Sustainable(ish)

While we're all hopefully pretty on top of using our own water bottles now, the next step if you're looking to increase your refill repertoire (do you like that?!) is to check out your local refill shop for all kinds of things from washing up liquid and shampoo, through to pasta and chocolate covered raisins (one of my faves).Which sounds easy peasy - we're all grown ups right?But I think for lots of us it can feel pretty scary - I know I had a degree of anxiety my 'first time'.- What if I haven't got the right sized pots?- Can I take plastic pots into a plastic-free shop?- What if I spill anything?- What if it's really quiet and the owner is watching me and it's all really awkward?- What if I get to the till and I've inadvertently spent £48.76 when my budget was £20?Please know if you're feeling nervous about visiting a refill shop, you're not alone!So I thought it might be helpful to share some top tips in this episode of the podcast.Do let me know if it's helpful and if it's helped you to pluck up the courage to make a visit. And if you've got any of your own top tips to add!Enjoy! LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Plastic Free July[107] - Busting some big plastic-free living myths (podcast)Map of Zero Waste Shops (not 100% complete, but might give you an idea!)The Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club - come and join us for a month of plastic-free(ish) action in July! DO...Ask around locally or have a search online to find out where your nearest zero waste shop isPick one or two things that you'd like to try first - washing up liquid is a great one and you can simply take along your old (rinsed out) bottleTake a deep breath and go for it! Are you an old hand at shopping in zero waste stores?Or have you yet to 'pop your cherry'..?!Do share any of your own top tips 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 […]

In this episode I’m chatting to Jo Royle, founder and CEO of Common Seas – an organisation on a mission to quickly and significantly reduce the amount of plastic produced and stop it polluting our rivers and seas. As a former sailor Jo was very aware of the issues that plastic is causing to our marine environments, and is the world record holder for the longest voyage made out of a boat made from plastic bottles!As well as being an advocate of personal changes, she’s also focussed on the big system and policy changes we need to see to make it easier for all of us to use less single use plastic, and it's hugely inspiring to hear about the projects that Common Seas are running.Enjoy. LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Common Seas- Website- Instagram- Twitter- Healthy Me Healthy Sea- Ocean Plastics AcademyThe PlastikiJo's TEDx talkThe Story of PlasticThe UK's Plastic PactThe Ellen McArthur FoundationCould you be eating a credit card of plastic every week?Microplastic monitoring in BBC One's War on PlasticRe-RootedThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club - come and join us for a month of plastic-free(ish) action in July! DO...Have a look in your bin and pick ONE thing you might be able to change for a plastic-free(ISH) versionContact your local supermarket and ask what their plans are for introducing refill optionsContact your local supermarket to ask them if they will sign up as a collection point for flexible plasticFollow Common Seas on Instagram How are you feeling about all things plastic pollution?Has Jo inspired you to take some small steps and to make your voice heard? AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times […]

Plastic free July is a campaign that started in Australia as small, local campaign – the brain child of Rebecca Prince-Ruiz.  Now in it’s 10th year it is a truly global and hugely impactful campaign, - in July 2020 over 300 million people took part in the challenge from over 170 different countries.  If this doesn’t demonstrate the power of just one person wanting to make a difference, I'm not sure what does.I wanted to do a little solo episode to kick of Plastic Free July, and was trying to think about what I could do – simply listing off a list of swaps might be vaguely helpful but probably isn’t the most exciting listen.So what I’m going to do instead is to bust a few of the myths that I think exist around this term plastic-free, in case you’re like me and find it a little off-putting and daunting and like you’re never going to be plastic-free so it all feels a bit pointless even trying.Enjoy! LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Plastic Free July- Website- Facebook- Instagram- Twitter- You TubeThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club - come and join us for a month of plastic-free(ish) action in July! DO...Pick ONE single use plastic item that making a regular appearance in your bin, and see what reusable/refillable/recyclable options there are Are you joining in with Plastic-free July?What ONE change will you make this month?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 […]

