Sustainable(ish)

It is with HUGE excitement that I bring you this very special mini-series of the Sustainable(ish) podcast to celebrate, and to count down to, the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide - everything you need to know to make small changes that make a big difference.This book is pretty much the distillation of the Sustainable(ish) ethos and is being published by Bloomsbury on January 9th 2020 , and to mark such an auspicious occasion I've put together 12 shortish episodes of the podcast, one for each chapter of the book, where I have a good old chinwag with someone relevant to that chapter.Today we're onto Day 2, and Chapter 2, which is Zero waste(ish), and I am chatting to my lovely internet friend Lindsay Miles from Treading My Own Path. Lindsay is pretty hot on the zero waste front (whereas I’m pretty hot on the ish bit..!) but manages to do it without making the rest of us feel a bit shit, and to still make it feel do-able. In the book I talk about the IG ideal of the years worth of waste in a jam jar and how intimidating I find that, and I love the bit in our chat where Lindsay talks about the fact that it’s not about the jam jar, it’s about doing what you can with the resources you’ve got. While I think many of us might find the concept of zero waste a bit (a lot!) off putting, I think we can all hopefully sign up to that.Enjoy!Useful linksAll the places you can buy The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide online..!Treading My Own Path- Website- Facebook- Instagram- Twitter- Lindsay's book - Less StuffPlastic Free July - the challenge that set Lindsay onto her zero waste pathEarth Overshoot DayHow are you feeling about your bin and it's contents?!Let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE 9th JAN 2020 PRE-ORDER NOW!! "The most eco-common sense thing I've read!" […]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG....!It is with HUGE excitement that I bring you this very special mini-series of the Sustainable(ish) podcast to celebrate, and to count down to, the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide - everything you need to know to make small changes that make a big difference.This book is pretty much the distillation of the Sustainable(ish) ethos and is being published by Bloomsbury on January 9th 2020 , and to mark such an auspicious occasion I've put together 12 shortish episodes of the podcast, one for each chapter of the book, where I have a good old chinwag with someone relevant to that chapter.Today we're kicking off with Day 1, and Chapter 1, which is conscious consumption, and I am SO delighted to get the chance to chat to Sarah Lazarovic, author, illustrator, and creative about her wonderful creation, The Buyerarchy of Needs, which features very heavily in Chapter 1 of The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide. We talk about Sarah's own book, A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy, which is half memoir and half instructional manual on how to become more conscious of how much we buy, and she shares some of her top tips for stepping off the treadmill of consumerism. Enjoy!Useful linksSarah Lazarovic- Website- Instagram- Twitter- Sarah's book - A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not BuyAll the places you can buy The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide online..!​How are you getting on with a more conscious approach to All The Things?Let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE 9th JAN 2020 PRE-ORDER NOW!! "The most eco-common sense thing I've read!" […]

This episode is going out in the 1st week of December - the Christmas songs are on the radio, the shops are rammed with All The Things, and the pressure is on buy presents for friends and family. And not just to buy presents, to buy the right presents - we all love to gift, and we all love seeing people's faces when they open the gifts we've carefully chosen. But only if we've got it right! And that can be the tricky thing can't it? Finding the right present for the right person, and in budget to boot. It's the Holy Grail of gifting!Apparently around £2.4 BILLION are spent on unwanted gifts each year at Christmas, and that figure is from 2011, so I can only imagine it's actually higher now. £2.4 BILLION!! Just think of all the good that could be done in the world with that money, instead of giving people stuff they don't need or want, because you feel like you should.In this episode I'm chatting to Tara Button from Buy Me Once, who is a huge fan of conscious, thoughtful gifting. Giving gifts that people will want. That will last. And she's sharing some of her top tips for how to do just that.Enjoy!Useful linksBuy Me Once- Website- Facebook- Instagram- Twitter- Tara's 12 rules of Christmas Gifting- Zero Waste Starter Kits/Bundles- One World Football- Wishbone bikeWhere Does it Come From?Isla BikesTop tips for charity shop (and any secondhand!) shopping12 not so fun festive facts12 gifts for kids that aren't 'stuff'[028] - Buy Less Buy Better, with Tara Button from Buy Me OnceSustainable(ish) Facebook group What are your strategies for 'conscious gifting' this year?Let me know in the comments!GET YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO A​ CRAP-FREE CHRISTMAS!Grab a copy of my digital e-guide tackling the big issues around Christmas waste in the home: Advent Calendars & Christmas Cards   Food & Nibbles Gifts, Alternatives & Tricky ConversationsFestive Family Guilt Let's take out the plastic and waste from Christmas Grab your copy now! Instant download check Stacks of ideas, suggestions and clickable resources BUY NOW FOR JUST £6! […]

