The first series of a climate action podcast by progressive social landlord has been launched on Spotify.
The Future Matters podcast from Salford-based ForHousing provides a platform that brings regional and national voices together, in one space, to help the housing sector keep up the momentum on the journey towards achieving net zero by 2035.
Over the nine episodes of series one, host Mark Lowe, ForHousing’s Director of Assets and Sustainability, meets with decision-makers in sustainability roles in the housing and built environment sectors. He also hears from local councillors and other people within the community, including tenants. Topics discussed include decarbonisation, net zero targets, fuel poverty and the social impacts of becoming more sustainable.
Among the guests are:
- Mike McCusker, Councillor for Eccles and Lead Member for Planning and Sustainable Development at Salford City Council
- Neil Waite and Matt Hodges from NetZero Collective, a leading decarbonisation consultancy for the social housing sector
- Brendan Sarsfield, Chair of Sustainability for Housing — creators of the Sustainability Reporting Standard
- Liz Blackwell, Group Head of Environmental Sustainability at 115,000 home landlord L&Q
- And a member of ForHousing’s Customer Committee, tenant Stephen England.
Mark Lowe, Director of Assets and Sustainability at ForHousing, said: “We’re excited to be providing a platform to bring people together that share our passion for protecting the planet and reaching the housing sector’s goal of achieving net zero by 2035.
“We want to show it is possible to tackle inequalities and fuel poverty at the same time as delivering decarbonisation work, to improve lives for tenants now and in the future. Improving lives is at the heart of what ForHousing does. Promoting going green and living more sustainably and engaging with tenants in new ways around this is really important.
“It was great to speak to tenant Stephen England in our first episode about what action landlords need to take to help tenants go greener.
“I really hope that the Future Matters podcast will become an invaluable resource for people across the sector who want to do their bit in saving our planet.”
First podcast guest and ForHousing tenant Stephen England commented: “I think a big one is education, and this podcast can help that. Educating people within the organisation, but also educating tenants, that becoming carbon neutral is a task for everybody.
“ForHousing as an organisation can do everything from improving insulation to installing new windows or solar panels, but if a tenant isn’t clear on how to use the energy from their solar panels or correctly heat and cool their home, it’s not going to help. It’s about educating everyone so we’re all living in a way that net zero is possible.”
The podcast is just one part of ForHousing’s commitment to promoting sustainability and supporting people to create a greener home environment and community.
In the summer it launched a Carbon Community Panel of 14 members who will help inform the organisation’s decarbonisation journey and be directly involved in projects. The landlord has also invested in training for staff and tenants to ensure they have the skills and knowledge they need.
The landlord has also recently launched an innovative computer game teaching children about how they can be more environmentally responsible at home.
The Future Matters podcast by ForHousing is produced by the landlord and is available on Spotify.
