Peyton Pocock: Hello, uh, welcome to our climate career con. Um, today, uh, with Avril Greenway. Um, Avril, would you like to sort of introduce yourself and just sort of explain a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Avril Greenaway: Thanks, Peyton. It's really super to be here. Thank you for the invite. Um, I'm Avril and I am a co founder and Impact Director at Cleaner Seas Group.

Peyton Pocock: Brilliant. Uh, and we'll get straight into sort of a little bit about the Cleaner Seas Group and what they do. Um, in what ways does the Cleaner Seas Group use technology to do this? Combat ocean pollution, particularly things like microfiber contamination, and also sort of just protecting the biodiversity and oxygen levels in and around the sea. Could you just explain a little bit about how that all works?

Avril Greenaway: Yeah, sure. Um, so, you know, microfiber pollution is a major pollutant. Um, approximately 13 million tonnes of synthetic waste is entering our ocean each year. Um, and that's the kind of, the, the backdrop to what we do at Cleaner Seas Group. So I think it's important if I just maybe run through that, the, the problem that we're addressing. Um, so when you wash your clothes, approximately 700, 000 microfibers are released into the water system. They're not meaningfully caught, and, They're a massive pollution issue in our ocean, in our rivers, in our soil, you know, they're in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Um, you know, they are the polluting ocean, and our ocean is vital to life on Earth. Um, we're seeing adverse effects on marine life, sea plankton, and phytoplankton, and You know, this can affect the health of the ocean. Ocean health equals human health. So, um, at Cleaner Seas Group, we've made it our mission to protect the ocean by developing innovative solutions to remove microplastics from the environment.

Specifically, we've developed tech to capture and remove microfiber pollution in a closed loop system. So we believe in sort of sitting in a circular economy. That's, that's our ethos. And we've developed tech across three pillars. Um, So we've got domestic, uh, we've got a retrofit filter, which you can see behind me here, um, which will fit onto any home washing machine. Uh, we have a commercial filter, uh, which is for all commercial settings, from commercial laundries to cruise ships, for example. Um, we also have an integrated solution, and we're working with white goods companies to develop, um, our integrated solution for new washing machines. We're also looking at developing our, sort of, scaling up our solution in textile factories as well. So they all use the same closed loop tech. Um, like I said, we support circular economy and it's such, really important for us to develop a solution that not only removes Microfibers, but also sees them removed and reused. We don't want them finding their way back into the environment again. So, we do this by having a returnable cartridge system. And, um, which is made from recycled plastic, by the way. And, um, those reposed after approximately six months. And we recycle those microfibers and refurbish the cartridges for reuse. So that's kind of a, that's a kind of snapshot into what we do.

Peyton Pocock: quite a diverse set of solutions. I think covering quite a few, very important, very relevant, um, and very hot sort of issues. I think at the moment, um, and then just sort of elaborating a little bit on how does climate change specifically affect the ocean ecosystems and sort of what long term consequences are there for the ocean, marine life, um, ecology communities. Um, how does that all work?

Avril Greenaway: Uh, it's quite a complex issue, so, um, I think, you know, simply put, um, you know, the, the ocean is, or our ocean is, is facing acidification. Higher levels of CO2, lower oxygen levels, we're looking at sea level rise, loss of marine biodiversity, dead zones. You know, coral bleaching, um, all these things are, you know, increased by the warm temperatures that we've been, you know, that I've just mentioned. And um, once, you know, marine life are affected, you know, just those effects on one species can have a ripple effect across a whole ecosystem. And you know, looking at consequences which are like biodiversity loss, declines in, decline of fisheries, displacement of coastal communities. negative effect on indigenous communities who rely on the ocean. Um, but of course, you know, we, we all rely on the ocean. It's vital to life on earth. So, um, you know, it's, it's absolutely our mission to protect it.

Peyton Pocock: And something I think probably quite close to home for both of us, we're both in Cornwall, and it's almost sort of, it's amazing to live so close to the coast, an absolute privilege, but a little bit depressing to think that if for whatever reason, That went away or for other people around the world whose lives depend on that, that can become a really sort of quite pressing issue. Um, could you just sort of explain a little bit about your career journey, um, from the Clean The Seas group and then to founding, uh, the sort of company dedicated to cleaning up the oceans? Yeah,

Avril Greenaway: I, I guess what might be quite interesting for your listeners is that I've had quite a interesting career path, I suppose, that I actually started off working as a secretary and then retrained. I did a degree in design, which led me to a career in marketing and design, uh, working in London and Bath with blue chip clients to SMEs. Um, I moved back to Cornwall, uh, when I had children and, um, I was beach cleaning and Thinking about my children, I suppose, became more important to me, maybe more on my radar, to look after the planet. And, um, I was then working freelance as a, in designer marketing, and I was commissioned to work with the newly formed Cleaner Seas Project. Um, and my role was to brand and engage local community on all the issues that surrounded water quality. So for the role, I needed to upskill quite a bit so that I could effectively communicate all those issues across our channels.

