Roisin Markham

Covid19 Lockdown in Ireland brought a pause in time, I was no longer busy running around. I had no commitments outside our home, they all disappeared. I sat in the garden, in and with nature. I enjoyed a bright warm May. It gave me the opportunity to stop. I am grateful that I could and acknowledge my privilege in being able to stay home safely with my family, our 3 sons and my husband.

We found a spot in the garden just where I had planted the pink hawthorn, it seemed protected from the wind most of the time and we sat there talking, drinking tea, I would read, write, think and ponder. It was a time of great unlearning, I relished the not knowing.

I finally found time to read and relate with the 17 SDGs, the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Identifying my own alignment and how I might work wioth them in my business.
I explored how they were being measured and described, understanding a gap between them and businesses.

I started think about where I could add impact.

I’ve been trying to get my head around systems thinking for a few years. I’ve begun an Open University course Mastering systems thinking in practice and added some books to my reading list. Plus I’ve lined up some other courses in circular economy, circularity and disruptive the design.

Then I piled my thoughts into a document a framework for impact investing, this is now shaping some projects, partnerships and ideas.

Current industries which are the biggest carbon producers:

1. Energy 25% of global GHG emissions
2. Agriculture and land use 24%
3. Transport (cars, trucks, shipping, aviation) 13%
4. Buildings 6%
5. Cement 4%
6. Steel 3%
7. Plastics 3%

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller