Mama Earth Talk

In this episode, we talk to Max La Manna. He is an author, a vegan, zero-waste chef. He does not throw any food away and encourage all to compost their food rather than to throw it in a bin. He can often be seen picking up pieces of trash en-route as he goes about his daily life. He is also a magician when it comes to the kitchen, turning everyday ingredients into delicious, beautiful vegan dishes worthy to be served in some of the top restaurants. 

During this episode, we take a look at what exactly it means to be a zero-waste chef. What some of Max’s go-to dishes are and also get some tips on how we can start our journey to more sustainable meals.  

[01:48] How did your journey start?

[02:56] It only took one opportunity, two people, one opportunity to really make me consider my daily habits of consumption and you know through that journey I started realising what other impacts I am causing by being vegan.

[04:09] I just started looking for ways to reduce my waste and little by little here we are.

[04:28] Growing up in Connecticut, I grew up in a city. Not like New York City, but like a relatively smaller city and I would see people just litter all the time and it would just break my heart.

[04:58] There was always a time that we would pick up trash on our route or on our walk or when we were at the beach. We were always picking up trash. So it was kind of ingrained in me from a young age.

[05:48] What is it to be a zero waste vegan chef?

[05:54] The goal is to send nothing into a landfill.

[07:39] There are vegan restaurants now, they are everywhere. It is great because now I have friends who, they are not vegan but they are vegan-curious and they are now saying to me, “Hey I only eat meat like on a Wednesday or on a Friday or special occasions but for the most part I try to go to a vegan restaurant ones or twice a week.

[08:17] Veganism is taking over this isn’t a fad, this is actually a trend now like what you going to see on a regular basis and in that moment as I was telling this person, Veganism is taking over, I looked to the right of me and there was a little sign on the table, like a little info card that said “Now introducing vegan croissants”. So everywhere I go places that aren’t vegan they are now introducing vegan options.

[10:44] Some of Max’s favourite dishes to prepare.

Pizza

Pasta

Coconut, Blueberry Pancakes 

[12:14] How would you recommend starting the journey to become vegan?

[15:24] 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?

 Lauren Singer

Package Free Shop

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

 For everyone to consume less meat, to eat more plants, to get rid of plastic and to start composting. 

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

 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 you food. If you can not compost it then see if you can give it to someone else. 

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

1.3 billion tons of food is thrown away each year and with that, we can feed everyone.

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Website

” It only took one opportunity, two people, one opportunity to really make me consider my daily habits of consumption and you know through that journey I started realising what other impacts I am causing by being vegan.”

It only took one opportunity for Max to become Vegan. We often think that what we do does not really matter and question what effects we would be able to have on other people if we refuse a straw for example. It might only be little things but it might be the thing that makes someone else consider their daily habits and they might want to make changes in their life. No matter how big or small we think the change is that we are making, every little step towards a better and healthier Mama Earth is a step in the right direction.

In this episode, I will be sharing some of the people that I find very inspiring. As I started my journey, I found it very intimidating. There was a lot I had to learn and understand and there were also many times that I felt frustrated. These three sustainable superheroes made my journey a lot easier and I am so proud to have interviewed all three of them on my podcast. During this episode, I will share with you how Bea Johnson, Rob Greenfield and Kathryn Kellogg helped me with my sustainable journey.  

If you are listening to this and you too feel overwhelmed, not sure how or where to start or continue your journey, hang on there, there is hope.

Firstly you do not have to start by doing everything at ones. This might be very hard and might discourage you to continue with the journey.

[02:47] I also realise that I do not have to do everything overnight or on my own, but rather to embrace this as a journey and take it step by step.

[03:13] Rob Greenfield. Rob is an adventurer, environmental activist, humanitarian and a dude making a difference. He leads by example to create a more sustainable world.

[03:47] He cycled across the US twice on his bamboo bicycle spreading his sustainable message across the US and have recently launched a book, Dude Making a Difference.

04: 00Rob also wore his trash for 30 days in New York, and he was the inspiration behind Marita Peters and me starting our WasteMeNot campaign in the UAE with his wonderful support. He is for sure a dude making a difference for Mama Earth.

[04:18] Bea Johnson, Bea is the woman behind Zero Waste Home a blog that turned into a best selling book. She and her family adopted a Zero Waste lifestyle in 2008, which changed their life for the better as they now lead more meaningful lives based on experiences instead of stuff.

