Inspiring Eco-Action with Ciara Doyle, Co-Founder of Going Green Media
If you’re a fan of all things green and sustainable, then you’re likely in the know about Going Green Media. Same as we do at EMA, Going Green Media inspires with hope and action, not fear and shame. That’s why we are so excited to share our interview with Ciara Doyle, co-founder of Going Green Media.
Ciara Doyle is a documentary filmmaker, content creator, and co-founder of Going Green Media, a company that films solutions for the planet that inspire action. With a background in telecommunications and journalism, Ciara’s passion for sustainable travel, circular economy, citizen engagement, and nature-based solutions has continually inspired her work at Going Green Media, which spotlights the individuals, organizations, and inventions that are pioneering better, more sustainable, and regenerative solutions to some of the planet's greatest problems. Ciara and her co-founder, Ben, also emphasize how these innovations are benefiting individuals, communities, and industries around the world. By using digital and social media as platforms for activism, Going Green reaches millions each month and shares stories of hope and optimism that encourage people of all ages around the world to mobilize. She is a member of the King's Foundation 35 Under 35, a Digital Communications Fellow at the Museum of Science Boston, and is a 2026 Harvard Chan C-Change and Pique Action Climate Creator to Watch. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Travel + Leisure, and Euronews.
When you were in college, did you foresee yourself creating a business? What did that journey from graduation to now look like?
Just months before my graduation, I was submitting resumes to every news agency and television station that I could find, and I came across an online application for an internship with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. I knew that thousands of young people like me would have already applied, but I thought I'd try. A few weeks later, I received an email from the hiring team at NBCUniversal for an interview, and two additional interviews after that, I somehow landed the job! I knew no one in New York City and could barely afford the shoebox-sized room I planned to move into with my savings from year-round jobs, but I was overwhelmed with excitement at the thought that this could be the start of something.
Throughout the arguably insane and exhilarating internship, I had the opportunity to see how real productions worked and who did what, learn the politics of corporate hierarchy, and meet some wonderful people along the way who casually shared what they knew, even on long shoot days. Oh, and I picked up a lot of lunches, coffees, and rider items in between, of course. As the internship came to an end, I swore that entertainment would be my field and that this would be the start of my 'ascent' in the industry (queue victorious trumpets). I could tell stories that mattered! I could highlight the people so often overlooked by the industry! Then Covid happened.
After months of unsuccessfully applying to companies in the city, made skittish by the onset of Covid and having worked all my contacts, my lease was coming to an end, and I felt an unexplainable pull to live across the pond in London, closer to my mom's family in Germany. I still can't explain what drove me to a city I had never even visited, let alone lived in, but I knew I had to go. Overnight in March of 2020, I packed my life and all belongings, save for two suitcases, into a storage unit in Chelsea that I figured I'd one day return to, and hopped on the last flight out of JFK before they canceled most flights and the borders were closed.
Again, knowing no one and starting over, yet now in the midst of a global pandemic, I worked as a live-in nanny for eight months before eventually getting a job as a production assistant for Peloton Studios in central London—a wonderful place to work, but a far cry from the shiny entertainment job I left behind. This left me feeling really lost and wondering how I could ever find a medium to tell the stories I wanted to tell. The ones that carried depth and had a greater purpose.
At that same time, the universe sent me (by the powers of Instagram) my now business and life partner, Ben, where we instantly connected over our shared goals, passions, and dreams. He was building a hobby YouTube channel in addition to studying architecture, showcasing the latest in sustainable design, and I knew I wanted to get involved and maybe even expand it to showcase the people behind them, creating a difference. And the rest is history!
Going Green Media has visited over 200 projects to date. Is there a project or two that was your favorite, or stood out to you more so than the others?
When we first started collaborating to turn this hobby-cum-passion project into a business, we lived by one truth: that change doesn't happen from a single catalyst or in a single direction; rather, it comes from the intersection and cooperation of millions of catalysts from all directions. This meant that, from the start, we would endeavor to make films and content that cover diverse sectors, topics, individuals, and industries.
