Book of Leaves
An Irish podcast where I interview business owners, activists and other everyday people, to learn how they contribute to living sustainably. By educating ourselves, we can then take a leaf from their book to add to our own way of eco-friendly living! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Using Data to Protect Whales & Dolphins - Simon, IWDG
Simon Berrow is the CEO and founder of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. This charity does phenomenal work researching the abundant marine life we have in our coastal waters. Make sure to get involved with them in any capacity you can, and stay up to date with them on Instagram @theirishwhaleanddolphingroup.
Click here for the sample letter & TD email addresses - email BEFORE JULY 8TH 2026!
Tickets to Golidlocks and the 3 Planets
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A Career Change for the Better - Lorna Anne, Our Earthy Collective
Lorna Anne is an activist, environmentalist and fellow vegan. The projects she set up along her journey of activism like @earthy_cailini made her a brilliant business networker, and now she's co-founded an online resource called Our Earthy Collective. Everything she does is rooted in preserving the precious life we have on Earth by reconnecting with the land and each other. Stay up to date with her new venture on Instagram @ourearthycollective.ie.
Compassionately Clearing Out Homes - Anne, Kindred Sorting
Anne Fennell recently set up a new business called Kindred Sorting, where she specialises in compassionately clearing out the homes of loved ones who passed away, and making sure as many items as possible find a new loving home. She also helps with regular organising and clearing out spaces, and here she shares loads of tips if you're hoping to do the same. Check out her website www.kindredsorting.ie or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @kindredsorting.
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Growing & Selling Organic Veg - Billy Jo, Leagh Farms
Along the Wild Atlantic Way, nestled in the Kerry countryside, Billy Jo works year round growing organic vegetables on her small patch of land. Leagh Farms is 100% certified organic which I learned in this chat is no easy accomplishment! Make sure to support your local veg and fruit growers in supermarkets and at farmers' markets, and you can stay up to date with Billy Jo's farm directly on Instagram @leagh_farm.
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Hunting, Funding, & Perception Changes to Help Wildlife Rescue - Pearse Stokes
Welcome back to Book of Leaves! I'm kicking off season 7 and episode 136 with renowned wildlife rescuer Pearse Stokes. He volunteers with Kildare Wildlife Rescue who I've had on the podcast before - I recommend going back to give that one a listen too to find out more about how the charity works! In this chat we delve deeper into systemic and social changes that need to happen to strengthen wildlife populations. You can follow Pearse on Instagram @pearse_stokes and KWR @kildarewildliferescue. You can also keep an eye on ticket sales for their 2026 conference here.
As...
Keeping Packaging in Circulation - Green Bubble
Peter Gregory is the founder of Green Bubble, a business that saves bubble wrap and other packaging waste from going straight to the bin after use. He's now branched out other forms of waste like cardboard boxes. We generate so much waste, the work he does can't be appreciated enough! Check out his website www.green-bubble.ie or stay up to date with him on LinkedIn or Instagram @greenbubble.ie.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my...
Alternatives to Animal Testing, & A Vegan Christmas - Suzanne Martin
Suzanne Martin is an animal rights activist and vegan who set up SAFRI, a group campaigning to end animal testing in Ireland. She is also a member of NARA so we decided to have a chat about their recent pig and turkey farm investigations and share some tips on having a vegan christmas. You can stay up to date with them on Instagram via @safrireland. And DON'T FORGET to get in touch with your TDs and ask them to support the bill to ban fox hunting!
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Healing from Colonialism via Food & Culture - Rupa Marya
Rupa Marya is a physician, musician and writer. Her work mainly centres around food as medicine and doing away with colonial captilalist practices in favour of community. She was recently fired for speaking up against the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and thus found herself moving to Ireland where she is doing phenomenal work. We are very lucky to have her!
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Natural Dyes & Local Textiles - Malú Colorín
Malú Colorín is an artist and facilitator, specializing in natural dyeing and textiles through her business Talú. She also works for Fibreshed Ireland who are trying to re-localise the textile industry in Ireland, supporting wool, flax and hemp farmers. She organises brilliant workshops and events - you can stay up to date with her on Instagram via @talu.earth or @malu_colorin.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon / Buy Me A Cof...
Eco-Periods: Less Shame, Waste, & Chemicals - Abi O'Callaghan Platt
Abi O'Callaghan Platt is a campaign manager and environmental researcher at VOICE Ireland. Although VOICE has loads of great initiatives on reducing waste of all kind and encouraging more thoughtful use of resources, in this chat we focus on just one of their projects, MENSY. MENSY aims to train youth leaders to empower young people with knowledge around periods and menstrutaion. In a previous episode (#34 with Augustina), we delved deep into eco alternatives for disposable period products so in this episode, we chat about the poverty and heath side of things too. If you're a youth leader of any...