This episode is hitting the airways just a couple of days before Black Friday 2019. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of Black Friday, it’s another delightful American import that has made it’s way over here, and is basically where retailers and manufacturers slash their prices in a bid to get you to buy All The Things in the run up to Christmas.And this episode feels very timely (I’m totally patting myself on the back for this and pretending it was all a very strategic plan, when in reality I got behind with the podcast schedule after half-term, but sssshhhh) as I’m chatting to Ollie at the charity Global Action Plan about their #idontbuyit campaign. This is a campaign aimed at teenagers (and their parents. And in fact is relevant to all of us) to raise awareness around the insidiousness (is that even a word) of advertising, especially online, and the steps they can take to try and consume more thoughtfully.One of the things that is suggested is to time a minute scrolling through Instagram (or Facebook if you’re not on Instagram) and make a note of how many ads and sponsored posts you see, and I would really urge you (teenager or not!) to give this a go and then share the results (you can share with the #idontbuytit hashtag on social media, on any of my social media channels or leave a comment below)– it’s a real eye opener..!Enjoy!Useful linksGlobal Action Plan- Website- Facebook- Instagram- Twitter- Clean Air Day- Twitter- Wellbeing and Consumerism- #idontbuyit campaign- Resources for parents​Sustainable(ish) Facebook groupSo how many ads did you see?Has this made you think in a different way about advertising? Has it helped with some suggestions for how to talk to your kids/teens about it?Let me know! […]

Electric cars - my god it's confusing isn't it?Even just the terminology - EVs, ICE, PHEV... what does it all mean? How do I charge it? Doesn't it take hours to charge? How do I find charge points? What if I haven't got a drive?ALL the questions!Well never fear, in this episode I'm chatting to James and Kate of You Tube fame who I wanted to get on the show after watching one of their reviews where Kate points out that you can get the buggy in the back of the car. That's the sort of stuff we actually want to know. Not complicated geeky talk of miles per kilowatt hour. Well, that and how do we make sure we don't run out of charge...James and Kate are full on EV (electric vehicle) fans, and have test driven loads, so I ask them the questions that we all want to ask, in what is hopefully a kind of beginners guide to all things electric cars. Enjoy!Useful linksJames and Kate- You Tube- Twitter​OLEV - grants for home chargersZappi chargers - 'smart' charger for home chargingZap Map - app for finding electric charging pointsPlug Share - app for finding electric charging pointsPolar - charging networkEco Cars - secondhand EV retailer (highly recommended by James and Kate!)The kids after test driving the Kia e-niroHave you got an EV? Would you consider it for your next car?What other questions do you have? […]

