The Conscious Rising

In this newly released episode, get to know Melissa Garvey who is the Global Director of Nature Bonds from The Nature Conservancy. She is a leader driven by her sheer passion to conserve ocean ecosystems. Her lawyer-turned-conservationist journey bears testimony to her resolve and innovative approach, from developing conservation strategies to protect and restore the ocean's most vital ecosystems to pioneering the concept of blue bonds for ocean conservation.  If you never heard of what a blue bond is and want to learn how to play a role to invest in ocean sustainability, listen to this episode. Episode Timestamps: (00:00) - Introduction (01:50) - Melissa's Background and Passion for Ocean Conservation (03:39) - The role of oceans in climate change (06:48) - Protecting and restoring coastal wetlands and mangroves(08:57) - Carbon credits and the integrity of market mechanisms (13:45) - The Nature Conservancy's approach (14:24) - Conservation efforts in the Solomon Islands (15:56) - Enforcing marine reserves (18:15) - Using technology to protect our oceans(20:46) - Citizen science and community engagement (27:16) - The opportunity of blue bonds (28:21) - Designing protected Areas (29:31) - Success stories protecting our oceans(32:20) - Emerging Finance Tools (35:16) - Finding hope in nature and people (40:47) - Exploring other areas and protecting our planet (41:15) - The adventure of going to space (41:46) - Super reefs and climate resilience (43:25) - Insurance policies for reefs (47:03) - Treating the ocean as a legal entity (54:38) - Layering Solutions for coral reefs (55:10) - Global commitments (55:30) - Excitement for the Future (55:41) - Contacting The Nature Conservancy(56:03) - Closing remarks and call to action Our Future Nature is powered by ⁠Awethentic Studio and  ⁠Green Is The New Black.⁠

Can you imagine a world without glaciers? Craig Leeson, an award-winning filmmaker, passionate climate advocate and intrepid entrepreneur, joins us today to illuminate some crucial truths about the environmental crisis we are facing. Born and raised amidst the wild beauty of Tasmania, profound connections to nature were woven into the fabric of his life from an early age. Heeding the call to share this connection and the critical realities of our world, Craig founded his production company, Ocean Vista Films. His cinematic work includes significant pieces like the highly impactful A Plastic Ocean, which unveils the devastating environmental impacts of plastic pollution. In this episode, we delve into his latest gripping documentary, The Last Glaciers, where Craig courageously braves the heights, literally, to spotlight the dire urgency of climate change on our glaciers. Timestamped summary of this episode: (00:00) - Introduction (02:28) - Craig Leeson's return to Hong Kong after a year due to the pandemic. (04:13) - Filming The Last Glaciers(09:46) - Understanding Climate Change, (13:43) - Conquering Fear(14:55) - The Impact of Glaciers Melting(19:07) - Global Consequences(20:33) - Supercharged Weather Events(24:26) - The Need for Systemic Change(28:40) - The importance of educating children about our connection to nature(29:32) - Indigenous wisdom and the need for cultural change(30:09) - The flawed economic model and the need for resource replenishment(30:28) - The missed opportunity of the COVID pandemic(31:19) - Exploring the third way for sustainable growth(43:47) - The Plastics Industry's Responsibility(45:15) - Lawsuits as a solution?(49:01) - The Urgency of Climate Action(52:24) - The Power of Film(58:22) - Making Organic Food Accessible, (01:02:03) - Advice to filmmakers

In this episode, Sean Lee-Davies speaks to Franziska Trautmann, otherwise known as ‘@ecofran’ or ‘the sand girl’ on TikTok, about her viral efforts to recycle glass into sand through her company, Glass Half Full. The duo discuss why glass is better than plastic, whether TikTok is a viable medium for change and tips for other young social entrepreneurs. As seniors at Tulane University, Trautmann and her co-founder Max Steitz were disappointed by the lack of glass recycling in New Orleans, so they decided to do something about it. Rather than tackle the current system, the duo implemented their own grassroots glass recycling program, calling it Glass Half Full. Glass Half Full is a social enterprise which recycles glass, turning it into sand and gravel for disaster relief sandbags, coastal restoration and eco-construction, amongst other products. The key moments in this episode are: (00:00) - Introducing Glass Half Full and Its Mission (01:05) - How Glass Sand Can Replace Natural Sand (02:57) - The Business Model of Glass Half Full (07:27) - The Need for Glass Sand and Climate Crisis Impact (09:43) - Scaling Glass Recycling and Coastal Restoration (15:42) - Impact of Coastal Restoration Projects (16:33) - Funding Needs for Expansion (17:27) - Environmental Impact of Sand Extraction (19:13) - Glass vs. Plastic Debate (27:22) - Influence of TikTok for Environmental Change (30:59) - Contrasting Social Media Platforms (31:22) - Misinformation (33:26) - Individual Action and Community Building (43:15) - Social Media's Role in Global News Coverage (47:11) - Shifting Corporate Mindset (49:10) - Leading by Example (51:35) - Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

“Conservation used to be about better fences, now it’s about better relationships and I think that is what is going to swing it around. That is where the hope lies” - Peter Allison In this episode, Sean Lee-Davies speaks to renowned safari guide, best-selling author, and conservationist Peter Allison, about everything from the misogyny and colonialism that runs rampant in the wildlife industry to the importance of running sustainable safaris that align with conservation targets in the region. Though he’s dedicated his entire career towards conservation, Allison actually grew up far away from wildlife in Sydney, where the most interesting species he saw was a parrot. By aged 19, he packed his bags and moved to Africa to start his career as a safari guide, and has since gone on to author three books about his experiences. Allison also recently co-founded green safari company, Natural Selection.

