Sarah's 7 Sustainable Minutes: Recent Episodes
Sarah Bassett
The podcast for busy eco-friendly people. We talk all things zero waste, minimalist, plastic-free, plant-based and more. Hosted by, Sarah Bassett, an eco living blogger and sustainable business owner.
Zero Waste Challenge: https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
Zero waste living is becoming more popular each year as individuals take it upon themselves to try to sort out the environmental mess we find ourselves in. And while climate change and the environmentally-destructive system is certainly not the fault of individuals, there’s nothing wrong and everything right with wanting to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Green Geeks: greengeeks.com/track/sarahbassetteco
Most of us are unaware of the online carbon footprint and internet pollution caused by our digital habits. The carbon footprint of the internet and the systems supporting it is estimated to account for about 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions. In comparison, air travel is thought to account for around 2%. Find out who the biggest digital polluters are and easy ways to lower your online carbon footprint.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbassett.co/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahbassett.co
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sarahbassettco/
Valentine’s Day is a tough one for environmentalists. It’s also a marketing holiday fuelled by consumerism, single-use plastic and a general air of not considering the environment. A lot of people abstain from celebrating in a conventional yet wasteful way.
Favourite eco things https://sarahbassett.co/favourite-things/
An eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle looks different for everyone. And with new eco products popping up daily, and being marketed as essential, it can be easy to make a few regrettable purchases along your sustainability journey. And while I will note that you don’t need to buy things to live more eco friendly, it certainly can help. Here are seven eco-friendly things I regret buying
Grant info: https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/grant
2 February, 2022 marks the first time World Wetlands Day will be officially observed in the context of the United Nations after the general assembly recognised it as an international day. Wetlands are crucial to life as we know it and are a huge part of the biodiversity crisis that’s driven by climate change and unsustainable environmental practices. Yet they’re often forgotten in the environmental conversation.
New Year’s resolutions have a notoriously low completion rate. That’s because they’re rarely tied to our values or a big picture issue. But not this year, eco friend! Instead, you’re going to enter the new year with some sustainable and eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions for a greener year. Read on for 7 eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions to get you started.
Are you ready to make next year your most sustainable and eco-friendly yet? Join my free Zero Waste in a Week email challenge to start your year off with 7 days of easy eco action steps, tackling 7 different areas of your home and lifestyle kickstart your zero waste journey. Sign up now:
https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
Eco-friendly Gift Guide www.sarahbassett.co/gifts
Christmas can be a time of needless consumerism, waste and other not so environmentally-friendly behaviours. But it doesn’t have to be that way! An eco-friendly, zero waste and sustainable Christmas is easier than you think with the simple mindset shifts we’ll go through today.
Amongst all of the sales, bargains and discounts, it’s easy to forget about the environmental impact of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This celebration of consumerism is one of the most wasteful and polluting periods on the calendar. While an item might appear to be cheap, the true cost of manufacturing, packaging and shipping on the planet is much higher. Listen on to find out what Black Friday means for the earth and what you can do to help.
According to EcoCart, Black Friday 2020 was the most polluting holiday yet. Consumers spent $9 billion shopping online which is up more than 20% on the previous year. An increase in global consumption means more products being manufactured and shipped worldwide. The UK, US, Europe and Australia all report large spikes in fossil fuel emissions that can be attributed to Black Friday shopping.
FREE ZERO WASTE IN A WEEK CHALLENGE: https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
Creating sustainable living social media content can help inspire and educate others on how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Eco-friendly blogging is one of the fastest growing online niches. A social media content creator is only as good as his or her tools, so don’t be afraid to try something new - especially when they're sustainable and eco-friendly!
CONTENT PROMPTS: https://sarahbassett.co/eco-friendly-content-prompts/
ECO BLOGGING TOOLS: https://sarahbassett.co/eco-blog-tools/
A zero waste kitchen can be easier to achieve than you might think. Especially considering kitchen and food waste are usually one of the biggest contributors to household waste. Listen on to find out which 17 things I no longer buy for my zero waste kitchen. Sign up for my free Zero Waste in a Week challenge. Each day for a week you’ll receive an easy eco action step that takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
JOIN THE CHALLENGE: https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
Sustainable business ideas are a dime a dozen. It can be easy to think of an eco-friendly product that doesn’t exist or a sustainable service that would be a green game changer. The tricky part is figuring whether or not your eco-friendly and sustainable business idea is viable. Starting and scaling a business isn’t just about having a good idea. The following 3-step process is how I came up with and settled on the sustainable business idea that eventually turned into CONCENTR8ED.
GRAB YOUR COPY: https://sarahbassett.co/eco-friendly-side-hustles/
The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory thrown around in discussion about environmentalism, resources and equality. It's applicable to environmental disasters such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, overfishing and poaching. Listen in to find out what the tragedy of the commons is, examples from the environment and sustainability solutions to help save our planet from climate change.
