- 2 days ago
đ Can we live sustainably without burning outâor burning bridges?
In this heartfelt and vulnerable episode of Tangelic Talks, co-hosts Victoria Cornelio and Jensen Cummings speak with Claudia Cordova, environmental scientist, ethical entrepreneur, and sustainable development expert, about the real-life messinessâand beautyâof sustainable living.
Personal Sustainability, Community Action & Mindful Consumption
đď¸ What You'll Learn:
â What personal sustainability actually looks like in daily life
â How to navigate climate guilt & support others without shame
â Why âprogress, not perfectionâ is key to mindful consumption
â Community entrepreneurship stories from Mexico to the UK
â Teaching sustainability with empathy, humor, and humility
đ Timestamps
00:00â01:33 Introduction: Meet Claudia Cordova â Environmental Scientist & Sustainability Advocate
01:34â02:32 Life Between Two Worlds: How Claudiaâs Global Upbringing Shaped Her Sustainability Lens
02:33â05:50 From Business to Social Justice: Finding Purpose in the Crossroads of Sustainability
05:51â08:37 Redefining Nature: Why Golf Courses Arenât Green and Deserts Are
08:38â11:15 Letting Go of Perfectionism: Mental Health and Sustainable Living
11:16â13:33 Influencing, Not Controlling: How to Practice Sustainability Within Relationships
13:34â16:26 Bargain vs. Belief: Navigating Mindful Consumption Without Shame
16:27â19:19 Sustainability is Not One-Size-Fits-All: Meeting People Where They Are
19:20â23:56 Survival Entrepreneurs: Building Community Through Social Value & Local Networks
23:57â26:55 Speaking Sustainability in the Real World: Breaking the Bubble and Bridging the Gap
26:56â34:08 Final thoughts and Closing
đ About the Guest: Claudia Cordova blends environmental science with social justice, grassroots work, and ethical entrepreneurship. She has worked with global institutions like UNDP and Consumers Internationalâand leads powerful work across communities in Mexico and the UK.
đ Follow Tangelic:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tangeliclife/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/Tangelic_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tangelic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangelic.org
đŹ Join the Conversation: What does sustainability mean to you? Share your messy wins, mindful decisions, and joyful efforts in the comments!
â Like ⢠Share ⢠Comment ⢠Subscribe to help amplify voices creating a better climate future.
đą Support our work: https://tangeliclife.org/donate
đ #PersonalSustainability #MindfulConsumption #ClimateGuilt #ProgressNotPerfection #TangelicTalks #SustainabilityInRealLife #CommunityResilience #CircularLiving #SustainabilityJourney #GrassrootsInnovation #ClimateWellbeing #JoyfulSustainability #EthicalEntrepreneurship #MessySustainability #SustainableLivingTips #EverydayClimateAction #SustainabilityWithoutShame #TeachSustainability #LiveWithLess
In this heartfelt and vulnerable episode of Tangelic Talks, co-hosts Victoria Cornelio and Jensen Cummings speak with Claudia Cordova, environmental scientist, ethical entrepreneur, and sustainable development expert, about the real-life messinessâand beautyâof sustainable living.
Personal Sustainability, Community Action & Mindful Consumption
đď¸ What You'll Learn:
â What personal sustainability actually looks like in daily life
â How to navigate climate guilt & support others without shame
â Why âprogress, not perfectionâ is key to mindful consumption
â Community entrepreneurship stories from Mexico to the UK
â Teaching sustainability with empathy, humor, and humility
đ Timestamps
00:00â01:33 Introduction: Meet Claudia Cordova â Environmental Scientist & Sustainability Advocate
01:34â02:32 Life Between Two Worlds: How Claudiaâs Global Upbringing Shaped Her Sustainability Lens
02:33â05:50 From Business to Social Justice: Finding Purpose in the Crossroads of Sustainability
05:51â08:37 Redefining Nature: Why Golf Courses Arenât Green and Deserts Are
08:38â11:15 Letting Go of Perfectionism: Mental Health and Sustainable Living
11:16â13:33 Influencing, Not Controlling: How to Practice Sustainability Within Relationships
13:34â16:26 Bargain vs. Belief: Navigating Mindful Consumption Without Shame
16:27â19:19 Sustainability is Not One-Size-Fits-All: Meeting People Where They Are
19:20â23:56 Survival Entrepreneurs: Building Community Through Social Value & Local Networks
23:57â26:55 Speaking Sustainability in the Real World: Breaking the Bubble and Bridging the Gap
26:56â34:08 Final thoughts and Closing
đ About the Guest: Claudia Cordova blends environmental science with social justice, grassroots work, and ethical entrepreneurship. She has worked with global institutions like UNDP and Consumers Internationalâand leads powerful work across communities in Mexico and the UK.
