Greenscore: Recent Episodes
Greenscore
Greenscore is a podcast about sustainability, specifically about the changes that we as individuals can make in what we use and how we use it in order to play our part in fighting climate change. We want to cut through all of the noise, the mountains of information, and provide a really clear and simple picture so that we can all be empowered to make some better choices and understand the science behind them!
With three seasons and 28 episodes under our belts, what better time to look back through Greenscore and share our top sustainability tips and takeaways?!
Join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss their favorite quotes, statistics, guests, and surprises, and summarize some key tips for living more sustainably every day.
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
You might have heard about carbon credits in the news, or checked the box to offset greenhouse gas emissions from your latest flight. But what do carbon credits actually mean?
Find out with our guests Dr. John Dees and Avantika Singh from Carbon Direct, a company that provides science-backed carbon management solutions to measure, reduce, and remove your carbon emissions. We'll discuss what carbon credits are, how they are measured and applied, and how much of a difference they can make in the fight against climate change.
Learn more about Carbon Direct: https://www.carbon-direct.com/
Further reading:
- Carbon credits definition, from the World Economic Forum
- Voluntary carbon markets, from McKinsey
- Avoiding greenwashing in the carbon offsetting industry, from the Guardian
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Camping is an increasingly common summer activity. It is not only a great excuse to get outdoors, but has also been proven to reduce stress and contribute to emotional and physical wellbeing. But if over half of American households are camping, how can we make sure everyone can enjoy this activity without harming the environment?
Join Becca and Luke McGraw from Leave No Trace as they talk us through the environmental impacts of camping, and how seven simple rules can help protect nature for everyone to enjoy. From dealing with your waste to picking a campsite, this Summer Special episode will help make your next camping adventure a "green" one!
Learn more about Leave No Trace: https://lnt.org/
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
The average person uses about 600 miles of toilet paper in their lifetime, and each year over 30 million trees are cut down to serve the toilet paper needs of the United States alone. But have you ever wondered about the environmental impacts of cutting down those trees you're flushing down the toilet?
Explore this topic with our guest Michael Zelniker, a Canadian actor and filmmaker who recently directed the documentary “The Issue with Tissue - a boreal love story,” which discusses the boreal forest that is home to Indigenous First Nation communities and how it is being clear-cut for manufacturing of toilet paper. We'll discuss how toilet paper is made, how it contributes to deforestation and impacts indigenous communities, and how to pick more sustainable options for your bum.
Check out Michael's documentary "The Issue with Tissue - a boreal love story"
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
From biodegradable to carbon neutral, there is so much jargon used by brands marketing themselves as sustainable. But what do these terms actually mean? And how can we keep ourselves from getting overwhelmed by confusing jargon?
Join our guest Dr. Kat Knauer from the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as she talks us through common "green" jargon like bio-based, biodegradable, compostable, organic, recyclable, recycled content, and carbon neutral. We discuss the definitions of these terms, and what they mean for you in terms of products you should buy and how you should dispose of them.
Think of this episode as your sustainability cheatsheet!
Learn more about the BOTTLE Consortium here: https://www.bottle.org/
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
The Internet is everywhere - on our phones, our laptops, our cars, and even our refrigerators! But have you ever stopped to think about how the Internet actually works and what environmental impact it has?
Well now is your chance - join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss the physical infrastructure behind the Internet and how its enormous energy use results in 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. We'll also cover some simple switches you can make to your web surfing to lower your carbon footprint.
Further reading:
- Internet statistics ,from Our World in Data
- How data centers work, from HowStuffWorks
- Environmental impacts of the Internet, from the BBC and Sphera
- Water use of the Internet, from the Washington Post and Nature
- Eco-conscious search engines, from Sustainable Jungle
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Cosmetics are a $400 billion global industry, and many of us do not leave the house without some form of cosmetics, whether a basic moisturizer or a full face of makeup. Yet between microplastics, irresponsible ingredient sourcing, animal testing, and plastic packaging waste, makeup packs a much bigger environmental impact than the tiny bottles it comes in might suggest.
Find out more in this episode with Lou Dartford, a makeup artist specializing in green beauty. We'll discuss how some of the most common types of makeup, like mascara, are made, their environmental impacts, and ways to spot healthier and more sustainable brands when you find yourself in the makeup aisle.
See Lou's makeup portfolio and tips here: https://www.loudartford.com/
Further reading:
- Environmental impacts of cosmetics from Treehugger and Unsustainable Magazine
- Eco-friendly beauty routines from Vogue
- Sustainability considerations in the makeup industry from L Makeup Institute
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air... but perhaps not for the planet. In the United States alone, millions of greeting cards, roses, and chocolate confections will be exchanged on this holiday, creating waste and contributing to climate change.