EMAIL CHALLENGE: https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
The sustainability niche covers a whole lot of topics including green living, zero waste, sustainable swaps and eco-friendly lifestyles. Choosing a niche can help establish you as an expert or advocate in one niche of sustainability.
Creating eco-friendly content for social media marketing and websites is a great way to educate and inspire others into taking sustainable steps. Today we'll be talking about eco-friendly living, zero waste, vegan and plant-based, climate change advocacy and ethical living.
CONTENT PROMPTS: https://sarahbassett.co/eco-friendly-content-prompts/
Choosing zero waste and sustainable gifts can be an eco-friendly nightmare. Many gifts are designed to look pretty while you’re giving them. But they’re often impractical, overpriced and destined to become waste in landfill.
Sustainable gifts can help the receiver live more eco-friendly and zero waste in their day-to-day lives. Choosing zero waste and sustainable gifts can also support small and eco-friendly businesses. Opt for handmade, plastic-free, locally-made and sustainable gifts.
GIFT GUIDE: https://sarahbassett.co/sustainable-gifts/
Compostable packaging is rising in popularity as more customers are demanding plastic-free options. Conscious consumers are aware that less than 9% of plastic has ever been recycled. Meanwhile, plastic waste is infiltrating every corner of our planet, ecosystems and food chain with disastrous consequences.
But is compostable packaging really an improvement on plastic? Or is it yet another greenwashing step for businesses to look like they’re trying to be sustainable? Today we’re going to look at the types of compostable packaging, benefits and problems before figuring out whether it’s just another form of greenwashing.
Plastic-free July is an internationally recognised initiative from the Plastic Free Foundation. The aim is to work towards a world free of plastic waste. It was started by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz in Western Australia back in 2011. Plastic-free July has become one of the most influential environmental campaigns in the world. Millions of people take part every year, with many committing to reducing plastic pollution after the month-long challenge ends. If you’re a Jack Johnson fan, he’s one of the initiative’s most famous ambassadors!
Plastic-free July challenge on CONCENTR8ED: https://www.instagram.com/concentr8ed.co/
Do you share your sustainable lifestyle online in some way? Congratulations! You’re an eco-friendly content creator. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can only call yourself an influencer or work with brands when you hit X amount of followers. It’s just not true.
I’m qualified to talk about this subject because working with eco-friendly content creators is a huge part of running my eco-friendly business, CONCENTR8ED. As a small business owner, I’d rather spend my marketing budget on paying or supplying real people with free products than I would spending that money on ads. Influencer marketing has also been shown to have a greater return on investment (ROI) than other marketing channels.
Nearly 15% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by meat production. Many environmental advocacy groups are calling on people to lower or eliminate their meat consumption to tackle this. A counter-argument is that there may not be enough farmland on earth to sustain vegans. It sounds plausible. Large parts of the earth are simply not suitable for growing crops. So is veganism really the answer? Let's find out.
Free Zero Waste in a Week course: https://sarahbassett.co/zero-waste-in-a-week/
Paper bags have become the latest eco-packaging choice for businesses and consumers wanting to act (or appear) more environmentally friendly. And what’s not to like? Paper bags are biodegradable, recyclable and natural.
It’s easy to assume that when compared to their scandalous plastic counterparts, paper bags are a sustainable choice. But like most environmental issues, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to eco-packaging such as paper bags. Find out why paper bags can be bad for the planet.
Have you ever looked at the bottom of a plastic item and tried to decipher what the plastic recycling numbers mean? You’re not alone. Recycling is confusing and many local councils and governments report large amounts of wish-cycling. That’s when people put items in their recycling collection that aren’t actually recyclable at that location. While wish-cycling is usually well-intentioned, it can interrupt the recycling process and contaminate other recyclable materials. Recycling is a very location-dependent activity so it’s difficult to say definitively whether you can or cannot recycle something. The best way to find out is to check your local government or council website where you’ll most likely find a list of the types of materials that are accepted in curbside recycling. There also may be other information about locations of specialist recycling of things like appliances, electronics, clothing and other plastic types.
Head to my website and download my new free guide 17 eco-friendly side hustles to ethically make extra money. These side hustle ideas take no or little upfront investment to help you ethically make money in an eco-friendly way. Head to www.sarahbassett.co/sustainable-business-story to grab it now.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my sustainable business CONCENTR8ED. My eco-friendly business launched on 24 November, also known as Green Tuesday, last year. It’s been the hardest and most rewarding project of my life.
Environmental gatekeeping, also called sustainability gatekeeping and just simply gatekeeping, occurs when individuals or groups prevent general access to the environmental movement. A lot of creators and personalities in the eco-friendly space have been calling out this toxic behaviour which includes eco-shaming, perfectionism and a general lack of inclusivity.
Environmentalism is not a one-size-fits-all experience. We will achieve far more for the planet by working together than we ever will tearing each other down. Listen on to find out exactly what environmental gatekeeping is, how it manifests and how to respectfully call it out.
