A Sustainable Life With Jen Gale podcast

#Science #Society #Geology #Jen Gale #Podcasting Education #A Miniseries

21:04

Step into the mysterious and visually stunning world of The Electric State as host Francesca Amiker takes you behind the scenes with the creative masterminds who brought Simon Stålenhag’s dystopian vision to life. In this premiere episode, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and producers Angela Russo-Otstot and Chris Castaldi reveal how they transformed a haunting graphic novel into an epic cinematic experience. Watch The Electric State coming to Netflix on March 14th. Check out more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

A Sustainable Life with Jen Gale

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The home of easy, everyday sustainability for the #imperfectlygreen

184 एपिसोडस

A Sustainable Life with Jen Gale

updated about a year ago

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शृंखला होम•Feed

The home of easy, everyday sustainability for the #imperfectlygreen

184 एपिसोडस

#Science #Society #Geology #Jen Gale #Podcasting Education #A Miniseries

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1
[184] How to be more activist with Clover Hogan 1:05:39

48 weeks ago1:05:39

1:05:39

Hello and welcome to episode 184, and as it turns out, the last episode of the Sustainable(ish) podcast! I wanted to try and get to 200, and I’m annoyed not even to be ending on a nice round number like 185, but often in life things aren’t tied up in a nice neat bow. Long term listeners will know that at times the podcast has been very stop start, and the time has come for an intentional stop. For now at at least. I’m not going to say that it will never be back in some form, as I genuinely love having these conversations and will miss the opportunities that the podcast has given me to speak to so many extraordinary and inspiring people. However it’s reached the point where the joy of the conversations is starting to be outweighed by the work involved organising and scheduling everything, editing it all, creating the blog posts and the socials etc etc, so time to put this particular project to bed, for a while at least. I am so delighted to be going out with such a bang and having the amazing opportunity to interview one of my absolute heroes, Clover Hogan. Clover is a 24-year-old climate activist and the founding Executive Director of Force of Nature - the youth non-profit mobilising mindsets for climate action. She has worked alongside the world’s leading authorities on sustainability, consulted within the boardrooms of Fortune 50 companies, and counselled heads of state. Her TED talk, ' What to do when climate change feels unstoppable ', has been viewed 2 million times. As we’ll hear in the chat, she started her activist journey at the age of just 11, and attended the instrumental Paris COP in 2015 at the age of just 15. She genuinely is a force of nature, and is the kind of person who you just want to be able to download everything that is in their head. We talk about her own journey, what we can do as parents to support our young people, and what we can do ourselves to move beyond individual action and to be a bit more activist. We discuss what the word activist even means, acknowledging that it’s an uncomfortable word for many, but that it encompasses such a wide range of things, and that an ‘in’ for many people is thinking about their workplace and what they might be able to to do to encourage their workplace on a sustainability journey. I’m pretty sure it’s obvious from the chat, but this was a massive fan-girl moment for me, I loved this chat and totally want Clover to be my new BFF. Ooh and just a quick warning if you tend to listen with kids around, I do drop an F-bomb towards the end – apologies in advance. Enjoy! Clover Hogan LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Clover Hogan - Website - Instagram - Linked In - You Tube - Twitter/X Forces of Nature - Website - Instagram - Tiktok - Twitter/X - Linked In - Podcast - Season 1 - Season 2 - We need to talk about Eco Anxiety - Season 3 - Confessions of a climate activist - Climate Cafes An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore Exxon Mobil wants you to feel responsible for climate change so it doesn't have to Katharine Hayhoe Global Action Plan - Bringing the values-perception gap to life Global Action Plan - United in compassion It's Not That Radical - Mikaela Loach Carbon Literacy training Forces of Nature Forces of Nature podcast Has this episode sparked a few ideas for you? Or helped you to think a bit differently about what activism looks like for you? Do let me know in the comments, and I'd also love to hear about any of your own 'activism', big or small, do share! […]…

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[183] Climate Comms that Lead to Action with Frank Holleman from Fork Ranger 1:05:23

49 weeks ago1:05:23

1:05:23

In the spirit of London buses, ie nothing for ages and then two come along in close succession, this week’s episode is another foodie one, hot on the heels of Episode 180 - Food and climate change without the hot air with Professor Sarah Bridle. I’m chatting to Frank Holleman who is the co-founder of Fork Ranger , a platform and app that aims to help us to explore how to eat for the climate. I was super aware of the recent food episode, and wanted to avoid simply repeating the same messages from that, so alongside diving into what Fork Ranger does, we also talked about climate communications, story telling and messaging, all of which Fork Ranger does incredibly well, and hopefully there’s a lot in this episode for all of us around how we talk about food and climate with friends, family and colleagues. Enjoy! Frank Holleman LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Fork Ranger - Website - Instagram - Linked In - You Tube - App - Frank on Linked In An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore Project Drawdown - Drawdown book - The powerful role of household actions in solving climate change [180] - Food and climate change without the hot air Hooked by Nir Eyal Don't even think about it by George Marshall David Foster-Wallace - This is water (commencement speech) Saving Us by Katharine Hayhoe Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse I’d love to hear how you get on with the Fork Ranger app, any new facts you’ve learned, if you’ve tried out the recipes etc etc - do let me know below! […]…

