The planet needs us to change our ways to avoid catastrophe. These Changemakers are doing everything in their power to get the message across.
Aneysha Minocha, Quantaco
Around 80% of the buildings that exist today will still be around in 2050. That means we can’t rely solely on new green buildings to cut our emissions: we need to decarbonise the buildings we already have.
But assessing a building’s retrofit needs takes time – and when it comes to net zero, every day counts. Aneysha Minocha, a senior leader with more than 25 years of experience in energy efficiency, data-led low carbon strategies and renewable energy technologies, invented a software platform called Quantaco to speed up this process. It allows stakeholders to generate rapid, detailed assessments of “delivery for large-scale net-zero building retrofits”.
“A lot of us find the idea of climate emergency overwhelming and disempowering. Not Aneysha,” Minocha’s nominator wrote. “She left the safe and slow corporate world and all its excuses, to invent a new way of accelerating us to net zero.”
What is your big issue and how are you trying to tackle it?
We’re in a climate emergency and it’s getting worse. You only have to look at the news to see that. Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, but efforts to reduce this are too slow, too piecemeal and too small. Looking ahead to 2050, most of the buildings around us will be ones that are already standing – so we have to fix or retrofit them, rather than put our faith in swanky new construction. That’s why Quantaco is accelerating, simplifying and cutting the cost of decarbonising existing commercial and public-sector big-property portfolios, like hospitals and councils, at scale. And it’s also scientifically validated by Swansea University. We really cannot keep dragging our feet.
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What’s the one thing you want people to know about your work?
We’re all about cutting carbon emissions, but it often cuts operating costs too. So even if you don’t care about the future of humanity, doing the right thing could also save you money.
Do you have any memorable moments from 2024?
Quantaco received a big grant from the government’s Innovate UK agency which massively helped us develop our decarbonisation software.
What are your plans for 2025?
Our key focus is to grow the business with more customers. Plus, it’s not just about us at Quantaco. No single person or company has the complete answer. There are so many great UK companies with innovative new green tech products. We plan to ensure that more people get to hear about them so that they can choose the right option for their own decarbonising needs, and actually install them. Less delay, more action. Let’s work together and get on with it!
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The Weald Action Group
In June 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the climate impact of burning fossil fuels must be considered by authorities approving projects. The judgment will make it harder for new fossil fuel projects to get approval. It’s largely down to the Weald Action Group, a network of grassroots campaigners. Friends of the Earth praised them for “five years of grit and determination”.
Project Giving Back
Every year, charities showcase beautiful gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Many wouldn’t exist without grants from Project Giving Back (PGB). Since 2022, PGB have spent millions funding 42 Chelsea gardens. Alex Geaney of Horatio’s Garden, a spinal injuries charity that was assisted by PGB, said: “Every single one of the team deserves to be celebrated for all that they do to champion causes great and small.”
Team Love
Image: Naomi Williams
There will be “no music on a dead planet”, climate activists warn. Team Love, an independent events production company in Bristol, takes this message seriously. Last year, the team helped organise Massive Attack’s trailblazing sustainable festival: 100% powered by renewable energy, it was the lowest carbon/greenhouse gas emissions show of its scale ever staged. Team Love also helps 18- to 30-year-olds from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds to find their footing in the events world. Rock on, we say.
Find the rest of the Changemakers series on the links below and pick up the magazine from your local Big Issue vendor.
In 2017, when her kettle broke, Lorna Montgomery didn’t want to chuck it out, so she founded Share and Repair in Bath. It runs a library of things and 10 repair cafes, helping locals fix their old stuff. Brits throw out 70 million homeware items every year. Share and Repair is tackling it, one old computer at a time.
Matt Staniek, Save Windermere
Outraged by repeated pollution in England’s largest lake, Cumbria local Matt Staniek launched the Save Windermere campaign in 2021. Since October 2023, he’s held a weekly strike outside the office of United Utilities, the company responsible for managing Windermere’s water quality. It has since committed to its largest-ever investment in the lake at £190m. “In the world of campaigning, hope is essential,” Staniek told Big Issue. “It’s what keeps us going, so my glass is definitely still half full!”
When the River Severn burst its banks in 2000, Mary Long-Dhonau’s Worcester home was flooded with sewage. Over the last two decades, the indefatigable campaigner – affectionately known as ‘Flood Mary’ – has met with thousands of flood victims, raising awareness of risk and helping people prepare and recover. Her website contains a wealth of resources and sound advice for anyone affected by flooding.
Blean Bison Project
Image: Donovan Wright
In the woods near Canterbury, a herd of wild bison is restoring the landscape. They were introduced to the area in 2022 as part of a project by the Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wildwood Trust. An initial herd of three has since grown to eight, with a bull added to the mix and four calves born on the reserve (above). Already they are making the woods less overgrown, allowing flower species, butterflies and invertebrates to flourish. The project could help the UK get its legally binding biodiversity targets back on track.
Dr Nicola Bradbear, Bees For Development
Global development charity Bees for Development shares beekeeping skills with people in the poorest communities of the world, giving a reliable, sustainable income for life. Founder Dr Nicola Bradbear was nominated by TV presenter Kate Humble, who said: “[Their] work lifts people out of poverty, but at the same time saves habitats and increases biodiversity. It ticks so many boxes.”
Lylo
According to the Environment Agency, England will run short of water in 25 years, so we need to change how we consume it. Lylo is a company started by Young Changemakers Joanna Power and Paramveer Bhachu, both 25, which offers products that find innovative ways to reuse water. They have developed a portable washing machine for students, which reuses filtered shower water to do laundry.
