January 23, 2024 • 45 mins
Embrace a life where every choice is a step towards sustainability with Shila Wattamwar, a beacon in the realm of eco-conscious living. Our conversation with Shila, a former financial strategist turned sustainability advocate, proves that passion can forge pathways to meaningful work, encouraging us all to thread sustainability through the tapestry of our daily routines. Discover how you can start with the passions that stir your soul and watch them bloom into a legacy of ecological mindfulness and social equity.
Shila sheds light on the significance of informed consumption, urging us to consider the ESG scores that reveal the hidden impacts of our favorite brands. Through SustainableMeToday, she simplifies the jargon-laden world of eco-friendliness, offering perspectives as youthful as a 12-year-old's podcast on the subject. The insights gained here remind us that sustainability isn't singularly an environmental pursuit, but a multifaceted endeavor that intertwines with economic growth and societal advancement, particularly as we nurture burgeoning businesses in this vital sector.
Our episode culminates with the harmonization of personal wellness and environmental responsibility. Together we explore the emotional odyssey of creative endeavors, such as writing a book, while weaving in sustainable practices that resonate with our family values, like the humble switch from paper to cloth napkins. This conversation offers a reflection on the mantra 'this is happening,' inspiring us to live with intention, teach our children the ethos of environmental care, and embody the change we hope to see, ensuring that every meal we eat and every example we set reverberates with the spirit of sustainability.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, I'm Sheila Waddemoir and I hope when you
look back on your life, you hadthe opportunity to appreciate
all the good you had in yourlife, because you only go once.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello, hello, hello everyone.
Welcome back to you.
Only Go Once podcast.
I am joined by my fantasticalco-host, eileen Grimes, and
we're here today to explorestories around the limited time
we have on this earth to createa fully layered life.
We have a fantastic guest today, eileen.
Kick us off.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thanks, cheryl, and, as always, so nice to see you.
Not that anyone else can rightnow, it's just us on the audio
but, yes, we have an amazingguest tonight.
So Sheila is a proven leader insustainability and strategy.
She's the founder of RadiantGlobal Advisory, an advisory
firm that works with companiesto accelerate the sustainability
journey, as well as SustainableMe, a platform that helps
(00:57):
people understand sustainabilityin the context of their
everyday lives.
Finally, she sits on the boardfor Chefs for Impact.
It's on the Fast Company ImpactCouncil, as on the Fast Impact
Company Council, is an activemember of GoldHouseorg.
Sheila is committed to workingwith companies in the impact
space by helping them grow theirsolution and amplifying their
(01:18):
impact.
I have to say we had alreadystarted a conversation before
this.
I'm actually very excited,sheila, to have you here and,
first and foremost, welcome,welcome, welcome.
We are so glad to have you.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Thank you.
So excited to have thisconversation, eileen and Cheryl.
I always love to thank peoplefor shining a light on
sustainability, because it'sjust so important and it's a
topic that many people don'treally understand.
So, yeah, thank you for takingthe time.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Absolutely so.
Well, I mean, let's just diveinto it then.
So what does sustainabilitythen mean to you?
Right, there can be it's apretty wide range of things,
right, and what that can mean.
What is your definition andsort of?
Where is your focus in thesustainability space?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I love that you called out thatit's a wide range of things,
because it really is.
I think initially people kind oflooked at this ideal of
sustainability as good or bad sodoing something good or doing
something bad, or a companydoing creating something good or
something bad and, like mostconcepts, as it's evolved, as
(02:29):
it's matured, it really hasbecome a more umbrella term.
It's broad and underneath thatthere are so many different
concepts and different themesand most of them do fall under
kind of the themes ofenvironmental sustainability and
social sustainability.
(02:50):
So you think, climate change andreduction of fossil fuels and
biodiversity, and a lot ofpeople really focus and strive
to sustain those areas.
But under the S side, under thesocial side, there's also a
number of areas such as equality, raising diversities and even
(03:10):
in diversity there'ssocioeconomic diversity and
gender diversity and racialdiversity that we want to create
equality and inclusion around,and so there's so many things
packed under there and I thinkthe one thing I always say to
everyone is to kind of getstarted thinking about
sustainability or how theythemselves want to be more
(03:31):
sustainable is actually not totry to capture it all because it
becomes overwhelming and hard,but it is to really find those
areas that are most important toyou, that kind of resonate with
your values and your ideals.
Start there and I think it'llget the ball rolling.
You'll start respecting moreconcepts and more people and
(03:54):
this world and eventually you'llstart really kind of
formulating your own definitionunder that broader umbrella.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Oh, I love that idea to have your own definition
around what sustainability meansto you.
I've never thought about itthat way, but it really is
incredibly helpful and, likeyou're saying, it's like telling
someone to go work out or gethealthy.
Okay, I'm going to go to thisgym and I'm going to eat all of
these foods and learn how tocook all of this.
(04:23):
If you're not passionate aboutit, if it's not like a food that
you enjoy, or if it's not atype of exercise you like, I
guarantee it's not going tostick.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah, and that concept of sort of having your
own version and definition ofwhat sustainability means to you
.
My mom's a beekeeper and we'vehad her on the podcast before
and so that's one of those sortof pieces.
For me is like increasingbiodiversity and all of those
kind of things and that side.
So I also love the social side.
(04:57):
I guess I didn't put two andtwo together.
That sustainability is.
The social side ofsustainability is a piece of
that as well.
I'm highly passionate and do alot of work in that space.
Just didn't necessarily bringthe two of those together.
So I appreciate you helping mefind that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Yeah, no, look, it's like we want to sustain a world
that is environmentally soundand socially just, and so maybe
that's my definition, but I dothink that those are all
important things as we kind ofstrive for a better world.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For sure.
I don't know.
I've had this conversation.
I have my background ineducation and part of the
emphasis on that was in socialjustice, and so thinking about
the sustainability of humanityis in all of those right, it is
in inclusion, it is in belongingand diversity and all of those
pieces too.
So I just I do really like that.
(05:55):
You helped me put that together, cheryl.
I saw you were jumping off.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
This is such a fascinating broad Topic, right
and again, I I didn't.
I also did not put together thesocial element, and I and I
work in the DNIB space, soawesome.
So how did this start for you?
I mean, were you like age seven, going like, yep, I'm gonna go
(06:21):
save the planet?
How did this all?
How did this all start for you?
Because it's it to me it'sfascinating that you started in
like financial services,focusing on investments for
sustainability.
So could you just kind of walkus through that, like how this
became a passion for you.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Yeah, I wish I could tell that story where you know I
was.
I was trying to save the worldfrom age seven, but no, I was.
I was causing like terror formy parents instead of instead of
that.
So, you know, when I was infinancial services, you know I
worked for an index company andyou know, not not to make this
(07:04):
too boring, but you know, wasworking with a pension plan, a
public pension plan, who wantedto, you know, essentially poor
millions of dollars into aSustainable strategy or an
investment strategy thatcaptured companies that were
doing well, that were helpingreduce waste and create
(07:28):
alternative energies and, youknow, conserve water.
That was kind of the thesis ofthat strategy.
And I thought, wow, you know, Iwonder why they're pouring
millions of dollars into that.
And so, you know, fast forward,a couple years later, you know,
I started looking into it.
I said, well, you know what,there's some real merit here.
It's, of course, great for theworld, but also, you know, it's
(07:51):
probably it's a good investmentchoice From a performance
standpoint, because you know, alot of these companies are
really preparing themselves forthe next future, that that this
world is going to become, and sointeresting, yeah, and so when
I, when I, after I had my secondson, I thought to myself well,
(08:12):
you know what I, if I go back towork, I really wanted to matter
, you know it's.
I wanted to do something thatreally supported the the world
for my kids, and so I went backinto sustainability now.
I went back to work, to work insustainability.
Now my background was infinancial services, so I kind of
married the two Pieces and Iwent to work for a company that
(08:36):
actually rated companies, largepublicly traded companies, on
their environmental and socialinitiatives and then sold that
research and data to investors,large institutional investors,
so that they could include thatin their investment thesis and
so they could say, well, is thiscompany well positioned for
that future, for any taxation,for fines, for, you know, for
(09:00):
Changes in consumer demand?
That's kind of the way welooked at it as well as okay,
how are they impacting the world.
So we sold this to investorsand that's how I got a real,
real close look at how investorswere thinking about this and in
fact, I sat on the executiveteam of that company and we grew
(09:21):
it from about a hundred peoplewhen I joined, hundred fifty
people Maybe globally, to aboutthree thousand people as I left,
and so that rapid growth overeight years was a real testament
to, yes, of course, ourbusiness.