[04:42] One of the guidelines that she proposes is for people to follow 5’R Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot and only in that order.

[05:18] She owns to only 15 items, and from these 15 items, she can create 50 different looks.

[05:52] Going Zero Waste’s Kathryn Kellogg. Kathryn’s zero waste journey started when doctors discovered tumours in her breast after suffering from a lot of pain. Thankfully, everything was benign, but they did not recommend removing it as there was a good chance that it would grow back, so she had to live with the pain.

[06:22] After moving to California, she was shocked at the amount of plastic in her area and realised that it is not only bad for her health but also the health of our planet.

[06:46] She believes that small actions done by hundreds of thousands of people will change the world. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference, you just have to try.

[07:04] If you have any sustainability questions please do hesitate to let me know and I will try my best to help wherever I can. You can either send me a message on my Instagram @designbymariska, email me at [email protected] or fill out the contact form on our website mamaearthtalk.com.

[07:26] My final tip for today is to do what you can and feel comfortable to start with. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.

“Small actions done by hundreds of thousands of people will change the world. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference, you just have to try.” 

Sometimes we tend to get lost in the amount of work that needs to be done and it often can lead to use delaying to do things or addressing issues. But if we would instead of hesitating rather try and make a difference we might be creating a ripple effect that can be felt where needed. If we do not try we would not know if it what we want to do will make a difference or not. Therefore try and give it your best, you might be starting something magical.

In this episode, we talk to Chris Calumberan. He is a photographer as well as a social advocate. He continuously produces initiatives for the community and environmental awareness. He also collaborated with a not-for-profit organisation, 4get Me Not, that raises awareness on Alzheimer’s in the UAE. He was also named one of the most influential Filipinos in the Gulf by Illustrado magazine. He was also awarded the bronze award at the Tokyo International Foto Award for his project Code Blue. 

During this episode, we take a look at some of the projects that Chris has worked on and the reason behind his litter to light photos.  

[01:26] How did your journey start?

[02:51] I mean I am not to like save the world in one photograph itself but to spread awareness you know first and foremost.

[03:40] Most of the work that I do comes from the inspiration of some sort that agitated me or moved me.

[04:37] Liter of Life won the Zayed Future Energy Award last 2015. Zayed Future Energy Award they constantly look for initiatives and non-profit organizations that have projects the same as Illac Diaz.

[06:07] I want to not just to be artistic but also have substance and story. Substance and story that comes from the advocates.

[07:37] I saw one add on Youtube, it is a video on Youtube that what happened is he says, lighters, toothbrushes and razors are the most common objects seen in the beaches and inside the birds.

[10:12] Images of the Code Blue.

[12:20] 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?

 Joe Rogan

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

 We basically have to contribute and start from the inside in. Because we won’t be able to again be concerned too much of the outside world because we don’t have any control of that. What I would suggest is be more responsible inside and start from yourself so that it can be you know transmit and us being an example perhaps. Be a catalyst. 

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

 Be more into yourself, try meditation have a silent time for yourself. 

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

 There are a million bottles being used every minute for me having to see bottles of water all over the office it hurts me. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Website

“Most of the work that I do comes from the inspiration of some sort that agitated me or moved me”

We often find ourselves leaning more towards things that we like and that touch us as well as the things in life that we are against and we would be more likely to do activities based around this. For every person, these things can vary but it is up to us to find those things and look within ourselves, meditate and find that silence and peace within.

In this episode, we will be taking a look at fast fashion and why it is important for us to look into sustainable fashion options. I will also be sharing with you some of my tips to help you create a sustainable wardrobe and how you can get more out of your clothing.

Fast fashion is a term that is used in the fashion industry to described inexpensive designs, that move quickly to keep up with the latest fashion trends. It is not uncommon for some of these brands to release new products weekly to keep up with the trends instead of introducing new lines on a seasonal basis.

[01:11] Fast fashion became more popular in the 90’s. To produce more clothing at a faster pace and lower rate, these manufacturers will try to keep the production cost as low as possible. Some of the ways they can do this are by using low-quality materials that will only last a few washes and pay workers low wages.

