Eco Chat with Laura Trotta Podcast: Recent Episodes
Laura Trotta
Learn how to live more sustainably, without compromising your lifestyle, in this fun, inspiring and informative podcast with environmental engineer and Home Sustainability Expert Laura Trotta. She's all about making green mainstream and together with inspiring 'Eco Hero' guests will help you create an ecoceptional life you love!
For most of us, our homes are the biggest investment we’ll make in our lifetime. Decisions we make in the home design process impact not only the durability and longevity of our home but also our home’s sustainability and cost to run.
In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined again by Janine Strachan. Janine explains what sustainable home design is and why it’s important. She also describes the main elements of sustainable home design and how they impact the sustainability of a home.
If you’re in the process of designing or building a home and would like it to be as sustainable and efficient as possible, this episode is a must listen!
Resources:
Green Design Solutions
Sustainable Design Expert Webinar Series
Sustainability in the Suburbs by Laura Trotta – the book! Pre-order now!
Tiny Houses are a low impact solution to both the housing crisis and high environmental impact of housing. According to the Australian Tiny House Association, Tiny Houses are moveable dwellings up to 50m2 that are suitable for residential use and can be largely grouped into three categories: on wheels, on skids or shipping containers. In this episode, Janine Strachan, Founder of Tiny House Solutions, President of the Australian Tiny House Association (ATHA) and host of ‘Tips from the Tiny House Guru’ podcast shares what’s driving the growth in the Tiny House Movement, advantages and disadvantages of living in a tiny house, costs and legalities associated with building a tiny house and her best advice for those looking to build and live in a Tiny House.
Lola is a Year 9 student from Exeter in the Southern Highlands region of NSW. She marched as a Year 6 student in the large student climate strikes in 2019 and subsequently joined the School Strike 4 Climate movement. She now leads the School Strike 4 Climate group in her regional town and is actively meeting with her local candidates for the upcoming Federal election to ensure the voice of youth is heard loud and clear.
In this episode my son Matthew will interview Lola, uncovering the information he needs to include in his school assignment on someone who is using their voice for good, but also educating himself more in how students, not too much older than him, are making a really big impact in climate change awareness.
Lola will share what the School Strike 4 Climate movement is and why she decided to join, when and how it was founded, and the impact the movement is having.
Resources:
SchoolStrike4Climate.com
We all need a bank to help us manage our money. But what if “who” we banked with made a difference?
What if your everyday banking was yet another avenue to create a better future for humanity?
What if your everyday banking could create a better global environment in the future?
What if your bank poured its profits into social and environmental initiatives in the community it operated, rather than paying returns to shareholders?
WHO you bank with CAN make a difference. A big one!
In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by Sustainability Manager of Beyond Bank, Kate Carroll.
Beyond Bank Australia is a local customer-owned and B Corporation bank. Kate works across the business to help create positive impact for people and planet whilst also delivering value for the organisation.
Kate will share why she believes people should care about who they bank with, what it means for a bank to be customer-owned and a B Corporation, and what you should look out for when making the switch to a more ethical bank.
Resources:
B Corporation
Beyond Bank
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Disclaimer: Laura Trotta is not a financial planner. Any investment advice given by Laura Trotta (or by any other person through this Website) is based on that person’s opinion and their general experience, but not your specific case. A such, you should always seek independent financial advice for your particular circumstances before acting on information that is published or recommended on this Website.
Superannuation is incredibly important to ensure you’re comfortable financially in retirement. But what if superannuation had another purpose? What if superannuation was an avenue for you to create a better future for humanity?
What if superannuation was an avenue for you to create a better global environment in the future?
What if could easily divest your superannuation investments away from fossil fuels, guns or gambling and instead invest in renewables, micro-finance for women-run businesses and social housing?
Well you can!
In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by co-founder and CEO of Verve Super, Christina Hobbs.
Christina is an experienced Board Director in the superannuation industry and a former Deloitte Management Consultant. Prior to founding Verve, Christina worked for over a decade as a humanitarian and financial inclusion expert for the United Nations. She is a former Board Director of the Global Women's Project and a published author on gender equality.
Christina will explain what ESG superannuation funds are, how you can make the switch to an ethical fund and why she co-founded Verve Super, Australia's first ethical superannuation fund tailored for women.
Disclaimer: Laura Trotta is not a financial planner. Any investment advice given by Laura Trotta (or by any other person through this Website) is based on that person’s opinion and their general experience, but not your specific case. A such, you should always seek independent financial advice for your particular circumstances before acting on information that is published or recommended on this Website.
Resources:
Verve Super
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Whether it’s eating organically grown food, avoiding fast fashion or divesting your financial investments from fossil fuels, tobacco or companies with a track record of modern slavery, conscious consumers and investors have long voted with their money and changed the world in the process. Investing your money can be complex at the best of times. Investing your money ethically can be even more complicated, with social washing and greenwashing rife.
In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by Christopher Zinn. Christopher is a personal finance expert and consumer campaigner at Life Sherpa. He is passionate about ethical investing and believes that empowering consumers with reliable and understandable advice and information they can implement now makes life’s goals more achievable.
Christopher will share the difference between ethical and conventional investing, how to get started with ethical investing and what to look for in an ESG superannuation fund.
*Social washing = a company making misleading claims about the social responsibility of its products or services to position itself in a better light for economic gains and public image.
*Greenwashing = a company making misleading claims about the sustainability credentials of its products or services to position itself in a better light for economic gains and public image.
Resources:
Follow Christopher Zinn on LinkedIn
Life Sherpa
The most wonderful time of the year is also the most wasteful, but that needn’t be the case! In this episode I share five ways you can reduce your food waste this Christmas so the season is lighter on your wallet, waistline and our precious planet.
Resources: Seasons Greenings e-guide
If you’ve been feeling down about the state of the global environment, particularly after COP26 in Glasgow, this episode is for you. I’m sharing a presentation I delivered to around 200 doctors last month at the Doctors for the Environment iDEA 2021 conference. I was invited by Dr Kate Wylie to share a message of innovation and progress so conference attendees could leave the conference with a feeling of hope. I hope the presentation has a similar impact on you too.
There’s plenty of factors to consider when investing in a home. Proximity to schools, shops, health services, family and public transport are some of the key considerations. Smart investors of today are factoring in another consideration – climate change risk – and for good reason.
Climate change risk is impacting the valuation and insurance cost of Australian residential properties and is expected to become more important as time marches on, and the impacts of climate change become more visible. For this reason it make sense to obtain a climate risk report at the same time as you conduct your building and pest inspections.
In this episode, Karl Mallon from Climate Valuation shares how you can assess the climate risk to your home and steps you can take to ensure that your investment is physically and financially sound.
Resources:
Climate Valuation
Climate Valuation on LinkedIn
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
If you’re looking to reduce your household carbon emissions, you really can’t go past installing a home solar photovoltaic system with battery storage. But with so many dealers and installers out there, and with such a high investment cost, where do you even start?
In Part 1 of this Home Energy feature, Bernie Kelly from bidmysolar shared how home solar photovoltaic systems work, their cost and their advantages and disadvantages.
In Part 2, Bernie kindly shares how home battery storage systems work, their cost, how long they last and traps you should be aware of before you make the investment.
Resources:
bidmysolar – Australia’s Solar Search Engine
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
If you’re looking to reduce your household carbon emissions, you really can’t go past installing a home solar photovoltaic system with battery storage. But with so many dealers and installers out there, and with such a high investment cost, where do you even start?
In Part 1 of this Home Energy feature Bernie Kelly from bidmysolar shares how home solar photovoltaic systems work, their cost and their advantages and disadvantages.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where Bernie will share how home battery storage systems work, their cost, how long they last, and traps you should be aware of before you make the investment.
