Planet Positive Pulse - August
Discover the “barbell of impact”: balance simple, values-aligned investing with building human capital — skills, health, creativity, and networks. From ESG to regenerative farming and youth empowerment, this month’s insights show how to build resilience and drive meaningful change.
Writing this on a rainy day in London, it feels like the summer is now coming to end. Quite a memorable summer at that, given the glorious sunny weather across multiple heat waves — also a stark reminder that climate change is very much real.
If ever we needed fresh motivation to drive transformational change, now is the time. But how best do we have an impact in driving change?
Traditional investing often talks about a "barbell strategy" of balancing a core portfolio of boring/stable investments with a satellite of exciting large bets. But what about a "barbell of impact"? I often suggest a holistic approach to personal wealth. Focus on where you invest your time for the best impact.
Financial Capital (the boring side):
Keep it simple, low-cost and diversified. The FCA’s new sustainability labels are a great tool to help make it time-efficient to keep your portfolio values-aligned. Our Sustainability News section this month highlights how much of the corporate world is still embedding ESG into their business — proving that diversified portfolios need not dilute impact.
Human Capital (the high-leverage side):
A recent study shows that over 60% of global economic growth comes from human capital, not machines or minerals. Human capital is the true engine of growth.
Either pour your time and energy into developing your own skills, health, creativity and networks. The Academy of Life Planners Insights section this month focuses on how the GAME Plan can help with developing human capital.
Or spend time and financial capital on supporting others doing the same. The inspiring non-profit highlighted this month is the Passion Project. It is reimagining the innovation ecosystem to help young people find purpose — and, if successful, could transform the way breakthroughs happen.
As always, we kick off the Pulse with some Positive Climate News — enjoy!
🌟 Positive Climate News
🌾 Regenerative Farming: Yeo Valley’s Next Big Bet
Yeo Valley Organic isn’t just sticking to yogurt — it’s rethinking farming from the soil up.
The UK brand that helped bring organic food mainstream is now going all-in on regenerative agriculture. Think: mob grazing, companion planting, and beetle-powered weed control. It’s nature-led farming that boosts soil health, cuts emissions, and restores biodiversity — all while producing better food.
Why it matters:
🌱 Soil is the solution – Healthier soil = more carbon stored, more resilient crops
🐄 Happy cows, thriving land – Mixed pastures + rotating herds = better yields and biodiversity
🌳 Trees meet cattle – Large-scale silvopasture is in motion, with 1,000 acres planned
🪲 Let nature do the work – Dock beetles now tackle weeds once controlled by mowing
Regenerative farming isn’t a throwback — it’s the future. Yeo Valley is showing how scaling nature-based practices can cut emissions, rebuild ecosystems, and restore trust between farmers and the public.
“It’s not about going back. It’s about going forward — with biology on your side.”
🚗 The EV Revolution Is Global — and Accelerating Fast
Think EVs are just a rich-world trend? Think again. Developing nations are racing ahead in the switch to electric mobility — and leaving some so-called “leaders” in the dust.
📈 Plug-in sales surged 60% in developing countries in 2024, with countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Djibouti importing over 75% electric vehicles last year. In Vietnam, EV-maker VinFast took over a third of all car sales in early 2025. Even fossil fuel giants like Saudi Arabia are embracing the shift — EVs are on the rise across the Gulf.
Why it matters:
⚡ Cheaper, cleaner transport – Battery prices are dropping fast, and in places like Thailand, EVs are already cheaper than petrol cars
💸 Lower running costs – Crucial in emerging markets where cars double as taxis and goods vehicles
🛢️ Energy independence – In India and Pakistan, oil imports eat up nearly a third of total imports. EVs could wipe out trade deficits
🛑 The oil demand myth is cracking – OPEC’s bet on rising fossil fuel use in the Global South? Way off.
The kicker? While the Global South electrifies, wealthy nations are stalling with tariff walls, weak fuel policies, and botched charger rollouts. The future of transport is already here — just not evenly distributed.
“By the time rich countries realise how far they’ve fallen behind, it’ll be too late to catch up.”