I'm pretty proud of that, butalso because of the market.
I mean the market was startingto embrace this idea of
(09:42):
sustainability and investorswere starting to Use it more and
more in their investment thesis.
They were Reporting out on itmore and more.
We saw retail investors, peoplelike us who put money in their
kind of 401k start talking aboutit and again that that in
Bracing of it from thatinvestment side, really kind of
(10:04):
Grew grew the market, butcertainly my interest as well.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I can imagine that's so it's really interesting.
I've never thought about that,but right, if you are being so
intentional about what it lookslike to go into the future from
that sustainability point ofview, you probably have a pretty
good long-term vision, a prettygood strategy for being able to
get to that point and reallythat forward thinking mentality
that is going to increase yourlongevity as a business.
(10:31):
And I just that's.
I Think the financial side ofthings is just so fascinating
and some of the, the forecastingand understanding, all that I
don't know much about it.
I have a major in math but Istill don't know that much about
it and I'm fascinated everytime I learn just a little bit
more.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
So and look, it's double materiality.
It's, you know, yes, these E&Sinitiatives Help a company in
the way we just talked about,like positioning itself for
long-term growth and profits,yeah, but the other, the second
materiality, is the materialityfor Society, for communities.
Right, absolutely.
(11:06):
And so I think, bringing thatin and I have to say Europe is a
little bit further down theline in embracing this concept
of kind of thinking about thatinvestment Holistically under
that lens of double materiality,then maybe the US, but you know
, we're getting there.
We've come leaps and boundscompared to where we were about
10 years ago, and I think that's, you know, I think that's a
(11:26):
really nice way of looking at.
Let's save this world and, youknow, make sure that we're
contributing to a sustainableeconomy as well.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
As someone who might be sorry, cheryl, let you go on
next.
No, it's someone who might beinterested in Learning about the
different companies that arereally putting this first and
foremost on their, their map andtheir priority list.
Where are places that you can,as an informed consumer, what is
a great way to find thosecompanies and those
(11:56):
organizations that are doingthis really well?
One to be able to continue tosupport those organizations that
are right.
If there's places that are thatare doing this and I want to be
someone who is Buying or, youknow, taking part in in an
organization that's deliveringgoods or services when is
somewhere that I can find thatinformation?
Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Um, it's a part of it is just being a conscious
consumer and Looking at thecompanies, learning a little bit
about the companies that we'rebuying from.
You know, we live in a culturewhere we're just real consumers
and we're consuming a lot, andso sometimes we do that at such
(12:39):
a fast pace that we don't getthe time to really sit down and
think about what we're buying,why we need it and where we're
buying from.
So if you can slow down thatpace of consumerism to some
extent, I think we can really bea little bit more thoughtful
about that.
But oh as well, there's lots ofplaces, like even my old
company, sustainal LinuxMorningstar.
They post kind of their dataand ratings right on their
(12:59):
website.
You know not, it's not likeevery consumer is going on there
, but if someone what really didwant to know, they could go on
there, look up a Company,especially if it's one of the
larger companies, and see, well,how are they doing on their ES
and G score, environmental,social governance score, to get
an idea of you know how this onecompany is doing versus another
(13:20):
.
I think you can find thosethings on, like Yahoo Finance
and Maybe even Google and I'mnot sure where it's kind of
expanded, but there are.
There are absolutely sourceseven when you're investing like,
like I said, you People like uswho are investing in mutual
funds, maybe versus individualstocks.
(13:42):
Most of the brokerage housesnow have some type of
transparency around theirsustainability score of each of
the mutual funds.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, I think that's fascinating.
So, again, it just gives memore places and things to look
for, because for me it was likeshopping for organic or like
gosh.
You look at eggs and it's like,okay, there's organic, there's
good free range, there's likegrass fed which one's the right
(14:13):
one or which one am I supposedto understand or know?
And just being able to educatemyself more in that space is
really really helpful.
So I appreciate that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And maybe I should also say that I actually run a
website myself calledsustainablemetoday and what it's
meant to do, because, again, Iknow that this is a really
overwhelming topic and it's alot.
So what I try to do on thewebsite is actually bring these
ideals of sustainability andeven some you know examples of
(14:49):
stores they're really examplesjust of companies and brands and
stores that allow you to bemore sustainable in the everyday
pillars of your life.
So what you eat, what you wear,the makeup you wear, the
produce that you buy, it's justkind of bringing that right to
(15:09):
you and demystifying it.
And in fact, I even have my 12year old son in this little
venture with me where aboutevery two weeks, he does a
podcast where he presents atopic of sustainability and
tries to demystify it at hiskind of comprehension level in
(15:30):
less than five minutes.
So we talk about things likethe ozone layer, mushrooms, the
sustainability of mushrooms,plastic bags versus cloth bags.
You know those things that wehear about in our everyday life,
that they, even at that age,hear about in their everyday
life.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah.
So that was going to be thequestion that I asked you,
because I was looking at yourwebsite as you were chatting and
I was like, oh, this is great.
You have kids contributors andI love that.
Not only are youcontextualizing for the grownups
, but you're also empowering thenext generation to kind of
(16:07):
learn more and have themunderstand what this means and
how they can contribute to thesustainability.
I just I think that's it, it'sgreat, and I love that he has a
podcast.
So I love that you and you doit in a way that it's digestible
and like five minute topics,and so that's just, that's great
(16:28):
.
When you made the switch intothis right, looking looking at
this, when did you know that youhad something like what was
your like?
What was your first?
Yeah, this is.
This has teeth.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I'm going to run into it.
How does that?
How did that work for you?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I recently, a few months ago, made a bit of a
switch.
So it's still within the realmof sustainability, but I made
the switch from large corporateinto my own venture and I just
thought that that was.
It just felt right because,again, we were working with
(17:05):
investors and with companiesthat were large, which is great
and it's really important, butat the same time, equally, we
needed to focus.
I think there needs to be moreof a focus on the smaller
companies that are actuallycreating the innovations in
sustainability, as well as theconsumers.
And that's why I kind ofswitched, because I thought,
(17:29):
well, look, no one's, you knowagain, no one's, not nobody.
I should say that there, this isan area, especially these small
venture backed companies.
They're the ones that need thesupport to be able to grow and
scale their solutions so thatthey're not just a niche, so
that they can actually scale andtheir product can be at a price
(17:50):
point where it's accessible topeople, so that they get.
They can get to a point forwhen they are acquired by a
larger company, they're wellpositioned to carry on their
product.
And so that was kind of theswitch, and speaking to a lot of
companies of that nature smallcompanies.
(18:10):
I can see that they have somuch passion they know their
product really well, butsometimes you know they're so
focused on that product thatthey don't have the time or the
background on the business side.
And so you know where I'mhelping them do is actually grow
their business so that they canfocus on their product a little
(18:30):
bit more.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, and the thing that I also find interesting
about that is that I thinksometimes when you bring up the
words not you, you, but genericyou bring up the word
sustainability and things likethat there are some people that
just view that as tree huggingor whatnot.
I'm trying to put thisdelicately.
I love that you put thebusiness impact as well as the
(18:56):
social and environmental impactinto your message and you help
people forward in that too,because, as you said, people
have passion and they want to goand run and sometimes the
passion might get away from themand you still have to meet the
needs of investors andinnovators that come through.
I'm going to switch gears alittle bit because I am very
interested in hearing more aboutyour board role on chefs for
(19:20):
impact and that.
So I like to eat quite a bit.
I love this and you've got onyour website that this are.
On the chefs for impact websiteit says educating children and
adults on the environmental andpersonal impacts of sustainable
eating.
Can you talk a little bit aboutsustainable eating and what
that means?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, I mean sustainable eating is really
making sure that we're eatingfresh, good foods that are local
.
Local for a couple of reasonsLocal one because we're reducing
the emissions that come fromsupply chain and transportation
of food from far away places.
But also local because when youeat local you're also helping
(20:07):
the soil and biodiversity ofthose locations, so that's part
of it.
It's also meant to, just from awellness standpoint, provide
kids especially with theeducation around eating healthy,
fresh food, and so that's whatthe ideal is around
sustainability.
(20:27):
It gets pretty specific.
There's a whole curriculum thatthe program teaches children in
either the New York City publicschool system or community
system.