Resources:
bidmysolar – Australia’s Solar Search Engine
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Money does indeed make the world go round and the type of businesses that we invest in today creates the world of tomorrow. Notwithstanding, the corporate world has a huge role to play in shaping the kind of world we live in.
The traditional mindset of corporates to maximise returns for shareholders is redundant and these days, only companies that are sustainable in the true sense of the word will survive. Think sound environmental practices, a strong human rights record and an inclusive and diverse workforce where every employee can bring their best selves to work.
In this episode I’m chatting all things corporate sustainability with Dr Kaushik Sridhar.
Kaushik shares how he went from being a professional tennis player to a corporate leader in sustainability, what the current state of play of sustainability is in the corporate world and tips and strategies for corporates to become more sustainable.
Resources:
Connect with Dr Kaushik Sridhar on LinkedIn
Follow Kaushik’s blog
Learn to live sustainably with Laura in Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Oliver is an award-winning author, is studying Communications’ Journalism at University of Technology, Sydney and lives in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australia, an area ravaged by the horrendous 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires.
Shocked and traumatised by the destruction he witnessed during the fires, and deeply concerned about the impact on wildlife, Oliver threw himself into writing an adventure novel to raise funds for environmental projects.
The result is FireWorks and the Fireworks Fund.
FireWorks is an adventure story about a koala named Iluka who explains how he and his friends survived the 2019-20 bushfires. All proceeds from the sale of FireWorks go to the Fireworks Fund to support environmental charities.
In this episode Oliver shares why he created FireWorks, what it’s like being a young adult in 2021 (spoiler alert – it doesn’t sound like much fun being overeducated and socially distanced!) and what advice he has for other young adults who are wanting to do something bigger to help the environment.
Dr Marji is a coral reef scientist who aims to teach kids around the world about the climate crisis through interactive play and art. Marji meets kids at their level with play dough and LEGO and isn’t afraid to dress up as a coral polyp or penguin to help get the important message of the climate crisis across to young inquisitive minds.
Dr Marji also runs an international drawing contest for kids at kidscareaboutclimate.org that brings kids around the world together to make their voices heard on this vital issue.
In this episode Dr Marji will share why she’s focussing on educating kids about the climate crisis rather than adults, how she ensures she doesn’t fuel any anxieties the children may already have about the state of our global environment, and how you can get the children in your life involved by drawing a picture of a tree and in turn have a real tree planted on their behalf.
Resources:
kidscareaboutclimate.org
Kids Care About Climate Facebook
Kids Care About Climate Instagram
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Climate change has traditionally been viewed as an economic and environmental issue but it is fundamentally a human health issue. In this episode of Eco Chat I’m joined by Dr Kate Wylie from Climate Medicine to discuss the growing health risk to the human population from a warming climate.
Dr Kate Wylie is a GP, a mother and climate activist based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is also the founder of Climate Medicine, a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia and is a Climate Reality Leader. Dr Wylie educates the community and health professionals on the health impacts of climate change.
In this episode Dr Kate will share how the impact of climate change is already presenting in patients in her clinic, what key impacts to human health doctors are anticipating will become more common as our climate continues to change, and what led her to create Climate Medicine.
Resources:
www.climatemedicine.net
If you’re looking for educational sustainability books for the children in your life, you’re in the right place. I’m joined on Eco Chat by Patricia Newman, author of several educational books on environmental and social justice issues including Eavesdropping on Elephants; Sea Otter Heroes; Neema's Reason to Smile; Zoo Scientists to the Rescue; and Plastic, Ahoy!
Translating complicated scientific research into something the average fourth grader can understand is one of Patricia’s gifts. Every Newman title includes hours of research, location travel, and authentic voices sharing the latest scientific discoveries.
Patricia released her latest book, Planet Ocean with photographer Annie Crawley in early March 2021 to much acclaim. Planet Ocean is currently #1 on Amazon in Children’s Australia!
In this episode Patricia will share what led her to write Planet Ocean, how we need to stop thinking of ourselves as existing separate from the ocean and how to start taking better care of this precious resource.
Resources:
Patricia Newman website
Patricia Newman Facebook
5-day Plastic Free Challenge
If you’re looking for an internet search engine that gives back, look no further than Ecosia. Ecosia is quite literally, the search engine that plants trees. Ecosia donates 80% of its profits to non-profit organisations that focus on reforestation, considers itself a social business, is CO2-negative and supports full financial transparency and protect the privacy of its users.
In this episode Hannah Wickes will share how Ecosia came about, how it works and how you can easily make the switch to ensure your web surfing is creating change for good.
Visit www.ecosia.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
And if you are growing an eco business check out the Eco Business Collective where I combine my extensive environmental engineering and business experience to support you.
If you’re looking for commercial cleaning products that are toxin free, plastic free and are made in Australia by a social enterprise, look no further than Resparkle. Pearl Chan is on a mission to create a plastic free future for our families and she’s helping people get started in their homes. In this episode Pearl will share her journey from being a corporate banker to founding and growing an eco business that’s become a leader in toxin and plastic free home cleaning products.
Resources:
Resparkle Website
Resparkle Instagram
Resparkle Facebook
Brunswick Industries
Laura’s Home Detox Cheat Sheet
Laura’s 5-day Green Cleaning Challenge
Eco Business Collective
While 2020 saw Covid-19 ravage human populations and communities around the world, there were many positives throughout the year for our local, regional and global environments.
This New Year, as many of us continue to struggle to process the year that was 2020, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight five positive environmental news stories. It’s my intention that they give you some hope for 2021 and beyond.
Resources:
Eco Business Collective
If your business, company or organisation wishes to become carbon neutral to reduce their environmental impact and demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Polly Hemming from Climate Active to discuss steps business or organisations need to take to become certified carbon neutral and the associated costs and auditing requirements.
This episode follows on from episode 155: How to Offest Your Carbon Emissions with Louise Tarrier from Carbon Positive Australia which also discussed carbon neutrality, but for individuals and organisations not seeking certification. In contrast, this episode is for businesses seeking carbon neutral certification.
Resources:
Climate Active Australia
Eco Business Collective
This past month I presented at the online Ecopreneur Summit, sharing tips and strategies for how to how to make your business more sustainable. It’s this presentation on How to Grow a Green Business that I share with you in this podcast episode.
I also share details of my new Eco Business Collective, a major focus for me for 2021 and beyond. Eco Business Collective will become the premier online membership community for ecopreneurs and eco business builders. Members receive personalized coaching support and a network of connections to help them grow a thriving and profitable eco business online.
If you’re growing an eco business and would like the support of an experienced environmental engineer and eco business coach (that’s me!) plus the support of a growing community of eco business builders, click HERE for more information on the Eco Business Collective.
For a limited time you can take advantage of a FREE 30-day trial and lock in foundation member rates for the duration of your membership!
Click HERE to join the Eco Business Collective
This year I was invited to join the judging panel for the Australian Non Toxic Awards, a role that involved testing and critiquing a large range of zero waste products for the home. The full list of winners can be found on the Australia Non-Toxic Awards website, but I wanted to take the opportunity to showcase a few of my favourite zero waste products. I encourage you to support these eco businesses so you can reduce your environmental impact and in turn, help them make a bigger impact.
For strategies and support to ditch single-use plastics, join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge. In just five minutes a day for five days you’ll learn how to break up with single-use plastics in and around your home and while out and about.
If you’re keen to reduce your toxin load AND you love cooking, this episode is for you. And if you use non-stick pans and your lining is damaged or you’ve accidentally overheated your pan and created fumes, this episode is especially for you. I’m discussing toxins you need to be aware of in traditional non-stick cookware and share some safer alternatives for you.
Click HERE to download my Home Detox Cheat Sheet
Click HERE to join my Home Detox Bootcamp
If you’ve changed some of your habits and have embraced a sustainable lifestyle, but you want to go one step further by offsetting your carbon emissions this podcast episode is for you.
