We’re joined by scientist, author, and activist Dr. Jessica Hernandez on the release week of her new book, Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science. I am beyond excited to share with you this intellectual, emotional, holistic conversation – we discuss ecofeminism, intergenerational environmental trauma, and why indigenous science should not be labeled a speciality. Find me on: Instagram @ecochicpodcast + @lauraediez , on Facebook , Twitter . Learn more about ...
Jan 28, 2022•49 min
I am so excited to share with you the results from our ECO CHIC Wrapped 2021 Survey!! One of our major take-aways from the responses is that we’d like more conversations on the intersection of environmentalism and mental health – so today we are scratching the surface of *issue fatigue.* Why do people sometimes just not care about climate change? And why is that when we already care about climate change, sometimes we just can’t really care about *everything*? We’re going into the new year with c...
Jan 21, 2022•24 min
We’re finally diving into one of my most anticipated books of the year – Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe! We are joined by Emily Stochl, host of the Pre-Loved Podcast, Remake Ambassador, Secondhand Fashion Superstar Extraordinaire.. and all around one of my favorite people I’ve met through this show. This book very clearly set out to help readers *talk* about the climate crisis; Emily and I unpack the frameworks and case studi...
Dec 30, 2021•49 min
We’re getting smarter about the biggest way we *vote with our dollar* … we’re talking all about investing today with Investing Expert and all-around bada$$ money mama Amanda Holden . Amanda educates us on the basics of financial literacy – stocks, funds, ETFs, and every other buzz-word in the space. We also get into the topic of socially conscious investing, and what ESG means (spoiler: environmental, social, governance). Amanda sheds light on the ‘greenwashing’ and misconceptions around sociall...
Dec 10, 2021•41 min
We’re joined by our favorite disasterologist, Dr. Samantha Montano! We get into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about living with stronger hurricanes, tornados, heatwaves… and just how we can protect our communities. We speak today about the event that first encouraged her to get involved in the space – recovery in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina and the Levee Failure. Samantha educates of the phases of Disaster Management (and what can go right or wrong in each one!), ...
Dec 03, 2021•58 min
We’re revisiting a deeply educational and tea-spilling episode with Brittany Peet, Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement at PETA. You may recognize her from Tiger King – the voice of reason, ethics, and reality amongst the otherwise outlandish cast of characters. Brittany and I discuss the differences between zoos, sanctuaries, and roadside attractions, and what to look for as an ethical consumer of animal entertainment. Speaking of entertainment… we discuss the iconic Britne...
Nov 24, 2021•32 min
Is ‘conscious consumerism’ enough? This week we’re exploring what it means to truly use your dollars to influence change with author and activist Tanja Hester. Tanja’s upcoming book, Wallet Activism: How To Use Every Dollar You Spend, Earn, and Save as a Force for Change bridges the knowledge divide between environmental and social activism, and acts as a through, no-BS handbook to navigate the nuances of thoughtful spending (and saving!). Our conversation explores case studies of the power of c...
Nov 11, 2021•39 min
The Super Bowl of Climate Change Solutions has started… the 26th convening of the United Nations Conference of Parties kicked of Monday, Nov 1 and runs for two weeks for governments to discuss climate commitments, progress, and make serious pledges to collective action. Today we’re getting context on COP – what to expect and wha we actually *want* to see come out of the event. We’re also of course shining a light on the serious inequities around attendance, plus who is there that just… shouldn’t...
Nov 02, 2021•20 min
We’re talking extreme weather today – frequency, intensity, and what we should actually be worrying about. Let’s first bust the myth that climate change is causing more storms, and then get into why we are actually seeing stronger storms. We go through hurricanes, snow storms, and other weather events warmer ocean surface temperatures can influence. We talk risk, touching a bit on climate models and the issues around planning in industries like real estate. Scary stuff… so we close with some sel...
Oct 12, 2021•14 min
I’ve taken an unintentional hiatus recently, largely due to some recent heightened climate anxiety… so today, we are defining climate or eco- anxiety, and breaking down some tips from the American Psychological Association on how to best combat these feelings. We’re talking burnout, dissociation, and making sure we’re setting ourselves up best to regularly support our mental health around this climate crisis, not just when we’re getting big waves of doom-and-gloom. Episodes mentioned: 126: Clima...
