# Changing the Narrative > Independent media changing the narrative on our economic, social and political systems. Podcasts, articles, photo essays, and documentary films. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About Changing the Narrative URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/about/ Last updated: 2026-07-11T19:10:14.000Z Everything we believe about the world, about others, and even about ourselves is a story — a narrative shaped by the cultures that surround us. These narratives are not fixed. They can and do change. But changing them requires more than facts alone — it demands functioning alternatives, critical thinking, and the courage to examine both the systems around us and the unresolved histories within us. **Changing the Narrative (CTN)** is an independent media platform that challenges prevailing narratives through podcasts, articles, photo stories, and documentary films. It exists for people who are curious about how our societies, cultures and systems work — and who suspect that much of what we're being told doesn't hold up to scrutiny. CTN's work is guided by three core convictions: that there are **solutions** where we're told there are none, that **community** matters in a culture that rewards individualism, and that **activism** is possible where we're encouraged to feel helpless. ## What We Do CTN produces original content that reframes rather than simply debunks — showcasing how alternative models work rather than only criticising conventional ones. We explore themes including alternative business models, documentary ethics, systems thinking, lived experience, and the hidden impacts of the systems we take for granted. We also organise live events, including interviews and discussions, to foster the kind of open, critical conversation that meaningful narrative change depends on. ## Our Labels ### How (Not) To Do Business A podcast series exploring unconventional, more egalitarian and sustainable approaches to business. We speak with worker cooperatives, employee-owned companies, social enterprises, and other organisations that are succeeding by breaking the conventional rules — demonstrating that there is an alternative to business as usual, and examining the structural barriers that keep these alternatives hidden. ### Stories From Within (Coming Soon!) A platform for documentary storytelling by community insiders, not outside observers. Stories From Within showcases the work of storytellers who document communities of which they are genuinely a part — where they would be recognised as a member by other members. Through podcasts, exhibitions, publications, and eventually a dedicated platform, SFW counters parachute journalism with authentic local voices and raises awareness of the experiences of communities that are too often represented by outsiders. ### Archive CTN builds on the foundations of three earlier projects, now archived under the CTN umbrella: **Documentary Storytellers** explored the ethics and practice of documentary storytelling — how stories are told, who tells them, and the responsibilities that come with representing others. Its articles and podcasts on lived experience, local storytelling, and the power dynamics of documentary work laid the groundwork for what became Stories From Within. **Food Is Wasted** investigated the food system — from food waste and sustainable agriculture to food sovereignty — challenging the dominant narratives around how we produce, distribute, and consume food. **Documenting Climate Change** examined climate and environmental issues through podcasts and articles, digging into systemic questions around agriculture, biodiversity, carbon capture, and the gap between simple narratives and complex realities. These projects represent the journey that led to CTN. Their content remains available as part of our archive. ## Our Approach CTN creates content to change minds, not to preach to the converted. We prioritise persuasion over advocacy — meeting people where they are and building the case for alternatives through evidence, storytelling, and the lived experience of those who are already doing things differently. We believe that harmful narratives are sustained by two reinforcing forces: external systems of power that benefit from them, and internal patterns — including unprocessed individual and collective trauma — that make us unconsciously cling to them. Addressing only one while ignoring the other is insufficient for meaningful change. This understanding shapes everything we produce. ## Our Values CTN operates according to cooperative principles. We prioritise creator autonomy, data ownership, and ethical business practices. Our infrastructure is self-hosted and built on open-source tools, because we believe the values you espouse should be reflected in how you operate — not just what you publish. We don't use extractive platforms where we can avoid them. We don't collect data we don't need. And we don't accept that the way things are is the way they have to be. --- *CTN is founded and run by Chris King, a documentary storyteller and journalist from the north of Ireland, but currently based in Perpignan, France.* ### Podcasts URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcasts/ Last updated: 2026-04-02T09:15:12.000Z _No content available._ ### Articles URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/articles/ Last updated: 2026-04-02T09:15:36.000Z _No content available._ ### Authors URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/authors/ Last updated: 2025-11-08T16:09:39.000Z _No content available._ ### Topics URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/tags/ Last updated: 2025-11-08T16:11:26.000Z _No content available._ ### Saved Posts URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/bookmarks/ Last updated: 2025-11-22T20:01:18.000Z _No content available._ ### Photo Stories URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/photo-stories/ Last updated: 2025-11-22T20:07:55.000Z _No content available._ ### Labels URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/labels/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T13:37:15.000Z Changing the Narrative produces content across distinct editorial labels — each with its own focus, identity, and voice, but connected by a shared mission: to challenge prevailing narratives and showcase alternatives that already exist. --- ## How Not to Do Business **Stories of breaking convention** ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/03/changing-the-narrative_how-not-to-do-business-logoSQ-2026.jpg) We're told there's one way to run a business — with hierarchies, shareholders, and profit above all else. How (Not) To Do Business explores what happens when people reject that conventional thinking. Through interviews with worker cooperatives, employee-owned companies, social enterprises, and other organisations that do things differently, HNTDB tells the stories of businesses that are succeeding on their own terms. We speak to the people inside these organisations about what it's actually like — the messy reality, not the polished pitch — and examine the structural barriers that keep alternative models hidden and underserved. HNTDB isn't about arguing for a better way. It's about showing that better ways already exist, and asking why more people don't know about them. --- ## Stories From Within **On communities, by the communities** Most documentary storytelling is done by outsiders looking in. Stories From Within takes a different approach: every story is told by someone who would be recognised as a member of the community they're documenting. SFW platforms the work of documentary storytellers — photographers, filmmakers, writers — who are telling stories from within their own communities, whether those communities are defined by geography, culture, identity, or experience. The principle is simple: the people best placed to tell a community's story are the people who live it. Through podcasts, exhibitions, publications, and eventually a dedicated platform, SFW challenges parachute journalism and raises awareness of communities that are too often represented by those who don't belong to them. ***COMING SOON!*** ***If you're a documentary storyteller telling stories from within your own community, we'd love to hear from you.*** --- ## From the Archive CTN grew out of three earlier projects. Their content remains available and continues to inform the work we do today. ### Documentary Storytellers ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/03/logo-2020i-SQ.jpg) Explored the ethics and practice of documentary storytelling — how stories are told, who tells them, and the responsibilities that come with representing others. Its work on lived experience, insider perspectives, and the power dynamics of storytelling laid the groundwork for Stories From Within. ### Food Is Wasted ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/03/food-is-wasted-logoSQ1400.jpg) Investigated the food system — from waste and sustainable agriculture to food sovereignty — challenging the dominant narratives around how we produce, distribute, and consume food. ### Documenting Climate Change ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/03/logo-waterSQ.jpg) Examined climate and environmental issues, digging into systemic questions around agriculture, biodiversity, and the gap between simple narratives and complex realities. ## Posts ### Impact Before Profit, and Still Growing: Inside a radical publisher - Pluto Press URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/impact-before-profit-and-still-growing-inside-a-radical-publisher-veruschka-selbach-pluto-press/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T17:17:06.000Z ## Listen 🎧 You can also listen here: [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/apple-podcasts_logo.png) Listen on Apple Podcasts ](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-not-to-do-business/id1896916857?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/spotify-logo01.png) Listen on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/033wZ6pLqbetoyyEs4U8Qv?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ Subscribe via Castopod & RSS ](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@HowNotToDoBusiness?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 A small publisher can't buy paper by the warehouse-load, so it can't price books the way the corporate houses do. Pluto Press makes up the difference another way. Some titles carry others, and when a book matters more than it is likely to sell, Pluto looks for an organisation to buy copies at a discount, which raises the print run, lowers the cost of every copy and lets the book go out at a fair price. Its ownership was shaped by similar constraints. When Pluto needed investment in 2018, staff on publishing salaries couldn't put money in, so the Pluto Educational Trust, a charity, invested and took a 60% stake. Three former staff hold 30%, and the current staff hold 10% through their own co-operative, with a seat on the board. The trust also lends to Pluto when the banks won't. Veruschka Selbach, Pluto's managing director, joined me to talk through how that works day to day: why a split decision on a book goes back for more work rather than to a vote, why she counts long service as an asset, what the business side of a values-led publisher actually demands, and what it takes for a book to change how people think. ## In this episode - How Pluto keeps impact-first titles viable: some books carrying others, and partner organisations buying discounted copies to raise the print run and lower the cost of every copy - Why an independent publisher prices at the top end of the market, without the economies of scale the corporate houses have - Staff first: equal parental leave for fathers and mothers, two months' sick leave on full pay, a four-and-a-half-day week, and five of a team of 18 who have stayed more than 20 years - Who owns Pluto since 2018 – a charitable trust, three former staff and a co-operative of current employees – and why it isn't a full worker co-op - How the biggest decisions need the agreement of every shareholder group, staff included - The weekly meeting, open to anyone in the company, where Pluto decides which books to publish, and what happens when the room is split - What a managing director does when she is one voice among many - Opening a US office in Las Vegas in 2022, and bringing Lawrence & Wishart, founded in 1936, under Pluto as an imprint - What it takes for a book to shift how people think: accessibility and timing ## About the guest Veruschka Selbach is managing director of Pluto Press, the independent publisher founded in London in 1969\. She has worked in publishing for more than 20 years, mostly on the academic and trade side, after answering a newspaper ad in Cape Town, South Africa, for a marketing assistant at Oxford University Press. In 2012 she co-founded Do Sustainability with three former Earthscan colleagues, publishing short, practical books on sustainability for a business audience; it published 50 titles before it was sold in 2015\. She joined Pluto as managing director in 2017, after working with the press as a consultant. ## Links mentioned in this episode - [Pluto Press](https://www.plutobooks.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (London, England), the independent publisher Veruschka leads - [The structure and governance of Pluto Press](https://www.plutobooks.com/blog/the-structure-and-governance-of-pluto-press/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), Pluto's own explanation of how it is owned and run - [Pluto Educational Trust](https://plutoeducationaltrust.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the charity that holds 60% of Pluto, and [the Decolonial Centre](https://decolonialcentre.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), one of its projects - [Lawrence & Wishart](https://www.plutobooks.com/lawrence-wishart/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), founded in 1936 and now a Pluto imprint - [Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain](https://www.plutobooks.com/product/staying-power/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) by Peter Fryer, first published by Pluto in 1984 - [Red Prepper: Building Collective Resilience in an Age of Collapse](https://www.plutobooks.com/product/red-prepper/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) by Eric Shonkwiler ## Chapters - 00:00 – A book's impact, found years later - 00:47 – Companies that break convention, and succeed - 01:07 – Impact before profit, and still growing - 02:40 – From a newspaper ad in Cape Town to publishing - 04:41 – Co-founding Do Sustainability after Earthscan - 05:27 – Joining Pluto Press - 06:04 – Taking out less than you put in - 08:47 – Why people stay: long service as memory - 10:10 – What sets Pluto apart: a mission that holds it to account - 12:11 – How some books pay for others - 14:33 – When crises bring new readers to the backlist - 16:22 – What to do with profits from crisis-driven sales - 17:34 – A not-for-profit in practice - 17:56 – Who owns Pluto: a trust, former staff and the team - 19:45 – Why not a full worker co-op? - 20:58 – The board, and how the biggest decisions are made - 22:28 – Why slower decisions are worth it - 23:54 – Growing by acquisition: Lawrence & Wishart - 25:44 – Making your own luck - 27:53 – The spreadsheets behind the mission - 30:43 – Passion, creativity and partnerships - 33:40 – Sharing without money - 34:22 – How a book gets published at Pluto - 37:13 – When the room is split: the bring back - 38:19 – What a managing director does - 39:58 – Opening a US office in Las Vegas - 43:24 – One editorial team across two continents - 44:01 – US demand for books on mutual aid and care - 45:29 – What it takes for an idea to change minds - 47:02 – Be realistic, then prove the alternative works - 48:22 – Building the case for something better Changing the Narrative is independent and has no advertisers and no sponsors to ensure that remains so. Paid membership is what helps sustain the work we do and helps change the narrative at a time when it's needed most – [become a member](https://changingthenarrative.media/support?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). ### Taxing the Banks: £29 billion in profit, and who is paying for it URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/taxing-the-banks-29-billion-in-profit-and-who-is-paying-for-it/ Last updated: 2026-09-08T17:10:33.000Z ## Listen 🎧 You can also listen here: [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/apple-podcasts_logo.png) Listen on Apple Podcasts ](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/changing-the-narrative/id1896944564?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/spotify-logo01.png) Listen on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/033BvRiFZlZhPnkQWMn5x7?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ Subscribe via Castopod & RSS ](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@ChangingTheNarrative?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 When the Bank of England raises interest rates, a bank does not have to do anything to make more money. What it charges on mortgages, loans and overdrafts goes up on its own. And separately from that, the Bank of England pays interest to private banks on the reserves they are required to hold with it – a cost that is ultimately carried by the Treasury. That is the argument Hannah Dewhirst makes in this episode: the record profits Britain's four biggest banks reported this summer were not earned by doing anything differently, and the public is on the other side of the ledger. Positive Money wants a 38% tax on the profits the banks make from the UK public – domestic profits only, not international or investment banking, which takes the competitiveness objection off the table before it is made. Underneath the campaign sits the thing she says matters more: banks create new money every time they make a loan, which means they, not the government, decide where money in the economy goes. When Positive Money put that to MPs in a poll published in 2017, 85% of them did not know it. We get into what that power has done to housing, who actually gets the meetings at the Treasury, what a public digital pound would look like in your hand, and why a windfall tax is the short-term fix rather than the cure. --- ## In this episode - Why Britain's four biggest banks made record profits from rising interest rates without changing anything they do - The interest the Bank of England pays on the reserves banks are required to hold, and why the Treasury carries that cost - Margaret Thatcher's 1981 windfall tax on the banks, and why Positive Money reaches for it as the precedent - What a 38% tax on domestically earned bank profits would cover, and what it deliberately leaves alone - The point underneath the campaign: banks create new money every time they lend, and so decide where money in the economy goes - How mortgage deregulation turned homes into financial assets, and what happened to social housing alongside it - Who gets the meetings at the Treasury, and how working in coalition changes the odds - Cheshire East, where 21 residents were brought together to write cost-of-living policy and the council adopted most of it - The public digital pound: what a Citizens Bank of England card would mean, and where Visa, Mastercard and Trump come into it - Why interest rates are the wrong tool for inflation driven by fossil fuels and climate breakdown ## About the guest Hannah Dewhirst is Head of Campaigns and Communications at Positive Money, the UK research and campaign group founded in 2010 in response to the global financial crisis. She studied economics as an undergraduate at Oxford, and says it was joining the Post-Crash Economics Society in Manchester, part of the Rethinking Economics movement, that introduced her to the analysis mainstream teaching had left out. She went on to work for Rethinking Economics, first joined Positive Money after moving to London, spent the pandemic at Every Doctor, and returned to Positive Money, where she now oversees its public campaigning: the supporter network, the petitions, and the stunts outside the Bank of England. ## Links mentioned in this episode - [Positive Money](https://positivemoney.org/uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (London, UK), the research and campaign group Hannah works for - The campaign to tax the banks: Positive Money's [call for a 38% windfall tax](https://positivemoney.org/uk/press-release/windfall-tax-on-colossal-bank-profits-could-raise-pound19bn-in-2026/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), which puts the big four's combined first-half 2026 profits at £29.2bn - [Banking on Property](https://positivemoney.org/uk/publications/banking-on-property/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (2022), the report on how housing was turned into a financial asset - [The Power of Big Finance](https://positivemoney.org/uk/publications/the-power-of-big-finance/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (2022), on the financial sector's influence over UK policy, and the [analysis of who gets the meetings at the Treasury](https://positivemoney.org/press-release/finance-sector-scores-two-fifths-of-treasury-meetings/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - The [poll of MPs](https://positivemoney.org/uk/archive/mp-poll/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in which 85% did not know where money comes from - [The People's Panel on the Cost of Living](https://positivemoney.org/2023/05/a-peoples-panel-on-the-cost-of-living?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), run with Cheshire East Council (England) in 2022 - [Greening the Bank of England's Collateral Framework](https://positivemoney.org/uk/publications/greening-the-bank-of-englands-collateral-framework/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the work behind this year's win on collateral ## Chapters - 00:00 – Cold open: what MPs don't know about money - 00:45 – Welcome to Changing the Narrative - 01:06 – £29 billion in bank profits and the call to tax them - 02:31 – Hannah's route into money and economics - 04:27 – Growing public awareness that the system is broken - 05:19 – Can the system actually be changed? - 06:00 – Countering the power of billionaires and vested interests - 07:20 – Positive Money in the UK, Europe and internationally - 08:46 – What Positive Money does: the core work areas - 10:53 – Green central banking and the collateral framework - 13:50 – Are the institutions receptive? - 15:16 – Hopes and concerns about the new UK government - 16:36 – Why decisions about money are never politically neutral - 19:11 – Policymakers who benefit from the system - 21:24 – Working in coalition with other organisations - 23:42 – The Cheshire East citizens' assembly on the cost of living - 26:30 – Would the Bank of England ever run a citizens' assembly? - 28:53 – Politicians disconnected from the people they represent - 30:07 – What the assembly achieved, and why it hasn't been repeated - 31:35 – Insider and outsider influencing versus the finance lobby - 34:10 – The press, the status quo, and getting coverage - 37:37 – Tax the Banks: how the windfall profits came about - 41:25 – Will the Chancellor act on it? - 43:45 – What every MP should understand about money - 45:48 – Why banks make bad lending decisions - 47:28 – The public digital pound explained - 50:13 – Trump, Visa/Mastercard and financial sovereignty - 53:32 – Who Positive Money reaches, and who it doesn't - 56:04 – One thing to take away - 56:45 – Closing ### Neighbourhood Care: The nursing model where better care costs less - Buurtzorg URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/neighbourhood-care-the-nursing-model-where-better-care-costs-less-buurtzorg/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T17:48:51.000Z ## Listen 🎧 You can also listen here: [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/apple-podcasts_logo.png) Listen on Apple Podcasts ](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-not-to-do-business/id1896916857?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/spotify-logo01.png) Listen on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/033wZ6pLqbetoyyEs4U8Qv?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ Subscribe via Castopod & RSS ](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@HowNotToDoBusiness?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 A patient in a fragmented home care system can have twenty or thirty different people come through the front door in a month, each delivering one timed task from a list. Buurtzorg sends one nurse, who does whatever that person needs – and whose job includes teaching them to need less of it. That inversion is the model. Jos de Blok started it in 2006 with a single team and nobody above them. It now runs around nine hundred teams of ten to twelve nurses, who hire their own colleagues, run their own rounds and split in two when they outgrow the neighbourhood. There are still no managers. The first objection it met was that nurses qualified to work that way would cost more. What happened instead was that doctors started sending Buurtzorg the most complex patients they had, because they trusted the nurses with them. And Jos argues the whole thing runs cheaper, because most of what a fragmented system spends goes on problems the fragmentation created. We get into how he made that case to the people holding the budgets, what happens when a team can't sort something out on its own, and what he means by humanity over bureaucracy. --- ## In this episode - How home care was reorganised into billable products and tasks, and why some patients ended up with twenty or thirty different people at the door in a month - What a Buurtzorg team actually is: ten to twelve nurses, one neighbourhood, no manager - Why Jos argues that doing the right thing costs the system less rather than more - The two objections the model met first – that higher-qualified nurses would be more expensive, and that it only took the simple cases - Growth without marketing, and teams that split like cells once they reach twelve - April 2016, when around 2,400 domestic care workers moved across and left their managers behind - What happens when a team can't resolve something on its own, and where the coaches come in - Taking the model abroad – Taiwan, China and the turn towards primary care – and what "humanity over bureaucracy" means in practice ## About the guest Jos de Blok is the founder of Buurtzorg and a community nurse by training. He started a business-school degree, left it, and qualified as a nurse instead, working as a nurse for fourteen years before moving into management as a director in Dutch home care. He founded Buurtzorg in 2006 with a single team; it now runs around nine hundred neighbourhood nursing teams with no managers, alongside arms for mental health (Buurtzorg T), youth care (Buurtzorg Jong) and domestic care, and he puts its turnover at around €600 million. ## Links mentioned in this episode - [Buurtzorg](https://www.buurtzorgnederland.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Almelo, Netherlands), the neighbourhood nursing organisation Jos founded in 2006 - [Buurtzorg International](https://www.buurtzorg.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), which supports the model outside the Netherlands - [Buurtzorg in Taiwan](https://www.buurtzorg.com/buurtzorg-in-taiwan/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the partner organisation marking its tenth year - The World Health Organization on [primary health care](https://www.who.int/health-topics/primary-health-care?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Chapters - 00:00 – Introduction - 02:13 – Meeting Jos: from business school to the nursing round - 03:14 – Why he built something different: care going "industrial" - 06:33 – When care became a product: fragmentation and dependency - 10:10 – The first steps: a model with every answer, and a five-year plan - 12:19 – What Buurtzorg is: neighbourhood nursing, and how a team runs - 15:56 – Why self-organisation: trust, autonomy and learning from experience - 20:34 – Overcoming resistance: "it'll cost more" and "only the simple cases" - 26:53 – A €600m organisation on a strikingly simple financial system - 27:05 – Growth without marketing: teams that split like cells - 29:36 – The 2016 takeover: 2,400 workers leave their managers behind - 32:19 – When teams struggle: coaches and the "self-cleaning" process - 35:53 – Going global: Taiwan, China and the turn to primary care - 39:44 – Can it work anywhere? Demography, prevention and the WHO - 42:45 – The takeaway: humanity over bureaucracy - 43:45 – Closing reflections and outro ### Corporation tax: How you know if a company is good or bad, regardless of its size URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/corporation-tax-how-you-know-if-a-company-is-good-or-bad-regardless-of-its-size/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T14:38:47.000Z ## Listen 🎧 You can also listen here: [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/apple-podcasts_logo.png) Listen on Apple Podcasts ](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/changing-the-narrative/id1896944564?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/spotify-logo01.png) Listen on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/033BvRiFZlZhPnkQWMn5x7?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ Subscribe via Castopod & RSS ](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@ChangingTheNarrative?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 You already trust a handful of small symbols. Fairtrade on your coffee and tea, organic on your eggs, the Living Wage badge in a shop window. Each one tells you a business is doing right by someone. For the thing that actually pays for schools, hospitals and roads - tax - there wasn't an equivalent. So the Fair Tax Foundation, a not-for-profit based in Manchester, UK, created one. The Fair Tax Mark is the first accreditation of its kind in the world: a business opens its books to independent scrutiny, and the Mark certifies that it pays the right amount of tax, in the right place, at the right time. In this episode I spoke with **Paul Monaghan**, the Foundation's Chief Executive and co-founder, and **Jaime Boswell**, its Head of Accreditation, who came to the work from a career advising businesses on how to reduce their tax. We get into why celebrating the companies getting it right may do more than naming the ones that don't; why the familiar picture of tax dodging as a big-corporate problem turns out, in Paul's account, to be only half the story, with much of the UK's tax gap now sitting with small businesses; and what a company's tax really reveals about the kind of organisation, and citizen, it is. Along the way: what "fair" actually means once you have to audit it, how a decade has changed corporate tax behaviour in the UK and Europe, the companies that come up when the conversation turns to transfer pricing, and why the Foundation is itself a Community Benefit Society, with any surplus locked into its mission. --- ## In this episode - What the Fair Tax Mark certifies, and how a business is assessed against a published standard - Why the Foundation celebrates good taxpayers rather than naming and shaming - How corporate tax behaviour in the UK and Europe has changed over a decade - Why small-business tax avoidance may be the under-examined half of the story - The transfer-pricing arrangements that come up around companies like Starbucks and Apple - Corporation tax as a lever on wealth and inequality - Certifying businesses beyond the UK for the first time - Why the Foundation is a community benefit society with an asset lock ## About the guests Paul Monaghan is Chief Executive and co-founder of the Fair Tax Foundation, which launched in 2014; his background is in environmental and governance accreditation schemes. Jaime Boswell is its Head of Accreditation, a former accountant and tax adviser who moved to the Foundation around five to six years ago and, with his team, assesses businesses against the Fair Tax Mark standards. ## Links mentioned in this episode - The [Fair Tax Foundation](https://fairtaxmark.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and the Fair Tax Mark (Manchester, England) - [Tripseed](https://www.tripseed.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Chiang Mai, Thailand), the first business certified under the Foundation's new National Business Standard and the first Fair Tax Mark business in Thailand - [Friendly Soap](https://friendlysoap.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Yorkshire, England) ## Chapters - 00:00 — Introduction: the Fair Tax Mark, and what a company's tax reveals - 02:07 — How the Fair Tax Foundation began, and crossing over from "the dark side" - 06:26 — Inside the work: celebrating the good, not chasing the bad - 09:45 — How tax went mainstream, and where the US diverges - 16:23 — What the Fair Tax Mark actually certifies - 22:14 — The barriers to certification, and reaching the rest of the world - 27:04 — Wealth, billionaires and the case for corporation tax - 31:01 — Profit-shifting at the top: Starbucks, Apple and the Ireland case - 33:05 — The other half of the story: small-business evasion and the UK "tax gap" - 40:50 — What needs to change, and why Paul says we're already winning - 44:42 — Sanctions, personal liability and organised crime - 51:32 — Reaching beyond the UK: the first Fair Tax Mark, in Thailand - 55:58 — Doing right by the community, and the leaders who choose to - 58:26 — How the Foundation is built: a "commercial not-for-profit" - 1:00:29 — One thing to take away ### Making locally-grown organic food more accessible URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/making-locally-grown-organic-food-more-accessible/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T14:39:34.000Z ## Listen 🎧 You can also listen here: [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/apple-podcasts_logo.png) Listen on Apple Podcasts ](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-not-to-do-business/id1896916857?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2026/08/spotify-logo01.png) Listen on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/033wZ6pLqbetoyyEs4U8Qv?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [ Subscribe via Castopod & RSS ](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@HowNotToDoBusiness?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 Rising food prices are something most of us notice at the till long before we see them in a statistic. And underneath the food choices we make there tends to sit a quiet assumption: that the food we're told is better for us — organic, locally grown, traceable back to a person — is the expensive option, and so the first thing to go when money is tight. Unicorn is a wholefood supermarket in Chorlton, Manchester, UK, where making that kind of food affordable was one of the aims from the very start. Thirty years on it's still trading and still holding to it. Two-thirds of what it sells is organic, including all the fresh fruit and veg — and its own prices go up on a chalkboard on the shop wall next to Tesco's, Sainsbury's, Morrisons' and Asda's, so you can check the gap yourself. You might be surprised at what you see. It's owned by the roughly 50 people who work there. All of them are directors. All of them are paid the same hourly wage, whatever job they do. I spoke with Debbie and Kellie, two of Unicorn's worker-owners. We got into how they keep the prices where they are, the money they give away before profit is counted, the grants fund they run for the farms they buy from, the farm they bought that didn't work, and why they've never opened a second shop — choosing instead to publish a free guide so other people can build their own. Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) --- ## About the guests Debbie Clarke and Kellie Bubble are worker-owners at Unicorn Grocery, a wholefood supermarket in Manchester, England. Kellie has been at Unicorn 28 years and works across the shop floor, buying, strategy and finance; Debbie has been there 22 years and looks after customer communications and Unicorn's solidarity funds. ## Links mentioned in this episode - [Unicorn Grocery](https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Manchester, England) - [Grow a Grocery](https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/about-us/grow-your-own-grocery/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), Unicorn's free guide to starting a wholefood co-operative - The [Kindling Trust](https://kindling.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and Kindling Farm in Greater Manchester, England - The [Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives](http://www.arizmendi.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the network of bakery co-ops in California, USA - [Red Pepper](https://www.redpepper.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Chapters - 00:00 — The 1% and 4% funds - 00:39 — How Not to Do Business - 00:59 — A whole food supermarket that competes on price - 02:15 — Meet Debbie and Kellie - 03:35 — The Solidarity Fund - 04:46 — How they both ended up at Unicorn - 07:21 — What a co-op gives you that a normal job doesn't - 09:48 — From weekly meetings to sociocracy - 14:02 — What Unicorn actually is - 16:22 — Flat pay, no hierarchy, low overheads - 20:43 — Growers, climate and the Growers Fund - 25:26 — How this differs from a supermarket - 27:43 — Is organic really more expensive? - 28:41 — Price boards and word of mouth - 30:31 — Why there's only one Unicorn - 36:29 — Growth to what end? - 38:07 — Stewards, not owners - 40:25 — Why the language changed — and shrinking back from 75 members - 42:48 — Recruiting for a co-op - 47:19 — Raising money from customers: loan stock - 52:20 — The farm: what worked and what didn't - 58:37 — Is the UK hostile to worker co-ops? - 1:02:47 — What happened after the co-op heyday - 1:04:12 — The one thing to take away - 1:06:49 — Close ### Giving Nature a Voice: From the Boardroom to the Courtroom URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/giving-nature-a-voice-from-the-boardroom-to-the-courtroom/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:27:39.000Z ## Listen 🎧 **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/giving-nature-a-voice-from-the-boardroom-to/id1896944564?i=1000777725618&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6XxaJftURWaYV7YnQGlyon?si=tLck4ruwQteV5CcNEn7PvQ&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps.* ## Watch 📺 --- In many parts of the world, the law treats a company as a person — it can own property, sign contracts, and go to court. A river can't do any of those things. This week's guest has spent years trying to change that. Brontie Ansell is a corporate solicitor and the Managing Director of Lawyers for Nature, a UK-based group who take on no human clients at all, because they treat nature itself as their client. We talk about what it means to give the natural world a voice — in the courts, in government policy, and even inside a company boardroom, where Brontie has served as a Nature Director. When it works, Brontie says, nothing dramatic happens in the boardroom — no showdown across the table — just patient conversation, over months. This episode is also a little different. It opens with the more personal part of the conversation I normally keep for paying members. It was too foundational to hold back, so this week it's open to everyone. Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) --- ## About the guest Brontie Ansell is a corporate solicitor and the Managing Director of Lawyers for Nature. ## Links mentioned in this episode - [Lawyers for Nature](https://www.lawyersfornature.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - The [We Are Nature campaign](https://wearenature.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - Nature on the Board: the [open-source Faith in Nature guide](https://www.lawyersfornature.com/our-work/nature-on-the-board?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - [Maidstone Borough Council's rights of nature framework](https://news.maidstone.gov.uk/home/news/26/april/rights-of-nature?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Kent, England) - [House of Hackney](https://www.houseofhackney.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - [ASRA](https://www.asranetwork.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Chapters - 00:00 — Sneak Peak - 00:32 — Introduction - 03:08 — Meet Brontie Ansell - 03:28 — Why company law? The white space nobody's using - 06:48 — Do corporations have more rights than nature? - 10:44 — Why nature needs a voice in court: the guardian model - 12:56 — How Lawyers for Nature began - 16:57 — Are we waking up to being part of nature? - 18:15 — When a movement goes mainstream: the risk of greenwashing - 23:42 — Rewriting the dictionary: the We Are Nature campaign - 24:13 — Bottom-up or top-down? Nature on the board - 27:42 — When legislation works: the River Standing Bill - 29:25 — Maidstone: a council adopts a rights of nature framework - 30:39 — Open-sourcing the work, and refusing to gatekeep - 34:09 — Inside the boardroom: what a Nature Director actually does - 38:06 — From less harm to nature positivity - 41:31 — What they're experimenting with next: Risks Beyond Human Eyes - 45:21 — The rabbit in the garden: Ecological Attribution Rights - 51:01 — One thing to take away: there's always an answer - 51:54 — Outro ### The tech agency with no boss and no shareholders URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/the-tech-agency-with-no-boss-and-no-shareholders/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:27:59.000Z When you picture a tech agency, you probably imagine a founder or a couple of investors at the top, a hierarchy beneath them, and the profits flowing up to whoever owns the shares. Outlandish is none of that — a worker co-operative in Finsbury Park, London, with no boss and no external shareholders, run by consent, that puts its profits back into social change, including a community workspace it runs called Space4. I spoke with two of its member-owners, Natasha Natarajan and Maddy Neghabian — and they're refreshingly unwilling to sell you the model. They're honest about how hard it is right now: a shrinking market, the arrival of AI, and the strange new problem that, as they put it, "it's almost become mainstream to be good." When B Corps and social enterprises are everywhere, how do you explain why genuine democratic ownership offers something different? We get into why co-ops are still so hard to fund, what a business world built around the lone entrepreneur can't see, and why — for all the difficulty — neither of them wants to go back. It's a candid look at what it actually takes to do business differently, from two people doing it. ## Listen 🎧 ## Watch 📺 **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/the-tech-agency-with-no-boss-and-no-shareholders-outlandish/id1896916857?i=1000776781461&l=en-GB&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MiPQUCh9YWDeqT1vmE6d9?si=WkksiVDgROeB%5FH1yCYd2Fw&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps or watch it on* [**YouTube*](https://youtu.be/qbVP58hI2fM?