Mandy Nolan
Have you thought about making lifestyle changes for a greener lifestyle, but just haven’t had the time or the energy?
The upside of the COVID–19 lockdown is that people are suddenly at home, and able to focus more directly on how they live, and what choices they make.
Two mums, ABC Radio Coffs and mid-North Coast presenter Fiona Poole, and Byron-based producer Samantha Turnbull, have created Little Green Pod, a 28-episode podcast on how to make real sustainable changes in your everyday life.
Fiona was the manager at Byron’s Youth Activities Centre (YAC) in the early 2000s and started her radio career at Bay FM, presenting the All Girl Rock show and producing the youth program Pocket.
She has since relocated to Bellingen, where she lives with her partner Pete, and their two kids.
‘I have been in my swimmers all day!’ says Fi.
‘It’s 28 degrees today – it’s not right – it’s Anzac Day, and I’m usually rugged up! The impetus for this podcast is climate change.
‘We all know it’s real, but there is a political debate whether or not it is! I am completely fed up waiting for someone to do something.
‘I made this podcast so we can stop waiting for governments to make change, so we can address the impact we are having individually.’
The Little Green Pod was made before COVID-19, but Fiona believes the pandemic has shown us something significant with regards to climate action.
‘COVID-19 has shown us when there is political will and a crisis at hand, you can totally have a dramatic impact very quickly.
‘We have flattened the curve… do we need a complete environmental crisis to go into that [same] response?’
The little decisions
Fiona was curious how she and her family could make changes that would have positive effects on climate change.
‘The whole premise is that every day we make hundreds of little decisions.
‘We can make better choices – like no longer buying shampoo – it’s a marketing ploy.
‘It strips your hair of natural oils, you have this thing called sebum – it takes six weeks for your hair to naturally regulate, and you never need shampoo again!’
Draft proofing
‘Hot house is another episode which is about properly insulating and draft–proofing your house so that when you are heating or cooling, you are retaining the heat or cool. It seems obvious, but it’s a real waste of energy if you don’t do it properly.’
Other episodes deal with financial choices, like banking.
‘You can switch to a green bank’ says Fiona. ‘There are lots of banking options if you want to get your bank to de-invest out of coal.’
Other episodes focus on everyday consumer choices, like shopping and changing how we shop, for example cutting down on plastics and packaging by bulk food shopping.
There’s also an episode on how to have difficult conversations.
‘We talk to Damon Gameau about having those conversations with your favourite sushi place, for example, asking them to use paper instead of plastic, or how to have those difficult conversations over Christmas.’
So why not make your lockdown green? Come out of this enforced ‘stop’ to a Greener new world.
You can find Little Green Pod on your ABC Listen app, or via www.abc.net.au and search the podcasts.
