Good News: A New Way To Look At Sustainability & Pocket Forests & Retrofitting in Ireland

In this uplifting edition of the Constructive Voices Good News podcast in less than six minutes, we bring you a short, sharp burst of positive stories from the built environment — with a dash of conservation inspiration. A New Way To Look at Sustainability: Neurosustainability We open with a fascinating concept that’s as much about protecting our minds as it is about protecting the planet — neurosustainability. Host Jackie De Burca speaks with Mohamed Hesham Khalil, whose pioneering research at the University of Cambridge explores how the built environment affects our brain health, mental wellbeing, and cognitive performance. “That shift… from experiencing the built environment in a specific way and then going back was an alert to start seeing this relationship between the built environment and the human brain.” — Mohamed Hesham Khalil Discover how architecture, neuroscience, and nature intersect — and why this matters more than ever post-lockdown. Greening Ireland: Pocket Forests Next, volunteer reporter Sarah Austin speaks with Catherine Cleary, co-founder of Pocket Forests, about transforming small urban spaces into thriving native woodlands. With over 125 sites planted — from car-parking-space-sized micro-forests to half–tennis-court plots — these dense plantings are changing soil health, biodiversity, and community connections. “We’re planting much younger trees… much more closely together… the result is that they create this microclimate very quickly.” — Catherine Cleary For the full deep dive, check out our special episode Greening Ireland from Pocket Forests to Native Woodlands on our website.