Confessions of an Ecoworrier

Embracing technology, in the face of the pandemic, Becky and Mac video call their way through a lockdown chat. COVID-19 has obviously brought radical changes to our daily lives but what does this mean for climate action? What are our hopes for 'normal' life, whenever that resumes? A lack of travel, lower consumption, less waste, fresh air to breathe, and a renewed sense of what matters, it feels impossible that life will ever return to normal, and research indicates the vast majority of people in the UK don't want it to. Recorded on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we reflect on our changing perspectives and making the best of bad situations. P.s. Free Deidre Rashid!  Links: Earth Day 2020: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/ First Person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061082 What can we learn from COVID-19 to help with climate change? https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/03/26/covid-19-lessons-climate-change/ How COVID-19 might help us win the fight against climate change https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/covid-19-climate-change COVID-19 and the nature trade off paradigm https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/covid-19-and-nature-trade-paradigm Fake animal news https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2020/03/fake-animal-news-abounds-social-media-coronavirus-upends-life More fake animal news https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2020/04/here-we-go-again-hopeful-fake-animal-news-keeps-spreading-amid-pandemic

Love is in the air this weekend and so are greenhouse gasses. What is Climate Change and what is all this fuss about it being an emergency or crisis? Remember the carbon cycle and greenhouse gases from your science lessons at school? Turns out they are super important. In this month's episode, Mac helps us understand some of the big facts behind our changing climate and the large scale, potentially irreversible damage it is having on our planet.  Not sure this episode is for you? Well guess again because who wouldn't want to hear more about ancient bubbles, cow farts and hockey sticks. 

You've had your fill of turkey and Bailey's, it's a New Year, January sales line the high street and you are ready to shop. But wait a second, the fast fashion industry is one of the most damaging industries to our planet as we buy more and keep less. In this month's episode we ask do you really need that animal print sequin crop top that you wouldn't have looked at twice when it was full price? Whether you think of yourself as fashionable or not - our clothes speak volumes. How many clothes we own, what they are made from, who made them, how we dispose of them, and how we wash and care for them all impact the environment in various ways. Make 2020 the year you reflect, reduce, and ask some new questions about how we slow down our fashion choices. The first step is resist the temptation of the sale rack.  Resources: Planet Aid - https://www.planetaid.org/blog/8-little-known-facts-about-our-clothing-habits  Wrap - http://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles  Clothing manufacturers - https://sewport.com/countries-with-best-clothing-manufacturers  Ecosia - https://www.ecosia.org/    Soil association - https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/fashion-textiles/our-certified-brands/clothing/ Buy me once -  https://buymeonce.com/ Made to last - https://www.made-to-last.co.uk/  Good on you - https://goodonyou.eco/ People tree - https://peopletree.co.uk/ Barak Obama wore the same suit! https://www.msn.com/en-in/lifestyle/style/barack-obama-wore-the-same-suit-for-8-years/ar-BBCh3d8 Inspirational Julia Mooney OneOutift100days- https://www.instagram.com/oneoutfit100days/  The Uniform Project - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/24/uniform-project-one-dress-year  Better Cotton Initiative - https://bettercotton.org/ Global Organic Textiles certification (GoTs) - https://global-standard.org/ Veja trainers - https://www.veja-store.com/en/ Ecoworriers Club - https://instagram.com/ecoworriersclub?igshid=1qyhss4ctjh9h

Episode 3 is here and we are feeling FESTIVE.  Becky is a recovering gift lover who enjoys cheesy christmas films and ALL the trimmings the festive period has to offer. Mac is trying to find the true meaning of Christmas through her year-round appreciation of A Muppets Christmas Carol and has been saying BAH-HUMBUG to gift giving for a long time. The Most Wasteful Time of the Year explores how the holiday season can put a lot of pressure on us and the environment as the amount of buying unwanted gifts and throwing away un-eaten food dramatically increases.  Join us as we learn about gift giving cultures across the World, ask parents to stop hating on each other in the war to buy the most presents for their children and we provide some handy practical tips to move from wasteful to wonderful.  Resources: https://www.fsc.org/en  - Forest Stewardship Council  https://www.soilassociation.org/ - Soil Association  https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-furoshiki-japanese-fabric-wrapping/  - Japanese fabric wrapping  https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/ - Amazon price tracker  https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/news/news-archive/2018/fake-vs-real-christmas-tree-what-s-better-for-the-environment - Real vs Fake Christmas trees *note we stated 9 years of use in the episode and the article states 10 years* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEiRkPpOBMk - arm knitting tutorial https://www.elfster.com/ - Secret Santa exchange website 

Episode Two is GO!   Whats the deal with the zero waste movement? How is this different to minimalism or voluntary simplicity? Why is hoarding stigmatised as a bad thing? On this weeks podcast we discuss these lifestyles, their links to the environment and what we can do as individuals to reduce our impact by exploring the 'Responsible Stewardship of Materials' which includes considering when and how to dispose of our belongings.  Josh and Ryan discuss minimalism in their film: https://minimalismfilm.com/  and on their blog: https://www.theminimalists.com/ Juliet Schor explains voluntary simplicity and downshifting in her fantastic book The Overspent American: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-overworked-american/juliet-b-schor/9780465054336 Marie Kondo shares her ideas on tidying:  https://konmari.com/  Bea Johnson is the original zero waster, her website and book Zero Waste Home explain it all: https://zerowastehome.com/ Lauren Singer lives in New York and also lives a zero waste lifestyle, she shares many ideas on her blog: http://trashisfortossers.com/ 

In our very first episode we explore the nature of fatbergs - how they are created and their damaging impact on the environment. We shine the spotlight on how sanitary products contribute to the creation of fatbergs, ask why the period taboo has so many of us flushing and take a look at what alternative products are out there. Expect interesting facts, embarrassing stories and practical handy hints to try yourself.  Resources Bloody Good Period: https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com/ Dot Cup: https://dotforall.com/ Fab Little Bag: https://www.fablittlebag.com/ ModiBodi: https://www.modibodi.co.uk/ Natracare: https://www.natracare.com/ Whitechapel Fatberg: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/where-whitechapel-fatberg Women's Environmental Network: https://www.wen.org.uk/   Music by Joseph Murray