Characters
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Characters episodes

  • Celeb Advocates + Eco Superstars

    Our Black Friday episode this year is an opportunity for us to indulge in pop culture - we're discussing how some mega-celebrities have made sustainability such a central part of their platforms. It's like a new take on the tabloid classic series, "Celebs, They're Just Like Us!" - we all care about the planet, and it's so cool to see people platforming causes they're passionate about. We're overviewing icons like Jane Fonda and Pamela Anderson, and hopefully giving you an opportunity to loop your environmental activism into pop culture conversations throughout the season.


    Also check out: Conscious, Creative Gift Guide


    Thanks to our sponsor today! YouCanBeam.com/ECOCHIC for 10% sitewide


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    Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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    21 min
  • Green Jobs + All About the American Climate Corps

    Green jobs are a huge discussion already on the presidential campaign trial - and young people have never been more motivated to secure a job ensure a climate-positive future. We're breaking down what a green job even is, and why we want to invest in them. We're also overviewing the American Climate Corps, a green job training program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aimed at upskilling 20,000 young people in its first round.


    More episodes on green jobs:

    • Green Jobs + DEI in Sustainability | Kristy Drutman, Brown Girl Green, Green Jobs Board
    • Crafting Climate Careers | Yesh Pavlik Slenk, Environmental Defense Fund

    • Resources:

      • FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Launches American Climate Corps to Train Young People in Clean Energy, Conservation, and Climate Resilience Skills, Create Good-Paying Jobs and Tackle the Climate Crisis


      Thanks to our sponsors today!!

      • CarawayHome.com/ECO
      • Babbel.com/ECOCHIC

      • Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

        Sign up for our community spotlight here!!


        Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

        23 min
      • Conscious, Creative Gift Guide

        Without even realizing, sustainability can quickly slip from our priority list around the holidays. We're walking through some frameworks to consume more consciously throughout the season, and walking through my sustainable gift guide: from experience-based giving, to thoughtful physical gifts. This episode will hopefully allow us to go into this season, typically overflowing with hyper-consumption, with clear ideas and values driving those purchases.


        Leave me a voicemail about your sustainable holiday tips and traditions!!! SpeakPipe.com/EcoChic


        Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

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        Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

        22 min
      • Secretly Fast Fashion

        When we think of fast fashion, we probably think of the online mega-retailers (cough cough, SHEIN). Fast fashion has become such a norm of consumption that we sometimes fail to recognize brands that are employing the same techniques, ignoring the ethical and environmental wrongdoings, to produce obscene amounts and turnover inventory quicker than ever before. Today we're exposing some "secretly" fast fashion brands - places we may shop because we're more comfortable than the brands we associate with hyperconsumption, but that we may not realize are competing with such at the best of their abilities.


        More eps for you:

        • The True Cost of Free Shipping and Returns
        • Total Ethics Fashion | Emma Hakansson, Collective Fashion Justice
        • 5 Ways to Spot Fast Fashion

        • Thanks to our sponsor today! FactorMeals.com/ecochic50


          Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

          Sign up for our community spotlight here!!


          Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          22 min
        • Everyday Luxury, Naturally | Cheryl Hines

          Actress and comedian Cheryl Hines joins us to share her personal sustainability journey: from humble Florida childhood to stretching every dollar as an aspiring entertainer, sustainability was an unconscious way of life. She shares with us her new brand, Hines + Young, founded with her daughter Kat: an everyday luxury brand, plastic-free and all natural. We discuss how her awareness of environmental issues grew over time and how Hines + Young's partnership with the Waterkeeper Alliance is core to their grassroots, community-oriented brand philosophies. This episode was an absolute treat for me!!


          Thanks to our sponsors today!

          • Carawayhome.com/ECO
          • Babbel.com/EcoChic


          • Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

            Sign up for our community spotlight here!!


            Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

            Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

            1 hr 3 min
          • Thrift Queen, Secondhand Fashion Bible | Macy Eleni

            The thrift queen is here!! Macy Eleni (of @blazedandglazed) is a content creator, internet personality, soon-to-be-published author, and the ultimate secondhand fashion superstar. Today we discuss her early exposures to the fashion industry (do you remember Teen Vogue University??), her thrift philosophies, and her upcoming book. We also discuss our qualms with online pressures of hyperconsumption and the ethical implications of "loving fashion." This conversation is chatty, full of laughter, so deeply honest, and bursting with tips not only to get you thrifting but also to reframe your relationship with the fashion space.


