For What It’s Earth

Farming: Can farming feed us AND save species from extinction?

To start the series, we're taking a closer look at nature-friendly farming. Can changing farming practices and land management methods offer a helping hand for biodiversity, as well as support farmers in producing nutrient-dense, good local food? We explore some of the brilliant, innovative and old-school ways that wildlife, soil and water are being looked after on farms, to ensure a healthier future for nature and us.
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Season 5 Trailer

Do you need more hopeful climate conversations in your week? Well, you’re in luck, because we’re back with a brand new series of For What It’s Earth! 🌍
If you’ve ever wondered how to save the planet without moving to a yurt and making your own clothes, this is the podcast for you. We're diving into everything from whales, to soil, to invasive species
Environment campaigner Emma Brisdion and author and science communicator Sophie Pavelle are your Wednesday companions who investigate the eco-curiosities we all share, like, can farming save species from extinction and feed us? How can I look after my pet without poisoning nature?
Expect laughs, learning, and the occasional eco-cringe at our failed attempts to be more sustainable.
Subscribe to For What It’s Earth Podcast, and join us on Instagram for more.

To Have or To Hold: An exclusive look at Sophie Pavelle's new book

Sophie's only gone and written another brilliant book (and no, she's not writing this episode description).  In To Have or To Hold, she unearths and marvells at some of nature's strangest symbioses and oddest relationships. In this bonus episode of For What It's Earth, Sophie and Emma sit down to chat about the book, dig into the story of a truly mysterious freshwater parasite, and share with you why Emma asked (politely) for a specific word to be removed from an early draft. PLUS, enjoy a sneak peak at the audiobook! Thank you to Bloomsbury for allowing us to share an extract of the book, for your listening delight. 
 
Order your hardback copy of To Have or To Hold or join Sophie on tour!
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Bonus: Wild Cities with Chris Fitch live at Stanfords

How green is your city? And what can we learn from the international urban metropolises that are bringing inviting nature back? Last week, Wild Cities was published, and Emma was invited to join author Chris Fitch at Stanfords bookstore in Bristol to chat about the book. We chatted about fast-tracking ancient forests, gardens in skyscrapers, beavers, birdwatching and, of course, asked, 'What one good thing have you done for the planet this week?'
Send us a voice note listener question (via Instagram @forwhatitsearthpodcast or email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com) for your chance to win a Wild Cities seed bomb packet! 
Thank you to Chris, Stanfords, and Harper Collins for putting the event on and for letting us record the evening for a bonus episode of the podcast. 
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

[Listener Questions] Solar roads in the UK, water use in airports and cleaning up the North Sea oil tanker crash

We've got three absolutely corking listener questions on the show this week, including one from the wonderful Gillian Burke! We're answering: A South Korean motorway has a solar panel-covered bike lane in its central reservation - can we do this in the UK? How much water and waste accumulates at airport security, and can we reduce it? What's the env. impact of the north sea oil tanker crash, and how do we clean jet fuel/nurdles out of the ocean?
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Moss: The quiet (but very cool) climate ally

We’re plunging our hands into the soft green bits you find in woodlands, and shining a spotlight on moss. Can the many life-giving, pollution-gobbling, and carbon-storing species of moss on earth be the quiet antidote to climate change?
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi.
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

[Listener Questions] Boycotts, sustainable tea and coffee, and Wild deodorant

This week we're answering your questions! First, we explore whether environmental boycotts actually work, and ask whether we should all stop buying Wild deodorant since the news that Unliver are purchasing the brand. Finally, we settle down with a steaming mug to find out whether our teas and coffees can be more sustainable.
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
Support the show:
Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi.
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Scrubbing up: What's the MAKE UP of make up, SPF, and personal care items?

This week we’re talking about make-up - or more specifically - the make-up of it, alongside other personal care products, and what that means for our environment. Shampoo, eye cream, and SPF, we're coming for ya.
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

[Listener Questions] Book sustainability, wildflower lawns, and rats

Are wildflower lawns the best thing to do with your garden? Do rats deserve their bad rep? Can books be more sustainable, and am I still allowed to buy new ones sometimes? This week we're answering your big green listener questions, and we're introducing two new members of the For What It's Earth team!
 
An RHS guide to making wildflower meadows: https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/creating-wildflower-meadows
Pre-order Sophie's upcoming book, To Have or To Hold: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/to-have-or-to-hold-9781399412162/
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
Support the show:
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Wildfires: How ready are we for extreme climate events?

Things are hotting up. As global temperatures increase, so too does extreme fire risk. Parts of LA are still burning, and this week we’re exploring all things wildfire in a changing climate. As we watch fires erupt on our TV screens, we ask: In the UK, are we really as sheltered from wildfires as we might think?
 
More info:
State of Wildfires Report: https://tyndall.ac.uk/news/state-of-wildfires-report-2023-2024/
Beavers and fires Fairfax stop-motion animation: https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/research/firebeavers/
Met Office’s Fire Severity Index https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/#?tab=map 
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
 
Support the show:
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

[Listener Questions] Cruise holidays, medication in poo and greener banking

What's the environmental footprint of taking a cruise? Does medication you take end up in your composting toilet or the sewage system, and if so, what happens next? And can you bank in greener ways? All this and a bonus mini-q on this week's Listener Questions episode.
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
Support the show:
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

Driving electric: Is the UK ready for EVs?

As climate change marches on, and transport is under a spotlight for significantly contributing to carbon emissions, we’re exploring electric transport. Are we ready for it, particularly in the UK when compared to other countries? What is outstanding in electrification/decarbonisation? And is it a realistic climate ambition? 
 
Show notes:
Hinkley Point Petition: https://win.newmode.net/hinkley-point-nuclear-power-station-fish-protection
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/02/uk-needs-to-ban-full-hybrid-cars-by-2030-or-face-net-zero-catastrophe
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/23/do-electric-cars-really-produce-fewer-carbon-emissions-than-petrol-or-diesel-vehicles 
 
Get in touch
We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.
Support the show:
Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch 
Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi.
& subscribe so you never miss an episode!
For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).