseline” for The SHE Show, to understand the most significant sources of carbon emissions which result from the delivery of the event, before seeking to develop meaningful and deliverable targets for carbon reduction and reduced environmental impacts from future events.

This will include engaging with delegates and exhibitors, exhibition venues and wider supply chain partners to understand the full extent of The SHE Show’s impact.

Ticking All The Boxes

Onboarding Delta-Simons as Sustainability Partner is just the start of The SHE Show’s move to a more sustainable event. In October 2022, The SHE Show announced that it will be moving its North East event from its regular home for the past decade at St James’ Park to the Hilton Hotel, Newcastle Gateshead.

Max Washington, Director at Washingtondowling Associates Ltd, commented on the move;

“The Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, echoes our ethos as a business, to continually enhance the service we provide.

The Hilton brand, is synonymous with excellence, aligning with The SHE Show’s core values. Hilton’s Worldwide commitment, to reduce their carbon footprint, across the planet by 2030, paving the way towards a net-zero future:

• With 100% of Hilton hotel’s mapped against environmental and social risks.
• A 49% reduction in carbon emissions since 2008.
• Annual goals, set to reduce energy, water and waste.

In addition to their environmental and sustainability goals, Hilton support and invest in communities, by contributing to the local economy, developing a talented workforce, and fostering local relationships, that help ensure success.”

Our Event Footprint (so far…)

Work is ongoing to fully understand and evaluate the full carbon footprint of our events, with engagement ongoing with Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United and Hotel Football, The SHE Show North West event venue partners, and fantastic responses from our attendees and exhibitors.

While we aim to be in a position to publish our carbon footprint for the event very soon, here’s some of the key highlights…

• 35% of our delegates and exhibitors completed questionnaires about their travel choices – helping us to understand GHG emissions from travel to The SHE Show North West 2022
• 10 tonnesCO₂e emissions come from travel to and from the event
• 6 tonnesCO₂e emissions are associated with the food and drink served at The SHE Show Networking Evening Dinner
• One group of delegates hired a bus to transport 20 colleagues to our event from Cumbria
• 41% of delegates told us they had planned other business in the region to coincide with their visit to The SHE Show to maximise the benefit of their travel
• 59% of responding companies are actively calculating their carbon footprint as a business and working towards carbon reduction efforts and targets
• The average distance travelled by delegates to The SHE Show North West was 144km.

When’s The Next Event?

The next event in The SHE Show’s diary will be The SHE Show North East taking place on Tuesday 28th March 2023, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, featuring another fantastic, dynamic line-up of speakers and presentations designed to inspire, motivate, and provide new and innovative thought patterns.

Looking beyond health, safety and environment, The SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Show looks to cover 6 key elements that focus on people, behaviour and culture change, including;

• Overcoming Adversity and Resilience
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Behaviour and Culture Change
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Inspirational Leadership
• Legal Advice and Updates

As an established multi-disciplinary environmental, health and safety consultancy providing trusted advice and solutions for sustainable development, Environmental Health, Safety and Sustainability Unit Director Rob Molyneux, Associate Director Charlotte Sanderson, Senior Sustainability Consultant Olivia Roberts, Graduate Regulatory & Operational Compliance Consultant Rachel Twine from Delta-Simons,  will be exhibiting at this year’s event.

About Rob Molyneux

With 18 years operational experience in the energy and sustainability field, and a specific focus in the areas of energy auditing, carbon reporting, net-zero strategy and corporate sustainability, Rob Molyneux has provided sustainability solutions to clients across a wide variety of sectors, including construction, property, retail, leisure, industrial, aviation and agriculture.

With clear challenges in front of businesses in relation to climate change, carbon emissions and sustainability, it is an exciting time to be in this sector with the ability to help organisations to understand and mitigate the risks – and grasp the opportunities – we face as a result of climate change impacts on our businesses.

Rob commented on this year’s upcoming event saying;

“I’ve enjoyed being a part of The SHE Show at previous events, and found the exhibition to bring together a great collection of business leaders who are genuinely wanting to embrace sustainability and develop solutions for net-zero, whether in relation to their business operations, their products or their challenging and complex supply chains. 

I’m thrilled that Delta-Simons are the first Sustainability Partner for The SHE Show and we look forward to helping to accelerate the sustainability ambitions of these fantastic industry events.”

Delta-Simons Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Specialists

As a national provider with a regional presence, we work with clients from multiple sectors including; industrial, commercial and residential developers, retailers, industrial manufacturers, fund managers, institutional investors, hi-tech companies, the public sector and charitable organisations. For the past 30 years, our team has provided a holistic suite of trusted environmental services and advice, designed to mitigate risk to both people and the environment, whilst removing the pain from planning or maintaining buildings and/or assets.