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[182] The Climate and Nature Bill (and how to make your voice heard in a crucial election year) with Zero Hour 1:00:15

50 weeks ago1:00:15

1:00:15

One of the things that frustrates many people, is a lack of action from governments around the world to protect nature and mitigate the worst impacts of the a warming and rapidly changing climate. The UK government was one of the first to come up with a Net Zero target back in 2019, and declared a ‘climate emergency’ that same year. However the problem with both of these commitments is that they often don’t translate into the urgent and radical action that is needed. Apparently half of the world's population is heading the polls for elections in 2024, including the UK, making this a crucial year for climate action. In this week’s episode I’m delighted to be chatting to Amy McDonnell and Oliver Sidorczuk, co-directors of Zero Hour , a campaign that is working to get a new bill, the Climate and Nature Bill, passed into law, which would ensure that UK government policies are in line with the latest science. With an election looming at some point this year, support for this bill in the run up to that, not only shows MPs and prospective MPs that this is an issue that the electorate care about, it will also mean that the campaign will have the momentum it needs to hit the ground running, when a new parliament sits after the election. Studies repeatedly show that most people are concerned about the climate and nature crises, but especially when it comes to politics and elections, it can feel like we can make a difference, due to our electoral system. Supporting the Climate and Nature Bill is a brilliant (and very easy!) way make your voice heard by your local politicians, and we can amplify our own individual support by asking businesses and organisations that we’re involved with to support it to. Dr Amy McDonnell Oliver Sidorczuk LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Zero Hour - Website - Instgram - Facebook - Twitter/X - Linked In - Constituency pages - Campaigner pack - Crowdfunding campaign Amy McDonnell on Linked In Oliver Sidorczuk on Linked In The Big Ask campaign UK Climate Change Act UK Environment Act COP 15 - Paris Agreement Biodiversity COP 15 [166] - Climate 101 with Dr Adam Levy Climate Change Committee [144] - Hunger strike for climate with Angus Rose Green Alliance - Working with MPs on climate change Citizens Assemblies UK Climate Assembly The People V Climate Change - on iPlayer Climate Majority Project [177] - The power of your vote with William Eccles from The Commitment The Commitment Greenpeace's Project Climate Vote [135] - The Local Electricity Bill with Steve Shaw Power for People - Local Electricity Bill Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Zero Hour's 2024 Election Campaign Ask your local politicians to support the Climate and Nature Bill! Have you done it yet, have you done it yet, have you done it yet..?!! Please do head over to the Zero Hour website and show your support , and then have a think about who you could share this with. Do comment below if you've signed and if you've shared it with anyone else! […]…

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[181] The Party Kit Network (ripples in action!) with Isabel Mack 58:36

51 weeks ago58:36

58:36

This week’s episode feels a little bit liking coming full circle on an episode from nearly 5 years ago! If you’re a long-time listener, and have an excellent memory, you might remember, way back in 2019, I interviewed the wonderful Tillie Mabbutt who runs Frome Eco Party Kit , renting out a party kit of reusable plates, cups and bowls to avoid the waste associated with disposable partyware. At the time, Tillie was one of the first people in the UK to be running a reusable party kit and we dived into the idea, how it works, and how she got started. Well… today’s guest Isabel was listenting to that episode, and not only started her own Party Kit off the back of it, but went on to create the Party Kit Network , which now has 360 kits listed in the UK, over 100 in Australia and is starting to branch out into North America too. I Could. Not. Love. This. More! In this episode we dive into party kits, what they are, how they work, how to find one, as well as how to start one if you’d love to have near you and there isn’t one. We also talk more broadly about the sharing economy – so this is the idea of an economy based on renting and sharing things rather than the linear buy, use, dispose model we currently have. We explore some of the difficulties around trying to do business in a different and lets face it, conter cultural way and Isabel’s ambitions for the Party Kit Network. I hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as I enjoyed recording it! Isabel Mack Check out Isabel's Party Kits stacked up behind her! A party kit complete with decorations and Pass the Parcel bags! Image: Party Kit Network Re-usable Pass the Parcel bags (these are genius!) Image: Party Kit Network Re-usable paper pompoms Image: Party Kit Network LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Party Kit Network - Website - Find a Party Kit - Facebook - Party Kit Network Owner Facebook group - Instagram - Twitter/X - Pinterest - Annual Impact Report 2023 - Getting started guide - How to ask for no gifts when hosting a kid's birthday party (Isabel's blog post) [037]- How and why to set up a reusable party kit for kids birthday parties with Tillie from Frome Eco Party Packages Who Gives a Crap toilet roll Brothers Make - plastic recycling Citizens by Jon Alexander Erin Rhoads aka The Rogue Ginger People Planet Pint Plastic-free(ish) party bags Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse The Party Kit Global Map! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one Had you heard of Party Kits before? Have you got one near you? Are you now going to rent one for your next party? Or are you tempted to start one if there isn’t one available locally? I would love the ripples to carry on and more party kits to pop up on the map after this episode. Let me know in the comments! […]…