I’m still having to pinch myself a little but I got to spend an hour hanging out and having a chinwag with a past winer of the Great British Bake Off! I met Nancy Birtwhistle, the 2014 winner of my very favourite TV show, virtually, for an event we did together for Glasgow's Aye Write Festival earlier on this year. Nancy has got a book out called Clean and Green, and we were paired up for a talk on Eco Tips for your Home and Family.I wanted to chat more to Nancy about her book, and about all things 'green cleaning' so I pulled on my big girl pants and plucked up the courage to send her an e-mail after the event inviting her on the podcast.To my surprise and delight, she said yes!Now I’m very much not one of life’s clean freaks. I find cleaning thoroughly soul destroying and perhaps because of my lacklustre approach to it, my attempts at home made cleaning products have never been resounding successes. But Nancy’s approach is really refreshing, and even I have been tempted to have another go, and I was more than a little over-excited to whup up a batch of Nancy’s toilet magic at the weekend and have been delightedly spraying it willy nilly around our looks all this week. It was super easy and seems to be coping with my kids spraying something else willy nilly around our loos well.I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed recording it – do let me know if you’re tempted to have a go at some homemade cleaning products, or if you’re now going to make the switch to an eco version of one your usual products!As ever, please do leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts – it helps it to climb the charts and more importantly boosts my poor fragile ego no end….Enjoy! LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Nancy Birtwhistle- Website- Instagram- Twitter- You TubeWilton reusable piping bags!A beginners guide to reusable baby wipes (blog post)Peace with the WildBig Green SmileDri-Pak liquid soap The Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club - come and join us for a month of plastic-free(ish) action in July! DO...Swap out one regular product for an eco-friendly version and see how you get on! Have you ever tried making your own cleaning products?How did it go?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 […]

We all often have the very best intentions – whether it’s getting fitter, losing weight, saving money, or being a bit greener. We have all the good intentions, but they don’t always translate into action.There’s often a gap, or a mis-match, between our intentions and our actions.We might watch the latest David Attenborough and be brimming over with motivation and determination to do our bit, but then we get up the next morning and life happens, and nothing changes.Or we see a load of litter at our local park and tut loudly in true British style and vow to get a litter picker and come back to sort it out. But then you get home and the kids are hot and tired and don’t want to go out again. And actually, now you mention it, you’re hot and tired and don’t want to go out again, and the washing needs hanging out and no one has even thought about what’s for tea, so nothing happens.Or you decide that yes, you really will finally pluck up the courage to visit your local refill shop, but then you’re just not sure how it all works, and if it’s ok to take your tatty Tupperware to a plastic-free shop, so you don’t go.I hear you. I’m there with you. I can procrastinate with the best of them, and have the attention span of a distracted gnat, meaning I often forget what 5 minutes ago I was so passionate about changing.That’s ok. And please rest assured that this isn’t about turning every intention into instantaneous, effective and impactful action, this is just about narrowing the gap. Making it easier for action to happen, and giving ourselves the best chances of funnelling some of our brilliant intentions into imperfect action.Listen in to this solo episode from me, sharing some ideas and tips to help you narrow that gap.Enjoy! LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Where Does it Come From PodcastThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club DO...Spend a few minutes thinking about your values, the things that are important to you, and the world you want for your kids and grandkids. And then look for mis-matches between what you want and where your actions are leading. Pick ONE thing to change, and do it! Do you like these solo episodes?Let me know! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times […]