[01:34] Often these workers, working conditions is not socially sustainable, and a lot of these working environments are unsafe to work in. One of the most deadly garment factory incidents happened in 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, when the Rana Plaza collapsed. 1,138 garment workers died and 2,500 more were injured during the collapse of the eight-storey building.

[02:05] It has been more than five years since the collapse of Rana Plaza, however, Bangladesh is still known as one of the countries where their garment workers earn the lowest wages in the world, with a minimum wage of less than $100 per month.

[02:23] In the last few years, more campaigns were started to encourage people to ask questions and to know what they are wearing and if it is sustainable economically, environmentally and socially.

[02:38] Carry Somers and Orsola De Castro found Fashion Revolution, a non-profit organisation committed to enacting genuine change in the fashion industry. It all started with a hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes?

[03:11] A few tips that I use to make my wardrobe more sustainable.

[03:16] Buy Second-hand.

[03:38] Invest in quality ethical clothing when you purchase new.

[04:25] Repair rather than replace.

[04:47] Purchase only what you need.

[05:05] If you look at the wardrobe of the founder of the zero waste lifestyle movement, Bea Johnson, you would only find 15 items. From these 15 items, she can create 50 different looks. Her entire wardrobe fits in a carry-on and therefore everytime she travels she can pack her entire wardrobe and does not have to spend a lot of time thinking what she needs to pack when going on a trip.

[05:36] I have recently implemented a policy in my wardrobe that anything that I have not worn in the last 12 months needs to go. It is either donated or sold to the thrift store and whenever I want to purchase a new item I need to replace one of the older items.

[06:10] My final tip for today is to do what you can and feel comfortable to start with. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.

“If you look at the wardrobe of the founder of the zero waste lifestyle movement, Bea Johnson, you would only find 15 items. From these 15 items, she can create 50 different looks.” 

How often do we stand in front of our very cluttered wardrobe and think, wow I do not have anything that I would be able to wear today? Yes, we have a wardrobe full of clothing, maybe half of the wardrobe does not fit anymore or is only used during a specific season or are there because of sentimental reasons. By removing items that you no longer wear would clear up some space in the cupboard that would save you time every morning as there would be fewer clothes to go through when deciding what to wear. If Bea can create 50 outfits from only 15 items then I am sure we would be able to let go of many more items in our wardrobes that takes up a lot of space as well as our time.

In this episode, we talk to Dina Mustafa. She is the Head of Sustainability Operations at Expo 2020, Dubai. She began her career with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (UNFAO) where she conducted agricultural data collection, maintained budgets and prepare research papers. She is a LEED-certified sustainability expert with more than 14 years’ experience in the public and private sector. She is currently leading the development and implementation of the World Expo’s sustainable event management strategy, and her expertise enables her to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to help Expo 2020 achieve all their sustainability goals 

During this episode, we take a look at what it takes to stay on track of creating the most sustainable Expo. What the Expo is and what we can expect to see there. We also discover a few interesting things that were first revealed at a world expo, like the ice cream cone and ketchup.  

[01:42] How did your journey start?

[02:42] I was one of the few women lucky enough to graduate with a chemical engineering degree.

[03:16] When I got to the US, I was like any other immigrant. A few thousand dollars in my pocket and maybe a suitcase and a fold out couch that was given to me to sleep on and so that was my life at the beginning.

[03:28] I went back to school. I got my MBA in international business and I also obtained a masters in sustainability management from Columbia University.

[03:42] I don’t think that you need to study sustainability to be aware of it. I think you are aware of it and then you go back and say I want this to be my profession.

[05:02] I joined the Expo about a year ago, very excited to be working at the Expo it is, I can only say mindblowing.

[06:17] World Expo’s, in general, were all about connecting people. The first World Expo was in the 1800’s in London.

[06:51] In Dubai this is the first Expo that’s held in this part of the world.

[06:57] The theme of the Expo is connecting minds, creating the future with three sub-themes, sustainability, mobility and opportunity.

[07:37] In the US they call Expo’s, world fairs.

[07:40] Some of the things that were showcased at an Expo for the first time and now it is everyday use, is the ice cream cone.

[09:03] So if you have an idea and you have gone through the prototype level and you would like to come and present to us you can actually register at Expo Live.

[12:54] All of our buildings are LEED gold certified and the sustainability pavilion which we will talk about later is platinum certified or will be platinum certified, it is on track.

