Sustainable(ish)

While we're all hopefully pretty on top of using our own water bottles now, the next step if you're looking to increase your refill repertoire (do you like that?!) is to check out your local refill shop for all kinds of things from washing up liquid and shampoo, through to pasta and chocolate covered raisins (one of my faves). Which sounds easy peasy - we're all grown ups right? But I think for lo...

In this episode I’m chatting to Jo Royle, founder and CEO of Common Seas – an organisation on a mission to quickly and significantly reduce the amount of plastic produced and stop it polluting our rivers and seas. As a former sailor Jo was very aware of the issues that plastic is causing to our marine environments, and is the world record holder for the longest voyage made out of a boat made from...

Plastic free July is a campaign that started in Australia as small, local campaign – the brain child of Rebecca Prince-Ruiz.  Now in it’s 10th year it is a truly global and hugely impactful campaign, - in July 2020 over 300 million people took part in the challenge from over 170 different countries.  If this doesn’t demonstrate the power of just one person wanting to make a difference, I'm not sur...

I’m still having to pinch myself a little but I got to spend an hour hanging out and having a chinwag with a past winer of the Great British Bake Off! I met Nancy Birtwhistle, the 2014 winner of my very favourite TV show, virtually, for an event we did together for Glasgow's Aye Write Festival earlier on this year. Nancy has got a book out called Clean and Green, and we were paired up for a talk o...

We all often have the very best intentions – whether it’s getting fitter, losing weight, saving money, or being a bit greener. We have all the good intentions, but they don’t always translate into action. There’s often a gap, or a mis-match, between our intentions and our actions. We might watch the latest David Attenborough and be brimming over with motivation and determination to do our bit, but...

Trees. We all love them right? But how much difference can they actually make? Are we all just being conned into feeling like everything will be ok if we just plant a few more trees? And how do we as individuals and families living in your average 3 bed semi plant enough trees to make a difference? Come and listen in to my chat with the awe inspiring Amanda Bronkhurst from Just One Tree to answer...

In the Knackered Mums Eco Clubhouse, lovely Julia recently posted this: "Just wondering how you all cope with not doing it all and not all at once. I get so overwhelmed with the differing things I could be doing it seems like nothing actually gets done." Oh wow. I can relate to this - can you? I'm super aware of just how overwhelming it is to think about the climate crisis, and I think it's someth...

Today we're talking palm oil... The viral banned (too political apparently!) Iceland advert of Christmas 2018 highlighting the impact of palm oil on rainforests and the wildlife that live there really thrust palm oil into the spotlight, and I think we’re all aware now of the issue, but knowing what’s the best thing to do is another kettle of fish entirely. Should we be trying to avoid it? Or look...

I talk a LOT about the changes we can make as individuals and the power that we have to create real, meaningful change. I talk about the power of our choices, and the power of our voices. But during a recent chat with a brilliant lady called Sandra Sydow from Climate Pitch , she talked about the four areas where we have power and I LOVED this! So much so that I asked if she'd mind me sharing it, a...

Episode 100!How did that happen? I’m the least planny ahead planning type person, so it only occurred to me to start thinking about what to do for this episode a week or so ago. Short of having Greta or Sir David Attenborough on, I was short on ideas for what I could do to mark the occasion. So I asked the audience. Or more specifically, my audience, you guys, on social media. And you all said tha...

Episode 99! How did that happen?  And what on earth should I do to celebrate/mark the occasion? Get in touch to let me know what you’d love to hear for the big 100 – drop me an e-mail on jen@sustainableish.co.uk Today’s episode is an absolute cracker. Whoever knew composting could be so interesting?!It’s genuinely like magic. I still don’t really understand how it works (it genuinely is magic) but...

To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting , my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week! Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book ,   Monday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes , and Tuesday's episode with Rachel Boyett from Little Veggie Eats , Wednesday's...

To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting , my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week! Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book ,   Monday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes , and Tuesday's episode with Rachel Boyett from Little Veggie Eats , and yesterd...

To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting , my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week! Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book ,   Monday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes , and yesterday's episode with Rachel Boyett from Little Veggie Eats. Today we'r...

To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting , my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week! Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book , and yesterday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes. Today I’m delighted to be chatting to Rachel Boyett aka @littleveggieeats...

To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting , my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week! Kicking off with this chat with Ellie Jackson, who is the author of The Wild Tribe Heroes series of children’s books. I’ve been a huge admirer of Ellie and her books for a long time, but hadn’t real...

GAH! I think this episode might actually be one of the most terrifying ones (for me!) yet...What could be so terrifying? Am I interviewing Greta? Or Sir David Attenborough? Sadly no. I'm actually interviewing myself. About book number two - The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting - which is out on March 18th. I was going to say that I'm equal parts terrified and excited, but that would be a...

It’s starting to feel like spring is springing isn’t it? We’re into March, I’ve seen daffodils poking out when we're out on our daily walks, and I even went out without a coat on the other day – wild times...!And with the longer days and warmer weather, many of us will be looking forwards to spending more time outdoors and maybe indulging in a spot of gardening. Good for the mind, body and soul. A...

We’re talking pensions! I know! Exciting stuff right!!I never imagined that I would get excited about pensions but this episode has proved me wrong. Don’t get me wrong, pensions are still pretty high up on the boring adult-ing scale of things but the potential that our pensions have to create a better world has blown me away a little! Because did you know, that your pension, that you probably thin...

You'll be relived to hear we have a  guest! So you don’t have to listen to me rambling on endlessly. And it’s a cracker of a guest! I’ve been stalking Zoe on line for years, after first coming across her annual Me Made May challenge online, and I was SO excited to find out that she’s written an actual book ! All about mending and loving our clothes, a subject very close to my heart as a reformed m...

Another solo episode from me this week, as I haven’t been able to conjure up any extra time or headspace for getting guests organised – I’ve been super busy getting ready for The Knackered Mums heading back on out on Eco Tour – this is my FREE 5 day eco challenge that’s kicking off on Monday 15th Feb. Do come and join us – it’s probably the most fun you’re going to be able to have in half-term. AN...

Episode 88 of the podcast is a solo episode! I’d love to pretend that this was planned, but the reality is that my already poor organisational and forwards planning skills have taken a bit of a battering whilst attempting the home schooling/keeping a business afloat/saving the planet juggle and I’m not going to lie, I failed miserably to get a guest organised for this week. Hence also why this is...

In this episode I have a treat in store for you if you're looking around the world and feeling a little....erm....despairing?! If you're looking at your kids and wondering what their future will hold, and worried that when they're old enough to understand what's going on that they'll be viewing their own futures with trepidation and despondency rather than the excitement that we probably felt as w...

Hmmm politics....I don't know about you but I think it's pretty easy to feel disengaged from politics - lots of (mostly) white, (mostly) men, working things for their own advantage and dragging their heels on stuff that would and could make a real difference. When it comes to the climate especially it feels like there's a lot of hot air and not a lot of action. Which is why it was so refreshing to...

Happy New Year! Although 2021 clearly didn’t get the memo, and is looking suspiciously like 2020 at the moment – how are you coping with it all? I have to say that I’m realising there’s a very good reason, in fact lots of very good reasons, why I’m not a teacher, and we’ll just leave that there….Lots of us have hopefully made New Years resolutions to be a bit more sustainable(ish) this year but my...