In this episode, Gary Watts welcomes Trewin Restorick, a leading voice in sustainable innovation, to discuss his journey from Friends of the Earth to founding Hubbub and his latest venture, Sizzle. This episode explores practical, fun and engaging approaches to environmental action and the future of sustainability in the UK.

Takeaways:

• Start where people are – not with overwhelming environmental messages.
• Make sustainability fun and relatable to reach wider audiences.
• Playfulness drives engagement and normalises sustainable habits.
• Community-led initiatives (like fridges) create lasting local impact.
• Social diffusion – group influence – is key to lasting behaviour change.
• Reframing climate action as national resilience could depoliticise sustainability.
• Overconsumption, especially fast fashion, remains a massive challenge.
• Circular products like Wonderfuel compost show the power of turning waste into value.
• Don’t lose hope – small steps in food and consumption choices add up.

Sound Bites

• “You always have to start from where people are, rather than that big environmental message.”
• “It’s exhausting to be told bad news all the time.”
• “If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest carbon dioxide–emitting nation in the world.”
• “You can’t argue that food waste is good — it’s bad environmentally, financially, and socially.”
• “True community action means giving people the resources and confidence to do things themselves.”
• “Social diffusion — get the singers to sing loudly, and everyone else will join in.”
• “We need to stop talking about net zero and start talking about national resilience.”
• “We’re destroying one of our most important ecosystems when we could make a better, sustainable alternative.”
• “Any small step is part of the bigger change — start in the kitchen.”

Chapters

• 00:00 – Change Doesn’t Wait (Intro)
• 01:11 – From Friends of the Earth to Sizzle
• 03:35 – Discovering the Power of Practical Action
• 05:59 – Starting Where People Are
• 07:50 – Fun Campaigns: Ballot Bins & Behavioural Nudges
• 10:49 – Founding Hubbub and Early Challenges
• 12:55 – Why Playful Engagement Works
• 15:30 – The Success of Community Fridges
• 19:18 – The Oldham Alleyway Project: Lessons & Limits
• 22:29 – Understanding Human Behaviour & Social Diffusion
• 27:28 – Family, Influence and Collaboration
• 29:38 – The UK’s Leadership (and Retreat) on Sustainability
• 34:21 – From Net Zero to National Resilience
• 36:34 – Can Playfulness Build Resilience?
• 38:49 – Tackling Overconsumption & Fast Fashion
• 41:37 – Launching Sizzle and Wonderfuel Compost
• 47:43 – Advice for Aspiring Sustainability Professionals
• 49:52 – Practical Steps: Small Actions, Big Impact
• 51:22 – Looking Ahead and How to Connect

🌿 Connect with Trewin & His Work

Learn more about Trewin’s projects and practical approaches to sustainability:

• 🌱 Treasure Gardening & Wonderfuel Compost: https://www.treasuregardening.co.uk
• 🔥 Sizzle: https://www.sizzle.org.uk
• ♻️ Hubbub: https://www.hubbub.org.uk
• 🔄 Recorra (Recycling Business): https://www.recorra.co.uk
• 🌍 Global Action Plan: https://www.globalactionplan.org.uk
• 💼 Trewin Restorick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trewinrestorick/