Green Elephant Show
Green Elephant Show
Sustainability News 16th December
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The latest sustainability news, fun, facts and reviews from the Green Elephant for 16th December 2020.

Top stories:

01:15 – EU Leaders Boost Climate Reduction Targets a Day before UN Summit
02:04 – Biden promises US-led climate summit in 2021
02:22 – Paris climate agreement: 54 cities on track to meet targets
18:10 – Sizewell C: government reignites £20bn nuclear power station row

08:30 Leave a review

Your chance to win some eco goodies!

Simply subscribe and leave a review on either Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts before December 22nd and we will pick the best review to win some eco-based prizes in our show on December 23rd.

Reviewing couldn’t be easier – open up your podcast app and leave us a rating and a few words. For the really lazy listener just giving us a rating will help!

09:33 Challenge update

Sustainable Seasonal Shopping:
  • Buy locally
  • Buy from BCorps or FairTrade
  • Go Second Hand
  • Buy less
  • Furoshiki – sustainable wrapping

 

13:25 Top 10 Tips for a sustainable Christmas:

  1. Buy from sustainable organisations if you can (BCorps, fairtrade especially)
  2. Buy a present for the planet – donate/contribute on behalf of someone
  3. Rent a tree. Or use an artificial one forever.
  4. Reduce or ditch the meat – buy organic/local if possible
  5. Stop sending cards!
  6. Decorate using nature – rather than tinsel
  7. Check the provenance of anything you buy
  8. Recycle or reuse the waste
  9. Moderation in everything
  10. Use the time for people and to get out in nature

16:48 Recommendation:

New Book by Lianne BellHow on earth Can I Be Eco Friendly.

Company News:

23:14 – Former employees say Apple stood by while suppliers violated Chinese labor laws
25:14 – Climate crisis: FTSE giants fail to disclose their carbon footprint
26:25 – Unilever, Microsoft, 11 More Companies Join the Climate Pledge
27:16 – Cisco Achieves 100% Renewable Energy in US
29:04 – Apple’s old 29W chargers aren’t good enough for MagSafe Duo

Sustainable Technology News:

30:30 – Fossil-free liquid fuel trial
31:32 – A palm oil alternative could help save rainforests
32:34 – London-based Recycleye raises £1.2 million to turn rubbish back into resources

Other Sustainability News:

34:05 – The pandemic turned the volume down on ocean noise pollution
34:53 – Human-produced mass now outweighs the Earth’s biomass
36:22 – Court issues largest fine for wildlife crime ever for a demolished bat habitat
37:29 – The end of dairy’s “dirty secret”? Farms have a year to stop killing male calves
38:45 – Bison recovering but 31 other species now extinct, says red list
40 :24 – Monkeys could be banned as pets, says government

42:18 Coming Shows

  • 23rd December – sustainability review of 2020
  • 30th December – preview of what’s happening in the world of sustainability in 2021

43:49 Fact or Fake?

Christmas themed.

  1. 27,000 miles of wrapping paper is used each year in the UK alone
  2. Only 5% of consumer goods are still in use 6 months later
  3. One billion Christmas cards enf up in the bin each year
  4. The equivalent of 1 million turkeys end up in the bin each year
  5. One in 10 unwanted Christmas presents ends up in landfill

And finally:

48:31 – Mummified man died of extreme constipation after eating only grasshoppers
49:55 – M&S customer’s slipper review after losing leg brings people to tears
51:01 – Teaching assistant mortified after missing rude detail on Christmas cardigan

Thanks for listening to this weeks sustainability news.

If you have any stories we should be discussing get in touch @greenelepod or studio@greenelephant.show