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) ### Written into the constitution: How Italy nurtures and protects its co-ops URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/written-into-the-constitution-how-italy-nurtures-and-protects-its-co-ops/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:28:17.000Z This week on the Changing the Narrative podcast, Chris speaks with [Vera Zamagni](https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/vera.negri/cv-en?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), Professor of Economic History at the University of Bologna, Senior Associate Fellow at Johns Hopkins University's [SAIS Europe](https://bipr.jhu.edu/experts/63-Vera-Negri-Zamagni.cfm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and a former Vice President of the Emilia-Romagna regional government. Since 1948, [Article 45 of Italy's constitution](https://www.senato.it/istituzione/la-costituzione/parte-i/titolo-iii/articolo-45?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) has recognised the social function of cooperation — and, as Vera explains, no government since has been able to legislate against it. In her own region, that constitutional footing helped build something unusual: more than 3,600 cooperatives, which she says account for up to a fifth of Emilia-Romagna's economy once you include the firms they control, sitting alongside — not against — a dense network of small, export-focused private firms. Bologna, where Vera lives, is what she calls the packaging-machinery capital of the world. ## Listen 🎧 ## Watch 📺 **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/changing-the-narrative/id1896944564?l=en-GB&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/show/033BvRiFZlZhPnkQWMn5x7?si=f7b91b9979e64bc4&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps or watch it on* [**YouTube*](https://youtu.be/WTyYSfexnaE?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Vera traces the roots of the "Emilian model" back to centuries of civic self-government, and explains why an economy built on small firms and cooperatives never adopted the American big-business approach. She's candid about the harder questions too: whether cooperatives can keep growing, whether any of this can travel beyond Italy — to Britain, or to New York, where she was recently asked to advise a group working with Mayor Zohran Mamdani on rebuilding the city's childcare system — and why she believes the real threat to the model today isn't politics. It's artificial intelligence. **What we get into:** - Article 45 — the article that names cooperatives in Italy's constitution — and why every party, from the Liberals to the Communists, backed it in 1948 - What actually distinguishes the "Emilian model": centuries of civic self-government, and an economy of small and medium-sized firms that never wanted to imitate American big business - The scale of cooperative Italy today, and the newer forms it keeps producing — social cooperatives, community cooperatives reviving depopulated villages, and renewable-energy communities - Why cooperatives and small private business coexist rather than compete to the death — and where capitalism won't share the ground - Whether the model can travel: Britain's "identity crisis" and the demutualisation of its building societies, and the New York childcare experiment Vera was asked to advise on - Why culture, not law, comes first — and what that means for anywhere trying to build co-ops from a standing start - Why Vera thinks artificial intelligence, not politics, is the real threat — and what "not in my name" looks like in practice - Italy's networked model: consortia, sector federations, and the levy on co-op profits that funds the next generation of co-ops **Chapters:** 00:00 — Introduction 00:58 — The cooperative economy of Emilia-Romagna 02:15 — The historical context of Italian cooperatives 05:55 — The roots of the Emilian model 11:21 — The scale of cooperative Italy today 16:32 — Can cooperatives keep growing? 22:00 — Cooperatives and capitalism: is coexistence possible? 26:08 — Can the model travel beyond Italy? 31:45 — Resisting the AI tsunami 33:54 — Britain's identity crisis and the Anglo-Saxon trap 38:44 — Culture before everything: growing co-ops without the Italian foundations 47:08 — Italy's constitutional shield 50:32 — Building from below: the New York childcare experiment 56:41 — Cooperation among cooperatives: Italy's networked model ### About Vera Negri Zamagni Vera Negri Zamagni is Professor of Economic History at the [University of Bologna](https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/vera.negri/cv-en?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and a Senior Associate Fellow at Johns Hopkins University's [SAIS Europe](https://bipr.jhu.edu/experts/63-Vera-Negri-Zamagni.cfm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in Bologna. She holds a doctorate in economic history from the University of Oxford, co-founded the *European Review of Economic History*, and is a former Vice President of the Emilia-Romagna regional government. She has written extensively on Italian economic development and the cooperative movement. *(Sources:* [*SAIS Europe / Bologna Institute for Policy Research*](https://bipr.jhu.edu/experts/63-Vera-Negri-Zamagni.cfm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*;* [*University of Bologna*](https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/vera.negri/cv-en?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*.)* **Resources mentioned:** - [Article 45 of the Italian Constitution](https://www.senato.it/istituzione/la-costituzione/parte-i/titolo-iii/articolo-45?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — Senate of Italy, official text - [Vera Negri Zamagni](https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/vera.negri/cv-en?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — University of Bologna - [Vera Negri Zamagni](https://bipr.jhu.edu/experts/63-Vera-Negri-Zamagni.cfm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — SAIS Europe / Johns Hopkins University - [*Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism*](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691190785/deaths-of-despair-and-the-future-of-capitalism?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), Anne Case and Angus Deaton (Princeton University Press, 2020) — the book Vera references (see flag below) Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) ### How a worker co-op outlasted the collapse of London's print trade URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/how-a-worker-co-op-outlasted-the-collapse-of-londons-print-trade/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:28:36.000Z This week on *How (Not) To Do Business*, Chris King sits down with Cherry Haynes and Siôn Whellens of [Calverts](https://www.calverts.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the East London design and print co-operative [founded in 1977](https://www.workers.coop/resource/case-study-calverts-north-star-press-ltd/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Calverts has no managers and complete pay parity — everyone earns the same — and it has outlasted almost every other printer in London. ## Listen 🎧 ## Watch 📺 **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/calverts-how-a-worker-co-op-survived-when-the/id1896916857?i=1000774851265&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1BPQSQKVhVRGDjeQgUgo08?si=0%5FTXN5zBR7GMoZkf3RKOxQ&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps or watch it on* [**YouTube*](https://youtu.be/r7T9byEP3m0?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Clerkenwell and then the East End were once full of print shops. Most are long gone. Calverts is still a proper printing outfit, and in this episode Cherry and Siôn dig into why. They explain why the co-op is happy to hire people who are sceptical of co-ops rather than true believers, how it survived the collapse of London's print industry by refusing to compete on price, and why they care more about who *controls* a business than who *owns* it. **What we get into:** - Why Calverts recruits for curiosity and good questions, not co-op credentials — and why scepticism is welcome - Surviving London's print decline by being the best rather than the cheapest - Overcoming the old "upstairs/downstairs" divide between the office and the print room - A 16-year average staff retention — and the hardest decisions, when someone has to leave a place with no line managers - Borrowing grievance and membership processes from other co-ops, including [Suma](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/inside-europes-largest-equal-pay-workers-co-operative/) in Yorkshire - Managing informal hierarchies, succession, and handing over knowledge as long-serving members step back - The structural and cultural barriers to co-ops going further: access to capital, and the deep belief that capital — not work — makes the world go round - Co-operatives versus Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs): ownership versus control, and what gets lost - Practical first steps for anyone thinking about starting a co-op or converting an existing business **Chapters:** 00:00 — Show introduction 01:14 — Introducing Calverts 02:27 — How Calverts works as a co-op 03:07 — Who they hire — and why 06:56 — Surviving London's declining print industry 09:37 — How the culture has changed 12:57 — Staff retention and tough decisions 17:35 — Learning from other co-operatives 20:17 — Managing informal hierarchies 23:00 — New generations and systemic change 25:54 — Barriers to wider co-op adoption 31:02 — Hope and agency in the face of systemic change 35:19 — Co-ops vs Employee Ownership Trusts 40:57 — How to get started 44:13 — The business myth Calverts challenges 45:44 — Further resources **Resources mentioned:** - [Calverts](https://www.calverts.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — the East London design and print co-operative - [workers.coop](https://www.workers.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — the Worker Co-op Federation: case studies, how-tos, explainers and an open forum - [Stir to Action](https://www.stirtoaction.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and its [Centre for Democratic Business](https://www.democraticbusiness.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), including the [21st Century Social Clubs](https://www.democraticbusiness.org/our-work/21st-century-social-clubs?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) programme - [CoTech](https://www.coops.tech/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — the UK network of tech co-ops — and its [open forum](https://community.coops.tech/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) ### Exploring Community Wealth Building with Neil McInroy URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/exploring-community-wealth-building-with-neil-mcinroy/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:34:53.000Z *Scotland has become the first country in the world to write community wealth building into law. But what does that mean for the places where people actually live and work — and can a framework like this hold against the pull of global capital, data centres and footloose investment? Neil McInroy, Global Lead for Community Wealth Building at The Democracy Collaborative, traces the idea from Cleveland to Preston to the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026, and is candid about what it can and can't do.* **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/neil-mcinroy-on-community-wealth-building-and/id1896944564?i=1000773501720&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mvDW7Gtd2MBByy8RBcmxa?si=anrsm-5wSyum95r%5FVifWtQ&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps or watch it on* [**YouTube*](https://youtu.be/ofpnimWFoEc?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 ### In this episode Community wealth building starts from a plain question: who holds wealth in a place, where does it go, and how much of it stays? Neil sets out the five "pillars" the approach works through — fair work, progressive procurement by large public anchor institutions, community-focused finance, democratised land and property, and, the one he treats as most important, inclusive ownership: co-operatives, employee ownership, community and public ownership. He tells the story of how the idea travelled: from the [Evergreen Cooperatives](https://www.evgoh.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in Cleveland, set up to win real contracts from local anchor institutions, to the Preston model from 2013, and on to the places now picking it up across the US, Europe, Australia and South Korea. He's open about what didn't work along the way, and about the lessons he draws from Preston — such as how a change led from the top, without an organised movement underneath it, only goes so far. The conversation turns to Scotland. Neil describes what people should expect to notice as the Act is implemented locally, why he thinks the legislation created a short "hiatus" rather than an immediate surge, and where he'd put the odds on it succeeding. He doesn't dodge the hard parts: the limits of a framework against large extractive projects, the pull of foreign investment, and the risk that alternative economics stays "the preserve of the privileged". ### About Neil McInroy Neil McInroy is Global Lead for Community Wealth Building at [The Democracy Collaborative](https://www.democracycollaborative.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the US-based research organisation that originated the term, where he supports inclusive-ownership strategies and systemic economic reform in the US and internationally. He spent around two decades as Chief Executive of the [Centre for Local Economic Strategies](https://cles.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (CLES) in Manchester, where he helped pioneer community wealth building in Britain, including the Preston model. He has advised the Scottish Government on community wealth building and chairs the [Economic Development Association Scotland](https://edas.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (EDAS). (*Sources:* [*The Democracy Collaborative*](https://www.democracycollaborative.org/neil-mcinroy?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*;* [*Future Economy Scotland*](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/456-from-policy-to-practice-neil-mcinroy-on-community-wealth-building?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*.)* ### Further reading - The Democracy Collaborative — [community wealth building](https://www.democracycollaborative.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - The Democracy Collaborative on the Scottish law — ["A World First"](https://www.democracycollaborative.org/blogs/a-world-first-community-wealth-building-legislation-in-scotland?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026 — [full text, legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2026/7/enacted?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - Scottish Government — [community wealth building policy](https://www.gov.scot/policies/cities-regions/community-wealth-building/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) — [cles.org.uk](https://cles.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Listen & watch - 🎧 Audio: [Listen Here](https://podcasts.changingthenarrative.media/@ChangingTheNarrative/episodes/neil-mcinroy-on-community-wealth-building-and-scotlands-world-first-law?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - ▶️ Video: [https://youtu.be/ofpnimWFoEc](https://youtu.be/ofpnimWFoEc?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) - Also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts. ### Inside Europe's largest equal pay workers' co-operative URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/inside-europes-largest-equal-pay-workers-co-operative/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:35:02.000Z **You can also listen to this episode on* [**Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suma-inside-europes-biggest-equal-pay-workers-co-operative/id1896916857?i=1000772339503&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)**,* [**Spotify*](https://open.spotify.com/episode/76ChR3iV9Yj4hPIljVWXJG?si=AOSPSGiQTEqdGe5VwIqz5Q&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and other podcast apps or watch it on* [**YouTube*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzA3Se6A4Kc&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Watch 📺 Discover how Suma, Europe's largest equal pay worker-owned co-operative, challenges conventional business paradigms and proves that ethical, egalitarian practices can sustain a thriving enterprise. This deep dive explores their innovative approach to ownership, pay equity, decision-making, and resilience in a capitalist world. This episode offers practical insights into building sustainable, ethical workplaces that defy traditional hierarchies. Whether you're a business leader, entrepreneur, or activist, understanding Suma's approach can spark ideas about reimagining work for fairness, resilience, and community benefit. Resources & Links: Suma - [https://www.suma.coop](https://www.suma.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) workers.coop - [https://www.workers.coop](https://www.workers.coop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) PunchCard Podcast – [https://www.youtube.com/@workerscoop](https://www.youtube.com/@workerscoop?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)⁩ The Hive Cafe Huddersfield - [https://hivecommunity.org.uk](https://hivecommunity.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Guest: Beau Bulman Host/Creator: Chris King Main insights include: The core principle of equal pay regardless of role, tenure, or hierarchy How a decentralised, democratic decision-making process works at scale with 250+ members Recruitment practices focused on shared values and work ethic, not just skills The internal and external barriers to adopting models like Suma’s in traditional businesses The impact of culture and collective responsibility on organisational resilience Strategies for integrating democratic principles into conventional business structures The importance of transparency, feedback, and collective accountability Challenges related to growth, decision-making speed, and geographic autonomy How worker cooperatives like Suma can influence wider societal narratives about work and ownership Want to know more about the people being interviewed? Learn about their personal journeys in their own words by becoming a paid member [Support Changing the Narrative ](#/portal/signup) ### Fact and Fiction - The books I'm reading URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/fact-and-fiction-the-books-im-reading/ Last updated: 2026-04-11T12:25:08.000Z As a documentary storyteller, I read a lot around the subjects I’m documenting – nurturing what I hope is a sufficiently nuanced understanding of the complex issues I seek to document, and thereby allowing me to engage others in a constructive and meaningful way. This week I thought I would share with you some of the books I’ve been reading over the past few months, as well as those waiting patiently on my bookshelf. Before I begin, I’m always looking out for recommendations, and would love to hear about any you might have. Please comment on the post here, so more people can discover books and authors that help us understand and make sense of the people and world around us. First a few of the non-fiction books. I’ve just finished ‘[*Capitalism and Slavery*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/capitalism-and-slavery-book-eric-williams-9780241548165?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Eric Williams, which is why you will have seen it referenced in the past couple of articles. This is one of those books everyone should read if they want to gain some insight into the truth about why the world is in the state it’s in – as are most of the ones that follow. It gives such incredible insight as to how and why the transatlantic slave trade came into existence, how it was maintained, and how and why it came to be abolished (spoiler alert: it was rooted in capitalist interests and not so much about humanitarianism). Williams shows how capitalism evolved during this period, as the slave trade contributed to the birth of the industrial revolution in England, with the profits from the trade catalysing its growth. Despite the efforts of the planter-merchant class to maintain the existing system, gone were the days of mercantilist and agrarian capitalism. One of the many things the book highlights for me is that the capitalist class – much like the merchant class was before it – and the political class have been two sides of the same coin since capitalism’s birth. They have always been undermining democracy – blocking legislation that does not serve them, and pushing that which does. The abolition of the slave trade being a prime example of the consequences of this: initially, the capitalist class, embedded in the government, supported the slave trade and blocked abolition; later, they supported abolition when the slave trade – and the monopolies given to the planter-merchants of the colonies – hindered growth and ‘free trade’. They concluded that abolition was the right thing to do – not for humanitarian reasons, but because it made economic sense to them at that time. I tend to read a few books back-to-back around a similar topic, so as to reinforce and build upon the knowledge gained from the previous book. Prior to ‘*Capitalism and Slavery*’, I was reading Frantz Fanon’s ‘[*The Wretched of the Earth*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/wretched-of-the-earth-book-frantz-fanon-9780141186542?pid=9829504286993&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, Walter Rodney’s ‘[*How Europe Underdeveloped Africa*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/how-europe-underdeveloped-africa-book-walter-rodney-9781788731188?pid=9869398802705&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, as well as [Grace Blakeley](https://graceblakeley.substack.com/)’s ‘[*Vulture Capitalism*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/vulture-capitalism-book-grace-blakeley-9781526638069?pid=10314464133393&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, and Lenin’s ‘[*Imperialism: The highest Stage of Capitalism*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/imperialism-the-highest-stage-of-capitalism-book-vladimir-ilich-lenin-9789390896653?pid=10267179188497&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’. Fanon’s and Lenin’s books are classics, and are essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history and impact of colonialism and imperialism respectively. But Rodney’s and Blakeley’s books are the kind I would buy, and indeed have bought, for others. They are incredibly comprehensive and wide-reaching, and help you glimpse behind the facade of this heavily engineered and curated world we live in. These are the kinds of books that stay with you and expand your understanding of the very fabric of the world around us. Rodney’s book begins by exploring the development of the African nations prior to the transatlantic slave trade sapping the continent of millions of its people – resulting in it having roughly half the population it would otherwise have had. The social impact of this – the consequences of which still resonate into the present day – cannot be overstated. Rodney then goes on to explore how, through imperialism and colonial rule, and the resulting extraction of the continent’s resources, Africa played a key role in the capitalist development of Europe – how the African economies were distorted to serve the Europeans, how the surplus produced was extracted and expatriated to the colonial powers, and how the population was purposefully kept on its knees through exclusion from education, and through social, political and economic disempowerment, in order to create a subordinate people to serve the colonial powers. It’s a powerful book that’s vital for anyone who wants to understand the consequences of imperialism and colonialism on Africa and its people, which, due to a lack of truth, reconciliation and reparations, continues to be felt profoundly to this day. To take a short break from learning about all that’s wrong with the world, I read ‘[*A Brief History of Intelligence*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/brief-history-of-intelligence-book-max-bennett-9780008560133?pid=10112664043793&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Max S. Bennett, which is a fascinating book about the evolution of the brain. It maps that evolution from the advent of life to the present day, and explores five key breakthroughs and the cause and effect of these on the development of life, communication and culture. I also read Benjamin Labatut’s ‘[*When We Cease to Understand the World*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/when-we-cease-to-understand-the-world-book-benjamin-labatut-9781782276142?pid=9791611863313&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, which I devoured in a couple of days. It’s historical fiction about a handful of scientists whose discoveries empower violent societies to reach new levels of violence and destruction. So, maybe that break was shorter than I had intended! I’m currently reading ‘[*The New Racial Regime: Recalibrations of White Supremacy*](https://www.plutobooks.com/product/the-new-racial-regime/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*’* by Alana Lentin, which I heard about from Pluto Press’ podcast [*Radicals in Conversation*](https://plutopress.podbean.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). I’m just coming to the end of the introduction, and having underlined so much of it, I already know my mind is going to be well and truly expanded by every chapter. It explores how the white supremacy that permeates the systems of the west is in a perpetual process of recalibration – which it does in part through distorting and undermining the language used to challenge it – in response to resistance from the people and cultures it seeks to dominate and suppress or eradicate. I’m also reading ‘[*Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/goliaths-curse-book-luke-kemp-9780241741238?pid=10314458497297&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Luke Kemp, which I came across via Rachel Donald’s [*Planet Critical*](https://www.planetcritical.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) podcast. I just finished the first chapter this morning, and, much to her delight, I felt compelled to engage my partner on it first thing. At least I had the decency to do so only after she had drunk her morning tea! I have a couple of audiobooks on the go as well – both of which I’m really enjoying, and know I will want to read eventually and make a copious amount of notes on: Ash Sakar’s ‘[*Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/minority-rule-book-ash-sarkar-9781526648280?pid=10601422487825&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, which I came across due to having [*Novara Media*](https://novaramedia.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) as one of my key information sources on what’s going on in the world. The other is ‘[*Progress: A History of Humanity’s Worst Idea*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/progress-book-samuel-miller-mcdonald-9780008462475?sku=NGR9780008462475&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Samuel Miller McDonald, which I came across thanks once again to *Planet Critical*. I tend to read non-fiction during the day, and then fiction at night while in bed. I can highly recommend ‘[*Things Fall Apart*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/things-fall-apart-book-chinua-achebe-9780141186887?pid=9810922864913&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Chinua Achebe and ‘[*A Grain of Wheat*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/grain-of-wheat-book-ngugi-wa-thiong-o-9780141186993?pid=9780389871889&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. These are brilliantly written, and offer insight into the experiences of living under (settler) colonialism – Achebe when it first began in Nigeria, and Ngũgĩ when it was coming to an end in Kenya, in the wake of the Mau Mau uprising. Both do so in an engaging and absorbing way that just can’t be achieved in non-fiction – the many layers of the lived experience, and the weaving of different aspects of colonialism into the evolution of the characters and their communities as they struggled with its impacts. I also read Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘[*Slaughterhouse Five*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/slaughterhouse-5-book-kurt-vonnegut-9780099800200?pid=9779881148689&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, which in its own right is an engaging read full of humour, but when you learn about the story behind it – how it’s semi-autobiographical – then you understand and appreciate the dark humour through a different lens. The list of books I’d like to read is endless, but some of those already bought and sitting on the bookshelf are Timothy Snyder’s ‘[*On Freedom*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/on-freedom-book-timothy-snyder-9781847928054?pid=10038145319185&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, and ‘[*Selections from the Prison Notebooks*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/prison-notebooks-book-antonio-gramsci-9780853152804?pid=9788469674257&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Antonio Gramsci – whose name comes up more and more in what I listen to and read, and who I’ve not yet had the pleasure of exploring. Then there’s Charles C. Mann’s ‘[*1491: The Americas before Columbus*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/1491-second-edition-book-charles-c-mann-9781400032051?pid=9784842879249&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’. I read his book ‘[*The Wizard and the Prophet*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/wizard-and-the-prophet-book-charles-c-mann-9781509884186?sku=GOR010610284&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ many years ago, which explores differing perspectives on the means by which we can most effectively build a sustainable food system. Mann is a fantastic writer, and can distill a complex and layered topic masterfully. Also sitting there waiting for me to turn that first page is ‘[*The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/dawn-of-everything-book-david-graeber-9780141991061?sku=GOR012327023&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by David Graeber and David Wengrow, ‘[*The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/myth-of-capitalism-book-jonathan-tepper-9781394184064?pid=9877191164177&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Jonathan Tepper, and ‘[*Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/born-in-blackness-book-howard-w-french-9781324092407?pid=9788896182545&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Howard W. French. One book that I’ve yet to buy, but is now on the top of my list is ‘[*Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/black-marxism-book-cedric-j-robinson-9780241514177?sku=NGR9780241514177&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’ by Cedric J Robinson. This has been referenced extensively in ‘*The New Racial Regime*’, with one of the central arguments made being that racism dates back to feudal times. This expands upon – or modifies even – one of Williams’ theses that the people of Africa were racialised by those benefiting from the slave trade as a means of justifying its continuation. Robinson highlights that racialisation was already a tool forged by the Europeans prior to the transatlantic slave trade – the treatment of Irish people being one such example. What have you read recently that you feel compelled to share and discuss with others? ### Another way is possible: Businesses and economies can serve people, rather than the other way round URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/another-way-is-possible-businesses-and-economies-can-serve-people-rather-than-the-other-way-round/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T21:08:44.000Z In his book ‘[*Moral Ambition*](https://rutgerbregman.com/books/moral-ambition?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, Rutger Bregman discusses how reframing a seemingly intractable issue can inspire greater engagement. He uses the example of how a group of abolitionists in England decided that, instead of trying to convince people of the humanity of the slaves, they would instead highlight the suffering and deaths of the European sailors who crewed the slave vessels. They knew this would be an easier way of garnering support for their cause than trying to address the pervasive othering and dehumanisation of the African slaves. Abolition of the slave trade was a great achievement. However, it ultimately only addressed a symptom. The root cause – both of the industrialisation of slavery, and protracted resistance to abolition and emancipation – remained unchallenged. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### We need to change the narrative URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/we-need-to-change-the-narrative/ Last updated: 2026-03-24T18:43:47.000Z ***Stories have been used throughout human history to exert power and influence over others as well as to develop and maintain communities and cultures. They are powerful but fragile tools that rely purely on people believing them. Whether a story lives or dies, brings us together or tears us apart, depends on us and what we choose to believe.*** I was born and grew up in the north of Ireland during a conflict called ‘the Troubles’. While a peace of sorts was obtained in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, there has been no meaningful attempt at a government level to nurture reconciliation, and indeed the British government has done much to [undermine the process](https://www.psni.police.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/Operation%20Kenova%20Final%20Report%202025.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). This is in large part because the British state and its army were [active participants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody%5FSunday%5F%281972%29?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in the conflict. As a consequence, the community remains deeply fractured – there are [97 ‘peace’ walls and barriers in Belfast alone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace%5Flines?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), up from 18 during the conflict itself, and the collective and individual trauma the conflict brought goes largely unresolved, keeping the country and its people anchored in the past and the peace in a perpetually fragile state. As a kid I had friends from both sides of the community, and struggled to comprehend how people could justify causing harm to others and killing them. Ultimately, it’s about narratives – both those we create internally, and those we have embraced from external sources. Everything we believe about the world, about others, and even about ourselves is ultimately a story – a narrative constructed in large part by the cultures that surround us – be it our families, our communities or the countries we were born in and live in. These cultures are themselves built upon stories, and are in a perpetual state of flux - continually evolving as they are shaped by every member within them. Prevailing narratives, while embraced by many and forces to be reckoned with, are not rigid, static things. They can and do change constantly. This is in large part because a narrative is not necessarily dominant because it is true, but instead because of the existing power structures or limited understanding of the world around us. The impact of burning fossil fuels on the climate is but one example of both these forces. Both external information and internal reflection help the narratives we build in our minds to evolve – for better or for worse. Ideally, the stories that are propagated by us and our cultures would converge towards constructive, widely held beliefs that enrich the lives of the majority and reduce suffering – from, for example, the destructive act of othering people different from us to the belief that all humans should be treated equally. Such beliefs should not be mere rhetoric, but instead be reflected in the way we and everyone within our cultures, and the systems we create, act and engage with the people and world around us. This will invariably take time and both individual and collective effort, and is helped or hindered by the forces that are sustaining a prevailing narrative and those that are challenging it. The use of narratives by vested interests to manipulate people as a means of sustaining their power and wealth is deeply rooted in human culture. For example, as Eric Williams highlights in his book ‘[*Capitalism and Slavery*](https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/capitalism-and-slavery-book-eric-williams-9780241548165?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, anti-Black racism was created by those profiting from the transatlantic slave trade as a means of justifying its continuation and opposing abolition. Racialisation has a long history of use as a tool by those in positions of power to justify atrocities carried out against other peoples – from the colonisation of Ireland to present-day genocides, illegal wars, and conflicts. We should therefore be continually assessing and challenging every story we hear and hold, to ensure we ourselves are not unwittingly being manipulated. We may not have chosen where we were born, when we were born or our biological family, but we have agency as to what beliefs we choose to hold. In the absence of critical thinking, we run the risk of being used to maintain and propagate destructive narratives that serve to only benefit a small minority at the expense of the majority. We are currently seeing this being weaponised, in a way never before possible thanks to social media and AI, by the likes of the Trump administration in the US, Reform in the UK, and other far-right political groups – as well as European and Western governments that are pushing an increasingly far-right agenda. This is partly driven out of desperation. As history shows us, those who have power and wealth strive to control the narrative in order to maintain the status quo in the face of increasing challenges to it. These new tools allow the rapid and comprehensive spread of misinformation and disinformation before the facts can be verified. They allow targeted and sustained influence with minimal effort and expense. Equally, as is the case in the north of Ireland, and anywhere where there has been a war, a conflict, or intercommunity violence of any kind, if we as individuals and communities do not do the work to resolve and release the traumas of our past, and reconcile those narratives that drive a wedge between us, then we also run the risk of being manipulated by internal forces of which we are not even conscious – haunted by the past, and unable to free ourselves from its influence over our present. If we’re going to address the issues of our time, we need to first understand our own role in sustaining them. We need to strive to both understand the world around us – to engage critically with every aspect of our lived experience, and to know and understand ourselves – both the unique aspects of our being, and those that make us human. Whether external to us or internal, we need to be proactive in engaging with that which seeks to hide in the shadows, and dragging it out into the light – to learn and understand how the narratives we hold and are exposed to are seeking to influence us, so we can make an informed decision as to how we engage with the world. To neglect this process, whether on a personal, community or societal level, will only allow the status quo to be sustained by those who benefit from it. Whether it’s racism, misogyny, neo-liberalism, the patriarchy, or any other power structure that seeks to label, other, and impose a hierarchy through narratives, despite all the issues and suffering they create and sustain, neglecting the process allows the traumas caused to reverberate beyond our present and into our future. The process of creating meaningful, sustainable cultural change takes time and effort. It will ultimately only arrive after the alternative being promoted exists and is seen to work, and the people, or someone they trust, has direct experience of it. Exposure to an alternative narrative then helps people make sense of the experience, and amplifies the awareness of the alternative’s existence. Raising awareness and promoting an alternative narrative are often not enough in and of themselves to create meaningful change within our cultures – they simply set the groundwork. The lived experience of the alternative being promoted is critical, as is understanding the forces acting to maintain the status quo. The suppression and then rise of renewable energy and electric cars illustrates this dynamic at work. By nurturing the lived experience of the alternatives, and challenging and changing the prevailing narratives, the status quo will shift, and with it the systemic change that is so desperately needed to reduce the vast amount of suffering that has been, and continues to be, inflicted on so many for so long. The existing systems are desperately failing the majority, and causing more and more suffering. It’s time for us to create new systems that address these failings and prioritise equality, egalitarianism, and community. We need systems that strive to ensure everyone – not just the privileged few – has the best quality of life possible. Alternative political, social, economic systems and business models already exist. Let’s seek them out, support them, and spread the word, and then together we can start changing the narrative about what kind of world we can live in. --- If you would like to learn more about the alternatives that already exist and the people building them and living them, then subscribe to Changing the Narrative. [Subscribe ](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/#/portal/signup) ### Maren Krings - photojournalist and climate impact storyteller URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-maren-krings-photojournalist-and-climate-impact-storyteller/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:15:28.000Z We talk about Maren’s journey, of course, but also the importance of solutions-focused stories, and how, alone, these are not enough - diversity is critical to maximise engagement with an issue. We talk about challenges around mental health, the benefits of seeking support from others to form a strong team, and the impact this can have on you, your story, and what you create. We also explore the benefits of engaging a story doctor – a service I’d never come across before. And so much more. ### Follow Maren [*Portfolio*](https://marenkrings.