Tori Tsui on Climate Change, Modern-day Activism and Fixing The System

The passionate and fantastic climate activist Tori Tsui joins Emma this week! After a 3-month sail across the Atlantic which helped to raise awareness about the need for thinking about how we travel and making lower-carbon alternatives feasible, Tori is dialling in from Colombia where she's helping run the fantastic Sail for Climate Action project, taking Latin American and Caribbean youths across the Atlantic to take part in climate talks in Europe in April.

We talk about tackling the carbon footprint of, and the growth of the aviation industry, the role social media can play in combating climate change, she’s become one of the beautiful faces of Stella McCartney’s recent campaigns, and how the obsession for perfection can get in the way of climate activism and public change.

Find out more about Sail To The Cop: https://www.sailtothecop.com/

Read up on Sail For Climate Action: https://www.sailforclimateaction.com/ 

See Tori's work and thoughts on Instagram @ToriTsui_

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Renewable Energy: How it Works, Sources and Switching

Renewable energy! What is it, how does it work, and how can you switch supplier? Some of the most common renewable energy questions are answered in this episode as we explore on-shore and off-shore wind, solar, biomass and nuclear energy.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

Things we spoke about:

Which? Understanding solar panels: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/solar-panels/article/solar-panels/how-does-solar-pv-work

Which? How green is your energy tariff: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/how-green-is-your-energy-tariff/

Solar panel smart export guarantee: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/solar-panels/article/smart-export-guarantee-explained 

Biomass: https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-sources/bio-fuels.html

USwitch green energy supplier comparison: hhttps://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/green-energy/

We have tees! Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound 

Roxy Furman on Vegan Diets, Activism and Low-Impact Living

AKA Roxy the Zoologist, this lovely activist and wildlife filmmaker joins Emma this week to chat about all things vegan, how social media and activism can come hand in hand, and teaches us how to make oat milk. 

Follow Roxy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/roxythezoologist/

Check out her sustainable supermarket, Zephy EcoMarket: https://www.zephyrecomarket.co.uk/

Organic underwear company which donate pants each time you purchase: https://www.youunderwear.com/

Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and please do leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

We have FWIE podcast tees! Treat yourself to a wonderfully sustainable, organic cotton and low-waste teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound.

Strange Sustainability Solutions: Celebrating the Interesting, Innovative and Unusual

It’s a fun one this week as we explore some of the most interesting and unusual sustainability solutions and environment-saving action plans the internet has to offer! We’re talking about robot-bees, plastics made from fish waste, bicycles and towers which suck smog out from the air, toilets which convert urine into electricity, shower curtains which grow spikes to kick you out and save water… aaannd all kinds of other things!

If you’ve heard of any cool climate or sustainability solutions recently, let us know! We LOVE hearing about them. Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

Things we spoke about:

- Marinatex plastic made from organic fish waste: https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2019/project/marinatex/

- Spiky shower curtain: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/spiky-shower-curtain-gets-you-out-of-hot-water-to-help-save-the-environment_n_55b65012e4b0224d8832caeb?ri18n=true

- Tokyo Electricity Forecast: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/forecast/html/index-e.html

- Smog-free bicycles:https://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smog-free-bicycle

- Beijing smog-sucking tower: https://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smog-free-tower

https://www.fastcompany.com/40421177/this-giant-smog-vacuum-cleaner-in-china-actually-works

- Building underneath glaciers and ice sheets: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/20/build-walls-on-seafloor-to-stop-glaciers-melting-scientists-say

- Harvard's Robo-Bees:https://wyss.harvard.edu/technology/robobees-autonomous-flying-microrobots/

- Nigeria Plastic Bottle Houses:

https://www.dw.com/en/doing-your-bit-nigerias-houses-made-from-plastic-bottles/av-48013059

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14722179

We have tees! Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound 

Wildfires: Causes, Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change

This week we're exploring the topic of wildfires. As immense wildfires currently blaze across huge areas of Australia and both California and Siberia have also experienced vast fires in recent years, we look at the causes of wildfires, the impact they can have on biodiversity and the natural environment, how fires fit into nature's usual cycles and the role that climate change is having on the increased frequency and severity of wildfires.

We also speak to Professor Stefan Doerr from the University of Swansea about understanding how climatic conditions have influenced the severity of the fires, and the best ways to handle living in fire-prone natural environments.

