Sustainable(ish)

Another solo episode from me this week, as I haven’t been able to conjure up any extra time or headspace for getting guests organised – I’ve been super busy getting ready for The Knackered Mums heading back on out on Eco Tour – this is my FREE 5 day eco challenge that’s kicking off on Monday 15th Feb. Do come and join us – it’s probably the most fun you’re going to be able to have in half-term. AND you get to slash your carbon footprint at the same time as whinge about how tired you are and how hard it is to get your kids off their screens, with a bunch of similarly knackered types. Excited to say that I have not one but TWO interviews in the diary for next week, so we should be back on a roll with some fabulous guests from next week!It’s Valentines Day in just a couple of days time, and I’m well aware that if you do celebrate it, then this episode may well be too late if you’re an organised type.Bear it in mind for next year if that’s the case, and don’t stop listening if you don’t celebrate Valentines Day (we gave up on it years ago!) because I’m going to be sharing some fascinating stats and some alternative gifts that are a great way to say ‘I love you” or “thank you” or “you’re really rather brilliant” at any time of the year.Giving ‘stuff’ has become our way of saying I love you hasn’t it? And who doesn’t love a present?But the problem with Valentines’ gifts, and indeed most gifts is that that although they might say “I love you” to the recipient they aren’t usually saying “I love you’ to either the people who made the gift, or to the planet.We are at peak stuff, we are using up resources at an astonishing rate, the people who make much of  our stuff are being exploited, and most of us are struggling to find anywhere to put anymore stuff in our homes. Oh, and our landfills are full to bursting.God I’m SUCH  a party pooper aren’t I?Never fear – this isn’t a whole episode about how terrible everything is, there is some good news –there ARE some fabulous ways we can do Valentines (and indeed other gifts) that don’t cost the earth (see what I did there).Enjoy...!Useful linksThe Knackered Mums (Eco) Tour5 days of easy eco-action, a LOT of fun, and endless GIFs - come and join us![069] - Say it with British Flowers (podcast)Tony's Chocoloney Sweet Solution campaignEthical Consumer ethical chocolate guideTED IDEAS: The steep price we pay for cheap chocolateGeorge Monbiot: The Gift of DeathArbikie Nadar climate positive ginThe Climate Coalition Show the Love CampaignSustainable(ish) Facebook groupDo you Valentine?What are your thoughts on some of those stats?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

Episode 88 of the podcast is a solo episode!I’d love to pretend that this was planned, but the reality is that my already poor organisational and forwards planning skills have taken a bit of a battering whilst attempting the home schooling/keeping a business afloat/saving the planet juggle and I’m not going to lie, I failed miserably to get a guest organised for this week.Hence also why this is going out a day later than usual – apologies to the many thousands of you that I know will have been obsessively hitting ‘refresh’ on your podcast app waiting for a new episode to drop (in case you can’t detect the irony in that sentence, please note that was said very tongue in cheek…!)In this episode I share with you one of my favourite Greta quotes:"Of course we need hope. But the one thing we need more than hope is action. Because once we start to act, hope is everywhere."OMG, she's so eloquent and generally amazing isn't she?So in this episode I dive on into the taking action bit - because it sounds super simple doesn't it? Take action, but anyone who has ever tried to get fit, or change any kind of habit, will tell you, just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy.How can we make it as easy as possible to take action?Useful linksThe Knackered Mums (Eco) Tour5 days of easy eco-action, a LOT of fun, and endless GIFs - come and join us!Sustainable(ish) Facebook groupIf the Knackered Mums Tour isn't your thing, but you'd love a friendly supportive online space to help keep nudging you to take action, do come and check out the FB group.What sort of action taker are you?How can you make it easier for yourself?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

