Sustainable(ish)

Today’s episode is all about Growing Your Own. It’s the stereotypical image of sustainable living isn’t it? The kind of Good Life image of being self sufficient in veg, and the temptation is to go all out right from the start, take on a huge allotment plot, and then before we know it it’s taken over our lives. Sara Venn has been on the show before back in Episode 4 where we talked about the power of community gardening and projects like Incredible Edible and she got in touch me a the start of this year to ask if I’d be interested in doing an episode on Grow Your Own Lite, or maybe Grow your Own(ish). This episode is for you if you love the idea of growing some of your own fruit and veg this year, but you’re not sure if you’ve got the time or space, or what you should be growing.And it’s for you if you’ve tried before and failed.It’s packed full of really practical tips for those ordinary mortals amongst us with busy lives, and families, but who want to work out some ways to incorporate a little but of grow your own activism and  pleasure into your routine.As ever, if you enjoy this episode, please do share it with your friedsn and family, and on social media and let’s spread the sustainable(ish) word!Enjoy. […]

It's half-term here in my corner of the UK, so I'm sharing with you some ideas for easy swaps and tips to help make your days out more sustainable(fish). Please do still listen if you're kid free, as most of the tips apply to grown ups too (maybe not the tantrums in the gift shop. Hopefully.) […]

In this episode of the podcast I've got another 5(ish) minute guide for you - this time with some tips and ideas creating new, more sustainable(ish) habits. It's very easy to have all good intentions, and to WANT to do things differently, but when we're busy and frazzled, those good intentions can all too easily fall by the wayside.  Whether you want to finally remember your reusable coffee cup when you race out of the house for work each morning, or you want to stop impulse shopping fast fashion, or whatever it might be, I've got some tips and ideas to help. […]

Georgina Wilson-Powell is the founder and editor of Pebble - an online magazine and brand for 'stylish, sustainable living' that aims to empower people to make more ethical everyday decisions. In this episode I chat to her about all things sustainable (including finding a more exciting word for 'sustainable'!), hear about the projects that Pebble involved in, and about the personal sustainable(ish) steps that Georgina is taking.This episode is packed full of ideas and inspiration and Georgina talks very openly and honestly about the challenges she faces, and some of the things that she's changed, which will hopefully inspire you to think about the changes YOU can make too. […]

Welcome back to the Sustainable(ish) podcast and to Season 2!This season I've got some cracking guest lined up to inspire us all as well as some bite sized "5(ish) minute guides" where I'll try and to help you out with a sustainable(ish) problem in just 5(ish) minutes (the 'ish' is important here, as I'm discovering I'm not that good at not rambling and therefore keeping to time..!).For the first episode of this new season, we're tackling overwhelm - I've been hearing a lot from members of my new FB group (this one is aimed at beginners and those just dipping their toes into all things sustainable(ish) ) that they often feel overwhelmed by all the things they feel like they should be doing, and then end up doing none of them. And I totally get that sometimes too - I think we all do.So here's my 5(ish) minute guide to overcoming overwhelm when it comes to all things sustainable(ish): […]

The kids are back to school and now there is no denying that we're on the downhill slope to Christmas and the biggest consumer festival of the year.Which brings with it not only a dose of magic and goodwill to all (hopefully) but also the stress, the overwhelm and All The Stuff.In this episode I share with you 12 'not so fun festive facts' that demonstrate quite shockingly the waste we generate each Christmas, and the impact that the waste is having on the planet.We all want to create magical memories for our children but we need to make sure that those memories aren't destroying the very planet they live on.Which fact shocked you the most?Do you 'do' Black Friday?Let me know in the comments! FEELING INSPIRED TOTAKE MORE SUSTAINABLE(ISH) STEPS? Get Sustainable(ish) 101My FREE download of 101 easy, do-able ideas and tips to help you make sustainable(ish) changes for you and your family! By signing up you'll also receive my weekly sustainable(ish) newsletter. You can make use of the unsubscribe link in every e-mail at anytime GET YOUR FREE COPY NOW!

The kids are back to school and now there is no denying that we're on the downhill slope to Christmas and the biggest consumer festival of the year.Which brings with it not only a dose of magic and goodwill to all (hopefully) but also the stress, the overwhelm and All The Stuff.In this episode I share with you 12 'not so fun festive facts' that demonstrate quite shockingly the waste we generate each Christmas, and the impact that the waste is having on the planet.We all want to create magical memories for our children but we need to make sure that those memories aren't destroying the very planet they live on.USEFUL LINKS: The Crap-free Christmas Course - doors are open NOW and close at midnight on the 11th November - get in while you can! George Monbiot: The Gift of Death The Sustainable(ish) FB group - come and find your tribe! Which fact shocked you the most?Would you LOVE some help to have a crap-free Christmas this year?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!