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[180] Food and Climate Change without the Hot Air with Sarah Bridle 57:53

52 weeks ago57:53

57:53

In this week's episode I'm chatting to Sarah Bridle, who is possibly our first Professor on the podcast! Professor Sarah Bridle is Chair in Food, Climate and Society at the University of York, researching environmental impacts of the food system and potential impacts of the environment on food availability. She is also the author of Food and Climate Change - Without the Hot Air, an accessible guide to how different foods contribute to climate change, a brilliant book which I would highly recommend! Food is a big part of all of our lives. And it's a big part of the climate crisis too - around a third of all greenhouse gas emissions come from food. When it comes to 'sustainable food' it very quickly gets very complicated - there are so many different things to think about, and often it feels very difficult to make the 'right' decision. I loved hearing Sarah's personal story around her career pivot from Astrophysics to food and climate change, and how she has also had to navigate the difficulties of trying to change family diets and habits in her own household, so understands that what can sound like straightforward swaps on paper, are often more challenging! We cover a LOT in the episode, and I'm very aware that we might have simply opened a whole can of worms and raised even more questions - do let me know if there's bits that you would love to hear more about and dive into a little more detail! Sarah Bridle LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Sarah Bridle - Linked In - Twitter/X - Food and climate change without the Hot Air - Sarah at University of York - TEDx talk - Eating our way out of climate change - Take a Bit out of Climate Change - Fix our Food - UKRI Agri-Food for Net Zero Network+ - Climate Food Flashcards - Planet Pizza - free downloadable activity for kids David MacKay - Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air River Wye chicken farm pollution Regenesis - George Monbiot How Bad are Bananas? - Mike Berners-Lee [134] - How eating seasonally can lower your carbon footprint - with Veg Power [095] - How to make veggie meals our kids might actually eat - with Rachel Boyett [077] - How your freezer can help fight food waste - with Kate Hall [074] - Sustainable Eating [047] - Fighting Food Waste - with Olio [041] - Use your phone to fight food waste - with CozZo National Food Strategy WWF Live Well Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Any clearer about food and climate impacts? Or have we left you with even more questions?! Let me know in the comments! […]…

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[179] Climate Comedy with Stuart Goldsmith 54:22

1 year ago54:22

54:22

In this week's episode I'm chatting to comedian Stuart Goldsmith . I'm a bit of a comedy fan, so I listen to Stuart's podcast, the Comedian's Comedian where he interviews other comedians about their work and he seems to pretty much be BFFs with everyone on the comedy circuit. It might seem a bit random to be interviewing a comedian on the podcast, but as you will hear, in the last few years Stuart has been 'bitten by the sustainability bug' and has started to explore how he can use his skillset as a comedian and a speaker to help tackle the climate crisis. And oh my goodness, I can't tell you how much I love this! I think that one of the big problems we have when it comes to engaging people in all things climate and sustainability is that as human beings we love to put each other into boxes. So I'm assuming that in the eyes of my friends and family I'm very firmly in the crusty green box. Despite my lack of yoghurt weaving skills. And everyone else kind of feels like the greenies are over there doing their fun green hobby, but it's nothing to do with me. They know what they're expecting to hear from us, and probably in many cases, either avoid conversations with us, or start to zone out a little. So when someone 'normal', a non greenie comedian, starts to talk about climate it somehow has much more impact, as it's not the usual suspects talking about this stuff - and that's hugely powerful. We didn't talk about even half of the things I wanted to dive into. I omitted the most obvious question - how do you make the climate crisis funny? But I really hope that you enjoy this conversation. Right at the very end, Stuart talks about how stepping into the climate space, and starting to talk about climate in his work, wasn't as scary as he thought it would be! Which I would love to be the take home message from this episode. We might not all be stand up comedians, or confident public speakers, but we do all have something we can do, a particular skill set, a superpower that we might not even realise we have, that we can use, to play our part in the tackling the climate crisis. What's yours...? Stuart Goldsmith Stuart's climate comedy show Spoilers LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Stuart Goldsmith - Website - Climate stuff - Spoilers - dates and tickets for Stuart's climate comedy show - Podcast - The Comedian's Comedian - I Need You Alive - You Tube Special - Speaking - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter/X - Linked In The Ministry for the Future - Kim Stanley Robinson Matt Winning - Climate scientist and comedian - Hot Mess (a brilliant, and funny! climate book) Oblivia Coalmine - Olivia Coleman starring in a Make My Money Matter clip Climate Science Breakthrough Climate Fresk En-ROADS Sustainable(ish) Corporate Talks and Workshops Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse What's your superpower? How can you use it help tackle the climate crisis? Let me know in the comments! […]…

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[178] Small but mighty projects (and how to fund them!) with Misha Dhanak from Spacehive 1:11:28

