Mama Earth Talk

In this episode, we talk to Manju Kumar. She is CEO of Brush With Bamboo, the founder of The Growing Club. She is also known as the zero-waste farmer that grows some amazing food in her backyard. 

During this episode, we take a look at how her journey to create one of the first Bamboo toothbrush brands. We also talk to her about her garden she turned into a permaculture garden and she gives us some tips to grow our own food as well.  

[01:14] How did your sustainable journey start?

[04:30] This is how my sustainable journey started. It wasjust life changing, like click that happened after seeing all of these thingsthat we decided ok, I have to change, like I can not be part of the problem.

[08:45] Right now we have a tropical jungle of a feeling of our house, you can actually not tell that you are in the suburbs when you are on the property.

[09:33] I wanted to grow stuff that I could not get on the market.

[12:25] There is always something to eat in the garden I don’t really buy anything fruit. We have plenty of our own.

[14:37] Whatever nature can take care of, for me I just let her do it. My effort is just to returning the nutrients back to her.

[15:03] What is lasagna mulching.

[16:54] It is the soil beneath our feet that actually helps us thrive.

[17:55] One of the things that we realised is that the very first thing that goes into our mouths early morning, is plastic.

[19:23] Now Brush with Bamboo is leading bamboo toothbrush company, we have the first organic tooth brush. It is the first plant based tooth brush, are tooth brush bristles are made mostly with castor bean oil and we are constantly looking at how do we reduce the impact of our toothbrush.

[22:25] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around Mama Earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

Eating with Max

Trash is for Tossers

Waste Land Rebel

Going Zero Waste

Beth Terry

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

My hope is that she flourishes, that her eco-system is brought back to balance.

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

Start with just planting a tree, commit to planting one tree every year for the rest of your life.

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

Start looking at giving back. Look at how you can give back and giving back, that you have to understand the eco-system for each one of us the answer of what we can do is different, based on where we live, what is available to us.

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Zero Waste Farmer Instagram

Brush with Bamboo Instagram

Youtube

Website

“It is the soil beneath our feet that actually helps us thrive.“

The soil plays the most critical role for our eco-system and we would not be able to survive without healthy soil and sometimes we need to take a moment to realise that and appreciate what Mama Earth is doing for us.

In this episode, I am talking with a few entrepreneurs at the Sharjah Entrepreneur Festival about the role that entrepreneurs play in sustainability. 

Some of the entrepreneurs included: 

Tom Otton, Vishen Lakhiani, Alex Stifler, Dave Crane, Martin Scholtz, Salem Ahmed and Paris Norriss.

When we look at the current trend of entrepreneurs and the rate of entrepreneurs popping, what are your thoughts on this?

[01:28] Alex Stifler, Instagram, Youtube

There is a lot of entrepreneur wannabes.

You can not build the pyramids of Egypt starting with the top blocks, you have to start from the beginning. You have to build and build till you get there.

[02:44] Dave Crane. LinkedIn Instagram

Everybody has got to think about themselves as a brand.

[04:11] Martin Scholtz, Instagram

Entrepreneurship is about failing and learning and being persistent in the long turn.

[04:35] Salem Ahmed, Instagram

It is important to know who you are and why you are in it.

[06:00] Paris Norriss, Instagram

Entrepreneurship is what creates jobs.

[06:42] Tom Otton, Instagram, Create Media Group Instagram

It is not going to be the large corporations that are going to be around in twenty to fifty years that are actually going to change the face of all industries. It is actually going to be entrepreneurship. It is going to be innovation and it is going to be the smaller companies that conduct a move more agile.

[09:21] The second question was about sustainability. There are more and more start-ups and entrepreneurs coming up with innovative ideas where they try to solve issues around the environment that they might be facing in their daily lives or an issue that is close to their hearts. What are your thoughts on that?

[09:38] Alex Stifler, Instagram, Youtube

Recycling and sustainability should be as cool as entrepreneurship right now.