Mini Ponds for a Major Difference - Gobnait Ní Néill
Gobnait Ní Néill is another legend in the community activism space. Her initiative, The Grassroots Guild, is one that empowers people to take impactful actions for biodiversity. She specialises in mini-ponds and her workshops on how to make them are just so much fun! You can stay up to date with her on Instagram @thegrassrootsguild or Facebook.
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A Bit About Bats - Niamh Roche, Bat Conservation Ireland
Niamh Roche works for Bat Conservation Ireland so naturally, we delved into the 9 species of bats that call Ireland home. These winged neighbours of ours are so important for our ecosystem, but also for our sanity as they consume thousands of midges and mosquitos per night! Check out the conservation's website for loads of resources on helping bats, or stay up to date with them in Instagram @batconservationireland.
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Bringing People Together - Tom Popple, Climate Cocktail Club
Tom Popple is the founder of the independent advisory comapny for nature and climate - Be Impactful. He also volunteers his time organising frequent Climate Cocktail Clubs and the upcoming Climate Cocktail Carnival! Stay up to date with them on instagram at @climatecocktailclub.
[02:30] Tom introduces himself and his love of geography!
[06:30] How Be Impactful works and the benefit of looking at bigger picture impact
[13:00] Advice for people to convince colleagues/bosses to take positive action
[15:10] How the Climate Cocktail Club started and what it’s about
[22:15] The birt...
Building Practices That Heal - Rachel Loughrey
Rachel Loughrey is a fellow climate activist (and friend!) and founder of Architects Climate Action Network / ACAN. She also shares some of her journey as an ecological architect on the Instagram account @eco_hun_. You can reach out to her on rachel.loughrey@gmail.com with all your cuilding queries too!
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon / Buy Me A Coffee X x
[03:00] An introduction from Rachel
...Bus Connects, Metrolink, & Dereliction with Green Party Cllr Feljin Jose
Feljin Jose is a Councillor for Phibsborough, Glasnevin, Drumcondra, Cabra & Ashtown in Dublin and a member of the Green Party. He has a special interest in all things public transport but is also passionate about tackling the housing crisis. Stay up to date with him on Instagram @feljin_jose or LinkedIn.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon / Buy Me A Coffee X x
[02:25] Feljin introduces himself and his jo...
Reconnecting to our Indigenous Land & Language - Eoghan, Gaelic Woodland Project
Eoghan Connaughton is the founder of The Gaelic Woodland Project, a people-powered wildlife restoration project. They're not only focused on fundraising to buy land to return to wilderness in perpetuity, they truly value community and skill sharing and getting in touch with our land again. It really is a brilliant initiative and you can find ways to support them here or follow them on Instagram @gaelicwoodlandproject.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon...
Skincare That's Kind For The Planet - Nicola, Nunaia
Nicola Connolly is the founder of Nunaia, an eco skincare brand that's made from plants grown by families in Equador. She's thought about the impact of the brand at every stage,I truly loved this chat! Follow Nunaia on Instagram @nunaiabeauty or Facebook
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon / Buy Me A Coffee X x
[03:30] An introduction from Nicola and how she switched up the corporate life for a...
Restoring Oyster Habitat & Improving Water Quality in Ireland - David Lawlor
David Lawlor is an entrepeuner who has found the perfect way to incorporate his busniess with his love of the sea. He and his wife Marguerite run Green Ocean Coffiee which helps to fund the Green Ocean Foundation, an initiative utilising the wonders of oysters to restore our Irish waters. Keep an eye on their website for upcoming updates, or follow them on Instagram @greenoceancoffeeireland.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find my depop profile @cearadc! Patreon / Buy...
Making Sure Your Pension is an Ethical One - Ciaran Hughes
Ciarán Hughes is the CEO of Ethico, Ireland's only ethical finance advising company. Irish pensions are worth billions of euro, a chunk of which is used to invest in fossil fuels and other unethical businesses like weapons etc. We have the power as pension customers to move our pensions away from negative investments to positive ones, and as you'll learn in the episode, there's often no difference in the return!
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend. Find m...
Fighting to Save Lough Neagh - Hannah Gallagher
Hannah Gallagher is one volunteer behind the Save Lough Neagh campaign. Lough Neagh is the largest body of water in Ireland and provides drinking water for 40% of the population in Northern Ireland, yet it is being decimated by pollution for a multitude of reasons. But awareness of this has been steadily growing thanks to efforts from collaborating volunteer groups in NI. They could always use more support though so please do check them out! You can follow them on socials @saveloughneagh and don't forget to sign their petition to get Moy Park dropped as a sponsor of the Belfast...