That goes into like the beautyof mushrooms and composting with
mushrooms and how to takecertain food waste and upcycle
(20:48):
them and recycle them andcompost them.
So it really does teach themabout all aspects of how to
respect food and make sure thatthey're eating in a way that's
most responsible for both theenvironment and for themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
I love that.
When I was living out inPhiladelphia, I was a member of
the board of the PhiladelphiaOrchard Project, also
affectionately known as POP, andso they would build with the
community and their support.
Right, they would take thesejust lots that were abandoned or
(21:24):
whatever and nothing washappening in them and build
these orchards within that space, and then the community was
also educated on how to sustainthem and how you have to do all
of the entire year of care forthese orchards that will then
also bring in fresh food andthings like that throughout.
(21:46):
So it was just a reallyinteresting and amazing cycle of
this and the education piecethat needs to go into it.
So I love that there's even anadditional piece that you're
taking in with the schools andeverything like that too.
So all of these spaces andinitiatives are fantastic, and
I'm trying my hand at somevertical gardening and things
(22:07):
like that.
So there's, I think you can see, behind me.
I like plants a lot, but, yeah,learning some of that, I think,
in permaculture and some ofthose things too, is a lot of
fun to see that you don't haveto have a ton of space either,
even if you are starting yourown journey into even growing it
(22:29):
yourself right.
There are possibilities even insome of the smallest spaces.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, absolutely, and I think something that you said
just now was really importantit's feeling a connection to
that, because it reinforces alot of the action that most
people know that they shouldtake, and most people know they
should recycle or try to reusethings, but sometimes feeling
(22:56):
the connection to it througheither the education or through
doing it with people, makes itmore tangible.
It gives them an instantgratification and I think it
reinforces that action as well.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Definitely.
And, like you said, with whatyou're doing too, I think
there's a when you add in theconnection, but also the human
connection of community spaces.
Doing this with other peopleand learning about it with
others and developing that senseof community and that social
support structure with it tooadds into that sort of wanting
(23:29):
to continue to do that work.
It's like, okay, now I knowother people that are doing this
, this is something we have incommon now and I can keep
building on that.
I think that's just, it reallyis a key component.
I mean, we're humans, we'resocial creatures, so it's all a
piece of that too.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, yeah absolutely .
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, no, I know, and this actually and I want to
thank you for this conversation,especially about this is going
to be a complete weird tangent.
But just stick with me is thatI finally understand now why
mushrooms are having theirRenaissance moment, because
everybody's talking about them.
Like you've got top chefs whoare using oyster mushrooms to
(24:07):
make vegan fried chicken.
You've got people that willforage for mushrooms and make
all different sorts of thingsand build it into the soy.
So just from what I've seen onsocial media, I'm like what is
this obsession all of a suddenwith mushrooms?
This makes so much more sense.
(24:29):
So thank you for sharing that.
And also, mushrooms are just, Ifeel, like they can grow in all
different environments, whichalso makes it such a sustainable
crop.
I also live not too far from atown called Kennett Square,
which is they're known formushrooms.
(24:50):
All year round, they have amushroom festival.
They're very much into themushroom scene, so I might need
to go visit there at some pointand understand what their
practices are and stuff likethat.
So this has been.
Thank you for educating me onthis, because I thought it's
been going on for a while now.
I see a whole bunch of peoplegoing like, oh, I found the most
(25:11):
interesting mushrooms.
I'm like, all right, good foryou, but now I know it is good
for them because they're usingit for good things.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Cheryl, I have to just sorry, I have to just
quickly introduce or interruptand ask you one more question Do
you know what my celium is?
No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'mjust going to add two persons to
that education.
So mycelium is actually theplant that grows underground
(25:41):
that mushrooms fruit off of.
So they're an actual fruit ofthis plant called mycelium, and
while mushrooms are fantasticand amazing and have so much
kind of sustainable power tothem, the mycelium the actual
plant is something that you'llhave to look up and you'll have
to have another conversationabout later because they true.
(26:04):
It truly is a wondrous plantthat contributes to sustainable
fashion and sustainableconstruction and all sorts of
things.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Oh good, it's going to be another internet rabbit
hole for me.
This is very exciting.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yes, it is, and you'll get to learn.
So I'm actually I'm taking apsychedelic practitioners course
right now, so that's the wholething.
It's a whole year long pieceAlso learned about how it was
all.
They were all pieces of therooting system before plants,
prior to plants having roots, sothere's a lot of really cool
(26:43):
stuff about like how importantthe fungi system has been to the
evolution of the world actuallyreally.
So it's very, very cool,learned out, if you will please.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
I will.
I learned something new everytime I get on these things, so
that's great.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
So anyway, that was that.
Yeah, that was all right.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, I don't know.
I you know I went down a rabbithole with the whole mushroom
thing, so that's great.
Now, how did you get involvedwith Chefs for Impact?
I know you're a board member,but are you?
So I didn't get that far.
Are you a founding member ofChefs for Impact, are you?
You know?
Did you?
Did you make a connection pointwith somebody there, like, how
(27:28):
did that all come about?
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Yeah Well, if you're asking if I'm a chef, I'm not.
I love cooking.
Okay, I'm certainly not a chef,I had connected with the
managing director or thedirector, who's Theodore Afantes
, and you know we just hit itoff.
And because I came from asustainability side that was so
different from the restaurantindustry or the chef industry,
(27:53):
you know, she thought it'd bereally additive to have a new
perspective on the board.
And so I sit on the board, Iwork very closely with her.
She's obviously operating andexecution, but we work quite
together to kind of talk aboutthe directions of the
organization.
I mean, you know as much as wedo with the schools and the
community.
(28:14):
Why it's called chefs for impactis it because it brings
together a whole community andecosystem of chefs that teach
the school but also put on thesefantastic events food and wine
events around New York City toraise funds for that school and
community initiative, and so itgives the opportunity for chefs
(28:35):
themselves to participate, showoff their work and really learn
about how to be more sustainablein their practice as well.
So you know it's kind of atwofold, but no, I've had the
luxury of tasting a lot of thegreat chef foods, but no, I'm
not myself a chef.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
All right.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
I mean that sounds like a pretty amazing spot to be
in.
I'm not going to lie, right,yeah.
Yeah, I mean that space too,just thinking about us actually
having conversation this weekendin terms of food waste and all
of those kinds of things.
So you know, from a being inthat in the food industry and
the, you know, in the restaurantspace and things like that,
(29:15):
there's got to be a lot ofconversations that happen around
the sustainability side ofthings.
Right, what happens at the endof the night?
Where does stuff go?
Because you know, obviouslythere's also health
considerations with anything.
But then how do you, how do yourun something that's
sustainable from thatperspective as well when you
have any kind of food industryor in the food industry space?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
You know, I think it's community giving, it's
using all parts of the food.
You know, here's a little funactivity that I had read about
is like when you're finishedwith the banana, you could use
the peel you could soak.
If you soak the peel in water,you know that water becomes very
fully full of nutrients thatcan then be used to plant water
(30:02):
your plants for an extraadditive, a lot of nutrients.
So you know, just a quickexample of ways to upcycle or
ways to kind of further theability of reducing food and
reducing waste.
But you know again, it's aboutalso just being mindful of, you
know, just not reducing as muchwaste and being in composting
(30:26):
and again using all parts ofthat food.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
I use my coffee grounds and my plants, so I'll
put those.
Yeah, I'll put those in therewhen I'm done having my cup of
or having my pot of coffee.
For the day I don't have awhole pot of coffee.
That sounded really bad.
But when I'm done, after Ibrewed some coffee, what I have
left of my grounds I use in myplants.
We'll just leave it at that.
Yeah, yeah, but there aredifferent ways.
(30:52):
And so from your website thenis there stuff like that that
people can kind of look up andfigure out from a normal
consumer background.
That's what people can kind offind and see on that website
what they can do.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yep, it's on the website and actually early 2024,
I'm going to be have.
I am going to have a book outin the market.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
That is essentially.
You know, it's simple, it's 52facts and 52 actions that
someone can take aroundsustainability.
And so, just as we werespeaking, I was trying to look
up a quick fact, and you know,food waste.
For example, you knowapproximately one third of the
food produced that is intendedfor human consumption every year
(31:38):
, which is about 1.3 billiontons, valued at $1 trillion, is
wasted or lost, and so 1.3billion tons of foods are wasted
or lost, and that's enough tofeed 3 billion people.
And so that's kind of the fact,and I'm hoping that when people
read that they're like, oh wow,what can I do about it?
