EcoMomics - The Sustainable Living Podcast

Summer Picnic season is upon us and with it comes a huge amount of environmental waste with billions of single use utensils, food containers, plastic water bottles, napkins and disposable BBQs being used and thrown away.  So this time, we're taking a closer look at the delicious foods and drinks we enjoy alfresco - but which could soon become as rare as hens teeth as the impacts of climate change ultimately threaten our food supply.

We're back and we've another environmental axe to grind - the Deposit Return Scheme. This time you don't have to take just our word for it - because we revisited Lidl Glenageary, to ask locals about their experiences using the store's DRS machine - the good the bad and the downright frustrating, and they certainly didn't hold back when it came to evaluating the pros and cons of the system.

For this episode we spoke with Kate Doyle - an Action Mom who decided while on Maternity Leave to turn her concerns about nappy waste  into a sustainable reusable option.  As they say - if you want something done ask a busy person - and no one is busier than a Mom, particularly a New Mom. So, whether you're knee deep in sticky laundry, pumping a boob or pushing a pram around a park, tune in because this is the episode for you.  

In The episode we chat with fellow Climate Ambassador and presenter of the RTE Jnr Podcast Ecolution Evie Kenny. From beach cleans to participating in the Fridays for Future campaign, Evie is immersed in all thing sustainable. In this episode she talks openly to us about her podcast, the pressures on teenagers today and her hopes for the future.

Our next guest is Suzanne McManus from Cosy'n'Posy Yoga - who also happens to be a close friend of Liza (for full disclosure ) - and she joined us to chat with us about what inspired her to get involved with cleaning up her local environment. It all started during Covid, when she was spending more time walking around her local area in rural Co. Meath, and she became aware of the amount of litter and dumping in the hedgerows, ditches and roadside margins - her frustration led her to the Meath County Council website where she learned of the Green Kilometre Scheme, which she signed up for and encouraged her neighbours to join in too.

On the eve of the Late Late Toy Show and with just a handful of weeks to go until Christmas Day Irish children are busily writing their letters to Santa and parents are scrambling to get everything ready for the Big Man's arrival on Christmas Eve.    So no better time to invite Sharon Keilthy, the visionary woman behind the eco-specialist toy company Jiminy.ie, retailing and distributing the earth-kindest toys across Ireland & the UK. So before you rush out to your local toy shop to grab the big gifts and the stocking fillers, have a listen to Sharon's advice on how to make more sustainable and planet friendly choices this Christmas. We had an absolute blast recording this episode and we hope you enjoy listening.

This season we are chatting with Irish entrepreneurs and community activists who are inspiring us with their efforts to help us all live more sustainably. In this episode we chat with Mia Fahey McCarthy who is not only mom to a toddler and head of sustainability at an energy company, she is also standing in the 2024 local elections as a member of the Green Party in Wicklow. We were delighted to get the opportunity to learn about many of the issues surrounding sustainability from just transition to getting involved with your local community. Follow Mia's story at https://www.instagram.com/miafaheymccarthy/

It's season 3 and we are switching things up a gear. This season we are chatting with Irish entrepreneurs and community activists who are inspiring us with their efforts to help us all live more sustainably. First up we are delighted to introduce BM & Bernard from Irish sustainable meal planning app Feeds. They are hoping to encourage Irish households to try some delicious vegetarian dishes with their super smart app. Check out their website at https://feedsfeedsfeeds.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/feeds.mealplans/

In 2015 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris all 193 UN Member States agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (AKA the Paris Agreement) which essentially gave the world 15 years to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 55%. However, much of the language around the climate is clouded in jargon, vague or confusing or worse, hackneyed.  We've become massively desensitised to the climate change tropes like Polar Bears clinging onto gradually reducing ice rafts and drought plagued African countries.  So no wonder there's a bit of head-in-the-sand or tuning-out going on because it's always seemed to be happening somewhere else, somewhere far, far away.  But the Climate Crisis is here now! Join us as we attempt to cut through the jargon and get to the heart of the matter.

In this episode we don our sustainability sunglasses and throw some shade on our bad summer habits. From the Garden, to the Beach and to the way we travel to our holiday destinations  - we talk you through what are the worst climate offenders and what Moms can do to lighten the summer impact on our planet.

As the global conversation about climate change gains momentum, so too is the realisation that Fast Fashion is a major culprit in the crisis.  From how it is manufactured, to its distribution, to its final resting place - what was bought on a whim or for a night on the tiles ends up impacting the environment for hundreds of years.  With 3 out of 5 garments being trashed within one year of purchase we are on a mission to stop ourselves from becoming weapons of massive consumption and to set a new trend in fashion consumerism that gets us out of the vicious circle of fast fashion buying and waste.

So as chief cooks and bottle washers, it's imperative that we know how energy efficient our domestic appliances are and what actions we can take to keep our energy bills and our carbon footprint low.  We've been busy at EcoMomics HQ, putting ovens, fridge freezers, dishwashers, washing machines & tumble dryers through our sustainability lens and it certainly was an eyeopener.

This episode is dedicated to the sustainable and planet friendly parenting of the real objects of our affection - the family Pet, be that a Dog or Cat - who probably rules the roost in your home.

In this month's episode, we highlight for our listeners some useful and implementable changes that we have tried and tested ourselves and we know can be easily incorporated into every household's weekly routine. It may sometimes seem that the changes we all need to make are too cumbersome or just not worth bothering about as their impacts are insignificant, but we promise it is worth making the effort to change and will result in better outcomes for your family budget and the planet as a whole. *** Any products mentioned are those we use ourselves and are not sponsored by any manufacturer or retailer.

Welcome to EcoMomics Season 2! For 2023 we will be releasing a full episode every month. If you're new to our podcast community, we are a couple of Irish moms who are trying our best to live more planet friendly lifestyles. Listen to this 5 minute trailer episode to find out more about why we started this podcast and how we hope to help moms (and dads) make more sustainable choices in everyday life.

As Christmas Day approaches, supermarkets and shops are stocked to the brim with treats and must-haves for the festive season and there's untold pressure from all directions - from kids, from family, from school, from tradition - not to leave anything off the list - let alone trying to side-step the ambush of plastic packaging. So in the spirit of all things EcoMomical - we want to take you on a journey of discovery and reflection on all the modern day Christmassy habits, trends and customs that fly in the face of our climate crisis - and leave us with nothing but a carbon hangover and a planet that will have even more pollutants to shed in the New Year.

Here at EcoMomics HQ we've been discussing how to make dinnertime more sustainable. So from eating seasonally, choosing more locally grown produce to using more energy efficient appliances, listen to our latest episode to hear how we are working on preparing more 'EcoMomical' dinners for our families.  Let us know your own recipes and tips by tagging us on Twitter or Instagram @EcoMomics_ie

Happy Halloween everyone! As we prepare for the annual fright fest, we look at the ways moms can ditch plastic and plan a more sustainable Halloween, but the retailers are just not on board our broomsticks with us, so it's time to get creative.

Why is our home waste management such an issue? Well, what goes into our bins is, in many ways, a major contributor to our climate crisis - from what we buy, what we waste, what we throw away, what we recycle - or more to the point, what we don't or can't recycle. Ultimately, our bins are a real reflection of how flawed the whole system is and our individual and collective role in that.

Its back to school and the tyranny of the school lunch looms large

We are on a mission to take the guesswork out of shopping sustainably and help Moms - like ourselves - and also Dads (indeed anyone in charge of the household budget) - to identify which products are best for the planet and for their purse.