1 year ago1:11:28

1:11:28

In this week's episode I'm chatting to Misha Dhanak, CEO of Spacehive , the home of community fundraising. We're probably all familiar with the concept of crowdfunding and may have even funded products and projects on platforms like Kickstarter. Well Spacehive is a similar concept, it's a crowdfunding platform, but it's for community projects - so on there you will find things like a cricket club raising funds for new kit, or a town looking to create a rural arts hub. And as we will hear from Misha, there are a huge number of nature and climate projects too. Many of us might have ideas for projects that we would love to see happening in our local community - whether that's something like a regular repair cafe, solar panels on your kid's school, transforming a derelict bit of land into community garden, or something else entirely. But for most of us, those ideas stay in our heads as dreams, when the reality of trying to find the money to get it off the ground. This is where Spacehive comes in - they have helped to fund over 2000 projects, and raised over £30million for local projects, and they have they highest success rate of any crowdfunding platform with over 85% of their projects getting funded. Misha talks in the podcast about 'small but mighty' projects and you will probably be able to tell from my reaction that I just love this! Many of the projects on Spacehive are small, they're not going to change the world, but they are going to change their local community. And with governments around the world failing to take the ambitious actions that we need to protect nature and the climate, community action is vital. And so many of the projects come with additional co-benefits, so the original intention might be supporting wildlife, or installing solar panels, but the ripple effects might be improved physical and mental health, or financial savings, and all of them will be bringing people in the local community together, to make where they live a little bit better. I would love to hear if you have any ideas for local sustainable(ish) projects you'd love to get off the ground, and if this episode has made you feel a little bit braver about it, and possibly even launch your project on Spacehive! Enjoy! Misha Dhanak LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Spacehive - Website - Make your Commitment - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter/X - Linked In Loop Frome Knepp Estate Going Wild in Holtwhistle Active Travel Festival Chester The Flower Bank Cirencester Open Air Pool Solar Panels Solar Energy for Fulham Good Neighbours Margate Crab Museum The Commitment Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse What 'small but mighty' project would you love to see happening in your local community? Could you make it happen with Spacehive? Let me know in the comments! […]…

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[177] The power of your vote – with William Eccles from The Commitment 1:07:16

1 year ago1:07:16

1:07:16

In this week's episode I'm chatting to William Eccles from The Commitment. The Commitment is a campaign asking us to commit to voting for a healthy planet. You do this by heading to their website , hitting the "make the commitment" button, and ticking the box that says “ I commit to vote only for politicians who work for urgent action on the climate and nature.”. We discuss in the episode just why that is so important, and the really clever ways that they’re using your commitment to engage with MPs and give them a mandate to be braver in their calls and support for action on climate and nature. As you’ll hear in the episode, when I came across the Commitment earlier this year, I stopped what I was doing and did just that. And then I shared it on social media asking other people to do the same. And the team at the Commitment were able to track the fact that me sharing meant other people stopped what they were doing and made their own commitment. But they know that lots of people get distracted in between hearing about something and actually doing it, so that number could have been so much higher. I would LOVE it if this episode resulted in another 'mini surge' of commitments. There’s a point in the podcast where William invites you to pause the podcast and go and do it. Last time I shared they had 27 people sign up – let’s see if we can smash that! Enjoy! William Eccles GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: EVs have outsold diesel cars in the EU for the first time (Positive News on Instagram) More UK universities cutting ties with fossil fuel industry (The Guardian) And much closer to home... Libby in The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse shared what she described as ‘not a big win', but I would beg to differ! Libby says: "Yesterday a local business offered out 3 bike racks on my Freecycle site and I quickly bagsied them (I assume they were replacing them with something better). A few messages and emails later and 2 local businesses will have these new (old) bike racks allowing their staff and customers cycle to them instead of driving." Absolutely loving this Libby! LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: The Commitment - Website - Make your Commitment - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter/X - Linked In - TikTok William Eccles - Linked In An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore The Uninhabitable Earth - David Wallace-Wells UN Biodiversity COPs Hope for the Future Green Alliance Climate Change - a very short introduction - Mark Maslin Outrage + Optimism - Moments of truth Environmental Voter Project Vote Climate Greenpeace's Project Climate Vote [086] - All things politics with Sian Berry Outrage + Optimism - COP28: The outcome is a signal Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts podcast Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course The Commitment Have you done it, have you done it, have you done it?!! Do let me know in the comments! […]…

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[176] Badvertising – with Leo Murray 1:10:15

