It’s time to rethink how family businesses think about and act on sustainability issues. It’s not always about being willing to act – but being capable.

Professor Alfredo De Massis, of Lancaster University Management School; the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; and IMD, in Switzerland, has worked on family businesses and entrepreneurship for decades – striving to produce knowledge that these firms can use to their advantage.

He joins us to look at why family business decisions are not always rational, why the generation in control of a firm is key to sustainability, and the differences made by geography, company size, industry, and the involvement of external experts at board level.

We look at why some family firms want to have a positive social impact and are more embedded in the community, the importance of transitions in leadership in affecting change in sustainability attitudes, and the differences between a business-first and a family-first family business.

Plus, Alfredo reveals why he is the black sheep of his family, we consider what AI will mean for the future of sustainability in businesses, Paul gets muddled by Gen-Z, and Jan is mesmerised by an Italian accent.

Read more about Alfredo’s work on environmental practices in family firms here: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_23/50/

For more information about Lancaster University’s Centre for Family Business, see here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/research/areas-of-expertise/centre-for-family-business/

And discover more about Alfredo here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/alfredo-de-massis

Step onto the terraces and discover how sustainable – or not – the global phenomenon that is football really is.

Paul puts his decades of sports reporting experience to good use as we talk to Dr Idlan Zakaria, from the University of Birmingham.

Idlan returns to her old Lancaster University stamping grounds and brings with her passions for both football and sustainability. She talks us through a love of football sparked by the 1982 World Cup and nurtured through years of supporting – to Paul’s annoyance firstly Manchester United, but now mainly Arsenal Women – watching, playing, and then coaching, and how sustainability ties into it all.

From the greenhouse gas emissions of clubs, fans and major global and continental tournaments, to the ‘world’s greenest football club’ Forest Green Rovers and their vegan-only diets across staff and players, and the rationality (or lack thereof) of supporting Barrow AFC, we look at how the beautiful game affects the planet.

We analyse the climate impact of constructing and maintaining stadiums – from carbon footprints to single-use plastic waste to water use to floodlight usage; become diverted by the Olympics; talk fast fashion football-style; consider the huge pay disparity between world-famous players and other club staff; and praise the power of grassroots organisations in instigating change among fans and clubs.

Can footballers be sustainability influencers? Can more clubs follow the Forest Green model? Why do clubs have so many different shirts?

Plus, Paul takes the chance to have a rant or two; Jan faces awkward questions about football; Dundee United, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle take some unwarranted abuse; the definition of a good Geordie comes into question; and Jan is bafflingly compared for the first – and probably last – time to pop megastar Taylor Swift!

Read more about sports sustainability charity Pledgeball, who support fans and players to take meaningful climate action, here: https://pledgeball.org/about-us/

And you can discover more about Forst Green Rovers – minus why other teams don’t like them – here: https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way/

Nature is naturally on the move. But how does wildlife move through and across urban environments that are not designed for it? And what can people and businesses do to support movement? This is where nature corridors come in.

Duncan Pollard, Honorary Professorial Fellow with the Pentland Centre, joins us to expand on his previous discussion of business and biodiversity with a talk about helping species move.

With a focus on agriculture, forestry, lineal infrastructure (such as power lines or railways cutting across landscapes), and asset owners, Duncan looks at the actions that companies have taken, and what they might do going forward.

We talk about the dynamism of nature, what a nature corridor can be – both naturally and artificially – why governments and business have focused on protected areas rather than connectivity in the past, and the importance of neighbouring organisations working together to make a substantial difference.

Discover how golf courses can encourage nature, whether there are any companies reporting well on their dependency on nature, and what might be coming next.

Plus, is Jan’s garden a menace to her neighbours? How has this podcast aged its hosts? And what has Jan geeking out?

For more information on the Pentland Centre’s Business and Biodiversity Knowledge and Action Hub, see here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/pentland/activities/knowledge-and-action-hubs/business-and-biodiversity/

And details of the free business briefings from the Pentland Centre can be found here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/pentland/activities/knowledge-and-action-hubs/business-and-biodiversity/biodiversity-literacy/

The Global Reporting’s standard on biodiversity can be found here: https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/standards-development/topic-standard-for-biodiversity/

For more detail on Suzano’s restoration in Brazil activities see here: https://www.suzano.com.br/news/suzano-will-restore-cerrado-atlantic-forest-and-amazon-biomes and see the funding model they have adopted here: https://www.suzano.com.br/en/sustainability/planet/environment-and-biodiversity/biomas

How do teachers, students and researchers carry on in a time of war. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and life changed overnight.

Dniprotech University, in Dnipro, is in an area that has experienced power outages, bombing, drones and jets flying over. Yet, they have maintained a full education programme – utilising blended learning – and continue to build relationships with business and with international partners.

We spoke to Kseniia Tiukhmenova, Olena Krasovska and Tetiana Kuvaieva, from Dniprotech, in late 2025 about how they are operating in such a difficult situation.

Lancaster is twinned with Dniprotech as part of Universities UK’s Twin for Hope initiative, supporting Ukrainian universities through the crisis in matters relating to the brain drain, resilience, research, skills and knowledge exchange. We learn how this works, and the benefits both sides are gaining from the new relationship – even if our guests are too polite to admit they had not heard of Lancaster before the partnership started!

We find out about how a university in the industrial heart of Ukraine has grown and developed, how it has built expertise around sustainability, the enthusiasm of students for these topics, and the setting up a new rival (or partner) to the Pentland Centre.

Kseniia, Olena and Tetiana tell us about the power of universities in uniting people in a time of war, the importance of relationships with business, and the strength they gain from their endeavours now as they plan for post-war recovery.

Plus, Paul finds something positive to say about rankings, Jan smiles as the word benchmarking comes up unprompted, and there is talk of the legendary status of Ukrainian soil.