Switching to Refurbished Gadgets & Making Them Last - Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a tech specialist who often frequents morning TV shows giving gadget advice, but I found him when I went into his shop Back From The Future in need of a refurbished laptop. The advice he had on keeping my laptop in good condition made me think he'd be a good guest on the podcast! You can pop into one of his shops in Dublin, check out his website, or stay up to date with him on Instagram @gadgetguycolin.
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Sustainability Training in All Workplaces - Niall Collins
Niall Collins is the CEO of the Institue of Sustainability Studies, a centre that provides self-paced courses for staff on all aspects of being green to from waste to energy to being more circular. Whether you're in management, working on the floor or thinking of starting a business of your own, there's courses they have than can empower you to make changes where you work. Check out their website at www.instituteofsustainabilitystudies.com or follow them on socials.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Blue Sky or Facebook, leave us a...
Using Creativity to Nourish AND Protest - Sadhbh O'Sullivan
Sadhbh O'Sullivan, or better known by her stage name Sive, is a musician, singer, writer and activist. Her work has a lot of environmentalism and social justice woven through it, not just in the songs she writes, but the workshops she hosts. Since Octover 2023 she has become and avid activist for the P@l3stine cause as well. I hope you enjoy listening to the episode. It was less of an interview and more of a good chat with a new friend. Stay up to date with her on Instagram @sive_music and the work of Pals For Palestine...
In Death: Caring for the Planet with Eco Burials - Colin McAteer
I think there's no better way to end season 6, before I hibernate for 3 months, than with an interview all about caring for the planet in death. The Western way of grandiose everything has seeped into our burial habits and our bodies no longer go back to the soil as they should. Colin McAteer is the owner of greencoffins.ie and Woodbrook Natural Burial Ground in Wexford. There's no better person to talk to us about this topic! Stay up to date with them on Facebook or Instagram @woodbrook_natural_burial.
As always, don't forget to follow...
Circular Habits for Stage & Screen Costumes - Alice Bassie
Alice Bassie is the co-founder of Circular Costume Ireland, a not-for-profit organisation that's working to tackle the stream of waste created by the costume department on film sets. Stay up to date with them on Instagram @circularcostumeireland and keep an eye on their website for second hand stock that they're selling!
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[03:40] Alice introduces herself
[07:40] Why CCI was...
Grassroots Campaigning with Artist & Activist Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is an eco-socialist, a community activist and a musician. While I met him through climate protests, he has also been a campaigner on housing, workers' rights, Palestine solidarity, and anti-racism. He's running in this General Election for People Before Profit in Dublin Central. You can stay up to date on his activism via Instagram @eoghanoceannabhain.
General Election Quiz (Irish Independent)
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The Magic of Lending - Giorgia, The Toy Library
Giorgia Anile is the founder of The Toy Library, a wonderful peer to peer lending platform that not only saves on resources needed for new toys, but creates a sense of value in the sharing community for all ages. Keep an eye for in person swap events as well via their website or socials: Instagram @thetoylibraryireland or Facebook.
Their next in-person swap event is Sunday the 8th of December which you can get tickets for here.
[03:25] An intro from Giorgia and her journey from corporate work
[12:45] How The Toy Library came about<...
Repurposing Old Mattress Materials - Keith, Bounce Back Recycling
Keith McDonagh is a member of the Galway Traveller Movement and manager of the social enterprise Bounce Back Recycling which specialises in recycling old mattress. They send the various materials to businesses in Ireland who repurpose them. It's a wonderful initiative that not only diverts thousands of waste from landfill each year, but provides members of the Travelling community with employment opportunities. Stay up to date with their venture on Facebook or Instagram @bouncebackrecycling.
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Wearing Quality (and colourful!) Clothes - Virtue, Emerald and Wax
Virtue is the maker behind sustainable fashion brand Emerald and Wax. She is passionate about creating quality clothes that can become heirloom pieces, while also incorporating the colourful designs from her home country of Ghana. Keep an eye on her socials for upcoming markets via Instagram @emeraldandwax or Facebook.
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[02:45] Virtue’s experience of the fast fashion exports to...
Saving the Barn Owls of Ireland - John Carrig
John Carrig is one of the many volunteers behind The Barn Owl project. He's been vital in spreading awareness of what people can do to help the red-listed species, and we delve into all of that here. You can donate, volunteer, and/or sign their petition on rodenticide to help the cause. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter/X or Instagram @barnowlprojectireland.
