Sustainable(ish)

I thought I knew a bit about sustainable fashion but this chat, and the book behind it all, Charity Shop World by Tansy Hoskins, blew me away. There’s been quite a bit in the press in recent weeks and months about the impact of Vinted on both overall consumption levels of fast fashion, and on charity shops, but it turns out, that’s just scratching the surface. Listen to hear about the link between...

Today’s guest on the podcast is Damian Hall, ultra-marathon runner, co-founder of The Green Runners, and author of We Can't Run Away from This. If you’re not a runner, don’t turn off! This episode is still for you – I think there are some great takeaways about we can bring sustainability into conversations for the things that we love doing. This example just happens to be running, but will apply t...

According to climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe , the most important thing we can do to fight climate change is talk about it. But the reality, certainly for me, and if attendees on my Carbon Literacy courses are anything to do by, for others too, it isn’t easy. We worry that we don’t know all the facts and stats and maybe we’re going to get stuck in an argument with a climate denier. We worry tha...

A solo episode from me, detailing my recent visit to my MP! I talk about why MP engagement is so important, even if it can feel a teensy bit frustrating; how and why my MP visit came about; what happened during my visit; and my top tips for MP visits (because obviously I'm now officially an expert having done one..!) If you're looking for tips and a bit of gently encouragement to engage with your...

In the UK we buy 37 million toys a year! And 80% of them end up in landfill, incinerators, or the oceans. In this episode I'm welcoming Charlotte Mason-Curl, founder of No Crap Parties back to the podcast. In a bid to try and keep some of these toys in use for longer, Charlotte is running The Big Toy Swap this November and has a goal of 50 Toy Swaps happening all around the country. We dive into t...

In this episode I'm chatting to Polly Turton, Head of Climate Action and Public Health Shade the UK, an organisation who have a vision and a mission of "zero deaths from overheating and a UK where everyone can live, work and thrive in hot weather." We dive into: - How hot was this summer? - What about 1976? - Is the new 'normal' (or abnormal) - The health impacts of heat on different groups within...

This episode is a solo episode from me, all about bins! Specifically my bins and how we only put out bin out once every 9-12 months. It’s Zero Waste Week this week, so whilst I would very much not consider us a ‘zero waste’ household, I wanted to share some tips to help us all be ‘zero-waste(ish)’, ie produce less waste, rather that’s recycling or waste destinted for landfill or incineration. USEF...

In this episode we take a dive into climate anxiety, and I’m chatting to Linda Aspey who amongst many other roles is Director of Psychology at the People’s Emergency Briefing and a board member of the Climate Psychology Alliance. We explore: - what is climate anxiety? -why do some people have it and some don’t? - why for some people it tips into something that starts to disturb their ability to do...

This week I’m joined by Dan Tipney, a former airline pilot who co-founded Safe Landing , a community of aviation workers and enthusiasts, working together to figure out what it might look like to have a world where aviation flourishes, in harmony with nature. This episode isn’t an episode in flight shaming anyone, and absolutely doesn’t have the intention of making anyone feel bad about the choice...

This week I’m joined by Dan Edelstyn, artist and documentary film maker whose latest film Power Station with his partner Hilary Powell, documents their attempts to turn the street where they live in Walthamstow in London, into a power station, by putting solar on the roofs of the houses. USEFUL LINKS: Dan on Linked In Power Station - Website - Watch the film - (Free) membership community – includi...

There are 60 million tonnes of e-waste generated every year globally – that's around the same as the weight of nearly 6,000 Eiffel Towers!  And E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally, with the UK as the second biggest e-waste producer in the world. Team Repair are on a mission to change that through education and repair kits to help us all feel a bit more confident having a go at men...

This weeks episode is a solo episode for me - a little bit about our holiday in Switzerland, which isn't really about our holiday in Switzerland. It's more about the logistics of a flight free holiday to Europe from somebody who finds organizing and travel arrangements really quite stressful! USEFUL LINKS: ·       Episode 042 - Flight Free 2020 with Anna Hughes ·       Episode 139 - European Rail...