[14:22] We are trying to build a site that is sufficient, that uses passive measures to conserve energy and to conserve water.

[15:36] About the sustainability pavilion.

[16:16] And if you go to the Expo website you would probably see a lot of information about the sustainability pavilion.

[18:10]Water is actually more important than oil and I think that was a saying by Sheikh Mohammed.

[20:47] Growing your food closer, first of all, reduces the carbon footprint so you have a big impact on climate change when you are reduce your carbon footprint and then you are reducing your water intake too.

[22:08] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

[22:29] It is simple things that make a ripple effect and I think that is what we need to focus on. Don’t try to change the world one whole piece at a time but try with small things, little things and take it one step at a time and don’t judge.

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

 Grumpy Expat

UN Environment

UNHCR

The Economist 

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

 That we wake up, we wake up before it is too late. We also need to be kind to each other. 

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

 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. 

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

 If I am with friends and we all love to eat fish I would talk about how much micro plastics are in the fish. 

Other people that are harder to convince I simply talk about my really nice energy bill at Sustainable City and how much money I am saving and that makes them listen.

5.Where can people find you?

LinkedIn

Instagram

“It is simple things that make a ripple effect and I think that is what we need to focus on. Don’t try to change the world one whole piece at a time but try with small things, little things and take it one step at a time and don’t judge.”

When we look at becoming more sustainable there is a lot of things that we can do but instead of trying to do everything at one time, take a moment and really look at all the changes that you can possibly make and start with one thing that would be manageable for you. It might look small to others but this is the start of your journey and this will help you to make another change followed by another in time. But if you try to make all of these changes at one time it might be too hard and too much for you to handle at one time and you might give up on it entirely. Living a more sustainable life is a journey an not a race.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you some om my favourite tips, how you can reduce the amount of waste created during your weekly groceries shopping. These tips have helped us save a lot of waste from going to a landfill or recycling facility, but it has also helped us to save money, by minimizing our food waste.  

[00:55] Plastic grocery bags, you can switch them out for reusable bags.

[01:11] In Abu Dhabi, Waitrose, an upmarket grocery recently added a 0.25 fills fee per single-use plastic bag as part of a 12- week trial. During their trial, they reduced the amount of single-use plastic bags by 74% and have seen a drastic increase in the purchasing of reusable bags.

[01:55] I would recommend investing in a few reusable bags that you can take with you when going to the store. You can also leave a bag or two in your handbag, backpack or car to always have one close to you when needed.

[02:31] You would then be able to use these bags when you go to the store as well to place gifts in rather than to spend money on gift wrapping that is likely to end up in the bin. This way you are not only giving a gift but a gift that can help eliminate single-use plastic bags as well.

[02:49] Bringing your containers from home when visiting the grocery store will allow you to reduce the amount of waste you generate.

[03:08] Some of the different foods that I have managed to buy package free in our regular grocery store are meat, bread, fruit, vegetables, spices and some staples whenever they are in stock.

[03:21] Usually, the meat is packaged in a polystyrene tray and then cling wrapped with the price sticker. Having the meat packaged like this, I would not be able to recycle any of the packaging materials.

[04:25] This often starts a conversation as to why I would go through the trouble to purchase the meat package free, and I have found on some occasions that this conversation makes them think a bit more about how they package meat and for them to try and find better ways around it.

[04:43] Bread is usually packaged in a plastic bag tied with a plastic clip. I usually go to the bakery section and ask what breads they have unpackaged.

[05:22] Fruit and vegetables are some of the items that can easily be over-packaged.

[06:25] For the spices and some staples, I have found there are variety grocery stores that have almost like a spice souq set up where you can fill up your containers with the spices and staples you require. You would have to check with the store to first weigh your container before you start to fill it.

[07:34] Therefore only purchasing the amount that I require for these ingredients helps me saved money as I would only pay for what I need and this reduces the amount that needs to be thrown out to get compost as well.

[07:48] No receipt thank you. Your receipt might look like only a few a day or a week, but they do tend to accumulate quite quickly. Some of the receipts can be recycled, but then there are receipts printed on thermal papers that can not be recycled easily and in some cases not at all.