(32:00):
And it's followed by an actionthat says you know, soak the
banana peels overnight and usethat for water Instead of
throwing away wilted greens.
Blend and freeze them into icecubes for smoothies, or make
your home this is a funny oneMake your own facial masks with
leftovers of fruits andvegetables.
This is actually one my cousinactually does, and so I thought
(32:21):
I would throw it in the book.
But you know those are not badyeah.
Those are the types of thingsthat you know I certainly have
on the website, but kind ofputting it together in a book
where, once you know the hope is, once a week someone implements
or integrates one of thoseactions.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Got it.
Yeah, there's a YouTube channelthat my kids love watching
where this guy just makesdifferent kinds of face masks so
you can get light, you can usethose like reusable things and
like you fill them up and putthat kind of stuff in.
So it's all kind of candy Likeif you have leftover candy and
mix that with other things andyou mush it up and put it in
there and then it's a face maskand so, yes, that is an option
(33:01):
and there are some examples, toothat you can look up.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
So, yeah, so when is the book coming out Early 2024.
So like, February.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
January Okay, all right, we'll be looking for it.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
But that's exciting.
So, being an author, you know,has that been something that you
expected on the bingo card oflife?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
It's something I've wanted to do, sure, and after I
had kids, I would writestorybooks for them all the time
and get them published onShutterfly Sure.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Oh, totally, that's great.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Yeah, yeah.
So it was certainly somethingthat I really always have
enjoyed.
But no, this is I wasn'tplanning for this and I just
think it's so needed.
You know, I've talked to peopleabout it and, like I said, when
you link action with fact, itjust feels complete.
(33:59):
I think there's a lot of thingsout there that just talk about
the facts and a lot of thingsout there that just talk about
the actions.
But to make it stick, I thinkyou need to kind of feel that
connection, like you said,eileen, and that's what I was
trying to do there.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
Yeah, it helps it really does and especially when
you can see that sort oftangibly in front of you where
it actually creates, that linkis really, really helpful.
So how is the process?
So it's just having beenthrough this, that was the
process going for you in termsof release.
There's something about gettingthat book out into the world.
(34:35):
That is it's big.
I'm curious as to where you areright now in that that it's not
been released yet.
But I know there's sort of aflow of emotions at different
points.
So how are you feeling, atleast in this moment, about it?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Yeah, so I'm at a point where it's just going to
the editor and you're right, itis a flow of emotions because
I'm like, well, maybe I shoulddo this and maybe I can add this
, but then I'm going to.
You know, you could keep going.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
But it's going to extend the timelines by two to
three months every time you comeup with a good idea.
So I'm trying to figure out theright balance there, and you
know, ultimately I want thisbook to come out by January,
February latest, so that peoplecan actually pursue one action
per week over the course of theyear.
And so I've had to kind of sayto myself well, I'll save that
(35:28):
idea for next book.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Yeah, that's great, definitely.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Just know that in like, I would say like a month,
if you get the feeling like youshouldn't be doing this and like
, oh my goodness, what am Idoing.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Push forward, push forward, push forward.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Okay, good advice.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Thank you, yes yes, it is something that I needed
desperately when I wrote my book.
I myself published, but I, whenI tell you about imposter
syndrome if you looked it up inthe dictionary I was waving high
to people because I literallywas like I don't think this is a
good idea anymore.
I probably shouldn't do this,and I had Eileen and a host of
(36:09):
other people going what are youdoing?
Go forward, go do it.
So surround yourself withpeople, too, that will be your
cheerleaders for this as well.
So, yeah, I'm excited for youas a person that collects a lot
of books.
You can't see the mess that isbehind me.
That are all books here, butlike that's one bookshelf.
But I love it and I always loveto learn something new and
(36:33):
definitely, at least from thispodcast, I have definitely
learned quite a number of things.
What was the first lesson insustainability you taught your
kids?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I would say one of the first things we did was move
from paper, like paper napkinsin our kitchen, to cloth napkins
oh neat okay and I didn't knowif it would stick because we
were accustomed to using papernapkins, but they keep me real.
(37:09):
So even if I'm kind of reachingfor paper napkin, they'll run
and grab a cloth one now, and soI think that's one of the
things that really it was a bitof a wow factor for me how easy
it is for those kids, for thekids, to adapt to these new
behaviors.
So, it's just like you have toshow them, we have to tell them,
(37:31):
and then it's easy for them.
It becomes their norm with thesnap of a finger.
And that's actually one of thereasons why I wanted to involve
my kids in this wholesustainability side, because I
do believe that while we have toactively think about it and
we're in the midst of kind of asadults right now, fixing the
world for their generation, it'sgonna be something that they
(37:55):
have to think about and face andlive and breathe all the time,
like every job they have isgonna have some element of
sustainability.
Everything they do, it's gonnabe hopefully the norm for them,
rather than an active change orchoice they have to make.
So that's what I'm trying to do.
(38:16):
But yeah, the napkin thing isalways funny because they just
really keep me real on that one.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
So we're already running up on the hour, which is
amazing, and I really can'twait to get this book because I
really wanna know a lot more andI'm excited to do one thing a
week, but outside of that.
So we come up to this lastquestion, and I mean, sheila,
(38:46):
you already doing so much, likeyou really are doing the world
and our kids and each of us thisincredible service by the work
that you do.
Right now, however, you'restill here and living and doing
all of the things in life.
So we have this last question,or sort of a concept called this
(39:06):
is happening, and it's reallyabout, when we look back on our
lives, to say I haven't left anypage unturned.
I haven't.
I've done all the things that Ifelt I needed to on my heart
and to make the impact that Iwanted to make while I was here.
Is there anything you feel inthis moment, or coming up soon,
(39:31):
that might be happening for youin any of the spaces that you're
in, or any of the impact thatyou wanna make with literally
anything that you're doing,because it's all hugely
impactful.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Yeah, great question.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
And the book counts too.
Yeah, certainly the book was abig one for me.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
I'll be honest, I think part of it is making sure
that, with everything going on,I'm still creating
sustainability in a little bitof a different context, with
sustainability for myself and myfamily, specifically for my
kids, and so I wanna make surethat not only am I pushing
(40:22):
information on them, butanything right About
sustainability or school or life, but that I'm actually getting
the opportunity to experience itwith them.
Experiencing it yeah, makingsure that I'm showing, leading
by example for the type ofpeople that I hope that they
(40:45):
become, and actually I'm takingthe time to learn from them,
because that generation my olderone is 12 and my younger one is
nine Okay, their life isdifferent, so different than how
I grew up or how we all grew upas adults in this generation,
and so there is a lot to learnfrom them.
(41:09):
So I think that sustainabilityof me I sometimes use that term
my own wellness, the way thatI'm creating that environment
for my kids, my husband, that'swhat I'm really wanting to kind
of make sure I do well in overthe next decade, two decades,
(41:33):
however long I can.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Yeah, well, it's funny because I was actually
like, if you were gonna saysomething for one of the
organizations, totally fine, sogreat.
Also, how are you taking careof yourself?
Yeah, so you're answering itand that's fantastic yeah yeah,
no, I look I've had.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I'll tell you why.
I thought about that.
Like, one of the questions thatyou had was about what's a trip
I've taken that's beenimpactful.
And when I was thinking aboutthat question, I was actually
thinking about how, two summersago, we did a family trip to
Italy, and, sure, italy wasfantastic, it's beautiful, we
(42:15):
did the Amalfi Coast, but what Ireally got out of that was
recognizing that my kids arereally my kids and so they had
very similar interests andperspectives.
But what was amazing about it isthat I was able to see my
perspectives through their eyesand through their enthusiasm and
(42:40):
through their animation and Iwas like, oh man, I really wanna
experience more of this withthem and create those
connections.
So that's gonna be what givesme energy to do all the rest of
the stuff.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
Sure, absolutely, yeah, definitely.
Well, because for you too, Imean very similar to me, and
some of the things that I'mdoing, at least like they are
another piece of the spire thatlights that right that there
would help ignite what we'redoing and what we want to, and
so looking back at that andthink, okay, no, yeah, this is
(43:15):
my why, this is a part of my why, and to keep pushing forward,
having those moments is reallyincredible.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (43:25):
So, sheila, how do people get in contact with you?
How do they connect with youonline?
You had mentionedsustainability me dot today.
Are there other places socialmedia, linkedin where people can
get connected to you and learnmore?
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Absolutely so for companies.
