Sustainable(ish)

The idea of 'activism' can be off putting and perhaps a little daunting for many of us. If that's you, then do listen in to my chat with Charlotte Howell, one of the co-Directors of Parents for Future, a growing group of parents navigating the climate crisis together, campaigning on national and local issues to secure a safer, fairer world for children everywhere.
I’ve been following Charlotte for ages on social media, and I wanted to get her on the podcast to share more about Parents for Future and the work that they’re doing, because I think it’s such a brilliant way for us all (because despite the name, it’s not just for parents) to engage in ‘activism’ in a way that works for us. It’s a really inclusive way to dip your toes in and join together with other people, all working towards the same goal of a safe future for our kids and kids all around the world.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Parents For Future

-              Website

-              Instagram

-              Facebook

-              You Tube – you can find the comedy sketches on here (and on socials)

-              Join the community

• Charlotte Howell on Linked In
• UN 2018 report on climate – Global Warming of 1.5C
• Reading Uni/Met Office/Parents for Future event – forecast for 2056

Related episodes:

• Money money money with Lisa Stanley-Mann
• Everyday influencers with Sam Hampton
• Hosting a People’s Emergency Briefing
• 7 acts to save the world with Hugh Montgomery
  
  Do let me know if you’re already a member, or if you’re now going to give them a follow, or join up! I love to hear from you. Drop me an email on [email protected], or leave a comment wherever you get your socials.

This episode we’re doing a deep dive into Poo bags!
If you’re one of the 41% of households in the UK who own a pet dog, you will (hopefully) be familiar with poo bags, and may be getting through a fair few of them. (If you’re not a dog owner, please do keep listening – we have lots of chat about biodegradable and compostable plastic and what that means – honestly, I’ve made that sound super dull, but it’s actually really interesting!)  and it applies to all kinds of plastics  that are labelled as compostable eg coffee cups, plastic cups you might get at festivals etc etc. So keep listening!).

Pet Impact are on a mission to reduce waste from the veterinary and pet spaces. When they first started looking at poo bags, they made the same assumption as I had done, and possibly you might have done too, that a compostable poo bag must be the most environmentally friendly option. But as you’ll hear in the podcast, sometimes trying to figure out what the most environmentally friendly option is complicated, and if we just focus on the disposal end of a products life cycle, we’re not getting the full picture.

I love the depth of research that Alice and Gav have gone into with their Reseacled poo bags, and their honesty around their poo bags still not being a perfect solution. Because, spoiler alert, when it comes to poo bags, at the moment, there is no perfect solution.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Pet Impact
  - Website
  - Instagram
  - Facebook
  - You Tube
  - TikTok
  - Pet Impact research and FAQs
• Alice on Linked In
• Gavin on Linked In
• How to reduce your pets carbon pawprint with Laura Binnie (podcast episode)
• Stroud dog poo composting project - Crowdfunder

I would love to hear from you off the back of this episode.
What poo bags are you currently using?
Do you compost your dog poo?
Would you be willing to buy compost made from dog poo if it had been tested and proven safe?
Are you now questioning your poo bag choices?
So many questions!

Do let me know – you can email me, [email protected] or find me on socials, OR leave a comment on your podcast platform of choice! That last option doubles up as also being a brilliant way to boost the podcast up the charts and get it out there to more people, which would be marvellous!
Thank you as ever for listening – please do share this episode with all your dog walking buddies!

Climate Change, sadly, has become increasingly polarised in the UK over the last couple of years. And MPs consistently underestimate public support for climate action – they read the same skewed media that we do, and the minority who oppose more ambitious, or indeed any, action, often have the loudest voices. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s really worth getting in touch with your MP, or how best to engage with them, this episode is a must listen.

Rebecca Willis is a Professor in Energy & Climate Governance at the University of Manchester, where she leads the Climate Citizens  research group, looking into the role of public engagement in energy and climate governance. She is an expert advisor to the Climate Change Committee – the independent body that advises the government on tackling and preparing for climate change. And in 2019-2020, she was an Expert Lead to Climate Assembly UK, the first national Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change, which is something we dive into in the podcast.  Becky is also the author of Too Hot to Handle – the democratic challenge of climate change.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Rebecca Willis
  - Website
  - Linked In

  - Climate citizens research group

• National Emergency Briefing
• Parents for the Future
• Climate Assembly UK
• Climate Barometer
• Hope for the Future
• Climate Conversations – Larger Us
• Round Our Way
• Mothers Climate Action Network
• WI Climate Ambassadors Scheme

Previous episodes:

• Everyday influencers with Sam Hampton
• The National Emergency Briefing with Nick Oldridge
• Accelerating climate action through sport - with Katie Cross
  
  If you enjoyed this episode, please do leave a rating and/or a review wherever you get your podcasts 🙏.
  
