Making Sustainability Less Miserable with Lucy Hawthorne, Climate Play

In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma welcomes Lucy Hawthorne, founder of Climate Play, to unpack how play—especially using LEGO—can be a powerful tool in making sustainability engagement more effective and enjoyable. They discuss the neuroscience of play, overcoming cynicism, and practical facilitation techniques to unlock creativity and connection in sustainability journeys.

Key Topics

Lucy Hawthorne's journey from environmental campaigning to play-based sustainability facilitation 02:11
The limitations of traditional moralistic and fear-based sustainability approaches 02:46
Introduction to LEGO Serious Play as a facilitation method 06:45
How using LEGO unlocks new ways of thinking, connection, and imagination 08:52
The science: neuroscience of play and embodied cognition 08:56, 19:51
Overcoming organizational resistance to play-based methods 12:34, 14:50
A live micro LEGO exercise exploring the "Three Horizons" future-thinking tool 19:24
How facilitation via play can level hierarchies and increase inclusive participation 26:36
The importance of imagination and creating positive, strengths-based visions of the future in sustainability work 31:03
Expanding play-based facilitation across sectors—business, academia, coaching, and more 35:09
Playfulness as a mindset: responding to uncertainty and experimenting beyond the status quo 38:21

Standout Quotes

"What if sustainability wasn’t so miserable?" — Lucy Hawthorne 13:56
"The LEGO is the method, but the mindset is about being willing to experiment and see opportunities." — Lucy Hawthorne 38:21