1 year ago1:10:15

1:10:15

Advertising. It's all around us. Persuading us to buy stuff we didn't know we wanted, telling us how much happier/more popular/better our lives will be with the latest/newest whatever it is. Most of think that we're immune to it, but studies show just how insidious and manipulative it is, and how it influences our brains at a deep level. Which perhaps wouldn't really matter if we weren't in the grips of climate and ecological emergencies driven by our consumption of the very stuff being advertised to us. Leo Murray is the co-founder and director of innovation at climate charity Possible, and the co-author of Badvertising - a book that is "raising the alarm on an industry that is making us both unhealthy and unhappy, and that is driving the planet to the precipice of environmental collapse in the process." I've only read the first chapter of the book but already it's eye opening and shocking - Jeremy Vine's review of the book says "..if you thought your brain was being gently warmed by the advertising industry, read this book and you'll realise it's being fried'. Leo is amazing and there is so much I wanted to chat to him about, as you can probably tell from the interview! We veered from chatting about some of the work that Possible is doing, to Badvertising and back again, so apologies in advance for my inability to keep on track - I hope you'll find it all interesting stuff! Leo Murray GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: The USA (finally) agreed to quit coal (Positive News) Wales puts bugs on the map (Positive News) And much closer to home... I spent Monday in Weston-Super-Mare with 200 other people at the biggest ever in-person Carbon Literacy training. The day was organised by North Somerset Council, and I was blown away not only by their ambition to do it, AND their ability to pull it off! I was asked to do a guest speaker slot and it was an amazing experience, seeing so many people in one place, from all kinds of different businesses and organisations of all sizes, gathered together to learn and to take action. And this training was part of a wider 'Carbon Literacy Action Day' which saw over 1000 people taking part in Carbon Literacy training all around the world. It was incredible to be a part of, and a reminder that there are so many people and businesses out there taking really positive steps to reduce their emissions and be part of the solution! (If you're interested in Carbon Literacy training for 2024 - there are dates on the website here ) LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Leo Murray - On Twitter - On Linked In Possible - Website - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Frequent flyer levy campaign Badvertising - Website - Book (shown on Wob as a more ethical alternative to Amazon!) - Write to your local council First transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel Nearly half the flights we take are unnecessary Climate equality: A planet for the 99% Advertising Standards Authority Green Claims Code SUV ad banned Bite Back Ad Free Cities Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. Has this made you more aware of the advertising around you and how it might be affecting you, your family and community, and the wider world? Will you be signing the Frequent Flyer Levy petition, or e-mailing your council? Do let me know in the comments! […]…

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[175] Climate play – with Lucy Hawthorne 1:04:59

1 year ago1:04:59

1:04:59

Climate and play might not be two things that we naturally put together. And even less so, climate and 'playfulness'. Climate change is a huge, overwhelming, complext issue and i couldn't be more important. So we need to take this seriously and absolutely need to be bringing our best game, there's no room for messing around, right? Maybe not! I loved this chat with the brilliant Lucy Hawthorne, founder of Climate Play who is "making it safe, light and fun to face climate change". Lucy runs a range of workshops and programmes that help people work through emotions, information and actions associated with climate change. In this episode we discuss playfulness as a mindset and why that's so important when it comes to tackling big, serious issues like climate change. You might think that Climate Play workshops, especially ones involving Lego are aimed at children, but that's very much not the case here - Lucy's workshops are for grown ups, and often grown ups working in proper grown up jobs in proper grown up companies. We talk about the importance of play, especially for adults - how it expands our minds, and puts us into a great, positive frame of mind, meaning we're at our best when attempting to tackle such big and complex issues as climate change. There was a phrase that Lucy used at one point during the conversation - something like using play to 'put a softer edges on things to be able to have the harder conversations' that really struck me. I know that I can get very caught up in the importance of this work and the pressure I put on myself to get it right, because so much is at stake. That can mean that I'm potentially pretty intense when I attempt any conversations around climate change and climate action! Allowing ourselves (myself) to experiment and be more playful with what works and what doesn't, letting go of a fear of failure, because we can't fail as we're just experimenting and trying some stuff out, is such an important mindset shift, and one that I'm going to try and embrace. Along with the idea of embracing and doing more of the things that bring us joy, and thinking about how we can do more of what we do with a (genuine!) smile on our faces. And speaking of big mindset shifts, look out for the brilliant one right at the end, where Lucy shares the power of simply swapping one simple word in our vocabulary, and how that can make us "more motivated, more likely to carry on doing it (climate action), and more likely to be smiling while I'm doing it." Lucy Hawthorne GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: Environment secretary to reconsider mandatory food waste reporting for businesses (Ends Report) Second UK company appoints nature to the board (Positive News) And much closer to home - some lovely feedback on Linked In on my Carbon Literacy course. Nicola says "Proud of this one. Thank you to Jen at Sustainable(ish) for taking what I find to be a minefield and distilling it down to the individual level and how we can actually make a difference, with some small (or big) adjustments to our thinking and lifestyles. One of my pledges was to commit to one meat free meal a week, I initially thought I would struggle with this, but a few months down the line it has not been as bad as I was expecting. With this one act I'm helping to save nearly 100kgs of CO2 across the year. If, like me you find the climate situation we are facing a challenge to get your head around and you have the opportunity to undertake carbon literacy training, I highly recommend that you take it." LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Climate Play - Website - Linked In - Climate Play meet-up Lucy Hawthorne on Linked In Lego Serious Play Talking about climate change video Climate equality: a planet for the 99% Bananas Game - Dr Emma Fieldhouse Play by Stuart Brown Climate Change Coaching by Charly Cox and Sarah Flynn Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course What do you think? What does play mean to you? How can you use this in the climate space to bring more curiosity and joy, and to help you to let go of any fear of failure? How can you be more playful and curious in your approach to climate action whether that's at home, work, or in your community? Do let me know in the comments! […]…

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[174] Climate action help (and hand holding!)for schools – with Jo Pettifer from Let’s Go Zero 1:04:29