đ Follow Tangelic:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tangeliclife/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/Tangelic_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tangelic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangelic.org
đŹ Join the Conversation: What does sustainability mean to you? Share your messy wins, mindful decisions, and joyful efforts in the comments!
â Like ⢠Share ⢠Comment ⢠Subscribe to help amplify voices creating a better climate future.
đą Support our work: https://tangeliclife.org/donate
đ #PersonalSustainability #MindfulConsumption #ClimateGuilt #ProgressNotPerfection #TangelicTalks #SustainabilityInRealLife #CommunityResilience #CircularLiving #SustainabilityJourney #GrassrootsInnovation #ClimateWellbeing #JoyfulSustainability #EthicalEntrepreneurship #MessySustainability #SustainableLivingTips #EverydayClimateAction #SustainabilityWithoutShame #TeachSustainability #LiveWithLess
Category
đ
LearningTranscript
00:00Natural doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you or it's good for the environment.
00:06So we have to be very careful with how we say something is natural.
00:11Unless people say, well, you should do this or you should do that.
00:15And then some other person will come and say, no, no, no, that's really bad.
00:19You should do this other thing. You should do this other thing.
00:22And then you get yourself in a place where it's like, well, then I shouldn't do anything because it's not worth it.
00:29Because we've created this title, sometimes some entitlements around this term of entrepreneur.
00:36But the true entrepreneurial spirit that is at the core of that is to find a way to exist, to go from survive to thrive in any way, shape or form that you can.
00:46Any skill, any hustle that you can put out into the world that will create an opportunity for you, a windfall for you, your family, your community, wherever that might be.
00:59And engage in my community for your podcast instead of green.
01:02Tell me as a suggestion that combines an upbeat and abiding spirit without any good girl music.
01:07Welcome to Tangelic Talks, your go-to podcast from Tangelic, where we dive into the vibrant world of clean energy, development, sustainability, and climate change in Africa.
01:18We bring you inspiring stories, insightful discussions, and groundbreaking innovations from the tons of making waves in the global community.
01:26Tune in and join the conversation toward a brighter, greener future.
01:30Let's get started.
01:31Welcome to Tangelic Talks, a podcast at the intersection of energy, equity, and empowerment with your co-hosts, Victoria Cornelio, and myself, Jensen Cummings.
01:43In today's episode, we're talking personal sustainability, mindful consumption, health, and well-being with Claudia Cordova.
01:51Claudia's specialty is in bridging environmental science, ethical entrepreneurship, and sustainable development, holding degrees in environmental sciences, business creation, and education.
02:01And a master's in sustainable development, working from grassroots to global organizations like the UNDP and Consumers International to create climate-smart strategies and resilient communities.
02:13Claudia, thanks for being with us.
02:15Welcome.
02:16Thank you for having me.
02:17It's going to be a great conversation.
02:19We talked about our podcast being at the intersection.
02:22You find yourself at a unique cross-section as well.
02:25So I want to start off the conversation trying to understand that intersectionality that you've put yourself in.
02:31It's a unique position to be in.
02:33Why did you feel there was a need kind of to be at that nexus in sustainability?
02:37And maybe what's unique about that space?
02:39And maybe more importantly, what's unique about you and why you find yourself compelled to kind of be in that cross-section, as I mentioned?