So how can you show your affection for loved ones without hating on the planet? Find out in this episode, where co-host Taylor Uekert talks us through the environmental impacts of some of the most popular Valentine's Day gifts: chocolate, greeting cards, cut flowers, and jewelry. Leave inspired with some simple tips and alternatives for a more sustainable Valentine's Day.
Sources:
- Most popular Valentine's Day gifts in the US (Statista) and UK (Bob Books)
- Environmental impact of Valentine's Day (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Environmental impact of chocolate (Konstantas et al. 2018)
- Environmental impact of cut flowers (Vox 2019)
- Environmental impact of gold (Timsina et al. 2022) and diamonds (Ohio State University)
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
The holiday season is upon us, and for folks who celebrate Christmas, that probably means you're getting ready to decorate your Christmas tree. Approximately 100 million natural Christmas trees are sold in the US and EU every year, with another 10 million artificial trees sold in the US alone. Depending on whether you grew up with a real or an artificial Christmas tree, you might already have a preference for one type over another. But have you ever thought about the environmental impact of this festive tradition?
In this special holiday episode, discover how natural and artificial Christmas trees are grown or made, what their environmental impacts are, and how you can choose the greenest option for a more sustainable holiday season.
Sources:
- How real Christmas trees are grown (Vox, 2020)
- How artificial Christmas trees are made (Business Insider, 2020)
- Life cycle assessment of real vs artificial Christmas trees (Ellipsos, Canada, 2009)
- Life cycle assessment of real vs artificial Christmas trees (Sphera, U.S., 2010)
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
On Greenscore, we give you the tools to make sustainable choices in everyday life. But with daily reports on extreme weather events, soaring energy costs, and biodiversity losses, the fight against climate change can feel overwhelming. Sound familiar? Well you are not alone - these feelings of climate climate anxiety and eco-grief are increasingly being experienced worldwide.
Join us for this special episode on climate anxiety, featuring Dr. Jessica Pratt, an Associate Teaching Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Irvine. Learn what climate anxiety actually is, how it affects us, and how a few simple steps can not only make it manageable, but also turn it into something that can drive real change.
Visit Dr. Pratt's website: https://prattecology.weebly.com/
Further reading:
- Effect of climate anxiety on young people
- Tips for managing climate anxiety
- Intersection of climate anxiety and race
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
2 billion cups of coffee are drunk every day worldwide. If you are one of those many coffee drinkers, you might choose your coffee based on flavor, cost, or ease. But have you considered adding sustainability to your list?
Find out why you should in this episode with Dan Webber, founder of Chimney Fire Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster committed to sustainable and responsibly-sourced coffee. We explore how coffee is grown and roasted, the enormous carbon, water, deforestation, and social impacts of this process, and how we can fulfill our caffeine habits with more eco-friendly and ethical coffee.
Learn more about Chimney Fire Coffee: https://chimneyfirecoffee.com/Further reading:
- The New York Times covers the relationship between coffee and climate
- Life cycle assessment of conventional versus sustainable coffee production
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
There's nothing like freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies or apple pie - or anything sweet, really - still warm from the oven. While dessert might last only a few moments, the supplies used to prepare it, like parchment paper or aluminum foil, could live on as trash for decades. So how can we enjoy baking without clogging up the planet's "digestion"?
Find out with our guest Jen Panaro, founder and editor of Honestly Modern, an online space about eco-friendly living for modern families. She shares how common baking supplies are made and thrown away, and how we can minimize waste with compostable or reusable options.
Check out Honestly Modern: https://www.honestlymodern.com/
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
A newborn baby will go through about 4,000 diapers/nappies in a year. The vast majority of these diapers are disposable and account for ~1.5% of waste in the United States. Reusable nappies can help minimize waste going to landfill or incineration, but do they make sense for busy parents, and how do they compare environmentally?
Find out in this episode with Eve Bell, founder of Baba+Boo, an award-winning reusable cloth nappy company. Eve talks us through how disposable and reusable diapers are made, used, and thrown away, and how switching to a couple dozen reusable nappies can save you thousands of disposable ones, as well as time, money, and environmental impact.
Check out Baba+Boo: https://www.babaandboo.com/
Further reading:- Life cycle assessment comparison of disposable and cloth nappies/diapers, by the UK Environment Agency (2008) and Dufferin Research (2013)
- https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/cloth-vs-disposable-diapers/
- https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/10/15/20892011/cloth-diapers-debate-parenting-advice
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Despite the fact that 50% of the world's population have periods during their lifetime, menstrual health and the products designed for it remain shrouded in mystery, confusion, and shame. With approximately 70 billion tampons and pads sold each year in the EU and US alone - over 80% of which are landfilled after a single-use - it is time to break taboos and explore innovative and more sustainable period products.
In this episode with guest Elisabeth Dewey from the natural period products company Organic Mondays, discover how tampons and pads are made, their impact on the environment, and how switching to natural or reusable menstrual products that work for your flow and lifestyle can make you healthier while also reducing litter and your carbon footprint.
