Eco Chat With Laura Trotta Podcast

With the spotlight continually being shone on plastics and the devastating impact they're having on the Environment, and with Australia’s Eastern States finally implementing a Plastic Bag Ban, let’s take a look at one of the alternatives to single-use plastic bags… Compostable plastic bags. Today I’m joined by Darren McAllister, from BioBag Australia to chat about compostable bags, how they differ from biodegradable bags and how Biobag is championing this area. Click HERE to purchase Biobag Compostable Bags from Sustainahome. Want to Learn How To Reduce Plastics In Your Home? Join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge!

There’s some sneaky plastics that have made their way into our bathrooms. Whether it’s the innocent plastic wrap around a tampon, the hearty plastic toothbrush or the more concealed microscopic plastic beads in beauty products, our bathrooms punch above their weight in our overall plastic footprint. To help change that in your household, I share five simple ways to reduce plastic waste in your bathroom. Click HERE to Join my FREE 5-day Go Plastic Free Challenge this July Additional Resources Sustainahome.com - online eco store where you can SAVE 15% off the entire plastic-free range in July 2018 with code GOPLASTICFREE Beat The MicroBead App - resource to help you find out if microbeads are in your favourite products. Scan the barcode of your product and use the app to discover if microbeads are present.  

Plastics commonly make up the majority of a household's regular waste stream and most of us accept that soft plastic waste is just a part of life. Until now! Thanks to one innovative mum, Australians now have the opportunity to recycle their soft plastics via REDcycle. The REDcycle Program is a recovery initiative for post-consumer soft plastic. RED Group has teamed up with Coles, Woolworths and some of Australia’s most-loved brands to make it easy for you to keep your plastic bags and soft plastic packaging out of landfill.  In this episode, Rebecca Gleghorn from REDcycle will share how you (if you live in Australia) can easily get started recycling your soft plastics.  If you’re interested in being part of an active community supporting each other to reduce plastic consumption and transition to a zero waste home, join my growing Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs community.

In this episode I share which of my favourite natural cleaning products I used to complete the exit clean on my house in our recent house move, and how they performed. Earlier this year we made our BIG family move from the small town of Roxby Downs to the city of Adelaide, 600 km away.  I contemplated outsourcing the exit clean to save time, but for various reasons, we decided to complete it ourselves. I also secretly wanted to put my favourite natural cleaning products to the test to see if they were up to the big task of a leave-no-surface-spared exit clean, and they didn’t disappoint! Links to Purchase Click HERE to purchase koh (ekoWorx) Universal Surface Cleaner, Diamond Sponge, grout brush and microfibre cloths and receive $10 off your order (including bundles and sale items). Click HERE to purchase Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner, Thieves Dishwashing Liquid and Eucalyptus and Thieves Essential Oils. Click HERE to purchase Norwex Enviro Cloths (microfibre cloths). Click HERE to purchase ENJO Win

Water is essential to life. It’s quite possibly the most valuable resource on Earth, yet with the way we waste water in the Western world, you wouldn’t believe this to be the case. Following the Millennial Drought, the worst recorded drought in Australia’s history, inventor Peter Cullin set himself a mission to do something about reducing household water consumption. He discovered that the bathroom, and more specifically the shower, was the most wasteful area in a typical dwelling and that every minute of every day, in hundreds of millions of homes around the world quality fresh drinking water was being wasted due to inefficient showers. So began the quest to create, from scratch, a new type of shower that would overcome the seven major waste problems inherent in typical showers. Peter’s invention, The Cullector is now recognised as the world’s most efficient DIY retrofit shower. It’s a multi award winning ultra-efficient shower that combines several water saving solutions into one simple water saving showe

When did you last purchase a new item of clothing? When did you last move an item on from your wardrobe? And where and how did you move this item on? How much of your wardrobe do you actually wear on a regular basis? I encourage you to take moment to reflect on these three questions, because you may not be aware of it, but your wardrobe may be the source of your greatest impact on the environment. Fashion Revolution Week isn’t just about questioning the social impact of the Fashion Industry, it’s also a time to shine a light on its sustainability. Today we’re taking a look at another side of fashion and I’m chatting with two gamechangers who have co-founded a clever start-up to make it easy for us to both move on quality items we no longer need and replace them with an entire new wardrobe….without spending a cent. Through SilkRoll, Erin Wold and Janet Wu have created a shared economy for high end fashion. In this episode we chat about why the fashion industry needs an eco-makeover, some of the advantages of s

Today I’m coming to you with a podcast recorded from Antarctica! And I have one of my new friends joining me on the show. It was recorded on the Ushuaia ship whilst we were slicing through ice sheets just to the east of Adelaide Island. I’m super excited to introduce you to Samantha Reynolds. Sam is a marine biologist and works with ECOCEAN, Australia’s only not-for-profit organisation dedicated to whale shark research and conservation. We are chatting all things whale sharks, science, and following your dreams. You can learn more about ECOCEAN and the fantastic work they are doing on their website. Also follow them on Facebook or Instagram to keep up to date with their research.

