[097] REUSABLE NAPPIES 101
To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting, my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week!
Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book, Monday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes, and Tuesday's episode with Rachel Boyett from Little Veggie Eats, and yesterday's episode about renting our kids clothes with Charlotte from thelittleloop.
I can't quite believe we've got this far into a week of sustainable(ish) parenting podcasts without mentioning nappies! So I'm correcting that today with a 'reusable nappies 101' from the brilliant Laura Tweedale, author of The Joy of Reusable Nappies.
This episode is very much NOT to bash anyone over the head with the big green bashy stick if you use disposable nappies - we did at the start with our eldest, and continued to do so at night and on holiday with both of them. As with all things Sustainable(ish) this is about finding what works for YOU and your family.
The reason I wanted to do this episode (and the reason there's a big section on nappies in the book) is that I know from my own experience that there are probably people out there who might want to give reusable nappies a go, but who feel overwhelmed and a bit daunted when they start looking into it.
Hopefully this episode, and Laura's great book, might help to overcome some of that overwhelm and make it all feel that little bit more do-able.
Enjoy!
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[096] KIDS CLOTHES – WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN RENT?!
To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting, my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week!
Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book, Monday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes, and yesterday's episode with Rachel Boyett from Little Veggie Eats.
Today we're onto clothes!
Despite a tendency amongst some kids to want to run around starkers, kids need to wear clothes and given how quickly they grow, our kids will get through a startling amount of clothes. Wouldn't it be great if we could rent our kids clothes for them to wear, and then send them back for the next size up once they've grown out of them?
Well now we can!
Today I’m excited to be chatting to Charlotte Morley, founder of thelittleloop – the UK’s first rental marketplace for kids clothes.
DID YOU KNOW..?
- Renting your children's clothes reduces their water and carbon footprint by around 3/4
- Research has shown that if we extend the life of clothes by just 3 months it could reduce the UK’s carbon footprint by around 10.
- Renting smashes this out of the park. Children's clothes have the potential to be rented out 4 or 5 times. That's another 9-12 months of wear than they'd normally get and it reduces their production footprint by 75%, and their overall carbon footprint (including washing, shipping and disposal) by 63%.
- AND it can save us time, money and all that storage space that our kids clothes take up!
We chat about the impact that our kids clothes are having on the planet, how renting them works, AND charlotte shares some great tips for stain removal and repair!
Enjoy!
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[095] HOW TO MAKE VEGGIE MEALS OUR KIDS MIGHT ACTUALLY EAT WITH RACHEL BOYETT
To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting, my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week!
Check out episode 93 for some more info about the book, and yesterday's episode with Ellie Jackson from Wild Tribe Heroes.
Today I’m delighted to be chatting to Rachel Boyett aka @littleveggieeats of IG.
Rachel is a mum of 3, lifelong vegetarian and author of the book Little Veggie Eats – which is pitched as a baby weaning book, but I’ve got a copy and there are SO many brilliant veggie meals and snack ideas in there for the whole family, I would 100% recommend it.
We’re all used now to the message that we need to be eating less meat, and whilst we might be keen to do that ourselves, getting the rest of the family on board can sometimes feels a little erm... challenging!
We chat about:
- what it was like growing up vegetarian in the 1980s
- how her kids react to being bought up vegetarian
- how we can get our kids eating more veggies meals
- and lots more!
Enjoy!
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[094] A CUP OF TEA WITH…ELLIE JACKSON
To celebrate and mark the launch of The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting, my new book, coming out this week, there's a little flurry of five parenting(ish) podcasts coming your way this week!
Kicking off with this chat with Ellie Jackson, who is the author of The Wild Tribe Heroes series of children’s books. I’ve been a huge admirer of Ellie and her books for a long time, but hadn’t realised just how much amazing stuff Ellie is doing, and how her books aren’t just gorgeously illustrated and nice stories, they’re actually being used as a tool for real action on the ground, and that children around the world are being inspired to make positive changes because of them.
We chat about:
- Ellie’s home life and the challenges of home schooling 4 kids whilst running a business and writing a new book
- What inspired her to get get started
- Where she gets her story ideas from
- How we can talk to our kids about the climate crisis and the state of the planet without overwhelming and scaring them
- The impact that Ellie's books have had
- How schools and parents can use the books to start these gentle conversations with our kids, and empower them to take action.
