Eco Chic

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 oceans and science communications. Currently, Danni is featured as a correspondent on a weekly nationally syndicated CBS series called Mission Unstoppable with host Miranda Cosgrove. Danni has also hosted Xploration Nature Knows Best on FOX, a STEM educational TV series that featured the latest advancements in bio-inspired technology and design — making her the first African-American woman to host her own science television series. A special thank you to Climate Power 2020 for facilitating this conversation. Ad

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 say whether or not something is really going to work, or if it’s just nice packaging. Her can be found in The New York Times, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Harper’s BAZAAR, Allure, New York Magazine’s The Cut, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Glamour, SELF, Coveteur, Man Repeller, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, The Zoe Report, Fashionista.com, and more.  Today Jessica and I are talking about her career, and finding this very specific, stand-out in beauty reporting, it’s a fascinating path from music videos to the Kardashians,

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 the value of your purchase and double-checking that you’re not accidentally buying fast fashion. Also mentioned: Last year’s Black Friday episode: Ep 83: 3 Tips For Conscious Consumption During The Holidays Ep 129: Sustainable Minimalism: How to Declutter and Set Boundaries for Eco-Friendly Living | Stephanie Seferian, Sustainable Minimalists Podcast Ep 127: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before An Impulse Purchase Find me online! I’m on Instagram @ecochicpodcast + @lauraediez, on Facebook, Twitter, and

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 beauty companies from Givenchy and Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare to Clarins and Coty, yet her proudest achievement to date has been finding the courage to trade her high-power NYC lifestyle for (quite literally) greener pastures. The WY forests of arnica, chamomile, lavender, and sage… became the basis for Alpyn Beauty. Alpyn Beauty is the first sustainably sourced natural skin care line formulated with wildcrafted and hand-cultivated alpine botanicals grown in the mountains surrounding Jackson Hole, WY. At the core o

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 me online! I’m on Instagram @ecochicpodcast + @lauraediez, on Facebook, Twitter, and if you’d like to check out our store closing sale, shop totallyecochic.com!Audio Player

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 expectations for receiving, and also how to give in a more minimal way. Find me online! I’m on Instagram @ecochicpodcast + @lauraediez, on Facebook, Twitter, and if you’d like to check out our store closing sale, shop totallyecochic.com!

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 consumption and supporting other small businesses. Mentioned: Episode 75 with Christina Vidal of Jetet Christina: When a Fast Fashion Brand Steals from a Creator Find me online! I’m on Instagram @ecochicpodcast + @lauraediez, on Facebook, Twitter, and if you’d like to check out our store closing sale, shop totallyecochic.com!

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, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. We’re on Facebook, ECO CHIC Podcast. Sign up for my Monday newsletter at: https://mailchi.mp/f9324e3609e4/eco-chic. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com. You can shop our store closing sale at totallyecochic.com – our shop is currently liquidating, so prices are significantly reduced!!

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 launching this week that brings together activists with clinical psychologists to drive sustainable behavior change for our planet. Her TED Talk, ‘How To Turn Climate Anxiety into Action,’ completely shifted my own feelings and validated my sometimes-overwhelming sense of eco-guilt. Dr. Lertzman works with companies, nonprofits and governments looking to strengthen climate and sustainability initiatives, develop more effective campaigns, and harness the creativity and innovation needed to solve big problems. Her persp

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 thankful to be joined today by: * Sabina – she is Australian; we discuss the home her family built and her low-key hippie parents (so fun!) * Eyra – she is Salvadorian; we talk about immigrating to the U.S., poverty and the financial necessity behind some so-called sustainability practices* Ashley – she is Mexican-American;we talk about food, family traditions, how some cultural practices (like capsule wardrobes) weren’t trendy before they were marketed as sustainability* Michelle – she is Salvadorian, and first generation