In this podcast I reflect on my recent expedition to Antarctica and my involvement in the Homeward Bound Program to date.  My experience on board with the 80-odd other women in STEMM was incredible and as life changing as being in the pristine and rugged environment of Antarctica. In a safe and collaborative space we networked, developed strategies to lead, increase our visibility, and act on issues that align with our individual values and lift women up in the call to create change for the greater good.  If you're interested in participating in Homeward Bound register your details here. Thanks to my sponsors Macpac, Travel with Jane and Civil Construction Partners, as well as my crowdfunding supporters, for making my participation in Homeward Bound possible.  

As you may be aware, I’ve spent the past 3 weeks on a ship in Antarctica with 77 other female scientists, all participating in the Homeward Bound program. To say the experience has been life changing wouldn’t do it justice. In a safe and collaborative space we networked, developed strategies to lead, increase our visibility, and act on issues that align with our individual values and lift women up in the call to create change for the greater good. All of this in the spectacular setting of Antarctica. In coming podcast episodes I’ll be reflecting on the voyage and sharing the outcomes and resulting projects, but first I wanted to give you a solid background on what is Homeward Bound. Today’s episode is a warm and candid chat Homeward Bound co-founder Fabian Dattner, recorded on the ship on one of our final days on board. In this discussion Fabian shares the inspiration and vision behind Homeward Bound, why women with a STEMM (science, technology, engineering mathematics and medicine) background are central to

Gut Health, or more specifically, poor gut health has received much publicity in recent times and for very good reason. Gut bacteria and poor digestion have been linked to many diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, obesity, HIV, auto immune disorders, arthritis, mental illnesses and autism. Why Am I Talking About Gut Health on Eco Chat? Because looking after ourselves and our planet go hand in hand. We can’t perform at our optimum and care for our Earth if we’re sick or low in energy. Which is why I have one of Australia’s leading experts in gut health on Eco Chat today. Micheline Andrews is a nutritional health coach focusing on gut health. She is a bone broth advocate, speaker, and author of a brand-new cookbook ‘Bone Broth Basics’ , which we will talk about today.

When most people talk about healing the environment, they mention simple acts we can do to minimise out impact. It’s rare to find someone who is prepared to go that extra mile and speak the truth… that minimising our impact isn’t going to cut it. Dr Mahdi Mason is an environmental consultant, author and land healer. She recently released her second book ‘Earth Healing: Healing the Earth to heal ourselves’ to critical acclaim. Her passion is helping people to understand the importance of reversing our environmental impacts, not just reducing them In this chat Mahdi and I talk about: What an Earth Healer is and how to become one; How Western Society can better harness the wisdom of our first nations people, particularly when it comes to how they care for Mother Earth; How humans became disconnect with the Earth and how we, as a species, can reverse this and build strong connections to the land again; How embracing our feminine energy can help to heal the Earth; Why we not only need to reduce our physical impac

If you’re an avid reader and are keen to learn how to indulge your habit in the most sustainable way possible then you’re in for a real treat today! I’m joined by my friend and author Lisa White to chat all about books verses e-books and which is the most sustainable choice. We also cover how Lisa recently made the leap from naturopath (and author of many cookbooks available through her Alternate Chef Kitchen business) to fictional author with her brand Contemporary Fantasy novella “A Touch of Magic” which is available now.

The nightly ritual of packing school and kindergarten lunches can sometimes seem tedious and unrelenting, but it doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't need to take as long as an episode of The Bachelor. In this post I'll share six tips to help you create a waste-free lunchbox for your school-aged child. Enter code BACKTOSCHOOL before 31 Jan 2018 at Sustainahome to receive FREE Shipping Australia-wide on your order of zero waste lunchbox products.