Sep 23, 2021•14 min
We’re joined by four friends of the pod today to discuss experiences within the queer community and environmental spaces!! Our LGBTQ+ -focused episode is value-packed with arguably the most vast range of topics + perspectives of any call-in episode yet. We’re speaking with Isaias of @QueerBrownVegan , who breaks down the framework behind queer sustainability. Emerald discusses the value in safe queer communities, from climbing to hiking and other recreational experiences. Izzy shares the ethical...
Aug 06, 2021•53 min
We are discussing the sustainable fashion favorite, The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline, with Moji Igun . The Conscious Closet is a highly recommended, holistic guide to building a more mindful wardrobe – from closet audits, living wages, truly sustainable garments, and everything in between surrounding the fashion revolution. This conversation gets into the environmental, ethical, and emotional sides of clothing: how can we do good *and* look good? Moji is a zero-waste expert and founder of...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Today we are continuing our Climate 101 education with a timely summer topic: the current heat waves, wildfires, and massive droughts being experienced in the American West. We’ll figure out what a heat waves actually is, plus learn about the nuances contributing to our 20+ year megadrought. Spoiler alert: climate change is worsening natural occurances. We also better understand wildfires: how they start and what is making them so severe and frequent. Fun, educational, and full of reminders (and...
Jun 24, 2021•18 min
We read Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy in May… and we LOVED it. Jessica Clifton shares how she strategically crafted her career as a sustainability influencer, we chat about our reading habits, and then thoroughly unpack what has been named one of the best novels of 2020. Migrations centers around Franny Stone, a women who seems constantly on the run, as she follows what is believed to be the final migration of the Arctic terns. The novel has been discussed as ‘climate fiction,’ and both Jess...
Jun 14, 2021•54 min
The Arctic is warming almost twice as fast as the rest of the planet… yikes! There are more headlines each day about the rapidly rising average temperatures – as of this month, early June, almost all of the Arctic is at or above freezing. This isn’t the only issue though (dare I say it’s just the tip of the iceberg??) … we’re going to better understand how warmer winters make way for more problematic, otherwise typically warm summers. We’re defining the albedo effect, or polar amplification, and...
Jun 09, 2021•20 min
We’re sharing one of our most personal, coming-of-age episodes yet – we’re speaking beauty standards, acne and skin “flaws”, and coming-of-age realizations of body dismorphia (tw). Carolyn Yachanin is the creator of Copina Co , plant-based collagen boosts. Collagen is often touted as the wellness additive you just need in your beauty routine – but if your beauty supplements are coming from animals, that’s a whole other can of worms to come to terms with with an ethical, healthy lifestyle. Caroly...
May 27, 2021•51 min
In April we read Bill Gates’ latest: a manual on climate change for the general public, How To Avoid A Climate Disaster, with environmental justice advocate + influencer (and my friend!) Zahra Biabani of @Soulful_Seeds . The nonfiction work has received lots of press and praises from mainstream outlets, so we were intrigued – but the climate and sustainability community online was largely outspoken in its distaste for a billionaire-authored book on the climate crisis. Zahra shares a bit of insig...
May 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min
We’re joined by one of my very first guests and very favorite people in the sustainability space – Ashlee Piper !! Ashlee is a TV personality, sustainability consultant, and author of Give A Shit: Do Good. Live Better. Save The Planet – which has become quite the golden ticket, go-to guidebook for both aspiring and seasoned sustainability advocates. We talk all about influence, and how to communicate with audiences both online and IRL, and what it means to be an ‘influential’ person online in th...
May 05, 2021•58 min
We are speaking to the thoughtful, empowering, badass woman behind the most fabulous, transparent, ethical beauty brand I’ve known yet – Abena Boamah-Achempong , founder of Hanahana Beauty ! Hanahana began as a line of whipped shea butter, created through Abena’s own desire for a moisturizer that both reflected her cultural roots and wasn’t full of weird filler ingredients. Abena shares with us her childhood in a Ghanian household, her impactful travels to Ghana, and how she continues to support...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr
Our Earth Week episode has me fired up about the topic that first brought many of us into sustainable living: the plastic crisis! We’re joined today by Emma Rose Cohen , the CEO and founder of Final , creators of FinalStraw—the world’s first reusable, collapsible straw that raised nearly $2 million on Kickstarter. We’re talking all about the product idea that that totally took the internet by storm: resourcefulness, building community, and of course, everything about fighting single-use. We also...