1 year ago1:04:29

1:04:29

This week we're talking schools and climate action! I'm chatting to Jo Pettifer who part of a growing team of Climate Action Advisors from climate charity Let's Go Zero, which is working to help schools in the UK to take climate action, with the ambitious goal of becoming carbon zero by 2030. Jo shares in our chat that apparently around 45% of UK household's have a school aged person within them, meaning that there's huge scope for schools to not only educate our young people about how the world around them is changing around them and why, along with inspiring them about the roles they play in transitioning to a greener, cleaner, fairer future, schools are also able to have a much wider influence on parents and carers and on their local communities. There are a LOT of resources out there for schools wanting to start to take climate action - I've linked in the shownotes to episodes of the podcast with Eco-Schools, the Ministry of Eco Education and Energy Sparks, and that really is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to brilliant resources and initiatives providing schools with the information that they need. What I love about this new project from Let's Go Zero with the Climate Action Advisors, is that they've recognised that schools don't need more info, they need help putting that information into action in their particular setting. The Climate Action Advisors are being rolled out across the country with the aim of being able to provide much needed 1:1 support for school leaders and sustainability leads, to start to take action, from helping them to figure out where they should start through to identifying funding sources, they're hopefully going to be able to help schools move from good intentions to a clear, well-structured plan and the all important actions that then follow on! Jo Pettifer- Climate Action Advisor at Let's Go Zero GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: EU criminalises environmental damages 'comparable to ecocide' (The Guardian) Tax on period pants abolished in Autumn Statement (BBC) And even closer to home, from my e-mail inbox just this morning. In response to my NOT another Black Friday e-mail, Elspeth got in touch to say : The Eco Church group I lead here, in Hampshire, runs a Toy Bonanza three times a year & at this time of year, it is aimed at Christmas gifting. We ask for donations of toys, books, puzzles and games suitable for giving and they are taken away for free at an event tomorrow. We have been inundated with donations which is wonderful! Anything not taken is given to charity shops and books go to school libraries etc. The aim is to save stuff going to landfill and to help when people are still faced with the cost of living crisis". I absolutely love this Elspeth! And I hope that by sharing it here it might spark some ideas for other people too! LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Let's Go Zero - Website - Instagram - Twitter - Linked In - Climate action advisors - the form to express your interest is here - Sign your school up to Let's Go Zero - Join the Team -vacancies at Let's Go Zero - Let's Go Zero Schools Webinars - School case studies - Schools toolbox - Ovo Foundation Nature Prize **Closing date Monday 27th Nov!!** Jo Pettifer on Linked In Ashden Ministry of Eco Education Energy Sparks Eco Schools Solar for Schools Global Action Plan Department for Education - Sustainability and climate change strategy National Education Nature Park The Pod - Switch off Fortnight Young People's Trust for the Environment Innovative Finance Project Sustainable(ish) at School - with Edd Moore [098] - Eco Schools [117] - Transforming Education with the Ministry of Eco Education [130] - More Climate Education Good Stuff with Paula Malone [133] - Youth Climate Action with the UK Schools Sustainability Network Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course Image credit: Joel Pett What do you think? Let me know if you’re going to get in touch with your local school to flag this to them, or indeed if you’re thinking about applying for one the roles! Do let me know in the comments! […]…

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[173] Digital footprints and carbon fingerprints – with Matt and Will from Carbon Fingerprint 1:13:05