[10:07] Dave Crane. LinkedIn

They realise that this is their world and therefore we need to look after it a lot better.

[11:04] Martin Scholtz, Instagram

They have the biggest challenge because you don’t get funds or finances for it and nobody really feels responsible for however we harm the environment.

[11:37] Salem Ahmed, Instagram

I see people till today throwing trash just on the floor you know as if the whole world is just our trash, but we need to change our perception of this planet. It is our home and I think the people that are working hard to create products that are eco-friendly, sustainable they are really impacting this planet in a positive way.

[12:39] Paris Norriss, Instagram

In the past, we looked at these problems as charity and that was a dead cause because that meant we had to realise money.

[14:12] Tom Otton, Instagram, Create Media Group Instagram

Anybody with a mobile phone can now have a business.

[15:35] There were some really amazing startups at the event and two that I would love to mention but will be telling you more about them both in some of the upcoming episodes as well. They are BluePhin and The Concept.

[16:16] So if there are any of you crazy birds that are thinking of spreading your wings and start your own venture here are some advice from Dave, Paris, Tom and Vishen Lakhiani.

[16:28] Dave Crane. LinkedIn

Take some risks.

[17:35] Paris Norriss, Instagram

Don’t sit on the fence.

[18:11] Tom Otton, Instagram, Create Media Group Instagram

Actually starting

[18:45] Vishen Lakhiani, Instagram

Find a business where you love what you do so much that even if you didn’t get paid to do that, you would do it anyway.

If you might have wondered who the Gary some of the people were referring to, was one of the keynote speakers, Gary Vaynerchuk, Instagram. He is also the best entrepreneur in the world and the handsome man in the photo in the centre standing next to me.

“Anybody with a mobile phone can now have a business.”

It is for sure a lot easier to be an entrepreneur with technology on our side. Getting your side hustle on and being able to make a steady income from your passion is getting more accessible. You would be able to start your business from right where you are. If you are passionate about the environment it has become a lot easier to take this passion and turn it into a sustainable income, but you would have to put in the work as well.

In this episode, we talk to Kaméa Chayne. She is the host of Green Dreamer Podcast, the Founder of Conscious Fashion Collective, an author, and a Duke-certified Integrative Health Coach. She’s also been named “Millennial Pioneer in Sustainable Living” by Halfstack Mag and as one of the “Top Wellness Influencers” by Origin Magazine. 

During this episode, we take a look at why it is important for us to be more conscious about what we wear and find out how we can make better choices right where we are on our journey.  

[01:28] How did your sustainable journey start?

[03:01] Also later on reading this book called Ecologist Guide To Fashion.

[05:34] I pivoted because I did not just wanted to focus on me and the brands that I either personally bought or partnerships with brands because so many amazing brands out there ones I started doing more research on this topic and I didn’t feel the need myself to literally own something from all these brands in order to talk about them. I just wanted a space to share all the options that we have out there.

[07:04] Generally speaking people then do run away from things that are complex or frustrating to understand, so I think it is important for people working within sustinability field to try to make it as easy as possible for people. Not to oversimplify things cause we can also do that but to at least show people all the options that they have.

[07:34] I would say literally everything in a garment’s lifecycle is the reason we should be more conscious.

[08:08] There is no such things as away, it is gonna just end up in some other corner of our earth.

[11:51] Thrive the book

[14:35] Green Dreamer Podcast

[17:39] 2019 Green Dreamer Planners

[19:53] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

Green Matters

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 I hope that we collectively see how interconnected we all are. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 Take good care of yourself first. Airlines always say, put your own mask on first before assisting others. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 I don’t think there is one thing that I say. I really don’t preach to people up front, without knowing the context. It is also just not my personality to do so, but what I would do is to get to know the people first and ask questions learn about them, where they come from, what they care about and then see what the most relevant topic is. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Website

Green Dreamer Podcast

Conscious Fashion Collective

Eco Escapes

“There is no such things as away, it is gonna just end up in some other corner of our earth.”

