Coffee & Geography

Coffee & Geography 5x24 Season Finale - Cultivating Climate Hope: A Tapestry of Action

A powerful culmination of our 23-episode journey with Climate Ambassadors! In this season finale, host Kit Marie Rackley weaves together profound insights from engineers, teachers, nuclear consultants, and soil scientists volunteering nationwide. Discover how these diverse experts are transforming climate anxiety into agency through six radical lessons: from starting small ("micro-wins build macro-change") to reframing clean energy as an "upgrade," and why soil health could resolve 30% of emissions. Hear directly from voices like nuclear safety engineer Jonathan Allen dismantling energy myths, marine biologist Ray Butchart's "small cog theory," and Environment Agency expert Amy Shaw's urgent Fens warning: "Compounding impacts at 2°C will hit by 2040-2050... We need to start thinking now." This episode proves climate action isn't a curriculum unit – it's a culture of pragmatic hope. If you enjoyed these snippets, then check out all the previous episodes of the incredible full discussions with Climate Ambassadors all over the country: https://soundcloud.com/geogramblings/sets/climate-ambassadors-england (audio) and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQO6y3KEGHinU1hSKBpNiYZq8zpycNn39 (video). Learn about the Climate Ambassadors Scheme and how you can become one of the 'small cogs' making a difference: https://climateambassadors.org.uk #ClimateEducation #ClimateAction #Sustainability #EcoAnxiety #GreenCareers #NatureBasedSolutions #SoilHealth #ClimateHope #GeographyTeacher #Podcast #ClimateAmbassadors #CleanEnergy #CommunityAction #PragmaticHope #EducationForSustainability ### About Coffee & Geography The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink! Music: 'Spark of Inspiration' by Shane Ivers (www.silvermansound.com/) ### How you can support the podcast and continue the conversation - Follow us on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/geogramblings.com and the hashtag #CoffeeGeogPod - Post a listener question for guests using #GeogQOverABrew - Rate, review (ratethispodcast.com/coffeegeogpod) and subscribe to the podcast via your preferred platform. - Support Geogramblings education efforts by donating at https://ko-fi.com/kitrackley - Switch your energy provider to Octopus Energy via this link: https://share.octopus.energy/reed-foal-15. Any referral rewards will go towards Geogramblings education efforts.

Coffee & Geography 5x23 The Denver Complex and Fens 2100+ Programme (with the Environment Agency)

Join Kit Marie at the Denver Complex in the East Anglian Fens—one of the UK’s largest tidal and fluvial management systems, second only to the Thames Barrier yet hidden in plain sight. In this special field episode, Environment Agency experts Louise Wilson (Strategy Advisor, Fens 2100+) and Amy Shaw (Fens Flood Risk Manager & Fens 2100+ Programme Director), alongside Katie Teesdale-Ward (Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Future Fens: Integrated Adaptation, based at Anglian Water), reveal how this 24/7 operational marvel sustains an area of almost half a million hectares; protects infrastructure, people, property and agriculture to the tune of £58bn; and redirects water almost 100 miles into south Essex, against gravity’s pull. We explore: 🔗 Why this 400-year-old plus engineered landscape is a national lifeline, guarding against sea-level rise and water shortages while feeding the UK. ⛈️ The "perfect storm" of climate threats: By 2040, a 2°C temperature rise could trigger compounding floods, droughts, and ecological collapse. 🤝 How the Fens 2100+ partnership pioneers adaptation—balancing farming, biodiversity, and community resilience. 🎓Why educators of all sorts, not just Geographers, must spotlight this hidden hero: "Without Denver, Cambridge would be underwater." Featured Links: - Climate Ambassadors (https://climateambassadors.org.uk) - Fens 2100+ Programme (https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/fens2100) - Denver Complex Visualised Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk1Kir8rJqw) - Fens Climate Risk Assessment - Tyndall Centre (https://tyndall.ac.uk/reports/the-uk-fens-climate-change-risk-assessment-big-challenges-and-strategic-solutions/) - Future Fens Integrated Adaptation (FFIA) (https://awinnovationhub.co.uk/project/future-fens-integrated-adaptation-ffia/) - The Ely-Ouse-Essex Water Transfer Scheme (https://greatbradley.weebly.com/water-transfer-scheme.html) Connect with Louise, Amy & Katie via their linked in profiles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-wilson-7889a472/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-shaw-64036734/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-teesdale-ward-4b76929/ #FloodResilience #WaterSecurity #ClimateAdaptation #Fens2100 #EastAnglia #GeographyTeacher #EnvironmentalEngineering #UKInfrastructure #ClimateAction #Podcast #Fens #DenverSluice #ClimateAmbassadors ### About Coffee & Geography The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink! Music: 'Spark of Inspiration' by Shane Ivers (www.silvermansound.com/) ### How you can support the podcast and continue the conversation - Follow us on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/geogramblings.com and the hashtag #CoffeeGeogPod - Post a listener question for guests using #GeogQOverABrew - Rate, review (ratethispodcast.com/coffeegeogpod) and subscribe to the podcast via your preferred platform. - Support Geogramblings education efforts by donating at ko-fi.com/kitrackley - Switch your energy provider to Octopus Energy via this link: https://share.octopus.energy/reed-foal-15. Any referral rewards will go towards Geogramblings education efforts.