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/maren%5Fkrings%5Fphotography/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/user12836744?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Follow Documentary Storytellers [*Instagram*](https://bit.ly/3rwK9zr?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Facebook*](https://bit.ly/3Ok2718?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*LinkedIn*](https://bit.ly/3ryJQnU?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Follow Chris King [*Portfolio*](https://bit.ly/3XYvj0I?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Instagram*](https://bit.ly/3pSYvd3?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Facebook*](https://bit.ly/3Q0AE5R?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*LinkedIn*](https://bit.ly/44CWFMr?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Notes [Paulien Bakker](https://www.schrijfkracht.nl/en/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Story Doctor) [Ricardo Báez](https://ricardobaez.info/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Book designer) [Paula Pedrosa](https://pedpaula.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Hemp the climate](https://www.hemptheclimate.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ester Horvath](https://estherhorvath.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Cristina Mittermeier](https://www.cristinamittermeier.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Aaju Peter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaju%5FPeter?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [Twice Colonised](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20521138/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Joanne Coates - Documentary Photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/joanne-coates-documentary-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:15:51.000Z Declaring one’s class shares with the world an aspect of our identity that might otherwise go unnoticed - it provides others with some idea of our lived experience and the struggles we may have faced – both generally speaking and as a documentary storytellers. As we discuss, the history of photography and filmmaking is deeply rooted in elitism, as well as colonialism, and the patriarchy – forces that continue to heavily influence these media to this day. The only way in which we’re going to be able to decouple visual storytelling from these destructive forces – if we ever will in the advent of AI – is to acknowledge it, talk about it, and develop the tools to build a more just and humane alternative. This is exactly the purpose of these podcasts and the articles I write to accompany them. I really hope you enjoy this episode, and it sparks dialogue about representation, and the role photography and filmmaking has had on maintaining a limited understanding of the forces that govern our societies, and maintaining existing injustices. ### **References** [Don McCullin](https://donmccullin.com/don-mccullin/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Simon Roberts](https://www.simoncroberts.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Bell Hooks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell%5Fhooks?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Chris Killip](https://www.chriskillip.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mark Neville](http://www.markneville.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Anastasia Traylor-Lind](http://www.anastasiataylorlind.com/about?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mark Fisher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark%5FFisher?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (author) [Jeremy Deller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy%5FDeller?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The oil machine](https://www.theoilmachine.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) directed by [Emma Davie](https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/profile/professor-emma-davie?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Time span museum](https://timespan.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [Beatrice: Transition Under Petrocapitalism](https://timespan.org.uk/programme/exhibitions/beatrice-transition-under-petrocapitalism/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) exhibition [Margaret Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret%5FMitchell?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Gareth Phillips](https://garethphillipsphotography.com/en/about?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art](https://baltic.art/whats-on/0P-joanne-coates-middle-of-somewhere/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in Gatesend ### Think global, act local - documenting the lived experiences of others URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/think-global-act-local-documenting-the-lived-experiences-of-others/ Last updated: 2025-11-23T13:24:46.000Z The foreign is always visually appealing. It creates wonder and amazement, intrigue and curiosity. The unfamiliar lures you in, in a way the familiar and ubiquitous does not. Images of life in distant lands help us build a broader awareness of the world we live in. Photographs of communities outside of our own — be it geographical or social — have the power to transport us anywhere in the world in an instant. However, no single image can ever show us the forces that participated in creating the reality captured within its borders. As such, images can feed and reinforce a viewer’s existing perceptions and prejudices, and help perpetuate destructive, deep narratives that exist within the wider culture they inhabit. It can help maintain, for example, the false perception that the crippling poverty that exists within countries in the Global South is a natural phenomenon, related to such things as geography, climate, and poor governance. Or, it can help maintain the equally false perception that the wealth and privilege experienced within the Global North is the other side of the same coin. No single image can show how these and other narratives, often used to sustain the status quo, are engineered — benefiting a few at the expense of the majority. Nor do they reveal how we all — the photographer or filmmaker, the editor, jury member, or curator, as well as the viewer — play a role in maintaining it. As such, images can be powerful tools for revealing a hidden truth, and challenging the status quo, as much as they can be powerful tools for perpetuating narratives which sustain it. The photographer and filmmaker choose the images they create, and those that make it into the public domain. They choose who, what, and when to photograph or film, how to compose the shot, and what is and isn’t within the frame. They choose what the images visually represent and communicate, and what they don’t, as well as how something or somebody is represented. In the creation of each image, they bring with them their own perceptions and prejudices — conscious and unconscious influences. A photographer or filmmaker who is not conscious of the role they play, and that which influences how they perceive the world and what they create, can unwittingly participate in perpetuating the very issues they are documenting — they become a complicit participant in maintaining a destructive, engineered, deep narrative. Which is to say, they do more harm than good. I explore this in greater depth in the article: [*The power and pitfalls of human stories*](https://documentarystorytellers.com/discuss/articles/the-power-and-pitfalls-of-human-stories/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). A means of trying to ensure we do not inadvertently support the very thing we wish to challenge is to share our own lived experiences — to document the stories within communities of which we are a part or have some meaningful connection with. We should always be leading with empathy when exploring a story, but empathy and awareness without lived experience of an issue can only take you so far — it can never be a replacement for direct experience. This is true of any lived experience — from constantly being on the receiving end of prejudices such as sexism or racism, to growing up in a conflict zone, a close family member dying when you were a child, or having your home and all your possessions destroyed by a wildfire or flood. We can do our best to empathise and comprehend the pain, suffering, and trauma caused by experiences we ourselves have not had to deal with, and the subsequent influences they have on a person or community, but it is no substitute for lived experience. Ultimately, the more empathy we hold for a community which is rooted in our own lived experiences, the greater our capacity to represent the people within that community in a sensitive, considered manner that portrays their reality with a higher degree of accuracy than it might otherwise. The more removed we are from a community, the more sensitive and considered we need to be as to our approach and representation. ### The importance of building relationships Participatory projects — where people are given basic training and tools to document their reality through their eyes, and agency over the way they and their story is represented — can be incredibly powerful, and a means of addressing the issues that exist when an outsider documents a community. Organisations such as [PhotoVoice](https://photovoice.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and [Fotosynthesis](https://www.fotosynthesiscommunity.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) are but two that have promoted this approach for many years, and have done some amazing work. However, there still remains a power dynamic between the organiser and the participants which must be managed effectively in order to maximise the positive impact of this approach. While these approaches are not perfect, they are certainly closer to the ideal. When compared to how the majority of stories are carried out, the differences are stark. So many stories have historically been carried out in an extractive way — parachuting in, taking what’s needed, then exiting stage left never to be seen or heard of again. Steve McCurry’s ‘Afghan Girl’ and Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother’ are two famous examples of this approach. In both cases the photographer capitalised on an image of a person whose name they didn’t even ask for, and with whom they [made no attempts](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/afghan-girl-home-afghanistan?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) to build even the most superficial of relationships. These images, and many before and since, may generate the desired, positive response within their audiences — inspiring short-term action to be taken, but they were taken with little to no regard for the individuals themselves. Relationships are key to exploring a story effectively and addressing the issues I’ve raised above. Building relationships with people from other communities helps us gain a better understanding of their reality. This takes time and energy, and as such is much easier to do if you’re exploring a story locally to you. The more closely connected to a given person or community we are, the greater potential for an accurate representation of their lived experience. However, even when exploring local stories, we must be mindful of the need to build relationships — an Indian photographer from a Hindu community documenting fellow Indians of Muslim faith is still faced with the same moral and ethical considerations around representation due to the prejudices and biases they might hold — whether on a conscious or subconscious level — and the power dynamics that exist and have existed historically between the two communities within India. The same is true in every country in relation to your socio-economic background, and every other factor that can be used to define a person within or across borders. When exploring local stories — particularly those which involve people — we therefore still need to be conscious of power dynamics, representation, deep, destructive narratives, and the consequences of our approach and visual representation of people and the issue. These should remain at the forefront of our minds regardless of where we are exploring a story, and we should strive to consider them all, but, at least we are documenting something within a community of which we are on some level a part, and as such we will have some shared lived experiences. ### The power of local stories The importance and significance of exploring stories locally is not limited to striving for fair and accurate representation that doesn’t perpetuate stereotypes and deep, destructive narratives. It is also about the audience we seek to engage. If we want to create behaviour change related to a given issue, then we need human-centric stories that people can relate to. The most relatable stories are those of people within our own communities. It also helps nurture an understanding that an issue — climate change, for example — might be as relevant and significant within our community as it is elsewhere. All this is not to say we have no place in telling a given story outside of our own immediate communities — a plurality of perspectives is a positive thing — but we must learn to tread carefully, and be conscious of our approach and the impact our work might have. We must build relationships with the people we seek to document, and must strive to deepen our understanding of them in order to represent them fairly and accurately. This is particularly important for documentary storytellers from the Global North, as it is those societies, cultures, and systems that have caused and continue to cause the most damage, and lie at the root of the major issues of our time. So, we need to put our own house in order, and in so doing, we will help address social and environmental issues in the Global South. We should never stop looking outward and trying to understand the world around us, but we should be striving for more accurate representation of communities, and this is best achieved by people within those communities. The stories we see about communities within the Global South should largely be represented visually by photographers and filmmakers from those communities. If we want to have true, lasting impact then we should consider starting projects exactly where we are. The mantra ‘think global, act local’ has been around for a long time, and in this hyper-globalised world, we must embrace it now more than ever. --- *Originally published at* [*https://documentarystorytellers.com*](https://documentarystorytellers.com/articles/think-global-act-local-documenting-the-lived-experiences-of-others/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *on January 15, 2024.* ### Smita Sharma - Documentary photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-smita-sharma-documentary-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:16:06.000Z Smita is actively engaged in public speaking, victim advocacy and international public education, and her work has been exhibited and published globally, including at the UN Headquarters in New York. She recently published her first photo book [*We Cry In Silence*](https://bit.ly/3XWScll?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) documenting cross-border trafficking of underage girls in South Asia, published by FotoEvidence. Smita’s been organising a campaign in the region aimed at educating and raising awareness amongst the communities most vulnerable to human trafficking. We discuss all this and other steps Smita has done to maximise the impact her work, along with her motivation for doing what she does, her experiences with publications and organisations from the Global North, and much more. ### Follow Smita [*Portfolio*](https://bit.ly/3Dn4nOY?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*‘We Cry In Silence’ Photobook*](https://bit.ly/3XWScll?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*TED Talk*](https://bit.ly/3ryfhi2?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Instagram](https://bit.ly/3T7A6wF?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Vimeo](https://bit.ly/3GiQjqS?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Follow Documentary Storytellers [*Instagram*](https://bit.ly/3rwK9zr?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Facebook*](https://bit.ly/3Ok2718?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*LinkedIn*](https://bit.ly/3ryJQnU?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Follow me, Chris King [*Portfolio*](https://bit.ly/3XYvj0I?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Instagram*](https://bit.ly/3pSYvd3?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*Facebook*](https://bit.ly/3Q0AE5R?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*LinkedIn*](https://bit.ly/44CWFMr?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## Notes [Shillong, India](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Shillong,+Meghalaya,+India/@25.5901252,91.8512375,15219m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x37507e8f34bd207f:0x62482df7108f882b!8m2!3d25.5787726!4d91.8932535!16zL20vMDNjajZj?entry=ttu&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://www.chimamanda.com/welcome/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) \- [The Danger of a single story](https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda%5Fngozi%5Fadichie%5Fthe%5Fdanger%5Fof%5Fa%5Fsingle%5Fstory?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Donna Ferrato](https://www.donnaferrato.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [I Am Unbeatable](https://www.iamunbeatable.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [International Center of Photography](https://www.icp.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), New York [Women Photograph](https://www.womenphotograph.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Diversify Photo](https://diversify.photo/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [FotoEvidence](https://fotoevidence.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Photography as a tool for change URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/photography-as-a-tool-for-change/ Last updated: 2025-11-23T13:29:33.000Z *As documentary storytellers we are uniquely placed to inform and influence through the work we produce. However, our practice should not be limited to simply sharing stories — doing little else but informing others. Instead, we should make an active attempt to support meaningful change directly and empower our audience to act. Now more than ever we should all use our work as a form of activism.* The way we perceive and engage with the people and world around us is built upon the stories we tell ourselves. Our cultures are built on stories around meaning, value, purpose, and identity. We are at a point in time that requires cultural and systemic change within our industrialised societies — a seismic shift in how we both function as individuals and the systems we sustain and prop up within our societies. That shift needs to be rapid and profound if we are to avert death, destruction, and suffering on a scale currently unimaginable as a result of the unfolding climate crisis and all the crises that will inevitably spawn from it. That might sound sensationalist and conjecture, but if the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown us anything, it’s that our systems and societies lack the capacity to function effectively outside of very narrow parameters, and all but the most minor of shocks will cause immense disruption and loss of life and livelihoods. They are also engineered to benefit a few at the expense of the majority. What lies on the horizon, and is accelerating rapidly towards us, falls well outside existing parameters for maintaining good health and a decent standard of living for many of the citizens of existing societies. And, much like pandemics and wars, without the political will to act, which itself can be influenced to a degree by the will of the people, great suffering will arise. To change a culture, we must tell different stories and nurture different narratives. That’s where we as documentary storytellers can play a critical role — we can be the people ensuring the voices of those at the frontline of an issue get heard. We each have our own reason for first picking up a camera. Years ago, when I bought my first 35mm film SLR camera — a second-hand Nikon F80 on eBay, I did so out of a desire to learn photography so I could go out into the world to document and share stories of injustices I felt deserved greater attention. Having such a driver is far from being unique, but what it means is that for me the camera is a tool — a means to an end, albeit one that I really enjoy using and experimenting with. Consequently, I’ve never really engaged deeply with photography as an art form, or a means of self-expression, but instead as a means of communication — as a tool for documenting the world around me and sharing the stories and voices of others. I’m driven by a desire to have meaningful, positive impact, and lead with the story. I focus on how I want to represent it and the messages I want to communicate. Months before I’ve taken the first shot, I start reading books, articles, and academic papers, as well as watch videos and listen to podcasts on the subject I intend to explore. I prioritise having a foundational knowledge that will allow me to engage in a constructive manner with those who are already immersed in the subject. The research I carry out informs the who, what, why, when, where and how of the project. At no point do I make a shot list or nurture preconceived ideas of what I’m going to witness. However, after each shoot, as I gain a better understanding of the circumstances and dynamics of a situation, and as my relationships with the people I’m documenting deepen, I reflect on the best way of visually communicating the issue in as complete and accurate a manner as possible. It’s important that at all times we enter into a story conscious of our own biases and the power dynamic that invariably exists between us and the people we are documenting — striving at all times to minimise the impact and influence of both. We must be conscious of the potential to perpetuate destructive narratives that have historically been sustained due to the colonial mindset that has been rooted in so much of the visual representation of others. This is something I explore in greater detail in: [The power and pitfalls of human stories](https://documentarystorytellers.com/discuss/articles/the-power-and-pitfalls-of-human-stories/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Visual representation of an issue can be incredibly powerful, but on its own — particularly if relying on stills imagery — may not be the most effective means of engaging an audience on a subject. This is particularly true for complex, multi-layered issues. Knowing the limitations of visually representing an issue and being aware of the challenges and limitations to engaging people and affecting change when relying on conventional, mainstream media, we need to engage with the issue more broadly if we want to have meaningful impact, and use what tools and opportunities we have available to us to amplify the stories, and help maximise the impact we and our work has. For me personally, this has led to producing multimedia slideshows — combining stills with audio testimony and ambient sounds — as well as short videos. I’ve also chosen to go beyond visual representation and produced podcasts, built dedicated websites, written articles, and given talks and presentations to local and international audiences. I’m under no illusion that my work barely moves the needle in terms of helping create the change I want to see, but, I know it all contributes in some way, no matter how small. As documentary storytellers, we should be sharing the work we produce in a way that is not limited to it being appreciated and admired for its visual aesthetic. We must strive to give our work a life beyond the pages of a newspaper or magazine, or the walls of a gallery, in a way that empowers and inspires audiences to take meaningful action. We must each of us strive to become active participants in creating meaningful, positive change on the subjects we explore. Bearing witness to injustices comes with a responsibility, and to remain silent in the face of an injustice of any sort makes us complicit in it. It’s not sufficient to say we don’t support something, but instead we should be actively declaring that we are against it, and doing whatever we can to challenge the injustice we are witnessing from being carried out. It’s not enough, for instance, to say you care about the environment, climate change, animal welfare, or about the plight of the bees — we must stand up, use our voices and whatever privileges we might have at our disposal, to actively challenge and oppose destructive acts and injustices. To address the current and historical biases in visual storytelling and representation of certain communities, we must tell more stories from a greater diversity of perspectives, so that the truth can no longer be ignored or buried. We must also change the way in which we approach and tell stories. We must tell more human-centric stories so that people can relate more easily to what is being communicated, but do so in a way that does not maintain existing stereotypes and deep, destructive narratives. We must tell more solutions-focused stories to generate hope and move away from shaming people. And, most importantly, we must strive to ensure all these stories have a life beyond the pages of mainstream press and contribute as best they can to the movement for change. Not every project we explore as documentary storytellers has to actively contribute to something larger, but we live in an incredibly dynamic and disruptive period for humanity and all life on Earth. We are uniquely placed to shed light into the shadows created by vested interests and systems that benefit a few at the expense of the many, and show people a reality they might not otherwise be aware of. Our work may never be the direct instigator of change, but it can still contribute in a meaningful way by contributing to a wider campaign for change — to help create a different, more just, narrative. So, if you’re not already doing so, I implore you to consider doing more than just producing work with the aim of getting it published somewhere, and instead give it a life beyond the pages of established publications — create a website for it, create a series of podcasts, do guest blog posts, organise talks and discussions — do what you can to ensure the work is seen and the story talked about, and strive to maximise its impact. This is particularly true of those stories the mainstream publications reject — deeming them as not ‘newsworthy’. We all need to become more active in seeking positive change — now is not the time for fence sitting, now is the time to stand up and share your voice far and wide along with the voices of those whom you document. Everything we do has an impact and consequences. Everything we do is political, whether we acknowledge it or not. Therefore, every story we choose to explore is either perpetuating the navel-gazing that industrialised societies have mastered, or inspiring people to look up, stand up, and act. Each of us, no matter where we are in our journey as documentary storytellers, has an audience — large or small. We each have a platform — a voice — which we can use to inform, influence, and inspire others. Let’s not be passive observers. Let’s not be mere messengers. Let’s actively support and participate in movements for individual and systemic change for the good of all. Let’s become activists. //// **Chris King** From a young age I’ve been conscious of the impact we humans were having on the world around us. Growing up in Northern Ireland during a time of conflict, and reading about the many historical and existing struggles by communities across the globe for self-determination and freedom from exploitation, I was acutely aware of the harm we humans can exact on one other. In my art class at school in the early 90s, when I was about 14, I created a drawing of a human hand crushing the Earth, with chunks falling off revealing the core, to represent the destruction we humans are inflicting on the Earth — not very subtle, I know! I went on to work for a number of environmental and social justice organisations in various capacities, working throughout the Global North and the Global South. As a professional photographer and video producer, I’ve been documenting issues related to the food system and climate change for many years. I really want to have greater positive impact on these issues, and support others in maximising the impact they have on the issues they explore. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and if you have anything you would like to share, challenge, or feedback on, please do get in touch via email, I’d love to hear from you, --- *Originally published at* [*https://documentarystorytellers.com*](https://documentarystorytellers.com/discuss/articles/photography-as-a-tool-for-change/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *on November 20, 2023.* ### Natalie Keyssar - Documentary photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-natalie-keyssar-documentary-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:16:22.000Z As always we cover a wide range of topics, including the impact her work as a photographer has had on Natalie’s view of the world, our capacity as documentary storytellers and the potential for photography to create meaningful change, and the need for us to support one another and the ways in which we can do that…and of course much more. [Photography Portfolio](https://nataliekeyssar.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [⁠Instagram⁠](https://instagram.com/nataliekeyssar/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Podcast hosted and produced by** [⁠⁠Chris King⁠](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **Notes** [Daniella Zalcman](https://www.dan.iella.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Anastasia Taylor-Lind](https://www.anastasiataylorlind.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Stephanie Mei-Ling](http://www.stephaniemeiling.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Photoville](https://photoville.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Steve Sweatpants](https://stevesweatpants.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Street Dreams](https://www.streetdreams.co/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Katie Orlinsky](https://www.katieorlinskyphoto.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Gemma Atkinson - Documentary filmmaker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-gemma-atkinson-documentary-filmmaker/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:30:44.000Z Gemma has a vast amount of experience within the documentary filmmaking industry, and has produced countless films and other content for NGOs and international institutions across the globe, as well as her own personal projects. Gemma and I discuss her motivations for creating a production company over freelancing, how her approach to documentary storytelling and filmmaking has changed over the years, and continues to change, how to be an effective storyteller, and much more. [Portfolio](https://fatratfilms.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/fatratfilms/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Vimeo](http://vimeo.com/fatratfilms?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Podcast hosted and produced by** [⁠Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **Notes** [Touching the void](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379557/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)[Catfish](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1584016/?ref%5F=fn%5Fal%5Ftt%5F1&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)[Act of Terror](https://vimeo.com/60436987?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (animation by Gemma) [Una Marzorati](https://unamarz.com/en-ax?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Equidem](https://www.equidem.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Comic Relief](https://www.comicrelief.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Elders](https://theelders.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Girls Not Brides](https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Publish What You Pay](https://www.pwyp.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [3 Identical Strangers](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7664504/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Tim Wardel](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2268736/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Maite Alberdi](https://www.micromundo.cl/en/home-2/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mole Agent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTD-B3wZORg&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Dick Johnson is Dead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfTmT6C5DnM&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Simon Chin](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1187711/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Imposter](https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70228012?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Man on Wire](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/?ref%5F=ttpl%5Fov%5Fi&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### The power and pitfalls of human stories URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/the-power-and-pitfalls-of-human-stories/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:20:30.000Z ***Human-centric stories can be incredibly compelling and inspire people to take action, but when exploring them we must ensure we are not inadvertently contributing to the very issues we are documenting and seek to address.*** Stories are what human culture is built on. First, they were oral, then visual, and finally written. The most powerful stories are those that immerse us in the world being woven by the author — where we become somehow intertwined with the reality being recounted to us. To achieve this, as the work of Joseph Campbell testifies, many stories have a protagonist — a ‘hero’ — who goes on a journey, oftentimes facing adversity they must overcome. This approach to taking people on a journey within fictional stories is just as relevant to non-fiction. Providing a human dimension by exploring the experience of one person or a group of people in relation to a particular issue makes the seemingly intangible, unrelatable, and inaccessible, become more tangible, more relatable, and more accessible. When it comes to engaging an audience on a particular topic giving stories a human face can therefore help amplify their impact. Research shows that stories that are character-driven and emotionally and personally compelling releases oxytocin, and [engages more of our brain](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how%5Fstories%5Fchange%5Fbrain?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) than when we are exposed to facts. Think of the last documentary film or image to burn itself into your subconscious, and the emotions they triggered within you. The images which stay with us the longest are often those of our fellow human beings — such as ‘napalm girl’, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, or the solitary corpse of Syrian toddler, Alan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Greece. Giving a human dimension to an issue — be it the war in Ukraine, the impact of Covid, or the consequences of the recent floods, wildfires, and droughts that have ravaged many parts of the globe — triggers an emotional response within people. If, as documentary storytellers, we want to engage people on a particular subject it would therefore make sense that we are likely to have the greatest impact if we tell a human story. That being said, the emotional response is but a spark and shouldn’t be confused for the fire that is actually needed for meaningful behavioural and cultural change. Consider the consequences the absence of human stories within visual and general communication has had on engagement around the issue of climate change. For decades most visual communication has centred around animals — such as starving polar bears, and, more recently, animals killed or injured by wildfires. If not animals, then the wider natural world is represented — such as melting icecaps or the destruction caused by extreme weather events. Human stories — particularly those showing the impact climate change has been having on communities for decades — have been severely lacking. This has meant that climate change has largely been framed as an environmental issue, when in fact it is so much more. It’s a human rights issue, a women’s rights issue, a social and economic issue, a food and water security issue, a health issue — the list goes on. Yet, for over 30 years, we’ve largely only seen images that capture the ongoing impact on the natural world around us — not on human communities, cultures, and systems. We should never stop documenting the impact we’re having on non-human life — they are incredibly important images — but the absence of human-centric stories on issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss, which have a greater power to compel an audience to take action, will have invariably hampered meaningful engagement and a deeper understanding of the issues and their root causes. This is being acknowledged more and more — in relation to climate change at least — and [a shift is occurring](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2017/08/Climate-Outreach-IPCC-communications-handbook.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), albeit slowly, to exploring more [human-centric stories](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/personal-climate-stories-can-persuade/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) as a means to affect meaningful engagement and behaviour change. It’s important to understand that further distortions can be created by simply going to hotspots. A person in the US constantly being exposed to stories of people suffering in Bangladesh due to flooding, the Maldives due to rising tides, and India due to droughts might retain a belief that the issue remains distant geographically. Each year Yale University in the US [conducts a survey](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) that reveals this very phenomenon. This is despite the country itself being ravaged more and more by wildfires, droughts, floods, and coastal erosion — the increasing frequency and intensity of which is a direct consequence of anthropogenic climate change. ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*_vM6SR7O_y5hXSZR.jpg) ****Source**: [**https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/*](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*HJELJsv_B7lMnDnL.jpg) ****Source**: [**https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/*](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) This feeds into the broader, deeper issue of representation. The emotions elicited by a human story can have, depending on how the person or people are represented, positive or negative consequences. They can be used to challenge existing ideas, narratives, or systems, or used to reinforce them. An aspect of this is the capacity for certain images to maintain a stereotype — the use of an emaciated child from sub-Saharan Africa as a victim of famine and symbol of absolute poverty is but one example — which can do more harm than good, not least by nurturing a sense of otherness. Such an image generates the intended response of increasing short-term support for a cause, but at the same time helps to maintain a certain perception of sub-Saharan Africa and its people. The repeated exposure to such a visual narrative generates the perception, if it goes unchallenged, that it’s somehow fated — that ‘it’s just the way it is’. This in turn hinders any real attempt by the audience to gain anything but the most superficial understanding of why the issue is occurring — or reoccurring. The use of an emaciated child to represent famine in countries on the African continent has been going on for decades — the disturbing image by [Kevin Carter](https://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/photo-d%27actualit%C3%A9/vulture-watching-starving-child-1st-march-1993-photo-dactualit%C3%A9/587828802?adppopup=true&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) of a Sudanese child being watched by a nearby vulture as she struggles desperately to crawl to a food centre, being one of the most infamous — but what have they done to deepen people’s understanding of the underlying causes? An ill-considered approach to a human story can contribute to the root causes of the issues we are documenting by sustaining the prevailing, deep narratives used to engineer them. More broadly speaking, as way of an example, if people in the Global North constantly seek out stories and images of people in far-off lands, i.e., the Global South, to then share them with audiences in the Global North, they run the risk of perpetuating the narratives that have been maintained since the birth of photography — the reductionist and occidental perception of the world around them and the othering and exoticisation of people from other parts of the world — all of which have been built on the foundations of a colonial mindset. It’s this mindset that is ultimately a root cause of so many of the [environmental and social issues](https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/environmentalism-and-the-legacy-of-colonialism?