We often find ourselves, saying that we throw stuff away, from the food we eat to the clothing that we wear. But when we do throw something in a bin there is no away. The items might be out of sight out of mind, but they will unfortunately go either to a landfill, recycling facility or end up in our environment. Therefore they are never away, just placed in another location and therefore it is so important for us to make better choices and understand what it is that we are purchasing and to consider the entire lifecycle.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you what exactly a water footprint is. If you are not sure what I am talking about and wondering if the water footprint might be the footprints you leave behind when getting out of the pool or shower. It is not quite those footprints I am referring to today. Everything we use, wear, buy, sell and eat uses water to make and can be measured for a single process, such as growing an apple, for a specific product that you have, the making of your pair of jeans to helping us in determining the water footprint of an entire company, a country as well as the global total. We will also be looking at what the water footprint is for a few items like an apple, egg, chocolate and a few others to see exactly how much “water we use” every day.  

[01:32] The water footprint can help companies to determine where in their supply chain is the water dependence. It can help governments to put regulations in place to protect their water resources, especially in times of drought, but also to help them prevent reaching a severe drought.

[01:55] The water footprint can also help us as individuals to look at our daily lives and question items we use daily out of habit rather than necessity and to reduce our water footprint even if it is through little changes, every drop adds up.

[02:35] It takes about 140 litres of water to produce that cup of coffee.

[05:22] According to a report done in 2011, the global water footprint for humanity from 1996-2005 was 9 billion and 87 million of cubic meter per year. This is divided into 74% green, 11% blue, 15% grey water footprints. The biggest contributor to the water footprint was the agricultural production that is responsible for 92% of the water footprint during this period.

[06:41] I want to take a moment and look at some of the different items that we might eat or wear in our daily life and see what their water footprint would be on average.

An apple – 70 Litres

1 Slice of Bread – 40 Litres

1 Egg – 200 Litres

100g of Chocolate – 2,400 Litres

A Pair of Jeans – 11, 000 Litres

A Beef Burger – 2400 Litres

[07:50] Calculate your average water footprint here 

[08:22] One of the easy steps to do is to try and go meatless for one day or only have meat and dairy every other day. By reducing your meat and dairy intake, it will already reduce your water footprint a lot. Maybe see to take a shorter shower, remember the tip in episode 12 about selecting your shower song and only shower as long as the 2-minute song? You could close the tap while brushing your teeth and maybe also look at shopping second hand in the future whether it is for your furniture, tools or even clothing. These are just some of the ways that you can easily reduce your water footprint, there is, however, many more and as each of us have different lives, I would suggest looking at where your biggest water uses are and try to see how you can start to reduce that.

“A Pair of Jeans – 11, 000 Litres”

11, 000 litres of water for one jean. That is an insane amount of water for one pair of jeans. If you were to look at your wardrobe currently, how many pairs of jeans would you find? This is not just the jeans but all the things we surround yourself with. Now that we know how much water it takes to make these items, we could maybe rethink our habits and instead of buying items on inpulse, rather only purchase the items that you really need.

In this episode, we talk to Luke Morris. He is an entrepreneur and the creator of Wild Body Active and Wild Wood. 

During this episode, we take a look at some of the endangered species their Wild Wood products are named after. We also look at how switching to a bamboo toothbrush can help the environment.  

[01:10] How did your sustainable journey start?

[02:10] When you travel around Asia and there is kids kicking water bottles, plastic bottle on the beach as suppose to footballs, then it kind of stays in your mind.

[03:56] What inspired the start of your company Wild Wood?

[06:07] I wanted it to be all eco-friendly and sustainable, made from reclaimed wood.

[07:02] I also wanted to bring in endangered species into play and give our sunglasses a bit of character as well.