Enjoy!
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Useful links
- Wild Tribe Heroes
- Website
- Buy the Books
-
[093] THE SUSTAINABLE(ISH) GUIDE TO GREEN PARENTING – YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
GAH! I think this episode might actually be one of the most terrifying ones (for me!) yet...
What could be so terrifying?
Am I interviewing Greta? Or Sir David Attenborough?
Sadly no. I'm actually interviewing myself. About book number two - The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting - which is out on March 18th. I was going to say that I'm equal parts terrified and excited, but that would be a lie. I'm 100% terrified..!
Putting your heart and soul into something and then letting the whole world 'mark your homework' feels pretty uncomfortable. And to add to that, I decided that in this episode I wanted to answer your questions about the book, and I am now feeling horribly self-indulgent and narcissistic making this episode all about me and my book.
These are all genuine questions sent in on social media, here goes...
- Is it aimed at parents with kids of a certain age, or is it applicable from birth? (Gina)
Parents of what age kids? (Sylvia)
Is the guide aimed at new parents or can parents with kids of any age find good point to dive in and get some tips and ideas? (Claire) - Can I ask who is it aimed at, parents who currently don't do any kind of green parenting, or those who already walk/bike, reuse, use cloth nappies etc. (Fran)
- Is is a similar format to your first book? (Suz)
How much overlap is there with your first book - will those who've read that still find more in this book? (Mareli)
What's the difference between this book and your last? (Rachel) - How on earth did you manage to write a book in the middle of lockdown whilst homeshooling and providing 574 sustainable(ish) snacks a day? (Ida)
How on earth did you write a book during lockdown with 2 kids at home??? (Tamasin) - I'd love to know the basic things like the topics of the chapters ad how easy it is to pick actions that work for the age of our child? Also does it include ideas or tips for how to give appropriate messaging to different ages, as well as the people that help you raise your child such as a partner, grandparent, teacher etc.? (Sarah)
- What has this book got that others haven't? (Debs)
Tune in for the answers...!
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[092] HOW TO GARDEN THE LOW CARBON WAY WITH SALLY NEX
It’s starting to feel like spring is springing isn’t it?
We’re into March, I’ve seen daffodils poking out when we're out on our daily walks, and I even went out without a coat on the other day – wild times...!
And with the longer days and warmer weather, many of us will be looking forwards to spending more time outdoors and maybe indulging in a spot of gardening. Good for the mind, body and soul. And good for the planet too right? After all, what can be greener than getting your hands dirty and growing stuff.
Well……it turns out that sometimes gardening might not be all that green.
I know, is nothing sacred any more? Why does everything have to be so blooming complicated? What on earth can possibly be wrong with gardening?!!!
Listen in to my chat with Sally Nex, the author of How to Garden the Low Carbon way as we chat about:
- Why gardening might not be as green as we assume
- The wonder of soil and how we can help it
- The huge potential that our gardens have to help wildlife, ecosystems and the climate crisis
- Why we need to dig less (or not at all!)
- Why we need to mow less
- What compost we should choose
- How we can use less plastic in our garden (and why we should worry about it)
- And lots more!
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[091] MAKE YOUR PENSION MATTER (NOT AS BORING AS IT SOUNDS!)
We’re talking pensions! I know! Exciting stuff right!!
I never imagined that I would get excited about pensions but this episode has proved me wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, pensions are still pretty high up on the boring adult-ing scale of things but the potential that our pensions have to create a better world has blown me away a little!
Because did you know, that your pension, that you probably think very little about, other than when you see the section on your pay slip each month telling you how much has been taken out for it, could be investing your hard earned money in fossil fuels?
So we’re busting our guts trying to make the world a better place with the choices that we’re making, and all the while our pension money could be working directly against us. See! Now you’re getting interested right? And maybe not a little enraged!
The good news is that change is afoot. I’m chatting to Henna and Kenneth from an organisation called Make My Money Matter – a people-powered campaign fighting for a world where we all know where our pension money goes, and where we can demand it’s invested to build a better future.
We chat about...
