Sustainable(ish)

To change the world, you've got to throw a better party than those destroying it".
This is a quote from Louisa Ziane at Toast ale, and is one of my faves, and something I try and keep front of mind.
'Sustainability' has an image problem and is very often seem as something that is dull and dry and bleak, and for the keen greenies over there wearing lots of hemp, or for the lone Sustainability Manager at a company.
It's not really something we'd bring up in conversation down the pub. Or is it..?

Adam Bastock is the founder of People, Planet, Pint - a simple concept of getting like-minded people together 'down the pub' for a chat. From a What's App message at COP26 asking if anyone fancied a pint, People, Planet, Pint now hosts around 80 events every month, in 120 locations around the world! It's such a brilliantly simple idea - one of the things that many of us struggle with is feeling like we're on our own, at the same time perhaps as feeling like the more traditional forms of 'activism' aren't really for us or feel out of our comfort zone. People, Planet, Pint is a great way to connect with other people locally, and to recognise that it's not just you, and that you're not on your own, and who knows what might come of a conversation over a pint (or glass of wine/diet coke/insert other drink choice here!) down the pub.



LISTEN...



USEFUL LINKS:

Adam Bastock
- Linked In
Small 99
- Small business carbon footprint estimator
- Digital emissions calculator
- Action Box
- Pub mini-game
- Linked In
People Planet Pint
- Find an event
- Become a host
- Wine Tastings
- Linked In
- Instagram
Carbon Literacy
- Carbon Literacy with me!
Ep 175 - Climate Play (including Lego Serious Play) - podcast with Lisa Hawthorne
Ep 193 - The power of swapping with Sam Drury Shore

The People Planet Pint map!



Do let me know if you have been to your local People, Planet, Pint event, if you're a host,
or if you're now thinking about finding an event local to you,
or perhaps even finding out more about hosting!
If you've enjoyed this episode, please do leave a rating and a review
wherever you listen, and tell all your friends!

I can't wait for you to dive into this week's episode with Samantha Drury Shore who is the Chair of Sustainable Devizes, not too far from me in Wiltshire, and who has spear-headed their brilliant swap events that now run on a regular basis. Sam shares with us how they got started with their first event and shares her experiences of what works for these kind of events, and the nitty gritty of the logistics and organising.
It's another wonderful example of, in the words of listener Tamasin, "perfectly normal people discovering they can change things". I found it really inspiring and despite being someone who really isn't good at, or particularly enjoys, organising events, it's really got me fired up and thinking about whether I can persuade a couple of friends to help me organise something locally!

Samantha Drury Shore



LISTEN...



USEFUL LINKS:

Samantha Drury Shore
- Website
- Substack
- Instagram
- Linked In
- Swap Shops Toolkit
Sustainable Devizes
- Links
- Facebook page
Fires and Facism film
Nothing New in '22
Clothes piling up in Atacama Desert
Chippenham Uniform Exchange
[187] - No Crap Parties with Charlotte Mason-Curl

Is AI bad for the planet?
Should I feel guilty if I use ChatGPT?
What is the carbon and water footprint of an AI search?

These were some of the questions I was looking for answers for when I posted on Linked In a while back. I got a lot of great replies, and it turns out there's a LOT of information out there. But oh my goodness it's confusing!

In this episode I'm chatting to Tam Hussey, who has a background in digital strategy and now runs her own strategic consultancy, Halo By Design, utilising behaviour change principles to help companies meet their sustainability targets. We dive into some of the facts and figures, looking at where the biggest impacts come from with internet usage, and some of the things that we can do to reduce our own digital footprints, and influence wider change as well.
For full disclosure, some of the editing of this podcast, the generation of transcripts, and some of the short clips I share on social media are all done with the assistance of AI. Which feels hugely hypocritical, but I guess comes down to the mindful and targeted use of it..?!

Tam Hussey



LISTEN...



