"Generation Restoration wonderfully weaves together the most important ingredients of how we can heal ourselves and the planet. The book is the culmination of Tim’s last twenty-nine years of work and life experience.

Experience that has included leading parts of the United Nations’ Environment Programmes to his current role as VP of Climate Action at Salesforce.

It is hard to imagine anyone better placed to illustrate to the human race how restoration is the key to health, wealth and happiness. We are nature. When we restore nature, we restore ourselves.

Read Generation Restoration to find out how.” Jackie De Burca

What if the next step in human evolution is learning to restore rather than extract?

In this episode, Jackie de Burca speaks with first-time author and renowned nature leader Tim Christophersen to explore his new book, Generation Restoration (launching 14 October 2025).

From East Africa’s shrinking migrations to a small Danish farm buzzing back to life, Tim makes the case that restoration at planetary scale is not only possible—it’s already underway.

In this episode of Constructive Voices, Jackie De Burca interviews Dr. Brian MacSharry from the European Environment Agency to discuss the concept of nature credits, their significance in the context of biodiversity, and how they differ from carbon credits.

Brian shares insights from his extensive career in environmental policy, emphasising the importance of recognising the role of biodiversity in our economy and society.

The conversation explores the challenges of measuring biodiversity, the roadmap for implementing nature credits, and the potential for incentivising private sector involvement in conservation efforts. Brian concludes with actionable steps for individuals and businesses to support biodiversity.

• The difference between carbon credits and nature credits, and why biodiversity is harder to measure.

• How businesses and economies are far more dependent on nature than most people realise.

• Why the European Union’s roadmap for nature credits is both ambitious and full of open questions.

• How pilot projects across Europe are already testing new models of valuing biodiversity.

• Practical ways individuals, businesses, and policymakers can support biodiversity today.

We dig into why lone workers are growing fast, how extreme weather is reshaping site risks, and how connecting culture with smart tech turns “compliance” into prevention. You’ll hear real examples—from JLL to Costain—and a pragmatic playbook any firm can use.

“Safety works when everyone has permission to call it out—from apprentices to execs.” David Picton

1. Lone workers: why they’re on the rise, the unique risks they face, and how to protect them.

2. Climate disruption on site: heat, storms, floods—and the simple factors (shade, hydration, acclimatisation, permission to speak up) that change outcomes.

3. Culture that speaks up: the “permission” moment that proves safety works when everyone can challenge—even a junior apprentice.

4. Data into decisions: how visibility lifts reporting and drives action.

5. SME playbook: low-cost, high-impact moves for smaller firms to handle extreme weather and continuity.

“Technology plus culture is the shift—from basic compliance to predicting issues before they happen.” David Picton

• Start with risk assessments on your highest-exposure tasks and locations. Keep them live as conditions change.
• Plan for weather: set clear comms trees, cross-training, and alternative task lists for

A short, sharp burst of optimism from the built environment. This episode: how floating neighbourhoods can power and protect themselves; why the EU wants to put nature on the balance sheet; and a hopeful update from Burkina Faso where smart water-harvesting is helping 29,000+ new trees thrive.

Floating neighbourhoods: Modern floating platforms are typically hollow, creating space for decentralised systems—wastewater and drinking-water treatment, on-board electricity storage, floating solar, even algae/seaweed biofuels. That off-grid setup boosts resilience and, placed offshore, these structures can also reduce wave energy to help protect coasts during storms.

“Floating structures… offer opportunities to become more self-supporting and off-grid—more resilient.” Rutger de Graaf, Blue21

Tune into the full episode – Floating Futures here

Courtesy Rutger de Graaf Floating-Pavilion

EU

At Constructive Voices, we’re not only about the place and the things that happen within the built environment, we’re also about how the places are directly connected with us as people. Along with the creatures around us and how that actually plays out in various ways within our lives.

Today we’re with David Picton. Now David will also be visiting you again in another episode, but in this particular episode, David, who’s the Senior Vice President of Safety and Sustainability at EcoOnline, is going to speak to you about his visit to the Everest Base Camp and how this is a mirror for his life as it has been to other people also.

In this conversation, David Picton shares his transformative journey to Everest Base Camp, discussing the profound connection he felt with nature, the communities along the trail, and the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

He reflects on the physical and mental challenges faced during the trek, the sustainability efforts observed in the region, and the life lessons learned from this extraordinary experience.

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.

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.

From turning down Harvard to study engineering against her father’s wishes, to running manufacturing plants in her twenties, Gretchen’s career is a testament to courage, adaptability, and a refusal to accept the status quo.

Today, she is an international author, speaker, and founder of the Women Thriving in Construction Institute, a global non-profit driving data-led change to attract and retain more women in construction.

If you care about leadership, diversity, or the future of the construction industry, this conversation delivers both inspiration and actionable insight. Gretchen doesn’t just talk about change — she’s building the structures, connections, and data that will make it happen.

• The “grounded self-leadership” approach – why leadership starts with personal values and purpose

• How male allyship can transform workplace culture and open doors for women

• Why inclusivity fuels innovation in construction, energy, and engineering

• Four agile leadership routines every leader needs in high-stakes industries

• The systemic barriers holding women back — and practical steps to dismantle them

• Gretchen’s vision for scaling what works globally through the Women Thriving in Construction Institute

Dr. Gretchen Gagel is a distinguished executive in the construction industry, bringing 40 years of management consulting expertise.

She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA focused on finance, and a Ph.D. in Leadership, Organization Culture, and Change/Agility.

She has served as Chair of Brinkman Construction and is the founder of Women Thriving in Construction, a Global Institute dedicated to fueling global collaboration and funding strategies to accelerate the success of women in construction, mining, and energy inspired by her 2021 induction into the National Academy of Construction, Dr. Gagel is committed to fostering the success of women leaders.

Her book, Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction, published by Wiley in April 2025, provides invaluable guidance and strategies for women to excel in construction, engineering, and related fields.

Mary K. Rhinehart, Chair, Johns Manville Corporation, wrote,

“In the decades I’ve known Gretchen, I have watched her grow and excel as a mother, a civic and business leader, and an influencer in the construction industry. We are so fortunate that Gretchen carved out the time to write this seminal book on women’s leadership and I am confident that all will benefit from the knowledge she shares. Gretchen is a remarkable leader and role model who cares deeply for the construction industry, and her passion for helping women thrive helps us build a more inclusive in...