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and injustices that exist today. They who control the tools of storytelling control the narrative. This situation both represents and maintains the power imbalance that has existed for so long and is rooted in a colonial mindset. The lack of diversity that has existed in the stories being told and the people telling the stories — a result of historical and ongoing injustices — has played a critical role in maintaining deep, destructive narratives. It is the absence of this plurality — particularly of stories crafted by people from within the communities themselves — that creates this ‘outsider’s dilemma’ that every documentary storyteller should be grappling with — ‘Am I the best person to tell this story?’ or ‘Am I the right person to tell this story?’ In a situation where you are one of the only visual storytellers looking at an issue, the answer could be both yes and no. There will be people from within the community who could offer a deeper, more comprehensive representation, but if they do not have the tools and the means to tell the story through their eyes at that moment in time, what then? Nurturing collaboration by building relationships within the community you wish to document, and spending time with them, rather than approaching things in the all-too-typical extractive manner, might be the best means of getting the most accurate representation of the issue we can at the time. But really, we need to get cameras into the hands of more people within under-represented communities so that there is no longer a dependency on an outsider to represent them and the challenges they face, and to ensure that the visual representation of critical issues is carried out from a diversity of perspectives. This will take time and requires systemic change in order to address the injustices within wider society that maintain existing power imbalances, but is also something we can strive to achieve within the visual storytelling community. A variety of perspectives on an issue is vitally important for addressing inherent biases and prejudices. An outsider documenting the experiences of a community is not inherently a bad thing — ultimately all communities, cultures and societies are interconnected, and so we all, to a lesser or greater extent, play a role in a given issue. The globalised nature of the impact and influence of industrial, capitalistic society means that an event, no matter how seemingly insignificant, anywhere in the world has consequences for us all — whether we are aware of them or not. Whether it’s buying cheap clothing and the collapse of a clothing factory in Bangladesh, or buying cheap meat and a global pandemic — our choices individually and collectively have consequences. When we do go into communities of which we are not a part, we must go in not only with good intentions but, most importantly, a considered approach to power imbalances and representation, so as not to sustain deep, destructive narratives. Those in a position of privilege — be it between countries or within a country, regardless of gender, religious beliefs, economic status, or skin colour — must be aware of the power imbalances and the destructive legacies that have been created and sustained by their cultures, and put measures in place to minimise the potential harm their work might cause, and maximise its positive impact. Our responsibility as documentary storytellers is not to try and share an objective truth — there is no such thing — but instead to represent the people we document in a way that is sensitive and respectful of their beliefs and wishes. We can only do that if we build relationships with them and include them in the storytelling process from start to finish. This is a lot more work, and takes a lot more time, but if we truly want to have a positive impact on the lives of the people we document, and the issues we explore, then we must embrace this process and incorporate it into our practice. Much like the climate itself, where the possibility exists that the beating of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world might play a role in the creation of a storm on the other side of the world, the complexity and interconnectedness of our global society is such that we can’t know the impact of what might otherwise be perceived as insignificant within our own community. So, knowing this, we should all be working to maintain a high standard of ethics — we must be the change we want to see. If our desire as documentary storytellers is to have an impact — for our work to inform and inspire action, we need to consider how best we can go about doing that. Oftentimes it will mean exploring a human story. However, in exploring a human story, we must consider how we represent both the people and the story so as not to do more harm than good. Being a documentary storyteller offers an incredible opportunity to explore the fabric of our societies, but if we wish to be agents of genuine, positive change — and we have an incredible potential to be exactly that — then we must tread carefully so as not to perpetuate the very narratives which have created the injustices and issues we seek to ameliorate. //// ### Chris King I have studied sustainable development and carried out related work using participatory methods. Being from the north of Ireland, I also have first-hand experience of the impact of a colonial mindset on individuals and communities and their representation. This piece is informed by these experiences, and many others, and has also been inspired by my conversations with the documentary storytellers I’ve interviewed for the [Documentary Storytellers podcast](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/documentarystorytellers?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — all of whom are seeking to approach their work in a conscious and sensitive manner, and striving to maximise the positive impact of their work. This is my first time articulating these thoughts and feelings in writing, and I hope with time I will gain both deeper insight and the vocabulary to be able to discuss and engage people on the need to decolonise visual storytelling more effectively. This is the first step on that journey. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and if you have anything you would like to share, challenge, or feedback on, please do get in touch via email. --- *Originally published at* [*https://documentarystorytellers.com*](https://documentarystorytellers.com/discuss/articles/the-power-and-pitfalls-of-human-stories/?swcfpc=1&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *on May 21, 2023.* ### Michael Snyder - Documentary photographer and filmmaker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-michael-snyder-documentary-photographer-and-filmmaker/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:17:31.000Z An environmental and climate scientist by training, Mike uses his combined knowledge of visual storytelling and conservation to create narratives that drive social impact. Mike and I discuss topics such as how best to approach human stories in a way that maximises the positive impact – through having a considered, rigorous and impact-first approach to planning, implementation, and outputs. We also chat about how Mike goes about getting funding and his approach to pitching his stories, as well as his thoughts on how we can become better storytellers, and how to best prepare for shoots – whether photography and filmmaking. There’s so much to take away from our chat – both practical, actionable advice, and ideas to reflect on in relation to impact-driven visual storytelling. [Photography and Filmmaking Portfolio](https://www.michaelosnyder.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/michaelosnyder/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Podcast hosted and produced by** [⁠Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **SUBJECTS & TIMECODES** Inspiration for picking up a camera \[2:09\] What is about climate change communication that has failed to inspire meaningful action and behaviour change \[6:05\] The multi-dimensional approach to climate change communication that includes both solutions and impacts \[10:41\] How to get stories in front of policymakers and inspire them to take action \[12:07\] How to explore a human story and having true impact on the issue being documented \[15:58\] An example of applying an impact-first approach to documentary storytelling that engages people at a local level – not just national and international \[20:52\] Adding layers of impact – particularly at a local level – when you’ve been commissioned by a magazine \[23:52\] What has been the inspiration for developing a comprehensive, impact-first approach to documentary storytelling \[26:04\] Organisations receptive and support of an impact-first approach \[29:20\] Approach to getting funding for impact-first storytelling \[30:49\] Approach to pitching new projects \[33:32\] How to become better documentary storytellers \[35:30\] How to start a start a new project and get the images or footage you want \[39:47\] Motivation for long-term project on drag queens in home town \[43:52\] How to address the power imbalance that exists when exploring a human story \[47:17\] How do we get more people to consider the role we as documentary storytellers play in maintaining or challenging a prevailing narrative \[50:48\] The need to compromise but also turning down commissions that aren’t a good fit for whatever reason \[57:35\] Mistakes that have been valuable\[1:01:37\] What could have been of real benefit if learnt sooner \[1:02:55\] Experiences exploring something academic but with a visual dimension \[1:05:40\] The choice to become a documentary storyteller instead of committing to being an environmental scientist being the right choice in terms of impact \[1:07:33\] Skills being developed and mastered \[1:10:28\] Active documentary storytellers who are source of inspiration \[1:13:38\] ## **NOTES** [Bertha Climate Challenge Fellowship](https://berthafoundation.org/story/bertha-challenge-2022/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Bertha Foundation](https://berthafoundation.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [University of Art Bournemouth](https://aub.ac.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The CRUX Photography Network](https://www.cruxphoto.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Columbia University Earth Institute](https://adaptation.ei.columbia.edu/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [Climate Migration Conference](https://adaptation.ei.columbia.edu/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Blue Earth Alliance](https://www.blueearth.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Pixar’s Story Spine](https://www.storyprompt.com/blog/the-story-spine-also-known-as-pixars-story-structure?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ed Kashi](https://www.edkashi.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Social Documentary Network](https://socialdocumentary.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Savannah Dodd - Photographer and founder of the Photography Ethics Centre URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-savannah-dodd-photographer-and-found-of-the-photography-ethics-centre/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:31:53.000Z In 2017, Savannah founded the Photography Ethics Centre – an organisation dedicated to promoting ethical literacy across the photography industry. Through Documentary Storytellers I want to help promote a more considered form of documentary storytelling, enhance the positive impact our work has on the issues we document, and to help in some way with decolonising photography and filmmaking, and visual communication in general. Because of the pervasive influence and insidious nature of forces such as patriarchal and colonial mindsets, which, all too often, go unnoticed or unacknowledged, someone from the Global North, for example, going to the Global South with good intentions to explore an issue is not sufficient to ensure the positive impact they wish to have is actually realised. We need to become conscious of our own role as photographers and filmmakers in maintaining certain power dynamics and prevailing narratives through the way we work and represent the people and communities we document, and impact this has. As documentary storytellers are one of the groups at the frontline of shaping culture, we can either contribute to maintaining the status quo, or we can challenge it and contribute to its disruption and the creation of a more just, egalitarian, and compassionate world. The only way we are going to help change our cultures for the better, is if we become mindful of our own role within them – to become aware of the biases and prejudices we hold, and work on addressing or managing them – to ensure that when documenting communities of which we are not a part, we act in a way that maximises the potential for our work to have the positive outcome we intended, and not inadvertently contribute to maintaining a narrative that lies at the root of the issue we are documenting. So, to start this process, in this episode I speak to Savannah Dodd – a photographer and anthropologist originally from the USA, but now living in Northern Ireland – just down the road from my family as it happens. In 2017, Savannah founded the Photography Ethics Centre an organisation dedicated to promoting ethical literacy across the photography industry through workshops, events, online courses, and free multimedia content. [Photography Portfolio](https://savannahdodd.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://instagram.com/savannahdoddphoto?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Photography Ethic Centre](https://www.photoethics.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/photoethicscentre/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **Notes** [Photography Ethics Centre podcast](https://www.photoethics.org/podcast?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Statement of Ethics Campaign](https://www.photoethics.org/ethics?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Susie Linfield](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo5929941.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [General Treegan](https://www.curiosolab.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Melanie King](https://www.melaniek.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Hannah Fletcher](https://www.hannahfletcher.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Climate Visuals](https://climatevisuals.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Smita Sharma](https://www.smitasharma.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Pietro Masturzo](http://www.pietromasturzo.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Anthony Luvera](https://www.luvera.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Tamara Abdul Hadi](http://www.tamarabdulhadi.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Sustainable Darkroom](https://sustainabledarkroom.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Laurel Chor - Documentary photographer and filmmaker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-laurel-chor-documentary-photographer-and-filmmaker/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:18:10.000Z We explore the biases we as individuals have that influence how we explore the stories we document through documentary photography and filmmaking, but also the value of our own unique experiences and perspective. We talk about the challenges Laurel has experienced being a woman of colour, the need for self-care to ensure we’re able to continue to document the issues we care about and push for the change we want to see, and much more. [Photography and Filmmaking Portfolio](http://www.laurelchor.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://instagram.com/laurelchor?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Podcast hosted and produced by** [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **Notes** [Arman Dzidzovic](https://iamarman.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Andrei Kalashnikov](https://www.instagram.com/kalash%5Fpow/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [What it’s like being a stripper in Florida during Covid](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-its-like-to-be-a-stripper-in-florida-during-covid%5Fn%5F61840a6ee4b0ad6f58802a5b?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Coconuts](https://coconuts.co/hongkong/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Vice on HBO](https://www.vice.com/en/topic/vice-on-hbo?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management](https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/msc-biodiversity-conservation-and-management?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [National Geographic Grant](https://explorer-directory.nationalgeographic.org/laurel-lf-chor?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Julia Kochetova](https://www.kochetova.rocks/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Hannah Reyes Morales](https://hannah.ph/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Natalie Keyssar](http://nataliekeyssar.com/splash?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Hind Hassan](https://www.sho.com/vice/cast/hind-hassan?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Stuart Freedman - Documentary photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-stuart-freedman-documentary-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:18:42.000Z This week I’m speaking with documentary photographer Stuart Freedman. We discuss power dynamics within photography, the need to lead with empathy and curiosity when exploring human stories, the benefits of getting support from others – be it a mentor or an photography agency, the need to be relentless in our pursuit to get the important stories we document in front of audiences…and so much more…I really enjoyed our chat, and there’s so much to learn from the wealth of experience Stuart so generously shares. [Photography Portfolio](https://www.stuartfreedman.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stuartfreedmanphoto/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Books mentioned:** [⁠The Englishman and the eel⁠](https://www.dewilewis.com/products/the-englishman-and-the-eel?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) | [⁠The Palaces of Memory⁠](https://www.dewilewis.com/products/the-palaces-of-memory?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Podcast hosted and produced by** [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **Notes** [Don McCullin](https://donmccullin.com/don-mccullin/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Picture Post](https://gettyimagesgallery.com/collection/picture-post-2/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Craig Easton](https://www.craigeaston.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Thatcher’s Children by Craig Easton](https://www.craigeaston.com/purchase/bank-top-lz2l3?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Open Eye Gallery](https://openeye.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Jack Shenker](https://www.jackshenker.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mark Fisher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark%5FFisher?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Terence Donavan](https://terencedonovan.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Sebastião Salgado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebasti%C3%A3o%5FSalgado?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [James Nachtwey](https://jamesnachtwey.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [William Albert Allard](https://www.williamalbertallard.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mark Power](https://www.markpower.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Network Photographers](https://www.networkphotographersonline.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Panos Pictures](https://www.panos.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Magnum](https://www.magnumphotos.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ian Berry](https://www.ianberry.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Tom Stoddart](https://www.tomstoddart.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Salvador (film)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091886/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ryszard Kapuściński ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryszard%5FKapu%C5%9Bci%C5%84ski?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Martha Gellhorn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha%5FGellhorn?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Gideon Mendel](https://gideonmendel.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mike Abrahams](https://www.mikeabrahams.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Mike Goldwater](https://www.mikegoldwater.com/about/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Homer Sykes](https://homersykes.photoshelter.com/about/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Format (photo agency)](https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections/format-photographers-agency?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Adrian Evans](https://www.panos.co.uk/the-agency/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [VII](https://viiphoto.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Noni Stacey](https://nonistacey.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Nikos Economopoulos](https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/nikos-economopoulos/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Martin Parr](https://www.martinparr.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Josef Koudelka](https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/josef-koudelka/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Antonio Gramsci ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio%5FGramsci?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Robert Capa](https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/robert-capa/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [John Lydon](https://www.johnlydon.com/project/anger-is-an-energy/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Jean-François Leroy](https://www.scolaire-visapourlimage.com/intervenants/jean-francois-leroy/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Dewi Lewis](https://www.dewilewis.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Stewart Smith (book designer)](https://aperture.org/workshops/smith2016/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Sony World Photography Awards](https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [World Press Photo](https://www.worldpressphoto.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Aubrie Canfield - Documentary film producer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-aubrie-canfield-documentary-film-producer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:21:39.000Z Actuality Abroad is a social enterprise that uses documentary storytelling as a means to provide more meaningful travel experiences. As you will hear, Aubrie has a wealth of knowledge and experience in crafting stories visually through documentary filmmaking, and together we discuss the art and practice of documentary storytelling – from the hero’s journey to effective production workflow, along with the ethics of telling other people’s stories, and much more. There’s lots to take away from our chat in terms of how we can approach documentary film production in a more considered and effective manner. As I interview more people we’ll be learning more and more about different approaches to documentary film production. But, I’d be interested to hear your approach – what lessons have you learnt, and what does your current workflow look like – from research to post-production, and even any tips you have on submitting to film festivals. Get in touch via [chris@documentarystorytellers.com](mailto:chris@documentarystorytellers.com) and I’ll start sharing people’s top lessons and tips via social media. I would really like to build a community around this podcast so we can help one another become better storytellers, and maximise our impact. I don’t know how I’m going to do that exactly, but I hope to find a way of achieving this soon. In the meantime, please share this podcast with everyone and anyone you know who is interested in documentary filmmaking, and if you have any comments or feedback please email me at [chris@documentarystorytellers.com](mailto:chris@documentarystorytellers.com) ## **Notes** [Actuality Abroad](https://www.actualityabroad.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [How to change the world](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51371.How%5Fto%5FChange%5Fthe%5FWorld?ref=nav%5Fsb%5Fss%5F1%5F23) – by [David Bornestein](https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-bornstein?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ashoka](https://www.ashoka.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Danielle Khan Da Silva](https://www.photographerswithoutborders.org/team/daniellekhandasilva?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [Photographers without borders](https://www.photographerswithoutborders.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey](https://filmlifestyle.com/joseph-campbells-heros-journey/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [This American Life](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ari Shapiro](https://arishapiro.work/about?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Cat Jaffee](https://www.catherinejaffee.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – [House of Pod](mailto:https://www.houseofpod.org/) – [Guardians of the river podcast](https://www.houseofpod.org/featured-productions/guardians-of-the-river?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [National Geographic Storyteller Grant](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/grants-and-investments/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Global Oneness Project](https://www.globalonenessproject.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Brandon Stanton – [Humans of New York](https://www.humansofnewyork.com/about?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — Podcast produced by [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Klaus Thymann - photographer and filmmaker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-klaus-thymann-photographer-and-filmmaker/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:25:10.000Z Since 2008 Klaus has achieved this in part through Project Pressure, an organisation he created with a focus on climate change. Beyond Klaus’s evolution as a journalist and documentary storyteller, we discuss the issue of climate change and visual communication around the issue, as well as the language we use to discuss it. We also discuss how to engage the public on the outcomes of academic research related to the critical issues of our time, the need for us to go beyond simply documenting an issue, and play a more active role in helping create the change we want to see, the potential benefits of collaboration, and much, much more. For anyone in Berlin at the moment, Klaus’s organisation Project Pressure has organised an exhibition at Kühlhaus Berlin from the 17th February to the 5th March, including work from Simon Norfolk and Noémie Goudal. There’s an opening night reception on the 17th and panel discussions on the 18th on visualising climate change. So, if you’re fortunate enough to be in Berlin right now, then be sure to check it out. You can see Klaus’s work at [klausthymann.com](https://klausthymann.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and his organisation, Project Pressure, at [project-pressure.org](https://project-pressure.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **NOTES** [Project Pressure](https://project-pressure.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Joseph Michael](https://www.joemichael.co.nz/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Voices for the future [Simon Norfolk](https://www.simonnorfolk.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Noémie Goudal](https://www.noemiegoudal.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Royal Geographical Society](https://www.rgs.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Richard Mosse](https://www.richardmosse.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Para jumpers](https://www.parajumpers.it/gb/en/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Italian clothing brand) — Podcast produced by [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Rebecca Conway - Documentary Photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-rebecca-conway-documentary-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:27:39.000Z A few years ago Rebecca made the transition from picture editor and written-word journalist to photographer out of a desire to explore stories visually, and feeling a greater affinity with photography. She focuses a lot on the impact of conflict on people’s mental health, and what it means to live with the aftermath of war and conflict. She also explores stories related to climate change – again with a human focus. We talk about Rebecca’s journey to where she is now, the challenges and benefits of being a white western woman documenting life in Asia, the value of exploring long-term photography projects and embedding yourself somewhere, and much more. [Photography Portfolio](https://www.rebeccaconway.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ## **NOTES** [AFP](https://www.afp.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Fuller Project](https://fullerproject.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Women Photograph](https://www.womenphotograph.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Visa Pour l’image](https://www.visapourlimage.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Camille Lepage](https://www.camillelepage.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Picter](https://submit.picter.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award](https://www.marilynstaffordphotography.com/year-1-2017/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [FotoDocument](https://fotodocument.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Photo Mechanic](https://home.camerabits.com/tour-photo-mechanic/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Moises Saman](https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/moises-saman/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [William Daniels](https://thephotosociety.org/member/william-daniels/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Kieran Dodds](https://www.kierandodds.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Emma Hardy](https://www.emmahardy.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — Podcast produced by [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Industrial Borderlands URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/industrial-borderlands/ Last updated: 2026-03-21T19:51:18.000Z ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france05-1-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france03-1-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france11-1.jpg) Our urbanised, industrial societies rely on order – or at least the perception of it. They rely on things happening as they are expected to. The further away from an urban centre I travel, the more I witness the fraying of ordered society, as it becomes less and less feasible to maintain. It is progressively more evident that the perception of control is but an illusion. However, maintaining this illusion underpins the very foundations of industrialised societies, and the systems which are dependent on them. Despite the fact there are signs everywhere that reality functions quite differently to how it is perceived in industrialised societies, and the tension this inevitably creates, to engage with this directly – to acknowledge the false premise upon which these societies are built – would expose a truth that renders those foundations untenable. This creates a cognitive dissonance which will ultimately be addressed, if not by those societies themselves – through the building of new foundations by changing the culture to one that acknowledges reality – then by the unfolding climate crisis. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/dd0b1c5a9918458b9b386d2b5d05cace-1-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france19-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/ca7390ceb3b2436a8eb324fdde7b014c-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/98cebfc23a2b4353921cf64b9b21fcce-1-1.jpg) As I explore that which is all around us, it becomes more and more evident that in industrialised societies we are all too often blind to that which is right in front of us. This is partly biology – the brain is constantly trying to monitor perceived threats, and to disregard all else. However, the systems that make up industrialised societies also function to maintain an ignorance of the actual workings of the systems – the impact of waste disposal, mining, quarrying, gas exploration, agricultural runoff, meat production, along with every other extractive, destructive enterprise that exists to maintain the lives we lead. Much is hidden from our view, but we have also become numb to that which is all around us – the pylons, the factories, the chimneys, the warehouses, the scrap yards, the sewage works, and all the ubiquitous elements of an industrialised society, all built using fossil fuels extracted from the earth. The prevailing culture has instilled within us a skewed perception of the world – manifested as a lack of respect for that which is not human, or created by humans. I have become increasingly conscious of my own ignorance when it comes to the names and characteristics of the flora – both that with which we share our urban spaces, and the even greater diversity that lies beyond our concrete jungles. Unknown to us are the names of the life that sprouts from the earth between the cracks in the paving stones of the streets we walk, or along the verges of the roads we travel. We know not the names of the trees that shade us in our urban parks, nor those of the grasses we picnic in. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/27c04cce1ccf462e9695311a9e07d952-1-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain15-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain06-1.jpg) It’s an incredible feat to have come as far as we have. We are indeed amazing creatures. However the culture we have created in industrialised societies is immensely destructive. We have all the knowledge and resources we need to create a culture which restores and regenerates – brining to a halt our destructive ways, and undoing some of the damage we have inflicted on the land, in the oceans, and in the air. Yet we are happy to maintain the status quo – even though it is not in our best interests to do so. Spending more time surrounded by trees, bathing in the sea, mountain lakes or bird song – getting out of our urban spaces and into nature – would help us reconnect with the rest of nature – to appreciate it, value it, feel connected to it, and want to stop causing it suffering. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain22-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain18-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/2b625a5df7054d90be2bc71ad69802f6-1-1.jpg) The way we treat the very things we need for survival – such as water, air and soil – is rooted in a mindset and narrative which maintains that humans are somehow separate from the rest of nature. There is a belief that through our ingenuity and the development of sophisticated, high-tech cultures, we have been able to rise above the rest of the natural world and become independent of it. Nothing of course could be further from the truth. In the face of climate breakdown this narrative is still, however, maintained by those who are profiting from it, and with it a wilful blindness to the suffering this is inflicting on people and other life around the globe. It concerns me how much inertia there is to take a more sustainable path, despite all crises we are living through. We must overcome that which is all too human and deeply rooted within us – loss aversion. And to counter that which industrialised societies have sought to nurture – self-preservation over that of the collective. Both of which we have the capacity to do. We must nurture that which brings us together, and play to our strengths, rather than let vested interests exploit our all too human vulnerabilities. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain19-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain16-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain17-1.jpg) The desire in industrialised societies has been to tame, control and develop an immunity against the precocious vagaries of many natural cycles and systems. The water we channel and the rocks we grind have borne witness to the evolution of humanity. In industrialised societies we have lost all respect for the natural world, and instead see it as being there for our gain and pleasure – to be used and exploited as we wish. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain08-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-ireland04-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-ireland02-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-ireland03-1.jpg) Reflecting on how we got to where we are, I can’t help but feel that the relationship with nature that existed in those societies which lead the way in industrialisation, was the nascent expression of an imperialist mindset. The desire to dominate nature being a precursor to colonialism. Their own countries were proving grounds for what was to come. Imperialism is predicated on a belief in a hierarchy of perceived value and worthiness – not just from an economic perspective, but also in terms of respect for life. In the eyes of an imperialist not all people are created equal, but also, at the root of this philosophy, there is a belief that humans sit atop the hierarchical pyramid of species that roam the earth. All that which lies below is considered fair game for exploitation to further the materialistic pleasures of the Earth-bound gods. So long as imperialist beliefs continue to exist, as they do at all levels of industrialised societies, then we shall continue along a path of destruction and division. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-ireland01-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain07-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain01-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france08-1.jpg) With every photograph I take I see how so little of what we do within industrialised societies is in harmony with the world around us, and respecting natural processes. We have caused so much disruption as a consequence, and unbalanced the biosphere. Nature doesn’t like imbalance, and from the microscopic to the global, it will do all it needs to do to establish a new equilibrium. We are sowing the seeds of our own destruction, all the while being conscious of this incredibly masochistic act. What has to happen for us to choose a different path? ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/b3ec509716824abbaad5f6faa400eac7-1-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france02-1.jpg) Reading about certain indigenous knowledge and belief systems, it is evident that one of the key issues with the culture that spawned industrialisation, and those that have evolved from it, has no gratitude for what the natural world has given us, and continues to give us, or, framed in another way, what we have taken from the natural world, and continue to take from it - with little regard to the consequences. It’s predicated on the belief that the natural world is ours to exploit as we see fit, and that we are separate – even superior – to it. This lack of gratitude has come from our detachment from the natural world, which has occurred on so many different levels. Not only in how we produce our food, but also the everyday tools and objects we use. We are now completely surrounded by and dependent on things which have been manufactured and ultra-processed. Not so long ago much of the things we possessed would have come from an artisanal source – handmade from raw materials, and therefore only one or two steps from the origin within the natural world. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france12-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france22-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france13-1.jpg) The western approach is often to reduce things down to their constituent parts, and analyse and assess each – all too often disregarding any interconnectivity and interdependency within the whole, and how this might alter the functioning of each part. Conservation all too often seems to follow this same approach. Conserving small islands of land and sections of an ecosystem, then surrounding it with constructions which prevent the animals within the ‘protected’ area to function as they need to is not conservation – it is simply a more palatable form of human destruction. