214: Teal Lehto (@WesternWaterGirl) is a science communicator superstar with 54K+ followers on TikTok, where she breaks down some of the most significant challenges surrounding the western water crisis. Today, we're doing our best to explore the multi-faceted problem: where is all the water actually being used, and why haven't we solved this problem yet? We discuss the weird history of water rights and aversion to conservation, plus the long-ignored needs of Indigenous communities. The Colorado River Basin consists of seven states plus the country of Mexico - how are there are millions of people cautiously waiting for the western water system to collapse? Teal also discusses social media activism, her platform, and the role of recreation in bringing environmental issues to the masses.

More episodes for you:

Ep 178: The Drought: Water Policy, Fires, + Solutions for the American West | Gabrielle Canon

152: Heat Waves, Mega Drought, and Wildfires, Oh My...

Books recommended by Teal:

The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko

Where The Water Goes by David Owen

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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213: We're rewinding to our first ever book club: a conversation with Megan McSherry on the iconic, juicy, insider look of the luxury fashion industry as told through Dana Thomas' Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster.

We discuss the “democratization” of luxury fashion, consumer psychology, celebrity product placement, “it” bags, perfumes… everything that you’ve ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes of the luxury fashion industry, this book got into. We also share some of our favorite iconic luxury fashion moments, retrospective disdain for trends, and the value of artisanship. Spoiler alert: we discuss why we don’t believe an Hermes Birkin Bag should fall into the same vague “luxury” category as a Louis Vuitton.

More for you:

Ep 181: The Evolution of the It Bag: Stuff for Status

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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212: De-influencing is the TikTok trend we've been waiting for! Conscious consumption is finally getting its mainstream moment - or is it here to stay? We're breaking down the two major benefits of being de-influenced - why is it actually amazing we're spending less money and acquiring less stuff? We're also brainstorming how content creators may "capitalize" on this moment to actually create more impactful, authentic relationships.

Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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211: When did we start thinking of furniture as disposable? Today we're discussing the under-exaggerated problem of fast furniture: cheap, low quality, and mass-produced pieces designed to be dumped. We're breaking down (ha) two iconic fast furniture items, and exploring tips for your next point-of-purchase furniture decision.

Thanks to our sponsor today! Use code ECOCHIC at CarawayHome.com for 10% off.

More for you:

Ep 196: Creating Thoughtful Spaces | Amanda Gunawan, OWIU Designs

‘Fast Furniture’ Is Cheap. And Americans Are Throwing It in the Trash. (NY Times)

Fast furniture: what’s wrong with it and 7 ways to make better choices (for you and the planet) (Heidi Bischoff, 2019)

Ikea keeps price of popular Billy Bookcase the cheapest in Euro zone (Independent UK)

Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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210: The news of a major nuclear fusion breakthrough seemed to break the internet last month - we've all got questions, and we're all so excited about this new potential renewable energy source. I'm deeply honored to be joined by Dr. Tammy Ma, Lead Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility, to discuss this scientific milestone. Dr. Ma explains the significance of this ignition reaction for the scientific and energy communities, challenges to scale, and the incredible potential benefits of energy access worldwide.

Dr. Tammy Ma earned her bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Caltech in 2005, then received her master's degree in 2008, and Ph.D. in 2010, both from the University of California, San Diego. Following graduate school, she completed a postdoc at LLNL before becoming a staff scientist in 2012. Ma was recently awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on early-career science and engineering professionals. She also received the American Physical Society 2016 Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research.

Articles for your nuclear fusion curiosities:

Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Blast of 192 Lasers (NY Times)

Why nuclear fusion is so exciting (Harvard Gazette)

DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition (US Dept of Energy)

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. 

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209: Emma Hakansson is the Founding Director of Collective Fashion Justice, a not-for-profit working for a fashion system that upholds total ethics: prioritizing justice for animals, people and the planet. Emma and I discuss leather, exotic animal skins, and the shifting role of both fashion houses and consumers in accelerating a more just fashion industry. We also discuss Emma's viral TikTok protesting outside an Hermes store for the #DropCroc campaign, and how to eloquently encourage those around you to consider more ethical fashion choices.

Collective Fashion Justice is actively releasing reports in a four-part series called Under Their Skin. The latest new report, ‘Leather’s Impact on the Planet’ is a fabulous collection of data and research surrounding the destruction linked to cattle skin and leather production, tanning, and product manufacturing.

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Last call! Fill out the survey ECO CHIC end-of-year survey here - should take you only a minute and helps me out so much!

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. 

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208: Tis the season to set our New Years Resolutions! I'll admit I love setting these goals for the year - I am sharing tips + frameworks for how to actually achieve your goals (whatever time of year it is), and sharing some examples of where you can zoom in on your much broader commitment to "be more sustainable."

Fill out the quickie end of the year survey here!!! Help us make (and keep) ECO CHIC your favorite podcast.

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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207: Carinne Chambers-Saini is the founder and CEO of Diva (formerly DivaCup). She is an iconic trailblazer in the menstrual health space, with an industry disruptive brand that has mainstreamed menstrual cups worldwide. Carinne is a passionate advocate for period equity, and has made menstrual care eco-friendly, clean, and comfortable to talk about. We speak intimately today about menstrual education, how she has created a company culture of care, and the early days of entrepreneurship with such an innovative new product to the sanitary care aisle.

You can watch Pandora’s Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation here on YouTube.

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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206: The annual quickie Black Friday episode! We're all feeling the pressure to shop for ourselves, to shop off TikTok gift guides, to overbuy when we're starting early.... today's conversation will hopefully help us think more mindfully around what we're giving and how we're navigating sales.

Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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205: Heidi Harmon is the former Mayor of San Luis Obispo, CA and currently serves as Senior Public Affairs Director of Let's Green CA!. She discusses impactful climate policies from her time in office, including affordable housing, sanctuary cities, and fighting utilities in phasing out methane gas in buildings. We also talk about electrification - personal vehicles, infrastructure, public transportation... imagining a world of climate-positive "public luxuries."

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at [email protected].

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