- The $2.5 hole in funding for the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
- The £3 TRILLION sat in the UK's pension pots and what they might be funding
- What Make My Money Matter does and the impact it's having and wants to have
- How to find out who your pension is with and where it might be invested
- How we can influence investors and pension providers to divest their investments from fossil fuels
- The power of 'activism', 'clicktivism', and template letters
- And lots more...!
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[090] MEND IT, WEAR IT, LOVE IT – WITH ZOE EDWARDS
You'll be relived to hear we have a guest! So you don’t have to listen to me rambling on endlessly. And it’s a cracker of a guest!
I’ve been stalking Zoe on line for years, after first coming across her annual Me Made May challenge online, and I was SO excited to find out that she’s written an actual book! All about mending and loving our clothes, a subject very close to my heart as a reformed mender who never even thought she would be able to sew on a button!
We chat about...
- Making your own clothes
- Why making your own clothes might not necessarily be the most sustainable option
- The problems with fast fashion, including Zoe's own experiences of working within the fast fashion industry
- Zoe's brilliant book - Mend It, Wear It, Love It - available now!!
- The importance of caring for the clothes we already own
- What equipment you need to get started mending (you don't need a sewing machine!)
- How to get started
- Whether there's any kind of stigma around wearing mended clothes
- And lots more...!
Screenshot of Zoe during our Zoom - wearing clothes she's made herself!
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SHOW THE LOVE WITHOUT COSTING THE EARTH (AKA 5 PRESENTS THAT AREN’T BAD FOR THE PLANET..)
It’s Valentine's Day in just a couple of days time, and I’m well aware that if you do celebrate it, then this post may well be too late if you’re an organised type.
Bear it in mind for next year if that’s the case, and don’t stop reading if you don’t celebrate Valentines Day (we gave up on it years ago!) because I’m going to be sharing some fascinating stats and some alternative gifts that are a great way to say ‘I love you” or “thank you” or “you’re really rather brilliant” at any time of the year.
Giving ‘stuff’ has become our way of saying I love you hasn’t it? And who doesn’t love a present?
But the problem with Valentines gifts, and indeed most gifts at any time of the year is that that although they might say “I love you” to the recipient, they aren’t usually saying “I love you" to either the people who made the gift, or to the planet.
We are at peak stuff.
We are using up resources at an astonishing rate; the people who make much of our stuff are being exploited; and most of us are struggling to find anywhere to put anymore stuff in our homes. Oh, and our landfills are full to bursting.
God I’m SUCH a party pooper aren’t I?
Flowers
After all, you can’t get much more natural than an actual flower right?
Well....just because it’s natural doesn’t unfortunately mean it’s harmless. I did a podcast last year with Sara Willman from My Flower Patch and was gobsmacked to learn that a bunch of imported flowers from Holland or Kenya can have the equivalent carbon footprint of a flight from London to Birmingham!!
AND that workers and growers in the flower industry can be working with lots of chemicals and very little protection and can work in pretty awful conditions.
Buying British flowers can reduce the carbon footprint of your flowers by around 90%!!
Now I know it’s February and not ideal weather for growing flowers here in the UK, but there are still options for fresh British blooms for Valentines Day – AND some florists do dried bouquets of UK grown flowers which are beautiful and last forever. I know this because my brilliant sister-in-law sent me a bunch for my birthday at the end of October last year from her local florist!
Check out the great website Flowers from the Farm which has lots more info about the benefits of buying local British blooms and has a directory you can search to find a florist local to you or your intended recipient.
Chocolate
OMG – I genuinely AM the fun police now aren’t I?
Can’t we even indulge in chocolate during lockdown without feeling guilty?
I’d love to say that you can and crack open a bar of (insert name of popular chocolate brand here) with you, but it turns out that’s not the case.
That’s shocking isn’t it? You can find out more about the campaign, the problem and what we can do about it on the Tony’s Chocoloney website here.
Ethical Consumer has a league table of the best and worst of the chocolate makers – Tony’s as mentioned, do pretty well, along with Seed and Bean, and Divine. Performing very poorly with scores of 1.5 out of 20 are Mars and Cadburys and Nestle gets a big fat zero.
