Trash Talking with Eco-Warriors | Sustainability, Green Business, Conservation

Paula Pebsworth landed her first research job by emailing and asking one question, "Can I volunteer my time to help you?" This got her working with some of her research idols and led to her study of geophagy, a self-medicating behavior where primates will eat clay to alleviate GI symptoms. Paula has traveled the world doing her research and witnessed beautiful moments in nature. From Madagascar to Japan, Paula is a go-getter who values finding a way to help reduce human-wildlife conflict in the world. If you're inspired by Paula's work, you can read her research papers online. And, if you’d like to reach out to Paula, you can email her directly at paula.pebsworth@gmail.com. Paula is currently in India undergoing another research project and can be slow to respond. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Primate Information Network Jane Goodall David Attenborough Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver This Changes Everything - Naomi Klein Draw Down - Paul Hawken Bill McKibbon *some of these links are affiliate links and purchasing through them helps support the podcast -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

When Nicole Caldwell's uncle passed away and left her a 65-acre hippy commune farm in Redwood, NY, she was undergoing a whirlwind of change in her life. Wanting to connect her passion for the environment and sustainability to what she did every day, Nicole decided to quit her job, move to upstate NY, and start a farm/bed and breakfast. From one book about gardening and while moonlighting as a bartender, Nicole built Better Farm from nothing. She now has programs to teach people how to homestead and garden, a bed and breakfast, and an artist residency program. They also hold an annual music festival in the summer. The farm is home to rescued animals, like a herd of alpaca and Henrietta the chicken. And after just 4 years, Nicole was able to turn a profit from all her hard work. Nicole says this was the best decision of her life. She is also Editor of Green Matters, an online media company focused on green news. Listen in as Nicole shares how she got there. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: How to Have a Green Thumb without a Bad Back by Ruth Stout What We Leave Behind by Derrick Jensen Dirt Fed Up Joel Salatan *Some of the links are affiliate links and purchasing through them helps fund the podcast. -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Berlin Crystal Kelly was working in finance in NYC when she was struck with the realization of how much money was spent on alcohol every night in one city alone. So, Berlin quit her job and started a wine company with one premise - for every bottle of sauvignon blanc sold, an organization would restore 100 wild oysters to the water. These hard working bivalves filter 3,000 liters of water every day and help restore the natural waters of New York harbor. From there, Berlin expanded to pinot noir and wildflowers and has plans to help other keystone species. Berlin shares her experiences working the land and how she hopes to change the way people think about their relationship to the land. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Proud Pour WWOOF New York City Home Brewers Guild Charity Water -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Cara Braund spent nearly two years volunteering and working on various conservation projects in Kenya before landing her dream job - managing the office of a carbon-credit community-based conservation project in Eastern Kenya. At Wildlife Works, Cara helps manage several projects that are all part of a larger organization utilizing the local community to reduce carbon emissions and environmental destruction. They support everything from an eco-factory to eco-charcoal production and also have a wonderful eco-lodge where guests can stay and tour the 500,000 acres of protected land. -- Resources mentioned during this episode: REDD+ The 11th Hour Brush with Bamboo Carbon Offsetting with Wildlife Works -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

After hiking Mount Chirripo, the tallest mountain in Costa Rica, Jenny O'Grady and Ian Giddy were observing the deforestation caused by farming and decided to buy the land. The idea was to let mother nature regenerate, but the couple was too impatient for that, so they decided instead to build a reforestation project Today, the Cloudbridge Reserva is home to all 6 of the endangered feline species native to Costa Rica, like jaguars and ocelots, along with black-handed spider monkeys and Baird Tapirs. Jenny tells of this incredible project and if you are really inspired, you can book a stay or take the time to volunteer at this beautiful conservation project. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Elizabeth May Out of Africa Inconvenient Truth & Inconvenient Sequel Barite Galdikas Dian Fossey Bill McKibben, 350.org Cloud bridge -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

If you're a conscious consumer, you'll relate to Sarah Sproviero's plight of the difficulties in purchasing products from companies that are kind to the environment, the people who make them, and you. After being frustrated with the lack of transparency and the immense amount of research that went into finding the best companies, Sarah started the Lightfoot Market. The Lightfoot Market is dedicated to being a marketplace for conscious consumers and thoughtful brands to connect. They run bi-annual pop-up markets here in New York City and have a directory of carefully vetted brands they trust. The next Lightfoot Market Holiday Pop-Up will be on Dec. 9-10th at the Metropolitan Suite in Chelsea, NY. We will be there selling the Trashy Beauty repurposed coffee body scrub. Come and say hi. We'll have a free treat for anyone who supports the podcast. Sarah used to be an environmental teacher at the Audubon Society and credits playing outside and being close to nature as the reason she cares deeply about the environment today. There's a pretty hilarious story that Sarah shares from her teaching days, so you have to listen to the end when she reveals her party trick. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Bower Studios The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability #stopsucking movement Rothy’s - click here for $20 off! Keap Candles Dopper Water Bottles Ecocult United by Blue *Some of these links are affiliate links and by purchasing through this link, you will be supporting the show. Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