Earth day is like Christmas for environmentalists. But this eco-friendly holiday has a beautiful and inspiring history of bipartisan support and student protest origins. Listen to learn the history of Earth Day, the evolution of the sustainable event over more than 50 years and zero waste ways to celebrate Earth Day. Let's make it system change, not climate change!
Sustainable living is often seen as an expensive thing to do. Many people are scared off by assuming that an eco-friendly lifestyle is will cost more. But many parts of my zero waste living journey have seen me simply becoming less of a consumer and purchasing things consciously. With these simple tips, you'll be able to go plastic-free and lower your carbon footprint by spending no money at all. In fact, you'll likely save money!
Sustainable living is more affordable than you think. While some zero waste and eco-friendly items might seem more expensive, their higher quality soon pays for itself. Meanwhile, sustainable living helps us move away from wasteful purchases and consumerism, saving even more money by buying less and thrifting. Living a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle has plenty of benefits for us and the earth!
Many people wrongly think that sustainable living is expensive. But it doesn't have to be. When it comes to living zero waste and making eco-friendly choices, there are plenty of ways you can save money. From going plastic-free to letting go of consumer culture, it's easy to save money with sustainable living while caring for the environment and limiting plastic pollution. Connect with me on Instagram @SarahBassett.co and tell me how sustainable living saves you money!
Non-dairy milk alternatives are the latest wave of vegan foods. But which non-dairy milk is the most sustainable? Many non-dairy milks are made from ingredients that have intense environmental footprints. However, dairy and animal products have huge carbon footprints and are one of the main causes of deforestation. This means we need to find sustainable plant-based, vegan alternatives ASAP.
Tell me your favourite non-dairy milk flavour on Instagram.
Happy International Women's Day! I'm paying tribute to the amazing female environmental activists that inspire me. From demanding stronger action on climate change, fighting to preserve natural habitats and calling out big fossil fuel companies, these ladies are serious forces of nature.
The list includes Vandana Shiva, Autumn Peltier, Mari Copeny, Erin Brockovich, Professor Wangari Maathai, Winona LaDuke, Helena Gualinga, Amelia Telford, Marinel Ubaldo, Greta Thunberg and Dr Jane Goodall.
Join the conversation on Instagram @sarahbassett.co
We’re finally into spring in the Northern hemisphere. The change in seasons is the perfect excuse to give your living space a deep clean. But beware of the toxic chemicals and potential for environmental damage that lie within many conventional cleaning products. The cleaning product industry is also a huge contributor of non-recyclable disposable plastics that end up in landfill, or worse, natural environments and the ocean. These are my 5 of my best eco-friendly, zero waste, plastic-free spring cleaning tips.
Online climate activism is a way to fight for change no matter who you are, where you are or how much money you have. Whether it's demanding stronger climate action from your government or standing up to unsustainable businesses, there's plenty you can do from your lounge. An email or social media post might not change the world, but it can start or help to snowball a bigger environmental movement.
As we move away from plastic, many people are asking whether glass packaging is a sustainable alternative. But there's a reason we collectively moved away from glass packaging to plastic. Glass is made using non-renewable resources, causes air and water pollution and requires more fossil fuels to transport than plastic. There are ways to use glass as an eco-friendly plastic solution, however, we're not doing this. We need to move away from recycling glass to creating loop systems by which we reuse glass instead. Remember, plastic-isn't the problem - single-use is.
Check out the show notes to read along and for more information: https://sarahbassett.co/eco-friendly-valentines-day/
Valentine’s Day is a great time to take a moment to appreciate your partner and spend some quality time together. But it’s also a time of thoughtless purchases and unnecessary waste that will likely end up in landfill or polluting the environment. So I’ve rounded up a few do’s and don’t for an eco-friendly valentine’s Day.
In this episode, we cover fair-trade chocolate, ethical fashion, plant-based candles, easy sustainable Valentine's Day swaps and more.
[EP1] This is the very first episode of Sarah’s Seven Sustainable Minutes. If you’ve begun taking note of your impact on the environment, you’re probably feeling a little bit overwhelmed with all of the new information.
From plastic anxiety to frustration at friends and family for their wasteful ways, it can easily all become too much. It also seems like many information sources tell us about a whole lot of problems but not many solutions, leaving us feeling powerless, insignificant and that what we do as individuals can’t possibly make a difference.
My new weekly podcast will deliver quick bites of eco-friendly information in short 7-minute episodes. I can’t promise that I’ll have all the solutions or that we’re single-handedly going to save the world.
But what I can promise you is that in these 7 minutes, you’ll hopefully learn something new. We’ll also finish up with an eco-action step that will allow you to put into practice what you’ve just learnt in 10 minutes or less.
I’m not in any way trying to put the blame for the state of our planet on individuals because we all know governments and big business have a whole lot more to do. Instead, I’m trying to help everyday eco-warriors feel positive and empowered - and hopefully, give you that warm fuzzy feeling we get after doing something good.
If you like the episode, please tap that subscribe button, leave a review and connect with the community:
Join me on Instagram
Check out my website Connect with my sustainable business