02:47Yes.
02:48Well, that's a big question.
02:51Yes.
02:51We're going to start very existential.
02:53Sometimes I wonder that myself, where, you know, how did I get here?
02:59I suppose my life has always been a bit of everything.
03:05There has been, well, I grew up in Mexico City, in an area that is not very, it's not very famous for being a nice area of Mexico City.
03:16There's a lot of, you know, population density.
03:19But then I moved to the States, to one of the suburbs of Philadelphia, you know, a complete change where, you know, I used to live in this very packed city.
03:30And suddenly I find myself in this very, like, broad, broad space in the States.
03:36And then come back to Mexico City, I find myself going to, you know, parties outside of Mexico City where my grandfather and my grandmother used to live.
03:48These big fields of corn and, you know, and, you know, just being kids, we used to go hunting for snakes and things.
03:58So very different from where I grew up.
04:00And then I found myself as well in a private school, one of the most famous private schools in Mexico City where, you know, entrepreneurship and business is very heavily taught.
04:17And there is a big thing for, you know, making money and being innovative and having all these global experiences and things like that.
04:28So it's always, you know, a lot of contrast, a lot of things.
04:32So that started my questioning of why am I here and why did I have a chance to be there and why do other people don't, why don't they have a chance to be there and why can't people look at the world as I do?
04:48And, you know, there started being all these questions about those two very different worlds where I found myself in.
04:57And I found myself just being very interested in all these questions and trying to bring up some people and trying to try and get other people to understand other people's perspectives.
05:10And, you know, so really my quest has been, I think I'm very fortunate for being able to see all those things from business to, you know, social justice and social value and all these things.
05:28So I'm also a very curious person and I get, I get, I get bored, bored very easily.
05:35So I also kind of look for new things, for new things to incorporate.
05:40And I always make those connections with, with things that I've done before or things that I've, I've experienced before.
05:49So it, it kind of went that way and it has been going that way through, through my career.
05:56And so I find that myself getting everything into sustainability because sustainability is basically everywhere and it's, everything is tainted by, by sustainability.
06:09And the, the, in the long run, humanity has to be more sustainable if we want to continue inhabiting whichever planet, if it's this one or the next one, but it has to be, it has to be there.
06:23Yeah.
06:23Yeah.
06:23I knew that was an important question, right?
06:25Because I could tell that this was a personal journey because you don't find yourself again in that intersection if you don't deliberately put yourself there.
06:34Because it's not a path that you see at university or, or anything like that.
06:38It's, it's like, you had to say, I need these different elements pulling me towards my goal because it's a personal journey.
06:46So I appreciate you sharing that.
06:47That wasn't too big of a question for you.
06:48That was spot on.
06:49Right.
06:51And then as you were talking, I was thinking, cause you've been involved in all these dimensions of what sustainability looks like, or being in touch with what we would call nature.
07:00You know, the fallacy that we're separated from nature and things like that.
07:03So in your personal understanding, how has the idea of sustainability evolved over time?
07:10How would you define sustainability?
07:12Well, that was a big one.
07:15More big question.
07:16Because I think sustainability is so complex.
07:19And so it's, I guess in a way it's easy to understand if you don't go into the nitty gritty of the, of the roots of the thing.
07:30So basically for me, it's just being able to do what you can, like what you, what you do to be able to exist without a big negative impact.
07:40So that future generations can have that enjoyment.
07:44Again, it's, it's, it's a big thing, uh, with, with sustainability because for me at first it was just, you don't throw trash into the streets and you don't, um, and you have these big, um, places with like lawns and big curated lawns.
08:02And, you know, just green spaces where you can, where you can be, you, I used to, um, see, well, in, in Philadelphia, my dad started playing golf.
08:12So you would go into a golf field and you would say, oh my gosh, this is so pretty.
08:16This is so green.
08:18And it, it just fills my, you know, my, my personal wellbeing.
08:22I just see everything is, is really, uh, preserved and conservation and nature.
