Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Green Gown Award winning Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, Mya Harvey, Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Tyler Domone-Hollands, Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Do as I say, not as I do: The Sustainable Behaviour Gap
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Why do people say they care about sustainability but struggle to act on it?
In this student takeover episode of the Meliora Podcast we explore the ‘sustainable behaviour gap’- the disconnect between environmental values and everyday actions. Drawing on academic research and real-world examples, the discussion unpacks why awareness alone doesn’t lead to change and how factors like habits, social norms, cost and accessibility shape our decisions.
This episode goes beyond individual responsibility, examining how structural barriers, corporate practices and policy limitations can make sustainable choices difficult or even impossible. From consumer behaviour to greenwashing and energy systems, the conversation highlights how deeply embedded this gap is within our society.
Linking to key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 Climate Action, the episode considers what meaningful change could look like. Can small interventions like “nudges” shift behaviour? Or do we need larger systemic transformations?
Ultimately, this episode asks a critical question: "Is the problem really that individuals aren’t doing enough or that we haven’t created a world where sustainable behaviour is genuinely possible?" What do you think?
Host: Hannah Alidina
Guests : Olivia Thompson-Richards, Jack Austin, John Craig Santiano and Alice Burr
Editor: Hannah Alidina
This episode is part of the Student Takeover Season on the Meliora Podcast and is a group project from the University of Southampton UOSM2043 Global Sustainability Challenges module.