1 year ago1:13:05

1:13:05

This week we’re diving into all things digital with Matt and Will from an organisation called Carbon Fingerprint. For many of us, the planetary impact of our online lives maybe isn’t something that we give much thought to – the cloud is this ethereal thing that none of us quite understand, and I personally can’t even begin to get my head around how the internet works, so have to assume it’s some kind of magic. And surely magic can’t be bad for the planet right? Wrong. Sadly. Again. ‘The internet’ – all of our devices and computers; the infrastructure, so the cables, the data centres etc; and the combined energy usage of all of that already has a carbon footprint greater than that of the aviation industry (which for reference is around 2-5% of global emissions) and that is set to at least double in the next 10 years! If pushed, most of us might think about the electricity that’s used when we charge our phones and laptops, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg – did you know it takes 800kg of resources to make a 2kg laptop. I learned that on a Digital Collage workshop a couple of weeks ago and it absolutely blew my mind! And it’s not just the planetary impacts of our internet usage that we need to be aware of , there are other impacts on our mental health, our physical health, and our connectedness with people and nature. Many of us use our phones more than we actually want to, and are aware that we can spend hours of our days doom scrolling, ending up feeling worse. Social media is deliberately designed to be addictive and has done a very good job of keeping us hooked, and indeed polarising society. That all sounds very doom and gloom, and as someone who runs an online business and uses the internet to hopefully try and spread some good around the world, I’m aware that there are also huge benefits to it, so as with everything, I guess it’s around making sure that we use it more thoughtfully and consciously, being mindful of it’s impact both on the planet and on our own well-being. Matt, Will and two other friends have set up Carbon fingerprint with this exact dual purpose – they want to raise awareness of the impact of our internet usage, provide tips, ideas and resources for us all to help us to use it more mindfully, and provide a way for anyone who wants to, to meaningfully remove the carbon emissions produced by our internet usage from the atmosphere. If you’re anything like me, this might be an area of your life you haven’t given much thought to before, but once you start digging, it’s fascinating and terrifying! We’ve been doing a ‘digital detox’ in The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse, with people committing to simple but impactful things like swapping the 10 mins (and it’s never just 10mins is it?!) doom scroll before bed for reading, or going for a walk without their phone! I’d love to know your thoughts on this one, and on your own relationship to your phone – do you often find yourself doom scrolling? Are you concerned about how much time your or your kids spend online? Is this additional knowledge about the planetary impact of that time spent an added incentive to try and take back control?! Let me know! Matt Bird - Carbon fingerprint co-founder Will Owen - Carbon fingerprint co-founder GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: The world's biggest polluter neared peak emissions (Positive News) The circular economy is coming to Europe (Positive News) And much closer to home, I wanted to share this from Rachel who is signed up to the Crap-free Christmas course – she shared this in the course FB group: "First result! I started a WhatsApp conversation with my brothers on Monday about streamlining the presents this year (I have three brothers and we all have children). We have done secret Santa amongst the adults a few times and I was up for that again, but we have actually gone further and are now saying no presents for the adults this year! The exceptions are you are allowed to give someone something if you’ve seen something specific you really want to get them, or passing on a book you’ve read and enjoyed. I’ve also started some good conversations with people about which bits of Christmas we actually like and which we can do without. And I’ve done a lot of soul searching within myself, with the result I think I’m going to actually enjoy Christmas a lot more this year. All prompted by signing up to this group so thanks Jen!" LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Carbon Fingerprint - Website - Instagram - Screentime carbon fingerprint calculator - Carbon fingerprint calculator for creators Addvert B-corp The Digital Collage Climate Fresk Google reinforces undersea cables after shark bites How Bad are Bananas? The carbon footprint of everything The Social Dilemma Stolen Focus - Johann Hari Back Market Fairphone Verra off-setting scandal (The Guardian) One Tree Planted Climeworks Unplugged Climate shadow Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course What do you think? Had you thought about your carbon fingerprint before? What are you going to do after listening? Delete duplicate photos? Turn down the brightness on your screen or switch to dark mode? Are you going to swap your bedtime doom scroll for a nice book?! Could you manage a screen-free day?! Or simply just do something without your phone…! And super importantly, how long could you keep your current phone in use for?! Do let me know in the comments! […]…

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[172] The forgotten joy of sharing – with Rebecca Heaps from Tentshare 1:13:46

1 year ago1:13:46

1:13:46

"If you own a tent you can be a member of Tentshare . If you don't own a tent, you can be a member of Tentshare." Love this quote from Rebecca Heaps, founder of Tentshare -'the Air BnB for tents'! On the surface, camping feels like a pretty eco-friendly option for a cheaper holiday. And it is. However it does involved quite a lot of 'stuff' - the tent, the sleeping mats, the sleeping bags, the camping stove, and on the list goes. All of this stuff might only be used once a year and the rest of the time it sits in our sheds or garages gathering dust. And for anyone who wants to have a go at camping, all of that stuff is a big outlay when you're not even sure if you're going to like it and want to do it again. Which is where Tentshare comes in! Tentshare matches up people with tents, with people who want them. Not only is this such a brilliantly simple idea for camping, but also for festivals. Figures from 2018 estimate that 250,000 tents go into landfill each year in the UK, which is a LOT of resources and energy going to waste. Rebecca shares the story of how she got started, and some of positive benefits of sharing camping equipment above and beyond the environmental ones - the connection, the joy, getting people outdoors appreciating nature, to name a few! I hope you enjoy this episode! Do go and check out the Tentshare website - if you own a tent, popping it on Tentshare is a great way to support the sharing economy and contribute a mini nudge towards a less capitalist society! And if you're thinking of having a go at camping for the first time, save yourself a heap of money, and get yourself some great camping advice by using Tentshare! Rebecca Heaps - Tentshare founder GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: Solar will soon eclipse all forms of energy (Positive News) UK musuems agree to collective action to tackle the climate crisis (The Guardian) Much closer to home, I had a couple of e-mails that really made me smile this week, both from participants on recent Carbon Literacy course. Sullie got in touch to say that Being carbon literate has helped his secure a dream job working with a climate organisation! And Inga e-mailed to let me know that she had fulfilled her pledge of signing up with a climate education programme that provides training to schools in London, and they have already matched her with a nearby school where she'll be delivering a programme of 5 workshops in the Spring term. There's more info and dates for Carbon Literacy training here if this is something you're interested in! LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Tentshare - Website - Facebook - Twitter/X - Instagram - Linked In - You Tube - some great videos from Tentshare for repairing and cleaning your tents Rebecca on Linked In Party Kit Network [037] - How and why to set up a reusable party package for kids parties with Frome Eco Party Kit The Lean Marketplace Share Tribe OLPRO tents Know Carbon Camp Light - pre-pitched tents at festivals Medicine Festival Shambala Festival Little Recreations Eco Bunting Doodles.one [039] - Recycle your paddling pool with Wyatt and Jack [047] - Fighting food waste with Olio Blue Earth Summit My Green Pod [168] - Keeping outdoor gear in action for longer with Re-action Giki Zero Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course FREE! Crap-free Christmas webinar Awful screengrab of me showing my mended gloves! What do you think? Would you rent out your tent? Would you borrow a tent? Are you going to put your tent on Tentshare? Do let me know- I would be SO happy to hear of tents popping up on Tentshare as a direct result of this episode! […]…