[08:14] When looking at how much resources it takes to produce it is unsustainable. In the US over 250 million gallons of oil, 10 million trees and 1 billion gallons of water are used to produce the receipts, and these receipts will then generate around 1.5 billion pounds of waste when disposed of. That to me seems like a lot of unnecessary receipts if you consider the cost the environment is paying.

[09:11] For these cases, I would create a separate email account only for the receipts that way I do not get them mixed with my regular email, and it is easy to go to a specific mailbox whenever I require one of the receipts.

[09:42] Shopping like this at your regular grocery store can be very difficult at first. However I found it was only challenging the first few times and now all my regular stores know me, and they provide me with the best service that allows me to enjoy my package free shopping on as many products as possible.

“This often starts a conversation as to why I would go through the trouble to purchase the meat package free, and I have found on some occasions that this conversation makes them think a bit more about how they package meat and for them to try and find better ways around it.” 

In this episode, we talk to Randi Stephan. He is the founder of AYWA tribe a community of like-minded spirits creating new ways for people to connect sustainable. 

During this episode, we take a look at what it takes to put together a sustainable festival for like-minded environmentally conscious people. Where participants will be encouraged to use a refillable water bottle and to reduce their waste to have a minimal effect on the environment.  

[01:11] How did your journey in sustainability start?

[02:33] AYWA festival is the first time that me and my community, Aywa Tribe try and create our own understanding, our own vision of such an alternative gathering.

[02:43] Aywa in Arabic means to empower, means bravo.

[03:12] I think that Aywa is such a crucial aspect for all of us to continue sharing and empowering each other to move forward.

[04:54] The mission of the festival.

[06:36] What you can see and expect at the festival.

[07:57] In the collective vision stage one of the most exciting workshops we have is with one of my partners, Nizar Haddad, a green architect in Lebanon whose just about to finish the first fully sustainable building, called Lifehaus.

[08:47] How Aywa will be reducing the waste generated at the event.

[10:13] In Aywa festival we are providing free water for all.

[11:26] In many situations where I was using my personal reusable bottle I would look for gallons or a place where I could refill and so in a very cool way it would help create new connections, new friends, by looking for water sources and really there is nothing more special than to ask another human being for water and not ones have I been deterred or turned away.

[12:25] Aywa festival is from the 19th till the 24th of September 2018.

[12:41] 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?

Woven Earth

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

 My hope is that each and every day more and more people take that step, take that decision to move in an alternative direction and that we can really achieve a healthy abundant, vibrant Mama Earth for years to come. 

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

 The best advice that I would give, if you haven’t already get online, look around. Look for a festival. Look for a gathering, look for a workshop and just get involved any way that you can. 

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

 The fact that most of our garbage, our waste if used in creative ways could become either homes or new material or art and that is a known fact that many people tend to forget. They just see a can and they are like, oh this gotta go to the garbage. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Community Page

“In many situations where I was using my personal reusable bottle I would look for gallons or a place where I could refill and so in a very cool way it would help create new connections, new friends, by looking for water sources and really there is nothing more special than to ask another human being for water and not ones have I been deterred or turned away.”

It is wonderful to see how we would be able to use something like filling a water bottle as an opportunity to meet new people and to allow them to assist us in fullfilling one of our basic needs. Sometimes we might feel shy or imbarresed to ask for a location to fill our water bottle and feel that it would be easier to just purchase the single-use plastic bottlle but try it out. When you are on your next trip ask around to get your bottle filled, when you are dinning out ask to have your bottle filled, you never know, you might start a wonderful conversation that leads to the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you some interesting facts about coffee. Like how much coffee we consume. Who is the world’s biggest coffee drinkers? We also look at the way coffee is farmed and how climate change can influence the yields and how this has an influence on coffee farmers and the sustainability and survival of your cuppa joe.  

How much coffee do you think we consume on a daily basis globally? The British Coffee Association (BCA) have found that the coffee consumption in the UK has risen drastically since 2008 where 70 million cups of coffee were consumed to a whopping 95 million cups in 2018. The US is currently the leading consumer of coffee in the world with Americans drinking 400 million cups of coffee daily. Globally we consume 2 Billion cups every single day.

Can you guess, the country with the highest consumption of coffee, per capita… It is Finland. I have listed the top 20 in the show notes. The US is at currently number 26.

The world’s 20 biggest coffee drinkers per capita according to the Telegraph.