I don't know if they'relistening.
They can certainly find moreinformation at
wwwradientglobaladvisorycom.
For everyday people, like youmentioned sustainablemetoday and
I'm on social media.
(44:03):
It's at sustainablemetoday, soa lot of that same information
from the website where they canjust email me.
Again, going on any of thosewebsites, you can find my email.
But, really happy to speak toanyone, I think this is a topic
and this is an area where themore people can share stories
and collaborate, the betterpositioned we all are.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Sheila, thank you so much for your time On behalf of
Eileen Grimes and myself.
This closes out our episode ofyou Only Go Once.
Thank you, listeners, forcontinuing to tune in and we'll
talk to you next time.
Bye.
Hello, I'm Sheila Waddemoir and I hope when you
look back on your life, you hadthe opportunity to appreciate
all the good you had in yourlife, because you only go once.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello, hello, hello everyone.
Welcome back to you.
Only Go Once podcast.
I am joined by my fantasticalco-host, eileen Grimes, and
we're here today to explorestories around the limited time
we have on this earth to createa fully layered life.
We have a fantastic guest today, eileen.
Kick us off.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thanks, cheryl, and, as always, so nice to see you.
Not that anyone else can rightnow, it's just us on the audio
but, yes, we have an amazingguest tonight.
So Sheila is a proven leader insustainability and strategy.
She's the founder of RadiantGlobal Advisory, an advisory
firm that works with companiesto accelerate the sustainability
journey, as well as SustainableMe, a platform that helps
(00:57):
people understand sustainabilityin the context of their
everyday lives.
Finally, she sits on the boardfor Chefs for Impact.
It's on the Fast Company ImpactCouncil, as on the Fast Impact
Company Council, is an activemember of GoldHouseorg.
Sheila is committed to workingwith companies in the impact
space by helping them grow theirsolution and amplifying their
(01:18):
impact.
I have to say we had alreadystarted a conversation before
this.
I'm actually very excited,sheila, to have you here and,
first and foremost, welcome,welcome, welcome.
We are so glad to have you.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Thank you.
So excited to have thisconversation, eileen and Cheryl.
I always love to thank peoplefor shining a light on
sustainability, because it'sjust so important and it's a
topic that many people don'treally understand.
So, yeah, thank you for takingthe time.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Absolutely so.
Well, I mean, let's just diveinto it then.
So what does sustainabilitythen mean to you?
Right, there can be it's apretty wide range of things,
right, and what that can mean.
What is your definition andsort of?
Where is your focus in thesustainability space?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I love that you called out thatit's a wide range of things,
because it really is.
I think initially people kind oflooked at this ideal of
sustainability as good or bad sodoing something good or doing
something bad, or a companydoing creating something good or
something bad and, like mostconcepts, as it's evolved, as
(02:29):
it's matured, it really hasbecome a more umbrella term.
It's broad and underneath thatthere are so many different
concepts and different themesand most of them do fall under
kind of the themes ofenvironmental sustainability and
social sustainability.
(02:50):
So you think, climate change andreduction of fossil fuels and
biodiversity, and a lot ofpeople really focus and strive
to sustain those areas.
But under the S side, under thesocial side, there's also a
number of areas such as equality, raising diversities and even
(03:10):
in diversity there'ssocioeconomic diversity and
gender diversity and racialdiversity that we want to create
equality and inclusion around,and so there's so many things
packed under there and I thinkthe one thing I always say to
everyone is to kind of getstarted thinking about
sustainability or how theythemselves want to be more
(03:31):
sustainable is actually not totry to capture it all because it
becomes overwhelming and hard,but it is to really find those
areas that are most important toyou, that kind of resonate with
your values and your ideals.
Start there and I think it'llget the ball rolling.
You'll start respecting moreconcepts and more people and
(03:54):
this world and eventually you'llstart really kind of
formulating your own definitionunder that broader umbrella.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Oh, I love that idea to have your own definition
around what sustainability meansto you.
I've never thought about itthat way, but it really is
incredibly helpful and, likeyou're saying, it's like telling
someone to go work out or gethealthy.
Okay, I'm going to go to thisgym and I'm going to eat all of
these foods and learn how tocook all of this.
(04:23):
If you're not passionate aboutit, if it's not like a food that
you enjoy, or if it's not atype of exercise you like, I
guarantee it's not going tostick.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah, and that concept of sort of having your
own version and definition ofwhat sustainability means to you
.
My mom's a beekeeper and we'vehad her on the podcast before
and so that's one of those sortof pieces.
For me is like increasingbiodiversity and all of those
kind of things and that side.
So I also love the social side.
(04:57):
I guess I didn't put two andtwo together.
That sustainability is.
The social side ofsustainability is a piece of
that as well.
I'm highly passionate and do alot of work in that space.
Just didn't necessarily bringthe two of those together.
So I appreciate you helping mefind that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Yeah, no, look, it's like we want to sustain a world
that is environmentally soundand socially just, and so maybe
that's my definition, but I dothink that those are all
important things as we kind ofstrive for a better world.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For sure.
I don't know.
I've had this conversation.
I have my background ineducation and part of the
emphasis on that was in socialjustice, and so thinking about
the sustainability of humanityis in all of those right, it is
in inclusion, it is in belongingand diversity and all of those
pieces too.
So I just I do really like that.
(05:55):
You helped me put that together, cheryl.
I saw you were jumping off.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
This is such a fascinating broad Topic, right
and again, I I didn't.
I also did not put together thesocial element, and I and I
work in the DNIB space, soawesome.
So how did this start for you?
I mean, were you like age seven, going like, yep, I'm gonna go
(06:21):
save the planet?
How did this all?
How did this all start for you?
Because it's it to me it'sfascinating that you started in
like financial services,focusing on investments for
sustainability.
So could you just kind of walkus through that, like how this
became a passion for you.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Yeah, I wish I could tell that story where you know I
was.
I was trying to save the worldfrom age seven, but no, I was.
I was causing like terror formy parents instead of instead of
that.
So, you know, when I was infinancial services, you know I
worked for an index company andyou know, not not to make this
(07:04):
too boring, but you know, wasworking with a pension plan, a
public pension plan, who wantedto, you know, essentially poor
millions of dollars into aSustainable strategy or an
investment strategy thatcaptured companies that were
doing well, that were helpingreduce waste and create
(07:28):
alternative energies and, youknow, conserve water.
That was kind of the thesis ofthat strategy.
And I thought, wow, you know, Iwonder why they're pouring
millions of dollars into that.
And so, you know, fast forward,a couple years later, you know,
I started looking into it.
I said, well, you know what,there's some real merit here.
It's, of course, great for theworld, but also, you know, it's
(07:51):
probably it's a good investmentchoice From a performance
standpoint, because you know, alot of these companies are
really preparing themselves forthe next future, that that this
world is going to become, and sointeresting, yeah, and so when
I, when I, after I had my secondson, I thought to myself well,
(08:12):
you know what I, if I go back towork, I really wanted to matter
, you know it's.
I wanted to do something thatreally supported the the world
for my kids, and so I went backinto sustainability now.
I went back to work, to work insustainability.
Now my background was infinancial services, so I kind of
married the two Pieces and Iwent to work for a company that
(08:36):
actually rated companies, largepublicly traded companies, on
their environmental and socialinitiatives and then sold that
research and data to investors,large institutional investors,
so that they could include thatin their investment thesis and
so they could say, well, is thiscompany well positioned for
that future, for any taxation,for fines, for, you know, for
(09:00):
Changes in consumer demand?
That's kind of the way welooked at it as well as okay,
how are they impacting the world.
So we sold this to investorsand that's how I got a real,
real close look at how investorswere thinking about this and in
fact, I sat on the executiveteam of that company and we grew
(09:21):
it from about a hundred peoplewhen I joined, hundred fifty
people Maybe globally, to aboutthree thousand people as I left,
and so that rapid growth overeight years was a real testament
to, yes, of course, ourbusiness.
I'm pretty proud of that, butalso because of the market.
I mean the market was startingto embrace this idea of
(09:42):
sustainability and investorswere starting to Use it more and
more in their investment thesis.
They were Reporting out on itmore and more.
We saw retail investors, peoplelike us who put money in their
kind of 401k start talking aboutit and again that that in
Bracing of it from thatinvestment side, really kind of
(10:04):
Grew grew the market, butcertainly my interest as well.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I can imagine that's so it's really interesting.
