Sustainable(ish)

This week I’m joined by Dan Tipney, a former airline pilot who co-founded Safe Landing, a community of aviation workers and enthusiasts, working together to figure out what it might look like to have a world where aviation flourishes, in harmony with nature.
This episode isn’t an episode in flight shaming anyone, and absolutely doesn’t have the intention of making anyone feel bad about the choices they’re making. We obviously talk about the impact of flying, because coming to terms with the cold hard facts around that is a key part of Dan’s story. But...

This week I’m joined by Dan Edelstyn, artist and documentary film maker whose latest film Power Station with his partner Hilary Powell, documents their attempts to turn the street where they live in Walthamstow in London, into a power station, by putting solar on the roofs of the houses.

USEFUL LINKS:

- (Free) membership community – including access to a How-to Guide

- Instagram

- Facebook

- You Tube

There are 60 million tonnes of e-waste generated every year globally – that's around the same as the weight of nearly 6,000 Eiffel Towers!

 And E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally, with the UK as the second biggest e-waste producer in the world.

Team Repair are on a mission to change that through education and repair kits to help us all feel a bit more confident having a go at mending our broken electronics.

Tune in to to hear from co-founder Anaïs Engelmann about some of the wider issues around e-waste, how Team Repa...

This weeks episode is a solo episode for me - a little bit about our holiday in Switzerland, which isn't really about our holiday in Switzerland. It's more about the logistics of a flight free holiday to Europe from somebody who finds organizing and travel arrangements really quite stressful!

USEFUL LINKS:

·       Episode 042 - Flight Free 2020 with Anna Hughes

·       Episode 139 - European Rail Adventures with Georgina Wilson-Powell

·       Episode 142 - Can a travel editor travel flight-free? With Helen Coffey

·       Zero Altitude by Helen Coffey

·       Byway

·       Man in Seat 61

·       Flight Free UK
...

Could secondhand fashion be a lever for positive change within the wider fashion industry? And what might that look like?

Join us as this weeks guest Gemma Metheringham shares her journey from Creative Director at Karen Millen, to PhD student exploring these big questions. Gemma shares her journey on her instagram account, @the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe, where she does a brilliant job of bringing people along with her, encouraging us all to ask more questions of our own choices, but also of the brands and businesses we're choosing to give our money to.

The idea of 'activism' can be off putting and perhaps a little daunting for many of us. If that's you, then do listen in to my chat with Charlotte Howell, one of the co-Directors of Parents for Future, a growing group of parents navigating the climate crisis together, campaigning on national and local issues to secure a safer, fairer world for children everywhere.
I’ve been following Charlotte for ages on social media, and I wanted to get her on the podcast to share more about Parents for Future and the work that they’re doing, because I thin...

This episode we’re doing a deep dive into Poo bags!
If you’re one of the 41% of households in the UK who own a pet dog, you will (hopefully) be familiar with poo bags, and may be getting through a fair few of them. (If you’re not a dog owner, please do keep listening – we have lots of chat about biodegradable and compostable plastic and what that means – honestly, I’ve made that sound super dull, but it’s actually really interesting!)  and it applies to all kinds of plastics  that are labelled as compostable eg coffee cups, pla...

Climate Change, sadly, has become increasingly polarised in the UK over the last couple of years. And MPs consistently underestimate public support for climate action – they read the same skewed media that we do, and the minority who oppose more ambitious, or indeed any, action, often have the loudest voices. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s really worth getting in touch with your MP, or how best to engage with them, this episode is a must listen.

Rebecca Willis is a Professor in Energy & Climate Governance at the University of Manchester, where she leads the Climate...

In this episode I'm chatting to Michelle Miles, founder of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance.
But don’t turn off if you’re not planning a wedding anytime soon, or you’ve been there done that and aren’t intending to do it again! All of the elements that go into a wedding, and it’s impact, are all things that we might want to think about if we’re planning any kind of event, whether that’s a party, or a works do. And there’s also top tips for what you can do as a guest, from travel to outfit...

90% of businesses in the UK are classes as SMEs, or small and medium businesses, having 205 employees or less. So chances are, you might work for one, or even run one.
Did you know that SME's account for around half of the total emissions for businesses? So making it easy, or easier for SMEs to get started with climate action, is a pretty big lever for reducing emissions.
But time and money are usually limiting factors, and this is where Gikis new Giki actions platform comes in.

You might remember today's guest, Jo Hand, as she's...

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, and we no longer talk about 'fast fashion' but 'ultra-fast fashion' with the rise of retailers like Shein and Temu churning out over 100billion items of clothing every year. Consumption has doubled since the year 2000, but many of us will relate to the feeling of having nothing to wear, whilst we simultaneously feel overwhelmed at the volume of clothes in our wardrobes and drawers.

