Podcasts
Sustainability TransformationsNovember 20, 2025 · Host: Sustainability Transformations

Innovation with impact - how AI, storytelling, and sustainability can build a better future

Amir Elion joins the Sustainability Transformations podcast to explore how innovation, AI, and sustainability intersect - covering Global Green Action Day hackathons across four European cities, how moving to Stockholm transformed his sustainability perspective, reframing sustainability as a data problem, responsible AI risks including bias amplification, and why open innovation and collaboration are essential for driving change at scale.

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Originally published on Sustainability Transformations

What you'll learn in this episode

In this conversation, Amir Elion, CEO of Think Big Leaders and former AWS Innovation Programs lead in the Nordics, joins the Sustainability Transformations podcast to explore how innovation, AI, and sustainability can work together to build a better future. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Amir shares how the Global Green Action Day initiative bridges these disciplines through structured collaboration and real action. These are topics Amir regularly speaks about at conferences and corporate events.

From innovation expert to sustainability advocate

Amir shares how moving to Stockholm five years ago transformed his understanding of sustainability. Coming from a career focused on innovation and technology, he knew little about sustainability until he experienced Nordic culture firsthand - where sustainability permeates public sector, business, and daily life through real action rather than just talk. He took university courses, worked on projects combining AI with waste management and circular economy, and ultimately co-created Global Green Action Day to connect innovation, sustainability, regulation, and AI. This journey from innovation to sustainability impact is a core part of Amir's keynote presentations.

Global Green Action Day - from learning to action

The conversation provides a detailed overview of Global Green Action Day - an initiative Amir co-created with Fernanda Torres and Evelina Lindqvist. The program addresses the critical gap between strategy on paper and real implementation through a two-month online training program covering sustainability, innovation methodology, AI, regulation, and circular economy, followed by hackathon events in four European cities. Organizations post real challenges, diverse teams propose solutions, and the challenge owners select ideas to implement. One example: a Swedish public organization seeking ideas to promote sustainable clothing consumption (five new items per year).

Reframing sustainability as a data problem

Amir offers a practical lens for applying AI to sustainability: reframe it as a data problem. A Finnish waste management company used data on business type, season, location, and weather to predict when customers would need extra waste removal - reducing fuel consumption and rush operations. Building energy optimization through IoT data achieves 26% improvement with minimal cost. The principle: identify the key data that allows you to impact operations and behaviors, then apply AI to drive sustainable decisions at scale.

Responsible AI and the bias amplification risk

The conversation tackles the flip side of AI for sustainability - energy and water consumption of AI systems, but more importantly, the amplification of social biases. When Amir asked AI for an image of 20 successful executives, only one was a woman and most were white men. As organizations delegate more decisions about recruiting, promotion, and resource allocation to AI, they must actively prevent bias amplification. The advice: educate teams about responsible AI, maintain transparency, and invite diverse perspectives to challenge AI outputs.

Book Amir as a speaker

Amir regularly delivers keynotes and workshops on the topics covered in this episode - innovation with AI for sustainability, open innovation methodology, responsible AI adoption, and connecting business, technology, and environmental impact. He speaks at conferences, corporate leadership offsites, and industry events across Sweden, the Nordics, and Europe. Learn more about Amir's speaking topics and availability.

Key Topics Discussed

Global Green Action Day

A detailed overview of the initiative Amir co-created with Fernanda Torres and Evelina Lindqvist - combining sustainability, innovation, circular economy regulation, and AI through a two-month online training program followed by hackathon events in Stockholm, Vienna, Lisbon, and Porto on UN World Environment Day, where organizations posted real sustainability challenges and diverse teams proposed actionable solutions.

Connecting innovation, sustainability, and AI

Why sustainability, innovation, and technology cannot remain in separate silos - each domain has its own language, acronyms, and deep expertise, and real progress requires collaboration across disciplines. Systems thinking connects these domains, and the Global Green Action Day was designed to bridge these gaps.

Nordic sustainability culture

How moving to Stockholm transformed Amir's understanding of sustainability - from knowing little about it to being swept up by a culture where sustainability permeates public sector, business, and daily life. The key learning: when all actors are moving in the same direction with real action rather than just talk, everyone comes along.

Reframing sustainability as a data problem

A practical approach to AI for sustainability - start by identifying the key data that will allow you to impact operations and behaviors. Examples include predicting waste management needs by business type, season, and location to reduce fuel waste, and using IoT data in buildings to achieve 26% energy optimization with minimal cost.

