We are joined by superstar science communicator Danni Washington! Danni Washington is a TV host and Science Communicator who is also the first African-American woman to host her own science television series. She is sharing her tips on how to be an effective science communicator, how to maintain the momentum of the climate movement in politics, and the importance of equity and inclusion conversations in science. Miami native with Jamaican roots, Danni Washington is deeply passionate about our oc...
Dec 10, 2020•40 min
Jessica DeFino is a beauty reporter covering supportive, sustainable skincare based in science and spirituality. She has made a serious name for herself as a beauty reporter firstly specializing in clean beauty, which is a niche, and furthermore as a beauty reporter than does not actively participate in beauty routines and products. Her work aims to break down the mystery of products and brands and beauty trends by discussing ingredient efficacy and skin science – she gives you the research to s...
Dec 01, 2020•43 min
The annual Black Friday episode! Holiday sales are here, our inboxes are flooded, and we are all wondering: how much is *too* much to spend this year? In this episode we are reflecting on what we’ve learned this year: mindful spending means reassessing why you’re feeling pressured to buy, where you want your money to circulate, and maybe even reassessing your spending habits and relationship with your finances. Supporting small, BIPOC-owned, ethical brands means asking yourself questions around ...
Nov 27, 2020•16 min
Kendra Kolb Butler, founder of Alpyn Beauty, traded NYC for Jackson Hole five years ago and never looked back. Today, she’s sharing what she’s learned about skincare, the potency of plants, starting a beauty brand in Wyoming, and making your dreams a reality. A former Manhattanite and 20-year beauty industry veteran, Kendra first created Alpyn Beauty for the clients at her Jackson Hole apothecary, Alpyn Beauty Bar. She’s led sales, marketing and public relations initiatives at leading luxury bea...
Nov 17, 2020•45 min
We are joined by secondhand expert Emily Stochl of Pre-Loved Podcast ! We are discussing the global and domestic secondhand economy; supporting garment workers and the Garment Workers’ Protection Act; scratching the surface of the gentrification of thrift; and tips on shopping for vintage or pre-loved items. I am on Pre-Loved Podcast this week! Also check out: Episode 90: How to Shop for High-End + Luxury Pieces Secondhand; Designer Resale; Making Money from Vintage Finds | Meredith Fineman Find...
Nov 11, 2020•39 min
We’re joined by Stephanie Seferian of Sustainable Minimalists! Stephanie of Mama Minimalist is a mom inspiring others to reevaluate their “stuff” without compromising on their environmental commitments. Stephanie and I discuss her philosophy of the sustainable minimalism lifestyle; she shares how to declutter, plus types of clutter we may be emotionally attached to. Stephanie also gives tips for navigating the holidays while supporting this lower-waste lifestyle; how to set boundaries and expect...
Nov 03, 2020•33 min
We’re joined this week by Taryn Rasgon of Vegetaryn ! Vegetaryn is a vegan lifestyle brand based in positive, welcoming plant-based activism. Taryn herself is an excellent example of an entrepreneur that is very truly living her values through every business decision and lifestyle change. Taryn and I discuss: her vegan journey and her subsequent vegan entrepreneurship journey; welcoming, happy activism; social media; design theft; running a small business during the pandemic; conscious consumpti...
Oct 30, 2020•51 min
Between Prime Day, upcoming holiday season, and Instagram ads… it can sometimes be challenging to keep your values of conscious consumption and sustainability in mind before impulse shopping. Today, I’m sharing ten quick questions you can ask yourself before “adding to cart.” We’re considering who you’re buying from, why you’re buying, and how you can replace that urge to purchase with a little creativity and tapping into your circles. Let’s hang out! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez ,...
Oct 14, 2020•19 min
We are talking climate anxiety, trauma, and validating our feelings with Dr. Renée Lertzman , a renowned psychologist, author and sustainability strategist who uses psychological insights to change our approach to the environmental crisis. Applying her training as a psychosocial researcher specializing in deep human insights, Dr. Lertzman uses frameworks and methods that empower people to take action (which she shares with us!). Renée is the founder of Project InsideOut , a unique resource hub l...