[08:30] They are made from recycled bamboo. The bristles are bio-degradable polymer mixed with charcoal so it gives it a natural kind of ingredient but it also is good for removing plaque and for making your teeth white and natural.

[10:44] People love the fact that they are named after endangered species and the watches are actually named after rainforests and jungles so that is a different dynamic.

[11:34] So for every pair of sunnies or watch that is purchased we plant one tree through the nature conservancy.

[14:08]: You can purchase our products at Surfhouse or from the stock list of retailers or distributors.

[14:38] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1. What is one social media platform that you follow?

Seashepherd

Azraqme

Marcus Smith

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 That we get more people to care more about it and that means taking more action and it doesn’t need to be a big step. It can be a little step. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 To do little things. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 I talk about my brand quite a lot, so it is more about endangered species, so, for instance, the Vaquita, there is less than 40 Vaquita left in the world. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Wild Wood Instagram

Luke Instagram 

Website

“To do little things. “

When on a sustainable journey you do not have to feel you are moving a mountain every single day. Focus on the things that you can do and start with the little things in your life that you can change and feel good about them.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you what exactly is Black Friday and how it has turned into the biggest shopping day of the year. We also look at some companies like Patagonia that is sending the message that you should not purchase anything unless you need it. Even if the items in on sale. I will take a little recap to Bea Johnson’s 5 R’s and how they can help you avoid purchasing items you might regret afterwards.  

[01:01] Black Friday 2018 is expected to be bigger than ever. More than 70% of Americans are planning to open their wallets and to make purchases on Black Friday. The average spending of an adult in the US is expected to be $483.18. This will add up to $90.14 billion for the US, Up a whopping $30.57 billion from 2017’s projected spend of $59.57 billion.

[02:30] The average man’s spend is estimated to be around $626.44 and the average woman estimated would be around $342.50.

[03:28] It is estimated that 52% of people purchases made on the black Friday sale was regretted shortly after.

[04:07] One of those companies is Patagonia. They have run a number of successful campaigns where they encourage people not to purchase things that they do not need. One of the campaigns I would like to mention was a full page add in the New York Times. The add had large text on the page “Don’t buy this jacket” with an image of one of their jackets.

[04:55] Not only have Patagonia made people aware not to purchase items that they do not need, but they have also committed from 2016 to donate 100% of the sales made on Black Friday to grassroots organizations, working to create positive change for the planet in their own backyards.

[05:29] Can you still remember the 5R’s that we have talked about previously? REFUSE, REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE and ROT.

“Don’t buy this jacket”

This advertisement from Patagonia really inspired me as it is great to see that there are companies out there that is not just in it for the money but to do good as well. It is very easy to go to the different stores and to purchase all of the items that we see on sale but when we take a moment to think whether we really needed the items we are often filled with regret of purchasing it. Therefore even during a hectic sale season like black Friday, practice your 5 R’s and refuse all the items that you do not need.

In this episode, we talk to Tiffany Threadgould. She is an eco-lifestyle expert who spreads do-it-yourself recycling goodness with simple solutions. She also has a published book, ReMake It and she is currently the Chief Design Junkie at TerraCycle, a mega recycling company. 

During this episode, we take a look at how TerraCycle recycle hard to recycle items. What it takes to be a Chief Design Junkie, some of their upcycled art pieces that have created. Tiffany also gives us some tips on how we can upcycle at home.  

[01:23] How did your sustainable journey start?

[02:41] I really do feel that everything can be given another life, it just is the lens that you are looking through it.

[03:02] What is TerraCycle?

[03:05] We are a recycling company but we focus on hard to recycle materials.

[04:08] We have a team of both designers an scientists on staff to figure out solutions for all of these weird materials that come our way.

[06:00] Packaging is really the number one thing recycled through TerraCycle and within packaging you have different categories. So flexible film packaging is one thing. Your lightweight chip bags and snacks packages and you also have the more durable pouches. Like your pouched food like baby food, some drinks come in pouches, like apple sauces, things of that nature and toothpaste would fall in that category too.