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<...Being Circular with The Rediscovery Centre - Arran Murphy
Arran Murphy is a fashion designer who channels her skills into empowering people to have a circular mindset with their clothes, through her work at the Rediscovery Centre. The Rediscovery Centre is an AMAZING example of how circular living is fun, beautiful, functional, and not to mention how great it is for the planet and community in every way. I implore you to visit the centre (and book a tour!) if you haven’t yet. The Instagram accounts you can follow are @rediscoverctr and @relovefashion. If you're a young person, you can register your interest in the Relove Fashion co...
Being a Global Citizen, & Utilising Art - Shauna Harris
Shauna Harris is an actor, poet, and global citizen education officer. She also has a keen interest in researching Black studies and having an intersectional approach to her activism, especially towards people who have been racialised. You can stay up to date with all her life bits on Instagram @shaunaxrose
She has two upcoming shows you can catch her in as well; Monsters (8-15 Sep) & Blanchardstown Resonance II (20 Sep)
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<...Reducing Waste to Flourish in Planet & Health - Merschon Hudson
Merschon and Craig own the beautiful reduced waste store that is Flourish Minimal Waste Grocery. Have a listen to hear how they came to be small business owners and tips they have for people trying to reduce waste or improve their health. Their website is www.minimalwastegrocery.com and you can stay up to date with them on Instagram @minimalwastegrocery or Facebook.
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<...
Ecological Corridors, the Future of Crisps, & more - Kaethe, Bí Urban
Welcome to the first live podcast recording of Book of Leaves! When I asked around as to who a good guest would be to interview as part of the Stoneybatter Festival, Kaethe's name kept coming up, and rightly so! She has been integral in community building and waste reducing in the wonder that is Stoneybatter in Dublin 7. You can stay up to date with her via @kaetheburtodea or @bi_urban_desireland on Instagram. Make sure to check out www.biurban.ie as well!
The Climate Camp I mentioned takes part from August 7th to 11th.
<...Gender Inequality in Ireland & Its Link to Climate Change - Vanessa Conroy
Vanessa Conroy works for The National Women’s Council of Ireland in addition to being a member of Community Work Ireland and a lecturer in Maynooth. Today she'll be talking about the research Feminist Communities for Climate Justice has done into the intersection of climate action and gender inequality in Ireland. You can follow her on X @miss_Nessa_C.
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Supporting Fairtrade & Reconnecting with Nature - Aidan Ring
Aidan Ring is an artist and activist I’ve come to know through attending various climate action events together. He’s a great example of the multiple ways we can take part in making the world a better place. I've outlined below what we chat about, and you can follow him on Instagram @tornaido.fireperformer
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Patreon / Buy Me A CoffeeSharing Gardens and Making Music - Scott, Community Roots
Scott Bryan is the co-founder of the volunteer organisation Community Roots. He also works in graphic design and has a passion for music. We'll be chatting about all the ways in which he uses his skills and interests to make his society a better place. Visit communityroots.ie for more or follow them on Instagram @coroots_ie to stay up to donate. If you can donate to the cause, please do!
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend x
...Swapping Clothes & Grassroots Change - Mary, Change Clothes Crumlin
Change Clothes Crumlin (CCC) exploded on to the Dublin fashion scene in 2022. Set up by Mary & Oileán, they aim to make sure pre-loved clothing is affordable, fashionable and fun - while also empowering and educating the community on why it's important to rethink our fashion model. Check out their website for more or follow them on Instagram @changeclothescrumlin.
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Patreon / Buy Me A CoffeeChildren's Rights & Climate Justice - Aoibhínn from Plan International
Aoibhínn Nevin Ginnetty is currently an intern at Plan International Ireland which focuses on empowering children's rights across the globe, with a focus on gender equality. Have a listen as she shares her journey into politics and activism, and shares tips for encouraging other young people to get involved with environmental and societal action. Stay up to date with her campaign on Instagram via @sustainablysmart.plan or her personal account @aoibhwave.
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Using Feasts & Festivals to Build Community - Sam Bishop
Sam Bishop is the CEO of Neighbourhood Network which runs the wonderful Street Feast event due to take place this 25th & 26th of May. We’ll delve into the importance of bringing communities together in public spaces and how that helps create a climate just future. There are so many great initiatives to follow on socials but you can find them all via Neighbourhood Network's website or via their Instagram @neighbourhoodnetworkirl or @streetfeast.
As always, don't forget to follow Book of Leaves on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, leave us a review, and share with a friend x<...