Oct 08, 2020•49 min
We’re talking with about our cultures, our upbringings, and what sustainability looks like in our families – things that are not the beautiful minimalistic images we’re seeing on Instagram. Five community members join us today to share stories and cultural values, plus how those practices have influenced their adult, grown-up choices. Sustainability is personal, because it’s a lifestyle, and it’s not fair to say that sustainability needs to look a certain way to be done “correctly.” I am thankfu...
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Julia Jackson joins us to discuss the interdisciplinary solutions that could save us *today* from the climate crisis! Julia Jackson is the founder of Grounded.org, and is committed to bringing together the brightest minds and leading solutionists to foster greater collaboration, drive mass awareness and scale game-changing solutions to urgently address the climate crisis. As a second generation proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, Julia shares the value of land stewardship and strategic philanthr...
Sep 23, 2020•47 min
I am deeply honored today to be joined by the one, the only, Erin Brockovich. Erin Brockovich is consumer advocate, environmental activist, and legal clerk who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993. Perhaps you’ve heard of this case before… because the case inspired the 2000 film, Erin Brockovich, in which Erin is portrayed by Julia Roberts. It’s a fabulous film and true story – the Hinkle...
Sep 16, 2020•55 min
“We don’t need a few perfect vegans, we need millions of people actively reducing their consumption of animal products.” We’re breaking down why the perfectionist stigma around veganism isn’t helpful: I discuss greenhouse gas emissions savings from encouraging plant-rich diets, plus touch on health implications of cutting back on animal products. We also discuss privilege around certain kinds of veganism, considering the financial barriers, access barriers, and we even define food apartheid. We ...
Sep 08, 2020•16 min
We’re speaking with three listeners about their experiences and perspectives intersecting religion and climate conversations. Lizzi speaks on approaching conversations with denialists, and why caring for the planet is definitely linked to Christian values; Anne speaks about leading with values like empathy and compassion in your decisions (and even ties it all to fast fashion!); and Olivia speaks about institutional support from the Catholic church for climate action. Each speaker touches on sim...
Aug 26, 2020•40 min
Elizabeth Tran is the first pageant contestant to compete in evening gown with a dress she made completely out of garbage. Is that not the definition of ‘eco chic’? We’re talking sustainability couture: trash fashion, using her pageant platform to promote sustainability, and how we’d like to see the fashion industry evolve. Plus, we talk about her nonprofit work and constantly growing within a passion project. Elizabeth started her non-profit, Teens Go Green, when she was just 12 years old (13 y...
Aug 18, 2020•56 min
We’re continuing our conversation from Tuesday with Wawa! Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru ia a brilliant environmental justice scholar passionate about empowering BIPOC communities. This portion of our conversation centers around the idea of Self-Love as Environmental Education. Wawa shares her experience as a Black woman, growing to know and love her natural hair, and we discuss how natural hair education has evolved in recent years through means like YouTube. We talk about inclusivity in cosmetics, thr...
Aug 09, 2020•28 min
We’re joined by Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru, a brilliant environmental justice scholar passionate about empowering BIPOC communities! Wawa is a recent alumnus of the University of Connecticut, and a Rhodes scholar set to attend Oxford in the Fall to continue her intersectional environmental studies. She has had two recently published pieces shake the Internet: her piece in Vice titled “It’s Time for Environmental Studies to Own Up to Erasing Black People,” and in Glamour, “Want to be an Environmental...
Aug 04, 2020•51 min
Excited to share this value-packed conversation with Stu Landesberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative. Grove Collaborative is an online retailer of natural cleaning and personal care products (actually, the only plastic-neutral online retailer in the world!) and has recently vowed to go 100% plastic-free by 2025 – a promise that encompasses all the third party brands they carry as well, such as Method, Mrs. Meyers, Seventh Generation and more. Stu and I discuss his entrepreneurship jour...
Jul 28, 2020•50 min
The secondhand clothing economy is growing, and we’re speaking today about a new solution for those more frequent demands: children’s clothing trading market model. Jen Zuklie, founder of The Swoondle Society, brings us through her entrepreneurship journey, the issues with the children’s clothing industry, and the value of using your network. We speak also about fashion waste, and how major retailers could support consumer loyalty through similar trade-in models. Use ECOCHIC50 for 50% off your f...
Jul 21, 2020•38 min
Natural personal care products are sometimes hard to pick out at the store – how can you tell you’re not a victim of greenwashing, and are those chemical buzzwords really that bad? We’re talking today primarily about sulfates and parabens, two ingredients gaining more consumer awareness in personal care aisles, among shampoos, soaps, and even toothpastes. We define some of those scary chemical words, discuss the health risks, and help you figure out if your personal care products contain these t...
