Taboos, Rivers, Cricket, Queues, Phones

1. Boo to taboos

The definition of a taboo is something we don’t talk about. A few years ago, we helped establish the Talking Taboos Foundation , which starts from the premise that it is useful, and even necessary, to talk about the things we find uncomfortable. And we are delighted that the Foundation is thriving today as it continues to shine a light on the unspoken malaises of our society. And it would like to invite Friday 5 readers to the launch event of their latest report (title: Today’s Taboos: 2023), on the 2nd of October 6:00-7:15 pm, at The Conduit .?

Talking Taboos is helping to kick start conversations through a clever combination of research, design and behavioural science to shine a light on the beliefs and attitudes that fuel taboos. Its insights have already helped to address young people’s loneliness and teenage self-harm , by providing the tools and vocabulary people can use to support those in need.?

Breaking the silence around today’s taboos is not as easy as it seems. Because they are shrouded in silence, even identifying, let alone understanding, most taboo topics is complicated. But whoever wants to make the world a better place needs to face society’s failures and address these unspoken issues.?

The core of the new report underlines the need to face up to matters unsaid and shameful in our society. Using social listening, it draws out areas that society is struggling to open up about in 2023. We are all directly or indirectly affected by at least one taboo in our daily lives. So, if you live in the London area and want to find out more, please get in touch and we will put your name on the list.?

2. Mother Nature's lawyers

Following the plight of the UK’s rivers makes for grim reading, with frequent reports of water companies illegally dumping sewage and the recent development that threatens to rip up rules protecting rivers from housing developments.?

But it’s not all bad news for all rivers. The Komi Memem river in Brazil has recently been granted legal personhood , meaning it is now classed as a living entity with legal rights. This follows in the footsteps of the Whanganui river in New Zealand, Canada’s Magpie river, hundreds of rivers in Bangladesh and more, as part of the Rights of Nature movement , a legal framework designed to give vulnerable non-human entities representation in courts and help give them greater protections.?

Nature is typically seen as something distinct from the human world, there for us to enjoy, use or manipulate to our advantage, and it’s this approach that allows us to degrade ecosystems with little accountability. This is not the relationship the Wari’, the indigenous population who live by the Komi Memem river, have with nature. But they needed to use the language and incentives of established legal systems to protect their food and water sources from further harm from loggers, land-robbers and farmers.?

The idea of giving legal personhood to nature might seem odd, but it’s what we do for businesses , so there is a precedent for establishing that legal personhood doesn’t only apply to people. And although it won’t put an end to the damage being done to ecosystems, it uses a powerful existing mechanism to create accountability for damage by allowing people to sue on behalf of ecosystems that can’t otherwise defend themselves against people.?

The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of nature , not the other way around. And while giving legal rights to nature is not the only solution to the biodiversity and nature loss crisis we are facing, it may be an important way to ensure that it is treated with the respect it, and we, both need.

3. Batting for net zero

Last week’s third T20 international match at Edgbaston was a turning point. Dubbed the ‘Go Green game’, it was a day built on sustainability, the first of its kind in the UK. It showed how cricket can hit climate change for six (even if England couldn’t do the same against New Zealand).???

Edgbaston Stadium teamed up with our friends at Net Zero Now to reimagine the game when prioritising lower climate impact. Following an analysis of the expected business-as-usual carbon footprint of the match, Net Zero Now proposed a list of carbon reduction activities that could be deployed and worked with the team at Edgbaston to put these in place ahead of the game, from improving cycling facilities, reducing parking availability and arranging free bus transfer from the station, to removing red meat from the hospitality menus, improving food waste management and arranging renewable electricity for the stadium. Even the cards waved in the crowd were produced with ‘seed paper’ which, when planted at home, grow wild flowers.?

The result is an expected 200 tons reduction in CO2 emissions compared to a typical match. Edgbaston has also committed to beyond value chain mitigation that will remove emissions equivalent to the total forecast footprint.??

The success at Edgbaston in creating climate conscious cricket shows what’s possible. It is the chance for cricket to set new rules. But beyond the cricket ground, it demonstrates how all stadiums can Go Green. Historically, sports and events have had vast carbon footprints and environmental impacts. Things are changing, as we wrote about before , such as Coldplay’s approach to sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the World of the Spheres tour. Such events are a fantastic opportunity to engage spectators in fighting climate change and show what stadium management teams can achieve.??

For similar Go Green events to become a norm it means recognising climate change is a problem for all of us to act on. As Edgbaston’s Operations Director, Claire Daniel, put it “Why wouldn’t we do it? … We want cricket to be around for a really long time and have to make this change.”?

4. What are you waiting for?

If you love queues and business attire (and who doesn’t), then instead of spending next Friday in a Charles Tyrwhitt shop, join the Queue for Climate and Nature , a gathering organised to assemble business people who want to push government action on climate change. And even if those aren’t your thing, consider joining it anyway, as the Friday 5 audience (professional people with a commitment to sustainability) are just who are needed.??

The instructions are simple and quintessentially British: put on your suit, journey up to town and join a line teeming with likeminded stakeholders and business-people who want to send a message to UK political parties that they need to do more to protect our climate. Specifically, queuers will be rallying for an accelerated just transition to a more stable climate, an end to fossil fuel licensing, greater investment in renewable energy, and more thorough and robust action for nature. The goal is to unite the business community (in an orderly fashion) and in doing so, communicate that businesses urgently require action on climate change.?

It might not be the most conventional or radical set up for a rally – no one will be gluing themselves to the railing –? but it expands the borders of climate activism to include and mobilise an audience who might usually shy away from group protests. Such plurality of climate action is important and welcome and keeps the urgency of the message alive and kicking. You can find details to register here ? and join the line on the 15th September.?

5. The Goods: Future friendly phones

Don’t you hate it when your phone starts to act up (usually at the same time that the latest model is released)? Or when you drop your phone and have to decide whether to pay a premium to get it fixed or to buy a new one? Dutch startup Fairphone aims to solve such issues and revolutionise the phone industry with its latest modular phone, the Fairphone 5, a model designed to last.?

The Fairphone 5 is Fairphone’s latest modular phone and is set to ship from September 14th. What makes the Fairphone different from its competitors is its modularity. Should you damage your phone outside of the generous five-year warranty it comes with, all components are easily accessible and replaceable, by you, at home, without any expert knowledge, including but not limited to the battery, screen, and cameras. Fairphones are built to last and should they not, they are built to be repaired. And we can vouch for this – even the most technically illiterate of us has successfully replaced the microphone.??

Fairphone has also confirmed that it will offer software support until at least 2031, and hopes to extend that promise to 2033. The eight years of guaranteed support make the phone more accessible to families who may rely on hand-me-downs as children and teenagers can rest assured that although they may not have the latest phone spec-wise, they will have the latest software.??

70% of the 14 key materials used in each device are from either recycled or “fair-mined” sources. This is in line with the company’s aim to source both conflict-free and sustainable materials, attributes found rarely in the average smartphone. Find out more and purchase a phone here .