🚴♀️ The E-Bike That Ditched the Battery
Meet Pi-Pop — a French-made electric bike powered by supercapacitors, not lithium.
While most e-bikes still rely on resource-intensive batteries, Pi-Pop is flipping the script. Instead of storing energy chemically like a typical battery, it does it electrostatically — meaning faster charge, longer life, and zero lithium.
Why it matters:
⚡ No lithium, no rare earths – Lower footprint, fewer supply chain concerns
🔁 Regenerative braking – Recharges while you ride, especially on hills
🧬 Longer lifespan – Supercapacitors last through more charge cycles than batteries
🌍 Lighter impact – A step toward truly circular e-mobility
The Pi-Pop is now in its third generation, weighs 21.7kg, and retails for €2,450. You’ll need to pick it up from the factory in France for now — but it's a signal that greener, smarter micro-mobility is just getting started.
“It’s like an e-bike powered by static — and it might just change the game.”
🦋 150 Species Bouncing Back Thanks to Local Conservation
Big wins for UK biodiversity: 150 struggling species are showing signs of recovery, thanks to 63 projects backed by Natural England and over $15 million in funding.
From seabirds to butterflies, dormice to orchids, this is proof that nature rebounds fast when given the chance.
Highlights:
🌼 642 acres of new wildflower meadows & 1,000 acres of floodplain grasslands
🦉 633 nesting sites created for bats, otters, birds & more
🦅 Red-billed choughs hatch wild in Kent — first time in 200 years
🪻 Lady’s slipper orchid propagates naturally after 30+ years of effort
💧 215 wetlands restored, now home to water voles & bitterns
🙌 100,000+ volunteer hours donated — a people-powered success story
“You give nature an inch — it takes a mile, in the best way.”
🏗️ World’s Largest Sand Battery Is Heating Up Finland’s Clean Energy Future
In a quiet Finnish town, a 13-metre-high sand battery is storing clean energy, cutting emissions by 70%, and phasing out oil — all with a simple, scalable solution: hot sand.
Built by Polar Night Energy, the Pornainen system stores 100 MWh of heat from excess solar and wind, keeping schools, libraries, and homes warm — even in sub-zero winters.
Why it matters:
🔥 No lithium needed – Sand is cheap, abundant, and 100% recyclable
🌬️ Stores heat for days (or months) – Perfect for seasonal energy shifts
🏫 District heating decarbonised – Town buildings now run almost entirely on clean energy
♻️ Circular by design – Made from Finnish soapstone, a fireplace industry by-product
🌍 Scalable potential – Polar Night plans to build systems 100x larger worldwide
“It’s nothing fancy. Just smart tech, hot air, and a lot of sand.”
Simple. Local. Game-changing. And it might just be the future of clean energy storage.
📖 Full story at Optimist Daily →
🚀 Inspiring Climate Innovation
🌱 Muju Earth: Breathing Life Back Into Soil
What if you could plant a seed that fixes the land itself?
Meet Muju Earth, the award-winning climate-tech start-up behind Aeropod — smart, biodegradable soil capsules that respond to extreme weather by breaking up compaction, restoring oxygen, and boosting crop yields by up to 30%. No machines. No chemicals. Just intelligent design doing the work underground.
🧠 Invented by 19-year-old Nigerian innovator Ifeoluwa Afolayan and her team, Aeropod recently won top prize at Imperial College’s WE Innovate 2025, hailed as a breakthrough for farmers facing the twin crises of soil degradation and climate change.
Why it’s powerful:
🌾 One-time planting → season-long soil health
💧 Activated by rainfall → works when land needs it most
🌍 Designed for farmers in climate-vulnerable regions
♻️ Biodegradable & nutrient-rich → replaces synthetic fertilisers
“This innovation can reshape agriculture in Nigeria — and beyond,” says Afolayan.
Muju Earth isn’t just treating the symptoms of broken farming — it’s helping regenerate humanity’s most essential resource: living soil.