I’m joined by Louise Tarrier, CEO of Carbon Positive Australia. Louise will share how individuals and organisations can easily offset their carbon emissions to become carbon neutral and create a better future for us all.
Follow Carbon Positive Australia on:
Electric vehicles are slowing making their way into the marketplace across Australia and overseas with companies such as Nissan and Telsa offering affordable entry level electric family car options.
In this episode we are joined by Dan Deleur, Vice Chair of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association South Australian branch to discuss the pros and cons of electric vehicles.
Dan's interest in EVs originated in Auto Racing 10 years ago and is augmented by his desire to reduce his environmental impact. His most recent endeavour is Designing and Building an Independently Constructed Vehicle (ICV) which is predominantly constructed utilising second-hand parts from several manufactures. The most relevant of which is the Electric Motor and Drive train sourced from a 2013 Tesla Model S.
Progress on the EV Project nicknamed ‘Short Black’ and the associated Distractions and Creations that life with so many hobbies provides, can now be seen on Dan’s YouTube Channel
Australian Electric Vehicle Association
Fresh lemons are a natural, safe and economical way to clean your home (especially if you have your own lemon tree!). By replacing several common commercial cleaning products with fresh lemons you’ll reduce waste, save money and improve your health. In this episode I’ll share six simple ways to clean your home naturally with fresh lemons.
For tips on how to use natural products from your pantry to clean your home, join my FREE 5-day Green Cleaning Challenge
For my complete framework to reduce chemicals and toxins in your home, join my Home Detox Boot Camp
Pure soap is the original general purpose cleaner. In its purest form, natural soap contains no extra additives such as colours and fragrances and biodegrades completely. In this article I’ll share the benefits of using pure soap for household cleaning tasks and my three favourite uses for pure soap flakes.
For strategies and support to reduce chemicals and toxins in your home, including a heap of natural cleaning recipes, join my Home Detox Boot Camp
Did you know that one of the growing threats to our coral reefs lives in your beach bag?
Sunscreen, or more specifically the chemicals found in many sunscreens, are contributing to coral bleaching and the subsequent death of our beautiful reefs.
In this episode I share what to look for in an eco-friendly sunscreen, and in particular how to ensure your sunscreen is reef safe.
Always look at ingredient lists to make sure reef-damaging substances (such as oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor, all of which have been shown to cause coral bleaching even at low levels) aren’t included.
For strategies and support to reduce chemicals and toxins in your home, join my Home Detox Boot Camp.
Resources:
2008 Sunscreen by University of Marche
Environmental Working Group Sunscreen Choices
In reaching the milestone of 150 episodes of Eco Chat I thought it was timely to take a look back on the past (almost) five years of podcasting and share the top ten episodes, as downloaded by you!
Did your favorite make the list!?!
Be sure to leave a review for Eco Chat in Apple Podcasts to show your love and help other Eco Heros get the tips and info they need to create a healthier and more sustainable home and lifestyle.
Many households who are making an effort to reduce the volume of single-use plastics they consume have trouble replacing one item…..the humble rubbish bin liner. In this episode I’m sharing four alternatives to single use plastic bin liners.
For strategies and support to ditch single-use plastics, join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge.
Farmers and primary producers are experts in land management and meteorology. They need to be in order to survive. Anika Molesworth is a recognised thought-leader of agro-ecological systems resilience. She is an agricultural science researcher, communicator and works in international agricultural development. Anika is also a passionate advocate for sustainable farming, environmental conservation and climate change action. She is a director of Farmers for Climate Action, a movement that puts farmers on the front lines of climate change and at the front and centre of the solutions.
In this episode Anika and I discuss how climate change is impacting primary producers and how farmers are uniting for climate action.
The catastrophic and unprecedented 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, colloquially referred to as the Black Summer, burnt an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres, 72,000 square miles), destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people (including a number of firefighters). An estimated one billion animals were killed and some endangered species may have been pushed to extinction.
At its peaks, air quality dropped to hazardous levels. Smoke from the Australian fires was detected some 11,000 kilometres (6,800 miles) away across the South Pacific Ocean in Chile and Argentina. The cost of the fires is expected to be in the billions of dollars.
While the fires that ravaged every state and territory in Australia, particular the south-eastern States, are now extinguished and the world’s attention has turned to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot allow the Australian Black Summer to become a memory.
The impacts of Covid-19 will be a speedbump in contrast to the growing impacts of climate change.
It’s time to address the scary reality that the Australian Black Summer signals a new normal for bushfires in Australia and other regions around the world.
In this Episode of Eco Chat I’m joined by former Commissioner of Fire & Rescue NSW Greg Mullins to unpack the angriest summer of fires in Australia. We discuss how climate change is impacting the frequency and intensity of bushfires and how communities can reduce their bushfire risk in a warming world.
Gut health is the foundation of good health and it's no different when it comes to our kids.
In this podcast naturopath Jessica Donovan shares how to improve our kids gut health so they can thrive in our modern world.
Resources
Kids Gut Health eBook
Natural Super Kids Video Training Series
Natural Super Kids on Facebook
Eucalyptus essential oil is a natural, effective and economical way to clean your home. In part three of the Spring Cleaning Series I share many applications for cleaning with essential oil.
Resources:
Home Detox Cheat Sheet
Home Detox Boot Camp
White vinegar is a natural, safe and economical way to clean your home. In part two of the Spring Cleaning Series I share many applications for cleaning with white vinegar in your home.
Resources:
5-day Green Cleaning Challenge
Home Detox Boot Camp
In this first episode of my Spring Cleaning Series I share how to remove mould from your home naturally without using chlorine bleach.
Resources
Home Detox Cheat Sheet
Home Detox Boot Camp
Are you curious about what the Council Climate Emergency Declaration movement entails? Want to understand what difference it actually makes to the climate crisis?
Keen to know how you can get your local council to lead in climate action?
If that’s you, you’re in the right place!
In this episode of Eco Chat I’m joined by Climate Reality Leader and elected member of the Gawler Town Council, Ian Tooley.
Ian was instrumental in the process of Gawler Town Council becoming one of the first council’s in Australia to declare a climate emergency and shares his experience of the process.
Resources:
SustainabilityB42L8 Facebook Page
Gawler Town Council Elected Members
Climate Reality Project
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs Membership Program
I’m a tea drinker and enjoy a wide variety of herbal teas throughout the day. In fact, I often joke that there’s a tea to match my every mood!
If you love tea as much as I do, and want to ensure your tea habit is as green as possible (even when you like a black cuppa), this episode is for you!
I’ll share five simple ways to enjoy your cuppa, sustainably.
Resources:
Reusable Coffee Cups at Sustainahome
Bokashi Compost Bins at Sustainahome
Use discount ECOCHAT10 to receive 10% off your first order
With much of Australia in the grip of drought, and rainfall patterns changing worldwide with climate change, water restrictions and increasing water prices are becoming the norm. It makes financial and environmental sense to reduce water consumption at the household level, and it makes even more sense to start in the bathroom where consumption is often the highest.
Here’s six ways to save water in your bathroom.
Resources Mentioned:
FREE Shower Timer
FREE Cheat Sheet: 30 Ways to Save Water in and Around Your Home
Cullector Water Saving Shower
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Are you ready to inspire the conscious kids in your life to save the world?
If you are it's time you met Captain Garbology, aka Lee Constable.
Lee Constable is a presenter, producer and, most recently, children's book author with a focus on science, technology and society. As the host of Australian science TV show, Scope, she researches, writes, presents and produces segments on diverse STEM topics.
Put simply, Lee is a scientific artist, or a creative scientist!
