198: From costumes to chocolate... Halloween is an easy time to trip up on our conscious consumerism. We're discussing some quick tips to keep your waste and impulse purchases this time of year, and also exploring some heavier ethical issues surrounding seasonal consumerism. We discuss costumes, decor, chocolate's dark history of child slavery, palm oil ... a quickie episode jam-packed for whatever your sustainable spooky season looks like.

Articles:

Cocoa’s child laborers (Washington Post)

Supreme Court says chocolate companies cannot be sued over child slavery on African cocoa farms (Washington Post)

Palm oil is destroying rainforests. But try going a day without it. (National Geographic)


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Trick or Treat? Tips for a Susty Spooky Season

The eco-conscious lifestyle podcast. Each week, Laura Diez is diving into sustainability and practical climate science. This podcast explores fashion, environmental justice, food, conscious consumerism... just about everything in our lives is tied to the environment. Guests include female founders, clean beauty experts, climate scientists, political experts, and many more.

Laura is a sustainability professional with her M.S. in Climate Science and Solutions, who happens to also love speaking to other women about environmentally conscious brands, social activism, and balanced, plant-based living. This show aims to feel like hanging out with your cool, smart girlfriends: educational, approachable, and encouraging you to do what works for you. Sustainability is a good look.

Email at: laura@lauraediez.com and follow on Instagram @ecochicpodcast

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We're comparing passenger train travel between the US and Europe: why does Europe do rail so well? We're overviewing a handful of regional and intercity routes that do train travel well, and pointing out what American communities could learn from - investments, political will, high-speed rail, and much more. We're also discussing scenic routes and trains as part of the trip, rather than simply a means of transportation. I share the triumphant, community-advocated-for Winter Park Express, from Denver, CO to a nearby ski resort.

Episodes to revisit:

The Death of the Third Place

Urban Revitalization + Sustainable Development | Alan Sneider



Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com.
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Why are Trains So Great in Europe, Compared to the US?

Virginia Chamlee is an artist, writer, and author of the best-selling book, Big Thrift Energy. She joins us for a conversation on finding your personal style, the best tips for shopping secondhand for furniture and unique homewares, and curating a home that feels truly *you*. 

Find Virginia on TikTok @virginiachamlee and Instagram @vchamlee

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com.
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Harnessing Your Big Thrift Energy | Virginia Chamlee

We are joined by Katie Gatti of Money With Katie, financial literacy blogger, podcast superstar, and one my favorite people on the internet!! We are discussing today what Katie calls "the hot girl hamster wheel" - the never-ending beauty maintenance that women often feel financially and socially committed to. Today's conversation explores beauty consumerism, female-targeted marketing, and what it means to reject the norms we've never collectively considered optional. Truly one of my favorite conversations we've ever had on this show!!

Find Katie on MoneyWithKatie.com, The Money with Katie Show, and her new show, Bossy

Read Jessica DeFino's new column, Ask Ugly in The Guardian

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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com.
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Unpacking The Hot Girl Hamster Wheel | Katie Gatti, Money With Katie

We're rewinding on one of our most buzzy topics: fast furniture. When did we start thinking of furniture as disposable? Today we're discussing the under-exaggerated problem of fast furniture: cheap, low quality, and mass-produced pieces designed to be dumped. We're breaking down (ha) two iconic fast furniture items, and exploring tips for your next point-of-purchase furniture decision.

More for you:

Ep 196: Creating Thoughtful Spaces | Amanda Gunawan, OWIU Designs


‘Fast Furniture’ Is Cheap. And Americans Are Throwing It in the Trash. (NY Times)


Fast furniture: what’s wrong with it and 7 ways to make better choices (for you and the planet) (Heidi Bischoff, 2019)


Ikea keeps price of popular Billy Bookcase the cheapest in Euro zone (Independent UK)


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Meet me online - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com.
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How to Spot Fast Furniture

We're joined by Shannon McNamara of Fluenty Forward for today's profiling of Les Wexner: the billionaire businessman behind *all* the mall brands. Wexner is credited with mainstreaming fast fashion marketing techniques, and targeted consumers through his ownership and acquisition of brands like The Limited, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, and many, many more. Wexner also was the primary billionaire client of Jeffrey Epstein, with the Victoria's Secret brand playing a major role in Epstein's story. Wexner is the longest serving CEO of a Fortune 500 company, with 57 years upon his retirement. Today's conversation explores the advent of fast fashion marketing, as well as Wexner and L Brands' impact on the culture of the 1990s and early 2000s.

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Let's connect - @ecochicpodcast on Instagram + @lauraediez on Tiktok. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com.
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Trick or Treat? Tips for a Susty Spooky Season

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