🚀 Inspiring Non-Profit
🧭 The Passion Project: Helping Young People Find Their Why
The Passion Project Foundation is flipping the script on youth development in the UK — helping young people heal, grow, and thrive by starting with what really matters: purpose.
Built with young people and backed by experts, The Passion Project connects disengaged youth to training, education, and jobs through what already lights them up — music, sport, creativity, and culture.
Their approach?
🧠 Emotional intelligence first – Social and emotional learning is the foundation
🎯 Purpose-driven pathways – Youth are matched with real-world opportunities in education and work
🌍 Collaborative model – A UK-wide support network spanning grassroots orgs to Westminster
📱 Digital-first – Fun, useful, and always accessible via a core digital platform
💡 Funded by a Social Impact Bond – Payment-by-results model supporting long-term transformation
At its heart is The Ladder — a framework for emotional growth that helps young adults navigate life’s challenges and climb toward stability, confidence, and contribution.
“Our goal isn’t just employment — it’s transformation, from the inside out.”
From healing trauma to unlocking talent, the Passion Project is proving that with the right support, every young person has something powerful to give.
💸Sustainable Investing News
In this month’s sustainable investing section, we’re spotlighting a quiet but powerful shift: ESG is increasingly seen as just good business by many businesses. It’s no longer about virtue-signalling — it’s about managing risk, building resilience, and staying competitive. This is becoming the era of "greenhushing" — where firms decarbonise quietly, without a marketing fanfare.
This all indicates that the transition is actually happening faster than we may be realise. Transition risk is real. How exposed is your investment portfolio to this?
💸UK Firms Still Back ESG — But Messaging Needs Improvement
Despite political headwinds, over 80% of UK organisations still prioritise ESG and sustainability — and nearly 75% are willing to sacrifice profit to meet those goals, according to new research from the University of Nottingham and Browne Jacobson.
But here’s the catch: confusing, inconsistent language is undermining their efforts. Vague terms like “green” and “sustainable” are blurring meaning, exposing companies to credibility, legal, and reputational risk — especially as scrutiny on greenwashing intensifies.
The message?
✅ ESG is here to stay
🧠 Clarity builds trust
⚖️ Poor communication = real liability
“ESG is no longer a soft initiative — it’s a business imperative. But it’s only as credible as the language behind it.”
💸84% of Companies Are Sticking With — or Stepping Up — Climate Action
Despite economic and political noise, most companies aren’t backing down on climate. According to PwC’s 2025 State of Decarbonization, 84% of public companies are holding steady or ramping up their net-zero goals — with smaller businesses joining the movement in record numbers.
💼 Why it matters:
✅ Climate targets = smart business — Sustainable products are earning 6–25% more
📈 CapEx + OpEx rising — Firms expect to increase climate spending by 18–21% by 2030
🔗 Supply chains under pressure — Scope 3 disclosure up 80%, but only 54% on track
💡 Innovation leads — 83% investing in low-carbon tech, from renewables to sustainable design
Even companies scaling back are mostly fine-tuning unrealistic targets — not giving up. And while Scope 1 & 2 progress is strong, Scope 3 remains the biggest challenge and opportunity.
Sustainability isn’t just surviving — it’s evolving into a growth strategy.
Miss the shift, and you risk getting left behind.
📊🌱 New SME Emissions Standard: From Burden to Benefit
Let’s be honest — reporting standards aren’t the most thrilling news. But this one could be a game-changer.
A new UK SME Emissions Standard has just been launched to cut through the noise of duplicative climate data requests. For small and medium-sized businesses — who make up 90% of the UK economy and nearly half of industrial emissions — this could be huge.
Key points:
✅ One standard, many uses – “Report once, share everywhere” model reduces admin headaches
💷 Unlocks green finance – Clearer, trusted data opens access to loans and low-carbon supply chains
🔗 Supports Scope 3 reporting – Helps big corporates and investors get better, consistent data
🌍 Backed by government + industry – Signalling momentum for national adoption
The takeaway? Streamlined emissions reporting may not grab headlines, but it’s vital infrastructure. By making Scope 3 data simpler and stronger, this standard could accelerate decarbonisation across entire supply chains.