Lee's book How to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet is coming out on World Environment Day- June 5th and aims to take young readers (grade 2-6) on a garbological adventure with a superhero called Captain Garbology taking kids on a quest to become Waste Warriors with hands-on DIY activities, waste science 101 and fun quizzes!
You can purchase How to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet HERE.
Last weekend in Australia we all went to the polls to vote in our national election.
It was supposed to be the climate change election. Yet, our conservative, climate-denying government was returned to office.
Naturally many eco-minded voters, scientists and environmentalists were devastated and are filled with anxiety about what this means for our country and planet moving forward.
In this episode I’m sharing six things I’m doing to keep me optimistic about the state of our environment in an increasingly warming world. Hopefully they inspire you to do the same or at least feel reassured that there are people out there who care deeply about the sustainability of our planet, and who are prepared to go the extra mile to conserve what’s left.
Resources
Click HERE to connect with me on LinkedIn
Click HERE if you're a Council or Corporate and want to work together to improve the sustainability of your organisation
Click HERE if you're an expert, educator or Conscious Business Builder wanting to make a bigger impact through coaching or mentoring with me
If you're keen to reduce your plastic consumption and aren't sure what alternatives are out there for shampoo, this episode is for you. I'm sharing two of my favourite plastic-free shampoo options.
One is a DIY recipe I've been using with much success for years and the other is my new favourite natural solid soap shampoo bar.
Both options are gentle, natural alternatives to conventional shampoos (which dry out your hair) and both are gentle on our environment.
Resources:
Purchase Natural solid Shampoo bars at Sustainahome.com
Use code ECOCHAT10 to save 10% off your first order.
In episode 59 of Eco Chat, Dr Kristy Goodwin shared her best tips for how to raise kids in a digital world. That was 2.5 years ago and as you'd imagine, much has changed in the world of technology since.
In this episode Dr Kristy is back to share latest developments in this area, with a particular focus on how to keep our kids safe while gaming and watching YouTube.
You can follow Dr Kristy Goodwin at https://drkristygoodwin.com and join her online parents portal at https://drkristygoodwin.com/switched-on-parents-portal/
In this NEWSFLASH I share where you can fond my new Podcast and Website for Conscious Business Builders.
To learn more listen to the Conscious Business Builders podcast or visit www.consciousbusinessbuilders.com
If you’re concerned about our changing climate and are wondering what you can do to make a difference, this episode is for you. I’m sharing eight things you can do to help address climate change.
Resources:
greenHOUSE Home Energy Blitz
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs
Bokashi Bins at Sustainahome
Do you want to make a BIGGER IMPACT?
If you have a product or service the world needs and want to reach more people. Thousands more people. I can help you do that.
In this episode I share my latest offering with you.
Conscious Business Builders is high performance coaching for established entrepreneurs who are ready to make a bigger impact.
Click HERE to Apply.
Did you know that plastic straws are one of the most common items found on beaches worldwide?
According to Clean Up Australia, plastic straws are the 12th most common item reported by Clean Up volunteers. Which is not surprising given that Australians use about 10 million plastic straws every day, or 3.5 billion a year!!
Plastic straws are a serious health hazard for marine wildlife. They can easily become lodged in the nostrils and stomachs of marine life including turtles, birds, dolphins, fish and whales, with fatal consequences.
If you’re a straw user, be part of the change and switch single use plastic straws for these four sustainable alternatives.
For strategies and support to ditch single-use plastics, join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge.
Cycling is a sustainable mode of transport. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting from A to B under your own steam, or pedal power in this case.
Last year, after I started working in the city three days a week, I soon grew tired of the train commute and looked in to cycle instead. And I’m so glad I did!
Since I switched the train for bicycle for my 14km commute I've been getting stronger, faster and happier. Plus I'm saving loads of cash too!
If your new years’ resolutions include getting fitter, saving money, or reducing your impact on the environment, this episode is for you!
I’m joined by Matt Tozer from Bike Society who will share his best tips for getting into cycling, particular commuting to and from work.
You can follow Bike Society via their Website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go diving in dumpsters to rescue discarded food, but you haven't been game enough to experience it for yourself?
In this episode I'm chatting with my Dumpster Diving friend Dushan Popovic about what it's really like to go diving for food.
You'll discover:
- What kind of foods supermarkets are throwing away
- Tips for getting started dumpster diving
- The best times to go dumpster diving
- Safety concerns of dumpster divers
- How to come out to your friends as a dumpster diver.
I assure you that you'll think differently after food waste after listening to this episode.
Let's dive in! ;-)
If you’re keen to reduce the environmental impact of your gift giving this Christmas, you're in the right place!
In this episode I'm sharing six eco gift wrap ideas.
It’s possible to wrap your gift sustainably. Whether you use Santa Sacks, fabric, children’s paintings, gift bags or 100% post consumer gift wrap, there’s an eco gift wrapping option to suit everyone!
Ronni Khan is on a mission to nourish our country with rescued food. Her social / environmental enterprise Oz Harvest is on the cusp of delivering it's 100 millionth rescued meal to someone in need this Christmas.
Hear how Ronni actually rescues food from institutions and redistributes it to vulnerable people through initiatives like Oz Harvest's FREE supermarket.
Learn more about Oz Harvest at www.ozharvest.org
You can purchase Lenny and the Ants children's book HERE.
What is the most sustainable Christmas Tree? A real, living Christmas Tree or a reusable plastic Christmas Tree?
To help answer this question I’m chatting with Steve Roberts from Adelaide Hills Christmas Trees. In this episode you'll learn:
- Where a real Christmas Tree is more sustainable than a plastic variety
- How long it takes a pine tree to grow into a suitably-sized Christmas Tree
- What happens to all the Christmas Trees after Christmas
- Best tips for keeping your real Christmas tree looking fresh
- How to grow your own real Christmas Tree
- Other options for Christmas Trees (eg. homemade recyclable trees)
Additional Resources
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Click HERE for some inspiration on homemade Christmas Trees from recyclable materials
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Click HERE to download your FREE Seasons Greenings eGuide to help you have a cleaner, greener Christmas without being a party pooper!
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Click HERE to order your real Christmas Tree from Adelaide Hills Christmas Trees (Adelaide and surrounds residents only)
…..
Want to throw a zero waste party! Great! You’re in the right place!
If you love entertaining but hate waste, this episode is for you! I’m sharing five strategies to help you to easily ecotain (i.e. party sustainably) in a world obsessed with convenience and waste.
Resources:
How to Make Eco Friendly Christmas Bon Bons
The Ecotarian Guide
Eco Party Box
If you’re keen to eco-fy your coffee habit, listen up!
In this episode I’ll share three simple ways to enjoy your daily dose of coffee, sustainably.
Some links to help:
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Click HERE to get your reusable coffee cups from Sustainahome
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Click HERE to purchase reusable coffee pods from Sustainahome
An ethical and sustainable cup of coffee is possible! By switching to a reusable cup, reusable coffee pods and an organic, Fairtrade brew you’ll save money, waste and contribute to a cleaner, greener and fairer future for us all. Now that’s almost enough to make me want to start drinking coffee! ;-)
If you’re a parent or grandparent trying to raise the children in your life in as sustainable a way as possible, this episode is for you! I’m sharing four strategies to help you to eco parent successfully in the modern world.
To join a like-minded community of eco-minded parents (and non-parents), check out Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs.
Whether it’s the deforestation and loss of habitat caused by logging trees for paper, the water and energy used to transform wood into pulp and paper or the chemicals used to bleach and colour the paper, the production and use of paper products has a significant impact on the environment.
Throughout August in my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs membership we shone the light on paper product usage, and we all made an effort to reduce our consumption of paper products in the home.
Since there’s so many opportunities to reduce paper in and around the home, I thought it would be great to summarize them for easy reference.
In this episode I share 13 simple ways to reduce paper use in and around the home.