08:28And as you grow, and as you start seeing other, other things, you, you start noticing that not really, it's a golf field.
08:36It's not really sustainable, uh, uh, a forest with, you know, just one type of tree is not really sustainable.
08:44Uh, desert might be very much sustainable and we don't really see it as something that, that has life, that has, um, that's, that has created this balance.
08:53So I think my view on what it was, um, that sustainability was when I was very little has been, you know, turned around completely because now I, I know, um, a little bit more about, you know, the impact, all of those, all of those things have.
09:12Um, and natural doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you or it's good for the environment.
09:19So we have to be very careful with how we, we say something is natural.
09:24And I think, um, uh, you, you guys have been talking about, um, greenwashing and this is something that, that comes up a lot.
09:32Um, naturally, natural doesn't really mean it's, it's good.
09:36Um, it depends on a lot of actors and it depends on that balance that we have.
09:40Yeah.
09:41And then I'm, I can imagine that ties into the way that you perform mindful consumption and I don't know what kind of life you live, if a minimalist life or, you know, green focus, these sorts of things.
09:53But as an environmentalist, a lot of times we fall into guilt or perfectionism and that can be quite paralyzing when we're trying to do the best thing we can.
10:03So how do you navigate that?
10:04So I think again, um, my, my view has changed dramatically over, over the years because it's, it's one thing to say, oh yes, I'm an environmentalist and I do everything I can.
10:17And, um, um, I found myself to be very impacted by all this because that would mean I could not get like new stuff or I would be stressed about what I was consuming.
10:30I would be stressed about if I was flying, if I was traveling, if I was doing all these things.
10:36Right. So in a way I found out that, well, that's not, that's not really sustainable.
10:42If I'm not feeling good, if I'm not healthy, if I'm not, if my mental health is suffering because I'm just trying to, you know, stress out about all these little things that I do or all these little things.
10:54Um, I think a lot of, um, a lot of people in the environmental sector, um, start feeling responsible, not, not only for themselves, but also for their family members, which it, it, it just kills you because you can't control what others, what others do.
11:10You can't control what others, others things you can, you can influence that, but you have to be very aware that you're not responsible for anybody else's, um, consumption, um, issues or consumption responsibilities.
11:24So I think it's a little bit, uh, you have to think about letting go of, of some of those responsibilities of some, some of those burdens that you have.
11:34Um, yes, be mindful when, when you're consuming, like, for example, when, when we, like my, my partner, he's, he's very, um, he likes, um, squash and he likes all these, um, flavored drinks and he's always, uh, getting bottles of, of drink.
11:54And at, at the very beginning, it was so like consuming for me because I was just like, you can't just buy a bottle of whatever.
12:02It's, it's, it's so hard and he didn't recycle.
12:05So now it was like, okay, so I know that what I can do is recycle or try to recycle as much as possible.
12:14I cannot change the way he is.
12:17Um, I can influence where I can just say, Hey, you know what?
12:20We have something at home.
12:22Could you wait a little bit and maybe not consume another bottle?
12:26Uh, or, uh, I'll make you some fruit, um, water or, or something like that.
12:32Uh, where I can influence a little bit, but I cannot change his mindset.
12:36Um, we, we recycle more, he recycles more.
12:40And he's like, well, at first it was just a joke where it's like, oh, she makes me recycle and she makes me do things.
12:47But now he's like, okay, so we, we should recycle.
12:49We should put out, I'll put out the recycling.
12:52I'll do this.
12:52So those are little wins, I think.
12:55Um, and, and again, you have to be very mindful of when you consume, if you, if you really need the things that you're consuming.
13:05So I think it's really, it's really interesting when you start questioning like, oh, I like this dress.
13:11I'm going to buy it.
13:12And then you're saying, uh, do I really need it?
13:14I actually have another dress in, in that I can wear.
13:16So I'll, I'll skip it for, for, for this time.
13:20Um, sometimes that will win.
13:22Um, I think there was this, um, very, oh, I went to Purpose Fest, which is a, a B Corp, um, event in, in March.