  Thanks so much for listening!

In this episode I'm chatting to Michelle Miles, founder of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance.
But don’t turn off if you’re not planning a wedding anytime soon, or you’ve been there done that and aren’t intending to do it again! All of the elements that go into a wedding, and it’s impact, are all things that we might want to think about if we’re planning any kind of event, whether that’s a party, or a works do. And there’s also top tips for what you can do as a guest, from travel to outfits to gifts.

USEFUL LINKS

• Sustainable Wedding Alliance
  - Website
  - Instagram
  - Linked In
  - You Tube
•  Conscious Couples
  - Website
  - Instagram
• Michelle Miles on Linked In
• Fusion Events and Weddings
• Flowers from the Farm – find sustainably grown British flowers
• [069] – Say it with (British) flowers – podcast episode
• Bridal Reloved
• Good on You - Ethical Fashion directory
• By Rotation - wedding dress rental (but they also do lots of other types of rental)
• John Lewis - fashion rental
• Thanks for sharing by Eleanor Tucker
• Carbon Literacy for the wedding industry
• Sustainable(ish) Carbon Literacy training
• Small 99 action box
• Sky Diamond
• Jacqueline and Edward jewellery

Do get in touch and let me know your thoughts - drop me an email on [email protected]

90% of businesses in the UK are classes as SMEs, or small and medium businesses, having 205 employees or less. So chances are, you might work for one, or even run one.
Did you know that SME's account for around half of the total emissions for businesses? So making it easy, or easier for SMEs to get started with climate action, is a pretty big lever for reducing emissions.
But time and money are usually limiting factors, and this is where Gikis new Giki actions platform comes in.

You might remember today's guest, Jo Hand, as she's been on twice before, talking about different iterations of the work they're doing at Giki. In this episode we're diving into their new Giki actions workshops - free workshops for SMEs, that are just an hour long, that can help them get started on their sustainability journey.

USEFUL LINKS

• Giki

- Website
- Giki actions
- Giki business carbon footprint calculations
- Giki guides – for individuals; for businesses
- Giki comparisons calculators

- Giki on Linked In

- Giki on Instagram

- Giki on Facebook

• Jo Hand on Linked In
• Giki badges is now Impact Score
• Transition Plan Taskforce
• Episode 194 - People, Planet, Pint with Adam Bastock
• The Climate Pledge
• B Corp
• SME Climate Hub
• Green Project Tech

The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse -come and join us for July!

Do let me know if you manage to go on a workshop, or somoene from your organisation signs up – I’d love to hear! OR if you don’t work for an SME, could you share this episode with someone who does, or share on your socials?
Drop me an email with your thoughts and any feedback: [email protected]

And please do leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to your podcasts 🤩

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, and we no longer talk about 'fast fashion' but 'ultra-fast fashion' with the rise of retailers like Shein and Temu churning out over 100billion items of clothing every year. Consumption has doubled since the year 2000, but many of us will relate to the feeling of having nothing to wear, whilst we simultaneously feel overwhelmed at the volume of clothes in our wardrobes and drawers.

Becky Barnes is a 'sustainable stylist' who embarked on 'styling' career with the ambition of helping women to feel good about themselves, but then stumbled across the heavy environmental impact of the fashion industry. She subsequently pivoted her business to focus on 'sustainable style' and now helps women to not only feel good about themselves, but to feel good about the clothes they're wearing.

Join us for this chat about all things sustainable style covering: fast fashion and some of its impacts; secondhand style and top tips for charity shop shopping; Vinted and how to find things you like amongst the thousands of listings; and lots more!

USEFUL LINKS:

• Becky Barnes
  - Website
  - Instagram
  - Facebook
  - Linked In
• The Willow Review
• Less by Patrick Grant
• Gemma Metheringham - @the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe) on Instagram
• Hot or Cool Institute - Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable
• Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse - doors opening again soon!