Anything homemade
George Monbiot is a journalist for the Guardian and wrote a powerful piece called The Gift of Death back in 2012 – at the end is this paragraph:
"Bake them a cake, write them a poem, give them a kiss, tell them a joke, but for god’s sake stop trashing the planet to tell someone you care. All it shows is that you don’t."
Ouch.
You don’t have to be a brilliant baker, or a perfect poet, but something that you’ve put thought and time into will always be appreciated (especially if it’s edible…)
Climate Positive Gin
Now we’re talking right…!
Pretty much everything we eat and drink (and indeed buy) has a carbon footprint and is contributing to the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. We can’t even drown our sorrows with a cheeky G&T or two without feeling like we’re a part of the problem.
Fortunately, if you or your loved ones are partial to a gin or two, you can now indulge with a clearer conscience (I take no blame for any ensuing headaches) – Arbikie Nadar gin is the first climate positive gin, made from peas, that saves 1.54kg of CO2 per bottle!
#ShowTheLove
If you’re not a fan of Valentines Day then you don’t need to be left out. You can use the occasion to show your love for the planet by joining in with the Climate Coalitions #ShowTheLove campaign. The idea is that you craft green hearts – however you can , crochet, knitting, felt, origami or just good old scissors and green paper - and then either use them to create a window display or similar to start conversations with your family and neighbours; or send a green heart to someone in a position of power, such as your MP to let them know that you’re concerned about the climate crisis and want to know what they’re doing to help.
We has a craft-a long session on Zoom one evening earlier on this month in The Knackered Mums Eco Club and it was brilliant to see everyone’s creations, as well as share ideas for where to send our hearts and support each to be brave and actually get them in the post!
This is potentially a great one to do with the kids as half-term approached (sorry Scotland, I know you’ve just had yours) – a screen-free, indoor activity and a gentle conversation starter for them to share what they love about the planet, and any worries they might have,
There’s loads more info on the Climate Coalition website here.
How about you?
Do you Valentine?
What are your fave low/no impact gifts to give, at any time of the year?
Let me know in the comments!
[089] SHOW THE LOVE
Another solo episode from me this week, as I haven’t been able to conjure up any extra time or headspace for getting guests organised – I’ve been super busy getting ready for The Knackered Mums heading back on out on Eco Tour – this is my FREE 5 day eco challenge that’s kicking off on Monday 15th Feb. Do come and join us – it’s probably the most fun you’re going to be able to have in half-term. AND you get to slash your carbon footprint at the same time as whinge about how tired you are and how hard it is to get your kids off their screens, with a bunch of similarly knackered types.
Excited to say that I have not one but TWO interviews in the diary for next week, so we should be back on a roll with some fabulous guests from next week!
It’s Valentines Day in just a couple of days time, and I’m well aware that if you do celebrate it, then this episode may well be too late if you’re an organised type.
Bear it in mind for next year if that’s the case, and don’t stop listening if you don’t celebrate Valentines Day (we gave up on it years ago!) because I’m going to be sharing some fascinating stats and some alternative gifts that are a great way to say ‘I love you” or “thank you” or “you’re really rather brilliant” at any time of the year.
Giving ‘stuff’ has become our way of saying I love you hasn’t it? And who doesn’t love a present?
But the problem with Valentines’ gifts, and indeed most gifts is that that although they might say “I love you” to the recipient they aren’t usually saying “I love you’ to either the people who made the gift, or to the planet.
We are at peak stuff, we are using up resources at an astonishing rate, the people who make much of our stuff are being exploited, and most of us are struggling to find anywhere to put anymore stuff in our homes. Oh, and our landfills are full to bursting.
God I’m SUCH a party pooper aren’t I?
Never fear – this isn’t a whole episode about how terrible everything is, there is some good news –there ARE some fabulous ways we can do Valentines (and indeed other gifts) that don’t cost the earth (see what I did there).
Enjoy...!
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Useful links
- The Knackered Mums (Eco) Tour
5 days of easy eco-action, a LOT of fun, and endless GIFs - come and join us! - [069] - Say it with British Flowers (podcast)
- Tony's Chocoloney Sweet Solution campaign
- Ethical Consumer ethical chocolate guide
- TED IDEAS: The steep price we pay for cheap chocolate
- George Monbiot: The Gift of Death
- Arbikie Nadar climate positive gin
- The Climate Coalition Show the Love Campaign