Podsitive Signals | Who Gets Left Out of Sustainability Decisions?

As sustainability becomes part of procurement, operations, finance, and everyday business decisions, organizations are defining what they measure and reward. Those choices shape whose interests count. Human impact needs to be built into these systems if it is to influence the decisions that follow.

In People Positive: Building the Human Dimension of Sustainability, Gayathri Unnikrishnan offers a way to recognize the people affected by a decision beyond its most visible users or stakeholders. Her People Positive / People Neutral / People Extractive spectrum helps examine whether a decision, condition, or practice creates benefit, maintains the status quo, or shifts burdens onto people.

In this conversation with Richard Garrett, Gayathri, founder of Liveable, shares experiences from her career that revealed how easily people can be overlooked in otherwise reasonable design decisions. From maintenance workers to hospital patients, she reflects on who gets considered, whose interests carry weight, and why speaking up shouldn't depend on individual courage.

Drawing on her work with the WELL Building Standard, Gayathri examines what we can learn from the way sustainability measures carbon and how those lessons might help us account for human impacts. She also introduces People Positive as a practical resource for assessing those impacts and communicating them to the people who make decisions.

The goal isn't to replace our existing systems. It's to make human considerations part of how those systems work, from specifications and purchasing to budgets and operations.

Bring one consequential decision you're already making. As you listen, consider who benefits, who bears the burden, and whose experience may be missing.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Who Gets Left Out of Sustainability Decisions?
01:54 Two Experiences That Changed Gayathri's Perspective
08:37 Why Speaking Up Shouldn't Require Courage
11:24 Meet Gayathri Unnikrishnan
12:39 What Sustainability Can Learn From Carbon Measurement
15:34 People Positive: Bringing Human Impact Into Decisions
22:14 From Good Intentions to Practical Action
31:31 Who Are We Missing? Your Next Step

RESOURCES

Podsitive Network
https://podsitive.net

People Positive: Building the Human Dimension of Sustainability
https://bookshop.org/p/books/people-positive-building-the-human-dimension-of-sustainability/cf7d765edfc9d38d

Liveable
https://makeitliveable.com/

ABOUT PODSITIVE SIGNALS

Podsitive Signals is a conversation series from Podsitive Network connecting important ideas and opportunities with the people who can put them into practice.

PEOPLE. PLACES. PRODUCTS. ONE REGENERATIVE FUTURE.

#PodsitiveSignals #PodsitiveNetwork #PeoplePositive #HumanCenteredDesign #SustainableDesign #BuiltEnvironment

The rapid growth of AI data centers is increasing demand for electricity, bringing new investment to communities while raising difficult questions about affordability, environmental impacts, and who gets to shape the decisions.

Michelle Moore believes those decisions should be made with communities, not simply for them.

In this episode of Net Podsitive, Richard Garrett speaks with Michelle, CEO of Groundswell and author of Rural Renaissance, about the choices shaping America's energy future and what it takes to build community power.

Drawing on her experience in the Obama White House, on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board, and at the U.S. Green Building Council, Michelle examines the relationship between energy infrastructure, economic opportunity, environmental justice, and local decision-making.

The conversation moves from the expansion of data centers in places like Memphis to Groundswell's practical work helping families reduce energy costs, repair aging homes, and build community resilience.

Michelle also shares the personal experiences behind her work, including memories of her grandmother's uninsulated home in rural Georgia, the influence of faith and service on her leadership, and the importance of making room for the next generation.

Along the way, Richard and Michelle explore how communities can recognize the value of their assets, negotiate with developers, and build partnerships that deliver lasting benefits.

Chapters

00:00 Who Benefits from the Energy Transition?
02:19 An Energy Transformation We Can Shape
11:03 Beyond Technology: The Human Infrastructure
13:57 Know Your Worth: Communities and Power
16:24 What Happens When Communities Have No Voice?
20:09 From Her Grandmother's Kitchen Table
30:04 Building Community Power with Groundswell
34:47 Show Me: Turning Promises into Progress
40:40 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: Connecting Communities and Solutions
46:14 Servant Leadership in Difficult Times
49:18 Leading Through Resistance and Bias
52:27 The Community Garden: Rose, Thorn, and Bud
56:03 The Next Generation and Finding Renewal

Explore the work

Groundswell
https://groundswell.org

Rural Renaissance Roadshow
https://ruralrenaissance.com/2026-roadshow/

Podsitive Network
https://podsitive.net

Net Podsitive is a podcast from Podsitive Network, connecting the people and ideas advancing a healthier, more resilient built environment.