With three seasons and 28 episodes under our belts, what better time to look back through Greenscore and share our top sustainability tips and takeaways?!

Join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss their favorite quotes, statistics, guests, and surprises, and summarize some key tips for living more sustainably every day.

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You might have heard about carbon credits in the news, or checked the box to offset  greenhouse gas emissions from your latest flight. But what do carbon credits actually mean?

Find out with our guests Dr. John Dees and Avantika Singh from Carbon Direct, a company that provides science-backed carbon management solutions to measure, reduce, and remove your carbon emissions. We'll discuss what carbon credits are, how they are measured and applied, and how much of a difference they can make in the fight against climate change.

Learn more about Carbon Direct: https://www.carbon-direct.com/

Further reading:
- Carbon credits definition, from the World Economic Forum
- Voluntary carbon markets, from McKinsey
- Avoiding greenwashing in the carbon offsetting industry, from the Guardian

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Camping is an increasingly common summer activity. It is not only a great excuse to get outdoors, but has also been proven to reduce stress and contribute to emotional and physical wellbeing. But if over half of American households are camping, how can we make sure everyone can enjoy this activity without harming the environment?

Join Becca and Luke McGraw from Leave No Trace as they talk us through the environmental impacts of camping, and how seven simple rules can help protect nature for everyone to enjoy. From dealing with your waste to picking a campsite, this Summer Special episode will help make your next camping adventure a "green" one!

Learn more about Leave No Trace: https://lnt.org/

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The average person uses about 600 miles of toilet paper in their lifetime, and each year over 30 million trees are cut down to serve the toilet paper needs of the United States alone. But have you ever wondered about the environmental impacts of cutting down those trees you're flushing down the toilet? 

Explore this topic with our guest Michael Zelniker, a Canadian actor and filmmaker who recently directed the documentary “The Issue with Tissue - a boreal love story,” which discusses the boreal forest that is home to Indigenous First Nation communities and how it is being clear-cut for manufacturing of toilet paper. We'll discuss how toilet paper is made, how it contributes to deforestation and impacts indigenous communities, and how to pick more sustainable options for your bum.

Check out Michael's documentary "The Issue with Tissue - a boreal love story"

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From biodegradable to carbon neutral, there is so much jargon used by brands marketing themselves as sustainable. But what do these terms actually mean? And how can we keep ourselves from getting overwhelmed by confusing jargon?

Join our guest Dr. Kat Knauer from the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as she talks us through common "green" jargon like bio-based, biodegradable, compostable, organic, recyclable, recycled content, and carbon neutral. We discuss the definitions of these terms, and what they mean for you in terms of products you should buy and how you should dispose of them.

Think of this episode as your sustainability cheatsheet!

Learn more about the BOTTLE Consortium here: https://www.bottle.org/

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The Internet is everywhere - on our phones, our laptops, our cars, and even our refrigerators! But have you ever stopped to think about how the Internet actually works and what environmental impact it has?

Well now is your chance - join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss the physical infrastructure behind the Internet and how its enormous energy use results in 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. We'll also cover some simple switches you can make to your web surfing to lower your carbon footprint. 

Further reading:
- Internet statistics ,from Our World in Data
- How data centers work, from HowStuffWorks
- Environmental impacts of the Internet, from the BBC and Sphera
- Water use of the Internet, from the Washington Post and Nature
- Eco-conscious search engines, from Sustainable Jungle

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Cosmetics are a $400 billion global industry, and many of us do not leave the house without some form of cosmetics, whether a basic moisturizer or a full face of makeup. Yet between microplastics, irresponsible ingredient sourcing, animal testing, and plastic packaging waste, makeup packs a much bigger environmental impact than the tiny bottles it comes in might suggest. 

Find out more in this episode with Lou Dartford, a makeup artist specializing in green beauty.  We'll discuss how some of the most common types of makeup, like mascara, are made, their environmental impacts, and ways to spot healthier and more sustainable brands when you find yourself in the makeup aisle.

See Lou's makeup portfolio and tips here: https://www.loudartford.com/

Further reading:
- Environmental impacts of cosmetics from Treehugger and Unsustainable Magazine
- Eco-friendly beauty routines from Vogue
- Sustainability considerations in the makeup industry from L Makeup Institute

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It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air... but perhaps not for the planet. In the United States alone, millions of greeting cards, roses, and chocolate confections will be exchanged on this holiday, creating waste and contributing to climate change.  

So how can you show your affection for loved ones without hating on the planet? Find out in this episode, where co-host Taylor Uekert talks us through the environmental impacts of some of the most popular Valentine's Day gifts: chocolate, greeting cards, cut flowers, and jewelry. Leave inspired with some simple tips and alternatives for a more sustainable Valentine's Day. 

Sources:
- Most popular Valentine's Day gifts in the US (Statista) and UK (Bob Books)
- Environmental impact of Valentine's Day (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Environmental impact of chocolate (Konstantas et al. 2018)
- Environmental impact of cut flowers (Vox 2019)
- Environmental impact of gold (Timsina et al. 2022) and diamonds (Ohio State University)

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The holiday season is upon us, and for folks who celebrate Christmas, that probably means you're getting ready to decorate your Christmas tree. Approximately 100 million natural Christmas trees are sold in the US and EU every year, with another 10 million artificial trees sold in the US alone. Depending on whether you grew up with a real or an artificial Christmas tree, you might already have a preference for one type over another. But have you ever thought about the environmental impact of this festive tradition?

In this special holiday episode, discover how natural and artificial Christmas trees are grown or made, what their environmental impacts are, and how you can choose the greenest option for a more sustainable holiday season.

Sources:
- How real Christmas trees are grown (Vox, 2020)
- How artificial Christmas trees are made (Business Insider, 2020)
- Life cycle assessment of real vs artificial Christmas trees (Ellipsos, Canada, 2009)
- Life cycle assessment of real vs artificial Christmas trees (Sphera, U.S., 2010)

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On Greenscore, we give you the tools to make sustainable choices in everyday life. But with daily reports on extreme weather events, soaring energy costs, and biodiversity losses, the fight against climate change can feel overwhelming. Sound familiar? Well you are not alone - these feelings of climate climate anxiety and eco-grief are increasingly being experienced worldwide.

Join us for this special episode on climate anxiety, featuring Dr. Jessica Pratt, an Associate Teaching Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Irvine. Learn what climate anxiety actually is, how it affects us, and how a few simple steps can not only make it manageable, but also turn it into something that can drive real change. 

Visit Dr. Pratt's website: https://prattecology.weebly.com/

Further reading:
- Effect of climate anxiety on young people
- Tips for managing climate anxiety
- Intersection of climate anxiety and race

Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.