📖 Academy of Life Planners Insights
This month focuses on benefits of the GAME Plan.
🧠 Why White-Collar Britain Needs a GAME Plan
The AI age has flipped the script. Robots aren’t just replacing factory jobs anymore — they’re coming for consultants, accountants, analysts, and paralegals. White-collar Britain is discovering what blue-collar workers already knew: when tech shifts, job security evaporates.
The result? A new class of the “AI-era Brahmin Left” — highly educated, debt-burdened professionals who did everything “right” but are now insecure, underemployed, and politically adrift.
So what’s the answer? The GAME Plan:
🎯 Goals – Redefine success beyond the career ladder
⚡ Actions – Build habits for resilience and autonomy
💡 Means – Use human capital (creativity, empathy, wisdom) over financial capital
🚀 Execution – Deliver purposeful work that machines can’t replicate
The message is clear: the future won’t belong to those who compete with AI, but to those who complement it. It’s not just about survival — it’s about reclaiming prosperity on your own terms.
💡 Why Investing in Yourself Beats the Market — Especially at 20
Meet Ella Coombs, a 20-year-old who’s built a thriving second-hand clothing business while working three jobs. Bankers tell her to save into ISAs and pensions, but her side hustle is already delivering returns of 30–300%, not 5–7%.
The GAME Plan flips the old model: it puts life before money and human potential before products.
🔍 What the Traditional Approach Says
- Build emergency fund (3–6 months)
- Use cash ISAs for savings
- Contribute to a pension for tax perks
- Only invest once you’ve built a cash buffer
✅ Solid advice for safety — but it misses the bigger picture.
🌱 What the GAME Plan Adds
- Vision first → What’s the dream? (Ella’s shop)
- Human capital as the real asset → Her creativity, drive, and resilience outpace financial returns
- Liquidity for growth → Keep cash flexible to reinvest in her business, not locked away
- Reinvest in self → Inventory, training, AI tools, and mentorship compound long-term impact
- Whole-person planning → Emotional, creative, and financial assets aligned with purpose
⚖️ The Difference
- Traditional = cautious, product-led, keeps money safe but slow
- GAME Plan = purpose-driven, self-investment, grows income, skills, and autonomy
The takeaway? Ella doesn’t need to beat the market — she is the market. At 20, the smartest move is backing herself, her vision, and her velocity.
🌊 Replacing the Piscean Cycle
For 2,000 years, under the Age of Pisces, society has pushed us into a single extractive cycle: work → save → retire → spend cautiously → die. Wealth is locked away during our best years, extracted through fees and taxes, and passed on only when it’s too late to truly live.
But the Aquarian Age offers a new model: many small, regenerative wealth cycles that align with purpose and nature. Instead of one long accumulation–decumulation loop, we live cycles of:
💠 Succession – Pass on gifts and impact now, not someday
💠 Decumulation – Invest capital (financial, social, emotional) into people and planet
💠 Crystallisation – Turn effort into meaning, growth, and legacy
💠 Preservation – Sustain wealth across emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial dimensions
💠 Accumulation – Gather just enough to fuel your plan
🔁 Then, repeat.
This is the GAME Plan in action — shifting from an extractive lifetime system to a series of regenerative, purpose-driven cycles. It’s wealth not just for you, but for society and the planet.
Disclaimer:
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, tax, or legal advice. Please be aware that an investment strategy that is appropriate for one person, may not be appropriate to another, including yourself. Past performance is not indicative of future results. In tailoring your own personal investment strategy it is recommended to speak to a qualified professional.
Images and textual information are compiled with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence.
Copyright Planet Positive Planning Limited. Contact me by email at neil@planetpositiveplanning.com. Planet Positive Planning Limited is a service sector trading company, providing "educational financial services" and regulated by the Competition and Markets Authority and Registered in England and Wales number 15759784. As defined by PERG8.26 of the FCA Handbook, these services do not require FCA regulation. Registered office address 2 Joshua Pedley Mews, London, E3 2ZE, United Kingdom. Information Commissioner's Office reference number C1531204.