If you’re finding that stuff is taking over your home or you’re weighed down by the amount of physical clutter in your life, this episode is for you. I’m sharing seven signs you’re obsessed with stuff, and outlining why you need to take control of your stuff before it takes control of you.
Like this episode?
You may also like:
Ep5 – The Environmental Impact of Toys and How To Stop the Toy Invasion
Ep76 - Four Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Buying Something New
Ep77 - Tips on Decluttering and Organising Your Home with Helen Butler
Ep102 - Five Simple Ways To Declutter Your House
EP 120 – 3 Reasons To Rethink Supermarket Collectables
Learn More!
Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs gives you the A to Z of living a simpler, more self-sufficient life, with a supportive community to boot! Click HERE to learn more.
Over the past two years my husband Paul and I have been building our very own sustainable home in the suburbs of Adelaide Australia.
In this episode, Paul joins me on Eco Chat to share our biggest learnings from the process.
From polystyrene construction materials to low VOC paints, we have it all covered in this episode. We share:
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what is the most sustainable floor covering
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how we tested the soil in our yard for metal contamination
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what not to do with your rainwater tank (hint: don't get it delivered until the very moment you want it installed)
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the no.1 choice you can make to reduce volative organic componds (VOCs) in your home
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the decisions you need to make up front to ensure your home is energy efficient (hint: it doesn't include installing solar)
There's been soooooooooo many learnings along the way that I thought I'd share them with you so if you're even in the position where you're building your own sustainable home, or adding sustainable features to your existing home, you can learn from some of the things that went right, and some of the things that went wrong, with our build.
Resources Mentioned:
Building a Sustainable Home in the Suburbs Part 1: Planning and Design
Cullector Water Saving Shower
Macquarie University VegeSafe Soil Metal Testing program
When we think of sustainability, underwear isn’t typically the first thing that comes to mind.
But Modibodi founder Kristy Chong is certainly changing that!
Kristy is on a mission to revolutionized feminine hygiene products and her brand Modibodi and their period and leak-proof underwear is certainly making waves in this area.
In this chat Kristy and I talk about sustainable periods and how an embarrassing mishap while running the Seattle marathon led to her creating what will clearly become one of Australia’s iconic brands.
Click HERE to visit Modibodi's website
Click HERE to follow Modibodi on Facebook
Kids love collecting things and marketers know it.
Supermarkets, in a bid to up their market share, often offer free collectables to “reward” their shoppers. Or more specifically, their “Little Shoppers”, the children of their customers.
Coles new Little Shop promotion is one such promotion.
From tomorrow, Coles shoppers will be offered a free toy – a miniature version of 30 well-known household products – with every $30 spent.
It will no doubt be popular with millions of families, however the health and environmental costs of such a promotion shouldn’t be understated.
In this episode I discuss the marketing genius and environmental nightmare of the Coles Little Shop collection and share three reasons why you should rethink supermarket collectables.
With the spotlight continually being shone on plastics and the devastating impact they're having on the Environment, and with Australia’s Eastern States finally implementing a Plastic Bag Ban, let’s take a look at one of the alternatives to single-use plastic bags… Compostable plastic bags.
Today I’m joined by Darren McAllister, from BioBag Australia to chat about compostable bags, how they differ from biodegradable bags and how Biobag is championing this area.
Click HERE to purchase Biobag Compostable Bags from Sustainahome.
Want to Learn How To Reduce Plastics In Your Home?
Join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge!
There’s some sneaky plastics that have made their way into our bathrooms.
Whether it’s the innocent plastic wrap around a tampon, the hearty plastic toothbrush or the more concealed microscopic plastic beads in beauty products, our bathrooms punch above their weight in our overall plastic footprint.
To help change that in your household, I share five simple ways to reduce plastic waste in your bathroom.
Click HERE to Join my FREE 5-day Go Plastic Free Challenge this July
Additional Resources
Sustainahome.com - online eco store where you can SAVE 15% off the entire plastic-free range in July 2018 with code GOPLASTICFREE
Beat The MicroBead App - resource to help you find out if microbeads are in your favourite products. Scan the barcode of your product and use the app to discover if microbeads are present.
Plastics commonly make up the majority of a household's regular waste stream and most of us accept that soft plastic waste is just a part of life. Until now!
Thanks to one innovative mum, Australians now have the opportunity to recycle their soft plastics via REDcycle.
The REDcycle Program is a recovery initiative for post-consumer soft plastic. RED Group has teamed up with Coles, Woolworths and some of Australia’s most-loved brands to make it easy for you to keep your plastic bags and soft plastic packaging out of landfill.
In this episode, Rebecca Gleghorn from REDcycle will share how you (if you live in Australia) can easily get started recycling your soft plastics.
If you’re interested in being part of an active community supporting each other to reduce plastic consumption and transition to a zero waste home, join my growing Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs community.
In this episode I share which of my favourite natural cleaning products I used to complete the exit clean on my house in our recent house move, and how they performed.
Earlier this year we made our BIG family move from the small town of Roxby Downs to the city of Adelaide, 600 km away.
I contemplated outsourcing the exit clean to save time, but for various reasons, we decided to complete it ourselves.
I also secretly wanted to put my favourite natural cleaning products to the test to see if they were up to the big task of a leave-no-surface-spared exit clean, and they didn’t disappoint!
Links to Purchase
Click HERE to purchase koh (ekoWorx) Universal Surface Cleaner, Diamond Sponge, grout brush and microfibre cloths and receive $10 off your order (including bundles and sale items).
Click HERE to purchase Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner, Thieves Dishwashing Liquid and Eucalyptus and Thieves Essential Oils.
Click HERE to purchase Norwex Enviro Cloths (microfibre cloths).
Click HERE to purchase ENJO Window Cleaner and Cloth.
Please note: for some for these products I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase via these links. Rest assured I only ever recommend products I’ve used myself and which I am 100% happy with their performance.
Water is essential to life.
It’s quite possibly the most valuable resource on Earth, yet with the way we waste water in the Western world, you wouldn’t believe this to be the case.
Following the Millennial Drought, the worst recorded drought in Australia’s history, inventor Peter Cullin set himself a mission to do something about reducing household water consumption.
He discovered that the bathroom, and more specifically the shower, was the most wasteful area in a typical dwelling and that every minute of every day, in hundreds of millions of homes around the world quality fresh drinking water was being wasted due to inefficient showers.
So began the quest to create, from scratch, a new type of shower that would overcome the seven major waste problems inherent in typical showers.
Peter’s invention, The Cullector is now recognised as the world’s most efficient DIY retrofit shower. It’s a multi award winning ultra-efficient shower that combines several water saving solutions into one simple water saving shower, it’s self-powered and provides a quality showering experience that saves water, saves money and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
If you’re keen to try out the Cullector Water Saving Shower for yourself Peter has offered a 20% discount on the full range at Water Saving Showers between now and end May 2018. Simply enter code ECOCHAT to save!
To help you get started reducing your household water consumption, pick up your FREE Water Savings Cheat Sheet that covers 30 Simple Ways To Reduce Water Use In and Around Your Home.
And if you’re interested in being part of an active community supporting each other to continually make small changes to create a healthier, more sustainable home and lifestyle, join my growing Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs community.
When did you last purchase a new item of clothing?
When did you last move an item on from your wardrobe? And where and how did you move this item on?
How much of your wardrobe do you actually wear on a regular basis?
I encourage you to take moment to reflect on these three questions, because you may not be aware of it, but your wardrobe may be the source of your greatest impact on the environment.
Fashion Revolution Week isn’t just about questioning the social impact of the Fashion Industry, it’s also a time to shine a light on its sustainability.
Today we’re taking a look at another side of fashion and I’m chatting with two gamechangers who have co-founded a clever start-up to make it easy for us to both move on quality items we no longer need and replace them with an entire new wardrobe….without spending a cent.