So many of us grew up with the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ mantra that’s as ingrained in our psyche as the ‘Slip Slop Slap’ sun protection slogan. But just as ‘Slip Slop Slap’ has moved with the times and been revised to ‘Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide’ I thought the start of a new year was the perfect opportunity to cast an eye over ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.’ In particular I’m keen to share my thoughts on where the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ mantra needs an upgrade, and why. Browse a range of reusable items in eco-living store Sustainahome and receive 10% off your first purchase with voucher code ECOCHAT10. If you’re keen to be part of a growing community of like-minded conscious consumers all keen to create a healthier, more sustainable home, check out Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs! It’s the place where I guide you through the process of creating a self-sufficient lifestyle, without the overwhelm and without turning your back on the modern world.  

A few weeks ago I gave you a heads heads up that something very special was in the pipeline..... Well it's come out the other end I'm I'm so thrilled to share with you that Sustainahome is now open for business! You can check Sustainahome out HERE. Sustainahome is an online eco / toxin-free store where 20% of profits are donated to environmental scientific research and conservation projects. It's the store where your purchases not only help you to create a healthier, more sustainable home, but also help to improve the quality of our environment across the board. With your support Sustainahome will grow over the weeks, months and years ahead to become a true leader in the eco-retail space and in turn, we'll have a serious crack at making green mainstream. To reward you for being a loyal subscriber, if you shop between now and 31 December, you'll receive 15% off your entire order. Just click this link and the discount will be automatically applied to your cart, or enter voucher code ECOCHAT. And while you're th

If you’re a bit frazzled leading up to Christmas and think you have no hope getting through your TO DO list, let alone carving out time for YOU, this episode is for you. I’m sharing 5 easy ways you can fill your cup this Christmas... without even leaving the house! If we don’t care for ourselves, and keep our cup full so to speak, we can’t fill others, and we definitely can’t look after the environment. If we’re frazzled, stressed and tired, we’re more likely to make decisions based on convenience and generate more waste, not to mention spend more money in the process. More seriously, if you’re busting your butt trying to live a more sustainable, zero waste lifestyle and you’re putting yourself last, you’re much more likely to not only burn out, but get resentful too! You have my permission to take some time out and rejuvenate, even for just 5 minutes a day. Happy Christmas!

As Christmas fast approaches and adults the world over look for cheap stocking fillers to gift to their children and children’s friends, I thought it was a great opportunity to chat about fad toys and the impact they have on the environment. In particular, I wanted to check in on the fad toy of 2017… The Fidget Spinner. In this episode I chat about the Lifecycle of a Fidget Spinner and share Five Alternatives to Gifting Fad Toys. Click HERE to get your FREE Seasons Greenings eGuide.

If you yearn for a simpler, minimalist lifestyle and are yet to declutter your house, this post is for you. I’m sharing the ins and outs of our decluttering attempts for our upcoming house move. Links for Specific Charities Mentioned: Bras…. Uplift Project Drop off locations Glasses – Lions Recycle for Sight Australia  Business Clothing – Dress For Success   Like This Topic? You May Also Like To Listen To These Previous Eco Chat Episodes: Ep 5 – The Environmental Impact Of Toys and How to Stop The Toy Invasion Ep 62 – 7 Green Gift Ideas for Christmas Ep 76 - 4 Questions You Should Ask Before You Buy Anything New Ep 77 Tips on Decluttering and Organising Our Homes with Helen Butler

If you choose to eat meat, and you care for the environment and care for your own health, I bet you’ve wondered “what is the best meat to eat”? It’s a question I’m asked a lot, particularly by my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs members, and it’s a question I’ve also contemplated. I mean if you walk into a typical supermarket meat section you’re faced options such as organic, free range, grass fed, grain fed, no added hormones, antibiotic free, pasture raised and more! It can be hard to make an informed choice! If you’re keen to discover once and for all what the most sustainable meat is, this post is for you. I’m chatting with Peri McIntosh from Borderpark Organics and we uncover what is the best meat to eat from an environmental and health perspective. Before you dive in though, you may like to also listen to Episode 49 –Regenerative Farming and It’s Role In Healing Our World (with Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm), and Episode 51 – 7 Ways To Smarten Up Your Meat Consumption. But in this episode we dive int

Lotions and potions, deodorant, perfumes, soaps, exfoliants, shower gels and make up: many of us probably use some or most of these personal care products every day and may not give a second thought to the impact they might be having on the health or us or our environment. In this episode I’ll share why you need to be savvy when choosing which personal care products you use and why beauty products may not actually be that great for both you and the environment. To be in the running to WIN a place on my Home Detox Boot Camp be sure to share your best eco beauty tips in the comments on this episode's corresponding blog post HERE before Tuesday 31 October 2017.