1. Finland – 12kg per capita per year
2. Norway – 9.9
3. Iceland – 9
4. Denmark – 8.7
5. Netherlands – 8.4
6. Sweden – 8.2
7. Switzerland – 7.9
8. Belgium – 6.8
9. Luxembourg – 6.5
10. Canada – 6.2
11. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 6.1
12. Austria – 5.9
13. Italy – 5.8
14. Slovenia – 5.8
15. Brazil – 5.5
16. Germany – 5.5
17. Greece – 5.4
18. France – 5.1
19. Croatia – 4.9
20. Cyprus – 4.8

[02:02] Coffee is one of the most traded commodities in the world.

[02:25] Economically Sustainable. To keep up with the current coffee demand, there are around 17 million farmers globally that earn their lively hood growing coffee.

[02:54] Environmentally sustainable. Coffee flourishes in a specific soil and climate. If the weather is too hot or cold, to wet or to dry the plants are more prone to disease and yields can plummet.

[03:35] Socially sustainable. In rural communities, coffee farming is often an essential income, but the benefits of working in this industry are not very attractive to the younger people.

[04:52] Take-out coffee is probably the most convenient method of getting coffee for a lot of us, but it inevitably comes with a price tag for our wallets as well as for Mama Earth.

[05:48] A lot of these used capsules end up in a landfill. There is a variety of different capsules made from plastic to aluminium. Some can be recycled at your local facility others not.

[06:41] This method of brewing is one of the most environmentally friendly ways as you do not require a single-use filter, the only energy to brew the coffee you need, other than the boiled water is that of your hand pressing down.

[07:42] The main difference between an espresso coffee machine and a bean to cup is that the latter has an integrated coffee grinder that would allow you to place ground coffee directly into the machine and the machine will grind it as required.

[08:26] Do not throw this away. There are so many different ways that you would be able to use this, like as a pest repellent around your plants to protect them from ants, like snails and slugs.

[08:40] You can fertilise your garden, acid-loving plants like roses, love coffee.

[08:49] The coffee is not just great for the garden but your skin as well.

[09:17] Have a look at all the different options available on the market and what would work best for you and take into account how that will affect Mama Earth too.

[09:25] My final tip for today is to do what you can and feel comfortable to start with. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.

“Coffee flourishes in a specific soil and climate. If the weather is too hot or cold, to wet or to dry the plants are more prone to disease and yields can plummet.” 

2 Billion cups of coffee are consumed every single day, however, this number might be affected by climate change as due to climate change weather might be to hor or too cold. There might not be as much rain than normal or there might be draught, all due to climate change and this will play a role in the amount of coffee farmed as well as the coffee’s quality. This might also lead to the coffee prices rising as the demand would still be hight but the supply of good quality coffee might be low.

Our guest today is a very passionate organic farmer that started growing her produce in the UAE desert. Her produce can be tasted in some of the best restaurants in the UAE. She is also an advocate for a sustainable, healthy and clean living.

Crazy birds, without any further ado, I would like to welcome, Elena Kinane.

[01:11] How did your journey start.

[02:12] I started with very small ways on my balcony.

[02:25] So I kind of went back in time and said ok how do I do this and I taught myself really how to do this for myself and in this climate that we are in.

[03:03] So I was raised on buckets of spinach and kale, we had kale then already and it was a real winter hardy vegetable so well before it became fashionable.

[03:34] When people like to talk about cost I always like to point out that food cost today is on an average 80% cheaper in real terms than it was 100 years ago.

[03:57] Meat was really a luxury. People were’t eating meat every day, really items such as chicken were a treat you know or turkey it was reserved for Christmas. We did not have them on a regular basis.

[04:38] People nowadays want to spend very little on food and more money on luxury goods.

[04:46] The reason why organic food is more expensive is, is because it is grown in the way it ought to be grown. In nutritious soil, it is grown by hand without chemicals and that takes longer.

[05:06] If you buy a handmade handbag from really good leather you would expect that to be more expensive to some that you buy on the high street in a cheap shop and it is very similar but the handbag that you buy that is handmade will last you a lot longer than the cheap bag and that is how you have to see it. If you eat good food it is an investment in your health.

[06:05] What do you guys do differently?