AI risks in sustainability

The flip side of AI for sustainability - energy and water consumption of AI systems, precious metals for hardware, and the amplification of social biases. When Amir asked AI for an image of 20 successful executives, only one was a woman and most were white men - reflecting society's biases amplified through AI. Transparency and responsible AI education are essential.

Open innovation and collaboration

Why driving change at scale requires collaboration beyond organizational borders - posting challenges openly, inviting diverse teams from different backgrounds, and having multiple teams in different locations address the same challenge to generate diverse perspectives. The same challenge tackled in Stockholm, Vienna, and Portugal produced different solutions shaped by local context.

From learning to action

The critical gap between sustainability strategy on paper and actual implementation. The Global Green Action Day addressed this by requiring two months of pre-training before the hackathon, using structured innovation methodology templates, and connecting participants directly with the organizations that posted challenges for follow-through.

Mindset shifts for sustainability leaders

Key advice for sustainability leaders - move out of your bubble through open innovation, suspend your own opinions to let diverse perspectives emerge, be serious about giving voice to different viewpoints, and embrace being surprised by unexpected ideas. Innovation happens when you bring people from different backgrounds together with structured methodology and genuine openness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Global Green Action Day?
Global Green Action Day is an initiative co-created by Amir Elion, Fernanda Torres, and Evelina Lindqvist that combines sustainability, innovation, circular economy, regulation, and AI. It features a two-month online training program followed by hackathon events where organizations post real sustainability challenges and diverse teams propose solutions. Events have been held in Stockholm, Vienna, Lisbon, and Porto, connected to UN World Environment Day.
How can AI be used for sustainability?
Start by reframing sustainability as a data problem - identify the key data that allows you to impact operations and behaviors. Examples include predicting waste management needs by business type and season to reduce fuel waste, using IoT data to optimize building energy consumption by 26%, and using AI for biodiversity monitoring and environmental research. The key is finding where data can drive sustainable decisions at scale.
What are the risks of using AI for sustainability?
AI risks include the energy, water, and material consumption of AI systems themselves, plus the amplification of social biases. Generative AI models reflect historical human biases - when asked for images of successful executives, AI produces predominantly white male results. Organizations must educate teams about responsible AI, maintain transparency about AI use, and actively work to prevent bias amplification in recruitment, promotion, and decision-making.
Why is collaboration essential for sustainability innovation?
Driving change at scale requires collaboration beyond organizational borders because sustainability, innovation, and technology each have their own languages and deep expertise. Open innovation - where organizations post challenges openly and invite diverse teams to help - produces better solutions than working in isolation. Multiple teams in different locations addressing the same challenge generate diverse perspectives shaped by local context.
How does Nordic culture support sustainability innovation?
In Sweden and the Nordics, sustainability permeates public sector, business, and daily life - it is not just talk but real action. Recycling programs, integration of nature with urban living, and genuine cultural care for the environment create energy that sweeps everyone along. The key learning: when all actors move in the same direction with real action, it becomes natural for everyone to participate.
How can sustainability strategies move from paper to action?
The gap between beautiful sustainability strategies on PowerPoint and actual implementation is where most organizations struggle. The Global Green Action Day model addresses this through pre-training before action, structured innovation templates that force operational detail, direct connection between solution teams and challenge-posting organizations, and follow-through processes where organizations select and implement the best ideas.
What topics does Amir Elion speak about?
Amir Elion delivers keynotes and workshops on innovation with AI for sustainability, Amazon's Working Backwards methodology, responsible AI adoption, Global Green Action Day and open innovation, and connecting business, technology, and sustainability through systems thinking. His talks blend corporate experience from Amazon Web Services with hands-on sustainability innovation.
Can I book Amir Elion as a speaker for my event?
Yes. Amir speaks at corporate events, conferences, and leadership offsites across Europe and internationally. His speaking topics include sustainability innovation with AI, open innovation methodology, responsible AI for business leaders, and connecting innovation with environmental impact. Visit amirelion.com to learn more and book a session.

About Amir Elion

Amir Elion is an AI strategist, innovation consultant, and keynote speaker based in Stockholm, Sweden. As CEO of Think Big Leaders, he helps Nordic and European enterprises develop practical AI strategies, run innovation workshops, and build AI-powered products. Previously, Amir led the AWS Innovation Programs in the Nordics, bringing Amazon's Working Backwards methodology to companies like Volvo and KONE. He combines 25+ years of innovation experience with hands-on generative AI expertise.

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