Through SilkRoll, Erin Wold and Janet Wu have created a shared economy for high end fashion. In this episode we chat about why the fashion industry needs an eco-makeover, some of the advantages of sourcing your clothing this way and the challenges faced by Erin and Janet in getting SilkRoll off the ground and how they overcame them.
Hold onto your seats because after this episode you’ll think three times before ever buying a new item of clothing again!
Today I’m coming to you with a podcast recorded from Antarctica! And I have one of my new friends joining me on the show. It was recorded on the Ushuaia ship whilst we were slicing through ice sheets just to the east of Adelaide Island.
I’m super excited to introduce you to Samantha Reynolds. Sam is a marine biologist and works with ECOCEAN, Australia’s only not-for-profit organisation dedicated to whale shark research and conservation. We are chatting all things whale sharks, science, and following your dreams.
You can learn more about ECOCEAN and the fantastic work they are doing on their website. Also follow them on Facebook or Instagram to keep up to date with their research.
In this podcast I reflect on my recent expedition to Antarctica and my involvement in the Homeward Bound Program to date.
My experience on board with the 80-odd other women in STEMM was incredible and as life changing as being in the pristine and rugged environment of Antarctica.
In a safe and collaborative space we networked, developed strategies to lead, increase our visibility, and act on issues that align with our individual values and lift women up in the call to create change for the greater good.
If you're interested in participating in Homeward Bound register your details here.
Thanks to my sponsors Macpac, Travel with Jane and Civil Construction Partners, as well as my crowdfunding supporters, for making my participation in Homeward Bound possible.
As you may be aware, I’ve spent the past 3 weeks on a ship in Antarctica with 77 other female scientists, all participating in the Homeward Bound program.
To say the experience has been life changing wouldn’t do it justice.
In a safe and collaborative space we networked, developed strategies to lead, increase our visibility, and act on issues that align with our individual values and lift women up in the call to create change for the greater good. All of this in the spectacular setting of Antarctica.
In coming podcast episodes I’ll be reflecting on the voyage and sharing the outcomes and resulting projects, but first I wanted to give you a solid background on what is Homeward Bound.
Today’s episode is a warm and candid chat Homeward Bound co-founder Fabian Dattner, recorded on the ship on one of our final days on board.
In this discussion Fabian shares the inspiration and vision behind Homeward Bound, why women with a STEMM (science, technology, engineering mathematics and medicine) background are central to the mission, why Antarctica and some of the biggest challenges the leadership team have overcome on the journey.
Click HERE to apply for Homeward Bound.
Follow Homeward Bound on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Gut Health, or more specifically, poor gut health has received much publicity in recent times and for very good reason.
Gut bacteria and poor digestion have been linked to many diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, obesity, HIV, auto immune disorders, arthritis, mental illnesses and autism.
Why Am I Talking About Gut Health on Eco Chat?
Because looking after ourselves and our planet go hand in hand. We can’t perform at our optimum and care for our Earth if we’re sick or low in energy.
Which is why I have one of Australia’s leading experts in gut health on Eco Chat today.
Micheline Andrews is a nutritional health coach focusing on gut health. She is a bone broth advocate, speaker, and author of a brand-new cookbook ‘Bone Broth Basics’ , which we will talk about today.
When most people talk about healing the environment, they mention simple acts we can do to minimise out impact. It’s rare to find someone who is prepared to go that extra mile and speak the truth… that minimising our impact isn’t going to cut it.
Dr Mahdi Mason is an environmental consultant, author and land healer. She recently released her second book ‘Earth Healing: Healing the Earth to heal ourselves’ to critical acclaim. Her passion is helping people to understand the importance of reversing our environmental impacts, not just reducing them
In this chat Mahdi and I talk about:
- What an Earth Healer is and how to become one;
- How Western Society can better harness the wisdom of our first nations people, particularly when it comes to how they care for Mother Earth;
- How humans became disconnect with the Earth and how we, as a species, can reverse this and build strong connections to the land again;
- How embracing our feminine energy can help to heal the Earth;
- Why we not only need to reduce our physical impact on the environment, but our metaphysical impact too;
- Plus many simple ways in which you can help heal the Earth.
I really like Mahdi’s view on life and passion for sustainability, and I’m thrilled to be sharing her message with you.
If you’re an avid reader and are keen to learn how to indulge your habit in the most sustainable way possible then you’re in for a real treat today!
I’m joined by my friend and author Lisa White to chat all about books verses e-books and which is the most sustainable choice.
We also cover how Lisa recently made the leap from naturopath (and author of many cookbooks available through her Alternate Chef Kitchen business) to fictional author with her brand Contemporary Fantasy novella “A Touch of Magic” which is available now.
The nightly ritual of packing school and kindergarten lunches can sometimes seem tedious and unrelenting, but it doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't need to take as long as an episode of The Bachelor.
In this post I'll share six tips to help you create a waste-free lunchbox for your school-aged child.
Enter code BACKTOSCHOOL before 31 Jan 2018 at Sustainahome to receive FREE Shipping Australia-wide on your order of zero waste lunchbox products.
So many of us grew up with the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ mantra that’s as ingrained in our psyche as the ‘Slip Slop Slap’ sun protection slogan.
But just as ‘Slip Slop Slap’ has moved with the times and been revised to ‘Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide’ I thought the start of a new year was the perfect opportunity to cast an eye over ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.’ In particular I’m keen to share my thoughts on where the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ mantra needs an upgrade, and why.
Browse a range of reusable items in eco-living store Sustainahome and receive 10% off your first purchase with voucher code ECOCHAT10.
If you’re keen to be part of a growing community of like-minded conscious consumers all keen to create a healthier, more sustainable home, check out Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs! It’s the place where I guide you through the process of creating a self-sufficient lifestyle, without the overwhelm and without turning your back on the modern world.
A few weeks ago I gave you a heads heads up that something very special was in the pipeline.....
Well it's come out the other end I'm I'm so thrilled to share with you that Sustainahome is now open for business!
You can check Sustainahome out HERE.
Sustainahome is an online eco / toxin-free store where 20% of profits are donated to environmental scientific research and conservation projects.
It's the store where your purchases not only help you to create a healthier, more sustainable home, but also help to improve the quality of our environment across the board.
With your support Sustainahome will grow over the weeks, months and years ahead to become a true leader in the eco-retail space and in turn, we'll have a serious crack at making green mainstream.
To reward you for being a loyal subscriber, if you shop between now and 31 December, you'll receive 15% off your entire order.
Just click this link and the discount will be automatically applied to your cart, or enter voucher code ECOCHAT.
And while you're there, be sure to follow Sustainahome on Facebook and Instagram.
If you’re a bit frazzled leading up to Christmas and think you have no hope getting through your TO DO list, let alone carving out time for YOU, this episode is for you. I’m sharing 5 easy ways you can fill your cup this Christmas... without even leaving the house!
If we don’t care for ourselves, and keep our cup full so to speak, we can’t fill others, and we definitely can’t look after the environment.
If we’re frazzled, stressed and tired, we’re more likely to make decisions based on convenience and generate more waste, not to mention spend more money in the process.
More seriously, if you’re busting your butt trying to live a more sustainable, zero waste lifestyle and you’re putting yourself last, you’re much more likely to not only burn out, but get resentful too!
You have my permission to take some time out and rejuvenate, even for just 5 minutes a day.
Happy Christmas!
As Christmas fast approaches and adults the world over look for cheap stocking fillers to gift to their children and children’s friends, I thought it was a great opportunity to chat about fad toys and the impact they have on the environment.
In particular, I wanted to check in on the fad toy of 2017… The Fidget Spinner. In this episode I chat about the Lifecycle of a Fidget Spinner and share Five Alternatives to Gifting Fad Toys.
Click HERE to get your FREE Seasons Greenings eGuide.