Wednesday 24th October is International Climate Action Day - Yay!But wait, hold on. What the hell is climate action? And what does it mean to regular people like you and me?Surely 'climate action' is something for governments and big business to be concerned with? Not for me to have to worry about in between school runs and work, and refereeing the kids.After all, what kind of impact can we have as individuals?A lot as it turns out!A study on 2016 found that household consumption (of everything from food to electricity) ​is responsible for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 50—80% of total land, resource and water use.So our actions count - they count for more than 60% of global greenhouse emissions.Wow!The key, the ONE thing we can ALL do to take climate action TODAY is simply this: BUY LESS, BUY BETTER It works for pretty much everything:- Buy fewer clothes, and when you do buy, buy ethically produced. - Eat less meat, and when you do buy meat go for local, organic free range meat.- Use less energy in your homes - switch to LED lighbulbs, turn the lights off etc etc, and switch to better energy ie renewables.USEFUL LINKS: [008] - Renewable Energy with Good Energy The link to get Sustainable(ish) 101 - 101 simple sustainable(ish) actions The Sustainable(ish) FB group - come and find your tribe!What will you NOT buy today?What better buying choices will you make?Do let me know - leave a comment or come and find me on social media (@sustainableish) FEELING INSPIRED TOTAKE MORE SUSTAINABLE(ISH) STEPS? Get Sustainable(ish) 101My FREE download of 101 easy, do-able ideas and tips to help you make sustainable(ish) changes for you and your family! By signing up you'll also receive my weekly sustainable(ish) newsletter. You can make use of the unsubscribe link in every e-mail at anytime GET YOUR FREE COPY NOW!

Travel.We all want to do it- whether it's to experience the world and different cultures, or simply to get some R&R in the sunshine away from the gloom of the British winter or the fickle nature of English summers.But for most of us on the sustainable(ish) spectrum, it probably comes with a good smattering of guilt layered in - worrying about the carbon footprint of our flight, or wincing at the volume of single use plastic that aeroplane travel seems to generate. So are you condemned to spending our holidays in cold damp caravan parks in North Wales (as an aside I love caravan parks, and I'm sure North Wales is lovely. And not always damp.)?Does climate change and our desire to not exacerbate it mean that foreign travel is off the cards, and our kids will only ever see foreign climes on the tele-box?Thankfully not, according to the lovely and supremely knowledgable Vicky Smith - founder of sustainable travel company Earth Changers.Apparently, and this blew my mind, it is possible to travel not only in a way that is LESS negative, but for our travel to have a net POSITIVE impact on both people and planet. I genuinely had no idea - to my mind prior to this chat, air travel was bad, end of. I hadn't really given much (any) thought to the impact that tourism can have at the end destinations, and as it turns out, with a little bit of thought and research, this can be a really positive thing all round.Hurray!But before you start dragging your suitcases down from the loft and contemplate shaving your legs, listen in to find out how you can make your holiday and your travel as sustainable(ish) as poss.ENJOY. […]

​This is the first in a new series for the podcast of commentary type episodes, some might even say rants, about some of the big sustainable issues we're facing right now.I hope you enjoy!I couldn't sleep last night, and I got to thinking, and then to worrying, and then to freaking out, about climate change.The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change) report said that we need to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C and highlights the differences we might see with a 1.5C rise versus a 2C increase. And it turns out that that 0.5C is pretty critical.And even more worryingly, the report states that we now have just 12 years to take action to prevent a climate crisis.12 years.That's 2030 - which sounds an age away, but it's not. It's 12 years. I've been with my husband for longer than that (he may argue that it feels way longer...). In 12 years time my kids will be 22 and 19. They should have the world at their feet. But if nothing changes they might well be looking at us in disbelief and disgust that we didn't act when we still could.This matters. This matters so much it physically hurts me to think about it.And time is running out if we want to create a better, truly more sustainable future. If we want to mitigate the worst effects of the climatic changes we have already created.In a recent study into how MPs understand and respond to climate change, one of the findings was that "politicians speaking and acting on climate change must construct a ‘representative claim’ to justify their proposed actions, and to show why and how they are in the interests of the represented." And that our MPs don't feel like they have that justification as they aren't hearing from us, their constituents, that climate change is an issue we want them to take action on.We can change that.Very quickly we can change that.So today, after listening to this, I want you to tweet your MP, or send an e-mail, or write them a good old-fashioned hand-written letter (or all 3).Ask them what they are doing on climate changeAsk them what their party is doing in response to the latest IPCC reportAsk them how they intend to make that the government take the 'unprecedented' action necessary to secure the future for our kidsDon't be fobbed off with politicians bullshit answers - keep asking - channel your inner John Humphrys.Make your voice heard.​PS. There's a blog post here with another 4 easy things you can do TODAY that will have a big impact on your carbon footprint PPS. If you're not sure who your MP is, you can find out here.