Sustainable Squad

Today I’m talking to Charis Williams, AKA Salvage Sister, and she gets creative and makes stuff out of old metal and wood and teaches people how to do the same

Over 60% of our landfill waste comes from construction, demolition and excavation - so what Charis does is mega important for all this waste we produce. And there’s loads of material to choose from, you just need the energy to do it - and she does.

Me and my sister in law did one of her workshops where we used some hard core power tools, so we chat about all that fun stuff - she has some great advice on what to do with what.

Charis also shares more personal stories about her recent battle with thyroid cancer and the rubbish careers advice she was given, which squished her dreams and confidence. But not anymore!

It’s a big energetic and positive chat and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can follow Charis @therealsalvagesister on Instagram and book a workshop online https://www.salvagesister.co.uk

If you feel like you can’t make a difference to climate change, you’re wrong! We all can no matter how small, so tell your friends and inspire little changes.

86% of all UK bought flowers have been imported, so just like food and drink, buying local flowers helps us support our businesses on our front door and reduces our impact on the planet.

For this episode, I'm sat with the lovely Liz from Betty Blooming talking about seasonal flower growing and allotment life. 

I wish I'd spoken ti Liz before I got married, I would have 100% commissed her to grow a colourful and wild bunch of beautiful flowers for the big day. 

You can follow her gorgeous account on Instagram and DM her if you'd like to know more. https://www.instagram.com/betty_blooming/

A large group of women at a hen party can be carnage, but also presents an opportunity to make a real difference and do some good without skipping the fun parts.

Amy Sillince had an idea at a hen party. She paid attention to how much people were spending, how much time they had spare, what food was wasted and what items were bought for single use. The idea? Hens with Heart.

Amy came to visit me in Brighton, one of the top cities for hen parties in the UK, and completed opened my mind to the concept of finding a moment to give back when you're with your besties. This is not about beach cleans and charity shop volunteering, although you can, this is as simple as donaing a beauty product to a local collection point or writing a letter to someone who's lonely or sick. 

Amy also shares her top tips on hen party planning and how to waste less and buy better. We also share our own stories from hen parties and have a laugh at banana shaped things.

If you loved this episode please share it. You can find out more about Hens with Heart here https://www.henswithheart.com/about-hens-with-heart

My home town of Brighton and Hove is a magnet for beach lovers, even with the pebbles. It's extra busy during May to September, but knowing what to do if you get in trouble in the sea applies all year round.

Becky Knights from The Sea Safety Project gives us a flavour of what she teaches kids in schools, what dangers and signs to watch out for when visiting the beach, what to do if our dogs get in trouble and how she has become a better swimmer.

Since recording this podcast we both completed the Arundel Triathlon on Sunday 21st May. It was a lot of fun and the Sprint distance is a great way to get fit, get outside and improve on your swimming.

To learn more, check out Becky's Instagram @sea_safety and always check your local tides and weather warnings.

Beans have come a long way since being drenched in tomato sauce and poured on toast.

Amelia Christie-Miller, founder of Bold Bean Co, joins me for this weeks episode to share their start up story, all the delicious things you can do with beans and why they're so good for our health, food poverty and our soil. We should all be absolutely obsessed with beans.

Their brand and content is fun and useful and I'd urge you to take a look and have a try. The best thing is, they want people to start eating beans whether it's their jars or not! However, I can hand on my heart say the 3 varieties I've tried were all delicous and really good value. One jar is the equivilant amount of 2 supermarket cans and they're a much better quality and flavour. 

For recipe inspo and where to buy Bold Beans visit their website https://boldbeanco.com/

It's very likely that you will have recently bought, upgraded or replaced some sort of tech or electrical appliance in the last month. Unsuprisingly, tech is one of the top 5 things we buy at Christmas - but what do we do with all our old stuff? It feels a little more complicated than giving away clothes due to pack testing and how things are put together.

Dr David Greenfield from Tech Take Back in Brighton joins me this week. I visited their new hub and got a full guided tour of the victorian building packed full of retro tech treasures. David shares how they repair and donate old tech to charities, what kinds of tech you can take back and buy from their shop on North street and the meaning and importance of a circular way of doing things. He also shares what other companies such as The Library of Things and the Restart Project are doing to help us reduce waste.

You can find out more here https://www.techtakeback.com/

Described as an accidental Calvados, Avallen, in it's beautiful paper bottle, is flying off the shelves at the moment and I wanted to find out more.

This week, I'm joined by founders Tim Etherington Judge and Steph Jordan Balmforth who have spent their whole careers in the drinks and hospitality industry and are really passionate about having a positive impact on the planet.

They share the incredible benefits of using apples to make their spirit (a type of french brandy), all the delicious ways to drink it and their start up story. 

One thing we didn't have time to discuss is that they're proud supporters of 1% for the Planet. Every bottle of Avallen sold contributes to a series of charities around the world that are championing the protection of bees, the restoration of their habitats, and the ban of harmful neonicotinoids.

You can buy Avallen from places like My Green Pod, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Mason. To find more stockists and find out more about the brand visit https://avallenspirits.com.

44% of all bread is wasted in the UK. This was one of many food waste stats that got the attention of the founders of Toast Ale, so they decided to do something about it.

Chief Toaster and co-founder, Rob Wilson invited me up to their new premises in London for a chat. We opened a couple of cans, had a good laugh and I heard all about how they brew with surplus bread, which beers pair with what foods, being the first uk beer company to get a B Corp and all the cool things they do as a social enterprise. 

Rob very generously shared a 20% discount code too, you need to listen to the end to get it - it'll be worth it. There's 6 different Toast brews to choose from and you can buy their delicious planet saving beer at toastale.com, Coop (look out for their Hazy pale ale collaborative brew), Waitrose, Ocado and plenty of independants like Hisbe and North Laines pubs. Cheers

The most organised homes can still turn to complete chaos when kids toys are thrown into the mix. Most of my friends have kids and now my own brother has just become a Dad. So what toys do I buy for kids, or have they got too much already? A child can lose interest in a toy within just 36 days, according to a recent study. 

This week, I'm stood in the beautiful Timeless Toys shop talking to owner Susan Luxford. Susan helped introduce me to choosing toys based on a kids playing style, what to do with old toys and how plastic intensive the toy industry is. It was an eye opener, but also incredibly helpful. She has some great tips and I loved her idea on how to approach kids party bags to take the pressure of the parents.

Susan clearly cares a lot about how children play, the psychology behind it and making sure she leaves a plastic free legacy. This is well worth a listen if you have children in your life. You can visit the shop on Portland road, Hove or online https://www.timeless-toys.co.uk/

Charity shops typically sell about 25% of what they get donated, so what happens to the rest of it? 

Steven Bethell is the co-founder of Bank and Vogue. Their purpose is to find innovative and relevant solutions to the crisis of stuff, working across the world to give used products a second life. Beyond Retro is their shop front, I first walked into the Brighton store over 10 years ago and immediately fell in love with the lay out, the treasures and the fun you can have shopping in a vintage store like these. 

They've not only survived but thrived over the last couple of years, managing to keep their prices accessible as they know their biggest competitors are the fast fashion brands.

Steven spoke to me from his off-grid Canadian home while sharing stories of their amazing partnerships with the likes of Converse, how their business works and what happens to all these unsold clothes. He also tells me about his encounter with Kourtney Kardasian and his own love for clothes and accessories. It was a genuine pleasure to talk to him.

You can shop online or in store at Beyond Retro and find out more about Bank and Vogue here https://www.bankvogue.com/