13:32And one of the panelists there, um, was saying, well, everybody's an environmentalist until there's a bargain.
13:40And she's very right.
13:43I mean, uh, we do sometimes fall for that.
13:47And it's not, it's not a sin to fall for that.
13:51Um, but how many times we fall for that?
13:53I think that is the, that is the question.
13:55And, you know, we can, when we have that capacity of saying, okay, maybe not this time.
14:01Um, maybe I'll, uh, you know, I'll, I'll, I'll do it next time.
14:06Um, so yes, I think that is very important for, for, for mindful consumption and when trying to consume and change other, other people's minds.
14:18There's, there's two themes that you've mentioned that I'm interested in and want to maybe pull out a little bit more.
14:23The word pristine popped in my head when you were talking about the golf course that we often think of.
14:28We're trying to create this pristine utopian environment that then that will be the manifestation of our ability to be sustainable.
14:35The reality of sustainable sustainability is very messy, right?
14:40It's clumsy, right?
14:42It's very wrought with the second theme that I thought was interesting is the judgment, the personal judgment that you mentioned, the judgment towards a partner, towards family members, towards your community, towards your country, towards the world.
14:54All right. And I think it turns people off to sustainability sometimes like, well, if I can't be this bleeding heart green person, then why even try?
15:06Yeah. And then we don't take any steps because we don't see them as valuable or even necessary sometimes.
15:12So can you get into the, the messiness a little bit of that? How, how do we take away some of that stigma?
15:19You've already touched on it, those small little wins. Can you talk a little bit deeper on that when you have conversations, maybe outside of your own circles, when you're talking.
15:28You're talking to groups outside your circles and trying to have that influence and impact. How are you seeing the opportunity to kind of bridge that gap?
15:37Yeah, I think, I think one of the things that is very, very important here is communication and understanding.
15:43I think that there's a lot of, there's a lot of judgment of people who are trying to do good, but are not quite there yet.
15:53And I think this happens a lot with, with bigger corporations. And, you know, I like to believe that there's good in people and that everybody is trying in some form to, to do good.
16:08So when you, when you're, when you're trying to do good and you fail and you, you know, for some reason, you find out that what you're trying to do is even worse for the environment, or it's not as good as you thought.
16:23I always try, I always try and tell people, well, think about yourself.
16:28If you want to try, I don't know, drawing, for example, you're not very good at drawing at first. So you're trying, right? What if your mom, when you're little, started saying, ah, that's, that's not very good.
16:47Drawing. You shouldn't draw anymore. How would you feel about it? And yeah, just try to put yourself into the other person's shoes and say, okay, how can I give this feedback without being so harsh and without dismissing this person completely, because everybody can get better at anything.
17:12And sustainability is one of the things that, that people can get better. And, you know, there's so many things in, in sustainability. There's so many, you know, um, in, in, in business and personal life, there's so many frameworks, there's so many things that people say, well, you should do this, or you should do that.
17:30And then some other person will come and say, no, no, no, no, that's, that's really bad. You should do this other thing. You should do this other thing. And then you get yourself in a place where it's like, well, then I shouldn't do anything because it's not, it's not worth it.
17:45So I think the fact that you recognize other people's efforts and other people's initiatives to actually try and do something is very, very important. Um, where you can get feedback and say, this is great.
18:00You should add, you should add this little bit, or you should try and do this other little bit, because then you'll, you'll improve on this. You'll improve on that. Um, and I think sometimes that is, um, it's one of the things that some environmentalists go very hard is it's either you're an environmentalist or you're not, but we know humans are, you know, a whole bunch of spectrum.
18:25There's a lot of shades of gray. It's not just black and white. So why don't we try and get other people to improve on that sustainability? So I think that's, that's, um, that's always important. So always important to know where the other person comes from as well, because it's not, it's not just, oh, you should do this and you should do that.
18:48Um, it's also, why aren't you doing what you are supposed to be doing? Why aren't you, um, I was talking to, to Victoria a couple of weeks ago, um, about this experience that I had when I just came out of university.
