The Decarbonisation Dialogue

The Decarbonisation Dialogue

by Hannah Walker
Season 1
Tudor Baker from GMCR on why community energy could save us from global price shocks
Hannah's guest this time is Tudor Baker, director of Greater Manchester Community Renewables Limited (GMCR). It’s a community benefit society, set up and run by volunteers to install community-owned renewable energy across Greater Manchester. Its job is to raise funds to install solar panels on schools and community buildings, helping them save money, reduce their carbon footprint, and inspire children and the community to learn about energy and climate change. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. It is presented by Hannah Walker. Our mission is to support organisations to lower their energy costs, create warmer and healthier buildings and achieve their net zero ambitions. We are a trusted delivery partner to the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, regional combined authorities and public sector organisations across the country.
Catherine Ross on the British Library on the need for climate literacy and knowledge
Hannah's guest in this episode is Catherine Ross, sustainability at the British Library. Catherine has been in post since August 2023, focusing on the library’s own operations as well as its voice and influence. She is responsible for developing its sustainability and climate change strategy. The British Library holds one of the largest collections of printed material in the world featuring almost every known language, and cares for over 170 million items. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. It is presented by Hannah Walker. Our mission is to support organisations to lower their energy costs, create warmer and healthier buildings and achieve their net zero ambitions. We are a trusted delivery partner to the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, regional combined authorities and public sector organisations across the country.
Gavin Johnston from BE-ST Scotland on the benefits of Passivhaus construction
Hannah's guest this week is Gavin Johnston, associate director, BE-ST, Scotland. A Certified Passivhaus Designer, Gavin has contributed significantly to the design and refurbishment of numerous public buildings, along with strategic asset management and housing development. Gavin has led the retrofit of the BE-ST Innovation Campus (SNRC), transforming a 2000-era industrial unit into a living lab. Gavin has previous experience in social housing and is passionate about improving the sustainability of Scotland's building stock. In early 2026, he was noted for his work on the Scottish Healthcare Built Environment Network. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. It is presented by Hannah Walker. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Mohammed Khan from Immaterial on the need for governments to speed up climate policy
Mohammed Khan and Professor David Fairen-Jimenez join our podcast this time to tell us about their solutions to climate change. They are behind Cambridge-based Immaterial. It builds on monolithic metal organic frameworks combined with engineering design and machine learning to create solutions for carbon capture, hydrogen storage, water harvesting and energy reduction. As chief executive, Mohammed has 27 years' experience in technology commercialisation, creating enterprise value and building partnerships. David leads the development of Immaterials's technology. He is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Reader in Molecular Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. It is presented by Hannah Walker. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Professor Myles Allen from the University of Oxford on why fossil fuel suppliers need to deal with our carbon emissions
Hannah's guest this episode is Professor Myles Allen, an internationally renowned scientist, government adviser, sought-after commentator. Myles is Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics in the Department of Physics, and Professor of Geosystem Science in the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. In 2005, Professor Allen introduced the notion of a finite carbon budget, implying net zero emissions of carbon dioxide are necessary to halt global warming. He has been working on the implications ever since, most recently on the case for Geological Net Zero or a balance between ongoing production of carbon dioxide from geological sources with carbon dioxide capture and geological storage. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix.. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Dr Pancho Lewis from Durham University on why governments need to rebuild our trust in net zero
Hannah's guest this episode is Dr Pancho Lewis, assistant professor at Durham University. He combines his career in academia with his work in grassroots politics. Pancho completed his Postdoctoral Fellow at Durham and is a PhD researcher at Lancaster University. His research looks at the politics of net zero transitions, focusing on people's affective experiences in the midst of a climate emergency. He is also a public engagement specialist with a focus on environmental politics. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Chris Gilmour from Vectar Sets on transforming film and TV production with cardboard
Hannah's guest for this episode is international artist Chris Gilmour. He's known for creating hyper realistic sculptures from cardboard and glue. He co-founded Vectar Sets during lockdown which is a Manchester-based company providing paper-based solutions for sustainable scenery for film and TV. In 2006 Chris won the Premio Cairo art prize and in 2012 the Premio Michetti. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Morgan Cartlidge and Oliver Couch from Here Now Films on sustainable climate story telling
Hannah's guests for this episode are Morgan Cartlidge and Oliver Couch from Here Now Films. The company was established in 2016 by Oliver and co-founder Ed Smit with a mission to bring the calibre of work typically reserved for big-budget TV advertising to a far wider audience. Oliver is now creative director and Morgan is head of production. Their work focuses on creating human-first documentaries about urgent environmental and social issues, which aligns with the principles of making media more sustainable by raising awareness and sparking change. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Hilary Wood from EEVS on her climate career sparked by an childhood of taking things apart
Hannah's guest for this episode is Hilary Wood from EEVS. Hilary is an engineer by training and has experience working in the development of geothermal power and solid oxide fuel cells for sustainable energy generation applications. She currently works on all things measurement and verification, proving the performance of energy and carbon saving initiatives to global best practice standards. As a director at EEVS, she leads on training courses, internal standards and operations. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
Jon McGarrigle from NHS Wales on the challenge of decarbonisation as a Rubik's cube
Our guest for this episode is Jon McGarrigle, an experienced leader in energy management, sustainability, and operational performance within the public health sector. He is currently head of energy and performance at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. This means he plays a crucial role in driving forward the organisation's carbon reduction initiatives, energy efficiency projects, and performance improvement programmes across the Welsh health estate. Jon’s background is in engineering, facilities management, and strategic planning. The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast is brought to you by Salix. We enable, and inspire, public sector organisations to move towards net zero and we support the creation of warmer and healthier homes. We deliver and administer government funding schemes that help local councils, schools, housing associations, hospitals and universities and many other public sector organisations.
1 of 6