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france14-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france23-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-france18-1.jpg) I struggle to witness what I do without feeling like every action carried out by us is scarring the land – most notably those carried out by the industries upon which our societies have been built, and continue to be maintained by. Every act disrupts and damages. The natural world responds to every act in much the same way as our bodies do when we cut ourselves – the healing process begins immediately. Abandoned quarries are covered with pioneer plants – taking the first steps towards reoccupying a space disrupted by human activities. We have wounded so much of the planet’s surface with our destructive activities – whether on dry land, or on the sea floor. Along with the ecosystems that occupy those areas. We have created an unsustainable culture, built upon false assumptions of abundance and of being apart from nature. We must once and for all start changing the prevailing narratives, and establish a new culture – we must acknowledge once more, as so many indigenous communities have always done, that we are a part of nature. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain02-1.jpg) ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/chris-king-photography_industrial-borderlands-britain05-1.jpg) ### Under the Surface URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/under-the-surface/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:21:01.000Z Everyone has their own, unique relationship with nature. It’s shaped by where we live - from the continent right down to the street. History also plays a significant role - such as whether the country we were born and raised in was colonised or a coloniser, to what degree it has embraced and managed industrialisation and capitalism, and the imperialism and racism that has spawned from these experiences and others. And, of course, religious and spiritual beliefs will also play a role, depending on the relationship it promotes between humans and the world we inhabit. Our connection to nature is shaped by many cultural influences, and is therefore not solely based on our first-hand experience of it. What all these influences rely on are stories. Stories are the foundation upon which our cultures are formed, and societies built and maintained. We use them to make sense of the world we inhabit. The development and growth of these societies, and the spread of their culture, has been predicated on a false belief that we could somehow exist and thrive separate to nature. Other narratives within these societies have failed to take root – due to a lack of engaging, relatable stories that inspire people to take meaningful action and challenge the status quo, as well as being blocked by the vested interests that have helped engineer the existing culture and systems, and which have capitalised the most from them. But, as the climate crisis unfolds, and its destructive impact begins to affect more and more people in these societies, the prevailing narrative that has been peddled for so long will become more and more untenable. Our connection with nature will underpin the way in which we act in the face of the climate crisis. Some societies have always known and accepted that we are a part of nature, a belief often disparaged through racialising of those communities and their people by colonial and imperialistic cultural forces. Within those societies that have forgotten that we are a part of nature, we must nurture a greater understanding of and appreciation for nature, and our place within it - only then will we feel compelled and inspired to fight for it. [Sail Britain](https://www.sailbritain.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), an organisation that aims to inspire positive change for the ocean through sailing, research and the creative arts, and documented in Tom Sweetland’s video, [Under the Surface](https://vimeo.com/619756062?fl=pl&fe=sh&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), is setting out to do exactly that. As Oliver Beardon, the founder, continues to deepen his own knowledge and understanding of life and ecosystems in the UK, he believes that when it comes to learning about the destructive impact we are having on nature, witnessing it first-hand ensures “moments of realisation can be moments of inspiration”. Christina Peake, an artist and one of the people featured in Tom’s Video, stresses, however, that it’s vital “barriers are removed, so that the inspiration can go somewhere”. One of these barriers is income. Not only in relation to being able to afford things like locally produced organic food, or ethically produced clothing, and thereby reducing the impact of our everyday activities, but even the relationship the citizens of industrialised societies develop with nature has a socio-economic dimension to it - those who have the ability to pay for breaks from the city can deepen their connection with nature through lived experiences, while those without the means are unable to do so. This creates a greater reliance on building their connection vicariously, and, with so many narratives vying for the oxygen they need to take root and shift the culture in a particular way, if not engaged effectively it affords the prevailing narrative a greater opportunity to remain unchallenged. As Christina points out, communication on topics like climate change “needs to move into something where it’s going to change people’s behaviours, their value systems, the way they spend their money, how they bring up their family - we’re talking about deep, individual and systemic change”. This, she suggests, “requires a radically deeper intervention, and that’s where art comes in - that’s where the stories have to relate to people in such a way that it’s accessible”. The most accessible, relatable stories are those right on our doorstep. Oliver believes when it comes to engaging people on issues like biodiversity loss and climate change “it’s very important to start at home - because it’s the place we know and understand”. The exoticism of animal life and habitats in far-off lands - an unchallenged legacy of European colonialism, compounded over the decades by beautifully-shot, big-budget documentary series, has meant that too many of us neglect to learn about and appreciate the flora and fauna in our own countries. Take the UK as an example – the country where many of the most well-known docuseries were produced, yet it is one of the [most nature-depleted countries in Europe](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2020/september/uk-has-led-the-world-in-destroying-the-natural-environment.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), thanks to centuries of farming, building and industrial activity, and is suffering erosion on more than [3,000 km of its coastline](https://www.climatechangepost.com/united-kingdom/coastal-erosion/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). As the climate crisis unfolds, artists and documentary storytellers of all types will play a vital role in inspiring meaningful action and widening the cracks that are being exposed in the long-held narratives, by revealing and giving voice to that which their architects would rather go unseen and unheard. We need to explore stories local to the biggest contributors to the issue – ensure they understand their role in it, and that it is on their doorstep too. We must tell human-centric stories exploring those on the frontline of the issue – both impacted by it, but also solutions-focused stories of those who are actively working to address aspects of the issue. Charlie Young, a marine scientist and communicator who assisted Oliver in leading the expedition, points out that communication on climate change has “quite often been focused on biodiversity - we haven’t been telling as many stories about humans. We haven’t been giving the issue a human face”*.* Currently, when you think of climate change you most likely visualise wildfires and the charred remains of wildlife. Prior to this, and for many years it would most likely have been of melting ice sheets and starving polar bears. These images – of extreme, short-term events and suffering animals are important, but they generate a reaction, and immediate or short-term engagement and support for relief efforts, but fail to generate meaningful action against the ongoing, long-term impacts of climate change – much of the communication on climate change has fundamentally failed to deepen our connection to and value of nature, and consequently failed to inspire meaningful action. Tom’s video was inspired by what he was witnessing during a week-long expedition with Sail Britain. He was enthralled by the dolphins, jellyfish and other life he encountered, and of the stories of those people with whom he shared a boat - scientists, artists and fellow storytellers, who wanted to deepen their connection with the marine life that inhabited the seas surrounding their home country, and, through effective communication, help nurture the same in others in order to address issues such as climate change. His experience shows the impact immersing ourselves in nature can have, and the video he produced is just one example of the kind of storytelling which can help create the culture shift we so desperately need. We must change our connection to nature, and artists and documentary storytellers – creators and shapers of culture – must start telling stories that inspire meaningful action. It’s time we acknowledged that we suffer when we isolate ourselves from nature - that we are a part of nature, and dependent on it for our mental and physical health and wellbeing - that it gives us something that other humans cannot satisfy. It’s time all cultures acknowledge the importance of nature and our part in it. It’s time we started changing the narratives of bygone eras. --- First published in [Where the Leaves Fall magazine](https://wheretheleavesfall.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in October 2021 ### The sands of time URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/the-sands-of-time/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T14:34:44.000Z *The continual degrading of Europe’s soils is causing desertification to creep across the continent. What this means for future food supplies and the survival of affected communities and ecosystems is dependent on the ability to restore and regenerate the soils. Can the EU push back against the sands of time, or will it experience its own Dust Bowl?* The sky darkens as the sun is obscured by a tsunami of dust. It’s 1932, in the Great Plains of the United States, and over the two years that follow, 52 of these ‘black blizzards’ are recorded. They envelope swaths of the country, carrying with it the dead, sterile remnants of an area once treasured for its dark, fertile soils, creating what would become known as the Dust Bowl. On the 27th April 1935, in response to what had unfolded, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Soil Conservation Act. He would later go on to warn that ‘The nation that destroys its soils destroys itself.’ The destruction of the soils of the kind that resulted in the Dust Bowl is an example of desertification in action. When hearing this word, you might imagine the expansion of naturally occurring deserts like the Sahara, as its sands forever shift and creep outwards - gradually consuming all that lies before it. The Sahara is indeed expanding –[10% since 1920](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180329141035.htm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)– thanks in part to climate change and human-induced desertification of the peripheral land, the impact of which has been devastating to those communities dependent on it. But desertification is occurring well beyond the periphery of natural deserts. According to the[United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCCD)](https://knowledge.unccd.int/taxonomy/term/1338?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), established in 1994, it is defined as: “*Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities.”* Exact definitions vary in terms of the processes and conditions they include, but essentially human-induced desertification involves the gradual destruction and loss of once fertile, productive soil, which itself is the consequence of a disrupted water cycle. Whenever you observe a farmer practicing conventional methods of planting and harvesting, you will see them ploughing up the land – exposing fresh topsoil to the elements. The complete lack of cover causes the exposed topsoil to be dried out by the winds and the sun, and as it does so, any rain that falls on the hardened, dried earth isn’t able to infiltrate properly, causing runoff to occur and taking fertile topsoil with it. Every time the farmer ploughs, leaving the soils bare and exposed, the sun, wind and rain continue to take their toll and the water cycle is disrupted further. As Allan Savory, founder of the[Savory Institute](https://savory.global/our-mission/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), which facilitates large-scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands through the practice of ‘holistic management’, explains in his book ‘The Grazing Revolution: A Radical Plan to Save the Earth’: *‘Soil’s water-holding capacity is cumulative. Effective rainfall, which by definition remains in the soil, accumulates each year, with ever-increasing water flowing through the soil to rivers, wetlands, and aquifers. Excessively exposed soil becomes more drought-prone year after year, land with covered soil becomes increasingly drought-resilient.’* The 1935 Soil Conversation Act is testament to the fact that a general awareness and understanding of the need to protect the Earth’s soils has been around for quite some time. Yet desertification is an ever-growing concern across the globe – affecting[over 1.5 billion people](https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/public%5Fpath/shared%5Ffolder/doc%5Fpub/EUR27607.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media#page=118)in[over 100 countries](https://www.un.org/en/events/desertification%5Fdecade/value.shtml?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)\- and the largely temperate, fertile continent of Europe is not immune. While the Mediterranean region is particularly vulnerable, the issue is not limited to the likes of Spain and Greece – two of the obvious victims, but at present is affecting[13 EU nations and 8% of the territory](https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/new-world-atlas-desertification-shows-unprecedented-pressure-planets-natural-resources?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Over 75% of the Earth's land area is already degraded to some degree, which could rise to over 90% by 2050 with current trends. The profound impact this will have on societies and all life on Earth cannot be ignored. The prevailing narrative in industrialised societies has espoused the belief that communities can survive and thrive regardless of their relationship with Nature. All the while, the consequences of maintaining such a belief have been exacting a profound toll on the environment and biodiversity, and in some cases have gone as far as eroding the foundations of societies. Desertification, like climate change, exacerbates many social issues – not only leading to food insecurity, water insecurity, and increased poverty, but also contributing to issues such as increased[farmer suicides](https://fromtheprow.agu.org/combatting-drought-and-desertification-to-preserve-human-health/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), increased[domestic violence](https://www.countercurrents.org/murthy150711.htm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)and increased conflict, as people whose very lives and livelihoods depend on the land compete for ever more scarce resources. Ultimately, in many parts of the world it has led to increased migration, as communities die out and the sterile soils are abandoned, and people move to cities or emigrate. Take Mexico as an example, where according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), around 700,000 to 900,000 people migrate from degrading drylands each year – an important contributing factor in[rural-urban migration, as well as Mexico-U.S. migration streams](https://catalogue.unccd.int/22%5Floose%5Fleaf%5FDesertification%5Fmigration.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Studies by the Institute for Environment and Human Security at the UN University in countries including Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, indicate that *“land degradation and desertification contribute to human mobility, and worsening living conditions for both those who leave and those who remain behind.”* Europe may not be experiencing these consequences to the same profound and disruptive extent as other parts of the world, but it’s following a similar trajectory. The European Environment Agency (EEA) carried out a study in southern, central and eastern Europe in 2008, then again in 2017, revealing that the amount of land with a high or very-high sensitivity to desertification had increased by an area equivalent in size to[Slovakia and Greece](https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18%5F33/SR%5FDESERTIFICATION%5FEN.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)combined. Rather than inspiring action, in its[2018 Special Report](https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/desertification-33-2018/en/index.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media#chapter0)entitled ‘Combating desertification in the EU: a growing threat in need of more action’, the European Court of Auditors pointed out that despite the fact that in 2015 the EU and Member States had committed to achieving ‘land degradation neutrality’ by 2030: *‘There has been no coordination between the Member States, and the Commission has not provided practical guidance on this topic. There is not yet a clear, shared vision in the EU about how land degradation neutrality will be achieved by 2030.’* The report lays bare the apparent lack of appreciation amongst governments for the need to protect Europe’s soils, highlighting the fact that in April 2014 the Commission withdrew a proposal for a Soil Framework Directive (SFD), which *‘required Member States to identify areas at risk of degradation, define targets for soil protection, and carry out programs to achieve these targets.’* The SFD also intended to contribute to *‘halting desertification resulting from degradation and soil biodiversity loss.’* The reason for the proposal being withdrawn was because in the 8 years since it had been drawn up, there was *‘no qualified majority in the Council in favour of adopting it.’* The Commission began a public consultation in February 2021 on the topic of healthy soils to inform the EU’s soil strategy. There are also new initiatives such as the European Climate Pact and the European Green Deal that communicate a need and intention to act on soil health, but it is as yet unclear whether this is more greenwashing or a genuine engagement with the issue that will lead to meaningful change and impact. Thanks to the globalised nature of trade, the consequences of land degradation within the EU has ramifications beyond the bloc’s borders. Less land to produce the food necessary to feed its[growing population](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Population%5Fand%5Fpopulation%5Fchange%5Fstatistics?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)within its own borders, means a greater reliance on land in other countries to compensate. In 2016 the EU occupied arable land overseas equivalent in size to[France and Italy combined](https://friendsoftheearth.eu/news/eus-dependence-on-overseas-agricultural-land-trampling-the-world/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)in order to fulfil demand. In 2008 it was around a[third of that](https://www.agrar.hu-berlin.de/de/institut/departments/daoe/ihe/Veroeff/opera-final%5Freport%5F100505.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). With increased desertification will come an ever-increasing dependency on land and soil beyond the EU’s borders, and in the absence of any policies protecting the needs of the local populations and markets of the exporting countries, this will have an impact on the food security, water security and human rights of people within those countries, as they compete for access to land and the means to fulfil their basic needs. The reason to act doesn’t stop there. In the age of the Anthropocene, what makes the preservation and restoration of the Earth’s soils even more critical to humanity’s survival and that of the biodiversity that remains, is that the process of desertification creates a negative feedback loop. As soil degrades it doesn’t just become less effective at sequestering carbon, it starts releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to climate change, which catalyses further soil degradation. The longer our societies function as if soil degradation and disrupted water cycles aren’t a priority, the more devastating the outcome. But just as we have the knowledge of what has happened to past civilisations that overexploited their soils, so too do we possess an understanding of what needs to be done to address it. As David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in the United States, declares in his book ‘Growing Revolution: Bringing Our Soils Back to Life’: *‘while the problem of soil degradation remains the least recognised of the pressing crises humanity faces, it is also one of the most solvable.’* We have all the knowledge, skills and tools we need to restore and regenerate heavily degraded soils. Just three years after the Soil Conservation Act was signed, soil erosion within the US had dropped by[65 percent](https://www.politico.com/story/2010/04/fdr-signs-soil-conservation-act-april-27-1935-036362?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)\- offering proof that the effects of poor soil and water management could be reversed in a surprisingly short period of time. This has been shown to great effect more recently in initiatives across the globe – such as[Tarun Bharat Sangh](https://tarunbharatsangh.in/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), in India which has built or restored over 12,000 bodies of water, and restored 9 rivers, which had been dry for many years. Within the EU there is the work of hydrologist, Michal Kravcík in Slovakia, where he has helped dozens of villages through the development of a *‘water management policy that utilises numerous small reservoirs and depressions to catch and store water, takes necessary measures to slow runoff and restore wetlands, and transfers control of water resources from central government to local self-government.’* There are also an incredible number of smaller initiatives, such as Tamera in Southern Portugal, a community of around 200 people who have restored their local ecosystem, reversing the impacts of desertification through improved water retention; and AlVelAl in southern Spain which, having successfully restored its own land, is promotingin the local area the restoration of degraded farmland using regenerative farming practices. When asked about how receptive the farmers he engages are to practices that challenge conventional approaches, Miguel Gomez, co-founder of AlVelAl, confirms that many of the practices that have been used to good effect in helping regenerate the land, such as green manure and plant cover, are not new. They were considered conventional to his grandfather’s generation 30 or 50 years ago, but were then discarded by his father’s generation who instead embraced chemical fertilisers and pesticides, along with mechanisation, as they were easier to manage. This gives him hope that more and more people can be convinced of the efficacy and benefits of farming practices that restore and regenerate the soils. Bernd Müller, former director of the Global Ecological Institute at Tamera in southern Portugal, where for the past decade the focus of research has been on effective rainwater retention measures, further argues that countering the rise in desertification goes beyond ecological considerations and is ultimately rooted in industrialised society's relationship with Nature. He says, *'I think it is also about systemic change in thinking, when we start thinking in natural water cycles. Because we got very much used to working in artificial water cycles, but when we start talking about ecological restoration, it is about understanding natural water cycles. And the natural water cycles are very vivid, very complex cycles which are not based on competition and exploitation. Monoculture cannot be part of it – you can't try to integrate them in the transition. Ecological restoration is about building soil. And the question would be: how can we most efficiently build the soil that was eroded worldwide in the last hundreds of years? Water is life, water provides living conditions. Restoring climate cycles without restoring water cycles is just impossible. Because climate cycles are mainly water cycles.'* This runs counter to the central tenet of industrialised societies - that through shear human brilliance we can decouple our societies from any dependency on Nature, and indeed bend it to our will. We don’t have to go far back in time though, just a few generations, prior to the industrialisation of agriculture, when in those same societies a greater respect and appreciation existed within those who worked the land of a dependency on healthy, fertile soil, and a need to therefore preserve it. As Montgomery points out: *‘The darker the soil the more organic matter – and carbon – it contains. Several generations ago, the amount of organic matter in the soil set the price of agricultural land. Every farmer knew that soil rich in organic matter was more fertile. So did the bankers.’* The industrial agricultural system is at the heart of human-caused desertification, as well as climate change, biodiversity loss, water pollution and other critical issues of our time. The companies pulling the strings of the system have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, as regenerative agriculture uses less fertiliser, for example, while soil degradation increases dependency on it. Müller believes a connection with Nature cannot be integrated into the current system, that it would be *‘a contradiction to the system – it doesn’t want this feeling, this connection – it’s an exploitative system.’* Water and its effective management are central to the regenerative practices necessary to avoid and reverse desertification. Müller believes this restorative process is about seeing *‘the potential of the land, and helping it develop that potential again, and one ecosystem function would be that it is water retentive - that we manage to keep all rainwater on the land in order to restore soils and restore vegetation cover.’* Conventional farming practices are not just degrading the soils and disrupting the water cycle, but undermining the sustainability and resilience of communities and society at large. Unless there’s some sort of external force applied – an effective intervention to address poor water and soil management, such as a modern-day equivalent to the Soil Conservation Act, the process of desertification will gradually consume more and more of what little productive land still exists within Europe, bringing with it all the social and environmental ills that follow in its wake. Montgomery points out that: *‘people can build up soil organic matter, and thus soil fertility, far faster than nature makes soil. But our agricultural policies hold us back, discouraging farmers from using the tools beneath their feet.’* Desertification is ultimately a symptom of a broken agricultural system, and more broadly in industrialised societies, a broken relationship with the world around us, and a lack of political will to change the dynamics of power. Water is life and soil is what nurtures it – something many of us have somehow forgotten. Our willingness to buy into the industrialised systems because of the short-term convenience they offer has blinded us to the fragile, decaying foundations upon which they are built. Whether it’s a centralised, privatised water network that relies on the neglect of the natural water systems, or an agricultural system dependent on the over-exploitation and destruction of the very soils upon which we depend, the cost of this wilful blindness is exacting a heavy price on the environment and our communities – whether we acknowledge it or not. Our culture must change – from the ground up. --- First published in Issue 3 of [Icarus Complex Magazine](https://icaruscomplexmagazine.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in Autumn 2021. ### Where there’s a will, there’s a way URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/where-theres-a-will-there-s-a-way/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:21:33.000Z [Many attempts](https://www.fastcompany.com/90356326/we-have-the-tech-to-suck-co2-from-the-air-but-can-it-suck-enough-to-make-a-difference?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) are being made to create scalable carbon capture and storage technology to suck CO2 from the air, store it and then use it. But within nature there already exists a means by which this can be achieved that’s easily scalable. Planting trees represents one of the most effective, affordable and attainable means of tackling anthropogenic climate change, by capturing and storing CO2 and locking it in the soil. Research has shown that a worldwide tree planting programme could remove around two thirds of all the human-generated greenhouse gas emissions that currently exist within the atmosphere. Of course the benefits of planting more trees, unlike carbon capture and storage technology, does not stop at potential atmospheric CO2 reduction. Trees can offer a defence against flooding, landslides and soil erosion; they can help cool down cities; they help maintain and support greater biodiversity; and can help establish natural corridors for animals and insects to move along. There are numerous countless other benefits from planting more trees and we have all the knowledge and tools to move forward with the programme today and reach the necessary targets in the required timeframe. The UK needs a net increase of 30,000 hectares of woodland every year over the next 30 years in order to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Or 50,000 hectares [if other reduction targets are not met](https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero-the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warming/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). That means planting at least 1.5 billion trees. If we are to reach net zero carbon by 2030 — which many local councils, including Haringey, have set as their target — then we need to be planting 150 million trees every year. This may seem a lot but is by no means unachievable — it simply requires the political will to make it happen. We are in the midst of a crisis and with the need for the trees to reach maturity in order to maximise their full CO2 capture and storage potential, we must move forward with this now. But political will has been conspicuously absent within our government. Over the past [5 years a total of just 44,900 hectares](https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/documents/7321/FRFS019%5F3RFV55t.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) has been planted, which is woefully inadequate and reflects a [general lack of engagement](https://www.theccc.org.uk/2019/07/10/uk-credibility-on-climate-change-rests-on-government-action-over-next-18-months/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) on the issue of climate change by this Conservative government. If they stick to the pledge in their latest party manifesto of “[30 million trees a year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/50591261?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)” — and there are no guarantees they will — that’s still 20 million trees a year less than required to meet the minimum recommendations of the CCC — the government’s own advisory body. The recent election result will have an incredible impact on the path and progression towards achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement — and obtaining carbon neutrality. We will be lacking the leadership necessary at government level to take immediate and meaningful action in order to confront and mitigate the impact of the unfolding climate crisis. Business as usual — or indeed even less regulation and a continued unwavering belief that the market will deliver the climate action needed in a just and timely manner — is simply not an option. However, while the government’s actions will most likely hinder the pursuit of a carbon neutral society, we — the people — can influence what legislation is written. It’s not only about how we vote at an election that dictates how things progress but how we vote through our actions — or lack of action — every single day. Our economic and political system is broken and needs fundamental changes but this will take time that we don’t have to spare. So — in the absence of a government that represents the needs of its citizens, that doesn’t ignore national and international advisory committees and is willing to take the steps necessary to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis — we must create local, citizen-led tree planting and rewilding initiatives. Let’s stand up and do all we can — as if our lives and those of our children and grandchildren depend on it — because they do! — If you know of an active tree planting programme in north London then please get in touch and we will share it with our subscribers. If you would be interested in working with Village Raw in establishing a tree planting initiative, then get in touch at hello@villageraw.com. You can also read guidelines on how to plant trees in your garden or school here: [www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/urban-tree-manual](http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/urban-tree-manual?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — *This article first appeared in* [*Village Raw magazine*](https://www.villageraw.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *in Dec 2019* ### Out of sight, out of mind URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/out-of-sight-out-of-mind/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:24:36.000Z *The responsibility we have for the waste we produce in our homes goes beyond separating it and throwing it in bins for collection, and it’s time we recognised that.* I recently started documenting the environmental boundaries between the natural and the industrial — a project I’ve called Industrial Borderlands. I started off by walking up and down the Lee Navigation — a canalised river that runs from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek, part of which marks the eastern border of Haringey. When you start exploring the periphery of an urban space, the tapestry of manmade systems attempting to impose order on us — and on the environment — starts to fray. It’s here you really begin to witness the fallibility of those systems, especially when it comes to waste management, and the consequences of having to sustain an ever-increasing urbanised population. Because of the disruptive nature of the waste we produce, such as plastic products that can take hundreds of years to decompose, failing to capture waste originating from households, public spaces or industry allows it to leach out into the surrounding areas, affecting the natural environment. This is in stark contrast to Mother Nature, where there is no such thing as waste. It is a closed-loop system within which every element, at every stage of its existence — dead or alive, animate or inanimate — has a constructive role to play. A system of such complexity it’s unlikely we will ever know the extent to which its myriad, intricate layers are interconnected. From [subterranean mycelial networks](http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) that connect and protect trees to the positive role of [keystone plant and animal species](http://https/www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/keystone-species-15786127?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in biodiversity — and, of course the seemingly infinite array of factors influencing climate — new discoveries are constantly being made that highlight just how little we know, just how astonishingly complex nature’s systems are, and the benefits of respecting and working with nature in harmony. Beyond the waste we generate ourselves, we town and city dwellers aren’t generally exposed to the waste created by our systems — whether at the point of production or post-consumption. Nor do we see the consequences of the excessive amounts of waste we produce individually and collectively. Beyond what we scrape into the compost bin every day, we don’t witness one third of the food we produce globally going to waste. When we choose which apples or bread to buy, we aren’t aware of the incredible loss of aquatic life or collapse of bee colonies resulting from the chemical pesticides and fertilisers used to grow our food. For decades we have been buying and discarding things without a care in the world about the impact this has on other people, animals or the environment. Whether it’s the clothes we wear or the food we eat, as a culture we haven’t only become disconnected from how the things we buy are produced, we treat them and any packaging they come wrapped in as disposable — acting as if we have access to infinite resources and disregarding the impact of any waste produced. With plastic alone this attitude, combined with the flaws in our waste management systems, results in [12 million tonnes entering the oceans every year](http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/plastic-end-ocean/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). **Only 9% of all the plastic ever produced has been recycled.** With top scientists declaring we have only [12 years to avert a climate crisis](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) that will change the face of humanity and the Earth, we must strive not only for a radical change in how our systems function but also a radical shift in our culture, and our relationship with what we buy and our waste. **What does this radical change look like?** Well, it’s actually not so radical and involves using a pre-existing concept, the [waste hierarchy](http://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment%5Fdata/file/69403/pb13530-waste-hierarchy-guidance.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — promoted by the EU and UK government as a means of ranking waste management options ‘according to what is best for the environment’. Instead of paying lip service to it, we need to actually apply it. ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*Bhct90J-le84L4ETs2vh4g.gif) Food waste hierarchy definition — from Scottish Government’s [Food Waste REduction: Action Plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/food-waste-reduction-action-plan/pages/5/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) If applied properly — giving top priority to **preventing** waste in the first place — adhering to the waste hierarchy would reduce the amount of material circulating in the waste management system and consequently the quantity of material being processed, sent to landfill or ending up in the oceans. However, rather than legislating to promote ‘prevention’ which, by the government’s own admission, is the best thing for the environment, local and national government has instead chosen to focus on one level up from the bottom — ’other recovery’ — diverting waste away from landfill and nurturing an industry based on energy recovery from both incineration and anaerobic digestion. For example, the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) — the organisation tasked with managing the majority of waste in Haringey and across six other north London boroughs — sends any waste considered ‘unsuitable for other methods of recycling’ to the LondonEnergy facility, situated just above the North Circular on the banks of the Lee Navigation. Wholly owned by NLWA, waste is incinerated here to produce electricity. Work has actually begun to replace this facility with a new one and expand the services provided. As for the top of the waste hierarchy, in 2017–2018 the NLWA saw a [reduction in waste of just 0.59%](http://nlwa.gov.uk/media/2657/nlwa-annual-report-2017-18.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) on the previous year. While the amount of household waste reused, recycled or composted remained at 32% and the amount sent to landfill actually went up from 8% to 11%. This government-sponsored commoditisation of waste, through energy recovery or any other circular economic activity, disincentivises the reduction of waste — ultimately undermining the waste hierarchy, the very thing the government is (in theory) promoting. **So, what can we citizens do to help reduce waste?** The prevention of waste cannot be achieved simply by consumers buying and throwing away less stuff, although certainly we all should be doing this. With 311 million tonnes of plastics produced globally in 2014, and that amount [expected to double](http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) again in the next 15 years, it must also involve corporations being more responsible with their production practices and the materials they use, aiming to minimise the impact of any waste resulting from their products. While most corporations are not going to do this voluntarily, the recent legislation to ban plastic straws is an example of how public opinion can influence politicians — especially during such a dynamic and unstable period in British politics, when the government and politicians alike are striving for positive PR opportunities. As such, the straw legislation was an easy win but is also a drop in the ocean. It must only represent the start of a collective call for much more meaningful legislation that introduces incentives (or disincentives) to enforce the waste hierarchy across all sectors of society. When it comes to the issue of waste management, technology and a circular economic approach alone do not offer a sustainable long-term solution. We must focus on consuming less, and also take inspiration from nature by adopting production practices and making goods that don’t disrupt or destroy the world around us. **We need to start designing waste out of our systems**. — *Originally published in June 2019 in* [*Village Raw magazine*](https://www.villageraw.