Learn more about Organic Mondays: https://organicmondays.com/
Further reading:
- Life cycle assessment of common menstrual products - https://www.lifecycleinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UNEP-LCI-Single-use-vs-reusable-Menstrual-Products-Meta-study.pdf
- History of menstrual products - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-tampons-pads-became-unsustainable-story-of-plastic
- Information on reusable menstrual products - https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/04/22/sustainable-menstrual-products/
Thanks for listening! Have feedback or content ideas you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Lighting accounts for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is no surprise when you learn that standard incandescent light bulbs waste a whopping 90% of incoming electricity as heat! LEDs (light emitting diodes) have been advertised as an eco- and budget-friendly lighting alternative, but are they really "green"?
Find out in this episode, where Greenscore co-host and temporary light bulb expert Taylor Uekert explains how different types of light bulbs are made and their environmental impacts, as well as how switching to LEDs is a simple change with a huge effect on your household carbon footprint.
Further reading:
- History and structure of light bulbs - https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-light-bulb
- Environmental impact of incandescent, LEDs, and other types of light bulbs - https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/lca_factsheet_apr2013.pdf
- Cost and emissions savings from switching to LEDs - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-is-phasing-out-incandescent-light-bulbs-180979992/
Electricity - we need it to power our lights, washing machines, phones, and so much more. But did you know that much of that energy is made from fossil fuels and accounts for about a third of your carbon footprint?
In this episode, join our guest Lilly Richard from the Green Neighbor Challenge as she explains the environmental impact of household utilities and how we can easily, cheaply, and with a hugely positive effect, switch to green energy providers.
Check out the Green Neighbor Challenge here: https://greenneighborchallenge.org/
Additional sources:
- Electricity production in the EU: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/energy/bloc-3b.html
- Electricity production in the US: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3
- Carbon dioxide emissions from different electricity sources: https://impactful.ninja/energy-sources-with-the-highest-carbon-footprint/
Greenscore is back! This mini episode highlights our favorite episodes from last season - including tips for sustainably drinking coffee, running, and buying jeans - and introduces Season 2. Join us to explore the science behind green lifestyle changes and how much of an impact they can actually make.
Check out our website for more: https://greenscorepodcast.com/
The average person will go through 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. Brushing our teeth is essential for maintaining personal hygiene and health, but with most toothcare products made of non-recyclable plastic, how can we make sure that keeping clean doesn't come at the cost of more mess for landfills and the environment?
In this episode, we'll find out how toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss are made and disposed, explore some eco-friendly options currently on the market, and leave you with a few key tips on improving the sustainability of your toothcare routine.
Further reading:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/story-of-plastic-toothbrushes?loggedin=truehttp://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Toothbrush.htmlhttp://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Dental-Floss.html
Globally, we drink about 188 billion liters of beer each year, enough to fill over 75,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools! But this much beloved drink comes with a serious environmental footprint: a single pint of beer requires 8-10 pints of water and large amounts of energy to make.
So how can we enjoy beer without harming the planet? In this episode, we speak with Felix James, co-founder of London-based Small Beer Brew Co, to learn about how beer is made and how companies like his are making good beer at a fraction of the environmental cost.
Learn more about Small Beer Brew Co here: https://theoriginalsmallbeer.com/
Further reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katedingwall/2021/03/14/how-craft-brewers-are-embracing-sustainability/?sh=437f31fe39a8
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-to-brew-a-greener-beer
Beef accounts for 20% of all meat production and makes up an important part of many people's diets. Yet this dinner staple also causes 26% of global methane emissions and 80% of all deforestation.
In this episode, we explore the environmental impact of the humble hamburger (or beef burger) and highlight some of the innovative meat-free alternatives that can make our diets more eco-friendly without compromising on flavor.
Further reading:
https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/the-environmental-impact-of-veggie-patties-vs-meat-burgers/https://www.mashed.com/192631/what-youre-really-eating-when-you-eat-a-beyond-burger/
https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impact-of-meat-vs-plant-based-meat/
Exercising more is often towards the top of our to-do lists, and running shoes are an essential piece of equipment for most forms of fitness. But with 90% of all shoes ending up in landfills or incinerators, how can we reduce the environmental toll of our exercise habits?
Find out in this episode, where we'll discuss how running shoes are made and disposed, what "greener" options are out there, and how we can protect the planet while staying fit.
To learn more:
https://www.sneakerfactory.net/2016/07/running-shoe-made/
https://runrepeat.com/eco-sneakers-research
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/mar/21/some-soles-last-1000-years-in-landfill-the-truth-about-the-sneaker-mountain
The holiday season has become synonymous with wrapping paper: all of those beautiful, glittery and bow-laden packages being passed from giver to giftee. But with 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used each year in the UK alone, what is the environmental impact of this particular holiday tradition?