Jul 14, 2020•13 min
If you’re new to the climate conversation, welcome! This episode will break down the basics: what is climate change, why are we more certain about climate models than weather forecasts, and what all the elusive terms like carbon pricing and budgets really mean. This episode will direct you to additional episodes on ECO CHIC that will dive deeper into topics mentioned, so there is always more to learn right here. Episodes mentioned: * 89: How Climate Change Affects Natural Disasters, Why The Aust...
Jul 07, 2020•13 min
Conscious consumption can be tricky right now, during these quarantimes – if you’re not someone who typically spends freely, perhaps you’re feeling pressure to support local businesses in capacities you don’t normally, or maybe you’re just itching to make a frivolous purchase because you’re seeing more advertisements on social media. Whatever your struggle, we are putting conscious consumption into context: how should you be spending during and post-pandemic? We are breaking down unique ways to ...
Jun 30, 2020•16 min
We’re talking all about plants today with author + herbalist Rosalee de la Foret! Rosalee co-authored the recently released book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She’s encouraging us to think deeper about our gardens, backyards, and ‘regular’ natural interactions. We’re discussing culinary herbs you may already have in your kitchen, like basil, rosemary, and thyme, and how to deepen those relationships. We also discuss natural medicine and some quick...
Jun 19, 2020•45 min
We’re speaking with Leah Thomas, of GreenGirlLeah. Perhaps you’ve seen her viral Instagram post with the title slide of ‘Environmentalists for Black Lives Matter.’ We’re speaking today on Intersectional Environmentalism – defining it, relating it to feminism a bit, and talking broadly about how different cultures experience nature and those human-environment relationships historically. We also touch on climate racism, and why black, POC, and marginalized communities are experiencing the most sev...
Jun 09, 2020•25 min
We’re joined by Julia Pyper: one of my very favorite journalists, podcast hosts, and all-around incredible women in energy! Julia and I discuss the energy industry as a whole, and the impacts of coronavirus on sectors like oil and gas (and even talk about the policy proposals for a domestic oil sector). We discuss energy polic and how a clean energy economy could be more supported. Switching gears, we discuss inclusivity in energy and environmental spheres, and the injustices surrounding climate...
May 27, 2020•41 min
Today we are joined by the brilliant Suzy Amis Cameron and Samata of Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD), the women-led global change-making organization bringing sustainable design to the forefront of conversation and action within the fashion industry. The goal of Red Carpet Green Dress is to draw attention to the importance of more sustainable practices in fashion and be part of bringing those solutions to the global market; RCGD recently launched an eco-couture textile range in partnership with TE...
May 15, 2020•53 min
We’re speaking with the incredible Dr. Katharine Hayhoe! Dr. Hayhoe is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in the climate conversation (and one of my personal inspirations). Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist her research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to understand what climate change means for people and the natural environment. She is a professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, and has...
May 05, 2020•37 min
We’re speaking with Marci Zaroff, a true pioneer in the environmental-consumer movement! Marci coined and trademarked the term “ecofashion” in 1995 – she’s been leading the way for a more sustainable society for almost three decades, through food, wellness, fashion, and social justice. We discuss at length the term ECORenaissance: the title of her first book serves as a very comprehensive term to describe her life’s work and where consumerism is moving. We talk about the organic agriculture busi...
Apr 28, 2020•28 min
We are speaking on current rollbacks of environmental regulations with Dr. Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The US EPA is responsible for creating standards promoting the health of individuals and the environment; unfortunately, our current administration is seriously undermining that mission by rolling back regulation on air pollutants, chemical outputs, and harmful toxins. Dr. Goldman Gretchen sheds light on the current EPA rollbacks, the regulation process, why these rol...
Apr 24, 2020•32 min
There’s more to sustainability than the environmental component; today, we’re shining light on the concepts of social and economic sustainability. While climate change impacts everyone, we know marginalized groups will the first to feel the effects of climate change. We also know that some groups are feeling the burden of pollution and ecological injustices than others. We’re walking through some real-life examples of groups that are feeling the impacts of climate change, and giving ourselves so...
Apr 22, 2020•14 min
