In March of this year, I gained a qualification in "Carbon Literacy for Marketing Professionals". Anne-Marie Soulsby, or Annie - The Sustainability Coach as she is well known - was my teacher.

Annie describes herself as "your Personal Trainer for Environmental Impact". She helps individuals who are "eager to make sustainable choices and embrace a greener lifestyle", or who are suffering from "Eco-Anxiety".

She also helps business leaders and teams with their journey to Net Zero, to meet their ESG targets with greater confidence, and to avoid Greenwashing... "seeking clarity amidst the complexity of sustainability and climate change [and feeling] challenged by a lack of time and resources to make impactful changes".

This animated conversation will leave you feeling optimistic and even excited about embarking on your own Carbon Literacy journey.

Annie was recently featured in The Guardian as an expert offering advice on how to have a plastic-free beach holiday. Read all about it here:

From swimwear to toys: how to go plastic-free for a day at the beach

And you can find out more about joining the 100,000 of us (woohoo!) who are Carbon Literate via the Carbon Literacy Project or by getting in touch with Annie directly:

• https://www.thesustainablelifecoach.com/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sustainable-life-coach-climate-change/

Big thanks to Jon Alexander - who co-founded the New Citizenship Project and wrote the seminal book, Citizens - for introducing me to Heather Davies - Co-founder of Re-Action, a social enterprise promoting circular solutions in the outdoor sector, who introduced me to Annie and co-facilitated the "Carbon Literacy for Marketing Professionals ... and who has also been a guest on the podcast!

Here's why you might like to become Carbon Literate as a Marketer, according to the Chartered Institute of Marketing:

Marketers have a significant role to play in how businesses respond to the complex challenges of climate change. This course, accredited by The Carbon Literacy Trust, enables you to formally certify as a Carbon Literate citizen. It is the first step to becoming a sustainable marketer.

The course is designed to help you explore the sustainability landscape and its effect on people the planet and profitability. It also looks at the critical role of organisations and the part marketers must play in responding to the sustainability challenge.

This certified course covers everything marketers need to be aware of, including what carbon literacy is, the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, how to calculate carbon footprint, the Triple Bottom Line, the Circular Economy and marketing as a catalyst for change.

This course is designed for marketers interested in sustainability and how it is likely to impact the future of marketing. The programme is delivered over 8 hours - 7 hours of virtual training plus video content and additional resources. Carbon Literacy Trust Certification is awarded following the successful completion of the course and submission of your action plan.

• The science of climate change, the effect of global warming and becoming carbon neutral


• Understand the sustainable landscape and marketing’s responsibility


• What is carbon literacy and how to calculate your (and your company’s) carbon footprint


• What are the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and how organisations can use SDGs to shape their strategies


• The role of business, the Triple Bottom Line, the Circular Economy and the supply chain


• Marketing as a catalyst for change, its purpose and the need for behavioural change


• The impact of marketing communications, The Green Claims Code and different sustainability models


• Work through a range of sustainability case studies and success stories and leave with your personal and professional sustainability impact plan


• Become a Carbon Literate citizen certified by the Carbon Literacy Trust