Sustainable Squad

Today I'm talking to Charis Williams, AKA Salvage Sister, and she gets creative and makes stuff out of old metal and wood and teaches people how to do the same Over 60% of our landfill waste comes from construction, demolition and excavation - so what Charis does is mega important for all this waste we produce. And there's loads of material to choose from, you just need the energy to do it - and she does. Me and my sister in law did one of her workshops where we used some hard core power tools, so we chat about all that fun stuff - she has some great advice on what to do with what. Charis also shares more personal stories about her recent battle with thyroid cancer and the rubbish careers advice she was given, which squished her dreams and confidence. But not anymore! It's a big energetic and positive chat and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can follow Charis @therealsalvagesister on Instagram and book a workshop online https://www.salvagesister.co.uk If you feel like you can't make a difference to climate change, you're wrong! We all can no matter how small, so tell your friends and inspire little changes.  

86% of all UK bought flowers have been imported, so just like food and drink, buying local flowers helps us support our businesses on our front door and reduces our impact on the planet. For this episode, I'm sat with the lovely Liz from Betty Blooming talking about seasonal flower growing and allotment life.  I wish I'd spoken ti Liz before I got married, I would have 100% commissed her to grow a colourful and wild bunch of beautiful flowers for the big day.  You can follow her gorgeous account on Instagram and DM her if you'd like to know more. https://www.instagram.com/betty_blooming/          

A large group of women at a hen party can be carnage, but also presents an opportunity to make a real difference and do some good without skipping the fun parts. Amy Sillince had an idea at a hen party. She paid attention to how much people were spending, how much time they had spare, what food was wasted and what items were bought for single use. The idea? Hens with Heart. Amy came to visit me in Brighton, one of the top cities for hen parties in the UK, and completed opened my mind to the concept of finding a moment to give back when you're with your besties. This is not about beach cleans and charity shop volunteering, although you can, this is as simple as donaing a beauty product to a local collection point or writing a letter to someone who's lonely or sick.  Amy also shares her top tips on hen party planning and how to waste less and buy better. We also share our own stories from hen parties and have a laugh at banana shaped things. If you loved this episode please share it. You can find out more about Hens with Heart here https://www.henswithheart.com/about-hens-with-heart

My home town of Brighton and Hove is a magnet for beach lovers, even with the pebbles. It's extra busy during May to September, but knowing what to do if you get in trouble in the sea applies all year round. Becky Knights from The Sea Safety Project gives us a flavour of what she teaches kids in schools, what dangers and signs to watch out for when visiting the beach, what to do if our dogs get in trouble and how she has become a better swimmer. Since recording this podcast we both completed the Arundel Triathlon on Sunday 21st May. It was a lot of fun and the Sprint distance is a great way to get fit, get outside and improve on your swimming. To learn more, check out Becky's Instagram @sea_safety and always check your local tides and weather warnings.

Beans have come a long way since being drenched in tomato sauce and poured on toast. Amelia Christie-Miller, founder of Bold Bean Co, joins me for this weeks episode to share their start up story, all the delicious things you can do with beans and why they're so good for our health, food poverty and our soil. We should all be absolutely obsessed with beans. Their brand and content is fun and useful and I'd urge you to take a look and have a try. The best thing is, they want people to start eating beans whether it's their jars or not! However, I can hand on my heart say the 3 varieties I've tried were all delicous and really good value. One jar is the equivilant amount of 2 supermarket cans and they're a much better quality and flavour.  For recipe inspo and where to buy Bold Beans visit their website https://boldbeanco.com/    

It's very likely that you will have recently bought, upgraded or replaced some sort of tech or electrical appliance in the last month. Unsuprisingly, tech is one of the top 5 things we buy at Christmas - but what do we do with all our old stuff? It feels a little more complicated than giving away clothes due to pack testing and how things are put together. Dr David Greenfield from Tech Take Back in Brighton joins me this week. I visited their new hub and got a full guided tour of the victorian building packed full of retro tech treasures. David shares how they repair and donate old tech to charities, what kinds of tech you can take back and buy from their shop on North street and the meaning and importance of a circular way of doing things. He also shares what other companies such as The Library of Things and the Restart Project are doing to help us reduce waste. You can find out more here https://www.techtakeback.com/

Described as an accidental Calvados, Avallen, in it's beautiful paper bottle, is flying off the shelves at the moment and I wanted to find out more. This week, I'm joined by founders Tim Etherington Judge and Steph Jordan Balmforth who have spent their whole careers in the drinks and hospitality industry and are really passionate about having a positive impact on the planet. They share the incredible benefits of using apples to make their spirit (a type of french brandy), all the delicious ways to drink it and their start up story.  One thing we didn't have time to discuss is that they're proud supporters of 1% for the Planet. Every bottle of Avallen sold contributes to a series of charities around the world that are championing the protection of bees, the restoration of their habitats, and the ban of harmful neonicotinoids. You can buy Avallen from places like My Green Pod, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Mason. To find more stockists and find out more about the brand visit https://avallenspirits.com.

