EnvironMental with Dandelion

EnvironMental with Dandelion

By Dandelion BrandingSociety & Culture
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EnvironMental with Dandelion episodes

  • Book Review: The Future of Packaging by Tom Szaky

    Let's start with the basics: do we recommend this book?

    That's a big YES!

    It's not really a book for beginners, and we certainly felt like last month's focus on recycling gave us the language and knowledge to talk about packaging issues.

    The Future of Packaging offers a different way to look at the issues around the packaging industry and the importance of working within the current recycling infrastructure. Packaging, recycling, and circular thinking all go hand in hand - if we want our circular system to work better, we need to put time and energy into improving our systems of production and waste management.

    This book offers some great, realistic solutions to the packaging waste problems our planet is experiencing.

    Who should read this?
    - Any brand that is focused on making sustainable packaging choices
    - Any person dedicated to sustainability efforts
    - Sustainable Problem Solvers
    - Anyone that wants to know where we came from and where we are going in the packaging industry

    57 min
  • Product Packaging & Waste

    This month on EnvironMental we are focused on packaging!


    In our first week, we talk about what constitutes packaging and we define what the issue is when it comes to packaging and waste - MOST of the packaging that we buy ends up in a landfill.

    While there are a ton of packaging options out there, there isn't a perfectly sustainable solution to the packaging waste problem just yet. 

    Plus the best, most sustainable option (reducing consumption and/or reusing any "single use" plastics) brings about a modicum of shame that we need to move past as a society.


    Subscribe to get notifications for the upcoming EnvironMental podcasts where we're going to:
    -  Review the book: The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular by Tom Szaky (Founder of TerraCycle)
    - Talk to a sustainable packaging specialist in the industry
    - Offer solutions to brand and consumers alike.

    49 min
  • Highlighting Recycling For Your Brand

    In this episode we're wrapping up what we've learned this month, along with what you can do as a brand to elevate recycling within your business.


    We gave 5 great, actionable tips for you as a brand owner to infuse recycling into your business.

    Here are the resources we mentioned in this episdode:

    If you're not into using uline for your brand's shipping materials, here's a great option for you to check out.
    https://www.ecoenclose.com/

    And if you're new to the world of branding, our 2021 Bloom Your Brand Course Cohort is starting really soon.  Learn more and apply here:  https://dandelionbranding.com/lp-bloom-your-brand-course/

    #recyclinginbusiness #sustainablebrands #environmentalpodcast

    1 hr 3 min
  • CHANGEMAKER CHAT WITH MARISSA SEGUNDO

    We had an incredible chat with Marissa Segundo, a Communications Consultant at Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)!

    She has been working in the recycling industry for the past ten years and her focus is on strategic planning, media relations, and team leadership. 

    As a bilingual communicator, Marissa is proud to be a proactive bridge-builder to the Hispanic community. She has provided clients in the public and private sectors, as well as product stewardship initiatives with innovative communications plans centered on sustainability, waste reduction, and recycling!

     In this podcast, Marissa gives us some really insightful background into how recycling centers work, the challenges they face, and the incredible work they do despite those challenges!


    She shared videos of the back end of a recycling center, and gave us a lot of positive insights about the future of recycling!

    A few sites to check out:

    • recycle.com
    • NextcycleMichigan.com
    • GlassRecycles.org
      • 1 hr 5 min
    • Book Review: Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine by Beth Porter

      We're back with our first Book Review for EnvironMental - we've decided as part of our monthly deep dives into different aspects of sustainability that we would read something focused on that topic. This month's topic: Recycling. We read Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine by Beth Porter.


      So here's the overview:

      Would we recommend this book? Yes - to people who are really into recycling OR in a high school, "how to be an adult" class as a text book.

      There are a ton of great insights here - and we both especially loved Beth's commentary on Moral Licensing and Planned Obsolescence because it gave us solid terms to identify some common (and previously unknown) situations we encounter.

      If you're a modern history buff, this book is great. There is a lot of valuable information on how we got to where we are today with the recycling industry as a whole, and there is also an optimistic hope for the future.

      For GREAT recycling tips, check out Chapter 9. 

