A Sustainable Snapshot of Cobh: Local Action, Global Implications
Where better than your own home country to start exploring something that is very close to one’s heart? And I believe to lots of people’s hearts when they start to think about it. At Constructive Voices, we’re not only exploring the obvious parts of the built environment.
“In fact, we’re digging a bit deeper. And connecting the people and their places together, because this is what it’s all about.” Jackie De Burca
How the environment affects us every single day with our health in mind, with how our daily activities are able to be conducted. There’s just a whole host of things that our environment brings to us or perhaps makes more difficult for us.
So tune in to Jackie De Burca as she speaks with Stephen Barrett. He’s the program manager for the Whole Life Carbon Programme at the Irish Green Building Council, and he is going to talk to us about Cobh, which is a picturesque Irish town just outside Cork.
Stephen has planted his roots there for the moment, and now he questions some aspects of the area, such as development.
Biodiversity transport and community pride and how this area Cobh and Cork in general can shape a more sustainable way forward. This episode touches on subjects such as underused train lines to cruise ship impacts, and the local lens that Stephen sees on global challenges.
“What struck me moving from the UK to Ireland is how undervalued Tidy Towns is—those people know their place better than anyone.” – Stephen Barrett on the untapped expertise within community-led groups
About Stephen Barrett, Programme Manager for Whole Life Carbon initiatives, Irish Green Building Council
Stephen joined the
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Building Smarter, Faster & Greener – Optimised Construction with Will Frost of Saint-Gobain
“We are past the point of return for trying to save traditional methods of building. We need to focus on what is performing now and deliver with confidence.”— Will Frost
“We don’t just need to build faster — we need to build better. And that means solutions that are lighter, lower carbon, and actually deliver for people on the ground.” Will Frost
Optimised Construction With Will Frost of Saint Gobain
In this powerful and timely episode, Jackie De Burca sits down with Will Frost of Saint-Gobain Offsite Solutions to explore how modern methods of construction (MMC) – or as Will prefers, “optimised construction” – are helping address the UK’s urgent housing crisis.
With the UK government aiming to build 1.5 million homes in five years, Will explains why Category 2 panelised systems are gaining momentum over the struggling Category 1 volumetric builds – and how Saint-Gobain’s EnveoVent system is delivering results on the ground.
From solving the skills shortage, to navigating procurement hurdles, to reducing embodied carbon and embracing Future Homes Standard, this episode is packed with real-world examples, industry insights, and a human-centric approach to innovation.
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From Shoreline to Skyline: Peter Robbins on the Rise of the Floating Economy
When you think of the future, do you picture space—or water?
In this eye-opening episode, Jackie De Burca speaks with Peter Robbins, one of the world’s leading voices on the floating economy. From delivering fresh meals via jet skis to developing mega-scale coastal innovation projects in Korea and the US, Peter is building a blueprint for what he calls the next “mega-trend”: the floating economy.
More than a futuristic fantasy, this is a global movement gaining momentum across industries like logistics, hospitality, port infrastructure, energy, and even education. Learn how floating solutions are solving everything from workforce shortages to population crises, and how ports are being reimagined as launchpads—not limits.
Whether you're a policymaker, investor, engineer or just curious about where cities are headed, this episode dives deep into the possibilities of our water-bound future.
“We’re not just building floating solutions. We’re building the workforce, the policy awareness, and the investment appetite to support a floating future.” Peter Robbins
What You Will Learn In This Episode
The distinction between the floating economy and the blue/ocean economy
Why nearshore logistics could transform coastal commerce
How floating housing could solve affordability and flood resilience
Case studies: Busan, Rotterdam, Brisbane, and beyond
The urgent need to build a water-based workforce—starting in schools
How the private sector, governments, and NGOs can work together to scale floating infrastructure
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Greening Ireland: From Pocket Forests to Native Woodlands With Catherine Cleary
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Catherine Cleary, author, journalist, and the CEO & Co-founder of Pocket Forests. Having authored and co-authored 4 books and been a Restaurant Critic for the Irish Times for more than 10 years, Catherine has now turned her attention to nature, climate action and greening Ireland.
In 2020, Catherine embarked on two projects: one, to establish a social enterprise planting mini forests in community areas, and the other, to plant her own native woodland across 40 acres of land.
Pocket Forests is a social enterprise bringing nature into towns and cities around Ireland by creating pockets of native trees and shrubs within communities.
In this episode of the Constructive Voices podcast, we explore the work of Pocket Forests in the urban greening of Ireland and their role in reconnecting our communities with nature.
We also discuss Catherine’s personal journey in creating her own native woodland, The Forest Midwife documentary, and the attitudes of landowners towards planting forests.
Image courtesy of Catherine Cleary
“The forest is the root of all life; it is the womb that revives our biological instincts, that deepens our intelligence and increases our sensitivity as human beings”
Akira Miyawaki [1]
Forestry in Ireland
Although 80% of the country was once covered in forests,
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Building a Greener Future: Carbon Capture with Neustark’s Anna Haas
“We are turning a waste stream into a carbon sink — that’s the real magic.”
️ Guest: Anna Haas, Business Development & Partnerships at Neustark Topic Spotlight: Carbon Capture️ Release Date: Tuesday 20th May 2025
Episode Summary
In this powerful follow-up episode, Jackie De Burca sits down once again with Anna Haas from Swiss climate tech company Neustark.
If you thought concrete was the end of the story, think again. Anna explains how Neustark is turning demolition waste into a carbon sink — and why this matters now more than ever.
From CO₂ mineralisation and circular construction practices to global expansion and the nuances of regional policy, this episode dives deep into the tangible side of carbon removal. Anna brings clarity, passion, and pragmatism to one of the most pressing topics in the built environment.
Whether you’re in construction, sustainability, or just curious about where climate tech is headed, this conversation offers real-world insights and hopeful innovation.
“It’s one of the hardest things to explain: We’re not just avoiding emissions — we’re actually removing carbon from the atmosphere.”
What You’ll Learn
How Neustark’s solution works: storing CO₂ in recycled concrete through...
Constructive Voices is an award-winning global platform that aims to break down silos in the built environment to accelerate positive change.
Through global conversations with change-makers, we inform our audience about some of the most important concepts and solutions of today.
The Constructive Voices team investigates topics such as green building, biodiversity, renewable energy, nature-positive solutions, AI, resilient building and more.
Hosts to date have included Jackie De Burca, Henry McDonald, Peter Finn, Steve Randall, Emma Nicholson and Sarah Austin.
Our vision is to partner with as many companies and individuals as possible to feature the positive work that they are doing. Making Constructive Voices the Go-To resource for global information and ideas on positive methods for a more sustainable built environment and world.
Our team is dedicated to exploring and promoting sustainability, biodiversity and innovation.
We talk to world-renowned experts, local people, businesses and students in our quest to document and inspire positive, historic changes required for these challenging times.
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