[06:35] Cigarette butts are one of the number one litter problems that are out there.

[08:12] Some of our major markets are the United States, England and Australia, but there are a number of other countries that participate. We are active in Japan, Mexico and a number of European countries and Canada.

[11:03] We are launching the first dirty diaper program in Amsterdam.

[16:40] More about Tiffany’s book, titled ReMake.

[18:06] Wat has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

[18:13] I don’t just work at a recycling company, it is part of everything that I do.

1. What is one social media platform that you follow?

DesignMilk

2. What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 I hope that more people are cognizant of what they are consuming and what they are disposing of and quite honestly I would love to get to a point where TerraCycle does not exist anymore because single-use plastic and garbage does not exist. 

3. What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

Rethink things before you throw them away. 

4. What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

Over 40% of landfill waste is packaging materials. So that is materials that are only in your hand for a minute if that and then it goes into the garbage.

5. Where can people find you?

TerraCycle’s Facebook

Tiffany’s Instagram

TerraCycle’s Instagram

Tiffany’s Youtube

TerraCycle’s Youtube

Tiffany’s Website

TerraCycle’s Website

“Rethink things before you throw them away.“

This is something that I could not have said better. Rethinking not only what you throw away but also what you bring into your environment all plays a big role. When we look at the term “away” what does that mean? Is there a place called away where all our waste magically go to and disappear, or is away just another word for a landfill? So when we do throw something “away” do we think on where it will be going next? It is therefore important to look at items before purchaisng them or brinign them into our lives to make sure that we really need the item and when it comes time to discard the item that we can be sure the items can be recycled, composted or even upcycled to give the item a second life.

In this episode, I am answering some of the questions that I have been getting from all the crazy birds. I will be sharing with you some tips on how I have reduced our bin size, sending a lot less waste to landfill. How you can compost even if you live in an apartment. I also share with you my thoughts on clothing made from recycled plastic bottles and why I am not a fan. I will also provide you with some tips on how you can shop package free in your regular supermarket. 

[01:18] How do I manage only to have 1-litre bin of waste every 6-8 weeks?

[02:58] We live in an apartment and composting can be hard at times not to talk about the smelliness if you had to do it indoors, therefore I invested in a Smart Cara and had to say she has been a valuable assist in our kitchen.

[04:35] What is your take on clothing or products made from recycled plastic?

[05:19] Every time that you place the item for example in the washing machine it will release microplastics, those microplastics will then go in your drain and then in the water supply.

[08:03] What would you tell people while shopping package-free in a store that is not package free?

“Every time that you place the item for example in the washing machine it will release microplastics, those microplastics will then go in your drain and then in the water supply.”

Microplastics are a hot topic at the moment and with the number of companies entering the sustainable market on the rise and with that comes a lot of greenwashing. Companies telling you that their products are good for the environment and the moment you dig a little deeper you find that they are no different other than promoting more people to use it. This can often lead to confusion and also frustration as you might be purchasing products that you were told are good for the environment but then in fact was not. Therefore do take everything that the salesperson tells you with a pinch of salt. Go and do your own research and find out more about the items before investing in the product.

In this episode, we talk to Sass Brown. She is a journalist, writer, researcher and ethical fashion activist, as well as the author of two published books, Eco Fashion and ReFashioned. She has been in the fashion industry for more than 30 years as a fashion designer with a background in sustainable development. She was the founding Dean at DIDI a world-class Design Education in the Dubai Design District.  

During this episode, we take a look at what exactly is fast fashion and the hidden price tag that it leaves behind for the environment and the garment workers to pay. We also looked at eco-brands and things to look out for to avoid greenwashing.  

[01:34] How did your journey start?

[06:17] How would you define Eco-Fashion?

Eco-Fashion really is fashion with a conscious. something that makes an impact, a positive impact in our world.