Coffee & Geography 5x22 Royal Norfolk Show STEMM Village and RWE Mini-COP

On location at the UK's premier agricultural event! Kit Marie explores how Norfolk's farming heritage intersects with cutting-edge STEM innovation and youth climate action. Hosted by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA) – a charity advancing food production and rural education – the STEMM Village's 2025 theme "STEMM in the Food Chain: From Field to Future" showcases vital links between agriculture, science, and sustainability. Discover how soil health, renewable energy, and biodiversity shape our climate-resilient future! Get the full experience of this episode over at YouTube: https://youtu.be/s0tH4Vu07Ws Featured Highlights: 🌊 Tim Fisher (Norfolk Rivers Trust): Working with farmers to protect Norfolk's rivers including globally rare chalk rivers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae6XeifHdWA, just 220 worldwide!) from farm runoff while boosting drought resilience: https://norfolkriverstrust.org/ 🐸 Henry Walker (Norfolk FWAG): "Ponds are biodiversity oases!" – 30+ species in one scoop, restoring medieval habitats. Pond restoration miracles: https://www.norfolkfwag.co.uk/pond-restoration/ 🔄 Dr. Joanna Tippett (Roundview): Why holistic design prevents wind turbines from becoming tomorrow's landfill. Systems thinking toolkit: https://www.roundview.org/ ✈️ Hannah Colledge (Saxon Air): Electric planes, offshore wind shuttles (35k flights/yr!), and the aviation sustainability paradox. Green skies initiative: https://www.saxonair.com/sustainable-aviation/ 🌱 Youth Power: Drake Primary’s recycled school fairs, Roydon’s "Green Crusaders," and Thorpe St Andrew’s soil detectives. Student climate action: https://www.drake.norfolk.sch.uk/page/?title=Sustainability&pid=27 RWE Mini-COP’s 20+ schools debating climate pledges: https://uk.rwe.com/press-and-news/2025-06-19-norfolk-schools-join-mini-cop-2025-initiative/ Previous podcast chat with Dr Sam Fox and husband Simon about the Youth STEMM Award and more: https://soundcloud.com/geogramblings/coffee-geography-408 #FieldToFuture #STEMinAgriculture #ChalkRivers #BiodiversityOasis #SustainableAviation #YouthClimateAction #RoyalNorfolkShow #ClimateEducation #NorfolkInnovation #GeographyPodcast #CoffeeGeogPod #YouthSTEMMAward ### About Coffee & Geography The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink! Music: 'Spark of Inspiration' by Shane Ivers (www.silvermansound.com/) ### How you can support the podcast and continue the conversation - Follow us on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/geogramblings.com and the hashtag #CoffeeGeogPod - Post a listener question for guests using #GeogQOverABrew - Rate, review (ratethispodcast.com/coffeegeogpod) and subscribe to the podcast via your preferred platform. - Support Geogramblings education efforts by donating at ko-fi.com/kitrackley - Switch your energy provider to Octopus Energy via this link: https://share.octopus.energy/reed-foal-15. Any referral rewards will go towards Geogramblings education efforts.