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### The grass isn’t always greener. URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/the-grass-isnt-always-greener/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T21:47:52.000Z Walking into Morley Butchers in Crouch End, the smell immediately transports me back to my childhood in Belfast — accompanying my mother to the local butcher, parting the metal chain curtain, and walking through the doorway into a domain of freshly-prepared meat. I would amuse myself with the sawdust on the floor, as my mother bought the cheap cuts of mutton on the bone for an Irish stew, or some kidneys and liver for a mixed grill. Andy, who’s been running Morley for the past 10 years, greets me. We start talking about the meat he has on display, the vast majority of which I’ve never experienced — in large part because I’m a vegetarian, and have been for the past 20 years! On display is gammon, produced on the premises using the best cuts of free range Blythburgh pork, Scottish beef steaks from free range, grass-fed cows, and a fantastic array of other produce. So, what brings me into this exotic and foreign land? Morley is considered one of the best butchers in London, and has been awarded [Slow Food London](https://slowfoodlondon.blogs.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Best Butcher twice — an award that recognises retailers that care about the quality and provenance of their produce. With our high streets dominated by supermarkets — purveyors of processed and industrially produced food — shops like Andy’s offer a vital connection to and lifeline for an alternative food system — one that aims to function in a sustainable way, minimising impact and suffering, while maximising quality. A critical factor in obtaining the best quality meat — something with the best flavours and greatest nutritional value — is the way in which the animal is reared. Keeping all forms of stress to a minimum is paramount. This means letting animals live and eat according to their nature, and treating them with respect and as sentient beings, rather than as commodities to be caged, or transported live across continents in inhumane conditions, or slaughtered in brutal ways — hallmarks of a poorly regulated industrial food system. With the [rise of mega farms](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/29/revealed-industrial-scale-beef-farming-comes-to-the-uk?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — housing 20,000 pigs or 1 million chickens under one roof — and the adoption of other US-style approaches to meat production, things are not going to get better — for the animals, the environment or our health. Animal welfare is not the only aspect of the system we should be concerned about. The entire planet suffers as a consequence of intensive animal agriculture. Back in 2006, a report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed that meat and dairy production generates [more greenhouse gas emissions](http://www.fao.org/Newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) than all the world’s transport combined. That was over 13 years ago, and meat and dairy production has only been increasing to cater for rising demand — between 2006 and 2014, it [rose by around 20%](https://ourworldindata.org/meat-and-seafood-production-consumption?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). While high-welfare butchers like Morley offer an alternative to the industrial meat production that fuels this, the rising consciousness of our impact on the world around us has generated an ever-increasing call for people to reduce their meat consumption, and embrace a plant-based diet as a potential answer to the Earth’s and humanity’s wows. But is veganism or vegetarianism really a solution? Is a plant-based diet always more sustainable and less destructive to the environment? And does a vegan diet always cause less suffering to animals or loss of life? Just a few doors down from Morley is Miranda Café, offering vegan and vegetarian food. Were it not for the menu, you could easily assume it was like any other café. Gabriel and Francis, the Venezuelan couple who run Miranda, tell me how oftentimes people who have just walked in off the street can’t believe how much they enjoyed a vegan lasagne, or a katsu curry made with homemade seitan. They make a point of making the flavours the focus of their food, and the food the focus of their customers’ experience — sourcing the best quality ingredients they can, locally where possible. There is no attempt to push a vegan or vegetarian agenda. They want people to be enticed to explore more and more meat-free dishes through experiencing great-tasting food at the café — not by getting evangelical, or challenging people’s belief systems. In their own way they are contributing to the normalisation of enjoying healthy, balanced food that is free of meat. ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*5WzbNjxa0OC-FQ5kChEhVQ.png) Homemade seitan being prepared for dishes at Miranda Café, London — © [Chris King](https://chriskingphotography.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) As with animals, to get the best quality fruit, vegetables, pulses, grains and nuts, stress must be kept to a minimum. For plants this means ensuring the best possible soils and growing conditions — not something achievable through the creation of mono-cultures, the annual ploughing of land, and the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides — ubiquitous elements of industrial farming, causing the degradation of the soils, biodiversity loss, the polluting of the water systems, and much more. Over the last 40 years around 33% of the world’s arable land has been [lost to erosion or pollution](https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/news/soil-degradation-paris-climate-agreement-cop21-1.814724?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and the UK is said to only have around [100 harvests left](https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/the-hidden-cost-of-uk-food-soil-degradation/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). As for biodiversity, farmland birds within the UK [declined by 56%](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/26/wildlife-modern-farming-insects-birds?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) between 1970 and 2015, equating to a loss of at least 44 million individuals. We therefore don’t just need to address the rise of mega farms, and the impact of factory farming, we also need to address the destructive agricultural practices utilised within the industrial system to grow the rest of our food. So, regardless of whether you’re a meat-eater or vegan, if you’re reliant on processed food, and disregard the provenance and means of production, you are having a significant detrimental impact on the environment and animals. Veganism practiced in this way therefore doesn’t represent a viable means of reducing our impact and the suffering we cause. While the production of high-welfare meat, through grazing and the fertilising of soil, can play a vital and significant role in a regenerative form of agriculture, that enriches soils and increases biodiversity. The debate about the impact and sustainability of what we eat should not pit one group of people against another. We need to reframe it — away from binary and emotive discussions around meat-based versus plant-based diets, and instead making the focus the agricultural practices being used to produce our food, and how best we can minimise their impact. What’s best for animals, the soil and plants, is ultimately what’s best for us. So, while on the surface Morley and Miranda might seem like they are at opposite ends of the spectrum — espousing different, competing diets and philosophies, they in fact represent two equally vital strands of the same thread — they represent an alternative, more sustainable food system, and a means for all of us, regardless of the diet we choose to follow, to minimise the impact and suffering we cause through the food we buy and eat. We should therefore show our support for them both, in whatever way we can, and for independent businesses like them. — *You can find out more about Morley Butchers at* [*https://www.morleybutchers.co.uk*](https://www.morleybutchers.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *and Miranda Café at* [*http://mirandacafe.co.uk/*](http://mirandacafe.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *— both are on Broadway Parade in Crouch End. If you would like to know more about the Slow Food movement, visit* [*https://www.slowfood.com/*](https://www.slowfood.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — *Originally published at* [*https://www.villageraw.com*](https://www.villageraw.com/portfolio/3514/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*.* ### Seeing the woods and the trees URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/seeing-the-woods-and-the-trees/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:24:52.000Z *For tree planting to have the necessary impact on mitigating climate change we must also preserve the trees that already populate our woods and line our streets.* One of my favourite smells is that of a forest after rainfall — that distinctive blend of freshness and rejuvenation mixed with decay and decomposition. Walking through Queen’s Wood after Storm Ciara, I savour that very smell and the period of calm that follows any weather event that merits a name. As I make my way past the Shepherd’s Hill allotments, slipping and sliding up the boggy hill on my way to the cafe, I can’t help noticing the number of trees that have fallen. Beautiful old relics that — until being unceremoniously uprooted — had collectively borne witness to many decades of walkers, joggers and dogs of all shapes and sizes. Just a week earlier I had been helping plant 5,000 trees in neighbouring Hackney with over 500 other volunteers, supporting the amazing [Trees for Cities](https://www.treesforcities.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — a charity working at both national and international levels to improve lives (as the name suggests) by planting trees in cities. It got me thinking about the possibility of all that work being cancelled out by a single storm. Storm Dennis, of course, arrived a week later, exacting even more damage and compounding the situation. However, one is not equivalent to the other. M[ature trees are capable of absorbing far more carbon dioxide than saplings](https://science.time.com/2014/01/15/study-shows-older-trees-absorb-more-carbon/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), having many more leaves through which to absorb it and a far greater root network by which to sequester the carbon into the soil. They also have far more carbon embedded in their trunks and in those roots. Witnessing all the casualties of recent storms is therefore all the more concerning. So, when the likes of [Donald Trump declare participation in the Trillion Trees Initiative](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SxcG4pUXZQ&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) or President Erdoğan of Turkey actually oversees the planting of 11 million trees in just a few hours — as was the case on 11 November 2019 when the country celebrated National Forestation Day — these impressive numbers may seem like progress and make us feel hopeful. However, it’s only once we include the deaths that have also occurred — for whatever reason — do we gain a clear picture of the net impact of the world’s tree population on CO2 levels. An assessment of the trees planted on National Forestation Day in Turkey — conducted only a few months afterwards — revealed that [up to 90% of the trees had died](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/30/most-of-11m-trees-planted-in-turkish-project-may-be-dead?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Combine this with the fact that worldwide — [every year — an area the size of the UK is deforested purely for commercial gain](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/12/deforestation-world-losing-area-forest-size-of-uk-each-year-report-finds?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) with no regard given to the impact on biodiversity, soil health or the water cycle, let alone climate change — and it’s all too easy for any actual progress to be negated. This doesn’t take into account the recent fires in the Amazon or Australia which will have taken things to a whole new level. Closer to home in Haringey, in the 12 months leading up to March 2019, 267 street trees were cut down while only 97 were planted — a trend that has been ongoing since 2016\. In that same 12-month period 57 trees were removed from parks — and only 3 were planted. [Tree planting is seen as one of the most effective and viable methods of mitigating the impacts of climate change](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/04/planting-billions-trees-best-tackle-climate-crisis-scientists-canopy-emissions?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — but for a newly planted tree to have any impact on climate change it must survive to maturity. As [Greta Thunberg pointed out in her speech at Davos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8UoOAKhiZY&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) during the World Economic Forum, planting trees — often carried out under the guise of ‘offsetting’ is simply not enough. It must go hand in hand with the protection of existing woods, forests and street trees the world over together with a reduction in emissions — both of which require a reduction in our consumption of goods. We may not be able to hold Trump and Erdoğan to account or ensure their tree-planting endeavours prove more than just PR stunts but through considered purchases there’s so much we can do right on our doorstep. So what’s stopping us? — *Originally published in Village Raw magazine —* [https://www.villageraw.com/](https://www.villageraw.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### On the horizon URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/on-the-horizon/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:22:45.000Z *The climate crisis is propelling us into uncharted territory, and our relationship with technology and nature will dictate how we navigate our way through.* We are at a point where human activities are defining not just what lies ahead for the next generation or two, but life on Earth in geological time. Our relationships with technology and nature have played a fundamental role in bringing us to this point, and only by changing these relationships, and how we perceive and treat each other, will we have any chance of avoiding the worst-case scenarios of the climate crisis. Global temperatures have now [surpassed anything a human has experienced](https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=highest+global+tempertures&addon=firefox&addonversion=4.0.4&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in the 300,000 years or so since *Homo sapiens* [appeared from Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). The perfect climate conditions to allow life to flourish - known as the Goldilocks zone - are now in the past. We now find ourselves in uncharted territory. With so many variables - the melting of the Greenland icesheet, for instance, could trigger as yet unknown [domino effects and hidden feedbacks](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6421/1379?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) \- we can only make educated guesses as to what lies ahead. What we do know, however, is that we cannot continue acting as we have been. [Christiana Figueres](http://christianafigueres.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media#/), former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, writes in The Future We Choose, which she co-authored: “For a long time western societies have tended to prize self-interest over wellbeing of the whole. We need to enlarge our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with others, and certainly with natural systems that enable human life on Earth… our current crisis requires a total shift in our thinking to survive and thrive, we must understand ourselves to be inextricably connected to all of nature.” While this understanding may have been supressed in the west, it is alive in many Indigenous communities around the world. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, an activist, scholar and author from the Nishnaabeg nation in North America, suggests: “In my experience, the knowledge of Indigenous peoples requires a critical rethinking of how western societies relate to land, water and all of the living systems with whom we share time and space. Indigenous knowledge demands a critical rethinking of economic and political systems. Indigenous knowledge requires radical systemic change and a rebuilding of everything.” > "In my experience, the knowledge of Indigenous peoples requires a critical rethinking of how western societies relate to land, water and all of the living systems with whom we share time and space." - Leanne Betasamosake Simpson The imperialistic and capitalistic mindset that has for so long underpinned much of the interactions of western nations with other cultures and with nature, is a root cause of climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and ocean acidification, as well as the injustice of sustained inequalities - both nationally and internationally - resulting in those who contribute the least to such crises tending to suffer the most. As Simpson points out, this is not a recent phenomenon: “Indigenous peoples have witnessed and lived through environmental apocalypse since the early days of colonial occupation. We’ve seen our plant and animal relatives extirpated from our homelands, and we’ve continually witnessed ecosystem collapse. Climate change is a symptom of racialised capitalism, white supremacy and heteropatriarchy. Indigenous knowledge compels us to remake the world in a way that promotes the life of all living things.” The systemic change that Figueres and Simpson call for is vital to ensure we progress along a path towards a best-case scenario for humanity and all life on Earth. But, for that change to happen, people in the west must acknowledge the need for it and be invested in it. This requires an acknowledgement of the severity of the situation we are faced with and the impact it will have on us all, a realisation and understanding of the need to act now, the need to respect nature and each other - regardless of any differences - and an appreciation of the interconnectedness that exists between us and nature, and between each other. One aspect of the western mindset hindering any such acknowledgement and understanding, is a belief that we can engineer our way out of the mess we are largely responsible for creating. This is accompanied by the illusion that we can do so while maintaining the standard of living we have become so accustomed to and take for granted. This myopic arrogance and loss aversion not only perpetuates a lack of meaningful engagement, it ignores the fact that scalable Indigenous technologies already exist that reduce emissions while providing the food, water and sanitation needed to sustain communities, mitigate the impact of flooding and wildfires, and adapt to a changing, more hostile environment. It also blinds us to the true nature of technology. While technologies originating from industrialised countries may have the potential to help address the impacts of the climate crisis, the nature of technology is such that the intention that guides its development and use will dictate whether or not that potential is realised. Kentaro Toyama, the founding assistant managing director of [Microsoft Research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft%5FResearch?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) India, argues in a 2011 paper, titled [Technology as Amplifier in International Development](http://kentarotoyama.org/papers/Toyama%202011%20iConference%20-%20Technology%20as%20Amplifier.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media): “Technology cannot substitute for missing institutional capacity and human intent; technology tends to amplify existing inequalities; technology projects in global development are most successful when they amplify already successful development efforts or positively inclined intent, rather than seek to fix, provide, or substitute for broken or missing institutional elements.” This amplification, according to Toyama, “contradicts theories that imply that technology’s impact is additive or transformative in and of itself, for example that access to technology levels the playing field of power, or that the Internet, per se, democratises access to information”. So technology guided by imperialistic and capitalistic intentions will not have the positive impact we need it to have, and will amplify inequalities: we therefore can’t rely on technology originating in this way to address the climate crisis and other issues of our time. This is why we need that systemic change and cultural shift in the west. Without it, any western technology could exacerbate existing inequalities, undermine democracies, and increase the destruction of nature and the disruption of the climate. There is a general failure to learn from past mistakes, reflect on the consequences, and consider the needs of all citizens - not only those of profit-making companies and vested interests. Take artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology - two emerging technologies that are in the nascent stages of development and understanding. When asked at the 2020 World Economic Forum about the tech “arms race” between the US and China around these two technologies, and what was at stake for humanity and the world, historian and author [Yuval Noah Harari replied](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qhZXyZ%5FkpI&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media): “On one level - the more shallow level - it would be a repeat of the 19th century industrial revolution, when the leaders in industry basically had the power to dominate the entire world - economically and politically.” > "Technology cannot substitute for missing institutional capacity and human intent; technology tends to amplify existing inequalities." - Kentaro Toyama Harari warned that he saw the tech “arms race” as an “imperial arms race”. Whether in the west or elsewhere, a culture blinded by its own ingenuity, fuelled by a capitalistic ideology, rarely stops to consider whether it should use the knowledge and technology it has, or indeed how best to do so for the good of all. Nor does it stop to consider the consequences and learn from its mistakes. When it comes to solving the issues of our time, knowledge and technology alone will not be enough, despite their potential. In the words of Takeda Shingen, a 16th century Japanese military leader: “Knowledge is not power, it is only potential. Applying that knowledge is power. Understanding why and when to apply that knowledge is wisdom.” Toyama’s 2011 paper stresses how “few people imagine that a failing company can be fixed with a technology, no matter how well-designed. The same intuition applies to failing healthcare systems, educational systems, governance systems, and so on. What matters first are human issues of leadership, management, staffing, and client intent and capacity.” We have the knowledge, technology, wisdom and capacity we need to address climate change and existing inequalities, and minimise the suffering they cause. We have all we need to address all of the issues of our time. What is lacking is the leadership and the right intention - both the political will to do what needs to be done, and the pressure from the people to create the change we need. We must all acknowledge and embrace our interconnectedness with nature and with each other, and let that underpin the intentions behind our actions. Until we do so we face an increasingly uncertain and hostile future for all life on Earth. --- Article was first published in [Issue #5 of Where the Leaves Fall](https://wheretheleavesfall.com/stories/on-the-horizon?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) magazine in winter of 2020/21 ### Sean Gallagher - Photographer and Film-maker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/episode-5-sean-gallagher-photographer-and-film-maker/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:31:41.000Z ### Part 1 ### Part 2 --- This week’s guest is one of the few people who from the outset of his exploration of climate change took a human-centric approach - whether documenting the impact of rising sea levels on coastal communities, or desertification and drought. He’s Sean Gallagher, a British photographer and filmmaker, who has lived in China the past 15 years, and during that time has explored a broad diversity of stories on the frontline of the climate crisis in China and the wider Asian region. From chasing timber poachers with armed policemen through the jungles of Cambodia, to photographing undercover in secretive North Korea, Sean produces diverse stories for some of the world’s leading news outlets. Sean focuses on creating photography and documentary film projects that highlight stories from the front line of the climate crisis and other important and under-reported global environmental issues. **NOTE -** *This episode is in two parts, as my interview with Sean went on longer than expected, but I wanted to share all the advice, thoughts and experiences that Sean shared.* --- ## Resources Below are links to people, events, publications and organisations mentioned in the podcast: [Sean Gallagher](https://gallagher-photo.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Pulitzer Centre](https://pulitzercenter.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Werner Herzog](https://www.wernerherzog.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [George Steinmetz](https://georgesteinmetz.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Ed Kashi](https://edkashi.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Everyday Climate Change](https://www.instagram.com/everydayclimatechange/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [James Whitlow Delano](http://www.jameswhitlowdelano.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Everyday Extinction](https://www.instagram.com/everydayextinction/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) --- **Featured Image:** © Sean Gallagher - "*Aerial view of burning land near the Phnom Tnout Phnom Pok Wildlife Sanctuary, in Songkom Thmey District, Preah Vihear Province, northern Cambodia. During the dry season between January to March, hundreds of fires continually rage across the country. Land is burnt by farmers, loggers and local people looking to either capture wildlife or clear land for agriculture. Cambodia has one of the world's fastest rates of deforestation and it is estimated only 3% of primary forest is now left."* --- ## Production Team A big thank you to [Toby Fitzpatrick](https://tobyfitz13.wixsite.com/portfolio?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) for his help with editing the interview. ### Ashley Cooper - Environmental Photographer URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/04-ashley-cooper-environmental-photographer/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:35:21.000Z This week’s guest has spent the last sixteen years travelling to every continent on the planet to document the impacts of climate change and the rise of renewable energy. He’s Ashley Cooper, an environmental photographer who has witnessed an incredible amount of in terms of the impact of climate change to communities across the globe, and the mitigation and adaption efforts. This week’s guest has spent the last sixteen years travelling to every continent on the planet to document the impacts of climate change and the rise of renewable energy. He’s Ashley Cooper, an environmental photographer who has witnessed an incredible amount of in terms of the impact of climate change to communities across the globe, and the mitigation and adaption efforts. As you can imagine Ashley has amassed a vast collection of images, which he licenses through his own photo agency dedicated purely to climate change/renewable energy at [globalwarmingimages.net](http://globalwarmingimages.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Ashley has also published a book with 500 of the best images from his epic journey around the planet, which he’s sent to people like Al Gore and the Pope as a way of raising awareness about the impacts of climate change that are currently being felt by communities around the globe, and is available to buy at [imagesfromawarmingplanet.net](http://imagesfromawarmingplanet.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Update** Ashley has since started a new fundraising initiative to raise funds for a [National Memorial for Covid Victims](https://www.gofundme.com/f/national-memorial-for-covid-victims?utm%5Fsource=customer&utm%5Fmedium=copy%5Flink&utm%5Fcampaign=p%5Fcf+share-flow-1) – please consider supporting his campaign. ## Resources Below are links to people, events, publications and organisations mentioned in the podcast: Ashley’s Photo Library – [www.globalwarmingimages.net](http://www.globalwarmingimages.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Ashley’s Book – [www.imagesfromawarmingplanet.net](http://www.imagesfromawarmingplanet.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/climate-change?page=1&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt/climate-change?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [World Wide Fund for Nature](https://www.worldwildlife.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (WWF; Also known as World Wildlife Fund) [The Barefoot College](https://www.barefootcollege.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Moony Shiva Ashram](http://www.greenashram.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Canadian Tar Sands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca%5Foil%5Fsands?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Dr John O’Connell](https://sacredland.org/dr-john-oconnor-and-cancer-in-the-tar-sands/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Featured Image:** © Ashley Cooper – “*PhD scientist Ian Bartholomew using dye tracing techniques as part of a study to measure the speed of the Russell Glacier near Kangerlussuag Greenland. The study is looking at how increasing quantities of melt water caused by climate change are affecting the glaciers speed which like most glaciers in Greenland has sped up considerably in the last 20 years. As part of the study reflective poles were drilled 4 metres into the ice to measure their speed at various positions on the glacier. Within a month all the poles had fallen over as the glacier melted down over 4 metres. The study conclusively showed that the speed of the glacier was directly linked to the amount of meltwater draining from its snout.* --- ## Production Team A big thank you to [Toby Fitzpatrick](https://tobyfitz13.wixsite.com/portfolio?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) for his help with editing the interview. ### Afsaneh Rafii - Founder of Icarus Complex magazine URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/afsaneh-rafii-icarus-complex-magazine/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:36:42.000Z In this episode I speak to Afsaneh Angelina Rafii – founder and Editor-in-Chief of the independent magazine Icarus Complex. A bi-annual publication that Afsaneh launched last year, that offers and in-depth look at the issues surrounding climate change. In the first issue there are stories on economics, food, energy, decarbonising and much, much more packed within 140 pages. The second issue is due later this year, and will be on the theme of nuclear energy. I wanted to find out about Afsaneh’s experiences trying to single-handedly set up, manage and grow an independent magazine, and so we talk about what motivated Afsaneh to devote her time and savings into producing Icarus Complex, the challenges she faced, what she would have done differently if she were to start again, and other practical insights to setting up an independent magazine covering the issue of climate change. To find out more about Icarus Complex magazine, visit [icaruscomplexmagazine.com](http://icaruscomplexmagazine.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – where you can read their journal, explore their database of organisations working on the issue of climate change and submit work for consideration. If you’re doing something to document the issue of climate change, and would like your work to be featured on the podcast and website, please get in touch with me via email at [chris@documentingclimatechange.org](mailto:chris@documentingclimatechange.org) ## Resources Below are links to people, events, publications and organisations mentioned in the podcast: [Icarus Complex magazine](http://icaruscomplexmagazine.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Magazine Heaven](https://www.magazineheaven.com/catalog/product/view/id/28113/s/icarus-complex-magazine/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (to purchase Issue #1) [Benji Backer](https://benjibacker.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Grafica Maiadouro](http://www.maiadouro.pt/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (designers/printers) --- **Featured Image:** © MagCulture - *The front cover of thre first issue of Icarus Complex magazine. Photographer Greg Kahn took this photograph in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence in 2018.* ### Damon Gameau - Documentary Film-maker URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/02-damon-gameau-documentary-film-maker/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:39:32.000Z In this episode, I speak to Damon Gameau – award-winning documentary film-maker, and the person behind a recently released feature-length documentary on climate change called 2040. ​​Motivated by his 4-year-old daughter and concern for the planet she will inherit, Damon embarks on a global journey to meet the innovators and change makers pioneering the best solutions already available to us today to improve the health of our planet and societies. Drawing on some of the best minds from around the world focusing on climate, economics, technology, civil society, agriculture and sustainability, 2040 maps out a pathway for change that can lead us to a more ecologically sustainable and equitable future. We discuss the impact of a solutions-based approach to communicating on the issue of climate change, and the power it has to influence and motivate action in a way and to a level that disaster-focused stories struggle to do. We also talk about the impact and motivations for developing an online platform for the audience to engage with. Going well beyond just informing people who watch the film, Damon and his team have strived to create an accessible and effective means by which people can channel their desire to act afterwards. This has resulted in some amazing initiatives being supported and implemented, and an ever-growing and engaged network being formed. I believe that if we truly care about the stories we’re documenting, then we should be striving to do more than simply inform our audiences – it’s no longer enough to simply shine a light into the darkness, we should be working to ensure the stories we explore never again slip into the shadows and from people’s consciousness. I think Damon and the platform he has created are a fantastic example of the potential we have as documentary storytellers to both show people that alternatives are possible to the broken systems we are currently living with and within, and empower them to take action and be part of the change that must occur. *You can can find out where the film is screening on the* [*Together Films website*](https://togetherfilms.org/2040-screenings?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*.* --- [2040](https://whatsyour2040.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [2040 Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/2040TheRegeneration/) [That Sugar Film](https://thatsugarmovement.com/film/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Renee Lertzman](https://reneelertzman.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Good pitch](https://goodpitch.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Britdoc](https://docsociety.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (now called Doc Society) [Sundance Lab](https://collab.sundance.org/opportunities?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Screen Australia](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The UNAustralian](https://theunaustralian.net/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [*'Hope in the Dark'*](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/jul/02/highereducation.globalisation?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) by Rebecca Solnit --- **Featured Image:** The poster for 2040. ### Lo-TEK URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/lo-tek/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:25:12.000Z *Designer and author Julia Watson describes the things she saw during a recent trip to Beira, Mozambique, as “the future of climate change”. A provincial capital on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and the fourth largest port in Africa, Beira was devastated by Cyclone Idai in March 2019\. One year on and the city has yet to recover and rebuild.* Julia is the author of the book Lo– TEK Design by Radical Indigenism. She coined the term Lo-TEK - combining lo-tech and Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) - to describe Indigenous technologies that she believes can be adopted more widely to mitigate climate change and build a resilient future. Idai’s impact on Beira is a warning for other coastlines over the next 15 years, she thinks. Like so many cities across the globe, Beira was no stranger to extreme weather, but Idai was on a greater scale of magnitude. All around the world, extreme weather events are becoming bigger and more frequent, taking and destroying lives and homes. The globalised industrial systems we rely on, from food to manufacturing, are considered to be highly efficient - if you don’t factor in little inconveniences like waste and other externalised costs- but they can only function within a very limited range of conditions. The just-in time approach taken to get food on the shelves, for example, means the slightest perturbation from these conditions and the systems can’t cope. There is no resilience built into them -something the spread of the Covid-19 virus has highlighted to ruinous effect. We urgently need to change this. The good news is that we have all the knowledge and technologies we need. Traditional, Indigenous technologies- LoTEK - that communities across the globe have been using to sustain themselves for centuries, and which have largely been forgotten in Europe, offer the resilience we need and provide multifaceted responses to many of the crises we face - from sustainable food production to flood defences and carbon sequestration - and do so in a way that is symbiotic with their environment. **Chris King:** Can you tell us a little about yourself? **Julia Watson:** I’m a formally trained architect, landscape architect, and urban designer, and am currently teaching urban design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. I started studying at the University of Queensland in Australia 20 years ago, and I did a course at that time called Aboriginal Environments.This is when I first got an inkling that there was something else out there that we weren’t really looking at, because of whatever lenses of understanding about the Indigenous world we carry with us. So I’ve had this interest in Indigenous tribes and Indigenous relationships to nature, on a global scale, for a while. I’ve also studied Indigenous spiritual landscapes and done a lot of spiritual pilgrimages around the world to explore our relationship to land and how Indigenous people conserve landscape, looking at the differences with, say, UNESCO World Heritage and the national park systems, which are very Western constructs. **C K:** What is it about Indigenous technologies that intrigues you so much? **J W:** One of the first realisations I had was that often these spiritual relationships to land were about conserving the natural resources in that ecosystem on which human survival is dependent. Then there are narratives and mythologies that are formed that overlay that fundamental relationship and reinforce an appreciation for those ecosystems. In this way they develop the respect or the understanding that these ecosytems are alive. Through my studies and teaching, I kept on coming across all these amazing ecosystem benefits that these systems - these sacred landscapes - had, and I feltthere was something more here that people weren’t exploring. **C K:** Many of the communities you’ve documented are living on the fringes, so how did you learn about them and the technologies they utilise? **J W:** After working on projects with the Subak and their unique terrace system for irrigating rice fields in Bali, and with the Ma’dān (Marsh Arab) people in Iraq, I looked for island-building technologies in other communities around the world. I went from Iraq to the Uros people in Peru, and over the years I’ve been keeping these exhaustive lists of technologies. I think there are currently about 60 island-building technologies and communities around the world, and I’ve read references to similar technologies that previously existed in Europe, dating as far back as the 14th century. Although those technologies have gone now from Europe we still see them today in Uganda, Congo and Malawi. But, as development moves forward in the paradigm that we have at the moment we are in danger of losing them also. For example, in Lake Loktak in north-east India, the local fishing community creates 200 metre diameter floating islands on which they build their houses. But the local government is burning down their houses because they don’t want them living there. **C K:** How far away are we from the widespread adoption of these technologies? **J W:** There’s starting to be a rejection of one-size-fits all technologies that are dependent on harder infrastructure and don’t look at local conditions, environments, resources, knowledge, and building systems. Instead there is a growing appreciation that the thinking has to be more complex. This is just one way of doing what we’re doing in terms of development and climate resilience - there are lots of other different ways. Let’s open up the floor and think of something that can have an exponential impact. The adoption is going to come from designers realising they can implement these technologies in an urban axis, in big, fast-developing cities.This is already happening in places like Shenzhen, in China, for example, where there are lots of urban design projects that are trying to deal with flooding. Initially they had been considering the use of a polder dike system that was developed in the Netherlands for land reclamation, but the Chinese have their own polder dike system, which has been used and perfected in the south of the country over thousands of years and is more suitable for that environment, using silk worms, aquaculture and mulberry trees. I think opening up these ideas to designers, governments and intergovernmental organisations, coupled with the momentum of the climate change movement, means there’s going to be a trickle-down effect in terms of awareness and adoption of these technologies. **C K:** To what degree do you think the technology you’ve seen in Indigenous communities is scalable and able to feed and sustain large populations? **J W:** Some of these technologies are already scaled. For example, the East Calcutta Wetlands houses a sewage-fed wastewater aquaculture treatment facility that is completely nature-based and treats the water of about seven million people every day. It is the largest facility of its kind in the world. We have other aquaculture systems in Indonesia and China that are smaller but have the potential to scale up. And in Tanzania, the Chaga people’s tradition of kihamba farming (plots of land in an agroforestry system) has seen them adapt an area of forest roughly the size of Los Angeles for use as farmlands. You talk of the need to imagine anew the relationship between place, nature and the physical spaces we construct and inhabit.What does this new relationship look like? Current thinking declares that we need to conserve wetland and plant more forests to help us with climate change. **C K:** We need these nature-based solutions, but they often marginalise human communities, so do we go for nature or humans? **J W:** It’s this weird tug of war between the two, but there are many examples of how we can do both at the same time: we can have wetlands that are productive for food alongside flood mitigation and a range of other benefits. It’s how we design them that makes them what they are, and these Lo-TEK solutions haven’t been designed by designers but by communities. So, what if we took those systems and added design-thinking, municipal will, stakeholders and lots of investment? I think one of the issues is that, even within Indigenous communities, these Lo-TEK systems are thought of as agrarian, and therefore backward and less desirable than something more “advanced”. But in places like New York, there’s a movement to bring agriculture back to the city. There’s a realisation that we’ve messed things up and, from a development perspective, why would Indigenous communities want to advance in a way that completely erases a history where their identities were embedded in their ecosystems. **C K:** How do we go about reconnecting and bringing nature back into our cities? **J W:** Fundamentally it comes down to understanding our ecosystems, the intelligence embedded in our ecosystems, and the way we as humans interact with our ecosystems. It’s a symbiotic relationship and that’s the way cities need to be. It shouldn’t be a case of us moving into a space and over time fortifying that space, reducing it to hard surfaces that are only supposed to house humans and designed only to be beneficial for humans. If the design of cities were such that the ecosystem dynamics were part of the evolution of the city’s formation, we would come up with something very different to what we have. Studying these Lo-TEK systems shows us that there are hundreds of different ways to live in this world. It’s going to be a slow process of seeding these ideas in cities, within governments, and also with developers at a small scale. And through those projects - that individually don’t amount to much but with a multiplier effect can have a much larger footprint - we can create an impact and start to see a mitigation of climate change on a meaningful level. But if we don’t act now, the 21st century’s greatest loss won’t just be the planet’s biodiversity, but also those nature-based technologies that could bring about the changes we need. --- This article as first published in [Issue #3 of Where the Leaves Fall](https://wheretheleavesfall.com/stories/lo-tek?