      Some good ones:

      - Cut off the greasy part of your pizza box before you recycle it.
      - Don't "Wish Cycle" - When it doubt throw it out, rather than in the recycle bin
      - Clean things enough so they don't contaminate other recyclable items

      Here are some great quotes:
      "If you're not using recycled materials, you're not recycling"


      "Recycling is managing our materials to extend their usefulness and reduce our environmental impact."


      When referring to reducing, reusing, and recycling, Beth says, "These are just pieces of a process that can start at any time"

      It's a great encouragement for folks who may not regularly choose to recycle, but want to understand more about the impact of their decisions!


      Here's a neat resource from the book too:
      Earth911.com

      #environmentalpodcast #sustainability #recyclingtips #reducereuserecycle

      58 min
    • Recycling is STILL a big deal!

      For the first full month of the EnvironMental Podcast, we're talking about Recycling!


      See [timestamp] for a fun little challenge - figure out what can be recycled in your community and post a recycling sign somewhere lots of people will see it!

      PROBONO OFFER - if you're building some sort of state or country-wide recycling directory, we would love to help you with SEO or helping you grow your search organically.

      ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
      We were raised with the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle motto - so when we decided to focus on recycling for the EnvironMental Podcast this month, we sort of felt like, "recycling, duh?"

      But somehow there is simultaneously SO much information about the idea of recycling and very little information about the action of recycling. The systems in the US - and around the world - are city and county specific.

      There isn't enough governmental regulation and there is very little effort placed on educating citizens about what they can and can't recycle. It falls almost entirely on the citizens to figure out recycling at home.

      If you have a brand focused on sustainability, make it easy for your customers. Share what to do with your products and packaging once your product is finished.

      #Recyclingplastic #EnvironMentalpodcast #Sustainability #Recycling

      1 hr 17 min
    • Sustainability isn't a competition.

      This week on EnvironMental podcast, we talked about our feelings around last week's Changemaker Chat with Julia Kaleta and the new term we learned "Green Wishing."

      We talked a lot about shifting socially conscious initiatives out of the "performative" space with your branding - AKA do the work to make sure that your sustainability and inclusivity isn't bullshit.

      Also a PSA: Sustainability isn't a competition.

      We need the people that are diving deep into specific issues and the people that are working to understand the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability to work together.

      Do your best to remove your ego, and support each other wherever our sustainable journeys take us.

      Also, we work with sustainable businesses and one of our goals is to help shift the responsibility onto bigger areas of the industrial processes - because this is a crisis that we all need to work on together! 

      To do that, we've got to be ready to do the work, make some massive changes, and sacrifice some of our conveniences, together. 

      1 hr 2 min
    • Changemaker Chats 1 - Julia Kaleta & The Atlas of Sustainable Colours

      In this first of our Changemaker chats, we're talking with Julia Kaleta!

      She talks to us about the sustainability of one aspect of the fashion industry: dye making.
      Hear Julia talk about what sustainability in this part of the industry is, the importance of color in our everyday life, and how brands can choose sustainable options for their colors.

      Julia's latest project is The Atlas of Sustainable Colours, you can follow along with her on Instagram @atlasofsustainable or on her website https://aosc.online


      She also suggested watching: The world’s most polluted river | DW Documentary, which you can watch on Youtube, and the artist researching medicinal clothing is Nienke Hoogvliet!

      1 hr 3 min
    • NEW PODCAST WHO DIS?

      We've officially rebranded Offbrand Podcast - welcome to Episode One of EnvironMental! One of our biggest passions is sustainability and the human impact on the environment so we decided to shift our podcast to be able to learn more about this super important issue and share it with you! We're going to have guests, read books, and talk about how to grow brands more sustainably over time.

      55 min
    • BOOK REVIEW: EVERYBODY LIES by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

      This is our last Book Review as Off Brand Podcast - and it's about Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz!


      We HIGHLY recommend this book, it's a great read!
      It's relatable and easy to understand,
      it also reminds us that we're all the same.

      If you're into data and you want answers to questions like
      - Is America Racist?
      - What weird sex stuff are people into?
      - Does it matter where you grow up, or where you go to school?

      Confidential Resources for those in need:

      Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline - 1-800-4-A-CHILD

      Domestic Abuse Hotline - 1-800-799-SAFE



      45 min

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