Apr 22, 2021•57 min
We are gossiping today about environmental scandals! We’ll start off breaking down last week’s events at Piney Point, a resovoir in Florida holding toxic phosphate mining byproducts that began leaking. We then discuss America’s first Superfund site, Love Canal, NY – and why Superfund sites must be discussed through the lens of environmental racism. Then, we’ll detail water contamination in Hinkley, CA, the largest class action lawsuit in American history and the sceanario that inspired the film ...
Apr 09, 2021•19 min
We are speaking today with Elizabeth Segran, senior staff writer at Fast Company, about her February article, “ President Biden, Appoint A Fashion Czar! “. The article gained wild amounts of attention and support from fashion advocates online, and we’re discussing today why this concept makes so much sense given the lack of transparency between brands and consumers. We discuss garment workers, sweat shops, pollution, emissions, global coordination… all the nuances to solving the fashion crisis. ...
Mar 30, 2021•36 min
We talk about ethical, ‘clean’ beauty, but today we’re taking it one step further and learning about the tools on our vanities: brushes. We’re learning about fibers (did you know brushes were historically animal fibers?!), self-love, sustainable supply chains, and more with beauty pioneer Anisa Telwar Kaicker of ANISA International . As the #1 global manufacturer of your favorite make-up tools since the 1990’s (think Estée Lauder, NARS, Tom Ford, Shiseido, TooFaced and more), Anisa has been a pi...
Mar 16, 2021•56 min
We’re joined by five brilliant, trailblazing, superstar listeners to learn about their careers in climate and sustainability! I also share some insight on my career in local government and podcasting. We chat with: Julia, a clean tech journalist turned communication professional in renewable financing; Corinne, a park ranger and conservationist; Jaiko, a sustainability analyst focused on the built environment; Victoria, a retail/education professional for a sustainable lifestyle brad; Meagan, an...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Welcome to book club!! This month we read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas with supply chain professional and fashion blogger Megan McSherry of @Acteevism . We discuss the “democratization” of luxury fashion, consumer psychology, celebrity product placement, “it” bags, perfumes… everything that you’ve ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes of the luxury fashion industry, this book got into. We also share some of our favorite iconic luxury fashion moments, retrospective disdai...
Feb 24, 2021•58 min
We are joined by eco educator extraordinaire (and my friend!) Isaias Hernandez, creator of Queer Brown Vegan. @QueerBrownVegan is a space where Isaias creates introductory forms of environmentalism through colorful graphics, illustrations, and videos. He seeks to provide a safe space for like-minded environmentalists to advance the discourse around the climate crisis. We discuss his environmental, nature-facing background, education, academia, and current career as a content creator focused on t...
Feb 17, 2021•53 min
Dr. Mamina Turegano is a triple board certified dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist. Dr Mamina’s content has in recently months completely taken the internet by storm, because she provides bite-sized educational moments, focusing on the science of skincare and research backed answers to rituals or products. She also shares content featuring her mom, which I love and we discuss, the natural, more anecdotal, cultural skincare practices that have been passed down, in conjunction with h...
Feb 02, 2021•43 min
We are celebrating Inauguration Day 2021 with Dr. Gretchen Goldman! Today, Gretchen and I speak about what happened to environmental protection during the Trump Administration, and then start to set the scene for what we can expect from the incoming Biden Administation. We discuss Cabinet appointments and the specific qualifications of a few notable positions, and we also talk about barriers by Congress and the Courts to certain priorities. We also talk about environmental policy and climate act...
Jan 20, 2021•47 min
We are opening up our year by acknowledging what must come before we can reasonably expect people to care about the environment: social sustainability. At its core, social sustainability looks at the societal structures in place that allow people to live healthy, happy lives: equity, culture, job opportunities, safety, wages, and all the other things we believe to be indicators of a “good” community. We also touch today on economic sustainability and go through a handful of case-study thought ex...
Jan 06, 2021•18 min
Aja Barber is a celebrated writer and stylist focused on the intersection of fashion and equity issues. We touch on two of her recent conversations: #IQuitFastFashionBecause, and the myth of fast fashion existing “for poor people,” when it is actually fueled by the middle class. We also touch on consumerism during the pandemic, marketing tactics, and holiday shopping pressures. What are we telling ourselves to justify supporting this exploitive, oppressive industry? Aja is one of the strongest, ...
Dec 22, 2020•42 min