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) magazine in spring of 2020 ### Toby Smith from Climate Visuals URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/01-toby-smith-from-climate-visuals/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T14:42:18.000Z I’m really happy to share with you a conversation I had with Toby Smith – an award-winning environmental photographer, and Programme Lead for Climate Visuals. We talk about how visual storytellers can better document and represent the issue of climate change, in the hope of addressing the political and general inertia that exists to taking the significant and meaningful action that is so desperately needed. We also talk about Toby’s work as a photographer and his many years of experience exploring long term projects include a study of hydroelectricity in Scotland, renewable energy technology across China and India, illegal logging and mining in Madagascar, and documenting water scarcity across the Himalayas – to name but a few. He works internationally on personal, commissioned and collaborative projects concerning landscape, the environment, and industrial and science-related stories. **UPDATE:** Since recording the podcast Climate Visuals has teamed up with [Getty Images to offer a grant](https://wherewestand.gettyimages.com/gi%5Fgrants/climate-visuals-grants/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media#how%5Fto%5Fapply) to *"aim to transform depiction of complex climate issues to ensure greater efficacy, immediacy and drive positive change."* --- ## Resources Below are links to people, events, publications and organisations mentioned in the podcast: [Toby Smith](https://tobysmith.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Climate Outreach](https://climateoutreach.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Climate Visuals](https://climatevisuals.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Adam Corner – Talking Climate Publication](https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319467436?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [7 Climate Visual Principles](https://climatevisuals.org/7-climate-visuals-principles?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Guardian Climate Change Pledge](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/18/guardian-climate-pledge-2019-images-pictures-guidelines?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Solutions Journalism](https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Visa Pour l'Image - Perpignan, France](https://www.visapourlimage.com/en?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Economist - The Climate Issue](https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/09/19/the-climate-issue?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Toby's Light After Dark Project](https://www.tobysmith.com/project/light-after-dark/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Toby's China - New Energy Pioneers Project](https://www.tobysmith.com/project/china-new-energy-pioneers/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Extinction Rebellion (XR)](https://rebellion.earth/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [World Press Photo](https://www.worldpressphoto.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) --- **Featured Image:** © Toby Smith - "*A Malagasi ranger patrols a sea cucumber farm on the coast. Setup with international investment this farm exports adult Sea Cucumbers to the Chinese Mainland as a delicacy and traditional medicine. The farm was started to relieve pressure on fish and octopus stocks in the region that have been hard effected by rising sea levels and water temperature."* ### Bringing the Climate Crisis to Our Doorsteps URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/bringing-the-climate-crisis-to-our-doorsteps/ Last updated: 2026-06-09T17:17:26.000Z When you think of climate change, what images immediately spring to mind? Is it of communities having to abandon their homes because of coastal erosion, rising sea levels or desertification; or of farmers planting different crops because rising temperatures, uncertain rainfall and prolonged periods of drought have meant what they traditionally grow can no longer survive? Or maybe you think of fishing communities struggling to survive, as the fish they are dependent on change their roaming and migration patterns due to rising sea temperatures? Or maybe you think of starving polar bears and melting, crumbling ice sheets? If I were a gambling man, I would say it was most likely the polar bears and melting ice sheets, at least if you live in the global North. These images might trigger an emotional response - a reaction that burns the image into our subconscious, but they have failed to generate meaningful action or engagement with the issue. If they were an effective means of mobilising the public, initiating the necessary cultural shift away from passive consumerism towards active citizenship, and inspiring the political will to write legislation in support of changes necessary to avert catastrophe on a global scale, then we wouldn’t be in our current situation. Instead they perpetuate a belief that climate change is distant, both in physical space and time, and that it’s seemingly intangible and abstract. This is exacerbated by the way it is reported in the news, largely focused on international political gatherings, celebrity engagement, or the latest scientific reports, sharing facts and figures and using language that make them hard to understand. All too often the stories on climate change are framed around the underlying science, or the technology that contributes to the issue and that which will supposedly save us. This itself perpetuates the belief that science and human ingenuity will indeed save us, and distracts from the very real impacts that are being felt by communities and ecosystems across the globe right now. Even in coverage of extreme weather events, occurring with increasing frequency and intensity, all too often the underlying cause - climate change - is barely mentioned or discussed, if at all. Climate change is a cultural issue, a public health issue, a women’s rights issue, a human rights issue, a legal issue, an economic issue, a political issue - to name but a few of the many dimensions to the unfolding climate crisis that can and must be explored.The voices and stories of those on the frontline of the crisis, and most affected by it - the islanders, the fishing communities, the farmers - must be heard and shared across the globe. Back in 2007, US management consultant Gallup started running a poll in 127 countries to measure awareness and public opinion on the issue of global warming. In the countries of the global North there was a very high awareness - mostly above 90%, with the US and Australia - two of the most polluting nations per capita in terms of CO2 emissions, both coming out at 97% awareness. Of those 97%, only 49% of those in the US and 54% of those in Australia thought that global warming was linked to human activity. In 2019, US university Yale conducted a similar poll, revealing that the percentage of those in the US who thought there was a link had increased to 55%. Twelve years of additional science and communication on the issue of climate change, and still 45% of the US population didn’t believe in anthropogenic climate change. The survey also revealed that most Americans think global warming is a relatively distant threat – that they*“* “are most likely to think that plant and animal species (71%) and/or future generations of people (69%) will be harmed a “moderate amount” or a “great deal” by global warming. About half or more also think the world’s poor (64%), people in developing countries (64%), people in the U.S. (59%), people in their community (48%), and/or their family (48%) will be harmed. Americans are least likely to think they themselves will be harmed (44%). *They are most likely to think that it will harm future generations of people (71%), plant and animal species (71%), the Earth (70%), people in developing countries (62%), or the world’s poor (62%). They are less likely to think it will harm people in the U.S. (58%), their own grandchildren (56%) or children (50%), people in their community (48%), their family (47%), themselves (43%), or members of their extended family living outside the U.S. (41%).”* Currently the affects of climate change are disproportionately impacting poorer communities across the globe, and the global North is contributing disproportionately to the situation. But we live in a globalised, interdependent world and so nobody can insulate themselves from what lies ahead — we are inescapably all in this together. There are so many human-centric stories to be to told in countries like the United States, Australia and the U.K, of people and communities impacted by climate change, and by sharing these stories, perhaps we can achieve what was intended by sharing pictures of starving polar bears and melting ice sheets.The issue of climate change must be brought to everyone’s doorstep. It’s already here but most people just don’t realise it yet. --- Originally published in [Where the Leaves Fall magazine](https://wheretheleavesfall.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in December 2021 ### The Chef's Manifesto URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/the-chefs-manifesto/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:24:16.000Z *Our food culture is shaped by many things, but chefs are some of the biggest influencers. Like supermarkets, their choices impact the whole supply chain - from farm to fork - and the very foundations of our food system and food culture.* As a child growing up in Northern Ireland I remember how during the summer months the grocer’s shelves would become awash with colour - from tomatoes to rhubarb, raspberries to broad beans. It would also be a time when we would go blackberry picking to make jams, or help the local farmer harvest his potatoes. The food we had access to, just 30-odd years ago, was restricted to what nature was willing and able to offer at any given time. As a result we ate according to the seasons, and were largely dependent on what was available locally, or imported from across the water in Britain. Despite only having a brief window of opportunity to enjoy seasonal delicacies, life didn’t seem so bleak, and we somehow survived. Now the possibility exists for me to consume more summer fruit and vegetables than I could ever have dreamed of as a boy. Regardless of the time of year, and whether you crave an apple or an avocado, brussels sprouts or smoked salmon, you can pop down to your local supermarket and buy whatever you want - four seasons have become one. “We don’t know what’s in season anymore,” declares Conor Spacey, the culinary director of FoodSpace, an award-winning sustainable catering and hospitality company operating througout Ireland. “If you ask many chefs who have been cooking for a long time what’s in season, they wouldn’t have a clue. Because they have access to the same food 12 months ofthe year, and aren’t concerned about where it comes from.” Conor is one of the original members of the Chefs’ Manifesto - a network of chefs from across the globe that has grown to over 360 members from 63 countries since launching its action plan at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum 2018\. The action plan is a consolidation of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals into eight thematic areas, presented in a way that chefs can more easily engage with and adopt, regardless of their location. The action plan was created by chefs for chefs, through a collaborative process, and challanges the members to promote and integrate into their own practice the following: 1\. Ingredients grown with respect for the earth and its oceans. 2\. Protection of biodiversity and improved animal welfare. 3\. Investment in livelihoods. 4\. Reduce waste and value natural resources. 5\. Celebration of local, seasonal food. 6\. A focus on plant-based ingredients. 7\. Education on food safety, healthy diets and nutritious cooking. 8\. Nutritious food that is accessible and affordable for all. At the core of the manifesto is the embracing of the past - our traditional food cultures, evolved out of an intimate knowledge of food and its production, gained over millennia. > The industrialisation and globalisation of the food system has come at great cost to our health and wellbeing, and that of the environment. “This is what we should actually be doing” says Anahita Dhondy, a chef based in New Delhi, India, and a member of the Chefs’ Manifesto. “But you have to keep up with the times, otherwise nobody’s going to listen to you. So it’s important to be relevant, while also having a mission to create the change you want.” The chefs within the network have taken it upon themselves to do exactly that - to individually and collectively do what they can to re-establish the natural order of things, and create a more sustainable, equitable food system, while sharing their experiences of adopting the eight themes into their practice with other chefs, policy makers and members of the general public. “Chefs aren’t going to save the world all by themselves,” says Paul Newnham, the person behind the SDG2 Advocacy Hub - the organisation that kickstarted the Chefs’ Manifesto. “But in looking at scale, and driving prices down, and attempting to increase efficiency to reduce costs, there has been a disconnect with many of the chefs in terms of their skillset, their connection with the produce, and what actually makes good produce.” The existence of the manifesto is an acknowledgement that things cannot remain as they are. The food system in its current form is inherently unsustainable and there’s a price to pay for any attempt to alter the ebb and flow of nature’s way. The industrialisation and globalisation of the food system has come at great cost to our health and wellbeing, and that of the environment. One of the consequences of the loss of traditional food culture is that we live in a time where there are around 2.1 billion obese people in the world – almost a third of the global population – while around 820 million people do not have enough food to eat. Then there’s the contribution the industrilised food system makes to anthropogenic climate change, generating in the region of 20-30% of human-associated greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Oxford, with the majority of that coming from agricultural practices. Even countries like India, where traditional food culture is still relatively strong, are affected. Anahita says: “Farmers are going to grow and sell at the market what they’re going to get a good price for. And wheat, rice, maize - these are the main crops now being grown because of the price they can get for them. There is no real demand for native Indian grains like millet.” In the space of a few decades many of us have turned our backs on traditional food culture and locally grown, native produce, and instead embraced highly processed, manufactured food, and imported produce, built upon an intricate, globalised web of just-in-time production and supply, heavily dependent on only a handful of commodity crops. And farmers have gone from rotating those crops, helping nurture soil fertility and biodiversity, to establishing vast monocultures - the consequence of which is a greater dependency on inputs such as pesticides and fungicides to battle the diseases and insects that thrive under such conditions. The monocultures, often planted annually, also deplete the soil of its nutrients, and constant ploughing results in the topsoil gradually being lost, resulting in an ever-increasing dependancy on chemical fertilisers. This in turn is contributing to biodiversity loss of such massive proportions that we are now in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, having wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish since 1970. > We can nurture a health-giving, equitable food culture and system, that respects the value of food, minimises waste and nurtures biodiversity. The history books are full of examples of societies that collapsed due to surpassing ecological boundaries and developing food systems that lacked resilience to feed their growing populations. For example, the Mayans stressed available soil and water resources, and were forced to farm more marginal land, ultimately creating a more vulnerable and unsustainable system. Rather than pushing for further intensification of industrial agriculture, or adopting hydroponics, aquaponics, genetic modification, and other technological fixes, which are only a means of sustaining existing patterns of consumption, we must rekindle a respect for those practices from the past that help build resilience into food systems, and help communities function within ecological boundaries. In this way we can nurture a health-giving, equitable food culture, that respects the value of food, minimises waste and nurtures biodiversity. The Chefs’ Manifesto is a framework through which one small but influential group can focus their efforts on achieving this. Anahita, Conor and the other chefs that have signed up to the manifesto are all doing amazing work to both minimise their impact, and promote the same practices among other chefs and members of the public alike. But chefs are not going to create the change we need alone. It will require government leadership at a significant scale, and the buy-in of consumers. We can all choose to adopt the action plan, modifying our buying and eating habits to minimise our own impact. By doing so we can also influence what is sold by food suppliers such as supermarkets. As Conor says: “Change will happen by public demand.Companies will only sell or produce what we’re buying.” --- This article was first publushed in Issue #1 of Where the Leaves Fall magazine in spring of 2019 ### Shaping the world around us URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/shaping-the-world-around-us/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:26:13.000Z *We are in a geological epoch defined by human impact — the Anthropocene. What we do with that knowledge will shape the world for ever.* I listen intently to Ed Santry, the new Nature Conservation Officer for Haringey Council, as he gives a talk on the latest Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) he’s working on for the borough. His audience are members of the [Friends of Alexandra Park](http://www.friendsofalexandrapark.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), a volunteer group which plays a vital role in maintaining and monitoring the plants and animals within the park, one of many such groups in the area. He stresses how conserving those green spaces, and the corridors between them, is vital to maintaining biodiversity within the borough, and it will be one of the priorities of the new BAP. After he finishes talking about Haringey’s new plan, Ed tells me that one of the key challenges to creating positive change is the need to raise awareness of the impact we are having on biodiversity in all aspects of our lives and society. That means not just across the council and government departments, or the boardrooms and offices of corporations, but also within the household. Over 25 years ago that awareness actually existed, with an acknowledgement by governments, scientists, and the wider public alike, of the need for swift, meaningful action to be taken, at a national and global level, to address the issue of biodiversity loss, and there was seemingly a political will to do exactly that… In 1992 over 150 heads of state, and thousands of other delegates from across the globe, descended upon a sunny Rio de Janeiro. They were there to participate in the UN’s Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), more widely known as the [Earth Summit](http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/milestones/unced?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), motivated by increasing scientific evidence highlighting the impact of human activities on the environment. The gathering was unprecedented in its size and political support. Never before had so many heads of state attended a convention, never before had the environment been given such a high priority within the global political agenda. As the UK government would later declare, there was a [“shared belief that action must be taken to halt the worldwide loss of animal and plant species and genetic resources](http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110303145924/http:/www.ukbap.org.uk/library/Plan%5FLO.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)”. At the convention, Prime Minister John Major signed the [Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)](http://www.cbd.int/convention/text/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the first treaty to provide a legally binding framework for biodiversity conservation. It calls on the signatories to establish and enforce [national strategies](http://www.cbd.int/nbsap/introduction.shtml?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) that ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Two years later, the UK published its Biodiversity Action Plan, to tackle biodiversity loss at a national level, the first country to do so. The plan set out to “conserve and enhance biological diversity within the UK and to contribute to the conservation of global biodiversity through all appropriate mechanisms”. Despite this, we are now in the midst of a [sixth mass extinction](https://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/E6089?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Not caused by an asteroid collision, or a volcanic eruption shrouding the sky in ash, but by our actions. We have managed to wipe out [60% of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish since 1970](http://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/living-planet-report-2018?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and over [40% of insect species are declining](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and are under threat of extinction. The UN’s latest [Global Biodiversity Outlook report](http://www.cbd.int/gbo/gbo4/gbo4-summary-en.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) states that drivers linked to agriculture account for “70% of the projected loss of terrestrial biodiversity”. The UK itself has [lost 54% of its species of farmland birds](http://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment%5Fdata/file/754432/UK%5FWild%5Fbirds%5F1970-2017%5FFINAL%5F%5F002%5F.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) since 1970\. Examples of species in decline, near extinction or becoming extinct, over the past few decades, within the UK and beyond, are numerous. It’s clear the legislation that has existed to date, at all levels of government, and both nationally and globally, has failed to counter the impacts of our ever-growing industrialised societies. Until we start to value the life around us more, engage in helping preserve it and nurture it, and become more conscious of the interconnectedness of all things, then the situation is only going to get worse, spelling disaster for [those plants and animals that still remain](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181015154435.htm?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), including for us. While individual responsibility is undoubtedly important, and we should inform ourselves and do all we can to minimise our own impact, this alone is not enough — we must also engage with our politicians. It is they who can introduce legislation that can have a meaningful impact in a short timeframe on issues such as pesticide use and air pollution, if the political will is there. It’s been proven time and again, that when an issue moves up the public agenda, it also moves up the political agenda. We must therefore work individually and collectively to ensure the protection of biodiversity is at the top of our government’s agenda, much like it was in 1992, and to do all we can to keep it there, lest history repeat itself. — *You can find out how to contact your local MP, as well as members of All-Party Groups and Select Committees, by visiting* [*https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/*](https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *To help with the conservation projects in your area, visit your borough’s website and search for “conservation groups” or “get involved”.* — *Originally published at* [*https://www.villageraw.com*](https://www.villageraw.com/portfolio/shaping-the-world-around-us/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Beyond the aisles URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/beyond-the-aisles/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:26:34.000Z *We all have a role to play when it comes to the issue of food waste — even what occurs outside of the household — but how do we take action against something we cannot always see?* When we think of food waste, we tend to think about what we ourselves are throwing away — that half-eaten burger, that bag of unopened salad leaves forgotten at the back of the fridge. And for good reason — we can see it, and we feel the sense of guilt and shame when we throw it in the bin. But we’re also reminded of food waste through [supermarket](https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/making-a-difference/our-values/our-stories/2017/helping-customers-to-cut-food-waste?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and [government-](https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/why-save-food?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) or [council-funded](https://www.haringey.gov.uk/environment-and-waste/going-green/sustainable-food?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) initiatives — where the spotlight is also firmly placed on the household. Current statistics, used to justify the focus on us, seem to validate this view. In its report on food waste in the UK, the government-funded non-profit organisation, WRAP, claims that more than [70% of the waste produced comes from the household](http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Food%20Surplus%20and%20Waste%20in%20the%20UK%20Key%20Facts%2011%2010%2018.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — 70% of which is edible. What isn’t always apparent is that those statistics only relate to what happens beyond the farm gate, and so doesn’t provide a complete picture. What happens on the farm stays on the farm. There has been some attempt to put a figure on what gets wasted on the farm — [a report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation](http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/196377/icode/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) in 2013 claimed that 20% to 40% of fresh produce was wasted for cosmetic reasons alone. However, even this is likely to be a conservative estimate, due to the lack of up-to-date, comprehensive and complete data available. I’ve witnessed field after field of crops being left unharvested. It’s shocking to see, but from the farmer’s perspective it must be incredibly frustrating, disheartening, and economically devastating — to devote so much time and energy into nurturing the plants, only to have to let them rot into the ground. But, apart from farmers’ wellbeing and livelihoods, why should we be concerned about farm-level food waste? Surely the farmers can just plough produce back into the ground, or let it fall from the trees, and fertilise the soil or the tree roots? Well, they can, and they all too often have to. However, not only does this fail to replace all the nutrients taken from the soil, but it also wastes all the resources that were embedded in that food — the fuel, the labour, the water, the fertilisers, and everything else used to grow it — just as we are when we throw uneaten food away. Food that moves from the farm to our fridges has more and more resources embedded into it, because of the additional transportation, refrigeration, packaging and everything else required to get it on to our plates. ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*VH1zPKntwqT9wUTBMl8xcw.jpeg) Gleaners — volunteers who visit a farm post-harvest to rescue edible fruit and veg that would otherwise go to waste, to redistribute to local charities who support vulnerable members of the community. Why is so much perfectly edible food going to waste? Some of it is built into the system by default — farmers will often over-plant by a certain percentage to allow for the unforeseen. But a significant amount of what is wasted comes down to supermarket practices — from imposing unreasonable cosmetic standards, to cancelling or reducing their orders at the last minute. This means some or all of the crop is left in the ground or hanging on the tree, simply because it is considered too small, too big, too blemished, inappropriately shaped, or indeed even because of excessive ‘soil splash’, to name just a few of the justifications supermarkets give for stopping perfectly edible food making it on to their shelves. I’ve documented delicious, sweet red apples, juicy pears, beautiful, dark green cabbages — all rejected and left to rot. And when you think that it takes roughly 15,400 litres of water to produce 1kg of beef (compared to [237 litres for 1kg of cabbage](https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)), wasting meat — anywhere along the supply chain — is an even bigger waste of resources. ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*kbFf_2JJj600Xy64eAdbpA.jpeg) A gleaner with a crate of organic apples that had been rejected by a supermarket for cosmetic reasons. We can all reduce the amount of edible food we needlessly throw in the bin (or hopefully food waste caddy or compost heap) by changing our habits, but what can we do about what’s happening on the farm? Us urbanites are very disconnected from where our food comes from, largely because we have come to rely so heavily on the supermarkets to source and supply us with the vast majority of our groceries. But there is a co-dependency there — in fact, they need us more than we need them — and we can use that to affect positive change. When enough people stand up and make their voice heard — whether through petitions, engaging with local politicians, supporting organisations lobbying the supermarkets, or by some other means — supermarkets will eventually listen and take action. We can demand greater action to reduce avoidable farm-level food waste; we can call for greater transparency around the quantities and causes of farm-level food waste; and we can communicate our willingness to purchase fruit and vegetables that are currently rejected by supermarkets on cosmetic grounds. The supermarkets have engineered the food system in the UK for the sole benefit of their bottom line — such is the nature of any company that wishes to survive and thrive in a particular market — but it’s also one of their biggest weaknesses, and it’s one we, their customers, can use to the advantage of our communities and environment. You can, of course, cut the middleman out altogether and support your local farmers’ market, grocers, butchers and bakers, of which there are plenty to choose from. This is a great way of taking power away from the supermarkets, and buying locally brings with it a [range of other benefits](https://foodrevolution.org/blog/why-buy-local-food/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). And while there remains a criminal amount of food being wasted on farms, you can always [volunteer as a gleaner](https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — someone who goes onto a farm post-harvest and gathers food that might otherwise go to waste, which is then redistributed to charities supporting vulnerable members of our communities. I would like to leave you with this thought — our food system has a direct impact on [all the environmental issues of our time](https://feedbackglobal.org/knowledge-hub/food-waste-scandal/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), from climate change to ocean acidification; deforestation to biodiversity loss; soil degradation to water security. If we’re [wasting a third of the food we produce globally](http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), addressing the flaws in our system, along with changing our own habits, can potentially have an incredible impact on helping mitigate the damage being done as a consequence of those issues. So, let’s take action! — — — — You can find out more about the issue of food waste by visiting Chris’s website: [www.foodiswasted.com](http://www.foodiswasted.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). To volunteer as a gleaner, visit: [www.feedbackglobal.org](http://www.feedbackglobal.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Feedback, the Food Ethics Council ([www.foodethicscouncil.org](http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)), and many other great organisations lobby for a more sustainable food system. --- *Originally published at* [*www.villageraw.com*](https://www.villageraw.com/portfolio/beyond-the-aisles/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*.* ### Oddbox - bringing wonky fruit and veg to homes and offices URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/oddbox-bringing-wonky-fruit-and-veg-to-homes-and-offices/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T17:27:12.000Z I spoke to Emilie and Deepak - the two founders of the company, about how they started off, how they sourced their produce, what they’ve witnessed, and what they feel needs to be done to make a more sustainable food system. As we discuss, it’s evident that things need to change, and that despite lots of noise being created by supermarkets around the issue of food waste, they unfortunately are unlikely to lead that change. It was a great chat, and they give some really valuable insights as to why there is a vital need for the work they are doing, and others that are motivated not by the bottom-line, but by the desire to create positive change in a sustainable manner, and through a long-term approach to providing people access to seasonal, nutritious, affordable food. This episode is also available as a video, which you can watch via the Food Is Wasted YouTube Channel – go to foodiswasted.com/youtube and you’ll see this, and all the other videos produced so far. This interview is available as a video, which you can watch on the [Food Is Wasted YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6JeZZpkVCGt9OyG4-wLp8A?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). You can find out more about the Oddbox by visiting their website – [http://oddbox.co.uk](http://oddbox.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Image:** *Beautiful organic apples left on the trees to rot, as they were rejected by the supermarket the farmer supplies, due to cosmetic standards. The apples would otherwise have gone to waste, but for the Gleaning Network gathering it for redistribution © Chris King / foodiswasted.com* ### Feedback - Ranking supermarkets on reducing food waste URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/christina-osullivan-ranking-supermarkets-on-reducing-food-waste/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:32:57.000Z In this episode of the Food Is Wasted podcast, I’ll be speaking to Christina O’Sullivan from [Feedback](http://feedbackglobal.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – a London-based organisation running several campaigns related to food waste – such as the [Gleaning Network](https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and [the Pig Idea](http://thepigidea.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) – both of which feature on the [Food Is Wasted website](https://foodiswasted.com/?s=gleaning&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Feedback recently published a report called ‘[The Food Waste Scorecard](https://feedbackglobal.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Supermarket-scorecard%5F136%5Ffv-1.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)’, authored by Christina, which ranked the 10 biggest supermarkets in the UK according to their performance in reducing food waste. The supermarkets were ranked using available data against the food use hierarchy, which requires that prevention be the priority towards tackling waste. ![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/2025/11/foodwastehierarchy-1.jpg) **Source:* [**Vision 2020*](https://www.vision2020.info/ban-food-waste/the-food-waste-hierarchy/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Tesco came out top of the rankings, having adopted measures including the publishing of third party audited food waste data – the first supermarket to do so. Signing up to the [UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3](https://champions123.org/target-12-3/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), of halving food waste from farm to fork by 2030 – again the first supermarket to do so. As well as being, committed to extending transparency to include measurement of food waste in its supply chain. At the bottom of the rankings was Waitrose, which has done very little in terms of transparency and action. Hopefully the publication of this report, and the publicity it’s getting, will motivate them to act more responsibly. There’s a huge room for improvement from all supermarkets, and really there needs to be policy written by government to push for more meaningful and sustained action by all supermarkets – voluntary targets, such as those set out in the [Courtauld Commitment 2025](http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2025?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), are evidently not sufficient. This interview is available as a video, which you can watch on the [Food Is Wasted YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6JeZZpkVCGt9OyG4-wLp8A?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). You can find out more about the Feedback by visiting [feedbackglobal.org](http://feedbackglobal.