Sustainable(ish)

How do you feel when you open your bin to throw something away? Or after you've done your weekly shop? Smug and self-congratulatory at just how little single use plastic there is? Or like most of us, guilty and overwhelmed by quite how much there is?Teresa Walters was faced with a whole bin full of unrecyclable plastic after Christmas in 2017 and decided that enough was enough and that she was going to do something about it. She roped in her sister Mary, and together they embarked on a competition between the two families to see who could reduce their plastic waste by the most over the course of 2018. This episode is packed with loads of really actionable tips and if it doesn’t inspire you to make a start on reducing your single use plastic, then I'm genuinely not sure what will! The energy that Teresa and Mary have really comes across during our chat, and I love the way that they’ve teamed up (albeit in competition) to make change happen, and I think it’s easy to see how by working together they’ve been able to bouy each other up and achieve far more than either of them probably would have been able to on their own. So grab and pencil and a piece of scrap paper to make some notes and then sit back and enjoy! ​​​​​​​​​​Useful linksSisters Against Plastic- ​Facebook page- ​​On Twitter- Buying GroupPlastic Free July Faith in NatureEcoeggWyatt and Jack - inflatable amnestyClean Bin Project filmSodastream (I got ours secondhand from eBay so do take a look for a 'preloved' one first![009] - 4 easy ways to reduce your plastic footprint (podcast)[007] - Shopping plastic-free without a local zero waste store (podcast)[006] - Plastic-free living with the Zero Waste Chef (podcast)Plastic-free(ish) party bags (blog post)9 top tips for shopping plastic- free(ish) at the supermarket (blog post)Plastic-free(ish) pets (blog post)Re-usable alternatives to clingfilm (blog post)The Essential Guide to a Plastic-free(ish) Home (e-guide)​The link to sign up for the Sustainable(ish) Sunday newsletterHOW TO MAKE LIQUID SOAP FROM A BAR (from the Sisters Against Plastic FB page)1: Pop 2.5 litres of water with 1 table spoon of coconut oil on the hob to boil. 2: Grate one bar of ordinary soap (don’t use Dove) and add it to water. Gently heat whilst stirring and bring to the boil. 3: You can add a tablespoon of glycerine at this point if you would like your soap to be thicker than we have made ours. 3: Customise your soap with food colourings / essential oils / honey (great to add moisturiser) 4: Pour into bottles and let cool overnight. […]

Did you know that on average kids in the UK receive around £350 of toys a year? I was pretty shocked when I read this, and indignantly though to the myself "there’s no way that applies to my kids", especially as we buy the vast majority of their toys secondhand. But when I stopped and thought about Christmas and birthdays and those times when they drag me into the toy shop and my resistance levels are at an all time low, then it’s easy to see how it can all add up. And when I look around the clutter and the mess in my kid's rooms (actually more accurately spread around their floors waiting to trip me up) and the toys abandoned halfway up the stairs, in the kitchen, in the lounge… I start to feel a little bit overwhelmed. I try my best to keep on top of it, and have recently instigated a 'one in, one out' policy, but as any parent of small kids will tell you, the instant you put a long forgotten toy into the charity shop box it becomes their favourite toy ever that they could never even consider parting with, and you’re a heartless meanbag for even thinking about it. All of which is why I’m so excited about today’s episode. I’m chatting to Nigel Phan, founder of a website and start up called Whirli. Whirli is an online toy subcscription service where your kids can literally swap til they drop!There’s a brilliant range of stuff on there, from rattles for babies through to nerf guns for bigger kids. And larger items too like ride on toys for toddlers through to scooters and balance bikes – a great way to see if your kids likes and/or gets on with a toy before making a bigger investment. And actually if they really like it, you have the option to keep any of the toys!So settle back, ingmore the messy bedrooms and playroom for a minute, grab a cuppa and listen in.Enjoy.   ​​​​​​​​​​Useful links​Whirli- Website- Facebook- Instagram ​The link to sign up for the Sustainable(ish) Sunday newsletter […]

In today’s episode I'm chatting to Tara Button, the founder and CEO of Buy Me Once, and author of A Life Less Throwaway. After receiving a Le Crueset saucepan as a gift, Tara set out to look for a website that sold "the Le Crueset of everything" - meaning products that are made to last, and that will be cherished and are capable of being passed on to our kids and grandkids. When she couldn't find one, and the idea just wouldn't leave her alone, Tara founded Buy Me Once, a website selling only products that are built to last. After starting out small, the site went viral after a journalist wrote about it, and it's had praise from Ashton Kutcher and Caitlin Moran amongst others, and led to Tara being asked to write a book about her philosophy. A Life Less Throwaway is a brilliant book for anyone struggling to buy less - it dives into some of the ways we're constantly being manipulated by advertisers to buy more, and to upgrade, and is packed with practical advice to help you find your style, and resist that urge to impulse buy. I could have chatted to Tara for hours, and there's so many great gems of advice and information in this episode - enjoy. ​​​​​​​​​​Useful linksBuy Me Once- Website- Facebook- Twitter- Instagram A Life Less Throwaway - Tara's bookThe Clothes DoctorIkea's plans for renting out furniture​Buy Me Once's #makeitlast campaign The link to sign up for the Sustainable(ish) Sunday newsletterSome of Tara's Top Tips to Buy Less and Buy Better Make a list of all the things you DON'T need! Do you really need any more cushions? Or kitchen gadgets? Or black t-shirts? Be aware of the adverts that you're seeing. Acknowledge them, and say "No"!  Love your stuff! Buy only stuff that you will love and cherish for a long time.  Work out what you want out of life and what makes you happy (this will invariably be people and experiences, not things). Then make a plan to direct your energy and spending in those directions.Work out your style, and make sure that everything you buy fits with that. […]