Through our thought leadership activities and shared learning, as well as being a founding member of the Inogen Alliance, a global corporation of consultants that provides worldwide coverage through one point of contact for environmental, health, safety, and sustainability solutions for multinational organisations, we understand the importance of knowledge-sharing and storytelling to increase visibility and subsequent action needed to mitigate climate change and drive towards a positive future for the planet, in line with our purpose, to protect people and planet.

If you are looking to partner with an environmentally conscious, holistic environmental services supplier, get in touch with our Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability team by emailing info@deltasimons.com, or alternatively, connect with Delta-Simons’ EHSS Unit Director Rob Molyneux using the details below:

Rob Molyneux – EHS&S Unit Director

E: rob.molyneux@deltasimons.com

M: +44 (0)7974 188 349

T: 0345 5040 303

Linkedin: Rob Molyneux

After careful consideration, The SHE Show North East, will be moving to a new fantastic venue for 2023!

Since launching in 2012, The SHE Show North East (part of The SHE Show annual series of events) has grown from strength to strength, quickly becoming the go-to- Safety, Health and Environment Conference, for senior level HSE professionals, attracting delegates from both the North East and further afield, nationwide.

We are delighted to announce this year we will be moving to a fantastic new venue!

To celebrate The SHE Show North East 10^th year anniversary, we have a limited number of complimentary delegate tickets available (worth £249 + vat each) to attend the event on Tuesday 28th March.

For us, this has been a big decision to make, we have really enjoyed our time with the toon army, and we would like to take this opportunity, to thank the team at St James’ Park, Newcastle United Football Club, who have been a pleasure to work with over the last 4 years.

However, as they say, “The Show must go on” (excuse the pun), and we are delighted to announce, our new venue for 2023, will be the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead.

Those who are familiar with The SHE Show, will know all too well, that we continually look to evolve and improve and our relocation, to the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, echoes our ethos as a business, to continually enhance the service we provide.

The Hilton brand, is synonymous with excellence, aligning with The SHE Show’s core values. With over 250 bedrooms, guest gym and swimming pool facilities, close links to Newcastle Central Station, over 180 onsite underground car parking spaces… and did we mention the incredible view of Tyne Bridge? … the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead ticks all the right boxes!

Furthermore, Washingtondowling Associates Ltd, (owner’s and organisers of The SHE Show) are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and we will be working closely with a sustainability partner, Delta-Simons, to identify, how we can reduce our carbon footprint over the next 5 years. (click here for more details).

With this in mind, a major deciding factor, to move to the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, was Hilton’s Worldwide commitment, to reduce their carbon footprint, across the planet by 2030, paving the way towards a net-zero future:

• With 100% of Hilton hotel’s mapped against environmental and social risks.
• A 49% reduction in carbon emissions since 2008.
• Annual goals, set to reduce energy, water and waste.

In addition to their environmental and sustainability goals, Hilton support and invest in communities, by contributing to the local economy, developing a talented workforce, and fostering local relationships, that help ensure success. A few examples of their community engagement include:

• Hotel partnerships with local community organizations.
• Team Members trained on the issue of human trafficking.
• Controlled sourcing with local suppliers (within 100-mile radius)

 Along with:

• 8M volunteer hours helping local communities logged since 2017.
• Over $5M+ awarded in grants to 70 community-based organizations since 2019.
• Over 1.6M+ bars of soap donated in 2021.

To read more on the Hilton’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally visit: https://esg.hilton.com

To summarize, we can’t wait to celebrate The SHE Show North East, 10^th year anniversary, at our new home, the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, and we hope you can join us!

For more information about The SHE Show North East 2023 visit: https://thesheshow.com/northeast/

Attracting around 250 delegates to each annual event, including Senior SHE Managers, Heads of SHE and SHE Directors from cross-sectoral industries. 

The SHE Show has a long history of being a key date in any forward-thinking organisation looking to embed and/or develop health and safety within their culture, but the upcoming North West event in November is set to be a significant step change.

Embracing Sustainability

Now in its 13th year the upcoming event The SHE Show North West, taking place on Tuesday 22nd November 2022, at Old Trafford, The Home of Manchester United, has provided event organisers and owners Washingtondowling Associates Ltd with the opportunity to launch our first carbon footprinted event. As a renowned events provider, committed to reducing our carbon footprint, Washingtondowling Associates Ltd has welcomed Delta-Simons as our new sustainability partner for The SHE Show North West, The SHE Show North East and The SHE Show South.

Delta-Simons sustainability team will provide services to calculate the carbon footprint for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the operations relating to the delivery of  The SHE Show events, and identify how we can reduce our carbon footprint over the next 5 years.

This first assessment will act as a “baseline” for The SHE Show, to understand the most significant sources of carbon emissions which result from the delivery of the event, before seeking to develop meaningful and deliverable targets for carbon reduction and reduced environmental impacts from future events.