44% of all bread is wasted in the UK. This was one of many food waste stats that got the attention of the founders of Toast Ale, so they decided to do something about it. Chief Toaster and co-founder, Rob Wilson invited me up to their new premises in London for a chat. We opened a couple of cans, had a good laugh and I heard all about how they brew with surplus bread, which beers pair with what foods, being the first uk beer company to get a B Corp and all the cool things they do as a social enterprise.  Rob very generously shared a 20% discount code too, you need to listen to the end to get it - it'll be worth it. There's 6 different Toast brews to choose from and you can buy their delicious planet saving beer at toastale.com, Coop (look out for their Hazy pale ale collaborative brew), Waitrose, Ocado and plenty of independants like Hisbe and North Laines pubs. Cheers

The most organised homes can still turn to complete chaos when kids toys are thrown into the mix. Most of my friends have kids and now my own brother has just become a Dad. So what toys do I buy for kids, or have they got too much already? A child can lose interest in a toy within just 36 days, according to a recent study.  This week, I'm stood in the beautiful Timeless Toys shop talking to owner Susan Luxford. Susan helped introduce me to choosing toys based on a kids playing style, what to do with old toys and how plastic intensive the toy industry is. It was an eye opener, but also incredibly helpful. She has some great tips and I loved her idea on how to approach kids party bags to take the pressure of the parents. Susan clearly cares a lot about how children play, the psychology behind it and making sure she leaves a plastic free legacy. This is well worth a listen if you have children in your life. You can visit the shop on Portland road, Hove or online https://www.timeless-toys.co.uk/

Charity shops typically sell about 25% of what they get donated, so what happens to the rest of it?  Steven Bethell is the co-founder of Bank and Vogue. Their purpose is to find innovative and relevant solutions to the crisis of stuff, working across the world to give used products a second life. Beyond Retro is their shop front, I first walked into the Brighton store over 10 years ago and immediately fell in love with the lay out, the treasures and the fun you can have shopping in a vintage store like these.  They've not only survived but thrived over the last couple of years, managing to keep their prices accessible as they know their biggest competitors are the fast fashion brands. Steven spoke to me from his off-grid Canadian home while sharing stories of their amazing partnerships with the likes of Converse, how their business works and what happens to all these unsold clothes. He also tells me about his encounter with Kourtney Kardasian and his own love for clothes and accessories. It was a genuine pleasure to talk to him. You can shop online or in store at Beyond Retro and find out more about Bank and Vogue here https://www.bankvogue.com/

"3 out of 5 T-shirts will end up in the bin. It's wasteful and doesn't financially make sense" I hopped on a Ferry and headed over to the Isle of Wight to make my very own branded t-shirt for this episode (see Sustainable Squad on social channels to see my experience). Sofia Voudouroglou, who looks after marketing and comms, walked me through their clever but very simple process of setting up your own website, creating your own clothing brand and then printing your own design on a t-shirt made from 100% organic cotton, a material made to be remade. Founded in 2014, Teemill is the world's biggest dedicated circular economy platform. It works with more than 10,000 brands, including global NGOs and businesses, media, online content creators, influencers and side hustlers, providing an open-access circular design and supply chain platform. Its users include Greenpeace, WWF, BBC Earth, Google, Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason, and Lush. They truly believe in accessibility and collaboration to tackle the huge issue with waste. That's why they've created a platform that anyone can use, anywhere and however they. If you want to find out more after listening to this podcast, go to teemill.com

Alcohol is everywhere, it's almost impossible to get away from and it can cause some real scenes if you're the one NOT drinking at a party. However, younger generations are drinking less, the health implications of booze is better known and finally there are brands making tasty alcohol free options - like Freestar. For this bonus episiode, I'm joined by one of the co-founders of Freestar, Eddy. It was super interesting to hear how their beer's brewed, why it tastes so good, the sober curious, the part time drinkers, the waste in the beer brewing industry and some great causes Freestar work for. We are big fans of this 0.5% beer in our house and I'm delighted to confirm you can now buy this beer in both Sainsbury's and Tesco. Cheers!