19:03I was working for a nonprofit, uh, called Laboratorio Social MX. Um, they worked with entrepreneurs in, um, violent slums in Mexico city.
19:15And we had this, this entrepreneur, he lived in a very, um, marginalized area, very like top of a hill. Um, and he was a bread, a bread maker.
19:26He was there and we were teaching him about, uh, business models. And I was there saying like, yes, you should do like the sustainable business model and you should do this and you should do that. Um, you should use less plastic.
19:40And like when your clients come, don't give them like paper cups or don't give them, um, paper plates or styrofoam plates. He was using styrofoam at that moment.
19:50Um, and he was like, well, I can't really get any like bamboo plates because that's too costly for me. It's not, it's not feasible for me economically. Um, and reusable cups, uh, we don't have any water here.
20:06So then you go, Oh yeah. How am I, how, how, how to, how can I start telling this person what to do when I'm not even taking into account that water is not a basic service that he has.
20:23So you have to understand where they come from, where, you know, where they're at, what things are available for them and what, what you can do from their point of view and from their experience.
20:35It's always from understanding and conversation.
20:38Yeah. And you touched on working with businesses as well. And this being such a personal journey to you and being something that you're so enmeshed in, in your personal life, also in your work.
20:52How does that, I don't know, how does that come up in your work? Like what approach do you take with helping businesses navigate sustainability in their own business models and frameworks and in their own work?
21:04Again, I think, I think the understanding where they're at and what their possibilities are is, is very, very important.
21:11And also focusing on the little things because, you know, small businesses can't go into a certification or reporting or all these things.
21:23It's like, well, it's like, well, you don't have the time, you don't have the profits.
21:27A lot of the, of the businesses I used to work with were what I call like survival entrepreneurs, where they had gone into making their own businesses because there was a lack of jobs, because there was a need to, to make their family survive, to feed their children.
21:47It's not even, it's not even, I want to become rich.
21:49It was like, I want to have something to give to my children and I want, you know, I want dinner on the table every day.
21:59So these are the things that we don't, we don't usually see these, these entrepreneurs as, as entrepreneurs or as, as business owners, but that's what they are.
22:09And they're fighting and they're struggling. So it's really interesting when you start talking about social value and, and purpose and all these things.
22:20It's like, you're not looking to grow a business. You're, you're, you're looking to maintain a business.
22:26You're looking to, you know, help the community.
22:30And this is, I think what I liked about those projects when, that I was working in, in Mexico City, because we created this whole network of survival entrepreneurs, where they started helping each other.
22:44And they started, you know, the, the business that was the bread maker was donating some of the, of the leftover bread at the end of the day to a local diner.
22:58And this diner was also getting donations from another entrepreneur in another area of Mexico City that was focused on, they had organic, organic produce in Mexico City.
23:13So really interesting projects, really interesting people.
23:16And these people also wanted to rescue this whole cultural practice of, of organic agriculture in, in Mexico City, in the, in Chinampas, they're called, which are like floating islands.
23:30So they were inputting into this.
23:33They were getting work, workers from another organization that we had in this, in these violent slums, where they, they were recovering addicts that were going into these, these fields and helping get the produce out.
23:50So we, we, we created this, this intricate network, where they were very happy with what, with what was coming up.
23:58They had, you know, various ideas, various things.
24:02They, they started helping the community and, you know, they started getting out of these very tight spots and able to produce things for their family.
24:13So it was really, really interesting, really, really fulfilling, I think.
24:18That's amazing.
24:18I appreciate that as a, an entrepreneur, I'm doing air quotes for anybody who's just listening now, because we've created this title, sometimes some entitlements around this term of entrepreneur.
24:31But the true entrepreneurial spirit that is at the core of that is to find a way to exist, to go from survive to thrive in any way, shape or form that you can, any skill, any hustle that you can put out into the world.
24:46That'll create a, an opportunity for you, a windfall for you, your family, your community, wherever that might be.