Find out in our special Christmas episode, where we discuss how wrapping paper is made and disposed of, and suggest some festive "greener" alternatives.
References: https://oecd-environment-focus.blog/2019/12/24/what-is-the-environmental-footprint-of-christmas/, https://www.allthingssupplychain.com/the-wrapping-paper-waste-problem-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/, https://www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with/wrapping-paper-1
Look down: chances are fairly high that you're wearing a pair of jeans! With 2 billion pairs of jeans manufactured each year, denim is a stylish and comfortable staple of many people's closets. Yet jeans also have a dark side: their production uses enormous quantities of water and synthetic dyes, and raises both environmental and human rights concerns.
Learn more about the impacts of your favorite pair of jeans in this episode with Laura Vicaria from MUD Jeans, the world's first circular denim brand. We'll discuss how jeans are made, their environmental repercussions, and the steps that we can take to ensure our next denim purchase is more sustainable.
Check out MUD Jeans here: https://mudjeans.eu/
Other references: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle, https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/jeans-environmental-impact, https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-jeans-redesign
For many of us, dogs are our best friends. But with an estimated 12.5 billion dog poo bags used each year in the UK alone, how can we clean up after our beloved pets while also minimizing our contribution to plastic pollution and climate change?
Find out in this episode with Michael Oddie from Tuff Pets, a company producing eco-friendly pet products. We'll discuss the environmental impacts of traditional versus compostable dog poo bags, as well as the confusing terminology around biodegradable and compostable products.
Learn more about Tuff Pets here: https://tuffpets.co.uk/
Other references: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/15/dog-poop-bags-plastic-alternatives, https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/biodegradable-dog-poop-bags-might-be-too-good-to-be-true, https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/eco-friendly-way-to-dispose-dog-poop/
As the world's leaders gather in Glasgow to discuss climate change at COP26, we take a brief look at what it means for us in this special episode of Greenscore. What is being discussed, what decisions are (or are not) being made, what should you look out for amongst the hundreds of news articles and podcasts covering the conference, and - perhaps most importantly - why should you care?
Face masks have become ubiquitous over the last year and a half. And so have abandoned face masks littering our sidewalks, parks and oceans. With an estimated 129 billion face masks used each month, how can we protect the health of ourselves and others while also being eco-friendly?
Find out in this episode with Charnett Chau, a research fellow at University College London's Plastic Waste Innovation Hub. Charnett talks us through the environmental impacts of single-use versus reusable masks, and how a simple choice between the two can have an enormous effect on greenhouse gas emissions and waste production.
Read more about UCL's studies on face masks here: https://ucl.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/111.444/000031.v3, https://ucl.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/111.444/000031.v1, and about the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub here: https://www.plasticwastehub.org.uk/.
Other references: https://news.mit.edu/2021/covid-masks-environment-0720, https://sustainability.yale.edu/blog/masks-footprints-down-how-keep-your-masks-eco-friendly, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210310122431.htm, https://www.adimay.com/2020/08/face-masks-social-and-environmental-impacts/
Coffee is an international obsession. But what impact do the billions of disposable coffee cups used each year have on the environment? How are these cups made and what happens to them once you have finished your drink?
In this episode we look at the environmental impact of single-use versus reusable coffee cups. Our guest is Saxon Wright, Co-Founder and Chairman of Huskee, a reusable coffee cup company looking to build a circular economy around their products. He talks us through how disposable and reusable coffee cups are made and discarded, and how simple changes in our behaviour can make a huge impact in the fight against waste and climate change.
Learn more about Huskee: https://huskee.co/
References: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/26/why-britains-25-billion-paper-coffee-cups-are-an-eco-disaster, https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/reuse-rethinking-packaging
Think back to your latest supermarket visit: what sort of fruit, vegetables or meat did you buy - and how much of it was wrapped in plastic? With 78 million tonnes of plastic packaging produced each year, the answer for most people will be 'an awful lot.' So why is there so much plastic packaging, how is it made and disposed, what environmental impact does it have, and what can we as consumers do about it?
We'll answer all these questions and more in this episode with our amazing guest Dr Rachel Rothman, Co-Director of the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of Sheffield. Together, we will break down this complex issue, discuss the trade-offs of plastic packaging and food waste, and figure out the steps that we can take while shopping to reduce plastic pollution and combat climate change!
Learn more about the Grantham Centre's work on plastics: https://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/research-projects/redefine-single-use-plastic/, https://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/research-projects/many-happy-returns-plastic/.
References: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics
Welcome to the introductory episode of Greenscore, a podcast aiming to make everyday decisions about sustainability a little bit easier!
In this episode, we introduce ourselves (Jake and Taylor), what we want to achieve in this podcast, and what exactly a "greenscore" is.