I travelled to Hackney Wick to meet the brilliant Douglas McMaster for this week's podcast. Chef, author, presenter and founder of Silo London, an inspiring zero waste restaurant that started in Brighton. We cover the interior design, menu inspiration and Doug shares a quick beginners guide to help a fermenting novice like me. We also cover what inspired the opening of Silo, how hard the first 6 years in Brighton were,  learnings from that experience, and what to expect from the Zero Waste Cooking School - Doug's lockdown baby. The content online is really interesting, fun and useful and I urge you to watch, learn and eat in Silo, London.

I'm never one to turn down food, especially when it's muffins, pies, rolls and pastries from Higgidy. If you've not heard of them before, Higgidy are manufacturers of feel good food and they're based in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Earlier this year, I spoke to sustainability manager Meg Welch and concept development manager Chelsea Gumbrell about their new range of veggie and vegan products and what it takes to become, and remain, a B Corp. I loved talking to the girls at Higgidy, their new tasty range hits the supermarket shelves on the 14th September 2022. You can find out more about their products and recipes on their website https://www.higgidy.co.uk.

A tide clock that shows the tide at your favourite beach? I love it, in fact, I have one and it's taken pride of place in my living room. Gareth is the founder and inventor of this very clever piece of smart tech called Tidey. He's been able to share it with the world thanks to a successful kick starter and a lot of hard work. Gareth tells his start up story, but first we touch on his connection with the sea, his volunteering work with Surfers Against Sewage and what is going on with all this sewage being dumped in our seas. To see what the Tidey clock looks like and to find out more (after listening to this podcast) visit https://tidey.co/

Whether you want to repair your clothes yourself or pay someone else to do it, there's no doubt this skill will save us all a lot of money and waste - the most ecofriendly thing we can all do is keep what we already have. Susie from Sew Fabulous shares how she became a mature student in Brighton, why she started this sewing studio and how they work hard to make sewing accessible to all. There's some great tutorials on their website and social channels, you can visit them here https://sew-fabulous.org/

This week I'm talking to the free diver and founder of the Sussex Seabed Restoration Project, Steve Allnut. Over the last 28 years or so, the forests of sea kelp Steve was used to diving into, and all of the amazing marine life that depends on it to survive, has almost vanished from the Sussex coastline. Steve is crowdfunding and needs help to get this rewilding project in full swing, any help with funds and business planning will be very very welcome. You can find out more here https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sussex-seabed-restoration-project-5#:~:text=The%20Sussex%20Seabed%20Restoration%20Project,to%20it's%20former%20natural%20beauty.

I first came across Hila on TikTok, my thumb stopped scrolling when I saw her dressed as planet earth and rapping on the streets about "our wet ass planet". Hila's energy and lyrics are fun, positive and packed with earth science - I've included some clips in this recording to give you a flavour. We talk about her performances in cool places, her taste in music, life in Brooklyn, NYC and a bit about science, composting and plants - we packed a lot into 40 minutes. You can find Hila the Killa's music on Spotify and you can watch all her great content on YouTube and her social channels. Enjoy!

Ali Namdari, the founder of Labo Mono, told me how he went from web designer to jacket designer in a matter of a few short years. It was the hottest day in France and Ali sat in his converted van telling me about life on the road and how he came to design and produce these awesome rain and adventure jackets from recycled plastic bottles. I love his sense of adventure and ambition and he is a thoroughly lovely person. You can check out the gorgeous and clever jacket designs here https://labomono.com/

Mooncup menstrual cups is a Brighton based business and they've saved over 3 billion plastic period products from entering our oceans and landfill over the last 20 years. I'm talking to Senior Marketing Manager Lena Koskela about periods, culture, women's sport, how to use a Mooncup and top tips as well as what Mooncup is doing to waste less and buy better. It was a pleasure to chat about our personal experiences and I have no doubt you'll enjoy this interview. Find out more about Mooncup on their website, their Facebook group or other social channels. https://www.mooncup.co.uk

This mother and son team, Nish and Ru, invited me in their home to cook and eat with them for this humbling episode. Majahma is based in Brighton and they deliver authentic and incredible veggie and vegan Indian thalis in stainless steel tiffins - an Indian style stacked lunchbox. Made to order to reduce food waste, delivered in a reusable and returnable tiffin to reduce plastic waste. Simply sign up, see whats on the menu this week, order, eat and return your tiffin with your next order. We talked about their family, Nish's career and how the business works. You can find out more about Majahma online https://www.majahma.com/

Shane Jordan is a food waste chef from Bristol who cooks plant based meals using every edible part of his ingredients. Shane shares how he got into cooking through the charity Food Cycle and how he came to write and publish his book, Food Waste Philosophy. You can take more inspiration on plant based eating and recipe ideas from his Instagram account.