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 philanthropic giving. Through Grounded, Julia has dedicated herself to positively impacting our planet’s trajectory and has worked to forge strategic partnerships between leading climate-focused organizations such as One Earth, Sea Legacy, Amazon Frontlines, and many others. Julia and I discuss her background and the founding of Grounded; the value of interdisciplinary collaboration; regenerative agriculture, ecocide, and the importance of indigenous knowledge; carbon sinks; today’s fires on the West Coast of the us… Julia i

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 Hinkley settlement, at $333 million, is the largest class action lawsuit in US history. Erin and I today are speaking about her new book, Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We The People Can Do About It. We speak about the film’s influence on her career, the worldwide response about communities concerned about their own drinking water, and what we should be watching out for today (spoiler: chemicals like PFOS and PFOA, the largest emerging contaminants in our water!). We additionally discuss the EP

“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 also discuss how everyone makes mistakes on their ‘vegan journey’ – I even share a personal slip-up story! Shaming occasional omnivores, or putting perfect vegans on some sort of weird moral pedestal only pushes people farther away from the movement… if we’re serious about decarbonization and supporting *everyone* in our environmental movement, veganism must be inclusive and accessible. Let’s hang out! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. Follow us on social media! @ec

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 similar topics but shares very different, thoughtful insights on how they more closely align their values in faith-based environmentalism. Let’s connect! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. Follow us on social media! @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, on Facebook, ECO CHIC Podcast. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com. You can sign up for our newsletter + support our shop at totallyecochic.com (code ECOCHIC gets you 10% off!).

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 years ago!) encouraging minimal waste practices. Elizabeth also participates in Model4Miracles, the largest charity modeling event in Florida, and with her mother has raised over $130,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Elizabeth has participated in some wild opportunities, like showcasing trash fashion at New York Fashion Week 2.0 and Disney’s Friends for Change, where she worked with icons like Zendaya and Jane Goodall (which she gives us the whole scoop on!). Find Elizabeth on Instagram here @misselizab

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, through means like shade ranges and simply ‘cleaner’ products. We discuss environmental racism and community-level environmental hazards that the sustainability movement is advocating justice for. We end on a very positive note: we’re all beautiful. Take care of yourself, take care of your temple, take care of the planet. Let’s connect! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. Follow us on social media! @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, on Facebook, ECO CHIC Podcast. Email me at

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 Environmentalist? Start with Antiracism.” Our conversation today covers a lot of ground, primarily stemming from this ideal of white environmentalism: we discuss racism + social justice in the conservation movement, and also in how BIPOC communities experience outdoor recreation; the whitewashing of environmental studies and histories; unpaid internships +  tokenism, especially when it comes to making big nature-focused organizations into more diversity. Wawa speaks honestly about generational trauma and violence against Black f

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 journey, especially in the context of making sustainable products mainstream when they were not as plainly prevalent. We circle to the idea that businesses can do good – it’s not just about doing “less bad,” but actually contributing in a meaningful way to the conservation of natural resources and promoting more thoughtful, nontoxic homes. We also discuss why plastic is so bountiful in the consumer product space, plus some of the issues with recycling. We lastly support the community around mission-driven brands; Stu detai

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 first month’s membership at swoondlesociety.com Keep in touch! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. Follow us on social media! @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, on Facebook, ECO CHIC Podcast. Email me at laura@lauraediez.com. You can sign up for our newsletter + support our shop at totallyecochic.com (code ECOCHIC gets you 10% off!).

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 toxic chemicals. Additional episode resources: * 93: What is Greenwashing? How to Spot Misleading Environmental Claims* 96: Regulating The Cosmetics Industry; Influencing Better Beauty Policy | Lindsay Dahl, Beautycounter* 87: Why We Should Eat Lower in the Food Chain: Bioaccumulation + Biomagnification Keep in touch! Instagram is @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, + I am now on Twitter, @lauraediez. Follow us on social media! @ecochicpodcast / @lauraediez, on Facebook, ECO CHIC Podcast. Email me at laura@lauraed