In this episode I have a treat in store for you if you're looking around the world and feeling a little....erm....despairing?! If you're looking at your kids and wondering what their future will hold, and worried that when they're old enough to understand what's going on that they'll be viewing their own futures with trepidation and despondency rather than the excitement that we probably felt as we embarked on our adult lives.Rachel (aka The Crap Activist on Instagram) in an inspiration. She told me she had massive imposter syndrome coming on the podcast following on from last week's episode with Sian Berry, but genuinely what she has done and been doing has inspired me, and I'm pretty sure it will inspire you too.She was worried about the future her kids were facing, and how that potentially affected their mental health. So she went a step beyond worrying, and decided to spend a year doing one thing a day to make the world a better place. To be a better citizen of the world.And she's only gone and bloody well done it (we recorded this episode on day 365 of her year!), during a pandemic, she's managed to bring the rest of the family along for the ride too. She's shown her kids that she thinks their future is worth fighting for. That it's worth making some changes, and maybe some sacrifices for. She's shown them that we can all be activists. That we don't have to simply put up with, and despair about, the status quo, but that we can take steps to empower ourselves and to create positive change.And she's done it with humour and honesty about the good bits AND the not-so good bits - it's not a curated Insta perfect story, thank goodness...It's so important that the stories we share, the people we celebrate, the people we admire, aren't just the Greta's and David Attenborough's (although clearly they're doing amazing stuff). There are millions of awesome crap activists out there, having a go, getting it wrong, trying again. Who are changing the world without the recognition and accolades and applause. Enjoy this episode, let me know what you think and if you're inspired to take action and indulge in a little everyday activism, crap or otherwise..!Useful linksThe Crap Activist- InstagramAdidas recycled plastic trainersThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubSustainable(ish) Facebook groupWow! Are you inspired to indulge in a spot of imperfect eco-action after listening?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

Hmmm politics....I don't know about you but I think it's pretty easy to feel disengaged from politics - lots of (mostly) white, (mostly) men, working things for their own advantage and dragging their heels on stuff that would and could make a real difference. When it comes to the climate especially it feels like there's a lot of hot air and not a lot of action.Which is why it was so refreshing to chat in this episode to Sian Berry, co-leader of The Green Party. The Knackered Mums in the Knackered Mums Eco Club get to come along to listen in to the podcast recordings live, and then ask a few questions at the end. I LOVED this comment after the event “she was human and encouraging and passionate and that gave me hope.”Politics can feel like it's this big world of smoke and mirrors and that it's very difficult to effect change as an individual. It was great to chat to Sian and to hear that this doesn’t have to be the case – she gives us all lots of ideas for how to get involved, as busy people, and how we can have an impact on both local and national politics. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording this – do share your thoughts on the comments below or get in touch via social media.Enjoy!Useful linksSian Berry- Website- Facebook- Instagram- TwitterSian's books- 50 ways to help the planet- Junk for JoyThe Green Party- Website- Manifesto- Facebook- Twitter- InstagramThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubSustainable(ish) Facebook groupHow are you feeling after listening to this?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

Happy New Year!Although 2021 clearly didn’t get the memo, and is looking suspiciously like 2020 at the moment – how are you coping with it all? I have to say that I’m realising there’s a very good reason, in fact lots of very good reasons, why I’m not a teacher, and we’ll just leave that there….Lots of us have hopefully made New Years resolutions to be a bit more sustainable(ish) this year but my goodness it can be confusing sometimes to figure out what’s the ‘right’ or the ‘greenest’ thing to do can't it? There’s so much information out there on the interweb super highway, often contradictory, that sometimes it all gets so confusing that we end up feeling completely bamboozled and the easiest thing is to do nothing. Which is why I’m really excited to be chatting in this episode to Georgina Wilson-Powell, founder and editor of Pebble magazine, and now published author! Is it Really Green? came out last week, and dives into over 140 of the commonest eco conundrums, like which is better for the environment, washing up by hand or using a dishwasher, and what’s the environmental impact of loo roll. It really is a fab book (I’ll post a link to it in the show notes ), very dip in and out-able which for those of us juggling all the things right now is just the ticket. Enjoy this chat!Useful linksIs it Really Green?- Hive- Bookshop- And available in all good bookshops Pebble Magazine- Website- Facebook page- Pebble Pod Facebook Group- Instagram- TwitterThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubSustainable(ish) Facebook groupWhat 'eco-dilemmas' do you have?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

