In 2023, the University of Birmingham posted a blog called “Man-made materials in nests can bring both risks and benefit for birds”. The headline alone elicited a slow inhale, a second read, and a bundle of questions. Evidently, this isn't a conventional story of plastic pollution wreaking havoc. This is a different kind of chaos - a tale of urban-nature entwinement with myriad implications for how we consider our interrelations with other species and the places they live, recharge their energies, and raise their families.

The question, ‘What makes a story stick?’ is what keeps the pollen project growing. We try to bring compelling stories to the surface in order to save and share them. In the process we have been grappling with why certain stories elicit deeper and more lingering responses. A casual conversation with a filmmaker and citizen scientist brought some unexpected clarity. Our chat opened a door to articulate the pollen-take on the real powers of storytelling in an entangled world.

This article has been written in collaboration with LANDED, a narrative project ‘Bridging Land, People & Policy Through Creative Storytelling’. More details at the base of this page. The piece that follows is a conversational Q&A with Helen Lucocq - co-founfer of LANDED, ex-national park policy person; and newly appointed Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Woodland Trust. Helen's insights signal that there are often useful tools hiding in plain sight, and let that linger - asking yourself in a few days time what the idea of time travel could unlock in your own line of work and the way you understand connected matters like food, farming, and nature in the place you live now.

My current understanding is that the IC is a way to indirectly interface with the more-than-human. In that process, we are confronted with the extent to which relationships between people and the rest of nature have been dismembered or stunted. The process encouraged honest conversations about nature’s pressure points and thresholds in ways that rang with honesty, grief, disdain, and motivation.

In late February 2025, Jake Randall and Tolmeia Gregory started to release ‘Lights, Climate, Action’, a podcast series discussing film and TV through a climate lens. Curious about the production process we came up with 10 questions for the hosts. We hoped to build a better understanding of the use of cinema as a conduit for lasting climate consciousness and wanted to explore the mixed landscape of film and TV engaging with climate breakdown.

In late November, I met with Jed Dutton to write a story for the pollen project. The basis of this article is a write-up of the conversation we recorded in an Edinburgh bar.  Jed is the founder of an Edinburgh organisation called The Big Green - a staple of the city’s independent dance and clubbing scene. I’ve always been intrigued by its roots and growth and wanted to speak to Jed to understand the story behind the twist in the Big Green business model which diverts ticket costs to local eco charities and social initiatives like neighbourhood food banks. 

Interview and article by Lucy Gavaghan.