24:52So I appreciate you going back to the kind of the, the nucleus of that, the core of that is driving economic viability for an individual, a family, a community.
25:03So I can really appreciate that when you, when you talk to others that are in your space, your peers, right?
25:11Even when you talk on a podcast like this, how are you, how are you instilling that kind of drive for understanding and communication within your, your peer sector?
25:22Cause to your point, a lot of times we're having a conversation at a cloud level.
25:27We need to be talking in the dirt and we're not even understanding that people don't have access to water as you're trying to kind of nurture your profession and the space that you're in and you're speaking at conferences or anything like that.
25:40How are you having people who have an experience talking to an entrepreneur who doesn't have access to water, who has no chance for the kind of sustainability they're talking to let's flip it to them.
25:49How are you having conversations with your peers in a way that's allowing them to understand what you've come to understand from your personal experience?
25:56Well, I think, I think I start out with that, with that very, you know, very personal story that I have where you, it just comes from this, this personal experience, right.
26:07And, and trying to get them to, to understand that not everybody understands what they're talking about.
26:14I have another experience with, um, when I came to the UK, I was doing my masters and I took on some part-time roles as a, as a, um, um, waiting, uh, waiting tables.
26:26And in one of these, these jobs, I encountered this, um, this guy, he was, he was an Argentinian, an Argentinian man, uh, man.
26:34Um, and he asked me, like, we started speaking in Spanish.
26:39Everything was like, he was really interesting.
26:42Uh, I was like, well, what, why are you here?
26:44And he's like, well, I'm, I'm here working.
26:46I want to, you know, um, get a better life.
26:49This is why I immigrated.
26:50And he's like, so what do you do?
26:52And I told him, oh, I'm doing my masters in sustainable development.
26:56And he's like, huh?
26:58And what's that?
26:59Oh, um, it's, uh, you know, just have you heard about climate change?
27:05And he's like, climate change.
27:07What's that?
27:08I had no words.
27:09I just, I was baffled.
27:11I was like, oh my God.
27:13Like, of course.
27:14This person hasn't even heard about climate change.
27:18Like, what, what am I doing?
27:21Um, what, how am I, you know, um, how am I navigating all these things?
27:26And then you realize you're in a bubble.
27:28So I always try to, you know, when I'm talking to people that are very much into this entrepreneur,
27:35um, environments or business environments to just say, Hey, have you ever thought about
27:42the possibility that not everybody is, you know, not everybody knows about what you do.
27:48Not everybody knows about, um, sustainability.
27:51Not everybody knows about, um, you know, even tech, um, AI, nobody like, there are people
28:00that have never heard about this.
28:02So how would you explain it?
28:04How would you, um, so I kind of like try to question them about, uh, what they think
28:12they're doing and how they would explain all of this to somebody without access to services
28:19with somebody who without, um, uh, an understanding of what sustainability is.
28:25And, you know, there's been quite a few occasions where, um, I've, I've been in a room where everybody's
28:32talking about sustainability, all of these like CSR, B Corps, all of these technical, uh,
28:39words, and then suddenly somebody raises their hand and it's like, uh, what is sustainability?
28:44You're talking about sustainability, but I have no idea what it is.
28:47And everybody in the room just looks into, like, looks at each other and says, okay, we
28:53were not prepared for this.
28:54So how do you prepare for that?
28:56How do you, um, you know, think about, um, what others are doing and how do you think
29:02about yourself and what do you want?
29:05Do you want your business to grow?
29:07It, you don't have to, uh, grow a business.
29:11You can just be happy with a small business that just provides for your community.
29:16Um, and that's, that's, I think the, the way to make people think about, um, other things
29:23and think about other experiences.
29:25Because again, um, sometimes we, we live in a, and this is, this is me saying we live in
29:32a bubble, but I mean, I myself live in, in a bubble.
29:35I think we have created all these bubbles where, um, the ideal worlds are there, or we're
29:41talking about the same stuff when there's somebody in a rural community, not very far
29:47away, uh, that doesn't really know what, what it is.
