I make content about sustainability, climate solutions and good news you may not have heard about | @sambentley | Forbes 30 Under 30
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
121K followers
500+ connections
121K followers
500+ connections
About
Business enquiries - sam@sambentley.co.uk
I make content to share stories about positive news and climate solutions from around the world, across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.
With a following of 4 million+ people, I hope to use my platforms to help inspire positive change and create a better planet.
instagram.com/sambentley
tiktok.com/@sambentley
I co-founded UNILAD, and with the help of an incredibly talented team, grew a small Facebook page from my bedroom in Birmingham, into one of the biggest social media companies in the world with over 60 million fans and over 1 billion video views every month.
Over the course of 6 years, UNILAD grew to over 200 staff with offices in Manchester and London and a team in New York, all with no investment.
I was awarded a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.
In that time, we pioneered social media strategy, breaking records for being the most viewed social media publisher of all time, with over 4.5 billion video views one month, and we were consistently the most popular publisher across social media every year.
Moving on from UNILAD, I turned my focus and knowledge of social media to creating content around sustainability, ethical consumption and advocacy, to ensure I am playing my part to create a safe future for future generations.
Activity
121K followers
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Sam Bentley shared thisGraffiti covered walls are being turned into wildflower meadows, and it’s helping clean the air, reduce noise, and bring wildlife back to cities! This is Meadowall, a system created by Habitat Horticulture that turns blank city walls into vertical ecosystems. Special panels made from recycled plastic bottles are pre-seeded with native wildflowers and grasses that are then easily installed onto chain link fences or walls. With simple irrigation systems running along the top. Within a few weeks, they begin to bloom, transforming bare walls into thriving habitats for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. And it’s not just good for wildlife! These living walls can reduce noise by up to 15 decibels, filter pollution from car exhausts, and even improve mental wellbeing by bringing more greenery into cities. And maintenance is super easy, just a prune a couple times a year, and checkups to the watering system. With plants lasting for at least 5 years before needing to be reseeded. Imagine if more of our cities looked like this. Would you like to see these in your neighborhood?
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Sam Bentley shared thisToday I'm proud to share something I've been quietly working on for a while. A couple of months ago, I went to the UK government with an idea for an awards programme that would celebrate the people and organisations across the country doing extraordinary work for their communities and the planet that often goes unseen. Honestly, I didn't dream it would come to life this quickly, and full credit to the team who took the idea and ran with it. I'm thrilled to share that the Pride in Our Planet Awards launch on June 18, ahead of London Climate Action Week! I've co-created the awards alongside Katie White OBE MP the UK's Climate Minister and our Head Judge, Billy Hill who has been spearheading the work behind the scenes, and the team at The Conduit. We're honoured to be supported by Sky as our sponsor. The aim is simple. To move the climate conversation away from abstract challenge, and toward something tangible, human, and rooted in pride in what is already being achieved across the country. So much of the work I've covered on my channels over the years has come from people doing brilliant things with very little spotlight. This year I've wanted to start creating that spotlight in real life too, not just on social media, and these awards are the first step. If you know an individual, business, or community group in the UK doing work that deserves to be recognised, whether they're restoring a local green space, building something new, or pushing for change in their community, I'd love for you to nominate them. Nominations are open now: https://lnkd.in/e6jrm6bk Looking forward to celebrating the people behind the work on June 18!
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Sam Bentley shared thisThe 6 winners of the "Green Nobel Prize" were announced, and for the first time in the award's history, they're all women! One winner was picked from each region of the world for the Goldman Environmental Prize so let's see who won in yours! In Alaska, Alannah Hurley helped block a massive mining project to protect Bristol Bay , home to 50 million wild salmon, and one of the last intact ecosystems of its kind. In Nigeria, Iroro Tanshi protected an endangered bat species by building a community wildfire-prevention network that now keeps over 1,000 hectares of forest safe. In South Korea, Borim Kim led Asia's first successful youth-driven climate lawsuit, a ruling that could prevent up to 2 billion tons of CO₂, roughly three years of the country's entire emissions, from entering our atmosphere. In Papua New Guinea, Theonila ROka Matbob held mining giant Rio Tinto accountable for dumping 150,000 tons of toxic waste a day from the abandoned Panguna mine. Sarah Finch took an oil company to the Supreme Court — and won! Forcing the UK to account for ALL the damage a fossil fuel project causes and it’s already blocking the dirtiest projects from getting off the ground. And in Colombia, Yuvelis Morales Blanco helped stop commercial fracking after an oil spill devastated her community. Her youth movement drove the court rulings that blocked the projects for good. Which story was your favourite? Let me know in the comments and tap like for more good news! #goodnews #conservation #wildlife
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Sam Bentley shared thisHere’s some good news stories to help get you through May!
