Meet the Mancunian - Talking climate action with Hannah Ballard

Meet the Mancunian-5.8-Hannah Ballard – transcript

Intro

Welcome to the fifth season of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, social impact stories from Manchester. I'm Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, your friendly host. It's a privilege and a pleasure for me to interview some of the most inspiring people working in Manchester's social impact sector and feature them on this podcast.

My guests are leaders and worker bees associated as employees, trustees, and volunteers with social enterprises, non-profits, and community groups. They share their life stories and passions with you, dear listener. My aim through this podcast is to inspire you and share a bit of good news.

My guests tackle serious concerns in Manchester but many of these are also universal themes resonating in many parts of the globe. All my guests talk about the power of collaboration and how together we are stronger. They, of course, expand on their pride in Manchester and Mancunians as well.

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If you are a new listener, you can log on to www.meetthemancunian.co.uk to listen to the first four seasons of the podcast, and read more about my podcasting story. If you are a returning listener, welcome back. Thank you for your support.

Welcome to the eighth episode of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, season five.

Passionate about taking climate action? We hear from Hannah Ballard, Director, Sustainable Change Studio in this episode

Episode 8

[00:00:00] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: I'm delighted to introduce my guest, Hannah Ballard, Director, Sustainable Change Studio. Thank you so much, Hannah for joining me today.

[00:00:08] Hannah Ballard: Thanks so much for inviting me.

[00:00:10] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Great to meet you on a weekday evening, and I'm sure it's a busy week. So, thanks for taking the time. Tell us first about your passion for climate change. Where did that come from?

[00:00:22] Hannah Ballard: So, it actually started back in 2005. I was in my local library, as a kid. Found a book by, I think it was the WWF, about the impact of agriculture on the environment. And at 11, I became quite an aggressive vegetarian. I was so influenced by really the fear of what that was, the impact that climate change was having on the world. And I guess that kind of stuck with me as I grew up. And it was in the last couple of years, I was working for a charity in Canada where I really began to see that fear in the next generation of children. But realising now that sort of the adults that they're calling on to do something is me. So that really  has driven me to turn that passion into action a bit more.

[00:01:04] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you for sharing that. And that is so interesting. I turned vegetarian myself, but I was, I think, in my late twenties by the time I found it. But I can understand how important that is as well as other climate friendly action that people can take.

So, tell us about how you got involved or started Sustainable Change Studio and what does it do? What's the aim behind it?

[00:01:29] Hannah Ballard:, My background is communications for emerging technology. For about a decade, I've been working with these high-tech start-ups who can't always communicate what they're doing in language that's friendly to people who aren't in high tech start-ups. And I was really fortunate to then fall into this charity where we were teaching children digital skills through that lens of responsibility and ethics.

And it was really the passion that young people have for the future and the very justified upset they feel at adults about not doing more. That really sort of pushed me to start moving into this space. I started Sustainable Change Studio about a year and a half ago. I'm very much bootstrapping it as I'm still doing my master's at the moment in climate change and development.

But I'm really trying to take an emergent approach to building the company. I'm very much sitting back and seeing, what is needed? Trying to bring my experience and my expertise in storytelling and translating complex ideas into something that people can care about.

And trying to just explore where that could go in a really organic way. And then supporting it with consulting work with a number of start-ups and organisations.

[00:02:42] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Also in the space of climate change or in a broader communication focus?

[00:02:48] Hannah Ballard: At the moment, it's more broader innovation. I'm very fortunate to consult with the charity that I used to work with where I've been working on a project called Digital Leaders where we've created this initiative where it's round tables for young people. And we're really just trying to scale that and build up this really rich bank of insights and ideas from young people on what they think about the state of the world, of digital regulations, of diversity and inclusion, of climate change and what they want adults to do and build up that bank of knowledge.

[00:03:19] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Are there challenges? I know it's been only a year and a half, but you've been in the broader space for a little while, so are there some challenges that you've had to overcome? I always ask this question because it's helpful for others getting into the space, whether it in the climate change space or broader social enterprises.

[00:03:37] Hannah Ballard: Yeah, I think there's always a big question of imposter syndrome and whether or not I belong. I'm not a scientist. My undergraduate degree was in English literature, so sometimes I do catch myself thinking should people really be trusting my expertise. But I have to say over the last 10 years from starting out in a very male financial technology space where I was made to feel like I did not belong. Over time, I think people are really appreciating the role of communications and soft skills more, and especially in the climate change space. I do feel it's a lot more welcoming for some of that diversity.

So compared to where I've come from, there's fewer hurdles, but I think, you know, the self-doubt and also the existential fear. This climate change is quite a big crisis staring us all down.

[00:04:27] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you for sharing that as a fellow communications professional. Probably been around a little bit longer than you, but I can totally understand, and it does take time to be a torch bearer, so it's great. It's great to know that you are navigating that successfully.