And that meant learning about the latest science, research, being up to date on all the latest environmental policies, as well as looking at imaginative and creative ways that we could campaign and communicate all those issues. Um, you know, connecting, connecting the problem to the source and also to the solutions. Dave, who is a co founder and our CEO here at Cleaner Seas Group, also worked, um, on Cleaner Seas project and his role in the Environment Agency. And, you know, like I say, we were talking and talking about the problem and it becomes so important to find a solution. And he challenged his friend, James, who's Also co founder and CTO, um, to invent a solution for capturing microfibers from laundry and James being James, who we call him a serial inventor, uh, he did that. And Clean and Seize Group was founded, um, bringing together the skill sets of our founder members. Uh, that was in 2018. And we've weathered COVID, we've gained investment, uh, partners and support, uh, to the point where last May we actually went into manufacture, It's incredibly exciting for us to get to that point.

Peyton Pocock: Nice. By the sounds of it, very mission focused, mission oriented, which is the

Avril Greenaway: Absolutely. We're a purpose driven business. We've set the whole business up, um, with a triple bottom line ethos and mindset. Um, we are submitting our B Corps. Certification at the moment. Yeah, it really is exciting. And that's been an ambition since we found it. So actually to get to this point now is, is fantastic.

Peyton Pocock: And obviously a part of your business would have been hiring people, hiring new skill. Um, what sort of essential skills would young people need, uh, to pursue careers in ocean conservation, climate related fields, what sort of valuable skills that you were looking for in other people?

Avril Greenaway: I think I'm quite a good example of, um, you know, a quite a diverse career path getting to the point I'm at, really. And I think there's such a wide range of careers in the environment, um, and the skills that are needed are very wide and varied, really. Um, the overarching skill that's absolutely essential is, uh, passion to protect our planet. Um, and I think about what we need here in terms of, um, roles at Cleaner Seas Group, you know, covers engineering and tech, finance, business, marketing and design, communications, impact, administration, operations, uh, so, you know, the skill sets that cover accounting and business, marketing and design, admin, organisation. operational, um, and, and so many more. Um, and also then, you know, the all important soft, soft skills as well. So being able to work well in a team, being organised, communication skills, um, and, you know, particularly with us, I think having a shared vision, you know, just a shared vision for a better world and the passion for the end. That end goal of protecting the planet is, is really important.

Peyton Pocock: Again, really sort of becoming one puzzle piece in your overall mission and getting behind and yeah, really sort of motivating that onwards. Um, and then just sort of on that a little bit, what entry level positions or career pathways would you recommend for young professionals interested in these sort of fields? Um, are there any resources that you've found over the years to be particularly valuable to young people?

Avril Greenaway: Um, I think again, there's like a huge range of ways to, you know, to get involved in a job in the environment. Um, from volunteering, uh, to apprenticeships, internships, and more formal educational routes, you know, such as an environmental science degree. Um, but I think whichever route you do take, you'll benefit from volunteering and getting involved in local organisations or groups. It's really important. It shows your interest, your passion, and it will help you learn really valuable skills along the way. Um, environmental jobs are, you know, that the sector is growing. They're expected to continue growing right through to 2030 as we collectively work to reach climate and environmental targets. And, um, you know, companies are also looking to support, navigate their own ESG goals, um, and it's environmental organisations. Um, you know, achieve more funding and we see more investment in innovative solutions, then, you know, I guess that's going to help that the sector just grow and grow. Um, yeah, I think that probably covers it all.

Peyton Pocock: Yeah, and obviously, yeah, we touched on that a little bit. Um, getting stuck in with your local community is obviously, uh, at least for me in the past has been a really good, um, initial first step. Um, are there any other sort of recommendations or advice you could give to young individuals? passionate about making a positive impact more widely. Maybe it's not just their career, but maybe it's just in their local town community, things that young people can be doing to make a really positive impact on the green, uh, sort of ocean. Yeah, I think, you know, like, sorry.

Avril Greenaway: Yeah, sorry, Kacen. Um, I think just circling back really, you know, just rolling your sleeves up, start local, get involved. Um, you know, saying. That sort of passion, dedication, a willingness to put some effort in and really demonstrating all of those things, it just reflects well, it's something great you can put on your CV. Um, you'll just learn so much from it. I think, you know, every day is a school day, isn't it? We're always learning, getting involved with, you know, with different groups and organisations. Um, it just, it. really supports that. And also it's a great social thing to do. You know, you make friends, have fun, get outside, all those really brilliant positive things as well. Connect with nature, it's so important. So I think on, you know, so many levels, it's absolutely brilliant.

Peyton Pocock: Yeah, it's, it's, um, also quite fun. I think, um, I've got some friends that sort of Quite regularly do, um, this sort of trees planting, uh, locally. Um, and it's to help, I think it's to help water drainage management or something along those lines. And while I don't know, like the specifics of it, I do know that they really, really enjoy it. It sounds really fun just going and sort of having a chat, uh, in a group of. Um, sort of 10, 20 people and just in their community, cups of teas, uh, shovels. And it, yeah, it is a nice time to sort of be together. Um, definitely. Yeah, um,

Avril Greenaway: meeting people, planting trees, cups of teas. What's not to like? Oh, absolutely.