Could secondhand fashion be a lever for positive change within the wider fashion industry? And what might that look like? Join us as this weeks guest Gemma Metheringham shares her journey from Creative Director at Karen Millen, to PhD student exploring these big questions. Gemma shares her journey on her instagram account, @the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe, where she does a brilliant job of bringing pe...

The idea of 'activism' can be off putting and perhaps a little daunting for many of us. If that's you, then do listen in to my chat with Charlotte Howell, one of the co-Directors of Parents for Future, a growing group of parents navigating the climate crisis together, campaigning on national and local issues to secure a safer, fairer world for children everywhere. I’ve been following Charlotte for...

This episode we’re doing a deep dive into Poo bags! If you’re one of the 41% of households in the UK who own a pet dog, you will (hopefully) be familiar with poo bags, and may be getting through a fair few of them. (If you’re not a dog owner, please do keep listening – we have lots of chat about biodegradable and compostable plastic and what that means – honestly, I’ve made that sound super dull,...

Climate Change, sadly, has become increasingly polarised in the UK over the last couple of years. And MPs consistently underestimate public support for climate action – they read the same skewed media that we do, and the minority who oppose more ambitious, or indeed any, action, often have the loudest voices. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s really worth getting in touch with your MP, or how b...

In this episode I'm chatting to Michelle Miles, founder of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance. But don’t turn off if you’re not planning a wedding anytime soon, or you’ve been there done that and aren’t intending to do it again! All of the elements that go into a wedding, and it’s impact, are all things that we might want to think about if we’re planning any kind of event, whether that’s a party, or...

90% of businesses in the UK are classes as SMEs, or small and medium businesses, having 205 employees or less. So chances are, you might work for one, or even run one. Did you know that SME's account for around half of the total emissions for businesses? So making it easy, or easier for SMEs to get started with climate action, is a pretty big lever for reducing emissions. But time and money are us...

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, and we no longer talk about 'fast fashion' but 'ultra-fast fashion' with the rise of retailers like Shein and Temu churning out over 100billion items of clothing every year. Consumption has doubled since the year 2000, but many of us will relate to the feeling of having nothing to wear, whilst we simultaneously feel overwhelmed at the...

This episode is a rare solo episode, so no guest this week, and a shorter episode of me, chatting to myself... Let me know if you like it! I'm reflecting on my experience of hosting a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing film in Warminster, where I live, and giving a bit of a 'how to' and some encouragement to anyone thinking about hosting their own screening. USEFUL LINKS: Podcast ep - 18...

I'm chatting with Hugh Montgomery, intensive care doctor, and one of the expert speakers from the National Emergency Briefing on Climate and Nature. We dig into climate science, climate and health, and the wonderful idea of 7 acts to save the world, told to seven people. USEFUL LINKS Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change UK Health Alliance on Climate Change Real Zero National Emergency Bri...

Today’s guest is Victoria Page, founder of Love Haslemere Hate Waste , a local group in Surrey who run Repair Cafes, and host a community fridge and a Library of Things. Victoria has combined her professional comms expertise and her business experience, with a desire for local climate action, and created not just one, but three local projects that are not only reducing waste and emissions, and nor...

Britain is a nation of nature lovers, yet we live in one of the most depleted countries in Europe. The State of Nature report that came out in 2023 stated that 1 in 6 species in the UK are at risk of extinction. These kinds of stats are staggering, and more than a little depressing. But this is something that we can all do something about, in our own gardens, or in communal green spaces. In this w...

Welcome to Episode 200!200 episodes feels a little bit mad! A LOT has happened: globally, in the sustainability space, and for Sustainable(ish).In this solo episode, I take a little trip down memory lane, share the Top 5 episodes by download numbers, and share your podcast ripples ie the things that you've gone and done, the changes you've made, after listening to an episode. I'm going to be havin...

Did you know we have lots 97% of our species rich graslands in the UK since the 1930s? This has had a huge knock on impact to the rest of the food chain that are relaint on that habitat, things like our insect pollinators especially, but also our birds and mammals that were part of this ecosystem. The good news is that this is something most of us can do something about! If you have a garden, or h...