My first blog on sustainability, way back in 2010, started with the line “It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that talking about sustainability doesn’t make you popular at parties”.

Fifteen years later, I still reckon that’s true. The only difference nowadays is that, for some weird reason, the topic has become political. Talking about it might end up in an argument, which is the last thing that should ever happen.

Those who know me are probably fed up of hearing me wang on about the “Blackpool Pub Test”. For those not familiar with this, it’s my belief that any conversations about sustainability should be so straightforward that you could hold them in a Blackpool pub (I’m a Blackpudlian) without someone looking at you like you’ve got two heads.

If we’re going to make a better world, we need to keep the language simple, get people involved, and spend less time arguing. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few simple tips to help folks working in sustainability have pleasant and productive conversations.

No jargon

I used to work in the technology industry, which we joked was full of TLAs – Three Letter Acronyms. Honestly, sustainability is worse.

Let’s be real – we will never get people passionate about positive action by talking about GHG Protocol, scope 3 emissions, ISSB, CSRD, etc, etc. We need to cut the jargon and stay acronym free – just like we (hopefully) would in a pub in Blackpool.

It’s easy to get caught up in the jargon, and it does become a little addictive. Us sustainability professionals can talk about that between ourselves, but we should never use acronyms or jargon when talking to anybody not working in that field.

If you’re not used to pubs in Blackpool, and I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not, then imagine you’re talking to your mum. It’s about keeping every conversation really simple. That’s not about ‘dumbing down’. It’s about clarity. When what we say is easily accessible, everyone’s invited in.

Be positive

No-one likes a moaner. Let’s face it, there’s enough bad news in the world, so let’s be the people who focus on the good stuff.

There are some amazing things happening. Energy is getting cleaner, we’re starting to recognise the importance of the natural world, and there’s some amazing people out there doing some great projects.

Is enough being done? Definitely not, but let’s keep the conversations positive and practical rather than being “doom merchants”.

Be specific

I’ve noticed that most heated debates seem to happen around vague, high-level concepts, although there’s often lots of agreement on the specifics. Net zero causes a lot of arguments, even if almost no-one disagrees with the things required to achieve it – energy efficiency, clean energy, etc.

 The word sustainability is another great example. It’s poorly defined and there are no measurements for it, which means it’s confusing. To make progress we need to focus on things we can understand and measure.

Maybe somewhat contentiously, I’d go as far as saying that even asking people to reduce carbon isn’t a great idea. Asking people to cut carbon is a bit like asking them to save money – unless we give clear examples, it just confuses people.

Instead, we should focus on measurable things that people can do which, in turn, reduces carbon (e.g. through buying less stuff, using less energy, reducing waste, etc). Some may say that’s overly simplistic but simple works best.

Don’t overwhelm people

When you do this stuff for a living, it can be really tempting to talk about the big picture. Sharing lots of information is kind of cathartic as it gets it out of your head, but it can be overwhelming for people who don’t think about this every day. Over the years, I’ve learned that less is definitely more.

When sharing information, stick to a few carefully chosen points, particularly if you want people to take action. For example, if talking about buying more sustainably, focus on a few simple, practical ideas, rather than getting into the detail of scope 3 emissions, ILO principles, CSRD, etc. Surely it’s better for people to know just enough to take action, rather than so much that they’re terrified.

Keep away from politics

Getting into politics is a guaranteed way to derail any positive conversation. Although it’s obviously incredibly important, talking about it usually results in either wandering off topic and ending up in a rant, or having an awkward debate with somebody who supports a different political party.

In my experience, regardless of what political team you support, everybody wants the same thing – clean air, not wrecking our planet, safety, good standards of living, and people to be treated fairly. It doesn’t matter whether you’re “left” or “right”, I’ve never met anybody who disagrees with these things.

Resist the temptation to talk about political parties wherever possible and concentrate instead on conversations that are jargon-free, positive, specific, and not overwhelming. After all, politicians come and go. Our job is to help people to tackle issues, regardless of the current political trends.