Trees.We all love them right?But how much difference can they actually make? Are we all just being conned into feeling like everything will be ok if we just plant a few more trees? And how do we as individuals and families living in your average 3 bed semi plant enough trees to make a difference?Come and listen in to my chat with the awe inspiring Amanda Bronkhurst from Just One Tree to answer all of these questions and more.Hear about:How Amanda went from TV ad producer to all round eco hero and tree planter extraordinaire, with a toddler in towAmanda's 'ecopiphany' - the point at which she realised she had to do something to help fight the climate crisisHow Just One Tree came about and what it doesLoads of info about the amazing-ness (technical term) of trees and how they can help them planetThe impact of 'Just One Tree' in just two years...!How we can get involved, including all the info about #JustOneTreeDay for schools in October (I've told Amanda I reckon we can get 500 schools signed up - will you help us out and invite your local school..?!)I LOVE hearing people's stories - how they got started, and how perfectly ordinary people make extraordinary things happen. Amanda is such an inspiration for anyone who ever worries that as 'just one person' they can't make a difference.Grab a cuppa, pop in your ear pods, and listen in to a life-affirming and uplifting chat that is guaranteed to make you feel better about the world - Enjoy!PS. Super excited to announce that The Knackered Mums Eco Club has hooked up with Just One Tree, so that a tree is funded for every monthly subscriber for each month they're a member - we're up to 123 trees so far! LISTEN... CHECK OUT...Just One Tree- Website- Facebook- Instagram- Twitter- Linked In- Plant a tree!- Just One Tree Day for schools - I've just e-mailed our headmaster with all the info!- Just One Tree for businessesThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club DO...E-mail your kids school or the school in your town to see if they're up for joining in with #JustOneTreeDay in October. All the info you need is here, and there's even a template letter to send the Headteacher here. Will you be signing up your business or school to help reforest the planet?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 […]

In the Knackered Mums Eco Clubhouse, lovely Julia recently posted this:"Just wondering how you all cope with not doing it all and not all at once. I get so overwhelmed with the differing things I could be doing it seems like nothing actually gets done."Oh wow. I can relate to this - can you?I'm super aware of just how overwhelming it is to think about the climate crisis, and I think it's something that maybe stops lots of us getting started and taking action.And then when we do start, when we open the can of worms, we can often wish we hadn't as it can very quickly feel even MORE overwhelming!So many things to think about that we hadn't really considered before, so many different opinions and options, so many things we apparently 'should' be doing.The climate crisis IS overwhelming.It's the biggest issue facing us as a humanity.The choices we make today will impact the earth and it's inhabitants for generations to come.And we're running out of time.No pressure then...Here are my top tips for dealing with (climate) overwhelm...Enjoy!Useful linksThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubHow do you deal with overwhelm and that feeling of wanting/needing to do All The Things All At Once?Let me know! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times […]

Today we're talking palm oil...The viral banned (too political apparently!) Iceland advert of Christmas 2018 highlighting the impact of palm oil on rainforests and the wildlife that live there really thrust palm oil into the spotlight, and I think we’re all aware now of the issue, but knowing what’s the best thing to do is another kettle of fish entirely. Should we be trying to avoid it? Or look for sustainably sourced palm oil? Or is there no such thing? Can we trust the certifications? It’s a minefield and one that quite often makes me want to hide under the duvet with a bar of palm oil free chocolate although I would just worry that that wasn’t the right type of chocolate to choose.Luckily today I got a belter of an episode, with Cat Barton and Faye Sherlock from Chester Zoo. Naively it never really occurred to me that zoos would have people working at them other than the staff on the ground at the zoo, so it was fab to hear about Cat’s role as a Field Conservation Manager working with communities in Sumatra and Borneo around palm oil, and Faye's job at  the Sustainable Cities Project Officer.It’s safe to say that they’re both pretty clued up about the impact of palm oil on rainforest regions, and then importantly, what we can do as individuals and communities at home to help.I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. Has it changed your mind about how you approach palm oil? Are you inspired to look into becoming a sustainable community, workplace or school?Let me know in the comments!Enjoy! Useful linksChester Zoo- Palm Oil info page- Sustainable palm oil communities- Sustainable palm oil shopping list- Wildlife Connections campaignRSPO certification schemeEthical Consumer - palm oil labellingEthical Consumer - info on RSPO certificationGiki badges - app that allows you to scan barcodes on products to see what ethical criteria they meetThe Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco Club Did you learn anything new about palm oil? Has it changed your thoughts/how you might approach the issue?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 […]