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Sam Bentley shared thisWe can turn grey concrete walls into living green surfaces that help clean our air, using this simple technique! It’s been developed by Respyre based in the Netherlands, and they’ve designed a way to grow moss directly onto buildings! Here’s how it works. First, they apply a special bioreceptive concrete layer to a wall. This concrete is designed to hold moisture and create perfect conditions for moss to grow. Then, a moss coating is added, containing selected moss species and nutrients. Over around 12 weeks, the moss establishes itself and spreads across the surface. The result is a self-sustaining green wall that survives on rainwater alone, with no permanent irrigation needed! One of the big questions I had about this was won’t it make the building super damp? Apparently not, the moss only grows on the top concrete layer and actually protects the structure underneath from weathering. Cities are dominated by concrete that traps heat and worsens air quality. But moss changes that. It filters dust and pollution, absorbs CO₂, releases oxygen, and helps cool buildings. With so many plain walls in cities, could moss be a solution to turn these spaces into living infrastructure that actually helps the environment! What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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Sam Bentley shared thisThis is a Sponge City! And like a sponge, they’re designed to soak up rainwater, to help prevent flooding, and they create loads of green spaces too! Here’s how they work. Pioneered by landscape architect Kongjian Yu, who sadly died in a plane crash last year, Sponge Cities use a bunch of nature-based solutions to absorb and use rainwater effectively. They use porous pavements that mimic soil by absorbing water and releasing it slowly into the earth. They integrate green rooftops, rain gardens, and enhanced wetlands that not only manage water but also support biodiversity and improve air quality. By slowing down water flow, it becomes easier to capture it and store it for later use. And all the natural features even help to clean the water too, reducing the need for industrial cleaning processes! Sponge Cities have already been adopted by over 264 cities in China, with a goal to make 80% of its urban areas sponge-like by 2030. These types of cities could bring us a step closer to living in harmony with the environment , and they’re a fitting legacy for the visionary who first imagined them. Would you like to live in a sponge city? #goodnews #naturebased
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Sam Bentley shared thisThis is the world’s first autistic Barbie doll, and it’s been designed with the autistic community to help more children feel seen. Its features represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them. For example it has flexible arms and wrists, so it can reflect movements like stimming or hand flapping. The eye gaze is slightly to the side, representing how some autistic people may avoid direct eye contact. It comes with a fidget spinner that actually spins, helping with focus and reducing stress. There are noise-cancelling headphones to help manage sensory overload. And a tablet with AAC communication apps, supporting non-verbal communication. Even the outfit has been carefully designed, with soft, loose-fitting fabric and flat shoes for comfort and ease of movement. My friend Nandi Madida was one of the amazing individuals who helped launch it! “It's so beautiful because, you know, for a community that usually is excluded, it's beautiful to see how just Mattel and Barbie were so intentional about creating a Barbie doll that's so inclusive for the neurodivergent kids out there, as well as us mothers gets celebrated as well, and fathers.” “But also what I love is even for your neurotypical kids, they get to explore now what it means to be autistic.” It’s been developed in partnership with Autistic Self Advocacy Network a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people that advocates for the rights of the autistic community. Would you like to see initiatives building a more inclusive world?
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Sam Bentley shared thisSome of the best good news stories from April you may have missed!
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Sam Bentley shared thisIt’s that time of year when I'm joined by one of the most incredible people in my life to co-host tha Good News show with me, and that is my younger brother Jack. Jack is one of many fantastic people within the autistic community, and for this month's show, as it's Autism Acceptance Month, we're mixing in some autism related stories with our usual monthly ones to shine a light on the incredible work being done by people, or for people, in that community. https://lnkd.in/et694f7s
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked thisIt’s been 3 years. I started the beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship feeling deeply uncertain, no clear roadmap, no real community around me, and very little confidence in myself or what I was building with Ellira. I just knew I cared deeply about creating things with intention, for people and for the planet. Somewhere along the way, this fellowship became so much more than a program. It became a community that reminded me to keep going, spaces that made me feel seen, and people who believed in me long before I fully believed in myself. Coming back to the Global Summit this year as a third-year fellow, under the theme “Generations for the Planet,” felt incredibly full-circle! 🌱Re-uniting with leaders & mentors like Khorshid Merz & Birgit Spark who’ve seen Ellira’s trajectory was so heart warming 💗 To the beVisioneers team Marisha Nair, Zoe Magee, Chiedza Mutsaka Skyum thank you for building a space that feels deeply human and hopeful. To the venture coaches Akshay Cherian, Abhijit Sinha, Nihal Ahmed, thank you for guiding me through every stage of this journey with so much patience and belief. And to my lovely fellows - Aleyna Gültekin , Katrin Kreidel , Marta Agueda Carlero, Marta Sokołowska-Słuszniak, Avhijit Nair, Ashish Pahwa, Urvi Lahoti, Maximilian Lehmann ♻, Yumna Ramsingh, Marlene Mostert, Likhona Mkonto Thabo Mngomezulu Ntobeko Mafu Shradha Pandey, Brandon Reynolds, Tanush Prem, Ayush Kale, Manas Parmar, Sophie Fasshauer, Meenakshi Bhoopalan, Kunjpreet Arora, Bonisiwe Kumalo, Luis Borja Garcia Gimeno Praneetha Monipi, Swathi L Narayanan, & so many more, thank you for making this journey feel less lonely. Growing alongside all of you has been one of the most meaningful parts of these last three years. Leaving with more clarity, more conviction, and even more hope for the future we’re trying to build together 🌎❤️
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked thisYoung innovators make the world move. Last week i had the pleasure of being invited to participate in a panel discussion moderated by Mariah Levin together with Katrin Lehmann and Dr. Katharina Beumelburg at the beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship summit in Stuttgart. There are a 1000 things to say about how amazing and elevating it feels to be speaking on stage with three so amazing leaders and experts, experience their authentic dedication to the cause and learn. In this post though I want to give my gratitude to the young fellows in the room. Some of whom I got to meet for longer, learn about their innovation projects and ventures. Thank you for sharing you enthusiasm not only for your venture but more over for the positive impact you are creating. Over a lunch discussion I got the question from one of the fellows: "What advice would you give us for the future". I hesitated, since I felt like they had achieved already so much more, having had the courage to put themselves out there so early on, create and build something and pour their hearts and minds into their project. I guess this is a reflection of how much energy and passion for the future these for hours gave me personally. You will shape the future. Thank you for the great pictures Michael Damböck and allowing me to post some.