Becky Barnes is a 'sustainable stylist' who embarked on 'styling' career with the ambition of helping women to feel good about themselves...

This episode is a rare solo episode, so no guest this week, and a shorter episode of me, chatting to myself... Let me know if you like it!
I'm reflecting on my experience of hosting a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing film in Warminster, where I live, and giving a bit of a 'how to' and some encouragement to anyone thinking about hosting their own screening.

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I'm chatting with Hugh Montgomery, intensive care doctor, and one of the expert speakers from the National Emergency Briefing on Climate and Nature.

We dig into climate science, climate and health, and the wonderful idea of 7 acts to save the world, told to seven people.

USEFUL LINKS

-              Expert Briefings

-              People’s Emergency Briefing film

-              Screening map

-              Warminster screening

-        ...

Today’s guest is Victoria Page, founder of Love Haslemere Hate Waste, a local group in Surrey who run Repair Cafes, and host a community fridge and a Library of Things.

Victoria has combined her professional comms expertise and her business experience, with a desire for local climate action, and created not just one, but three local projects that are not only reducing waste and emissions, and normalising reuse and repair, but are helping people to feel more connected to the place where they live and the people in their community.

The community resilience part of...

Britain is a nation of nature lovers, yet we live in one of the most depleted countries in Europe. The State of Nature report that came out in 2023 stated that 1 in 6 species in the UK are at risk of extinction.
These kinds of stats are staggering, and more than a little depressing. But this is something that we can all do something about, in our own gardens, or in communal green spaces.

In this weeks episode, I'm chatting to Sarah Skeels, who I first came across via her wonderful instagram account @frontgardens.forwildlife.

What...

Welcome to Episode 200!200 episodes feels a little bit mad! A LOT has happened: globally, in the sustainability space, and for Sustainable(ish).In this solo episode, I take a little trip down memory lane, share the Top 5 episodes by download numbers, and share your podcast ripples ie the things that you've gone and done, the changes you've made, after listening to an episode.

I'm going to be having a break for a couple of weeks, but in the meantime I will republish some of the episodes that are mentioned in this one, as having inspired action!

Did you know we have lots 97% of our species rich graslands in the UK since the 1930s? This has had a huge knock on impact to the rest of the food chain that are relaint on that habitat, things like our insect pollinators especially, but also our birds and mammals that were part of this ecosystem.The good news is that this is something most of us can do something about! If you have a garden, or have local green spaces, we can use them to recreate some of that lost speices rich grassland, and you don't need masses...

Pets can bring a huge amount of joy into our lives, but as with everything, they have an environmental impact, and in this episode we're going to dive into where that impact comes from and what we can do to reduce it.Now I'm very aware that 'sustainability' can sometimes look like being told that all of the things that you love doing, or having, are bad, and that to be truly 'sustainable' you have to stop doing all those things, and suck all the joy and happiness out of your life.That is absolutely not the case, and...

This is Part 2, or a 'double header' episode with the brilliant Sara Grimes from Bath and West Community Energy. Part 1 is all about community energy, and takes a bit of a dive into solar and heat pumps, as well as things like the governments's Warm Homes Plan (it's honestly more fun than it sounds if you haven't already listened to it!)And this is Part 2, where we talking about all things home retrofit, and looking at some of the less technical , perhaps more affordable options for making our homes more efficient, more comfortable, and cheaper to run.Enjoy! 

This week's episode is the first ever two parter!This was supposed to be an episode on home retrofit, and I'm chatting to SaraG Grimes from Bath and West Community Energy about some of the brilliant work that they're doing, and what people can do in their own homes.This first part is looking bigger picture and is quite a wide ranging chat! We cover community energy generally, as well as hearing about some of the specific projects that BWCE are working on; solar; heat pumps; the UK government's Warm Homes Plan; and support for renters amongst other things...

If you were to google 'how to be more sustainable' you would get a slew of posts sharing 'ten top things to do to cut your carbon footprint' or similar.Very few (if any) mention the huge potential influence that we can all have, by sharing the things that we're doing, talking to other people, voting etc etc.Which is why when I first came across a paper called 'Choices for climate action: a review of the multiple roles individuals play', and it included these very things, I was super excited, and promptly used it as a framework for...

If you were to google 'how to be more sustainable' you would get a slew of posts sharing 'ten top things to do to cut your carbon footprint' or similar.Very few (if any) mention the huge potential influence that we can all have, by sharing the things that we're doing, talking to other people, voting etc etc.

Which is why when I first came across a paper called 'Choices for climate action: a review of the multiple roles individuals play', and it included these very things, I was super excited, and promptly used it as a...