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### **People, organisations and reports mentioned** [The Food Waste Scorecard](https://feedbackglobal.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Supermarket-scorecard%5F136%5Ffv-1.pdf?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Gleaning Network](https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [The Pig Idea](http://thepigidea.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3](https://champions123.org/target-12-3/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Courtauld Commitment 2025](http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2025?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Image:** *Over 2 tonnes of parsnips - part of a 20+ tonne crop - that was rejected by the supermarkets, and would otherwise have gone to waste, but for the Gleaning Network gathering it for redistribution © Chris King / foodiswasted.com* ### Selina Juul - Denmark's food waste champion URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/selina-juul-denmarks-food-waste-champion/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:33:25.000Z When I was over in Copenhagen last year for a few days, I got in touch with Selina Juul – founder of the organisation Stop Wasting Food – to see if she would be willing and able to be interviewed, and she very kindly said she was. The day we arranged to meet Selina was being interviewed and participating in a panel discussion at a national radio station, which I was able to sit in on. After which we found a suitable space to conduct this interview. Those people who keep an eye on all things food waste will no doubt be aware of Selina and the work she does. She has achieved an incredible amount both as an individual – from speaking in front of the European Parliament and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, to being awarded Dane of the Year in 2014 – and through the Stop Wasting Food movement, which Selina started in 2008, which itself has won many awards and contributed significantly to raising awareness and reducing food waste in Denmark, by engaging politicians, supermarkets and households. The organisation has also been a key contributor to the EU’s own resolutions against food waste. This episode is also available as a video, which you can watch on the [Food Is Wasted YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6JeZZpkVCGt9OyG4-wLp8A?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). You can find out more about the work Selina and her organisation does at [stopwastingfoodmovement.org](http://stopwastingfoodmovement.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Image:** *Selina Juul being interviewed at a national radio station in Copenhagen, Denmark © Chris King / foodiswasted.com* ### Bubble and Squeak - a social enterprise run by school children URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/bubble-and-squeak-a-social-enterprise-run-by-school-children/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:33:44.000Z In this episode I speak to some of the children who run the social enterprise Bubble and Squeak, at their school in West London - selling surplus food in the school playground and to the local community. The initiative is led by around 400 children aged 5 to 12 years old, and aims to take edible surplus food such as fruit and vegetables from local businesses, markets and supermarkets, to then redistribute it to the local community on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis. I visited the children at their school just before they were about to start a crowdfunding campaign last year, which ended up being very successful, to hear their thoughts about food waste and details of the work they are doing. I then spoke to Lidia, their teacher and one of the project leads for Bubble and Squeak, who shares more about how the social enterprise works, and the impact it’s having. If you would like to find out more about the work the kids are doing, you can visit their site at [bubblesqueakeat.com](http://bubblesqueakeat.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### **People and Organisations Mentioned** [City Harvest](http://www.cityharvest.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [FareShare](http://fareshare.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Feedback](http://feedbackglobal.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Gleaning Network](https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [City Pitch](https://www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk/programme/citypitch/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Real Junk Food Project](https://therealjunkfoodproject.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Plan Zheroes](https://planzheroes.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Image:** *Vegetables donated by a stall at Borough Market which might otherwise have gone to waste, but instead was redistributed to local charities and soup kitchens © Chris King / foodiswasted.com* ### Chef Tom Hunt - Promoting 'Root to Fruit' eating URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/interview-tom-hunt-chef-sustainability/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T17:53:10.000Z Tom’s response to the issue of food waste is to promote what he calls ‘Root to Fruit Eating’, which we touch upon briefly in the interview, and which entails – eating for pleasure, eating whole foods, and eating the best food you can. I met up with Tom at a recent event he was hosting and talking at here in London, in collaboration with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. It was a very last-minute interview, so I had almost no time to prepare, but it was a great opportunity to learn more about Tom’s work and philosophy on the topic of food waste. ### **People and Organisations Mentioned** [Tom Hunt](http://tomsfeast.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Thomson Reuters Foundation](http://www.trust.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Tristram Stuart](https://www.tristramstuart.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Feedback](http://feedbackglobal.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (organises Feeding the 5K events in the UK, and much more) [FareShare](http://fareshare.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Forgotten Feast](http://www.tomsfeast.com/forgotten-feast/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) **Image:** *Fish discards used at wastED pop-up restaurant which was open for a few weeks on Selfridge's rooftop, and organised by chef Dan Barber. Tom Hunt was a guest chef one evening, and the discards would have been similar to those used in the Feeding 5K event mentioned in the podcast © Chris King / foodiswasted.com* ### When it comes to our food, knowledge is power. URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/when-it-comes-to-our-food-knowledge-is-power/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T21:48:40.000Z When we buy food, we are putting our trust in the shops we get it from. By association, we also put trust in their manufacturers and suppliers. Broadly speaking, we expect the products they offer us to be of good quality and not detrimental to our health and wellbeing, and most of us wouldn’t want our food to be produced in ways that cause suffering to other people, animals or the environment — not knowingly, at least. But what do we know about the provenance of our food? What do we know about the production of the pre-prepared soup we buy on a cold winter’s day, or the margarine we spread on our toast in the morning, or the frozen sausages that we bought on promotion a few weeks ago? ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*_hnsQZppifzyGBZh8Bgfaw.jpeg) cabbages being harvested on a field in Kent, England ### From farm (or factory) to fork Unfortunately, most of us — especially us city-dwellers — have become all too ignorant of where our food came from and how it was produced. It’s this ignorance that keeps the system ticking along. For example, think about the health impact of the hemicellulose, which is a processing aid used by bread manufacturers to increase volume and prolong softness. The source of this enzyme can be [soil bacteria, transgenic (genetically modified) organisms or fungi](https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/processing%5Faids/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), the latter potentially leading to allergies. Despite the presence of hemicellulase in the final food product, there are no laws to compel producers to include it in a product’s ingredients. Or think about sheep [transported for days over thousands of kilometres](https://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/live-animal-transport/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), across and between continents, in inhumane conditions. They are kept in overcrowded, unsanitary, environments, with inadequate access to bedding, drinking water or feed. Many will not survive the stress of the epic journey, their carcasses offloaded and discarded at their destination. Scratch the surface of how our food is produced and you’ll bear witness to how the primary focus of the industrialised food system is not the health and wellbeing of end users. Too often there’s little regard for the welfare of the people and animals involved in the creation of our processed food products — from [slave labour on UK farms](https://www.farminguk.com/News/Report-shines-light-on-modern-day-slavery-in-UK-ag-%5F49237.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) to the [violent mistreatment of animals](https://www.farminguk.com/News/Footage-showing-abuse-of-pigs-on-Lincs-farm-abhor-%5F49361.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). I believe our ignorance is causing great harm to us, the animals we eat, and the environment on which we all depend. To a large extent, our ignorance of where our food comes from is a choice, especially in the age of the internet. The way to change how the food system functions is to inform ourselves and then lobby the retailers, the manufacturers and the producers, along with the politicians who are meant to represent our best interests. We should be calling on them all to adopt and support more sustainable and less harmful practices within food production and supply — practices that better caters for our needs and the wellbeing of animals and the environment. We already see this happening to a degree, thanks to a general increase in consciousness over the past few years around the impact and unsustainable nature of our current food system. There are campaigns to [reduce avoidable food waste](https://feedbackglobal.org/reports/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), [needless plastic packaging](https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/plastic-free-supermarkets?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), [sugar within processed food](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/27/jamie-oliver-sugar-rush-channel-4-crusade-save-britain-health?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (although it’s important to realise that not all sugar is created equal), to name but a few, all calling for a more humane, egalitarian and sustainable food system from the grassroots level. ### The price of convenience “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” said the oft quoted father of modern western medicine, Hippocrates, who understood the role food plays in the health of our bodies and minds. This can be extended, of course, to the health and well-being of the Earth we steward, and the [life we share it with](http://wwf.panda.org/our%5Fwork/food/agriculture/impacts/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). But over the past few decades, I believe we’ve allowed ourselves to become disconnected from our food and to devalue it — driven, in large part, by our desire for convenience. The supermarkets have played a significant role in the evolution of our current food system and food culture — one where convenience and price trumps quality and nutrition — as they have satisfied and nurtured that desire for convenience. After all, who doesn’t appreciate the opportunity to grab a cheap sandwich and spend the rest of our lunch break in the park, basking in the sun during a long, hot British summer? Supermarkets spend up to [£78 million a year on advertising campaigns](http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/04/05/lidl-s-78m-ad-spend-seals-fastest-growing-grocer-title-big-four-fightback-continues?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) to perpetuate an image of trustworthiness and the belief that they have our best interests at heart. And we have willingly put our trust and faith in them, relinquishing our decision-making processes to them. This brings us back to the question of the best before date, and the level of trust and significance we associate with it as an accurate indication of edibility. Something that spawned from a [stock control measure](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sell-and-best-dates-food-are-basically-made-hard-get-rid-180950304/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) introduced by Marks and Spencer in the 1950s has, over time, come to be perceived by many as an absolute measure of freshness. But the best before date is derived in an arbitrary way. It isn’t based on science, but the manufacturer’s perceived time-frame for loss of quality. This can be based on lab testing, but not wanting to jeopardise the trust their customers have in their brand, they will inevitably err on the side of caution. So instead of specifying the best before date to be, say, a date two weeks in the future, they use a date one week ahead instead. This means that, assuming it has been stored appropriately, food is still going to be good enough to eat for a certain length of time after the best before date has passed. Therefore, rather than relying on the date, we should instead be relying on our senses — our eyes, nose and taste — to assess the freshness. Giving a product a short shelf-life based on a best before date will also ensure it benefits from prime real-estate within the supermarket’s displays and shelving, ensuring a fast turnaround and thereby further incentivising the use of a short best before date. All this wouldn’t matter so much if it weren’t for the fact that many of us are confused as to what the best before date represents, and that we have understandably placed a significant amount of trust in supermarkets to do right by us. With many of us now perceiving the best before date as an indication as to when the food can no longer be eaten, once the date is passed we unwittingly discard something that might be perfectly edible. I think it’s fair to say that the use of best before dates has not been to the benefit of the customer, as many of us have been throwing away perfectly edible food. Consequently, it’s not only had an impact on our pockets, it’s also detrimental to the health of the environment. Resources that have gone into growing, transporting and storing the food also goes to waste — contributing to climate change, soil degradation, water insecurity, biodiversity loss and much more. All because of a date. Following high-profile campaigns against food waste, and continued pressure from the public and some politicians, Tesco has recently [removed best before dates](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/21/tesco-best-before-dates-fruit-avegetables-food-waste?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) from around 70 fresh fruit and vegetable products, such as own-brand onions, apples and potatoes. The Co-op, meanwhile, has started selling produce past its best before date at a [reduced price](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42217026?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). While on the surface this is a positive move, the debate around date-labelling and the need to eliminate confusion has been [going on for years](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8455887/Best-before-labels-reach-their-sell-by-date-in-food-waste-crackdown.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). It therefore raises the question as to why, knowing for so long that they have been contributing to the amount of [food needlessly going to waste](https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food%5Fwaste/eu%5Factions/date%5Fmarking%5Fen?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) within people’s homes, is action only being taken now, and why have the dates existed at all? ### Creating change The best before date may be on the way out, but without new legislation it’s likely to take some time. Until then, let’s empower ourselves and reduce the influence and impact of the best before date by learning how to properly assess when food is no longer edible — such as [how to tell if an egg is fresh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2OWXN80NZQ&ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). Let’s value food more, buy the best food we can afford — from producers that put quality, sustainability and nutrition first — and let’s waste less of it. While we’re doing all this, let’s inform ourselves about how our food is made and where it comes from, then call on the supermarkets, manufacturers and politicians for greater transparency and an approach that genuinely has customers, animals, workers and the environment at its core. Let’s work together towards creating a sustainable food system that works for the health and well-being of an ever-increasing human population and all other life on Earth. --- *Originally published at* [*foodiswasted.com*](http://foodiswasted.com/words-on-food-waste/best-before-dates-knowledge-is-power/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *on June 12, 2018.* ### Turning food waste into cash. URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/turning-food-waste-into-cash/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T19:27:26.000Z In an ideal world none of our systems — especially those providing our basic, essential needs — would produce any waste. But the food system in its current form, be it at a national or global level, produces a [criminal amount of waste](https://feedbackglobal.org/food-waste-scandal/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — much of it avoidable. The reasons for this are diverse, and ultimately a by-product of a deeply flawed and inefficient system, that has for too long been allowed to function with little or no regard for the impact of both its production processes, and the waste it produces. Things such as the cost related to the impact and management of soil degradation, antibiotic resistance, ocean acidification, and climate change, as well as treatment of diet-related health issues attributable to our intake of processed foods — such as obesity and Type-2 diabetes — and many more critical issues we are currently facing, are treated as ‘externalities’. They are therefore not deemed relevant to pricing, and as a result, what we pay for food and many other vital and non-vital resources is kept artificially low. Disregarding the impact of our consumption, the means by which our food and other goods are produced, and the waste we collectively produce, is essentially hardwired into the current food system and prevailing food culture. The externalisation of critical costs is essential to sustaining it, and as long as these costs are not accounted for within the price we pay for our food at the point of purchase, the flaws in this system will be sustained. Consequently, we will continue to contribute directly to each and every social, environmental and health issue with a link to our food production and consumption. As the [Food Ethics Council](https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/key-issues/true-cost-accounting/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) points out in their campaign for ‘True Cost Accounting’, we pay twice for the food we buy — once at the checkout, and then again to address the environmental, health and social impacts of our current food production and consumption practices. In monetary terms this essentially doubles the cost of the food we consume in the UK. And it’s not just us, as tax-payers and as human beings, who pay the price for our wasteful and destructive systems — all other life on Earth does too. As Elizabeth Kolbert discusses in her book, [The 6th Extinction](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/01/100-best-nonfiction-books-of-all-time-the-sixth-extinction-elizabeth-kolbert?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), we are living in the midst of mass biodiversity loss. Our agricultural practices, and the general means by which we are producing the food we eat, being one of the main contributors to this on-going, catastrophic loss of life. So that’s a snapshot of where we are, and it’s not a pretty picture, but the good news is that, as with many systems producing waste — be it an airport, a music festival, a family household, or a farm — a significant percentage of the waste produced can be captured, either before or after being discarded. Depending on its state and the tools and resources available, once captured it can then go on to be redistributed, repurposed or recycled. An apple left hanging on a farmer’s tree after the harvest, for example, having been rejected by a supermarket because of the cosmetic standards they impose on their suppliers, might be saved and turned into an energy bar to be sold on, or used to make apple crumble and given to someone suffering from food insecurity. Capturing this ‘waste’ and keeping it in the system — hopefully creating a closed loop, rather than following the conventional linear progression of take-make-dispose — is what underpins the concept of the [circular economy](https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/overview/concept?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — a concept which is finally coming to the fore. Ultimately, we need to take measures to refine the food system — making it more efficient, thereby producing less waste. This would have the greatest positive impact in terms of minimising resource use, and what are currently externalised costs — the aforementioned environmental, health and social impacts. However, this takes time and willingness, and when there is a lack or complete absence of either, the circular economic approach, which captures and utilises the system’s waste to create new, valued products, is a viable and easily accessible solution. Many of you may have heard of [FareShare](http://fareshare.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), [FoodCycle ](http://foodcycle.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)or the [Gleaning Network](https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) — well-established organisations that capture and redistribute food that might otherwise have gone to waste. But In recent years there has also been a rise in the number of start-ups led by forward-thinking entrepreneurs, who are tapping into this valuable resource and turning what some have labelled as waste into a nutritious meal or food product. Here is a brief introduction to 4 of the enterprises based in London, capturing food that might otherwise have ended up in the bin: [***Elysia***](http://elysiacatering.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *is a food start-up using* [*artisanal surplus food*](https://www.instagram.com/p/BYIaNx0BQaT/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *from local producers to cater for* [*events in London*](http://foodiswasted.com/food-waste-podcasts/elysia-meals-and-catering-using-surplus-food-featuring-chef-emily-roux/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*. Founded by Sophie (pictured), they obtain produce such as “vegetables that do not fit the conventional standards of beauty, or organic granola discarded due to overproduction, and many more locally-produced surplus food products”. They then transform what they have gathered into tasty bites for breakfasts and canapés, and deliver everything by bicycle across London.* ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*x52JHv4LRsLetolXq6ME4w.jpeg) Hannah from ****ChicP** developing a new hummus recipe in her kitchen - © Chris King *Working as a private chef, Hannah (pictured), the founder of* [***ChicP***](http://chicp.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*, would often take some of the leftovers to* [*create dips*](http://foodiswasted.com/photographing-food-waste/chicp-making-hummus-from-surplus-food/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *for the next day. The inspiration behind the company was “the overriding determination and passion to change the way we approach cooking and food waste.” Gathering food that would otherwise have gone to waste from local markets, they create “delicious alternative dips, founded on a passionate commitment to reducing food waste.”* ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*9jhYSzGtbM71q-L0fzriqQ.jpeg) Vegan mayo — a new product from ****Rubies in the Rubble -** © Chris King *One of the pioneers of food waste entrepreneurialism,* [***Rubies in the Rubble***](http://rubiesintherubble.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)*, producing relishes, chutneys, sauces and other delights, has been around since 2011\. Motivated by the quantities of food seen going to waste in London markets they took action — “armed with some family recipes and a car-boot full of rescued fruit & veg from the New Covent Garden market, the experimentation in the kitchen began.”* ![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*QPYTy1tRHl8Z1pFOrutS1g.jpeg) Ilana, one of the founders of ****Snact**, gathering apples that would otherwise go to waste - © Chris King [***Snact***](https://snact.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *started out by making fruit jerky by hand, from fruit that might otherwise have gone to waste, gathered from wholesale markets in London. Founders Ilana (pictured) and Michael set up and tended a stall at markets across the city. They got their first packs into shops in 2015 — “after a lot of trial and error, playing with a lot of fruit, and a successful crowdfunding campaign.” Now they’ve diversified, gained more funding, and “make wholesome food waste-fighting snacks to create more taste and less waste.”* There are many more great organisations out there, and most were likely started by one or two individuals with a passion for food, and a desire to contribute to reducing the amount of edible food needlessly going to waste. With there being so much food to capture, organisations that redistribute food on a charitable basis don’t really have to compete for access with those that repurpose it for a profit. Rest assured there is room for many more of both types of organisations before this particular resource is exploited fully! So why not take inspiration from the people behind these organisations, and get out there and capture what food you can — start small, start local — and help it fulfill the purpose for which it was introduced into our food system in the first place. By doing so you will not just be reducing food waste, but also impacting positively on so many of the critical issues of our time. --- *Originally published at* [*foodiswasted.com*](http://foodiswasted.com/words-on-food-waste/turning-food-waste-into-cash/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) *on May 25, 2018.* ### Seedling - Reducing Food Waste through Vertical Farming and Aquaponics URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/seedling-reducing-food-waste-vertical-farming-aquaponics/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:40:50.000Z A lot of the focus on reducing avoidable food waste is placed on the household, or changing supermarket practices, all of which are important in addressing the flaws in the current system. But what if a new agricultural system was introduced to reduce the dependency on the depleted soils of rural land – one that feeds our ever-growing cities from within the cities themselves, and essentially eliminates the potential for food waste by avoiding food losses, allowing for a diversity of secondary markets, and as a last resort – say if there is a crop failure - using the food to produce energy to sustain the system. That’s exactly what Seedling aims to do – to create a source of locally produced food for retailers, academic institutions, and the catering and hospitality industries, with a minimal impact on the environment. The nature of this type of farming not only reduces the amount of avoidable food waste being produced, but provides a more efficient, lower-impact means of feeding cities. I talk to Travis about the viability of vertical farming, the impact it has compared to conventional, rural-based agriculture, and much more. Seedling - [http://www.seedling-phl.com](http://www.seedling-phl.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Pete Pearson - Director of WWF US food waste campaign URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/pete-pearson-director-of-wwf-us-food-waste-campaign/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:44:21.000Z In this episode I’m speaking to Pete Pearson – Director of the food waste campaign at the World Wildlife Fund’s US offices. WWF is an international NGO working in over 100 countries, and focused on conservation and minimising the impact we humans have on the environment and the animals with whom we share this planet. Since 2015 they have been devoting resources to a campaign to reduce food waste, resulting in initiatives both commercial and educational in focus. And since then Pete has been tasked with overseeing the campaign and its various elements. I discuss with Pete the evolution of the campaign, the willingness of business to engage with the them and the issue, the impact of government policy and much more. Since the interview was conducted there has been the launch of a series of pilot projects aimed at further reducing food waste in the hotel industry – being carried out in co-operation with The Rockefeller Foundation and the American Hotel and Lodging Association. If you would like to be kept up to date on new interviews and articles on the site, as well as discounts for the new shop – where I’m selling prints of my work - the profits from which will go to helping fund the project, and allow me to spend more time documenting the activities of organisations fighting to reduce avoidable food waste. So please check out the [shop](http://foodis.org.uk/shop/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) and sign up to the [newsletter](http://foodis.org.uk/newsletter/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). World Wildlife Fund Food Waste Campaign - [https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/food-waste](https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/food-waste?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Food for Soul - Promoting social awareness about food waste and hunger URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/food-soul-promoting-social-awareness-food-waste-hunger/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:45:48.000Z The organisation aims to encourage public and private organisations to create community kitchens around the world, and was created after Massimo was involved in setting up a soup kitchen in an abandoned theatre during the Expo 2015 in Milan, feeding vulnerable members of the community using food left over from the Expo each day, rescuing it from going to waste. He was involved with a similar initiative at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Thanks to the work of Food for Soul, these soup kitchens – or refettorios - are still up and running, and it’s recently been announced that they will be opening a refettorio in London this June, during London Food Month. I spoke to Cristina, who is a project manager at Food for Soul about how the organisation functions, the impact it’s having, and much more. Just a say that this was the first time I had carried out an interview via Skype, and I was also starting to come down with a cold, so I’m not the most dynamic in this interview unfortunately, but Cristina more than makes up for that with her passion and enthusiasm for the great work that Food for Soul is doing. Food for Soul - [http://foodforsoul.it](http://foodforsoul.it/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Elysia - Meals and Catering using Surplus Food URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/elysia-meals-and-catering-using-surplus-food-featuring-chef-emily-roux/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:49:53.000Z I caught up with Sophie during one such event, and she shared with me the story behind Elysia, how it functions, and the impact her company is having on reducing avoidable food waste. Then we met up a second time when she was meeting with chef Emily Roux, daughter of the chef Michel Roux Jr, who has been providing Sophie with mentorship and support in developing her dishes. I spoke to Emily, during the creation of a new dish, about her experiences as a chef in relation to food waste both here in the UK, and in France, and what she has gained and learnt about the issue from her work with Sophie. Sophie has been very kind to provide listeners of the podcast with a discount on their first purchase from Elysia, details of which I will share at the end of the recording. **Elysia** \- [elysiacatering.com](http://elysiacatering.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### SHOW NOTES Below are links to the organisations mentioned during our conversation: [ChicP](http://www.chicp.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Borough Market](http://boroughmarket.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Echo](http://economyofhours.com/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### Margaret Ritchie MP, of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-margaret-ritchie-environment-food-rural-affairs-committee/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:52:36.000Z I contacted Margaret after reading her conversation on Twitter with the organisation Feedback – telling about a grocer who had been told by a local official that he couldn’t sell cosmetically imperfect produce. I wanted to learn more about this encounter, and Margaret sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee which is currently [investigating the issue of food waste](http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/food-waste-inquiry-16-17/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and will be reporting on it later in the year. Evidence had been given by the [supermarkets](http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/food-waste/oral/45673.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), [organisations working on the issue of foodwaste](http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/food-waste/oral/44092.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media), and [individual campaigners](http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/food-waste/oral/43454.html?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). On 28th February, there will also be [testimony given](http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/2fac610a-9cad-46f0-80e8-0f58297b622e?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) by [WRAP](http://wrap.org.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) \- a government-funded organisation working to reduce overall waste in the UK - exploring issues such as The Courtauld Commitment 2025, prevention of food waste, re-distribution of surplus food, and recycling and recovery of food waste. My interview with Margaret is brief, but gives you some insight in the work of the committee as well as what lies ahead, and the potential for new legislation. We met in a busy MP’s café in the heart of the Houses of Parliament, so there is a lot of background noise. ### SHOW NOTES Below are links to the organisations mentioned during our conversation: [Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee](http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [SDLP](http://www.sdlp.ie/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Tesco](https://www.tescoplc.com/tesco-and-society/reducing-food-waste/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Asda](https://sustainability.asda.com/food-waste?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Sainsbury’s](https://wastelesssavemore.sainsburys.co.uk/food-rescue?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [SOS NI](http://www.sosbusni.com/foodprogramme?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [FareShare](http://www.fareshare.org.uk/fareshare-foodcloud-in-tesco-stores/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (said Tesco's FoodShare project) [Grocery Code Adjudicator](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/groceries-code-adjudicator?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) [Department for Business, Energy & Industry Strategy](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) (Business and Energy Department) ### SOS NI - Rescuing fresh food and redistributing to those in need URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-sos-ni-rescuing-fresh-food-redistributing-need/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:54:49.000Z What distinguishes SOS NI from other redistribution initiatives is their focus on capturing fresh produce – collecting bread and other baked goods, fruit and vegetables, rather than canned and non-perishable produce which most others capture. They gather the food 6 nights a week, distributing it the following morning to ensure it is still fresh. This is the first in a two-part series – the second episode will be released in 2 weeks time, and shares the stories of the volunteers as they deliver the food, and representatives of the recipient organisations. ### Fruta Feia - Giving farmers a fair price for their wonky veg URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-fruta-feia-giving-farmers-fair-price-wonky-veg/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T19:56:19.000Z In this episode I’m speaking to a couple of people from Fruta Feia a co-operative with hubs around Portugal, that buys food from farmers that has been rejected by the retailers they supply, and would otherwise have gone to waste – selling this seasonal and locally sourced produce on to its members. I was fortunate enough to spend the day with Fruta Feia, as they collected food from various suppliers from towns and villages nearby Lisbon, and then took it to a community centre to create the fruit and veg boxes for their members. The recording took place as the produce collected that day was being unloaded from the van, during which I spoke to Miguel who works for the co-op and explains a little about how Fruta Feia functions, and then to a volunteer who explains how and why she got involved with the organisation – her opinions are of course her own, and don’t necessarily reflect those of Fruta Feia. It’s a brief introduction to what is a fantastic organisation, doing great work in reducing food waste, supporting local farmers, and providing people access to healthy, nutritious and fresh food at very affordable price. If you are working on a food waste initiative, or know someone who is, please get in touch – it would be great to have you on the podcast – you can email me at [chris@foodiswasted.com](mailto:chris@foodiswasted.com) For more information on the great work ReFood is doing, visit the [Fruta Feia website](http://frutafeia.pt/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). ### ReFood - Hyperlocal food rescue and redistribution URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-re-food-hyperlocal-food-rescue-redistribution/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T20:01:41.000Z In this episode I am speaking to Hunter Halder, founder of the ReFood movement in Portugal. Hunter is originally from the US, but has lived in Lisbon for many years. In the 5 years that ReFood has existed, it has gone from 1 volunteer to 4,000, and serving 2,500 people 46,000 meals in a month. The organisation is entirely volunteer run, and focuses on addressing the issues of food waste and food poverty at a neighbourhood level. I have to say in the 3 years I’ve been documenting the issue of food waste, this has to be the most impressive, and effective initiative I have come across – it’s a real inspiration, and I hope that the concept is replicated the world over! The interview took place on the street, at a café in Lisbon, so there’s quite a bit of background noise, but it was the only option available to us, and I hope it’s not too distracting! If you are working on a food waste initiative, or know someone who is, please get in touch – it would be great to have you on the podcast – you can email me at [chris@foodiswasted.com](mailto:chris@foodiswasted.com) For more information on the great work ReFood is doing, visit the [ReFood website](http://re-food.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media). ### **People and Organisations Mentioned** FAO - [http://www.fao.org](http://www.fao.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) City Harvest (New York, USA) - [https://www.cityharvest.org/](https://www.cityharvest.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) OzHarvest (NSW, Australia) - [http://www.ozharvest.org/](http://www.ozharvest.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Philabundance (Philadelphia, USA) - [https://www.philabundance.org/](https://www.philabundance.org/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) Kaibosh (Wellington, New Zealand) - [https://www.kaibosh.org.nz](https://www.kaibosh.org.nz/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media) ### ChicP - Hummus from Surplus Fruit and Vegetables URL: https://content.changingthenarrative.media/podcast-chicp-hummus-surplus-fruit-vegetables/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T20:04:15.000Z ChicP is a company that gathers food that would otherwise go to waste from local markets, and produces very tasty sweet and savoury hummus. [Healthy Hummus & Dips | ChicPDiscover ChicP’s delicious, healthy hummus, dips, and plant based snacks. Made sustainably in the UK with real veg and bold flavour.![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/icon/ChicPFavicon.png)ChicP![](https://content.changingthenarrative.media/content/images/thumbnail/ChicP_White_Logo.png)](https://www.chicp.co.uk/?ref=content.changingthenarrative.media)