Sustainable(ish)

This week we're talking schools and climate action! I'm chatting to Jo Pettifer who part of a growing team of Climate Action Advisors from climate charity Let's Go Zero, which is working to help schools in the UK to take climate action, with the ambitious goal of becoming carbon zero by 2030.Jo shares in our chat that apparently around 45% of UK household's have a school aged person within them, m...

This week we’re diving into all things digital with Matt and Will from an organisation called Carbon Fingerprint. For many of us, the planetary impact of our online lives maybe isn’t something that we give much thought to – the cloud is this ethereal thing that none of us quite understand, and I personally can’t even begin to get my head around how the internet works, so have to assume it’s some k...

"If you own a tent you can be a member of Tentshare . If you don't own a tent, you can be a member of Tentshare."Love this quote from Rebecca Heaps, founder of Tentshare -'the Air BnB for tents'! On the surface, camping feels like a pretty eco-friendly option for a cheaper holiday. And it is. However it does involved quite a lot of 'stuff' - the tent, the sleeping mats, the sleeping bags, the camp...

Podcast episode wise it was only 7 episodes ago, but time wise, almost a year has passed since I chatted to Annie Pickering from Climate Emergency UK about their Council Climate Scorecards .In that chat we talked about why climate action from Local Authorities are important,. The operational carbon footprint of most local authroties might not be huge, but their sphere of influence over their local...

Tash Acres is the founder of Earth Runs , an organistaion that rewards activity by planting trees! As you will hear, Tash’s approach to running and physical activity is so similar to my approach to sustainability – anything is better than nothing, it all counts, celebrating the successes no matter how small, and so much more! Now if you're sat there thinking "I’m not into running, this episode isn...

In this episode we’re talking money, and how we can make our money a bit greener. I’m chatting to Dan Sherrard-Smith, who is the founder and CEO of MotherTree – a platform that helps us all to get better informed about the impact of our money when it’s in our current accounts, savings, and pensions, and even when it comes to things like mortgages, insurance and broadband too. We’ve got a few episo...

This week’s episode starts with a confession! This episode was recorded a whole year ago, it was edited, intros were put onto it, it was all ready to go, and I somehow failed miserably to hit publish! I genuinely even thought I had published it until I had an e-mail from Heather earlier on this year asking when I thought it might be published. And I'm so glad she did, otherwise this brilliant inte...

Following on from last week's episode looking into some of the basics of climate science with Dr Adam Levy, this week I'm chatting to another climate scientist, Dr Ella Gilbert , and this time we're diving into the murky world of climate denial! Here's some of the misinformation that Ella addresses for us, using actual science: Climate scientists cherry pick the data and make it all up Global temp...

It's only taken 165 episodes, but I decided that it was about time we did a climate change back to basics type episode, going over the basic science of climate change. Talking about climate change is one of the most important things we can do (check out the brilliant Katharine Hayhoe for a great TED talk around this!) but many of us hold back due to a lack of confidence in our climate knowledge. S...

After a *slightly* longer (9 months..!) than intended break, the podcast is back! No guest today - just a short solo episode to say hello, apologise for my absence and let you know to stand by your beds ready for some new episodes with some fabulous guests! GOOD NEWS!There's also a new Good News section, sharing some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's th...

Most of us limit our interactions with our local authority to whingeing about our bin collections and paying our council tax BUT did you know that they have a whole lot of carbon emissions within their influence and therefore a whole lot of potential for a positive planetary impact? But how do we know what our council are doing? And if their plans are any good? And how they compare to the county n...

In this episode we take a deep dive into the carbon footprint of Christmas. Which feels a bit weird right? Christmas is a time to let go a little, and not be so hung up on the consequences of our actions (hence the number of mince pies I may have already eaten..). I feel a bit guilty for flagging up the fact that our Christmas excesses still have an impact. But unfortunately we can't bury our head...