Coffee & Geography 5x21 Ray Butchart (Yorkshire & Humber-based Climate Ambassador)

A season-long special interviewing #ClimateAmbassadors across the UK! Why did they become Ambassadors? How do their unique backgrounds empower climate action? Joining Kit Marie from the Yorkshire & Humberside region is Ray Butchart, a retired RAF aircraft engineer (22 years) and industry veteran (31 years) with 58 years of scuba diving expertise. Ray shares profound insights from recovering WWII aircraft (like the Halifax bomber in Norway!) to studying marine ecosystems worldwide. Discover how deep observation of nature—from Caribbean coral reefs to Saharan dust storms—fuels his climate advocacy. Ray discusses bridging generational gaps, empowering schools through STEM, and why "being a small cog" matters in the fight for our planet. Key topics: • Engineering the recovery of a sunken Halifax bomber (now at RAF Hendon Museum). • Marine biology mysteries: The escape artist octopus "Inky" and coral reef resilience. • How slow observation combats climate disconnection. • STEM outreach: Teaching semaphore, green-power cars, and underwater surveys. Links mentioned: • Climate Ambassadors (https://climateambassadors.org.uk) • RAF Hendon Museum (https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/) • Inky the Octopus’ Great Escape (https://www.npr.org/2016/04/16/474412283/inky-the-octopuss-great-escape) #GeographyPodcast #ClimateAction #MarineBiology #RAFEngineer #ScubaDiving #STEMEducation #Yorkshire #Hull #EnvironmentalObservation #NatureConnection #ClimateEducation #PodcastInterview #Sustainability #EcosystemConservation #GeographyTeacher ### About Coffee & Geography The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink! Music: 'Spark of Inspiration' by Shane Ivers (www.silvermansound.com/) ### How you can support the podcast and continue the conversation - Follow us on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/geogramblings.com and the hashtag #CoffeeGeogPod - Post a listener question for guests using #GeogQOverABrew - Rate, review (ratethispodcast.com/coffeegeogpod) and subscribe to the podcast via your preferred platform. - Support Geogramblings education efforts by donating at ko-fi.com/kitrackley - Switch your energy provider to Octopus Energy via this link: https://share.octopus.energy/reed-foal-15. Any referral rewards will go towards Geogramblings education efforts.

Coffee & Geography Espresso - 9 - #ShowYourStripesDay with Phil Humphries

‘Espresso’ & Geography is a #MiniGeogs #podcast short where Kit Marie and special guests talk current geographical affairs for a maximum of 15 minutes. This shot of geography-laden caffeine welcomes the wonderful Phil Humphries back to the #CoffeeGeogPod coffeehouse to talk about today (21st June 2025) being #ShowYourStripesDay. What are the climate/warming stripes and how do they help communicate what #ClimateChange actually is and enable action? Links: - #ShowYourStripes: https://www.showyourstripes.info/ - Newcastle University Sonification of the stripes: https://data.ncl.ac.uk/articles/media/Sonification_of_Warming_Stripes/28030463 - Show Your Stripes Day: https://www.reading.ac.uk/planet/events/show-your-stripes-day Listen back to Phil's previous appearance as a Coffee & Geography post guest here: https://soundcloud.com/geogramblings/coffee-geography-s02e03-phil-humphreys-uk ### About Coffee & Geography The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink! Music: 'Spark of Inspiration' by Shane Ivers (www.silvermansound.com/) ### How you can support the podcast and continue the conversation - Follow us on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/geogramblings.com and the hashtag #CoffeeGeogPod - Post a listener question for guests using #GeogQOverABrew - Rate, review (ratethispodcast.com/coffeegeogpod) and subscribe to the podcast via your preferred platform. - Support Geogramblings education efforts by donating at ko-fi.com/kitrackley - Switch your energy provider to Octopus Energy via this link: https://share.octopus.energy/reed-foal-15. Any referral rewards will go towards Geogramblings education efforts.