This will include engaging with delegates and exhibitors, exhibition venues and wider supply chain partners to understand the full extent of The SHE Show’s impact.

Ticking All The Boxes

Onboarding Delta-Simons as Sustainability Partner is just the start of The SHE Show’s move to a more sustainable event. In October, The SHE Show announced that it will be moving its North East event from its regular home for the past decade at St James’ Park to the Hilton Hotel, Newcastle Gateshead.

Max Washington, Director at Washingtondowling Associates Ltd, commented on the move;

“The Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, echoes our ethos as a business, to continually enhance the service we provide.

The Hilton brand, is synonymous with excellence, aligning with The SHE Show’s core values. Hilton’s Worldwide commitment, to reduce their carbon footprint, across the planet by 2030, paving the way towards a net-zero future:

• With 100% of Hilton hotel’s mapped against environmental and social risks.

• A 49% reduction in carbon emissions since 2008.

• Annual goals, set to reduce energy, water and waste.

In addition to their environmental and sustainability goals, Hilton support and invest in communities, by contributing to the local economy, developing a talented workforce, and fostering local relationships, that help ensure success.”

When’s The Next Event?

The next event in The SHE Show’s diary will be The SHE Show North West taking place on Tuesday 22nd November 2022, at Old Trafford, The Home of Manchester United, featuring another fantastic, dynamic line-up of speakers and presentations designed to inspire, motivate, and provide new and innovative thought patterns.

Looking beyond health and safety, The SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Show looks to cover 6 key elements that focus on people, behaviour and culture change, including;

• Overcoming Adversity and Resilience
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Behaviour and Culture Change
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Inspirational Leadership
• Legal Advice and Updates

As an established multi-disciplinary environmental, health and safety consultancy providing trusted advice and solutions for sustainable development, Environmental Health, Safety and Sustainability Unit Director Rob Molyneux, Associate Director Charlotte Sanderson, Senior Sustainability Consultant Olivia Roberts, Graduate Regulatory & Operational Compliance Consultant Rachel Twine from Delta-Simons, along with specialist EHS Consultants and colleagues from the wider Lucion Group will be exhibiting at this year’s event.

As part of the partnership, Delta-Simons have secured a 10% discount off the standard Delegate Ticket price, to take advantage of this use Promo Code DELTA10 upon checkout when booking your delegate ticket. To register visit: https://thesheshow.com/product/nw-del/

About Rob Molyneux

With 18 years operational experience in the energy and sustainability field, and a specific focus in the areas of energy auditing, carbon reporting, net-zero strategy and corporate sustainability, Rob Molyneux has provided sustainability solutions to clients across a wide variety of sectors, including construction, property, retail, leisure, industrial, aviation and agriculture.

With clear challenges in front of businesses in relation to climate change, carbon emissions and sustainability, it is an exciting time to be in this sector with the ability to help organisations to understand and mitigate the risks – and grasp the opportunities – we face as a result of climate change impacts on our businesses.

Rob commented on this year’s upcoming event saying;

“I’ve enjoyed being a part of The SHE Show at previous events, and found the exhibition to bring together a great collection of business leaders who are genuinely wanting to embrace sustainability and develop solutions for net-zero, whether in relation to their business operations, their products or their challenging and complex supply chains. 

I’m thrilled that Delta-Simons are the first Sustainability Partner for The SHE Show and we look forward to helping to accelerate the sustainability ambitions of these fantastic industry events.”

Delta-Simons Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Specialists

As a national provider with a regional presence, we work with clients from multiple sectors including; industrial, commercial and residential developers, retailers, industrial manufacturers, fund managers, institutional investors, hi-tech companies, the public sector and charitable organisations. For the past 30 years, our team has provided a holistic suite of trusted environmental services and advice, designed to mitigate risk to both people and the environment, whilst removing the pain from planning or maintaining buildings and/or assets.

Through our thought leadership activities and shared learning, as well as being a founding member of the Inogen Alliance, a global corporation of consultants that provides worldwide coverage through one point of contact for environmental, health, safety, and sustainability solutions for multinational organisations, we understand the importance of knowledge-sharing and storytelling to increase visibility and subsequent action needed to mitigate climate change and drive towards a positive future for the planet, in line with our purpose, to protect people and planet.

If you are looking to partner with an environmentally conscious, holistic environmental services supplier, get in touch with our Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability team by emailing info@deltasimons.com, or alternatively, connect with Delta-Simons’ EHSS Unit Director Rob Molyneux using the details below: 

Rob Molyneux – EHS&S Unit Director

E: rob.molyneux@deltasimons.com

M: +44 (0)7974 188 349

T: 0345 5040 303

Linkedin: Rob Molyneux

Watching the heart wrenching and deeply shocking unfolding of a war on the Eastern edge of Europe can make the Climate Crisis feel like something that has a lower relevance and importance in our thinking. Some hardened long-term environmental campaigners and experts are expressing feelings of near panic as they see the already incredibly tight window for change now being occupied by these massive political and humanitarian challenges.

