The Zero Waste Countdown Podcast

Children's clothes are bought cheap these days with dire consequences for the environment and foreign workers. Cheap clothing often ends up in landfill sooner than we expected and while it's briefly worn by our children, cheap clothing, especially waterproof outerwear, gives off toxins that were used in its production. Enter: Faire Child, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, who raised money on Kickstarter to purchase specialized fabric made with yarn spun from used plastic bottles in Italy that can be woven into children's raincoats, rain pants, rain caps, and backpacks. Perfect for our Canadian climate and rainy days around the world.

Faire Child is designed and made right here in Canada by Tabitha Osler, a fashion designer, teacher, and parent working toward a sustainable future. The best part? Once the garments are no longer needed, Faire Child takes them back and recycles them, officially closing the loop on this company's cradle to cradle production.

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Faire Child Website

Daniela is a personal chef from Ottawa who's perfected healthy, often waste-free meals on a budget. She grew up in an Italian-Canadian household where it was important not to waste food. She helps her clients meal plan, reduce their waste, reduce their meat consumption (if they choose), reduce unnecessary plastic, and reduce stress on working parents who want to feed their families smart, healthy meals. Daniela gives us advice on food storage, herbs, broths, kitchen equipment, and healthy waste-free eating. Check out her website at MmmChef.com. 

Meet Kaveri: she recently started a social enterprise called Texiles in the Washington, D.C. area that's aiming to remove clothing from landfill.

Americans send 13 million tons of clothing to landfill each year where material decomposes slowly and releases harmful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. In fact, the annual environmental impact of a household’s clothing equates to 1,000 bathtubs of water and the carbon from 6,000 miles of driving a car. That's a lot of waste!

95% of this material can be recycled if the right channels are put in place; find out how Kaveri is paving the way for those channels and changing the way Americans purchase and dispose of their clothing one scheduled pick-up at a time.

TEXILES.COM

Have you ever heard of the Pacific Crest Trail, spanning all the way from Mexico, through the western United States, all the way to Canada? Dariya and Dominic from Ottawa recently hiked the entire trail: and they've come back on a mission to reduce their waste, live sustainably, and help others do the same.

Dariya and Dominic are avid adventure seekers with degrees in Environmental Science and an unstoppable passion for conscious living. From city day walks to weekend warrior hikes to 6 months trekking the Pacific Crest Trail, they have refined their gear and style to have as little impact on the environment as they venture off into the backcountry. After endless debates, research, compromises, ounce counting and of course failures, they are proud to share with you their knowledge on ultralight and minimalist gear, healthy backcountry cuisine, and overarching Leave No Trace philosophy.

Oil and gas production creates a lot of heat that could be harnessed and used in Canada, along with heat produced by the earth itself. Kim Vinet, pro big mountain skier and geologist from Revelstoke, British Columbia, works for Epoch Energy and is leading the way forward when it comes to renewables in Canada. Are dams a green source of energy? We compare the proposed Site C Dam to geothermal and discuss other options in a zero waste context.

kim-vinet-ski.com

Jay Brandes, professor and researcher of Chemical Oceanography at the University of Georgia's Department of Marine Sciences in Savannah, is currently conducting a study on microplastics in marine life off the coast of Georgia. He's already made a startling discovery! Should you still be eating seafood? We discuss microbeads and bag ban legislation with a scientist who has dedicated his life to studying the health of our oceans.

Join Kim Vinet, pro big mountain skier and geologist who recently made a career switch from the oil and gas industry into renewables. We talk about how the love of skiing and the outdoors leads us to care for the environment and work to preserve those outdoor spaces for the future. Kim gives us tips to reduce our energy footprint and a unique perspective into her own journey to make the planet a better place.

http://www.kim-vinet-ski.com/

http://www.kim-vinet-ski.com/

The convenience of single-use plastics, from water bottles, take-out utensils, and straws to food wraps and grocery store containers has taken over our way of life.

Studies are beginning to warn us that plastics contain chemicals leaching into our food and drinks with potentially devastating consequences for our children's health as well as our planet's. 

The convenience of single-use plastics, from water bottles, take-out utensils, and straws to food wraps and grocery store containers has taken over our way of life.

Studies are beginning to warn us that plastics contain chemicals leaching into our food and drinks with potentially devastating consequences for our children's health as well as our planet's.