You may or may not know that we are now in the middle of  United Nations decade on Ecosystem restoration to revive the worlds damaged ecosystems. However, I’m pretty sure you will have heard about ‘rewilding’.  

But what is rewilding exactly? Is it no mow May? Is it letting a corner of the garden get a little out of hand? Or, perhaps is it bigger than that, the reintroduction of beaver or bison for example? Or Leonardo DiCaprio’s thought that Scotland should become the first rewilding nation? Standby to nerd out a bit and for a few surprises. 

Our guest today Paul Jepson is not only a conservationist and writer but also a rewilding expert.

With veganism on the rise and so much negativity about meat production we felt the urge to talk to a farmer. And our guest this week is inspiring. 

George Ford, with a keen knowledge of environmental science, has changed everything about the way his family farm, Nempnett Pastures, now under his guardianship, is run.  Now in it’s sixth generation, George is leading the way for transparency, sustainability and the kind of beef and poultry farming system which actually might have been more recognisable in our past and which is kinder to not just the planet but the animals too.

With the news that micro plastics are not just being found in our oceans and rivers but also in our own blood brain tissue and skin, we need every hero we can get, our guest today is just that. She changed everything for her big mission to make our cleaning cupboards more sustainable. Giving up a very comfortable glamorous life after an 'aha' moment in a supermarket aisle she is now founder of SEEP  - sustainable everyday essential products - a fast growing company cleaning up the business of cleaning.

Our guest  today works wonders making a big difference quietly and purposefully and as a consequence,  She has been named number 27 of the 50 most influential conservationists in the UK, her beautiful books sit on my shelf, but Curlew Moon is my favourite. 

Not only is it a beautifully crafted tribute to our iconic wading bird and its plight, but it was just the start of a conservation journey for Mary who’s inspiring influence is about to stretch as far as our classrooms.  

This week's guest has been ferocious in his determination to make a difference. Often at times controversial, he has sparked the debate on whether to reintroduce wolves to Scotland, he is a 'doer',  whether it is creating awareness of conservation issues in Belize to founding the European Nature Trust or rewinding the Alladale Estate in Scotland, Paul’s extraordinary energy is focused on  his mission to re-connect people with nature for one purpose, getting conservation work done - urgently. 

Our guest today is Professor Jane Barker who lives and works on a farm in the Lake District, with her husband, a fifth-generation sheep farmer.  

She farms sheep, including rare breeds, has a herd of foul ponies, restores peatland and, inspired by an early twentieth century gardening book, has the most extraordinary compost making company, which was nominated for the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show  sustainable garden product of the year. 

We'll be talking all things gardening.

Today is going to be a cracking listen... you won’t be able to think in the same way after you have heard our guest and I’m thrilled she could take the time to be with us. 

She has been hailed by Sir David Attenborough as the woman responsible for starting the plastic free movement. A Plastic Ocean was a film which changed the face of ocean conservation, making a wide audience aware of the insidious spread of plastic and micro plastic in our oceans.

Jo Ruxton, our guest today produced that film and can tell us about some of the magic and some of the mayhem she has witnessed, first hand in the remotest parts of our oceans.  She went on to found Ocean Generation and can share what we can all do to make a difference. 

Have you ever worn or bought an item of clothing? If so you will want to listen to today's guest. She is a regular opinion leader across the media including Ch5 News, Steph’s Packed Lunch and Women’s Hour. She is hailed as  ‘thought leader’ A thought leader working across all elements of intersectional environmentalism, fashion retail and sustainability - Emma is a change maker in the sustainable fashion and retail space and knows first hand how creativity, individualism and innovation will change the world. 

Links as mentioned in the podcast, courtesy of Emma:

Fashion Revolution 

Curiously Conscious 

Colèchi - there’s a journal also and they put on lots of events 

The slow grind 

Climate in colour 

The Earth Issue - magazine 

The slow factory 

The orispresent - The Or foundation 

Hubbub - they have a podcast too 

The lab e20 events 

Podcasts:

Sustainably influenced podcast 

Wardrobe crisis podcast - Clare press 

Content creators/ educators:

Venetia La manna 

Twin Brett 

Besma 

Apps:

Sojo app - repair 

Save My Wardrobe 

Authors/ Books:

All we can save - Anya Elizabeth Johnson 

How to break up with fast fashion - Lauren Bravo 

Wear Next - Clare Press 

Sustainable Wardrobe - Sophie Benson 

Cradle to Cradle - Michael braungart 

Rental platforms / second hand platforms:

Curated loop 

By rotation 

Hurr 

Loanhood 

My Wardrobe HQ 

Cocoon Club - handbags 

Thrift Plus

Vinted 

Depop 

Vestiaire 

Second hand sellers on Instagram 

Porcelain and Red 

The pansy garden, Retold Vintage, Mother London,Darling and Vintage,Selenas shop,

I first met our guest when I was living in Wyoming just south of Yellowstone National Park, which is where she lives and works as a wolf biologist. In a world of fragmented ecosystems and declining species, especially when it comes to top predators, scientific knowledge is vital in influencing our approach to future conservation work.  Kira Cassidy has spent decades studying the wolf packs of Yellowstone, the impacts of hunting and why the single act of reintroducing wolves has had such a significant positive impact on the health of the whole of Yellowstone’s ecosystem. 

Our guest today left college and made a career out of becoming a round the world adventurer... not very environmentally friendly you might think, but bear with us.

Alastair Humphreys has walked across India, cycled from England to Capetown, spent six weeks on the frozen Arctic Ocean, canoed 500 miles down the Yukon and so much more. But it is only since he stopped doing all of that that he has been recognised by National Geographic, because one day, as he was cycling around the world, you know, as you do, he had an epiphany.