** This episode is supported by Little Freddie, the UKs leading sustainable baby food brand.  Parenting is bloody hard work isn't it?When you're up to your eyeballs in dirty nappies, sleep deprivation and anxiety around keeping your very own small person fed, entertained, educated, stimulated and everything else we're apparently supposed to be doing, adding in trying to do it all a bit more sustainably can feel like yet another thing to worry about/add to the to-do list/feel guilty about.Having kids is the perfect storm for feeling crap about the planet - we all want the best for our kids, and it follows that we want them have a safe and secure future, hence I think this is a time when lots of us start to think more about our impact on the planet. But at exactly the same time, this influx of 'stuff' comes into our homes, and our bins are suddenly over-flowing with nappies and food pouches, and wipes. And all of this has to be grappled with when we're lacking in sleep, time and energy. Yay!!!In this episode I'm chatting to Karen Maurice, aka n4mummy, who is a mum to two (soon to be three!), who talks about 'sustainable parenting in the modern world', and who despite having a very beautiful Instagram feed does appreciate the reality of life for the rest of us mere mortals whose lives are less photogenic, and the struggles we face every day trying to bring up our kids, stay sane, and make sure we don't totally trash the planet.Enjoy!Useful links​n4mummy- Website- Facebook- Twitter- InstagramLittle Freddie- Website- Sustainability- Pouch recycling- Pouches for prizesTootsa MacGintyLittle Green RadicalsFrom Babies with LoveBundlee - baby clothing rentalWhirli - toy subscription serviceA beginners guide to reusable baby wipes[031] - Plastic-free periods and wipes with Susie Hewson from Natracare[036] - How to talk to our kids about climate changeSustainable(ish) with Kids FB groupHow are you feeling about parenting with the planet in mind?Overwhelmed? Emotional? Or Absolutely On It? (in which case would you please come round my house and help!) Let me know in the comments, along with any top tips of your own you'd love to share TOP TIPS!Shop secondhand - for baby and kids clothes, toys, everything!Get the kids to wear an apron when they're eating to save on washing clothes!Work out what works for you and your family - no change or swap has to be all or nothingTry out reusable wipes (at home to begin with)If you use pouches for weaning or toddler meals on the go, try Little Freddie and get recycling with their prizes for pouches!Add 'resusable water bottle' to your list of stuff to chuck in the changing bag before you leave the house! […]

​DID YOU KNOW?The UK is one of Europe's least wooded countries - the average woodland cover for EU countries is 37%. Here in the UK we're lagging massively behind at around 13%If we are to limit climate change to below 1.5C by 2050, an extra 2.4 BILLION acres of trees needs to be plantedReforesting the world could capture around 2/3 of man-made carbon emissionsTrees are the ultimate multi-taskers and don't only capture carbon, and improve air quality, they also improve soil structure and help prevent flooding, as well as providing shelter, food and habitat for our ecosystems#everytreecounts, so planting a tree in your garden a home, an acorn in a pot, or a new hedge or shrub is as important as bigger mass plantings in managed woodland - we can all get involved!Trees really are brilliant aren't they?They just sit there, doing their thing, 'breathing in' carbon dioxide, and 'breathing out' oxygen (you know, that little thing that keeps us alive..!). But we've got fewer and fewer of them, and if we're to avoid runaway climate change, planting trees, and lots of them, is an important part of the jigsaw.The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation society in the UK, and works to protect our existing woodlands, and plant lots of new trees - they've planted over 43million trees since 1972. In this episode I'm chatting to Carol Honeybun-Kelly from The Woodland Trust, about their work, and specifically about their new campaign - the Big Climate Fightback - which aims to get us all pledging and planting trees in November of this year.Listen in to find out more about the wonder of trees, and how we can get involved with the Big Climate Fightback.Enjoy!Useful linksThe Woodland Trust- Website- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram- The Big Climate Fightback- Pledge to plant a tree- How to plant a tree- Buy trees from the Woodland Trust- Big Climate Fightback national eventsEthiopia plants 350 million trees in a daySustainable(ish) online community FB group […]