            Find Macy on TikTok, instagram, + YouTube


            Thanks to our sponsor today! YouCanBEAM.com/ECOCHIC


            Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

            Sign up for our community spotlight here!!


            Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

            Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

            1 hr 6 min
          • How I'm Rethinking Clean Beauty

            Today's ep is peering into my inner thoughts on clean beauty - a topic I was once deeply passionate about, which now feels like a co-opt term that doesn't mean much. I've talking through my personal perspective on the clean beauty marketplace today, as well as why I feel consumers are drawn to purchase these products, even if they themselves aren't totally eco chic. While I am an advocate for sustainable brands, I'm dissolutioned with how many brands are claiming to be such. Greenwashing is alive and well, but we've also allowed ourselves to lean into marketing narratives around terms like "non-toxic" and "natural" that deserve more nuance.


            More on what I mentioned:

            • The Kosas Mold Debacle Isn't as Wild as It Sounds (Allure)
            • Does “Clean” Beauty Have A Mold Problem? (Refinery29)
            • Fear of Preservatives? (Credo Beauty)


              Thanks to our sponsor today! TryFUM.com/ECOCHIC



              Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

              Sign up for our community spotlight here!!


              Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              22 min
            • The Future of Food | Oliver English

              Oliver English is a filmmaker, photographer, chef & food advocate. He serves as the co-founder and CEO of Common Table Creative, an impact-driven production & hospitality company. Prior to launching Common Table Creative, Oliver led his family company, The Olive Group’s, international restaurant development sector. Today, Oliver joins us for a discussion around how we gather, how we eat, and how our food systems can be fundamentally rethought to support regenerative, planet-conscious futures. Oliver shares stories from his childhood to Feeding Tomorrow, Common Table Creative's upcoming documentary on how education, healthcare, and policy intersect with our food systems. Today's conversation is deeply personal and inspires us to more often ask: where did my food come from?


              Thanks to our sponsor today! Babbel.com/ECOCHIC for 55% off


              Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

              Sign up for our community spotlight here!!



              Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              1 hr 6 min
            • The True Cost of Free Shipping and Returns

              There's no such thing as free ... not even two day shipping from Amazon. Today we're discussing a consumer norm we very often forget has environmental and supply chain impacts: free shipping and free returns. We discuss the immediate emissions and packaging waste, of course, but also textile waste - where do our return things truly go?


              Resources:

              • TEDTalk by Arana Mehta, "Where do your online returns go?"
              • Why ‘free’ shipping isn’t free (CNBC)
              • Why your online returns may end up in landfill—and what can be done to fix it (Fast Company)
              • The unsustainable cost of free returns (Vogue Business)
              • Why fashion brands destroy billions’ worth of their own merchandise every year (Vox)



                Thanks to our sponsors today!

                FactorMeals.com/ecochic50 for 50% off

                CarawayHome.com/ECO for 10% off



                Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

                Sign up for our community spotlight here!!



                Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

                Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                26 min
              • Back To School: Sciencey Nonfiction Books I'm Reading This Fall

                Fall always feels like back-to-school season, no matter what age we're at - perfect time to get organized and learn something new. Today, we're overviewing five nonfiction books I'm excited to read this fall focused on climate, waste, outdoor recreation, and more. Most of the books mentioned on today's episode are very recently released and are receiving great reviews - I tend to gravitate towards memoirs and books with beautiful settings, so today's list reflects books I anticipate to be really engrossing!


                Also listen to:

                • ECO CHIC Summer Reading List
                • Climate Optimism | Zahra Biabani

                • Thanks to our sponsor today!! TryFum.com/ECOCHIC


                  Sign up for our biweekly newsletter here!!

                  Sign up for our community spotlight here!!



                  Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

                  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                  18 min

                About Characters

                From the publisher's feed

                Diving deeper on the characters we love to consume! Laura Diez hosts guest conversations and shares stories exploring the portrayals of real people on reality tv, fictionalized women that stay in our…