Football and sport don't perhaps at first glance seem like a natural 'in' for climate action. But did you know..?- Over 100,000 grassroots football matches are cancelled every year due to bad weather such as flooding- Over 80% of football fans want are concerned about climate change- 65% of football fans want their clubs to take more climate action It was such a joy to get the opportunity to chat to Katie Cross all about Pledgeball - an award winning sports sustainability charity who do an amazing job of empowering sports fans to take action for climate and nature, often framing...

To change the world, you've got to throw a better party than those destroying it". This is a quote from Louisa Ziane at Toast ale, and is one of my faves, and something I try and keep front of mind. 'Sustainability' has an image problem and is very often seem as something that is dull and dry and bleak, and for the keen greenies over there wearing lots of hemp, or for the lone Sustainability Manager at a company.It's not really something we'd bring up in conversation down the pub. Or is it..?Adam Bastock is the founder...

I can't wait for you to dive into this week's episode with Samantha Drury Shore who is the Chair of Sustainable Devizes, not too far from me in Wiltshire, and who has spear-headed their brilliant swap events that now run on a regular basis. Sam shares with us how they got started with their first event and shares her experiences of what works for these kind of events, and the nitty gritty of the logistics and organising. It's another wonderful example of, in the words of listener Tamasin, "perfectly normal people discovering they can change things". I found it...

Is AI bad for the planet?Should I feel guilty if I use ChatGPT?What is the carbon and water footprint of an AI search?These were some of the questions I was looking for answers for when I posted on Linked In a while back. I got a lot of great replies, and it turns out there's a LOT of information out there. But oh my goodness it's confusing!In this episode I'm chatting to Tam Hussey, who has a background in digital strategy and now runs her own strategic consultancy, Halo By Design, utilising behaviour change principles...

I think we're all pretty familiar with the term carbon footprint, but there's a new kid on the block when it comes to talking about the full impact of the actions that we take when you come together. Isabelle Sparrow is Head of Comms, and the podcast host, at Carbon Copy - a platform that champions collective action, and the power it has to help turn our individual concern about the climate into a collective impact. In this episode we chat about what collective action is, how you can join in if you're not someone who likes joining in...

Today we are diving into all things plastic, and specifically counting plastic with Daniel Webb, founder of Everyday Plastic and the drive behind The Big Plastic Count. Longer term listeners might have noticed that I am mildy obsessed with people's back stories and one of my first questions is always 'how did you get here'. I'm genuinely fascinated to hear the journey that people go on to get to the point they're at, and Dan has the most amazing back story..! And it's not just Dan's back story that is super interesting, there's loads of stats and facts in...

Could you really explain climate change to your kids, or to your nana if you needed to?By and large, I think the vast majority of people are aware of climate change, understand that it means the planet is warming and that it's bad, but if pushed for detail beyond that, we might struggle. Climate Fresk is an interactive card based workshop that invites participants to uncover the science of climate change and it's impacts, by working together, and then holds a space to unpack some of the emotions that might come with this new understanding, and then moving...

Money makes the world go around, or so the saying goes. But did you know that YOUR money, might be making fossil fuel companies go round (aka fund them!), without you knowing?Do you want a few bonkers stats?- The “Big 5” UK high-street banks – Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds andNatWest – have financed the fossil fuel industry with more than $556 billion between 2016 and 2023 (1)- In 2023 alone, they provided $55 billion to fossil fuel companies (1).- For every £10 you put into your pension, £2 is invested in deforestation (2).In today’s episode I’m chatting to Lisa Stanley-Mann, from Good with Money. We dive into all...

In this episode, I'm chatting to Charlotte Mason-Curl, who is the founder of No Crap Parties and the Kids Party Pact campaign. Charlotte has a background in marketing and comms, and not only does this help to explain how she's done such a bloody great job with getting her message out there, also means she's written herself a really good bio. I had to write myself a bio when The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide was published, and I found it really cringe-inducingly difficult, but Charlotte's done a fab job, so I'm just going to copy and paste her words...

In this episode, I'm chatting to Nick Oldridge, founder of Climate Science Breakthrough, and co-founder of the National Emergency Briefing. What Nick has done with both of those projects, as you will here, is incredible, but I'm also really fascinated in his back story and his journey to where he is now (side note, really think I need to do an episode on insurance as a lever for climate action!).I ummed and ahhed about whether to publish this episode so early in the re-launch, as (spoiler alert) some of it is pretty bleak, almost right out of the...

Well this is exciting isn’t it? As it turns out I was wise to say never say never when I said back in April 24 that that was probably the last ever Sustsainable(ish) podcast episode, because I’m back! And in this first episode back after a looong old break, I’m answering a pretty fundamental question… is it all just bollocks?Does individual action really matter, or is it, in the words of Green party leader Zack Polanski in a 2025 interview just bollocks.Tune in to hear my thoughts, as well as my explanation for where I've been and...

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 genu...

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...

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, ma...

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...

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...

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...

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 o...