This was a fun chat with Martyn Odell aka Lagom Chef. Martyn has recently been on the new Jamie Oliver TV show - The Great Cookbook Challenge, where he cooked a tasty looking meal while pitching his cookbook idea to a panel of judges including Penguin books.  We find out how he became a chef and what inspired him to focus on food waste. We go slightly off piste talking about ultra running and his time as a very niche performer - which was hilarious.  And of course we cover some really great advice on how to simplify your life and reduce food waste. You can now learn some of Lagom Chef techniques and recipes, check out his website for the brilliant and ultra affordable cookery course lagomchef.com    

For the first time ever, I recorded my podcast infront of a live audience and it was so much fun. For this episode, I had 3 guest speakers sharing information and ideas and answering live questions on how to tackle food waste. My guest speakers were Kelly Dibbert from Fare Share Sussex - Fighting Hunger, Tackling Food Waste. Paul Loman from The Real Junkfood Project in Brighton - Feeding bellies, not bins. Michael Kennard from Compost Club - Healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy humans. The event took place at Wolfox Roastery on Preston street in Brighton. The profit from ticket sales was donated to the British Red Cross Emergency Ukraine appeal. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Learning about natural wine while drinking it? I'm IN! This week I'm joined by sommelier and wine consultant Ania at a great little venue in Brighton called Vine Street Tap.  Ania loves natural wine and has a big appreciation for the process and the individual style of each wine maker. We tried 3 different natural wines during our chat and I learnt so much about why it's natural, sustainable and the psychology around trying new things.       

I'm delighted to be launching series 4 with one of the newest restaurants in Brighton, Kusaki. Serving plant based Japanese food and drinks in the Preston Circus area. Kusaki is the latest venue to be opened by owner Fabio Lauro who also owns Wolfox, Six, Food for Friends and Botanique.  I'm joined by Michelin trained executive chef Reuben Waller and operation manager India De Silva at the end of their first week being open. I'm very grateful for their time. We talk about the food, the drinks, plant based eating and the challenges of opening a restaurant in 2021.  

With so many more people growing vegetables and plants over the last 12 months, it's my pleasure to be talking to Miles from Mileshky's Beets & Beats about his allotment plot, battles with greenhouses, chilli sauces, fermenting veg and doing his first 'no dig' this Spring. He loves his music and my favourite saying of his is Plants Love Trance. His chilli sauce is available to buy and it's delicious! I'm sure you'll enjoy this episode.

We have enough clothing on the planet right now to cloth the next 6 generations of the human race. This is why a business like Super Looper, a rental service for baby and toddler clothing, is the future. I'm joined by founder Jenny to find out more about the service, the clothes and the support you get as a new mum. You can find this amazing business on social @superlooperlife and online superlooperlife.com

I'm joined by Matt, Ryan and Charlie who founded Ethicul - a reward platform to help us make positive purchases by shopping local and supporting businesses that are looking after people and planet. They have partnered up with over 40+ businesses from around Brighton and Hove. We find out more about these partnerships and what it was like to launch during a pandemic, ending on a light-hearted quiz to get to know them a little better. Visit ethicul.co.uk to sign up and find out more.

If you want to be more eco-friendly but don't know where to begin, then Lianne Bell's book is a great starting point. We open this episode talking about writing and self-publishing a book and then move onto fashion, food waste and beauty.  Lianne's approach to sustainability is to start somewhere and not beat yourself up over things you're not doing - which I love. You can find Lianne Bell on Instagram and her book 'How on earth can I be eco-frinedly?' is out now!

We've all experienced wardrobe fatigue, you look at your clothes and claim you have nothing to wear. Often, you just need a fresh pair of creative eyes to help. This week, Sophia from Fine Tuned Wardrobe is a personal stylist and talks to us about fashion, her tips on shopping second hand and the emotional pull of consumerism. You can find Sophia on Instagram and online at FineTuneWardrobe.com

We're becoming more and more aware of the damage fast fashion is doing to our planet, but what about other textiles? I speak to Katie Briggs from The Textile Review about why she started a business to tackle the tonnes of fabric that's wasted in the events industry. A true advocate of the circular economy, Katie is on an exciting mission to help businesses change their mindset and take responsibility for the waste they produce. To contact Katie, visit TheTextileReview.com. 