However, there are others who see that there are some potential positive opportunities that could come out of this horror show.

Firstly – energy security is now seen as a matter of huge importance, where and how we get our energy from is literally a matter of life and death. If we have our own energy from renewable sources we would be less held over a barrel of oil or a pipeline of gas and have greater freedom. The price of wind or solar energy, in real terms, haven’t been affected by this war. If we look back through history how many wars and how much political power mongering are based around energy. Imagine being free of that. Double win!

Secondly – we will need to learn to be far more efficient with our energy and awareness of this will be driven by cost. There is already political and media commentary on driving in a fuel-efficient way and turning down the thermostats by one degree. Company decisions around energy efficiency of transport fleets and buildings and estates and machinery and plant suddenly have a level of financial impact that could be a real driver of change. Double win!

Thirdly – maybe when we come through this, and hopefully we will, then we will be even more invigorated to work together, to solve our biggest challenges that will still be there.

There is a danger that the Climate Crisis that we are already starting to experience, can feel so overwhelming that we switch off or are caught frozen like a rabbit in the headlights. That can be as individuals and or as companies and organisations. So here are a few thoughts to help. I’m sure many of you reading this will already have started the process and some maybe doing amazing work so excuse me if I’m teaching Grandma to suck eggs. 

1. Get outside and look around. 

Feel and connect to nature. Take some time to breath and appreciate it, value it and make a little pledge to commit. Against this background experience be aware of changes. Plants are flowering up to a month earlier. These storms feel pretty intense and frequent. According to NASA the last eight years have been the hottest on record. 

2. Read around the subject. 

Scary bits but also some solution and positive bits. Books I’ve read this winter include Jonathan Porritt’s Hope in Hell – A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency (a look at the Hell that we are heading towards but also the hope that we can have if we act), John Elkington’s Green Swans – The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism, Mark Carney’s Values – Building a Better World For All and the fictional novel around the subject Bewilderment by Richard Powers. I’ve also read some completely unrelated works to keep my spirits high and to help not feel to overwhelmed or down. 

3. If you haven’t done your own carbon footprint calculation yet then do it. 

Get a carbon analysis of your company or organisation. There are consultants out there who can help or do the whole thing. Get Scope 1 and Scope 2 done ASAP. Scope 3 will be a lot harder but you will need to do this. If this doesn’t mean anything to you then you need to get up to speed urgently as it is fast becoming business critical. This is from the Carbon Trust: “Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into three groups or ‘Scopes’ by the most widely-used international accounting tool, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by the reporting company. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain.” 

4. Get in contact with and participate in your industry or sector professional bodies and working groups on climate change, CO2 and sustainability as well. 

There are some great examples such as the construction sector. The UKGBC (Green Building Council) Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap which sets out a way forward for sector whose emissions account for 38% of all global CO2 and just think we all live in, and most of us work in, buildings. If you or your company are about to build then don’t build what could well become a stranded asset. 

5. Talk to your colleagues and friends. 

We need everyone to be involved if we are going to rise to this challenge. Normalise it and get acceptance. 

6. Get outside again, recharge those batteries and go again! 

7. And repeat! 

Written by Chris Hines MBE

---

If you want to hear more from Chris Hines MBE he will be speaking at our next event The SHE Show South, 21st June 2022, DoubleTree by Hilton, MK Dons Stadium, Milton Keynes.

---

Chris Hines MBE, A Grain of Sand

Chris has been working and campaigning for the environment for 30 years and revels in inspiring positive change. He was a Co-founder and then Director of Surfers Against Sewage from 1990 till 2000. Regarded as “some of the Government’s most sophisticated environmental critics” by the BBC and “Britain’s coolest pressure group.” By the Independent, the SAS helped deliver massive environmental improvements. Chris was then Sustainability Director at the Eden Project for 5 years. This included conceiving and delivering “Waste Neutral”, an early version of the circular economy and helping embed the triple bottom line of sustainable business practice throughout the organisation. He’s been campaigning against ocean plastics since 1990! He’s given evidence to the UK parliament, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, the European Commission, briefed the President of the European Parliament, been a special advisor to the Minister for the Environment and appeared on a wide range of media from BBC World Service and Panorama to CNN. In 2008 he was awarded an MBE for “services to the environment” in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Plymouth. Surfers Path Inaugural Green Wave Award winner (a global award). 

---

Please note, the views expressed by the original article author are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of Washingtondowling Associates Ltd or The SHE Show and therefore we take no responsibility for the content or accuracy of this post.  

The SHE Show Thrash Out: Sustainability and Social Value – People, Planet, Purpose, Profit

Wednesday 23rd June 2021, 10:00am – 11:00am