COP 27...What happened? What didn't happen? And why? For those of us in the UK, COP26 in Glasgow last year felt like a BIG deal - it was everywhere in the media while it was running, and schools, businesses and organisations were all keen to get involved. This year's COP (COP27) has felt very different. And I found myself struggling to follow what was going on, and getting a handle on any outcomes...

You might not want to hear this but...Christmas is coming! We’re about to enter silly season for consumption with Black Friday and then the Christmas shopping, so what better time to take a pause and think about the impact of what we’re buying, and how we might be able to make our money do good stuff at the same time as buying good pressies. I’m chatting to Sian Conway-Wood who is the founder of e...

Wouldn’t it be great if everything we bought had a label on it telling us what it’s carbon footprint it? Then we would be able to make informed choices about the things we were buying and the impact they had. Today I’m chatting to Charlie Cotton from ecollective about exactly that – what is a carbon footprint, how is it worked out, how feasible my grand carbon footprint labelling dreams are, and i...

Awareness of the climate crisis feels like it is at an all-time high. All the studies tell us that 75-80% of people are worried about it, but we're still not really talking about it, and lots of people aren't really sure what they can do about it. There are lots of reasons behind this, but sometimes feeling like we don't have the knowledge or expertise to start conversations, and like we don't kno...

Often one of the first ways that young people start to express themselves is via fashion, but fashion comes with a considerable environmental footprint. Textile production accounts for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and uses 1.5 trillion litres of water annually. And we all wear clothes. In today's episode I'm chatting to someone who is on a mission to get young people engaged with...

In this episode I’m chatting to Parisa Wright, who is an absolute powerhouse of positive change – to the extent that I felt the need for a nap after speaking to her! I am in absolute awe of her passion, her energy and her absolute commitment to creating a greener and cleaner world for all our of children and for future generations. Parisa’s journey starts in the same way that many of ours will hav...

Football – I have to confess I’m not really a fan, and it’s certainly not an area I would usually associate with sustainability. And if we’re not afraid of stereotyping, then I wouldn’t have pegged football fans as big eco types either. Today’s guest is part of an organisation looking to change that , and to harness the power of sport in general, and football in particular to drive sustainable cha...

What's the best climate charity to donate to? How do I know that my money is actually being used for good stuff and not swallowed up in admin? What sorts of things might charities be funding when it comes to helping the climate crisis? When I think about donating to a climate charity, whether that's a personal donation, or if I'm thinking about running some kind of fundraiser, I find it hard to kn...

I know that I’m not alone in occasionally feeling a little bit "what’s the point?" Do my actions really make a difference? Will it really make any odds in the grand scheme of things if I take recycle this bottle, buy this new pair of jeans, or even take that flight? Our individual actions can feel inconsequential in the face of the overwhelming enormity of the climate crisis and the scales of the...

Today's guest has been on my podcast guest bucket list literally since it began, so there may be a small element of 'fan-girling' in this episode..! Hermione Taylor is the Co-Founder and Director and DoNation - "a platform helping organisations to inspire their communities to create long lasting change."She has such a great 'founder's story', involving a bike ride to Morocco (as you do!), and this...

The podcast is back after the summer break! And I'm kicking off with a solo episode from to celebrate and reflect on 10 years since we as a family embarked on a year buying nothing new. I didn't know it at the time, but that year, that slightly naive challenge, would change my life (cliche klaxon!).It changed not just how and where we shop, but also how I see my place in the world. I was left with...

I hope you’re enjoying this little trip down memory lane while the podcast takes a break for the summer. This time we’re re-visiting my chat with the brilliant Lauren from Wear 'em Out  pads. I did a little listener survey recently and this came out as one of the firm faves – I think largely because Lauren is so down to earth and real about her experiences and her own journey. This is so refreshin...

The podcast is having a bit of a break over the summer, so we’re re-running some of the fun and I’m picking some of my fave episodes from the last 140 odd. It’s been a tough job choosing, but also really lovely to browse through the back catalogue and remember all the wonderful people and organisations I’ve been lucky enough to get to chat to! Today’s ‘re-run the fun’ episode is Episode 50 – Every...