[06:57] If you set yourself up as you know the perfect solution, you are going to be shot down, because there is no perfect solution right now.

[11:06] I think the footprint of textiles in fashion is huge and as I said I think we have done a really poor job of getting this information out. There are companies like you mentioned like Levis that are making a major impact.

[13:08] How would an eco-brand company be able to brand themselves as an eco-brand?

[16:30] What changes would you like to see in the future for these companies?

[20:48] What are some of the things that you look out for when looking at different eco-brands?

[22:24] What is your take on fast fashion?

[23:06] When clothing is devalued to the same cost as a coffee, it is going to be viewed with the same disposability. It is clearly not made for longevity. It is either trend driven so you probably don’t want to be seen dead in it in another three months time anyway or it is simply not made of high-quality fabric, so it won’t last terribly long.

[26:55] and that is what we call a hidden price tag, right. It is the price tag that you don’t pay at the till as a consumer but the person producing that garment or that textile or growing that fibre or the environment are the ones that actually pay the real price for its production.

[27:25] About Sass’s books Eco Fashion and ReFashioned.

[29:49] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

 Greenpeace

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

My hope for sustainable fashion is that we never have to use that word again and that all fashion will be sustainable. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

If there is one small thing that you can do that changes how you do your daily life. Whether it is giving up straws, simply asking every time you ask for a drink, please no straw. Whether it is always carrying a recycled water bottle. Whether it is always carrying a recycled bag with you instead of to take a plastic bag. These are little things that are easy to do and can have a massive impact. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

I think ultimatly the fashion industry has a massive impact on the environment whether it is through pollution, whether it is through water footprint, whether it is through chemical use, whether it is through the disposability of the fabrics and the garments end of life and on the people that produce it and whether it is first second or third, fourth or sixth, ultimately we have the ability to change how we do business and how we consume. 

5.Where can people find you?

 Facebook

Instagram

Twitter 

Website

“My hope for sustainable fashion is that we never have to use that word again and that all fashion will be sustainable. “

It would be wonderful if all fashion brands were sustainable and ethical and that we do not have to go and investigate every single clothing brand that we are considering to purchase from. Sustainable fashion is something that not a lot of people are aware of and I hope that this makes you rethink the brands that you purchase from and to invest in better quality clothing that will last longer and are made more ethically, that is my hope for you as well.

In this episode, I am reflecting back on some on the amazing guests that we have had so far on the podcast. I have interviewed so many great guests and wanted to recap on some of the advice they gave to help us on our sustainable journey’s. 

Bea Johnson 

Learn to say no.

Max La Manna

Find a way to compost, reuse your food scraps as much as you can. Your leftovers, if you have leftovers or food that you want to throw away maybe there is somebody less fortunate that wants the food. Find another purpose for your food. If you can not compost it then see if you can give it to someone else.

Kathryn Kellogg

Really start to ask yourself questions. I always say, embrace your inner three-year-old.

Elena Kinane

Consumers are very powerful and we need to be aware of that and your decision, every decision that you make count and inform yourself, be an informed consumer.  Don’t believe what people tell you. Double-check, cross-check. 

Marita Peters

Pick one thing that you would like to change and then just stick with that and see how that makes you feel and ones you got the hang of that automatically it will lead you to the next. 

Dina Mustafa

I would suggest go out and find one nice thing around you and just talk about it. Nice thing when it comes to an event when it comes to you found a recycling bin in your area. Find something positive.

“Pick one thing that you would like to change and then just stick with that and see how that makes you feel and ones you got the hang of that automatically it will lead you to the next. “

There are so many different things that we would be able to do in our daily life that will allow us to live more sustainable, however, we are all different. What might be something that you view as wasteful could be the only source of food, water or hygiene products that some people have access too? Therefore start with one change that you feel you would be able to manage and that will be the start of your journey. The most import thing is to do this at your own piece and with what you feel comfortable. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.