Some of the things we've spoken about:

8 things everyone should know about Australia’s wildfire disaster: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/8/21055228/australia-fires-map-animals-koalas-wildlife-smoke-donate

Australia Wildfires: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/world/australia/fires.html

How wildfires work: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/wildfire3.htm

Biodiversity at risk in Australia: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-warn-silent-death-australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction

Australia Wildfires: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/01/australia/australia-fires-explainer-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

California wildfires: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/fires-california.html

California wildfire causes: https://www.wired.com/story/californias-wildfires-are-the-doom-of-our-own-making/

Prof Stefan Doerr:https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/science/geography/s.doerr/

Donate to the Australian Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-donate

Registered Bushfire Charities: https://www.pmc.gov.au/registered-bushfire-charities

Don't forget to subscribe, find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

We have merch! Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound 

Overfishing & Eating Fish Sustainably, with Charlotte Coombes & The Marine Conservation Society

With lots of information about overfishing and depleted wild fish stocks in the news, it can be hard to know what fish or seafood we should and shouldn't be eating. This week Emma joins Charlotte Coombes from the Marine Conservation Society to talk about their Good Fish Guide, a handy tool for finding out which species and which fishing styles are 'red-listed' and to be avoided, and which species or sustainable practices we can choose to buy and support!

MCS' Good Fish Guide: https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search

Thanks to Charlotte for joining us this week, and to the Marine Conservation Society, who you can also find on Instagram and Twitter.

Don't forget to subscribe, find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

We have merch! Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound.

Sustainable & Plastic-Free Periods

This week we're talking about that time of the month. Half of the world menstruates at some point during their lives and often the sanitary products used are single-use and contain significant quantities of plastic. City to Sea estimates that a regular pack of pads contains as much plastic as five plastic bags and that 2.5 million tampons are flushed in the UK every year, and the Marine Conservation Society have seen huge numbers of sanitary products wash up on our beaches every year. The things we use for just a matter of hours can outlive even us when discarded, causing huge issues in the environment. We're exploring the issues with conventional pads, tampons and applicators, and sharing some of the best solutions currently available to make periods friendly on the environment as well as you, from organic and plastic-free pads and tampons to reusable pads and absorbent period pads!

Things we spoke about:

Modibodi re-usable period underwear: https://www.modibodi.co.uk/

Mondays organic period product subscription: https://organicmondays.com/

City to Sea plastic-free periods campaign: https://www.citytosea.org.uk/plasticfreeperiods-2/

Freedom 4 Girls charity tackling period poverty: https://www.freedom4girls.co.uk/

10 of the best menstrual cups: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/g23117116/menstrual-cups/

Don't forget to subscribe, find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review - it helps new listeners find the podcast!

We have merch! Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound.

Letters from Listeners

A few months ago, a year 6 class at Mendip Green Primary School sat down to do a writing exercise; they wrote us letters on the topic of plastic pollution! Today we're sharing a few of these fantastic letters, which range from issues they've researched in-depth to some fantastic creative writing exercises. What happens to Rodrigo The Eager Sea Hampster, and why did Alfred clamber onto the oak table to stamp his foot, you ask? Listen to probably our most heart-warming episode so far to find out!

Don't forget to subscribe, find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and leave us a review on whichever platform you're using - it really helps new listeners find the podcast!

Get yourself a sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com

Wonderful theme music by Mark Skinner Sound.

Sustainable Cities: Nancy Grimm on Future-Proofing For Climate Change

This week Emma's chatting to Dr Nancy Grimm @DrNitrogen from Arizona State University about sustainable architecture, and her research and role in designing our cities to better prepare them (and us) to handle climate change, which is bringing more frequent and extreme weather events.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review and keep in touch with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Get yourself an organic cotton, sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com The very tiny proceeds of which go towards helping us keep producing this podcast for free and allow us to travel to speak to brilliant individuals.

Thanks also to Mark Skinner for our intro and outro music.

Happy Holidays: How To Be Sustainable at Christmas!

Happy Christmas! This week we're kicking off the festive season by sharing some of our favourite ideas for making this Christmas a real hoot without it being hard on the environment.

Links we mentioned:

Recycle Now's local Christmas tree recycling finder: https://www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling?rlw-initial-path=places/all%3Fmaterials%3D97

Furoshiki Japanese Fabric Wrapping: https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-furoshiki-japanese-fabric-wrapping/

Seedboms: https://kabloom.co.uk/ (Head over to our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for your chance to win two!)

Don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review and keep in touch with us on social media.

Get yourself an organic cotton, sustainable FWIE teeshirt here: https://forwhatitsearth.teemill.com The very tiny proceeds of which go towards helping us keep producing this podcast for free and allow us to travel to speak to brilliant individuals.

Thanks also to Mark Skinner for our intro and outro music.