1. Moving the tanker…
…Of systemic change 1. There wasn’t a single Summit session that didn’t talk about the scale of the environmental challenge facing the earth. The Undercover Activist approach is to make us all small ‘a’ activists; for change from within. “Employees need to call out the bulls**t and say there are some things that just don’t work anymore and we’re failing to deliver if we keep on doing this business as usual,” says Tessa Wernink. “Social entrepreneurship is disrupting in some ways but they’re not accelerating.” Listen to the What if we get it right? podcast to hear more.
2. Moving the tanker…
…Of systemic change 2. Legal charity Client Earth is one of a growing number of organisations acting in defence of the earth, by ensuring organisations comply with the law and advocating for better legal protections. Watch Client Earth CEO, Laura Clarke, run through some of the cases they’re working on.
3. Bringing denim back to Cardigan
Jeans made to order, made in Wales, repaired for free. Fashion is having to reinvent itself. A big part of that is a revival of what once was. “4,000 good people. 400 of them used to make jeans…That’s all folks.” Inside the Hiut Jeans factory
4. Seeing the whole story
Some of the companies that made it to the final round of investor pitching at the Summit had full visibility on what customers are buying at the heart of their business model. From personally dragging ghost nets off the beach to turn into glasses, to dividing up renewable energy developments into individual slices for consumer ownership, and direct renewables benefit.
5. New category of media?
Waterbear is creating a new media format that’s hoping to galvanise the streaming generation. CEO Sam Sutaria told the Summit that his company wanted to “break the paradigm of going in somewhere, filming something and getting out”. It captured the imagination of the audience as Waterbear scooped the JCDecaux People’s Choice award, receiving a sizeable display advertising budget to compete with the sizeable streaming rivals.
6. Access to activity
Most of us here like to stick the trainers on and go for a run, but that’s not true of everyone. The perspective they run with at LHG Running Club is open, supportive and relaxed – to help people overcome some of the hurdles to the start line.
There’s a significant founder population at the Summit. One successful founder, Tamara Hill-Norton of activewear brand Sweaty Betty is now chair of independent charity the Sweaty Betty Foundation: on a mission to “empower women and girls from every background to get active, and stay active, for life.”
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Find out more about our trip to Blue Earth Summit 2023 and why conversations like these matter to us.
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