29:50And, you know, talking about that, I think Latin America, we have the idea that, you know,
29:56um, Europe is so advanced.
29:58And so, um, they know about these things, they know about sustainability, they know about
30:03climate change, they know.
30:05And then when you get here, you realize a lot of people haven't even heard about that, even
30:10in the first world countries.
30:12Um, so, so yeah, just try, um, I try to make people understand that it's not just them in
30:21their little bubble.
30:22There are so many other people and so much understanding that you can, um, spread, um,
30:28if you talk to other people and you really understand them.
30:31Yeah.
30:31I think that really hammers the point home.
30:33Thank you so much.
30:34Every story actually has to start at the beginning and we're having way too many stories in chapter
30:4012 and people are like, I don't know how this story started.
30:44And most great stories, the, the single greatest entry to a story is once upon a time because
30:49we need to start at the beginning of that story, uh, real quick.
30:54I want to, I want to tell you this, cause this is, this is something that I use in this space
30:57and maybe it sparks something for you, but we call it, uh, my background is in culinary
31:02as a chef restaurant owner.
31:03We've had restaurants for generations in my family, and there's something called the hamburger
31:07story.
31:07And if you tell somebody, Hey, I got this great story about a hamburger, people go, okay,
31:13hamburger.
31:14I know what a hamburger is.
31:14And then all the details that come after that can make some sort of sense.
31:17But if I say, yeah, it's this thing that, uh, it's, uh, got meats and lettuce and tomato
31:24and onion and pickles and bread.
31:27You have no idea that I'm talking about a hamburger because I've never told you I'm talking about a
31:33hamburger.
31:33So I think about the hamburger story a lot.
31:36And it's like, start with the punchline, like, tell them what you're talking about.
31:39I'm talking about a hamburger.
31:40So that allows them to understand because we're just confusing the conversation.
31:44So appreciate that.
31:45We're out of time.
31:46I had one really quick question.
31:47Is your dad still golfing?
31:49How's that relationship there with you and your dad and golfing?
31:52Yes, he, he is still golfing.
31:54Um, I think, uh, yeah, with, with my, again, with my family, there's some things that you,
32:00you win some things that some, some battles that you win some battles that you, you know,
32:05have to kind of let go.
32:07Um, and I, especially with older generations, um, my, well, my dad is, uh, is a former PWC.
32:13So big four, um, consultant.
32:16Um, so there has been some challenges and there had, before there were some really big fights
32:22where, you know, it wasn't helping anybody.
32:25Everybody, everybody was getting mad and nobody was changing anything.
32:28Um, so yeah, it's just things that, you know, okay, I'll, I'll let this one go, but then
32:34you have to, um, you know, see about other things, see about buying less Amazon or seeing
32:41about buying things.
32:44So find those little wins, those opportunities.
32:46I could tell when you said golfing and your dad was like, Oh, there's something there.
32:49There's something still driving you that, that you're like, if I can figure out my dad
32:53and the golfing and all that, I'll have figured out this unsolvable puzzle.
32:57So I can really appreciate that.
33:00Uh, Claudia Cordova.
33:01Thank you so much.
33:02Once again, everyone, we've been talking personal sustainability, mindful consumption,
33:05health, and wellbeing.
33:07It's complicated.
33:08It's messy.
33:09Find those small wins.
33:10I think that was my biggest takeaway.
33:12Find those small wins and reduce the judgment you have yourself, your others, your family,
33:16your community, and I think that's the opportunity to, to start making a real difference that
33:20has massive potential ripple effects.
33:23We appreciate you all.
33:25Thank you so much for having me.
33:27Let's talk power.
33:35Let's talk change.
33:37For rural lights to brighter days.
33:40Equity rising, voices strong.
33:43We're building tomorrow where we all belong.
33:47Tangel, it talks, energy, equity, pride, and power in the world.
33:53Side by side.
33:54A spark becomes a fire, a vision that's true.
33:57Together we rise, it starts with you.
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