Find out more about the Twin for Hope initiative here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/creating-voice-our-members/campaigns/twinforhope-uk-universities-standing

What do you think of the economy? What would you do if you couldn’t afford insurance? What does a thriving community look like? And how can economic policy help that flourishing? These are all key questions when it comes to addressing societal equality and resilience.

Susan Murray is Director of the David Hume Institute, an Edinburgh-based economics-focused thinktank – despite not classing herself as an economist.

She joins us to talk about the importance of diversity in economic thinking, how resources are allocated across society, the changing nature of migration over the last 40 years, and three major projects the David Hume Institute is involved in.

We discuss the importance of local communities and place in contributing to shaping action and policy, how to reach and include ‘normal people’ in otherwise ignored places, the importance of recognising what we all have in common, and what it actually means to be thriving.

Susan introduces us to the Great Risk Transfer, how people consider risk in their own lives, the importance of having resources to manage those risks, and why people don’t always trust organisations such as insurance providers.

We look at public attitudes towards the economy and how they change; what people wanting to save rather than spend can tell us; and how economic and sustainability issues tie in with politics at a national level.

Plus, we discover how sustainability became a part of Susan’s life when she was young – via the media of Blue Peter and Raymond Briggs, the cause of Save the Whales, and under the threat of nuclear war.

And finally, we ask the important questions: When is an economist not an economist? What’s the difference between an accountant and an economist? Do accountants and economists ever walk into bars together? To hear if we ever get to the punchlines of these and other bad economics jokes, listen in.

To find out more about the David Hume Institute, visit: https://davidhumeinstitute.org/

We talk to a lot of researchers and businesspeople about sustainability, now bring on the politician!

On our 100th episode, we welcome Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad, the former Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability in the Malaysian government, to tell us about his career, and how he has seen governments around the world tackle sustainability challenges.

Nik has gone from the self-professed school geek to being an elected legislator in his homeland, a minister in government, and a part of major international climate meetings such as COP. Now he gets to take part in our podcast centenary celebrations.

Discover how the environment sits in the political world; how the youth voice and voters can be influential on politicians – and the risk for government of ignoring them and climate change issues; and the power of the people in making an impact in saving the planet.

Niks tells us about the major issue of waste – both plastic and electronic – in Malaysia, and how the world contributes to the issue; the attitudes across ASEAN to waste, and the challenges of finding a common voice; and his views of the attitudes of some leading global politicians that climate change is hokum.

We discuss whether Jan is the Kevin Bacon of the sustainability world – and discover Jan’s shocking lack of knowledge of Mr Bacon’s career; the parallels between BBC sitcom Yes Minister and real life; and how Nik has learned a lot from groundbreaking politicians from around the world.

Discover Nik’s book Saving the Planet here: https://www.penguin.sg/book/saving-the-planet/

And Nik even has his own Wikipedia page, so you can find out more about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Nazmi

Episode Transcript

Do you know your Omega 3 fatty acids from your Ultra Processed Foods? Your salmon from your sardinella? Dive in, as we look at the importance of seafood to the diets of millions of people – and how global industries and consumption patterns are taking it away from those who really need it.

Professor Christina Hicks, from Lancaster Environment Centre, is a leading expert on fisheries – particularly in Africa – and the broader food system, and she gives us an introduction to the global trade in nutrients. Her work in West Africa shows how fish provide otherwise unavailable nutrients in places where plants make up the bulk of the diet.

While in the UK seafood is recommended as part of a wider diet, in these countries it is a key source of micronutrients and protein for the population – especially those who are less well-off.

Find out the effects of fish farming and the fishmeal industry on ecosystems; the health, environmental, economic and social impacts of moving from local economies of fishers in canoes to bigger boats and factories owned by companies in countries thousands of miles away catching these fish; and the difficulties in policing fishing regulations designed to protect local waters.

We discover how large corporations build a presence on the Senegal coast – and how it is hard to uncover the ownership of vessels fishing in West African waters; the gender-related effects of machines replacing workers; why Jan is a big fan of haddock; and whether Christina will become a supervillain!

Plus, is there anything you can do as a consumer to help solve the problems?

See here for more details on Christina and her work: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/about-us/people/christina-hicks

Find out more about the People and the Ocean Knowledge and Action Hub of the Pentland Centre here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/pentland/activities/knowledge-and-action-hubs/people-and-the-ocean/

For a podcast from a nation obsessed with the weather, we’ve been remarkable restrained in discussing it so far. No more! We’re going full-on into weather forecasting and measurement, to discover what Lancaster can tell us about the world.

Dr James Heath, from Lancaster Environment Centre, is one of the team taking daily readings from the Hazelrigg Weather Station, which measure temperature and rainfall, and contributes to long-term Met Office records. He has always been obsessed with the weather, and recent years have brought a lot to think about in his role.

We learn about Hazelrigg’s origins; James’s family links to the Met Office – and the lack of Bill Giles and Michael Fish at mealtimes; why the way we manually measure the climate in the long-term has not changed in decades; and discover what the term ‘since records began’ when we hear about record-breaking weather events.

Find out the limits of weather stations when it comes to recording patterns beyond a small geographic area; the differences between the weather and the climate; and the changes Hazelrigg has tracked that are reflected across the globe – both for heat and for rainfall levels.

Plus, are the Norwegians – and their natural gloom – really so much better at forecasting weather in Lancaster? Is Jan always such a slacker when it comes to homework?

See links to the Hazelrigg Weather Station here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/environmental-science/facilities/

Read about the record breaking weather patterns from spring 2025 here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/lancaster-scientists-measure-record-breaking-spring-weather

And find out more about the lawnmower aurora incident here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37168678

Episode Transcript