Welcome back to Sustainable(ish)!Today I’ve got an interview lined up for you with Tom Neish who is the founder and head honcho of Yora pet food, a new pet food brand that claim to be the world’s most sustainable pet food.So what makes them so sustainable I hear you ask? Well I’m glad you asked. It’s because the food is made from insects!The message seems to be slowly getting out that we should be reducing the amount of meat that we’re eating in our own diets, but I’d genuinely never really thought much about the amount of meat that our pets are eating. Many of the perium brand pet foods focus their marketing on the fact that their food is made using human grade food, and we’ve bought into the fact that this is a Good Thing. But hang on a minute, shouldn’t we be working on feeding the human grade food to the humans?The first time I saw Yora I was fasincated (and I have to say slightly freaked out by the thought that it might be  a bag full of dried crickets or the like. It's not. It looks like regular dry dog food) by the concept, and I have to say that I absolutely love it, and the whole ethos behind the company.Tuen in your ears, and listen in as I get the lowdown and hopefully all your questions answered from Tom.Enjoy! […]

It's pancake day - hurray! Which means it's the start of Lent tomorrow - traditionally 40 days and 40 nights of fasting before Easter to remember Jesus' time in the wilderness.Now I’ve never really done Lent, but it’s a time of year when some people choose to take on a challenge and give up something they enjoy - whether thats chocolate, or sugar or alcohol, or something else entirely. But how about this year abstaining from something that will help the planet, rather than simply your waistline? In this episode I share with you a few ideas for things you might want to have a go at giving up this year for Lent: […]

Today’s episode is all about Growing Your Own. It’s the stereotypical image of sustainable living isn’t it? The kind of Good Life image of being self sufficient in veg, and the temptation is to go all out right from the start, take on a huge allotment plot, and then before we know it it’s taken over our lives. Sara Venn has been on the show before back in Episode 4 where we talked about the power of community gardening and projects like Incredible Edible and she got in touch me a the start of this year to ask if I’d be interested in doing an episode on Grow Your Own Lite, or maybe Grow your Own(ish). This episode is for you if you love the idea of growing some of your own fruit and veg this year, but you’re not sure if you’ve got the time or space, or what you should be growing.And it’s for you if you’ve tried before and failed.It’s packed full of really practical tips for those ordinary mortals amongst us with busy lives, and families, but who want to work out some ways to incorporate a little but of grow your own activism and  pleasure into your routine.As ever, if you enjoy this episode, please do share it with your friedsn and family, and on social media and let’s spread the sustainable(ish) word!Enjoy. […]

It's half-term here in my corner of the UK, so I'm sharing with you some ideas for easy swaps and tips to help make your days out more sustainable(fish). Please do still listen if you're kid free, as most of the tips apply to grown ups too (maybe not the tantrums in the gift shop. Hopefully.) […]

In this episode of the podcast I've got another 5(ish) minute guide for you - this time with some tips and ideas creating new, more sustainable(ish) habits. It's very easy to have all good intentions, and to WANT to do things differently, but when we're busy and frazzled, those good intentions can all too easily fall by the wayside.  Whether you want to finally remember your reusable coffee cup when you race out of the house for work each morning, or you want to stop impulse shopping fast fashion, or whatever it might be, I've got some tips and ideas to help. […]

Georgina Wilson-Powell is the founder and editor of Pebble - an online magazine and brand for 'stylish, sustainable living' that aims to empower people to make more ethical everyday decisions. In this episode I chat to her about all things sustainable (including finding a more exciting word for 'sustainable'!), hear about the projects that Pebble involved in, and about the personal sustainable(ish) steps that Georgina is taking.This episode is packed full of ideas and inspiration and Georgina talks very openly and honestly about the challenges she faces, and some of the things that she's changed, which will hopefully inspire you to think about the changes YOU can make too. […]

Welcome back to the Sustainable(ish) podcast and to Season 2!This season I've got some cracking guest lined up to inspire us all as well as some bite sized "5(ish) minute guides" where I'll try and to help you out with a sustainable(ish) problem in just 5(ish) minutes (the 'ish' is important here, as I'm discovering I'm not that good at not rambling and therefore keeping to time..!).For the first episode of this new season, we're tackling overwhelm - I've been hearing a lot from members of my new FB group (this one is aimed at beginners and those just dipping their toes into all things sustainable(ish) ) that they often feel overwhelmed by all the things they feel like they should be doing, and then end up doing none of them. And I totally get that sometimes too - I think we all do.So here's my 5(ish) minute guide to overcoming overwhelm when it comes to all things sustainable(ish): […]