There's evidence to suggest that 18% of green house gases come from farming meat. In this episode, I'm talking to Lizzie and Mark about living a vegan lifestyle. They're two lovely people who like to keep fit and healthy, but like most of us, they have bad food days too. We discuss the benefits of and reasons for cutting out meat and dairy, adapting to a new diet, touch on how crap their cooking skills are and finish on a celebrity quiz! 

This episode takes drinking responsibly to a whole new level. Not only was it fascinating to learn how beer is made, but it was really encouraging to hear what Franklins Brewery are doing to create less waste and have less of an impact on the environment. These guys make delicious beer in Sussex and they're a couple of sustainable legends in my eyes. You can buy their beer nationwide! Follow them on social to find out more @franksbrewco

I'm launching series 2 with help from my friend Sabrina, who has represented Sustainable Squad in Thailand!!! Sabrina interviews Lisa from My Best Life CNX - the first zero waste shop in Chiang Mai. Lisa tells us how she came to Thailand as a volunteer and now donates 100% of profits from her shop and vegan cafe to support refugees at her education centre, Thai Freedom House. Huge thanks to Sabrina (instagram @organic_eye) and Lisa (instagram @mybestlife_cnx) for this amazing interview. There's some great tips for being sustainable on the go too!

We all love a wedding, they're the best days of our lives! But when you add up the number of single use items purchased for just one epic day, they can often be the most wasteful days too.   Jade from Two Woods Estate talks to us about how a few simple swaps can make a huge difference to the environment and to our bank balance. We discuss caterers, plates and glasses, alcohol, decorations and wedding dresses.  Jade also talks about being more green at wedding fairs and how they maintain their beautiful woodland venue. To find out more and to get in touch, visit www.twowoodsestate.com  

Around 60% of all landfill waste in the UK comes from construction and demolition. The Wood Store rescues surplus timber from contractors across Sussex to restore, re-use and sell on at their fabulous shop in Brighton. They're an award winning not-for-profit organisation and the National Community Wood Recycling Project was modelled on these guys! Steve tells us about all the great work they do, we discuss the problem with pallets, he shares tips on how we can choose our materials and contractors more sustainably and we learn more about their amazing volunteers.  To find out more and to get involved email steve@woodrecycling.org.uk.  

The Fast Fashion industry produces 1 billion new garments every year and is responsible for producing 20% of global waste water. It's an enormous problem and this is why it's so important to have businesses like Slow Re Purpose, because they teach us how to fall back in love with the clothes we already own by turning them into something new. Sara tells us about projects she's worked on, future collaborations and her journey to where she is now. If you would love Sara to take a look at your wardrobe and help you give your clothes a new lease of life, you can contact her via Facebook and Instagram @slowrepurpose. 

In the UK alone, we produced 52.3 million tonnes of landfill waste waste in 2016 and I have no doubt the figure has grown considerably since. This is why businesses like M-24 are crucial to tackling this enormous problem. Mat, the founder, tells us how he transforms lorry tarpaulin into super tough and super sustainable bags. We talk about his inspiring journey from turning an idea into a successful business, the highs and lows that come with it and what advice he would give to someone at the beginning of their entrepreneurial adventure.  I love this concept and have a great deal of respect for Mat. You can see his fabulous bags here https://www.m-24.co.uk  

Food waste is a major problem and a big contributor to climate change. 1.9 million tons of food gets wasted by the food industry every year in the UK alone! Not to mention the food we throw in our own bins. Fare Share Sussex are trying to reduce this problem and feed the hungry in the process.  Sabrina talks about all the amazing work they do, who they work with and tips on how we can all help reduce food waste in the home. We also talk to one of their volunteers Kieran. 

It's no secret that single use plastic is everywhere and suffocating our planet. But with inspiring people like Harriet and Mhiran in our lives, there's still hope. In this interview we talk about the concept of plastic free shops, their products and customers, tips on how to reduce single use plastic, what it's like working together as a couple and a cheeky game of Mr and Mrs at the end. You can check our their fabulous shop here... http://harrietsofhove.com

It's really frustrating when you find out the brand you love is not ticking the ethical, social and sustainable boxes. We're then faced with a choice, do we ignore this information and carry on as normal? Do we take a stand and stop buying the product or service altogether? OR do we try and influence the business and encourage them to make positive changes? Mark from Circle Squared is trying to do the latter. He is in the process of developing a brand new app that gives consumers a voice and businesses the data they need to implement positive change. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, please find me on social media @Sustainable_Squad or contact Mark via the website circlesquared.com.    

A series of interviews with people doing something extraordinary about sustainability.