USEFUL LINKS:

Tam Hussey
- Halo by Design (website)
- Linked In
-Green your Screen

- GEC case study
Ep 189 with Ash Goddard
Digital Collage
Hidden Treasure Hunt - for old tech and electrical items
Digital Clean Up Day - 21st March
Find secondhand and refurbished tech:
- Backmarket
- Music Magpie
- 'Which' article on buying secondhand tech
Ecograder
Wesbite Carbon
Renewable hosting - a couple of suggestions:
- Green Hosting
- Krystal
Ecosia
Quit GPT - a campaign to encourage people to stop using ChatGPT (for a whole host of reasons, not just environmental!)

Halo by Design



Very aware this episode might result in more questions than answers!
Do let me know if you have any questions you'd love answered, and we can always to a follow up!

[…]

I think we're all pretty familiar with the term carbon footprint, but there's a new kid on the block when it comes to talking about the full impact of the actions that we take when you come together.

Isabelle Sparrow is Head of Comms, and the podcast host, at Carbon Copy - a platform that champions collective action, and the power it has to help turn our individual concern about the climate into a collective impact.
In this episode we chat about what collective action is, how you can join in if you're not someone who likes joining in, and how we've all got something to offer. And we also dig into the new concept that Carbon Copy have created, called the Changeprint - here's the explanation of what that is from the Carbon Copy website: "A Changeprint is the collective impact created when you join with others to make something happen. While a carbon footprint is about doing less harm, a Changeprint is about doing more good. It’s a positive approach to addressing the climate and nature crisis, centred on the place and the people around you".

If you are ever in need of a spot of inspiration for practical do-able projects that work in local communities up and down the country, do check out the Carbon Copy website - there are literally hundreds of examples on there, and each of them has had their Changeprint added on, to give an idea of the sum of the different impacts that they have had on their local community and on the environment more broadly.

I love the concept of the Changeprint - I'm going to think about how I can introduce it into my Carbon Literacy courses, and also how I could apply it to this podcast; to the Sustainable(ish Clubhouse - my membership community - which is re-launching soon, watch this space; and to all my Sustainable(ish) work.

Isabelle Sparrow



LISTEN...



USEFUL LINKS:

Carbon Copy
- Website
- Find your local area's emissions and climate action plans
- 25 Big Local Actions
- Podcast
- Changeprint
-Carbon Copy podcast episode - Introducing Changeprint
- Changeprint Action Pack
- Stories of local action along with their Changeprints
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Linked In
- [083] - Think Global Act Local - with Ric Casale from Carbon Copy (podcast episode)
Warming Stripes
Climate Emergency UK Climate Council Scorecards
- [164] - Your Council and Climate Action - with Annie Pickering from Climate Council Scorecards (podcast episode)
Social tipping points - paper in Nature
Climate Shadow
Veganuary
Flight Free UK
Green Runners
Climate Outreach
- Insights report



What do you think?
Do you like the concept?
Are you excited to think about how you might be able to apply it to some of the
groups, organisations, or projects you might be involved with?
Do let me know!

[…]

Today we are diving into all things plastic, and specifically counting plastic with Daniel Webb, founder of Everyday Plastic and the drive behind The Big Plastic Count.
Longer term listeners might have noticed that I am mildy obsessed with people's back stories and one of my first questions is always 'how did you get here'. I'm genuinely fascinated to hear the journey that people go on to get to the point they're at, and Dan has the most amazing back story..! And it's not just Dan's back story that is super interesting, there's loads of stats and facts in this chat about plastic, and the thorny issue that it has become, not only in terms of it's environmental impacts, but in terms of health, and also social justice.
It's a brilliant chat - I hope you enjoy it. And there's a very clear call to action at the end, which, spoiler alert, is to sign up for the Big Plastic Count, and get all your friends and colleagues to as well!

Daniel Webb



LISTEN...



USEFUL LINKS:

Everyday Plastic
- Website
- The Everyday Plastic Mural
- The Hard Truth About Soft Plastic
The Big Plastic Count
- Website
- Sign up
- For Schools
- Instagram
- Facebook
Blue Planet 2
Plastic Free July
Recoup
Wholly Shrink soft plastic compactor
How do microplastics in our bodies affect our health?
Plastic Free Communities
Plastic Free Schools

The Everyday Plastic Mural



Sign up to The Big Plastic Count and get counting!
Let me know how you get on.

[…]