Christmas is coming! In fact, it's kind of here as we're currently just two weeks away from 'the Big Day'...There’s a lot to think about Christmas isn’t there? The food, the gifts, the cards, the wrapping paper, the relatives, the stockings – it goes on and on. And while some of us might be giving a little more thought to the waste and plastic mountains that can result at this time of year, how many of us give much thought to the carbon footprint of our Christmas?I have to say that I hadn’t really. I mean, it sounds like the ultimate party pooper buzzkill doesn’t it? To be thinking about the carbon impact of our Christmas. I think we can all guess that it’s pretty bad right? But just how bad? And what can we do about it? And can we get rid of it without getting rid of Christmas?Lots of questions about this which is why it was great to chat to Luke Gaydon, one of the co-founders of Terra Neutra – an organisation that has the aim of creating a carbon positive world that provide guidance, services and tech in support of that vision.I’ve chatted to Luke before about carbon footprints and off-setting more generally during the Sustainable(ish) online festival that happened during lockdown in May this year and I’ll link to that below for anyone who wants to have a watch/listen. Luke is a great guest and I hope that our chat leaves you feeling inspired and informed about some of the things you can do to cut the carbon this Christmas!Enjoy!Useful linksTerra Neutra- Website- Facebook- InstagramTerra Neutra's Christmas offsetFestival session - Carbon footprints and offsetting[071] - A beginners guide to carbon footprints (podcast)How Bad are Bananas: The carbon footprint of everythingThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubSustainable(ish) Facebook groupHad you thought about the carbon footprint of your Christmas?What are you doing to reduce yours?Would you offset?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

This week’s episode is a great chat with Ric Casale from Carbon Copy, an online hub that connects local communities, councils and companies who share the goal of a carbon zero future. Their aim is to help more people in taking local climate action and collectively in building something better.Now, I don’t know about you, but when I hear the words Climate Action, there’s a part of me that starts to shrink. A part of me that associates climate action with getting shouty with a placard, and that associates local climate action with dreary meetings in cold church halls where everyone has a good old whinge but nothing much actually happens. Thankfully this isn’t the case!Climate action will mean different things to different people, and that’s ok. Your climate action might be reducing your plastic, or your meat consumption, or your general consumption, or something else entirely. And local climate action can look different in different places, or even different action in the same place!Local climate action is all about getting together with the people in your local area to take ACTION. And it’s that action that is important. You could set up a Repair Café, of a secondhand school uniform service, or a plastic-free buying group. Or you could get involved with something more technical like a local energy co-operative. It doesn’t really matter what it it – what matters is thinking about your skill set and how you might be able to contribute towards to making something bigger happen.There are so many benefits, as you’ll hear Ric and I discuss in this episode, and coming together with others is a great way not only to amplify your individual actions or take them to the next level, but also to meet others and to know that you’re not alone in your quest to make the world, both globally and locally, a better place.Enjoy.Useful linksCarbon Copy- Website- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram- Find out if your council has declared a climate emergency- Carbon Copy blog - The Audacity of ActionThe Library of ThingsPlanting healthy air in schoolsIncredible EdibleFiltered neighbourhoodsRic's book - Civic Revolution: A citizen's guide[032] - The introverts guide to going on a climate march (podcast)The introverts guide to climate marches (blog post)Repair CafesHow to run a Swish (blog post)Sustainable(ish) Facebook groupSo what is your local action?What skills, resources and time do you have to take action where you live?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

After last week's solo episode, I've got something a little different for you again this week! Because more change and uncertainty is what we all need right now yes..?!!This week’s episode is a live recording done from the virtual podcast stage at Future Fest, an amazing online event from Pebble Magazine that happened at the beginning of November about the solutions and the people who are going to drive the change to net zero.It took me a while to work out what I wanted to talk about, and who I wanted to chat too, but then in an actual (low carbon LED) lightbulb moment, I realised it was you guys.It can be all too easy to feel like the solutions and the people who are going to drive the change to net zero are somehow super human people – those who are setting up amazing circular fashion businesses, or pioneering new technology. It’s very easy to over-look the fact that you and me, ordinary knackered people, juggling ordinary jobs, and kids and laundry and cooking endless meals, that we also play a huge role in creating a different future.So I put a post in the Knackered Mums Eco Clubhouse (my annual membership) asking for volunteers to come and chat with me about their experiences of getting started with Sustainable(ish) changes, their successes and their failures. I wanted it to feel like we were sitting around my kitchen table (albeit via Zoom and with people watching!) with a cuppa and sharing our stories, our challenges, having a laugh, and hopefully inspiring some other people to get started too.Because it’s so important that we recognise that we are part of the solution. That people making changes are ordinary people like us. There’s no secret superhero breed that are secretly wearing special green pants that give them extraordinary powers. There’s just normal people, who’ve dared to care, who are bumbling along like the rest of us, making one change at a time. And that we can learn from each other, and we can inspire each other. And that that matters.Enjoy.Useful linksPebble MagazineFuture FestThe Knackered Mums Eco Club- On Facebook- On Instagram- Details of the Clubhouse (membership)[065] - Periodical with Lauren Derrett from Wear 'em out pads (podcast episode)Kind 2 shampoo barsWho Gives a Crap loo rollUranus Wiper loo rollA beginners guide to switching to a renewable energy provider (blog post)Make your money matter (all about moving your money to ethical providers) (blog post)Good With Money - guide to good pensionsTerracycle toothbrush recycling schemeGeorganics electric toothbrushYaweco - regular toothbrush with removable headSky diamondsA greener life by BGiki ZeroMy Green PodEthical ConsumerSustainable(ish) Facebook groupSo what do you think? Did you enjoy this episode/format?What was your eco-piphany?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