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked thisThree years ago, I walked into my first beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship Global Summit as a Cohort 1 Fellow — nervous, hopeful, and full of a dream that felt bigger than the room I was standing in. I pitched in front of a global panel and didn't receive the funding (the first time) . I won't lie — it crushed me. But today, standing on that stage at the **beVisioneers Global Summit 3** in Stuttgart, the fellowship journey officially closing — I felt something I couldn't have understood back then: *everything happens in divine timing.* That €20,000 I didn't receive the first time? I wasn't ready for it yet. The version of me that eventually EARNED it needed to be built first — and beVisioneers was part of that building. Three years, three summits, one full circle. What started as a program that selected just **102 Fellows** from a handful of countries has grown into a global movement of thousands changemakers from 55 countries — all daring to believe that one young person with an idea can change the world. I am so proud to have been part of that from day one. To Coralie Jacquot, Mariah Levin Marisha Nair & Chiedza Mutsaka Skyum — you held me on the hardest day. Coralie, you were *pregnant* and still took the time to check on me, to care for me, to make sure I was okay. That kind of human will never leave me. Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart. To Birgit Spark of Mercedes-Benz — you are so much more than a contact in my network. You've been an unofficial mentor, a speaker in my programs at Madame Clucks Alot (Pty) Ltd, a voice in my WhatsApp on the tough days, and every time we see each other we are genuinely *so excited* — and those hugs? Absolutely unmatched. Thank you for investing in me as a person, not just as a fellow. To my **Cohort 1 family** Brandon Reynolds Priya Srinivas Yumna Ramsingh Avhijit Nair Marlene Mostert Phumla Makhoba Likhona Mkonto Thabo Mngomezulu — you have seen ALL of it. The pitches, the pivots, the growth, the glow-up. Your support throughout this journey has been one of the most beautiful constants in my entrepreneurial story. I love you all deeply. And to **beVisioneers** — thank you for creating a space that believes in the unconventional. For seeing entrepreneurs who don't fit a mould, from backgrounds that have never been given enough stages, and saying *you belong here.* Three years of building, dreaming, falling, and rising — together. This isn't goodbye. This is *see you in spaces.* 🌍✨ | The DO | beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship #becausethismadameclucksalot #MercedesBenzFellowship #GlobalSummit3 #MadameClucksAlot #DivineTiming #Cohort1 #Stuttgart #Entrepreneurship #EcoInnovation #SeeYouInSpaces
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked this🔥Our petition has been approved 🔥 It’s time for a televised emergency briefing. Sign… then Share. Let’s make this happen! https://lnkd.in/eQBWUrK5
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked thisI was delighted to see Jonny Madderson and his team win a BAFTA on Sunday for his short form film, ‘Hustle and Run’, about a Kent community and their beloved whippets who defied the naysayers to claim victory at the Crufts flyball competition. Jonny made the RSPB’s wonderful ‘Saving our Swifts’ film, highlighting the plight of our Swifts and how creating Swift nest sites in newbuilds and along streets can provide these birds with the homes they need. A timely reminder to look out for Swifts in our skies again, as they return to the UK after their winter in Africa. Congratulations, Jonny Madderson! https://lnkd.in/ez2z3GJDMeet the community that's come together to save our Swifts | RSPBMeet the community that's come together to save our Swifts | RSPB
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Sam Bentley liked thisSam Bentley liked thisDear BBC News ITV News Channel 4 News Sky Netflix 🔔This is all across local news. The UK government hasn't yet briefed the public on the severe threats from climate change and nature loss, and so across the UK, civil society is taking matters into its own hands. Articles from just 10 days to last Friday👇 Links below. Please contact our media engagement lead Mike Marshall for info. #NationalEmergencyBriefing #TimeToStepUp #PEBuk #climate #nature #TippingPoints #AMOC #Food #Health
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