The coolest part about being a scientist is getting to go to places where others are not allowed to go - literally! Franziska Elmer got to live on a remote atoll research center during her Ph.D and saw one of the most untouched eco-systems on the planet. The only other people who get to visit Palmyra are volunteers and millionaires who donate money to the Nature Conservancy. Fran is also a huge believer in protecting the environment and underwent the Plastic-Free challenge while living on a desert island called Bonaire. Geek out with us as we talk about Fran's career from studying ecology, living in New Zealand, and teaching students how to become marine biologists in the Caribbean. Resources Fran mentions during this episode: Coral List Plastic Free tips Gate’s Coral Lab Seagrass Carbon Credit Offset If you'd like to connect with Fran directly, you can find her on Facebook. Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

New York City spends $1.3 billion a year on waste management and it's one of NYC's biggest exports, going to other states as far as Ohio. With a small, local movement to compost, NYC already has one of the country's largest compost programs. How long do you think it takes for a head of lettuce to break down in a landfill? . . . . . The answer might shock you - 25 years. With the climate warming and our soils depleting, the answer to fixing some of the planet's greatest problems may come down to one behavioral change - compost. Meredith ties in trash, compost, and food nutrition in one jam-packed conversation. And, listen to the very end, because Meredith turns the tables on me! Meredith is extremely knowledgeable and inspiring to speak with. Her straightforward way of talking about the trash problem is great for anyone wanting to understand this issue better (and take action!). Connect with Common Ground Compost on their website, Facebook, and check out one of the events Meredith speaks at in NYC. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Hack Trash City New Dream Guppyfriend Good Brother Co Vokashi Rescuing Leftover Cuisine -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Locally made, minimal waste, upcycled trash - that's what Malaika has built her fashion line from. And if you saw it in a window in New York City, where Malaika lives, you would never know. Her high fashion, eco-conscious clothing line is beautifully minimal, made for all seasons, and built to last. Malaika is from Denmark, where she was always told to care for the environment through simple actions. She's been to Bangladesh where she saw the rivers run blue from factory dyes. Check out her fashion line and connect with Malaika on Facebook and Instagram. —- Resources mentioned in this episode: Zero Waste Daniel Jenny Mustard - Vegan Youtuber and blogger Sublime Magazine Sagekat EO Products Sustainable Fashion Directory -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Former New York City actress turned entrepreneur, Sharon started her journey in the late-80’s when she decided to do something about the wastefulness of plastic bags. She sold 1,000 bags at her first Earth Day festival and was featured on Oprah. She also recently wrote a book guiding others in the art of creating an intentional business. A registered B Corp, Sharon’s business has diverted 2.65 trillion plastic bags from use. This is an episode not to be missed - Sharon has so many fantastic tips for balancing work and life, shares her highs and lows through building an intentional business, and has years of experience in green business to share. Check out Sharon’s book, The Magic of Tiny Business, available for pre-order on Amazon. Connect with Sharon on Facebook, Instagram, and skip the single-use plastic at Eco-Bags Products. -- Resources mentioned in this episode: Eco-Bags Products B Corporation The Magic of Tiny Business -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Cheryl Davies was living what she thought was a great life - working in the textile industry, living in New York City, car, boyfriend - but something was off. Today, Cheryl is a licensed acupuncturist, lives a minimal life from her bicycle, and partakes in dumpster diving with her partner Rob Greenfield (the guy who wore all his trash in a specially designed trash suit for 30 days). She doesn't even have a cell phone plan, so this interview was conducted while Cheryl was at the public library in Vancouver, Canada after Cheryl, Rob, and a group of Green Riders biked from Central Park to Vancouver in less than 90 days. There is something magical in the way Cheryl has discovered a new life and career after the one she thought she wanted where she was working in the fashion industry. Cheryl proves that any amount of change is possible if you start small. Connect with Cheryl on Facebook, Instagram, and Acurhythms, the business she co-founded. -- Resources mentioned in this show: Rob Greenfield -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees. They use over 80 percent of their profits to fund reforestation work all over the world using money made from ad revenue. Their goal - plant 1 billion trees by 2020. The company now plants trees in Burkina Faso, Indonesia (Borneo), Madagascar, Nicaragua, Peru, and Tanzania. Ecosia wants to create a world where the environment no longer needs protecting, and with averaging 1 million trees every few weeks. Jacey Bingler is Ecosia's Head of Communications. She tells us about her former jobs working in advertising and how she happily transitioned to a job at Ecosia, working to spread the message of tree planting and helping to reverse climate change. -- Resources mentioned in this show: Naomi Klein Jane Goodall Elizabeth Kolbert Tomorrow -- If there’s an eco-warrior you think has a story that would inspire others, email me at Barbara@trashybeauty.com. We highly encourage you to try out Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees. Ecosia lets you take one small step to making the planet a greener place by doing something that you do every day - search the web. -- Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

Eco-Warrior and Founder of Trashy Beauty, Barbara Lee, went from pre-law in undergrad to traveling the world for 2.5 years. After being a barista in New Zealand, planting trees in the Caribbean, and working communications for a conservation project in Kenya, Barbara returned home to the US and ended up working as a recruiter at a tech startup in New York City. Faced with the immensity of the trash problem in NYC, in comical contrast to her former home city San Francisco, Barbara wanted to find a way to change the tide on the way people thought about trash. Join the conversation on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and try out our repurposed coffee body scrub. Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.