Greenscore - A Sustainability Podcast

With three seasons and 28 episodes under our belts, what better time to look back through Greenscore and share our top sustainability tips and takeaways?! Join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss their favorite quotes, statistics, guests, and surprises, and summarize some key tips for living more sustainably every day. Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to...

You might have heard about carbon credits in the news, or checked the box to offset  greenhouse gas emissions from your latest flight. But what do carbon credits actually mean? Find out with our guests Dr. John Dees and Avantika Singh from Carbon Direct, a company that provides science-backed carbon management solutions to measure, reduce, and remove your carbon emissions. We'll discuss what...

Camping is an increasingly common summer activity. It is not only a great excuse to get outdoors, but has also been proven to reduce stress and contribute to emotional and physical wellbeing. But if over half of American households are camping, how can we make sure everyone can enjoy this activity without harming the environment? Join Becca and Luke McGraw from Leave No Trace as they talk us throu...

The average person uses about 600 miles of toilet paper in their lifetime, and each year over 30 million trees are cut down to serve the toilet paper needs of the United States alone. But have you ever wondered about the environmental impacts of cutting down those trees you're flushing down the toilet?  Explore this topic with our guest Michael Zelniker, a Canadian actor and filmmaker who rec...

From biodegradable to carbon neutral, there is so much jargon used by brands marketing themselves as sustainable. But what do these terms actually mean? And how can we keep ourselves from getting overwhelmed by confusing jargon? Join our guest Dr. Kat Knauer from the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium at the National Renewable...

The Internet is everywhere - on our phones, our laptops, our cars, and even our refrigerators! But have you ever stopped to think about how the Internet actually works and what environmental impact it has? Well now is your chance - join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss the physical infrastructure behind the Internet and how its enormous energy use results in 4% of global greenhouse gas emi...

Cosmetics are a $400 billion global industry, and many of us do not leave the house without some form of cosmetics, whether a basic moisturizer or a full face of makeup. Yet between microplastics, irresponsible ingredient sourcing, animal testing, and plastic packaging waste, makeup packs a much bigger environmental impact than the tiny bottles it comes in might suggest.  Find out more in this epi...

It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air... but perhaps not for the planet. In the United States alone, millions of greeting cards, roses, and chocolate confections will be exchanged on this holiday, creating waste and contributing to climate change.   So how can you show your affection for loved ones without hating on the planet? Find out in this episode, where co-host Taylor Uekert...

The holiday season is upon us, and for folks who celebrate Christmas, that probably means you're getting ready to decorate your Christmas tree. Approximately 100 million natural Christmas trees are sold in the US and EU every year, with another 10 million artificial trees sold in the US alone. Depending on whether you grew up with a real or an artificial Christmas tree, you might already have...

On Greenscore, we give you the tools to make sustainable choices in everyday life. But with daily reports on extreme weather events, soaring energy costs, and biodiversity losses, the fight against climate change can feel overwhelming. Sound familiar? Well you are not alone - these feelings of climate climate anxiety and eco-grief are increasingly being experienced worldwide. Join us for this spec...

2 billion cups of coffee are drunk every day worldwide. If you are one of those many coffee drinkers, you might choose your coffee based on flavor, cost, or ease. But have you considered adding sustainability to your list?  Find out why you should in this episode with Dan Webber, founder of Chimney Fire Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster committed to sustainable and responsibly-sourced coffee. We...

There's nothing like freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies or apple pie - or anything sweet, really - still warm from the oven. While dessert might last only a few moments, the supplies used to prepare it, like parchment paper or aluminum foil, could live on as trash for decades. So how can we enjoy baking without clogging up the planet's "digestion"? Find out with our guest Jen...

A newborn baby will go through about 4,000 diapers/nappies in a year. The vast majority of these diapers are disposable and account for ~1.5% of waste in the United States. Reusable nappies can help minimize waste going to landfill or incineration, but do they make sense for busy parents, and how do they compare environmentally? Find out in this episode with Eve Bell, founder of Baba+Boo, an award...