If you yearn for a simpler, minimalist lifestyle and are yet to declutter your house, this post is for you.
I’m sharing the ins and outs of our decluttering attempts for our upcoming house move.
Links for Specific Charities Mentioned:
- Bras…. Uplift Project Drop off locations
- Glasses – Lions Recycle for Sight Australia
- Business Clothing – Dress For Success
Like This Topic?
You May Also Like To Listen To These Previous Eco Chat Episodes:
- Ep 5 – The Environmental Impact Of Toys and How to Stop The Toy Invasion
- Ep 62 – 7 Green Gift Ideas for Christmas
- Ep 76 - 4 Questions You Should Ask Before You Buy Anything New
- Ep 77 Tips on Decluttering and Organising Our Homes with Helen Butler
If you choose to eat meat, and you care for the environment and care for your own health, I bet you’ve wondered “what is the best meat to eat”?
It’s a question I’m asked a lot, particularly by my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs members, and it’s a question I’ve also contemplated.
I mean if you walk into a typical supermarket meat section you’re faced options such as organic, free range, grass fed, grain fed, no added hormones, antibiotic free, pasture raised and more! It can be hard to make an informed choice!
If you’re keen to discover once and for all what the most sustainable meat is, this post is for you.
I’m chatting with Peri McIntosh from Borderpark Organics and we uncover what is the best meat to eat from an environmental and health perspective.
Before you dive in though, you may like to also listen to Episode 49 –Regenerative Farming and It’s Role In Healing Our World (with Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm), and Episode 51 – 7 Ways To Smarten Up Your Meat Consumption.
But in this episode we dive into what all those different terms for meat mean, what are some of the common additives included in conventional meats, and how you can better ensure less waste from the animal (i.e. tip to the tail eating).
This episode is a meaty one (ha ha!) but I hope you get a lot out of it. Because if you do choose to eat meat, I really want to help you make the most sustainable choice for you and the environment.
Lotions and potions, deodorant, perfumes, soaps, exfoliants, shower gels and make up: many of us probably use some or most of these personal care products every day and may not give a second thought to the impact they might be having on the health or us or our environment.
In this episode I’ll share why you need to be savvy when choosing which personal care products you use and why beauty products may not actually be that great for both you and the environment.
To be in the running to WIN a place on my Home Detox Boot Camp be sure to share your best eco beauty tips in the comments on this episode's corresponding blog post HERE before Tuesday 31 October 2017.
It’s been said that they’re more immediately dangerous to the environment than a discarded plastic drink bottle … we're talking about microbeads. What they are, what impact they have on the environment and our health and how you can tell if a product contains them.
Beat the Microbead have made an app to help you find out if these tiny pollutants are in your favourite products. You can download the app and scan the product barcode and it will tell you if the product contains microbeads.
You may also be interested in Eco Chat Episode 93 - how our plastic oceans are impacting our environment with Craig Leeson.
If you have a pantry that’s brimming with food, much of which that’s been sitting there for a while. Or if you regularly find yourself tossing out stale or soiled food from your pantry, then today’s episode is for you.
I’m chatting about simple actions you can take to reduce food waste from your pantry.
Click Here To Be Notified When Self Sufficiency In The Suburbs Opens Again For New Members
I've decided to take a couple of weeks off the podcast to do some work behind the scenes and improve the way I do things around here.
But before I make any changes, I want to make sure I continue to cover the topics that are going to be the most helpful to YOU...
So my question to you is this:
When it comes to living sustainably, what's the single biggest challenge you've been struggling with?
Would you please CLICK BELOW to tell me so I can be sure to address your specific situation in upcoming content that I'll be creating:
Click here
Thank you so much!
Laura :-)
P.S. That question again:
When it comes to living sustainably, what's the single biggest challenge you've been struggling with?
Click here to tell me
Thanks so much!
This episode highlights three simple plastic habits you can kick to improve your health.
WANT TO WIN A SET OF HONEYBEE REUSABLE WRAPS?
Review the Eco Chat podcast in iTunes before Friday 18th August for your chance to WIN. Not sure how to leave a review? Follow the steps in this 1 minute video.
When focusing on reducing the environmental impact of plastics, it pays to look at ways that will decrease the amount of plastic you use. Avoiding single-use plastics is the key here.
This episode highlights three simple plastic habits you can kick to improve the environment.
WANT TO WIN A SET OF HONEYBEE REUSABLE WRAPS?
Review the Eco Chat podcast in iTunes before Friday 18th August for your chance to WIN. Not sure how to leave a review? Follow the steps in this 1 minute video.
What is crowdfunding?
How does crowdfunding work?
What are the benefits of crowdfunding?
I’ve been asked these questions and more countless times over the past year, particularly during and after my two successful crowdfunding campaigns where I raised over $37,000 upfront for sustainability projects in my business.
There are many benefits of crowdfunding. From securing funding upfront, to catapulting your profile, to testing if a business concept will fly, more and more entrepreneurs and business owners are turning to crowdfunding over traditional forms of finance. In fact, in 2015, an estimated US$34 billion worldwide was raised via crowdfunding!
In this episode I’ll explain what crowdfunding is and how it works. I’ll also share five benefits of crowdfunding (hint: only one is financial!) and why you should consider it as an option to not just raise capital, but to grow your business.
Join Confident Crowdfunding before Friday 28 July and SAVE $100 on the upfront plan with code EARLYB
The Plastic Free July movement is sweeping Australia and for very good reason.
Our obsession with plastics, particularly single-use plastics, is causing devastating impacts to our oceans, our land, our wildlife and us.
If you’ve ever wondered just what kind of impact, and the degree of this impact, plastics are having on our environment then today you’re in for a real treat. Actually, today may not be a treat at all, because my guest has some pretty alarming information to share with us all.
Craig Leeson is an award-winning journalist, television presenter and filmmaker. His debut cinematic feature film, “A Plastic Ocean”, which he wrote, directed and executive produced, hit the coveted no.1 spot for documentaries on iTunes in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada and is listed globally on Netflix with the backing of Leo DiCaprio.
What’s more, Sir David Attenborough has described A Plastic Ocean as the most important film of our time.
If you haven’t yet watched A Plastic Ocean, I have a strong feeling it will be top of your “must watch” list after today.
I’m chatting with Craig about what he discovered and learnt while filming A Plastic Ocean, what changes he’s since made to his own lifestyle and what he believes needs to happen at a global and local level to stem the flow of plastics into our oceans.
Support Plastic Ocean Foundation
Watch A Plastic Ocean
If you’re keen to learn more about the impact of plastics in our environment and how you can reduce your consumption, check out these other blog / podcast episodes:
Eco Chat ep 39 - What you Need to Know About Plastics
Eco Chat ep 40 - 19 ways to break up with plastics in your home
When it come to transforming women's health, look no further than Courtney Townley from Grace and Grit.
Courtney Townley is passionate about a multi-dimensional approach to women's health and fitness, and integrates the practices of clean eating, functional movement and stress management. She loves to move and share her love of movement with others while also introducing them to optimal health through healthy living practices. To her, it’s the greatest gig in the world to work so closely with women who want to be happier, healthier and more fit and change their lives for the better.
In this episode, Courtney and Laura chat about sustainable eating and dieting, and how women can best transform their health, naturally.
If you value eating real foods, fresh seasonal produce and cooking from scratch but you’re yet to start growing your own food, you’re going to love this episode.
Today I’m joined by a guy who believes that gardening is for everyone.
That’s right! Organic veggie gardening is no longer the domain of those with a migrant background, a large backyard or heaps of time on their hands.
The trend to higher density living and dwindling backyard sizes in our cities has given rise to the conventional gardener….. a home gardener who values real food and is having a red hot go at growing their own.