​DID YOU KNOW?A land mass larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten25% of humanity's water is used on food that is never eatenFood waste accounts for around 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2-4x greater than aviation)If food waste were a country it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the USA and China50% of food waste occurs in the homeAll of those stats are pretty shocking, but the one that always gets me is the food waste in the home one. It's easy to blame farmers, or supermarkets for food waste, but actually the biggest culprits are us - you and me - with the brown bananas we ditch, or that pot of hummus at the back of fridge that we forgot about. And no matter how anal we might be about food waste, it's always going to occur -there's always going to be that kids party where they were all too hyped up to eat the carefully prepared sandwiches, party rings, crisps and the token carrot sticks you put on the table to make yourself feel slightly better about the rest of it; or the food left in the fridge before we go on holiday; or that unexpected work meeting. And this is where Olio comes in - it's a food sharing app that makes it easy for us to share food we don't want or need with neighbours living nearby who would like it.Listen in to my chat with Tessa Clarke, joint founder and CEO of Olio. Hear how Tessa and her business partner got started with just a handful of people in a What’s App group, and how they grew that to an app that has amassed a million users. AND their plans to grow it to over a billion users in the coming years. ​It's an inspiring call to action for all of us to join the food waste revolution.Enjoy!Useful linksOlio- Website- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram- Olio volunteer roles​[041] Use your phone to fight food waste with CozZo (podcast)The Sustainable(ish) Big Six (blog post)Fight food waste with your phone (blog post)Sustainable(ish) online community FB group […]

In an ideal world, when it comes to the weekly food shop, we’d all have a local zero waste shop, and have the time to visit our local greengrocers, butchers and bakers. BUT for most of us, the reality is either a mad dash round the supermarket while the kids are whinging at us, or an online delivery. And sadly, shopping sustainably at the supermarket is really, really hard. So when I heard about an app that I could use to scan products (whilst I’m in the supermarket, or more feasibly at home) and get instant information on different sustainability criteria, I couldn’t wait to find out more!In this episode Im chatting to Jo Hand, co-founder of Giki - "a mobile app that helps you cut your environmental impact". It's such a great idea - you basically scan the barcode of UK supermarket products, and get information on the 'badges' that they earn. Badges are split into three areas: sustainability, health and fairness, and there's a new 'hero' badge that's been added this summer which is awarded to products that have a low environmental impact across the board.Jo and her husband James are on a mission to make it easier for us all to access the information we need to make better decisions for the planet, and we talk a lot about the power of individual choices, collectively.​So listen in, then download the app and start merrily scanning the contents of your kitchen cupboards!Enjoy!Useful linksGiki- Website- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram- Giki palm oil audit Facebook groupShopping plastic-free(ish) at the Supermarket (blog post)Ethical Consumer guide to SupermarketsSustainable(ish) online community FB groupBig Clean Switch link for getting a renewable energy tariff quote […]

Of the six highest impact things we can do as individuals and households, switching to a renewable energy tariff comes in at number four, behind have one less child (I am unclear how this actually works..), going entirely car-free, or taking one less transatlantic flight. And ahead of going vegan or switching to an electric car.It is hands down, the easiest high impact environmental action you can take.But lots of us put it off. Because lets face it, it's dull, it and feels like it will be hard work and that we'll have to do lots of research to make sure we're not being greenwashed.Which is where today's podcast comes in...Here at Sustainable(ish) we're on a mission to get as many people as possible to switch their energy supplier to a renewable tariff and we’ve teamed up with Big Clean Switch, who are an energy comparison site whose goal it is to "make it easy to switch to clean energy suppliers you can trust". They do all the research and checking so that you don’t have to. You can visit Big Clean Switch, get a quote and switch, knowing that your money is genuinely funding the renewable sector in the UK, AND that you should get great customer service (this is another criteria that Big Clean Switch stipulate for the companies on their site)In today’s episode, I’m chatting to Jon, the founder of Big Clean Switch, and hopefully answering all your questions about why you should switch, and how to do it.Here are some of the questions we discuss:What is renewable energy and why is it important that we switch?What are the benefits of switching?Will it be more expensive?How do I know that the company is doing what they say they're doing (ie sourcing renewable energy)?Talk to us about REGOs (if you have no idea what a REGO is, we explain it in the podcast!)- are they just another form of greenwashing?What happens to smart meters when you switch? ​Are any renewable tariffs eligible for Warm Homes Discount?What happens if you're in a rental propertyAnd much much more...!​ Enjoy!Useful linksBig Clean Switch- Website- Get a quote and support Sustainable(ish) all at the same time with this link here ​- Big Clean Switch's criteria for listing energy companies on their site- Facebook- Twitter […]