[06:52] Each chemical has only been tested by itself, not how it works with others. So the toxicity levels increase when they are put together.

[07:24] What we do is we enrich our soil naturally with compost made on the farm.

[08:15] In nature you always have a mixture of different things growing together you never have just one item.

[08:52] A lot of people are overweight but they are depleted in nutrients because they eat a lot of food but there are no nutrients in any of the food that they are eating.

[09:49] I think that consumers should always ask questions.

[09:53] What makes Greenheart different?

[10:32] Every item that you see here is hand-picked. There is nothing here that I wouldn’t eat that I am selling.

[11:05] I am a big advocate on double checking everything because you can’t rely on people that tell you this is organic, it is good for you, but that it not the case.

[12:31] It is about being part of this movement, you know we need to move, we can not continue to stick our head in the sand and think it will be ok, because it will not. We all need to do our bit.

[13:25] I would really question producers of organic food that wrap everything that they produce in a plastic tray with plastic foil, let it sweat there for starters.

[14:20] We don’t have any food waste.

[15:15] Every farm use to collect their own seeds themselves, they kept a quarter of what they grew for the next season.

[18:01] We need to just go back a step sometimes in order to advance.

[19:09] What was one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

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

38 Smiles

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

 I just hope that people will wake up. I hope that people will learn to prioritize and see really what is important because I think we have lost the vision of what is important and what isn’t important.

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

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

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

 I would like to ask them how they see things in 10, 15 years time. How are we progressing? Where do they want to be? Where do they want to be with their children? How will they feed themselves? How will they live? What air will they breathe? What animals will they see? This is something that I do quite regularly, where do you want to go with this? Because lets face it we are all happy to spend money on a house, car, holidays, all of that but we are not willing to see where we are going to go as a society and that is really important I think as we can still fix a lot of things if we turn around now, but if we wait until it is too late then we won’t be able to fix it anymore. So we need to wake up now and make the change. 

5. Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Website

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

We often forget the power of our voices. If we always complain about produce being overpackaged and we complain about GMO and sugars in the food we purchase then we as individuals have the power to address this by voting with our money. We have the power not to purchase items that we feel strongly against and if we all start refusing to purchase and consume these items, the manufactures will have no choice but to make a positive change or find them in a situation where they would go out of business. Therefore do not compromise on what you believe in and rather support companies that share your philosophies as well and together fight for a more sustainable future.

In this episode, I will be talking to you about water and sharing with you a few tips on how you can reduce your water use at home. Water is such a valuable resource but it is becoming more scares, although 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 3% of that is fresh drinkable water, and from that 3% two-thirds are tucked away in frozen glaciers, and if we are not cautious about how we use our water resources, this number will only decrease. Therefore, we all need to do our part to save every drop we can.

[01:39] The power of a good shower.

[01:46] Instead of a bath take a shower.

[02:14] You would be able to place a bucket below and reuse the water that slowly warms up for the plants, washing the car, dishes or cleaning around the house.

[02:27] Pick your shower song.

[02:46] Switch off the tap when you are not using the water.

[03:07] Look at your tap and showerhead. Your current tap or shower head might not be the best at saving water.

[03:40] Don’t leave a tap dripping.

[04:21] Wait before you wash. Do not use the washing machine or dishwasher until you have enough to load it to its capacity.

[04:38] Go native with your plants.

[05:04] You might be flushing way more water away than needed.

[06:03] If it is yellow let it mellow and if it is brown flush it down” This way, they would be able to reduce the amount of water that is used within a household daily.

[06:15] My final tip for today is to do what you can and feel comfortable to start with. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.

“Water is such a valuable resource but it is becoming more scares, although 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 3% of that is fresh drinkable water, and from that 3% two-thirds are tucked away in frozen glaciers, and if we are not cautious about how we use our water resources, this number will only decrease” 

As children, we are taught that 70% of the planet is covered in water, yet little do we know how much of the 70% is clean drinkable water. Living in a city where we have easy access to clean water and sanitation it is hard for us to think what life would be if we had to walk long distances to access clean water or had water restrictions due to a limited water source. However, this is something that many people face around the world daily. There are many ways that we can save water even though we might not have any water restrictions currently our planet only has limited sources of water and if that is depleted, we have a major issue on our hands. There is no better time than the present to take the first step toward a sustainable future.