What impact would you say you've made? I know it's early days, but you know, can you talk a little bit about the impact you've made, any of the projects you're working on, maybe even that round table for young people?

[00:04:56] Hannah Ballard: So, the round tables, so far we've reached, I think, we've directly reached 40, 50 young people, but we've indirectly reached probably over a thousand. Just creating space for young people to share how they feel and what they think. I think it is really impactful. Increasingly young people are being brought to the forefront of conversations, but they're not necessarily being given power to then act on what they're saying or what they're thinking.

Like it's very nice to have a young person stand up and say there is a problem, but they're not necessarily being given the education and the support to address that problem. So, creating that space where we are listening to young people I think.

The feedback I've got from young people, they want to do more. They want to be heard. They have a lot of things to say. And I think the same sort of goes across. I try to take a very similar communications approach with how I speak to young people, is how I speak to people of all ages. And seeing that spark when we are flipping the dialogue of it's not just let's fear climate change, it's let's see how we can take this crisis moment to build a more inclusive, more exciting, more wonderful future for all. Like I'm hoping that's the impact. I'm trying to spread what I can.

[00:06:08] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Can I just check, what was the charity that you mentioned, the other one in Canada that you are consulting with?

[00:06:13] Hannah Ballard: I'm so sorry. It's Digital Moment. The, the initiative is Digital Leaders. Digital Leaders is an initiative of Digital 2030 by Digital Moment.

[00:06:22] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: And then maybe some actionable tips that people could take, whether they be in companies or groups or even individuals that you can suggest on climate change.

[00:06:35] Hannah Ballard: I think the first is, give yourself a break, you're not going to be able to do everything on your own. I think this is a very easy trap that a lot of us fall in to is trying to do everything all at once. Follow your interests and take it from there.

So if you are really interested in food, looking at the more sustainable options you can make, maybe start to trace through and look at maybe how you can... Maybe if you're working in somewhere with a canteen, can you advocate for more plant-based options, more UK locally grown options and just really trying to take things a step at a time.

I think there's some research out that says we as individuals have mixed perceptions. We think that certain actions are way better for the environment than they are while we underestimate the role of others.

So, things like not owning a car, taking public transport more often has quite a large impact. Buying locally. So you're saving that sort of invisible emissions of that come through this, the entire sort of supply chain. But mostly it's sort of buying less, consuming less. It's a bit more abstract but starting where you can.

And I think the biggest tip I'd have is finding a community around you. Because then you can protect yourself a bit about the burnout. You can discuss, connect, and I think there's a lot of power in in coming together.

[00:07:49] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you. These are all really great tips, and I really like the one about finding a community because there is a real wisdom in crowds and like you said, those diverse perspectives and many different backgrounds and experiences can help towards that. Thanks, those are great tips.

How can interested people reach out to you and learn more? Where can they find you online?

[00:08:13] Hannah Ballard: By the time this podcast goes out, I should have a website at sustainablechange.studio. Otherwise, I'm Hannah Ballard on LinkedIn and I'm currently working on a climate perception survey with a group of young people at the Global Shapers community at the Hub in Manchester. So, we're hopefully going to be hitting the streets, so maybe you'll see us around asking for your perceptions on what the climate crisis impact in Manchester is and what we'd like done on it locally.

[00:08:41] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: I didn't ask you when you said your degree is in climate change. Where is it from?

[00:08:48] Hannah Ballard: I'm studying at the University of Manchester. It's the masters in international development, and then I'm focusing specifically on environment, climate change and development.

[00:08:57] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Very interesting. And then what advice would you have for people looking to start a similar movement in their local community? If they want to do something in the climate change space, how do they get started?

[00:09:10] Hannah Ballard: Again, I think I've seen a lot of people crash quite hard by taking the traditional start-up approach of move fast, go hard, break things. I think there's a lot to be said about taking a more slow pace just as we're trying to take on more slow fashion, slow food. If we're looking to tackle climate change, we should really think about different ways of operating.

I'd say firstly, don't rush too much. It's a big problem, but also, we're not going to solve it overnight. So, take some time to find out what you are most interested in and follow your curiosity. And I guess I'd reiterate the point about finding that community around you, because it's very rare that you are the only person who's interested in advocating for climate change.

So, finding those like-minded people, finding people who have slightly different perspectives, so can challenge you. I think there's a lot to be said about building coalitions across maybe, different perspectives to, build towards more productive consensus.

So yeah, I guess follow your curiosity and make sure you, build a collective around you along the way.

[00:10:13] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you. That does sound like really valuable advice.

An opportunity now for you to talk about anything I haven't asked you about.