Despite the fact that 50% of the world's population have periods during their lifetime, menstrual health and the products designed for it remain shrouded in mystery, confusion, and shame. With approximately 70 billion tampons and pads sold each year in the EU and US alone - over 80% of which are landfilled after a single-use - it is time to break taboos and explore innovative and more sustain...

Lighting accounts for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is no surprise when you learn that standard incandescent light bulbs waste a whopping 90% of incoming electricity as heat! LEDs (light emitting diodes) have been advertised as an eco- and budget-friendly lighting alternative, but are they really "green"? Find out in this episode, where Greenscore co-host and temporary lig...

Electricity - we need it to power our lights, washing machines, phones, and so much more. But did you know that much of that energy is made from fossil fuels and accounts for about a third of your carbon footprint? In this episode, join our guest Lilly Richard from the Green Neighbor Challenge as she explains the environmental impact of household utilities and how we can easily, cheaply, and with...

Greenscore is back! This mini episode highlights our favorite episodes from last season - including tips for sustainably drinking coffee, running, and buying jeans - and introduces Season 2. Join us to explore the science behind green lifestyle changes and how much of an impact they can actually make.  Check out our website for more: https://greenscorepodcast.com/ Thanks for listening! Have feedba...

The average person will go through 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. Brushing our teeth is essential for maintaining personal hygiene and health, but with most toothcare products made of non-recyclable plastic, how can we make sure that keeping clean doesn't come at the cost of more mess for landfills and the environment? In this episode, we'll find out how toothbrushes, toothpaste, an...

Globally,  we drink about 188 billion liters of beer each year, enough to fill over 75,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools! But this much beloved drink comes with a serious environmental footprint: a single pint of beer requires 8-10 pints of water and large amounts of energy to make. So how can we enjoy beer without harming the planet? In this episode, we speak with Felix James, co-founder of London...

Beef accounts for 20% of all meat production and makes up an important part of many people's diets. Yet this dinner staple also causes 26% of global methane emissions and 80% of all deforestation.  In this episode, we explore the environmental impact of the humble hamburger (or beef burger) and highlight some of the innovative meat-free alternatives that can make our diets more eco-friendly w...

Exercising more is often towards the top of our to-do lists, and running shoes are an essential piece of equipment for most forms of fitness. But with 90% of all shoes ending up in landfills or incinerators, how can we reduce the environmental toll of our exercise habits? Find out in this episode, where we'll discuss how running shoes are made and disposed, what "greener" options ar...

The holiday season has become synonymous with wrapping paper: all of those beautiful, glittery and bow-laden packages being passed from giver to giftee. But with 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used each year in the UK alone, what is the environmental impact of this particular holiday tradition? Find out in our special Christmas episode, where we discuss how wrapping paper is made and disposed of,...

Look down: chances are fairly high that you're wearing a pair of jeans! With 2 billion pairs of jeans manufactured each year, denim is a stylish and comfortable staple of many people's closets. Yet jeans also have a dark side: their production uses enormous quantities of water and synthetic dyes, and raises both environmental and human rights concerns.  Learn more about the impacts of yo...

For many of us, dogs are our best friends. But with an estimated 12.5 billion dog poo bags used each year in the UK alone, how can we clean up after our beloved pets while also minimizing our contribution to plastic pollution and climate change? Find out in this episode with Michael Oddie from Tuff Pets, a company producing eco-friendly pet products. We'll discuss the environmental impacts of...

As the world's leaders gather in Glasgow to discuss climate change at COP26, we take a brief look at what it means for us in this special episode of Greenscore. What is being discussed, what decisions are (or are not) being made, what should you look out for amongst the hundreds of news articles and podcasts covering the conference, and - perhaps most importantly - why should you care?  Thank...