I've never thought about that,but right, if you are being so
intentional about what it lookslike to go into the future from
that sustainability point ofview, you probably have a pretty
good long-term vision, a prettygood strategy for being able to
get to that point and reallythat forward thinking mentality
that is going to increase yourlongevity as a business.
(10:31):
And I just that's.
I Think the financial side ofthings is just so fascinating
and some of the, the forecastingand understanding, all that I
don't know much about it.
I have a major in math but Istill don't know that much about
it and I'm fascinated everytime I learn just a little bit
more.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
So and look, it's double materiality.
It's, you know, yes, these E&Sinitiatives Help a company in
the way we just talked about,like positioning itself for
long-term growth and profits,yeah, but the other, the second
materiality, is the materialityfor Society, for communities.
Right, absolutely.
(11:06):
And so I think, bringing thatin and I have to say Europe is a
little bit further down theline in embracing this concept
of kind of thinking about thatinvestment Holistically under
that lens of double materiality,then maybe the US, but you know
, we're getting there.
We've come leaps and boundscompared to where we were about
10 years ago, and I think that's, you know, I think that's a
(11:26):
really nice way of looking at.
Let's save this world and, youknow, make sure that we're
contributing to a sustainableeconomy as well.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
As someone who might be sorry, cheryl, let you go on
next.
No, it's someone who might beinterested in Learning about the
different companies that arereally putting this first and
foremost on their, their map andtheir priority list.
Where are places that you can,as an informed consumer, what is
a great way to find thosecompanies and those
(11:56):
organizations that are doingthis really well?
One to be able to continue tosupport those organizations that
are right.
If there's places that are thatare doing this and I want to be
someone who is Buying or, youknow, taking part in in an
organization that's deliveringgoods or services when is
somewhere that I can find thatinformation?
Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Um, it's a part of it is just being a conscious
consumer and Looking at thecompanies, learning a little bit
about the companies that we'rebuying from.
You know, we live in a culturewhere we're just real consumers
and we're consuming a lot, andso sometimes we do that at such
(12:39):
a fast pace that we don't getthe time to really sit down and
think about what we're buying,why we need it and where we're
buying from.
So if you can slow down thatpace of consumerism to some
extent, I think we can really bea little bit more thoughtful
about that.
But oh as well, there's lots ofplaces, like even my old
company, sustainal LinuxMorningstar.
They post kind of their dataand ratings right on their
(12:59):
website.
You know not, it's not likeevery consumer is going on there
, but if someone what really didwant to know, they could go on
there, look up a Company,especially if it's one of the
larger companies, and see, well,how are they doing on their ES
and G score, environmental,social governance score, to get
an idea of you know how this onecompany is doing versus another
(13:20):
.
I think you can find thosethings on, like Yahoo Finance
and Maybe even Google and I'mnot sure where it's kind of
expanded, but there are.
There are absolutely sourceseven when you're investing like,
like I said, you People like uswho are investing in mutual
funds, maybe versus individualstocks.
(13:42):
Most of the brokerage housesnow have some type of
transparency around theirsustainability score of each of
the mutual funds.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, I think that's fascinating.
So, again, it just gives memore places and things to look
for, because for me it was likeshopping for organic or like
gosh.
You look at eggs and it's like,okay, there's organic, there's
good free range, there's likegrass fed which one's the right
(14:13):
one or which one am I supposedto understand or know?
And just being able to educatemyself more in that space is
really really helpful.
So I appreciate that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And maybe I should also say that I actually run a
website myself calledsustainablemetoday and what it's
meant to do, because, again, Iknow that this is a really
overwhelming topic and it's alot.
So what I try to do on thewebsite is actually bring these
ideals of sustainability andeven some you know examples of
(14:49):
stores they're really examplesjust of companies and brands and
stores that allow you to bemore sustainable in the everyday
pillars of your life.
So what you eat, what you wear,the makeup you wear, the
produce that you buy, it's justkind of bringing that right to
(15:09):
you and demystifying it.
And in fact, I even have my 12year old son in this little
venture with me where aboutevery two weeks, he does a
podcast where he presents atopic of sustainability and
tries to demystify it at hiskind of comprehension level in
(15:30):
less than five minutes.
So we talk about things likethe ozone layer, mushrooms, the
sustainability of mushrooms,plastic bags versus cloth bags.
You know those things that wehear about in our everyday life,
that they, even at that age,hear about in their everyday
life.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah.
So that was going to be thequestion that I asked you,
because I was looking at yourwebsite as you were chatting and
I was like, oh, this is great.
You have kids contributors andI love that.
Not only are youcontextualizing for the grownups
, but you're also empowering thenext generation to kind of
(16:07):
learn more and have themunderstand what this means and
how they can contribute to thesustainability.
I just I think that's it, it'sgreat, and I love that he has a
podcast.
So I love that you and you doit in a way that it's digestible
and like five minute topics,and so that's just, that's great
(16:28):
.
When you made the switch intothis right, looking looking at
this, when did you know that youhad something like what was
your like?
What was your first?
Yeah, this is.
This has teeth.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I'm going to run into it.
How does that?
How did that work for you?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I recently, a few months ago, made a bit of a
switch.
So it's still within the realmof sustainability, but I made
the switch from large corporateinto my own venture and I just
thought that that was.
It just felt right because,again, we were working with
(17:05):
investors and with companiesthat were large, which is great
and it's really important, butat the same time, equally, we
needed to focus.
I think there needs to be moreof a focus on the smaller
companies that are actuallycreating the innovations in
sustainability, as well as theconsumers.
And that's why I kind ofswitched, because I thought,
(17:29):
well, look, no one's, you knowagain, no one's, not nobody.
I should say that there, this isan area, especially these small
venture backed companies.
They're the ones that need thesupport to be able to grow and
scale their solutions so thatthey're not just a niche, so
that they can actually scale andtheir product can be at a price
(17:50):
point where it's accessible topeople, so that they get.
They can get to a point forwhen they are acquired by a
larger company, they're wellpositioned to carry on their
product.
And so that was kind of theswitch, and speaking to a lot of
companies of that nature smallcompanies.
(18:10):
I can see that they have somuch passion they know their
product really well, butsometimes you know they're so
focused on that product thatthey don't have the time or the
background on the business side.
And so you know where I'mhelping them do is actually grow
their business so that they canfocus on their product a little
(18:30):
bit more.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, and the thing that I also find interesting
about that is that I thinksometimes when you bring up the
words not you, you, but genericyou bring up the word
sustainability and things likethat there are some people that
just view that as tree huggingor whatnot.
I'm trying to put thisdelicately.
I love that you put thebusiness impact as well as the
(18:56):
social and environmental impactinto your message and you help
people forward in that too,because, as you said, people
have passion and they want to goand run and sometimes the
passion might get away from themand you still have to meet the
needs of investors andinnovators that come through.
I'm going to switch gears alittle bit because I am very
interested in hearing more aboutyour board role on chefs for
(19:20):
impact and that.
So I like to eat quite a bit.
I love this and you've got onyour website that this are.
On the chefs for impact websiteit says educating children and
adults on the environmental andpersonal impacts of sustainable
eating.
Can you talk a little bit aboutsustainable eating and what
that means?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, I mean sustainable eating is really
making sure that we're eatingfresh, good foods that are local
.
Local for a couple of reasonsLocal one because we're reducing
the emissions that come fromsupply chain and transportation
of food from far away places.
But also local because when youeat local you're also helping
(20:07):
the soil and biodiversity ofthose locations, so that's part
of it.
It's also meant to, just from awellness standpoint, provide
kids especially with theeducation around eating healthy,
fresh food, and so that's whatthe ideal is around
sustainability.
(20:27):
It gets pretty specific.
There's a whole curriculum thatthe program teaches children in
either the New York City publicschool system or community
system.
That goes into like the beautyof mushrooms and composting with
mushrooms and how to takecertain food waste and upcycle
(20:48):
them and recycle them andcompost them.
So it really does teach themabout all aspects of how to
respect food and make sure thatthey're eating in a way that's
most responsible for both theenvironment and for themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
I love that.
When I was living out inPhiladelphia, I was a member of
the board of the PhiladelphiaOrchard Project, also
affectionately known as POP, andso they would build with the
community and their support.
Right, they would take thesejust lots that were abandoned or
(21:24):
whatever and nothing washappening in them and build
these orchards within that space, and then the community was
also educated on how to sustainthem and how you have to do all
of the entire year of care forthese orchards that will then
also bring in fresh food andthings like that throughout.