[00:10:22] Hannah Ballard: I think something that maybe we don't think of often is just volunteering more. So I try to volunteer quite a lot. I mentor. I volunteer with an organisation called Manchester Cares, which is all about social clubs for older neighbours and maybe young professionals in the city who don't know many people.

And I think just trying to find opportunities where you can just bring a bit of joy into other people's lives. I think there's a lot to be said about just connecting with the people around us a bit more.

[00:10:50] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Absolutely. I think volunteering is really good for the soul and good for the community and you know, definitely good for the environment as well, because there's a lot of joy that's going out there then, so it's definitely a shout out for that.

I'll go to the signature questions that I ask all my guests. And, can I ask you to describe the Mancunian spirit in a word or a phrase?

[00:11:13] Hannah Ballard: I guess smile. I feel like people will smile at you, and there's something to be said about a really soulful smile of someone who wishes you well.

[00:11:22] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That is lovely. And I like the thought of that, that there's a lot of happy people sending good vibes to other happy people.

Can you share a Mancunian who inspires you and somebody from the past or in the current moment? Doesn't have to be famous. Can be just somebody in your life.

[00:11:42] Hannah Ballard: I feel this is very stereotypical, but from a very young age I was very into the suffragettes and I think there's a lot to be said for the work that the Pankhurst’s did in using their platform to advocate for women's voices and women's rights because as a woman, I'm very grateful to have the opportunities that other women before me have fought for.

So I think, that it has to be the Pankhurst’s for playing a role in the wider women's suffragette movement to get us here today.

[00:12:09] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you. She does come up very often. The Pankhurst family, or individuals within the family, but I think they've been so instrumental and really wrapped up in Manchester's identity. So, it is really great.

What's the most important life lesson you learned so far?

[00:12:26] Hannah Ballard: I definitely feel like I'm still learning and I think that might be it actually. Be open to continuously learning. I think there's a lot of power in, the humility of being very open that you don't know everything. And I think when you are open to continuously learn you find out a lot more than you would if you, if you weren't.

I'm actively continuously learning, obviously doing a degree at the moment, but also, trying to speak to lots of people, like explore, go to museums And I think, even the lessons that that one has learned… I've learned that you should take breaks and I regularly do not, like a lot of very ambitious people can identify with, I'm sure.

But I think open to continuously learn helps get you back onto that path.

[00:13:09] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Yeah, I totally resonate with that. I call myself a bit of a learning junkie and learning it's not just formal, it's also those informal teaching moments from a webinar or a podcast you listen to. Maybe somebody finds this conversation as a bit of a learning moment for them, or a course or just shadowing somebody else who's in the space and, there's so many different opportunities. Great.

If you could have one superpower, what would that be?

[00:13:40] Hannah Ballard: I wish I could think of something really meaningful, but I would really just love to fly. I think if we could all fly, we'd cut our emissions down a huge amount, and it would just be great fun.

[00:13:52] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Yeah. Is there a funny story you'd like to share with listeners? Something in Manchester, something in your work, in your college.

[00:14:03] Hannah Ballard: It's not Manchester, but I think it speaks to the humility of being open to learning. It's the first one that's come to mind, but I was living in Montreal during the pandemic and at the start of the pandemic when it was that weird time when we weren't too sure of what we were allowed or not allowed to do.

I decided to buy some things for my bike so I could cycle more and wouldn't have to go on public transport. And a man stopped me outside the shop and he said to me, tu est belle which translates as you are bin. And I was like, excuse me, my French isn't perfect. I was like, Excusez moi. And he said to tu est plus belle and I was like, oh my gosh, how rude.

And walked off and messaged a friend, like, I can't believe someone's just called me a bin. It's a really weird thing to say. And my friend said, are you sure that he didn't just say to tu est plus belle, which translates as very beautiful. So, I was absolutely mortified. I thought he'd..

[00:14:54] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Poor man.

[00:14:56] Hannah Ballard: And I think that was a learning moment of trying to assume the best from people because maybe they aren't calling you a bin, maybe they're being quite kind.

[00:15:04] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That is a really great story and, it's a pandemic story as well, so I like that.

So thanks so much Hannah.

[00:15:12] Hannah Ballard: Thanks so much for having me. I've had a really lovely conversation and it's been a delight.

Outro

Hannah, I really enjoyed learning about supporting climate action today.

Dear listener, thank you for listening to the eighth episode of season five of the Meet the Mancunian Podcast, social impact stories from Manchester.

I hope you enjoyed it. And it motivates you to follow your own dreams and passions. Please do consider visiting the website, www.meetthemancunian.co.uk to leave me some feedback or suggestions on what causes resonated with you or ones that you would like to see featured here. I really welcome listener feedback and will do my best to incorporate your suggestions in future episodes.

Next week, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Claire Squires about supporting veterans. Tune in on Tuesday 13 June 2023 to hear the next episode.

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Thank you so much.