I talk a LOT about the changes we can make as individuals and the power that we have to create real, meaningful change. I talk about the power of our choices, and the power of our voices. But during a recent chat with a brilliant lady called Sandra Sydow from Climate Pitch, she talked about the four areas where we have power and I LOVED this! So much so that I asked if she'd mind me sharing it, and luckily she said yes!Listen in to here about the power we have as:consumerscitizensinfluencerschange agentsHave a listen - I hope it leaves you feeling as energised and inspired and motivated as it did me! Let me know in the comments.Enjoy!Useful linksClimate PitchBig Clean Switch (affiliate link)The Sustainable(ish) FB groupThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubWhat do you reckon?Do you love this as much as me?!Let me know! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times […]

Episode 100!How did that happen?I’m the least planny ahead planning type person, so it only occurred to me to start thinking about what to do for this episode a week or so ago. Short of having Greta or Sir David Attenborough on, I was short on ideas for what I could do to mark the occasion. So I asked the audience. Or more specifically, my audience, you guys, on social media.And you all said that you wanted to hear from me. Actually, that’s a lie, several people did indeed suggest Greta and Sir David, along with Chris Packham and a few others, but given the timeframe and my lack of celebrity contacts, I went with the next most popular suggestion which was to hear from. Which feels pretty excruciating if I’m honest.So I asked for questions that you wanted to ask, and then decided that rather than listen to me drone on asking myself questions and then answering them, it might be more interesting if we had a couple of guest presenters.Enter Kate (who runs The Full Freezer - check out our podcast chat here) and Laura (who blogs at Eco'ish Laura), recruited from the Knackered Mums Eco Club, who gamely jumped on Zoom and did a brilliant job of sifting through the questions and asking them.I find the concept of an episode all about me toe curlingly awful, so I really hope that this is interesting for you guys to listen to – do let me know, and let me know what other questions, if any, you’ve got for me and I can save them up for the 200th episode!A massive thank you to each and every one of you, for tuning in , for sharing the podcast, for rating and reviewing it, and most of all for listening and getting in touch to share the actions that you’ve been inspired to take after listening – it really does make it all worthwhile. I’m taking a short break now over Easter, but will be back in a few weeks time to make a start on a whole new centenary of episodes.Here's the questions:How did the first book come about?What do you find hardest about living sustainably and how do you tackle it?What keeps you going?How do you deal with any criticism around the 'ish' not being enough?What do I think about the ripples I create, and what's the biggest one?When did you know that The Knackered Mums Eco Club was a 'thing'?How do you feel about reaching 100 podcast episodes?What are your top tips for speaking to others and getting them engaged?What are my favourite 'non-individual' projects I've seen?What do my kids think of my job?Who do I want to talk in the next 100 episodes and if money and footprint were no object who would I want to have on?What is your biggest 'ish'?Useful linksThe Knackered Mums Eco ClubThe Sustainable(ish) Living GuideThe Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green ParentingMy Make Do and Mend Year ( our year buying nothing new)The Climate PitchParents for a FutureMe on the Motherkind podcast with Zoe BlaskeySustainable(ish) Online Festival[082] - Secret Superheroes - a cup of tea with the Knackered MumsMe on the Sustainababble podcastPodcast with Ric Casale from Carbon CopyCommunity FridgesFrome Share ShopThe Library of ThingsRepair CafesThe Party Kit NetworkStacey Dooley's Fashions Dirty SecretsJools Oliver on the Wear 'em Out podcast10 things I do that make me a rubbish environmentalistGah! Was that as toe-curling for you as it was for me?What other questions have you got?Let me know! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN ALL GOOD BOOK SHOPS NOW! "Easily the most family friendly way to do your bit"The Sunday Times […]