Sian Cuffy-Young, Founder of Siel Environmental Services Limited and environmental engineer wants people to think differently about waste. Sian describes the work of her company to host of the Island Woman podcast Dianne N Squires as waste systems architecture. This follows the entire value chain of inputs and outputs to evaluate where waste can be reduced or used as a resource.

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“…sometimes it makes me feel weird even saying the word waste because it’s such a valuable resource that we can use for so many other things. So it requires us to shift the way we think when it comes to what we know.” Sian Cuffy-Young

Sian Cuffy-Young remembers being at the beach with her father at ten years old, having fun in the water until a “loaded diaper” hit her in the face (ewww!). Most of us would have left it there but for Sian, that was the catalyst for her path into environmental engineering and her advocacy, education and entrepreneurial work in waste management. Her energy and absolute passion for this area are infectious and her drive has led to the development of the first ever Caribbean Food Waste Summit.  

But how does she balance her big ambition for changing people’s minds about waste with staying well? She’s learned the hard way to give attention to both. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Shan Young and her work in waste management

02:57 Big ambition: Transforming how we think and act towards waste

03:42 Daily rituals for staying grounded and focused

04:44 Evolving waste management strategies and education

07:38 Changing corporate perceptions about waste and cost savings

08:17 The role of ESG and sustainability in waste management

09:54 Quantifying waste savings for businesses

12:23 Regional expansion and Caribbean focus

13:02 Specialization in food waste and accreditation

15:20 Food waste certification and its regional significance

16:34 Addressing food waste in hospitality and events

18:46 Rethinking food production and consumption

22:24 The pros and cons of visibility and advocacy 

28:25 the importance of strategic visibility

33:16 The Caribbean Food Waste Summit: Purpose and goals

41:39 Sian’s scores on the Ambition/Wellbeing scale

46:56 The importance of staying well to achieve big ambitions

48:43 Closing remarks and upcoming events

Connect with Island Woman 

Follow the podcast, get direct access to upcoming masterclass updates, and secure private invitations for the Rooted and Ready 90-day program or the Island Woman Authority Suite by following our WhatsApp channel.

📲 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7lcdnEFeXrxlKuY31L 

or email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com

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🔗Connect with Dianne N Squires

LinkedIn: @Dianne N Squires 

linkedin.com/in/dianne-n-squires-a2389132

📈Work with Dianne as your strategic visibility coach

Email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com

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Connect with Sian Cuffy-Young and Siel Environmental Services Limited  

WhatsApp: 1-868-381-9937

Websites: https://sielenvironmental.com/

LinkedIn (Sian Young): linkedin.com/in/sian-young-0675a342 – 

LinkedIn (Siel Environmental Services Limited): https://www.linkedin.com/company/siel-environmental-services-limited/?originalSubdomain=tt

Instagram: @sieltt – https://www.instagram.com/sieltt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sieltt/

X (Siel): https://x.com/limitedsiel

Caribbean Food Waste Summit: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caribbeanfoodwastesummit/

Web: https://sielenvironmental.com/food-waste-summit/

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Dianne N. Squires is a Strategic Communications leader, Founder of Dianne N Squires Consulting (DNSC), and host of the Island Woman Podcast. Her work centres on elevating voice, visibility and impact for Caribbean changemakers.