(21:46):
So it was just a reallyinteresting and amazing cycle of
this and the education piecethat needs to go into it.
So I love that there's even anadditional piece that you're
taking in with the schools andeverything like that too.
So all of these spaces andinitiatives are fantastic, and
I'm trying my hand at somevertical gardening and things
(22:07):
like that.
So there's, I think you can see, behind me.
I like plants a lot, but, yeah,learning some of that, I think,
in permaculture and some ofthose things too, is a lot of
fun to see that you don't haveto have a ton of space either,
even if you are starting yourown journey into even growing it
(22:29):
yourself right.
There are possibilities even insome of the smallest spaces.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, absolutely, and I think something that you said
just now was really importantit's feeling a connection to
that, because it reinforces alot of the action that most
people know that they shouldtake, and most people know they
should recycle or try to reusethings, but sometimes feeling
(22:56):
the connection to it througheither the education or through
doing it with people, makes itmore tangible.
It gives them an instantgratification and I think it
reinforces that action as well.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Definitely.
And, like you said, with whatyou're doing too, I think
there's a when you add in theconnection, but also the human
connection of community spaces.
Doing this with other peopleand learning about it with
others and developing that senseof community and that social
support structure with it tooadds into that sort of wanting
(23:29):
to continue to do that work.
It's like, okay, now I knowother people that are doing this
, this is something we have incommon now and I can keep
building on that.
I think that's just, it reallyis a key component.
I mean, we're humans, we'resocial creatures, so it's all a
piece of that too.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, yeah absolutely .
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, no, I know, and this actually and I want to
thank you for this conversation,especially about this is going
to be a complete weird tangent.
But just stick with me is thatI finally understand now why
mushrooms are having theirRenaissance moment, because
everybody's talking about them.
Like you've got top chefs whoare using oyster mushrooms to
(24:07):
make vegan fried chicken.
You've got people that willforage for mushrooms and make
all different sorts of thingsand build it into the soy.
So just from what I've seen onsocial media, I'm like what is
this obsession all of a suddenwith mushrooms?
This makes so much more sense.
(24:29):
So thank you for sharing that.
And also, mushrooms are just, Ifeel, like they can grow in all
different environments, whichalso makes it such a sustainable
crop.
I also live not too far from atown called Kennett Square,
which is they're known formushrooms.
(24:50):
All year round, they have amushroom festival.
They're very much into themushroom scene, so I might need
to go visit there at some pointand understand what their
practices are and stuff likethat.
So this has been.
Thank you for educating me onthis, because I thought it's
been going on for a while now.
I see a whole bunch of peoplegoing like, oh, I found the most
(25:11):
interesting mushrooms.
I'm like, all right, good foryou, but now I know it is good
for them because they're usingit for good things.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Cheryl, I have to just sorry, I have to just
quickly introduce or interruptand ask you one more question Do
you know what my celium is?
No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'mjust going to add two persons to
that education.
So mycelium is actually theplant that grows underground
(25:41):
that mushrooms fruit off of.
So they're an actual fruit ofthis plant called mycelium, and
while mushrooms are fantasticand amazing and have so much
kind of sustainable power tothem, the mycelium the actual
plant is something that you'llhave to look up and you'll have
to have another conversationabout later because they true.
(26:04):
It truly is a wondrous plantthat contributes to sustainable
fashion and sustainableconstruction and all sorts of
things.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Oh good, it's going to be another internet rabbit
hole for me.
This is very exciting.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yes, it is, and you'll get to learn.
So I'm actually I'm taking apsychedelic practitioners course
right now, so that's the wholething.
It's a whole year long pieceAlso learned about how it was
all.
They were all pieces of therooting system before plants,
prior to plants having roots, sothere's a lot of really cool
(26:43):
stuff about like how importantthe fungi system has been to the
evolution of the world actuallyreally.
So it's very, very cool,learned out, if you will please.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
I will.
I learned something new everytime I get on these things, so
that's great.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
So anyway, that was that.
Yeah, that was all right.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, I don't know.
I you know I went down a rabbithole with the whole mushroom
thing, so that's great.
Now, how did you get involvedwith Chefs for Impact?
I know you're a board member,but are you?
So I didn't get that far.
Are you a founding member ofChefs for Impact, are you?
You know?
Did you?
Did you make a connection pointwith somebody there, like, how
(27:28):
did that all come about?
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Yeah Well, if you're asking if I'm a chef, I'm not.
I love cooking.
Okay, I'm certainly not a chef,I had connected with the
managing director or thedirector, who's Theodore Afantes
, and you know we just hit itoff.
And because I came from asustainability side that was so
different from the restaurantindustry or the chef industry,
(27:53):
you know, she thought it'd bereally additive to have a new
perspective on the board.
And so I sit on the board, Iwork very closely with her.
She's obviously operating andexecution, but we work quite
together to kind of talk aboutthe directions of the
organization.
I mean, you know as much as wedo with the schools and the
community.
(28:14):
Why it's called chefs for impactis it because it brings
together a whole community andecosystem of chefs that teach
the school but also put on thesefantastic events food and wine
events around New York City toraise funds for that school and
community initiative, and so itgives the opportunity for chefs
(28:35):
themselves to participate, showoff their work and really learn
about how to be more sustainablein their practice as well.
So you know it's kind of atwofold, but no, I've had the
luxury of tasting a lot of thegreat chef foods, but no, I'm
not myself a chef.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
All right.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
I mean that sounds like a pretty amazing spot to be
in.
I'm not going to lie, right,yeah.
Yeah, I mean that space too,just thinking about us actually
having conversation this weekendin terms of food waste and all
of those kinds of things.
So you know, from a being inthat in the food industry and
the, you know, in the restaurantspace and things like that,
(29:15):
there's got to be a lot ofconversations that happen around
the sustainability side ofthings.
Right, what happens at the endof the night?
Where does stuff go?
Because you know, obviouslythere's also health
considerations with anything.
But then how do you, how do yourun something that's
sustainable from thatperspective as well when you
have any kind of food industryor in the food industry space?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
You know, I think it's community giving, it's
using all parts of the food.
You know, here's a little funactivity that I had read about
is like when you're finishedwith the banana, you could use
the peel you could soak.
If you soak the peel in water,you know that water becomes very
fully full of nutrients thatcan then be used to plant water
(30:02):
your plants for an extraadditive, a lot of nutrients.
So you know, just a quickexample of ways to upcycle or
ways to kind of further theability of reducing food and
reducing waste.
But you know again, it's aboutalso just being mindful of, you
know, just not reducing as muchwaste and being in composting
(30:26):
and again using all parts ofthat food.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
I use my coffee grounds and my plants, so I'll
put those.
Yeah, I'll put those in therewhen I'm done having my cup of
or having my pot of coffee.
For the day I don't have awhole pot of coffee.
That sounded really bad.
But when I'm done, after Ibrewed some coffee, what I have
left of my grounds I use in myplants.
We'll just leave it at that.
Yeah, yeah, but there aredifferent ways.
(30:52):
And so from your website thenis there stuff like that that
people can kind of look up andfigure out from a normal
consumer background.
That's what people can kind offind and see on that website
what they can do.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yep, it's on the website and actually early 2024,
I'm going to be have.
I am going to have a book outin the market.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
That is essentially.
You know, it's simple, it's 52facts and 52 actions that
someone can take aroundsustainability.
And so, just as we werespeaking, I was trying to look
up a quick fact, and you know,food waste.
For example, you knowapproximately one third of the
food produced that is intendedfor human consumption every year
(31:38):
, which is about 1.3 billiontons, valued at $1 trillion, is
wasted or lost, and so 1.3billion tons of foods are wasted
or lost, and that's enough tofeed 3 billion people.
And so that's kind of the fact,and I'm hoping that when people
read that they're like, oh wow,what can I do about it?
(32:00):
And it's followed by an actionthat says you know, soak the
banana peels overnight and usethat for water Instead of
throwing away wilted greens.
Blend and freeze them into icecubes for smoothies, or make
your home this is a funny oneMake your own facial masks with
leftovers of fruits andvegetables.
This is actually one my cousinactually does, and so I thought
(32:21):
I would throw it in the book.
But you know those are not badyeah.
Those are the types of thingsthat you know I certainly have
on the website, but kind ofputting it together in a book
where, once you know the hope is, once a week someone implements
or integrates one of thoseactions.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Got it.