Do let me know your thoughts on this epsiode!
What are your takeaways? Becky shared so many brilliant tips, I’d love to know which ones you’re going to try out. Drop me an email on [email protected], or come and find me on Instagram where I'm @sustainableish.
And please do share this episode, on your own socials, or with a friend who you think might like it. If everyone shared it once, we would double listeners in a week, which would be pretty awesome!

This episode is a rare solo episode, so no guest this week, and a shorter episode of me, chatting to myself... Let me know if you like it!
I'm reflecting on my experience of hosting a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing film in Warminster, where I live, and giving a bit of a 'how to' and some encouragement to anyone thinking about hosting their own screening.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Podcast ep - 186 - The National Emergency Briefing with Nick Oldridge
• The National Emergency Briefing website
• The People's Emergency Briefing film
• The screening map
• Climate feelings blob tree
• Hope for the Future

Do let me know your thoughts on this solo ep, and if you've seen a screening of The People's Emergency Briefing, or are thinking about hosting one. Drop me an email on [email protected], or leave a comment on your podcast platform of choice!

I'm chatting with Hugh Montgomery, intensive care doctor, and one of the expert speakers from the National Emergency Briefing on Climate and Nature.

We dig into climate science, climate and health, and the wonderful idea of 7 acts to save the world, told to seven people.

USEFUL LINKS

• Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change
• UK Health Alliance on Climate Change
• Real Zero
• National Emergency Briefing

-              Expert Briefings

-              People’s Emergency Briefing film

-              Screening map

-              Warminster screening

• NYC Hospitals plant based meals
• Cost of Net Zero by 2050
• Climate anxiety resources:

-              Turn the tide on climate anxiety

-              Climate anxiety resources from Greenpeace

-              Climate cafés

• Related podcast episodes:

-              186 – The National Emergency Briefing

-              188 – Money, money, money

-              154 – Leading by example – does it work?

Today’s guest is Victoria Page, founder of Love Haslemere Hate Waste, a local group in Surrey who run Repair Cafes, and host a community fridge and a Library of Things.

Victoria has combined her professional comms expertise and her business experience, with a desire for local climate action, and created not just one, but three local projects that are not only reducing waste and emissions, and normalising reuse and repair, but are helping people to feel more connected to the place where they live and the people in their community.

The community resilience part of projects like Repair Cafes and Community Fridges is something we probably don’t talk about, or even recognise enough, and it’s something that’s going to become increasingly important as climate impacts continue to worsen.

Victoria shares her experiences, and exciting news of a toolkit she is developing to help people wanting to start up similar projects in their own communities.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Victoria Page
  - Website
  - On Linked In
• Love Haslemere Hate Waste
  - Website
  - Instagram
  - Facebook
• ENVable
• Sky Ocean Rescue
• Blue Planet
• Surfers Against Sewage - Plastic Free Communities
• Climate Outreach - Britain talks climate and nature 2025 report
• Ep 193 - The Power of Swapping
• Ep 119 - Shrewsbury Cup
• The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse

The podcast is hosted by me Jen Gale - do come and find me on social media. I'm @Sustainableish on Instagram, and you can find me here on Facebook. Or the Sustainable(ish) website is right here.

Thanks for listening!

Britain is a nation of nature lovers, yet we live in one of the most depleted countries in Europe. The State of Nature report that came out in 2023 stated that 1 in 6 species in the UK are at risk of extinction.
These kinds of stats are staggering, and more than a little depressing. But this is something that we can all do something about, in our own gardens, or in communal green spaces.

In this weeks episode, I'm chatting to Sarah Skeels, who I first came across via her wonderful instagram account @frontgardens.forwildlife.

What Sarah is doing is incredible, and her I love her focus on front gardens, recognising that sparking conversations and spreading the word is a vital part of helping nature recovery. And it's also bought a huge amount of connection to her neighbours, and a whole load of joy!

If you're inspired by Sarah, she shares how she got started, in her own garden, then a street What's App group, and then on from there. So we can all start small, with a simple sign in our front gardens!

Useful links:

• Front Gardens for Wildlife on Instagram
• Lambridge and Walcot Community Nature Haven
• National Security Assessment - Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security
• State of Nature Report 2023
• Miles Richardson - Derby university
  - The Nature Connection handbook
• Biodiversity stripes
• New RSPB guidance on feeding birds
• Team Wilder - Somerset Wildlife Trust
• The Wildlife Trusts
• Merlin Bird ID app
• iNaturalist app
• BLUE campaign
• The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse -doors will be opening in June!