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[171] Your Council and Climate Action – an update! With Annie Pickering from Climate Emergency UK 1:04:57

1 year ago1:04:57

1:04:57

Podcast episode wise it was only 7 episodes ago, but time wise, almost a year has passed since I chatted to Annie Pickering from Climate Emergency UK about their Council Climate Scorecards . In that chat we talked about why climate action from Local Authorities are important,. The operational carbon footprint of most local authroties might not be huge, but their sphere of influence over their local area is pretty big, and in fact of up to around a third of the UK’s emissions are under the influence of local authorities. For most of us, we probably only interact with our local authority when we pay our council tax or we want to complain about bins or potholes, but there’s a whole lot more we can do to encourage and support our councils taking climate action. When I spoke to Annie last year , we discussed the Plan scorecards , which were published in 2022 and looked at Local Authorities Climate Action Plans. We also started to talk about the plans that Climate Emergency UK had to produce a whole new set of scorecards for Actions. And this is what we’re talking about today! We dive into how the new scorecards were produced, how the results differ for councils from their plans to their actions, and the role of the scorecards in driving further action from local authorities and how we can use them to help us engage with our local councils. There’s also a shout out for the Climate Emergency crowdfunder which is live at the moment, which is raising funds to help them get the scorecards out there being used in the most effective way possible, supporting the team at Climate Emergency to work with campaigners, councils and other organisations to use the Scorecards as an effective campaign tool to push for change, and to track this progress over time by publishing future editions of the Action Scorecards. Aviva Community Fun are providing match funding for the campaign until the 22 nd November, which means that any donation you make until then will be matched by Aviva. I know that times are tough right now, and that the expense of Christmas is looming, but if you do have any spare pennies, this is a great climate cause to donate to! I thought this episode was fascinating. Let’s face it, Local Authorities are never going to be the sexy and exciting end of climate action, but they have huge scope for really positive impact, not just in terms of emissions reductions, but also in terms of engagement from local communities. I really hope you enjoy it – do let me know if you go and check out the scorecards, if they prompt you to get in touch with your local authority or to think about what’s happening and what could be happening in your local area! Annie Pickering - Co-Director Climate Emergency UK GOOD NEWS! In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick: Uruguay's National Grid is powered by 98% green energy (NPR) Europe's disused coal mines are successfully heating our homes (Euronews.com) Much closer to home, I’ve just sent out 24 shiny Carbon Literacy certificates to successful participants of September’s Carbon Literacy courses – I ran one open course , one for the brilliant team at Everyday Plastic and one Carbon Literacy course for Veterinary Professionals which I run with Vet Sustain. To get their certificate, participants have to make two carbon saving pledges and there were some fabulous ones! Here are a few examples: - "I will commit to changing my investments and pension to sustainable choices" (if you're intrigued by this, do check out Episode 169 with Dan from Mother Tree! ) - "I am going to design a Carbon Literacy training session to provide for my team. I will also put together a sustainability group with members from each department." - "I am going to commit to buying nothing new (as an individual) for the next three months. As someone with a bit of an Amazon habit, this will be a challenge." All of the pledges are great individually, but you really start to see the power of collective action when you add them up! So when I send out the certificates, I attach an infographic showing a conservative estimate for the emissions savings of their cohort's pledges. The total across all three groups for September comes in at a whopping 23,430kg CO2e - the equivalent of 6.7 return flights from London to Hong Kong! A huge thank you to all of the September learners for stepping up for the planet and coming on the course. There's more info and dates for Carbon Literacy training here if this is something you're interested in! LISTEN... USEFUL LINKS: Climate Emergency UK - Website - Facebook - Twitter/X - Instagram - Linked In - Council Climate Scorecards - Crowdfunder - Methodology - How to use the scorecards - How to use the scorecards training sessions: Weds 15th Nov 12pm (GMT) Thurs 7th Dec 5.30pm (GMT) - Campaigners guide to the Climate Action scorecards - 15 ways to improve your council's climate action Ashden Pesticide Action Network CoMo UK - bike lanes, active travel [164] - Your council and climate action - my chat from last year with Annie Carbon Literacy training The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse Crap-free Christmas course FREE! Crap-free Christmas webinar What were your takeaways from this episode? Any lightbulb moments? What are you going to go out and DO as a result of this episode? Have you checked out the scorecards? How are your local authority doing? Will you get in touch with your local authority? Do share in a comment below! […]…

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[170] Active(ish) for Earth – With Tash Acres from Earth Runs 1:09:24

1 year ago1:09:24