Yeah, there's a YouTube channelthat my kids love watching
where this guy just makesdifferent kinds of face masks so
you can get light, you can usethose like reusable things and
like you fill them up and putthat kind of stuff in.
So it's all kind of candy Likeif you have leftover candy and
mix that with other things andyou mush it up and put it in
there and then it's a face maskand so, yes, that is an option
(33:01):
and there are some examples, toothat you can look up.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
So, yeah, so when is the book coming out Early 2024.
So like, February.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
January Okay, all right, we'll be looking for it.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
But that's exciting.
So, being an author, you know,has that been something that you
expected on the bingo card oflife?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
It's something I've wanted to do, sure, and after I
had kids, I would writestorybooks for them all the time
and get them published onShutterfly Sure.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Oh, totally, that's great.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Yeah, yeah.
So it was certainly somethingthat I really always have
enjoyed.
But no, this is I wasn'tplanning for this and I just
think it's so needed.
You know, I've talked to peopleabout it and, like I said, when
you link action with fact, itjust feels complete.
(33:59):
I think there's a lot of thingsout there that just talk about
the facts and a lot of thingsout there that just talk about
the actions.
But to make it stick, I thinkyou need to kind of feel that
connection, like you said,eileen, and that's what I was
trying to do there.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
Yeah, it helps it really does and especially when
you can see that sort oftangibly in front of you where
it actually creates, that linkis really, really helpful.
So how is the process?
So it's just having beenthrough this, that was the
process going for you in termsof release.
There's something about gettingthat book out into the world.
(34:35):
That is it's big.
I'm curious as to where you areright now in that that it's not
been released yet.
But I know there's sort of aflow of emotions at different
points.
So how are you feeling, atleast in this moment, about it?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Yeah, so I'm at a point where it's just going to
the editor and you're right, itis a flow of emotions because
I'm like, well, maybe I shoulddo this and maybe I can add this
, but then I'm going to.
You know, you could keep going.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
But it's going to extend the timelines by two to
three months every time you comeup with a good idea.
So I'm trying to figure out theright balance there, and you
know, ultimately I want thisbook to come out by January,
February latest, so that peoplecan actually pursue one action
per week over the course of theyear.
And so I've had to kind of sayto myself well, I'll save that
(35:28):
idea for next book.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Yeah, that's great, definitely.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Just know that in like, I would say like a month,
if you get the feeling like youshouldn't be doing this and like
, oh my goodness, what am Idoing.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Push forward, push forward, push forward.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Okay, good advice.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Thank you, yes yes, it is something that I needed
desperately when I wrote my book.
I myself published, but I, whenI tell you about imposter
syndrome if you looked it up inthe dictionary I was waving high
to people because I literallywas like I don't think this is a
good idea anymore.
I probably shouldn't do this,and I had Eileen and a host of
(36:09):
other people going what are youdoing?
Go forward, go do it.
So surround yourself withpeople, too, that will be your
cheerleaders for this as well.
So, yeah, I'm excited for youas a person that collects a lot
of books.
You can't see the mess that isbehind me.
That are all books here, butlike that's one bookshelf.
But I love it and I always loveto learn something new and
(36:33):
definitely, at least from thispodcast, I have definitely
learned quite a number of things.
What was the first lesson insustainability you taught your
kids?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I would say one of the first things we did was move
from paper, like paper napkinsin our kitchen, to cloth napkins
oh neat okay and I didn't knowif it would stick because we
were accustomed to using papernapkins, but they keep me real.
(37:09):
So even if I'm kind of reachingfor paper napkin, they'll run
and grab a cloth one now, and soI think that's one of the
things that really it was a bitof a wow factor for me how easy
it is for those kids, for thekids, to adapt to these new
behaviors.
So, it's just like you have toshow them, we have to tell them,
(37:31):
and then it's easy for them.
It becomes their norm with thesnap of a finger.
And that's actually one of thereasons why I wanted to involve
my kids in this wholesustainability side, because I
do believe that while we have toactively think about it and
we're in the midst of kind of asadults right now, fixing the
world for their generation, it'sgonna be something that they
(37:55):
have to think about and face andlive and breathe all the time,
like every job they have isgonna have some element of
sustainability.
Everything they do, it's gonnabe hopefully the norm for them,
rather than an active change orchoice they have to make.
So that's what I'm trying to do.
(38:16):
But yeah, the napkin thing isalways funny because they just
really keep me real on that one.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
So we're already running up on the hour, which is
amazing, and I really can'twait to get this book because I
really wanna know a lot more andI'm excited to do one thing a
week, but outside of that.
So we come up to this lastquestion, and I mean, sheila,
(38:46):
you already doing so much, likeyou really are doing the world
and our kids and each of us thisincredible service by the work
that you do.
Right now, however, you'restill here and living and doing
all of the things in life.
So we have this last question,or sort of a concept called this
(39:06):
is happening, and it's reallyabout, when we look back on our
lives, to say I haven't left anypage unturned.
I haven't.
I've done all the things that Ifelt I needed to on my heart
and to make the impact that Iwanted to make while I was here.
Is there anything you feel inthis moment, or coming up soon,
(39:31):
that might be happening for youin any of the spaces that you're
in, or any of the impact thatyou wanna make with literally
anything that you're doing,because it's all hugely
impactful.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
Yeah, great question.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
And the book counts too.
Yeah, certainly the book was abig one for me.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
I'll be honest, I think part of it is making sure
that, with everything going on,I'm still creating
sustainability in a little bitof a different context, with
sustainability for myself and myfamily, specifically for my
kids, and so I wanna make surethat not only am I pushing
(40:22):
information on them, butanything right About
sustainability or school or life, but that I'm actually getting
the opportunity to experience itwith them.
Experiencing it yeah, makingsure that I'm showing, leading
by example for the type ofpeople that I hope that they
(40:45):
become, and actually I'm takingthe time to learn from them,
because that generation my olderone is 12 and my younger one is
nine Okay, their life isdifferent, so different than how
I grew up or how we all grew upas adults in this generation,
and so there is a lot to learnfrom them.
(41:09):
So I think that sustainabilityof me I sometimes use that term
my own wellness, the way thatI'm creating that environment
for my kids, my husband, that'swhat I'm really wanting to kind
of make sure I do well in overthe next decade, two decades,
(41:33):
however long I can.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Yeah, well, it's funny because I was actually
like, if you were gonna saysomething for one of the
organizations, totally fine, sogreat.
Also, how are you taking careof yourself?
Yeah, so you're answering itand that's fantastic yeah yeah,
no, I look I've had.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I'll tell you why.
I thought about that.
Like, one of the questions thatyou had was about what's a trip
I've taken that's beenimpactful.
And when I was thinking aboutthat question, I was actually
thinking about how, two summersago, we did a family trip to
Italy, and, sure, italy wasfantastic, it's beautiful, we
(42:15):
did the Amalfi Coast, but what Ireally got out of that was
recognizing that my kids arereally my kids and so they had
very similar interests andperspectives.
But what was amazing about it isthat I was able to see my
perspectives through their eyesand through their enthusiasm and
(42:40):
through their animation and Iwas like, oh man, I really wanna
experience more of this withthem and create those
connections.
So that's gonna be what givesme energy to do all the rest of
the stuff.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
Sure, absolutely, yeah, definitely.
Well, because for you too, Imean very similar to me, and
some of the things that I'mdoing, at least like they are
another piece of the spire thatlights that right that there
would help ignite what we'redoing and what we want to, and
so looking back at that andthink, okay, no, yeah, this is
(43:15):
my why, this is a part of my why, and to keep pushing forward,
having those moments is reallyincredible.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (43:25):
So, sheila, how do people get in contact with you?
How do they connect with youonline?
You had mentionedsustainability me dot today.
Are there other places socialmedia, linkedin where people can
get connected to you and learnmore?
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Absolutely so for companies.
I don't know if they'relistening.
They can certainly find moreinformation at
wwwradientglobaladvisorycom.
For everyday people, like youmentioned sustainablemetoday and
I'm on social media.
(44:03):
It's at sustainablemetoday, soa lot of that same information
from the website where they canjust email me.
Again, going on any of thosewebsites, you can find my email.
But, really happy to speak toanyone, I think this is a topic
and this is an area where themore people can share stories
and collaborate, the betterpositioned we all are.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Sheila, thank you so much for your time On behalf of
Eileen Grimes and myself.
This closes out our episode ofyou Only Go Once.
Thank you, listeners, forcontinuing to tune in and we'll
talk to you next time.
Bye.
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