This means that it's very difficult for me to choose a favorite, as we've been so privileged to visit SO many incredible ones, but one that really stands out is the Vauban District in Freiburg, Germany. In my opinion, it truly is the most attainable, replicable example of collaborative, sustainable living that benefits both people and planet. All buildings were entirely designed by and for residents rather than by a developer, and are composed of cooperatives, student housing, and social housing. It was built on the site of a former military base and is now one of the most biodiverse areas of the city. It's one of Europe's largest solar districts, where residents sell excess energy back to the city's grid. Public transportation is within walking distance, and 70% of residents don't own a car because of this, yet have access to district car-sharing services if they need one. Produce from the community's abundant vegetable garden is available to any resident who lends a hand in maintaining it. There are schools, shops, a hotel, and doctors' offices within the neighborhood or nearby, and cycle lanes connecting the district with the rest of the city.
From your “Conscious Travel” project category to your Eco Stays, Going Green Media places a large emphasis on sustainable travel. What would you say are the top three most important elements of green travel?
In an age of increasing narrow-mindedness, travel opens up your heart and mind to people, cultures, and experiences you may never have otherwise. We love 'traveling greener' because it allows us to have these experiences, while also minimizing our environmental impact as much as possible. Our top three tips include:
Spend your money responsibly to actually contribute to the local economy! This means that instead of staying at the enormous, all-inclusive chain resort, stay at a locally owned hotel or B&B and talk with the people who have poured their lives and love into it. Eat at the quieter restaurant run by a local couple who highlight traditional dishes that may not make Instagram 'must-try' lists. Take part in experiences that support local biodiversity and sustainable tourism initiatives, rather than just visiting an attraction to get the perfect picture.
Take the road (or railway) less traveled! If you have the time, instead of hopping on a quick flight to your next destination, can you take a longer train that winds you through remote mountain passes and shows you landscapes you may have never seen otherwise? Or if your country has poor rail infrastructure (America, looking at you), can you road trip to where you want to go and stop at the small places along the way that you may have missed? Or can you turn your holiday into an active one by hiking or cycling from place to place? I hiked a portion of the Camino de Santiago with my high school friend last year, and I can't wait to go back and finish the trail one day! Of course, traveling this way is not always possible for several reasons, but it is always worth it.
Leave no trace! This should be self-explanatory, but make sure that, whether you're in a remote national park or visiting a city center, you take it back with you and dispose of it properly. Other people must live there long after you leave, respect their home like it was your own.
In your “Commitment to Conscious Travel” towards the bottom of the “About” page of your website, you state that: “We turn down jobs that require us to travel great distances for only a short time and only take the journey if we believe the journey is worth the footprint.” Besides the time component mentioned, what other factors have led you to decide that a travel opportunity is worth the footprint?
We realized a few years ago that a lot of our content is very Eurocentric, truthfully due to the fact that we can easily travel around the continent by train at a moment's notice; however, this can also perpetuate the notion that there aren't any sustainable innovations in other parts of the world worth visiting—which is entirely FALSE! Much of our audience lives outside Europe, and we want to highlight to them and the rest of the world that there is innovation on or near their doorstep that they can get involved with.
About three times per year, we also plan trips that may take us a long time to reach by plane but are always worth it because we can film for multiple projects in a single trip, rather than going all that way for one. We recently got back from a three-week trip to South Korea, where we road tripped and train-tripped around the country filming with over 12 companies and organizations, and we are thrilled with both the feedback we've received from these organizations, emphasizing the spike in enquiries they’re received, as well as some of the comments on our videos from people who live in South Korea and who were excited to learn about this innovation so near to them.
Your work also includes the Inspire Action Podcast. If you could interview one person on your podcast (they do not have to still be alive today), who would it be and why?
This is probably a very stereotypical answer for someone in the climate space, but as I write this on his 100th birthday, my dream guest on The Inspire Action Podcast would be Sir David Attenborough. I believe activism comes in many forms, and his ability to make people care about, learn about, and observe nature in all its beauty, ferocity, and interconnectedness is, in my opinion, the most influential. Not only has he inspired generations around the world, but he has also influenced public opinion and policy here in the UK, particularly over his 80+ year career, and has shaped how we understand our own role as human beings here on Earth.
You can read more inspiring eco-stories at our EMA blog!