Peyton Pocock: Um, and are there any steps that are crucial to fostering a sort of greater gender diversity, inclusivity, Um, especially in that sort of hiring process in the tech sector, in climate solutions. Uh, are there any sort of pointers there that you would recommend? So,

Avril Greenaway: I'm not an expert here, um, but I can talk about what we've, um, sort of implemented at Clean Seas Group and our ethos, um, and what we've learned. So, what we've sort of taken time to learn and understand, um, since we started. So, just sort of broadening that search for talent. Thanks. Implementing bias training is really important. So just that, you know, um, recognizing our own biases, so that we can make judgments about people, not, you know, not make judgments about people based on bias. on what they look like, we're making judgments about their qualifications, experience, behavior, um, so, uh, their skills and experience, and just really finding the right person for the job. Um, collaborating with diverse organisations wherever possible, and the really important thing is just fostering a inclusive culture. You know, I guess having that in your policies, having that written into your policies as a company it's one of the good things about being B Corp because that's very much part of the B Corp certification and also regularly reviewing those policies to make sure that we're getting it right and listening to feedback I suppose and I think also You know, employees and young people have a really important part to play in that as well, maybe listening to that feedback from them and they can actually drive that sort of positive, those positive policies as well. Absolutely,

Peyton Pocock: yeah, yeah, I totally agree. Um, and you, you mentioned, uh, sort of working collaboratively, collaboratively, sorry, with other organisations. Um, I think similar to hundo, I believe you're also an associate organisation of Coldplay. Could you explain and elaborate a little bit on why it's so important to work together between different companies, different organisations to try and help solve these climate issues?

Avril Greenaway: Yeah, I'd love to. Um, it's a big belief of mine that, you know, collaboration is absolutely key. We won't do this. We won't tackle the problems that we need to tackle without working together, without engaging all the stakeholders, throwing up all the dots. It's just so, so important. Um, I have to mention Coldplay, you already have, and, um, that was an absolute game changer for us. Um, there's such an authentic band and team of people who really believe in what they're doing. And they have a goal to reduce their impact by 50 percent compared to the last World Tour. And, um, they've already hit 47%, I think, last summer, uh, verified by MIT, which is, is very, very cool. Um, and. For us, we, um, you know, sort of have some amplification of our key messages. If you go to a Coldplay concert, as you all know, um, at the beginning, just before the band come out on stage, they have a little, um, piece come up on their big screen, and, All the initiatives they support our logos come up and that's incredible and the really brilliant part about that is we have their fans tagging us on social media saying hey we saw your logo or they've they've videoed the little piece of our logo and then shared that on Instagram or wherever.

For us that's really brilliant because that's engaging with Audience or engaging people who have the same beliefs and ethos as us as well. So that's super cool. The other really brilliant thing is that last May when we went into manufacture, we were able to support Coldplay because they have four tour washing machines on the Music of the Sea as World Tour. And they have now got our commercial filters fitted to their commercial washing machines. Um. That's important for lots of reasons. Obviously they're lowering their emissions even more. We're able to measure that. So we can actually feed that back to their team and help support their ambition to reduce their impact. So for us, that's really meaningful. So it goes beyond, it sort of started as a support, becomes a bit more of a partnership, and it becomes a really, really meaningful, you know, collaboration. So, yeah, it's super important.

Peyton Pocock: It's quite exciting and really making tangible change, I think, and you can really start to see those improvements made. I've got one last question for you. Uh, is there any sort of technology or innovation that you think is going to have a really big impact in the future and excites you the most going forward? Thank you.

Avril Greenaway: Oh my gosh, that's a, that's a massive question. Um, I guess if there was something, I mean, you know, we're in the world of microplastics and microfibers. Um, there are trillions and trillions of microplastics in the ocean and being able to capture those effectively has got to be very top of my list. Um, we've actually got, we do actually have, um, a patented proof of concept to, Collect microplastics on beaches. Um, but I think actually achieving that in the ocean. That's yeah, that's that's right up there for me at the moment.

Peyton Pocock: Yeah agreed Well, thank you very much. Uh overall, I've really enjoyed our conversation today and hopefully, um, sort of provide some Advice for some of our young people that are looking to get into some sort of climate, um oriented roles Um, where can people sort of connect with you and find out more about the cleaner seas group?

Avril Greenaway: Yeah, please do connect Um, so via our website, which is, uh, cleaner-seas.com, uh, you'll find links to all our social channels on our website. Um, you can connect with me on LinkedIn, and, um, yeah, please do, I think, if there's anything, if you've got any questions following this, this chat, then I'd be happy to try and answer them if I can, or point you in the direction of somebody else who can.

Peyton Pocock: Perfect, well, thank you, and thank you, everyone else, for watching. Um, have a lovely remainder of your, uh, climate oriented live stream today.