“Out of all the businesses that I’ve set up in the last 20 years of being an entrepreneur, fundraising [for] a climate change movie has probably been one of the toughest things I’ve had to do.” – Malcolm Wood An avid adventurer, athlete and well-known entrepreneur, Malcolm Wood is the founder of award winning hospitality group, Maximal Concepts. He is also making waves in the filmmaking space, and was involved in a number of successful film projects such as A Plastic Ocean, which was described by Sir David Attenborough as “the most important film of our time”. In this podcast episode, Wood speaks to Sean Lee-Davies about his career and the lengths he has gone to raise awareness about environmental issues. The duo discusses what we can do on an individual and societal level to reduce our carbon emissions as well as steps Wood has taken to become a sustainable entrepreneur.

“I have woken up to realise that we only have one home and that’s our Earth mother—planet Earth, and I have that awareness that I need to dedicate my life to raising awareness about this fundamental intrinsic inherent truth.” – Bobsy Gaia Bobsy Gaia is known as a renowned eco-entrepreneur in Hong Kong, founding multiple vegan plant-based restaurants around the city and assisting in planting thousands of trees on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. But serial entrepreneur Gaia shares that his first-ever business venture was actually a Beirut-based fashion company. That all changed when a buyer asked Gaia if his products were eco-friendly. He describes it as his eureka moment that spurred him to change course into creating eco-friendly fashion and later, eco-friendly food. In this podcast episode, Gaia speaks to Sean Lee-Davies about the plant-based journey and how he started his campaign ‘diet change, not climate change’ to emphasize to people that we need to ‘save the human’ by reducing our consumption of meat and dairy for the sake of ourselves and others.

“One way of looking at it is 10 years from now these jobs are going to be gone [because of AI] but another way of looking at it is there will be jobs that I can do that haven’t even been invented and some of them are going to be really interesting and awesome jobs, particularly if you’re focused on the creative side of ‘what makes a job worth doing.” – Bill Burnett Growing up with a love for drawing cars and aeroplanes, Bill Burnett describes his happiness upon discovering that there were people who did that for a living—designers. Now, Burnett is continuing to live out his passion for drawing and building things while serving as the executive director of the Stanford University Design Program and co-author of the NYT bestselling book, Designing Your Life. In this podcast episode, Burnett speaks to Sean Lee-Davies about the power of designing your own life. He delves into how to design your dream job through a process of actively seeking and co-creating it as well as the importance of curiosity—and how to access it.

“We eradicate marketing, we eradicate advertising, we eradicate sponsoring, we eradicate partnerships with celebrities, basketball players, soccer players, baseball players. And all of these resources that aren’t used are put into production [costs]. We produce sneakers that cost 3 to 5 times more than it would if we made them with poor, raw materials in factories that don’t respect workers’ lives. Our sneakers land on the market at the same price as the other big brands because we don’t do marketing.” “Good projects take time. You don’t have to build a brand in 1-2 years and switch to another one.” – Sébastien Kopp Sold in more than 40 countries and stocked in the likes of Net-a-Porter and Printemps, sustainable sneaker brand VEJA is gaining international acclaim for its revolutionary business model that prioritizes a safe and sustainable production chain while maintaining profitability. Founded by Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion, the brand manufactures its products in Brazil, and the shoes are made of organic cotton, wild rubber, and recycled polyester fabrics. They have purchased more than 200 tonnes of wild rubber from the Amazon rainforest, which has resulted in the preservation of approximately 90,000 acres of rainforest. In this podcast, Kopp speaks to Sean Lee-Davies about how he and his co-founder make VEJA sneakers profitable despite costing 3 to 5 times more to create compared to the average sneaker because of VEJA’s transparent supply chain and cost of sustainable materials.

“The key thing is to make sure that [in fashion] things are used more than once and for more than one season.” – Adam Raby The founder of Māzú Resortwear, Adam Raby keeps sustainability at the core of his business. The brand incorporates recycled plastic into its products with the goal of transitioning its entire range to recycled plastic by 2026. It also donates proceeds to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society. Raby credits his lifelong love for the ocean and its conservation to his family history—his father was an avid sailor and his grandfather served in the navy. The brand also pays homage to Hong Kong’s rich maritime history through its designs, blending traditional Chinese accents and colours with local motifs and modern designs. Here, Raby talks to Sean Lee-Davies about his responsibility to make sustainable choices while working in the fashion industry, as well as what’s next for Māzú Resortwear—namely, the rise of multi-purpose garments, which can help lower fashion wastage and ensure that garments are used for more than just one season.

“Children all over the world are fighting for their futures. It breaks my heart that our leaders aren’t capable of leading, that children have to fight for their own future because we are the first generation to know how our actions directly impact the planet and how these corporations are segregating all of our last remaining wild places out there.” – Katrina Razon Founder of KSR Ventures, Katrina Razon’s investments has a focus on early-stage companies who are solving social and/or environmental challenges. Her company has invested in a number of companies including fashion brand Dear Frances, who prioritises slow and sustainable practices as well as a sustainable water company that provides clean water at below market value to coastal communities in the Philippines. She believes that positive impact can only be accomplished through a team of visionaries who are more driven by empathy for those suffering the problem than a passion for the solution. “I think that in order to affect and change the collective consciousness you need to go into the businesses themselves and demand that they align themselves with sustainable development goals for instance,” Razon says. In this podcast episode, Razon speaks to Sean Lee-Davies about how she hopes to fight for a more positive future through her investment work as well as her avid love for music as a powerful storytelling medium.