Today I’ve got a solo episode for you – I’d like to try and pretend it was planned, but the reality is obviously that I failed spectacularly to plan ahead enough to have a guest for this week.Sooooooooo, I’m diving right on into the C-word.No, not corona virus. No, not that one, go and wash your moth out.I’m talking Christmas. Of course I am.There will be some of you who are saying "Why the hell are you talking about Christmas, it’s November” and there will be others saying “Well you’re a bit late love, I’m all done and dusted and the tree’s going up this weekend”. So essentially I’ve just realised that this is probably an episode that is going to please no-one but I’m going to plod on because as I said, I haven’t got a guest for you this week. Sorry about that.Right then. Christmas. It can indeed be the most wonderful time of year. Especially if you’re under the age of about twelve, but it can also be hugely stressful, and one of the most wasteful times of the year. Join me as I share some thoughts around how to make a start making Christmas this year a bit more sustainable(ish).Enjoy!Useful linksBlog posts- 12 not so fun festive facts- The beginners guide to a crap-free Christmas- The Festive Waste Hierarchy- Plastic-free(ish) stocking fillers- 12 easy ideas for a Sustainable(ish) Christmas- 12 gifts for kids that aren't 'stuff'- How we (just about) survived Christmas buying nothing new (and how you can too)Podcast episodes- [019] - 12 not so fun festive facts- [052] - Conscious gifting with Buy Me OnceThe Essential Guide to a Crap-free Christmas - e-guideSustainable(ish) Facebook groupHow many have you already done?Which ones can you commit to?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]

I am SO excited for this episode! Last month I was aimlessly scrolling through Twitter waiting for the kettle to boil and stumbled across a tweet about a project called Count Us In - which is aiming to get a BILLION people taking climate action!!DID YOU KNOW:Individual lifestyles actually make up more than 65% of the total global carbon pollutionThe world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for just over 50% of global greenhouse gas emissionsYou are part of the world's wealthiest 10% if your salary is above £27k a year. The average salary in the UK is somewhere around £30k.These stats aren't to make you feel guilty, I'm sharing them to empower you and to help you to recognise the enormous power we hold to create change.Count Us In have got the experts to pull together 16 steps that they agree are some of the most impactful things we can do an individuals, and now they want us to pledge to do them! We don't have to do all of them, we might already be doing some of them. But according to their website:"If 1 billion people made changes in how they travel, the energy they use and the food they eat, this could directly reduce carbon pollution by almost 1/5 of the total reduction needed."And the beauty of Count Us In is that they've joined forces with so many of the other existing platforms and campaigns out there to provide one place, one voice, one carbon counter, that brings together all of our climate actions under one umbrella.Today I'm chatting to Angela Terry, founder and CEO of One Home, who is also one of the founding partners of Count Us In, all about the project - how it came about, what it's hoping to achieve, and really importantly, how WE can get involved.Enjoy! Useful linksCount Us In- Website- Facebook- Instagram- TwitterOne HomeCOP 26The Paris AgreementIPCC report 2018Green Homes GrantI've put together a blog post with the 16 Count Us In actions, and Sustainable(ish) resources from the archives to help - you can find it hereSustainable(ish) Facebook groupHow many have you already done?Which ones can you commit to?Do let me know in the comments! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times"Absolutely love this book - should be mandatory reading"Online review […]