Mat Pember is the founder of Little Veggie Patch Co, and he’s undeniably leading the trend of growing food in small spaces. In today’s episode he’ll share some of his best tips on how you too can grow some of your own food in small spaces.
Today on the podcast, I’m sharing an interview that, retail strategist and host of the Bringing Business to Retail Podcast, Salena Knight did with me last week.
She is chatting with me and asking me a heap of questions about my upcoming trip to Antarctica. I thought it would be really cool to share this episode that has been aired on her Bringing Business to Retail Podcast, today with you.
You will understand a lot more about me, what’s coming up for me, and why I’m so excited to be chosen in Homeward Bound to head to Antarctica in February/March next year.
If you haven't yet pledged your support for climate action by some of the world's smartest and most passionate scientists, NOW is the time! Show your support here.
It’s time we humans took a long hard look at ourselves and how we’re living. In this post I touch why we need to stop acting like we have a Planet B. Plus I share a small action that you can do today to ensure we’ll never need a Planet B.
Last week I shared with you my exciting news that I'd been selected as one of 80 female scientists worldwide to join the second-ever Homeward Bound and fly the climate action flag on a global stage. I've just launched a crowdfunding campaign and have just 10 days to raise the funds to cover my ship berth on this program.... a hefty AUD 22,000 (and this is just a portion of the total program costs). You can pledge your support here.
I’m changing things up this week!
Rather than showcase an interview or a “how to” episode on how to live more sustainably, I thought I’d share some thoughts and reflections with you on what’s going through my head this week as I turn the big 4-0!! Plus, I wanted to let you know of a few exciting opportunities and projects on the horizon….
Last week the POTUS, Donald Trump, announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
It was no big surprise.
He’d made it loud and clear during the 2016 Presidential Campaign that he’d withdraw from the Agreement if elected. Media speculation in the days leading up to the announcement hinted that it was just a matter of him saying the words and the U.S. was out. And of course there was the body language and the refusal by Trump to endorse his support of the Paris Agreement at the May 2017 G7 Summit in Sicily that basically confirmed that Trump was going to follow through on his pre-election promise.
So while we hoped he wouldn’t go there. He went there.
With the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement as it currently stands, many of us are wondering what this means for not only the Agreement moving forward, but for global climate action on the whole.
In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the Paris Agreement. What it is. How it works. Why Trump withdrew. And what the U.S. pulling out means for the rest of the world and global climate action.
What Can You Do?
You don’t need to be a world leader to have a positive impact on climate action. You can get started today by reducing your own personal emissions. Reducing your food waste and eating more plant-based meals are two areas you can focus on that will significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
If you’re after strategies and support to help you create a sustainable home, check out Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs. Doors are closing this Thursday 8th June 2017!
In a world where famine and hunger are a daily battle for millions of people, the need to reduce food waste, and indeed the concept of food waste, can be difficult to comprehend.
However, the statistics on the volumes of food wasted are alarming.
Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted.
In this episode, I unpack the issue of food waste and discuss how it’s generated, the impact of food waste on the environment, and simple measures you can take to reduce food waste in your home.
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All too often I hear of people who are running their dream, self-sufficient home, but it’s become a nightmare.
They’re working around the house and garden more than ever, are stressed out, and what was fun and exciting when they started out has become a chore and a big weight on their shoulders.
In this episode, I’m sharing my best advice on how to build a self-sufficient home that affords you maximum freedom and flexibility (and don’t worry: this advice can be applied right from the beginning, or be used to tweak things if you’re a bit further along the path, but your self-sufficient home has begun to swallow you whole).
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If you’re wanting to live a more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle, it’s likely you’ll need to break some old, bad habits and replace them with new, sustainable ones.
But how do you break a bad habit?
In this episode I’ll explain why bad habits are typically hard to break. I’ll also share some tips on how you can replace an old habit with a new one.
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If you’re keen to reduce your impact on the planet and improve your family’s health and well being in the process, but you’re just not sure where to start you’re in the right place!
In this podcast, I’ve collated my best tips to start (or up level) your eco journey. You’ll also be able to complete a fun quiz that will help you identify how self-sufficient your lifestyle currently is. Click here to discover how self-sufficient your lifestyle is!
If you’ve ever built a new home, you’ll appreciate just how much time and effort goes into planning, designing and building. But what about it you want to take it a step further and make sure that your build is as sustainable as possible?
This week on the podcast I’m joining my husband Paul to share some of our learnings and tips on how to build a sustainable home.
Last week on Eco Chat we heard from Melinda Tually from Fashion Revolution who shared many of the social and environmental issues of the fashion industry with us…as well as some tips for how you can make a difference by asking your favourite fashion brands “who made my clothes?”
I wanted to continue the conversation this week, in Fashion Revolution Week, by bringing the founder of an exciting new local eco-bridal label onto the show.
Lenka Couture’s founder, Lenka Harvey, is on a mission to revolutionise the bridal fashion industry and give conscious brides more sustainable options, particularly when it comes to the most important day of their lives.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 113,595 couples said "I do" in 2015. Lenka Harvey, sees this as 113,595 opportunities to create a gown for the bride who is interested in making a lasting positive impact in the world, through her considered choices. Lenka Couture’s designs are intended to enhance the beauty of the woman in the dress, showcasing the individual wherever possible, and always striking an exciting balance between honouring and breaking traditions.
Regardless of whether or not you’ve already tied the knot, you’re going to love hearing Lenka’s story and what the future holds for Lenka Couture.
If you’re a bit of a mindless consumer when you’re out, shopping and buying lots of new clothing and accessories for your wardrobe, well this week we’re going to change all that. Hopefully we are going to turn you into a more conscious consumer when it comes to fashion.
I’m super excited to bring my guest Melinda Tually onto the show this week. Melinda is the director of Ndless: The New Normal, and she is also the coordinator for Fashion Revolution in Australia and New Zealand.
Melinda advises brands and retailers on responsible business and supply chain strategy, social and environmental risks, communications, partnerships, and sourcing. The Fashion Revolution is a global movement calling for greater transparency in the fashion industry and Fashion Revolution Week runs from April 24th-30th 2017.
In today’s episode, you will find out first-hand from Melinda:
- What is wrong with the fashion industry.
- Exactly what the Fashion Revolution is, how it was established, and what it is achieving.
- Tips and strategies to help you eco-fy your wardrobe.
- Why it is so important to know who has made your clothes.
- Where she sees the fashion industry heading in the future, and what needs to change for it to become truly sustainable.
- Where you can find out more about the Fashion Revolution and join the cause!
Melinda opens our eyes to what is happening in the fashion industry and how we can be a part of helping it to change for the better.
Like Christmas, although to a much lesser degree, Easter is a time of high consumption. Big feasts, heaps of chocolates…. we all tend to indulge more than normal. As Easter is upon us all this week, I thought I’d share seven ways to make your Easter more sustainable.
If you would like to have a go at making your own organic Hot Cross Buns, you’ll find my recipe here.
Given that the average woman only tends to wear around 20% of what’s in her wardrobe and buys the same pieces over and over, I thought it would be a great idea to unpack sustainable style on the Eco Chat this week.
And the perfect stylist to help you discover your sustainable style is the gorgeous Alma Barrero.
Alma Barrero is a style coach, personal power advocate, family girl and your right hand when it comes to helping you make the impact you were born to make.
Her goal is to provide you with the tools to open the door to dressing with confidence and projecting the best version of yourself.
And she prides herself on her ability to help busy women wake up in the morning knowing what to wear to boost their success.
Sounds too good to be true? Well it isn’t because Alma is real and she’s with me today to share her sustainable style secrets with you!
Plus, Alma has a very special offer for our listeners today - be one of the first 10 people to sign up here for her 6-week Style Power School using coupon code ECOSTYLE to save $300!
You can also find her on Facebook at Effortless Style Hub.