Earth Friends

Before 2022 ends, we have one last episode in the season for you! The beauty of being able to source things from earth. When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind. Lydia Querian, founder of the Daily Malong, shares her experience in her journey to her Filipino roots through indigenous Filipino weaves! Tune in to hear  about her experience at NY Fashion Week '22 and how a culture’s shared history, traditional weaves, and slow fashion can solve the problems of tomorrow.

00:49 - What impacted Lydia this week?

03:04 - The Daily Malong origin story

06:57 - How did the audience in NYFW receive the designs?

07:54 - Lydia’s take on how the mission of preserving culture relates to sustainability

10:15 - How do the indigenous people pass on the tradition to the younger generation?

13:45 - What are commonly heard misconceptions about Filipino culture?

26:34 - How can we turn this world around? 

((( O ))) is a world-renowned artist and local environmental advocate. She started the first sustainably-driven music label as well as a unique library of heirloom seeds. From her “treekubo” in the Philippines, she talks about sustainability, art, and identity.

(03:00) - ((( O ))) Sound bath meditation 

(06:20) - What impacted June this week?

(09:59) - How did June's purpose change the way she made music?

(15:52) -  How did June's reconnection to nature intersect with rediscovering her roots as a Filipino?

(21:36) - How did The Living Library develop into a space that one can discover both local culture and a zero-waste lifestyle?

(31:46) - June's advice on how we can reach a deeper level of spirituality for self and earth healing

(38:56) - What are some difficulties in setting up a zero-waste sarisari store?

(42:57) - What was an unexpected achievement with The Living Library?

(46:20) - How can we turn this world around?

TIMESTAMPS:

(2:17): Thank you to everyone who supported our typhoon funds initiative! 

(2:46): Updates on Typhoon relief report. 

(5:54): Earthfriends first giveaway! A one-of-a-kind collage piece by Bea Elizalde.

(7:40): Game Time: Sustainable edition of two truths and a lie

(16:13) How has our sustainable journey influenced our careers?

(23:22) Instagram Q&A: How can we encourage more of our friends to be eco-friendly without being judgy or pushy?

(27:23) Instagram Q&A: What's your biggest frustration about the cities you live in?

(31:09) Instagram Q&A: Should we not have kids to save the environment? 

(35:56): Our podcast DREAMS!

(39:45): We are looking for more earth friends! 

Hug from our hearts! Cheers! 

Up next is the beautiful story of Issa Barte! She is the co-founder of For The Future PH, one of the Philippines’ leading youth-led NGOs and a 2021 National Geographic Young Explorer.

Issa proves time and time again that with enough will and determination, you can move mountains.

Ready to get as inspired? Because we sure did!

TIMESTAMPS

(01:30) - How did Issa’s week go?

(02:12) - Issa’s pivot from storytelling through her digital art to founding a full-blown NGO

(05:06) - Issa’s balance between using social media for good and dealing with all the anxieties that come with it

(07:12) - Behind the scenes of Issa’s experience on the ground with relief operations

(09:24) - How does For the Future PH balance supporting immediate relief vs. long-term rehabilitation

(11:29) - How can an individual’s impact be more long term with relief operations assuming there is no government intervention?

(15:21) - Issa the Natural Geographic 2021 Young Explorer though!

(17:38) - Issa’s tips for creating authentic yet relatable content

(22:01) - How does Issa keep grounded and hopeful despite all that she’s seen on the ground?

(24:01) - When it comes to art, what are some ways to keep inspired?

(29:42) - How has Issa’s art direction changed?

(31:21) - How does Issa break through the fear of being vulnerable online?

(36:24) - How can Issa turn this world around?

Carmela reminds us that you can't have AESTHETICS without ETHICS. On this episode we discuss another contentious topic in the sustainability scene. The fashion culture has drastically changed over the years and clothes have now joined the never-ending list of quickly disposed items.  Sustainable fashion is not a product but a mindset. Tune in to hear about Ucycle's solution to this systemic issue!

TIMESTAMPS: 

(03:04) - Carmela's story from Uniqlo to Ucycle

(08:53) - What constitutes Fast Fashion?

(12:20) - Spotting the difference between greenwashed ecolabels and actual impactful initiatives

(16:20) - Can sustainable fashion be affordable?

(19:28) - Carmela's take on keeping conscious fashion cool 

(21:31) - Ucycle's Circular Model

(28:42) - What's Ucycle's bigger picture?

(32:34) - Where is the fashion industry going in adopting circularity in the business model?

(34:55) - Is it realistic for fashion to adopt circularity without government intervention?

(38:54) - How can Carmela turn this world around?

And just like that, your 3 earth friends are back! Gabbi is back in Manila, Carrie has a new job at PayMongo, and Niki is taking her Masters in Public Health at Columbia University. Tune in to hear how the green movement has remained relevant in our lives in tandem with the big changes in our lives, and finally our take on climate change affecting human health in general

Timestamps:

(00:22) - What's new with us?

(03:42) - Comparing sustainable initiatives in Manila, New York, and London

(09:00) - Tips on how to use shampoo bars

(11:20) - What's new in the sustainability scene?

(15:15) - Climate change effects on Public Health

(24:25) - Documentary suggestions

(32:45) - Our green lifestyle shifts

Siargao is known as the Surfing Capital of the Philippines and is also the headquarters of Lokal Lab, an NGO supporting sustainable livelihood for local communities. Kara Rosas has her eyes on the troubles in paradise as she works on keeping the community self-sustaining, especially during a pandemic that stunted the tourism industry. With her background in Economics, Kara is out to fix our local economy straight from the source, one community at a time. 

Tune in to hear how this NGO by the beach is making a wave of change in the Philippines! 

TIMESTAMPS:

(01:27) - What has impacted Kara this week?

(02:00)  - What is Lokal Lab? 

(06:30) - How are the locals receptive to tourism in Siargao?

(10:45) - How did Kara's career shift from Corporate to NGO?

(16:16) - What is the long-term goal for Lokal?

(17:15) - What are other like-minded NGOs like Lokal?

(18:15) - Can some of these solutions from the island be implemented in cities?

(21:26) - What are key results areas for Lokal Lab to determine growth in the community?

(24:40) - How can we turn this world around?

The global plastic crisis has blown out of proportion and Transfoam is here to show us a way out! 

CEO and Co-Founder, Alec Brewer, is here to share with us the story behind Transfoam and their mission to connect the beginning and end of the plastic lifecycle. 

With over 50% of plastic coming from single-use purposes, Transfoam aims to give these single-use items a second life before it fully biodegrades back into the earth. 

Now's the time to normalize waste segregation! Waste isn't waste until we waste it.

Tune in to know more about the plastic industry and our thoughts on unlearning our usual throw away culture through valuing waste.

TIMESTAMPS 

(01:20) - What has impacted Alec this week?

(02:20) - What is Transfoam all about?

(07:27) - Can regular plastic be phased out?

(10:45) - Are raw natural materials like bamboo the sustainable solution to plastic? 

(12:52) - What are the gaps in education on environment sustainability?

(19:15) - How would government regulations  expand sustainable enterprises tackling plastic pollution?

(24:28) - Thoughts on Biden's large scale sustainable infrastructure plan? Will this support for more sustainable industries to open up?

(29:11) - Is oxo-biodegradable actually eco-friendly?

(35:15) - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the sustainability or social impact field?

(37:22) - How can businesses utilize technology to scale environment sustainability?

(39:40) - How can we turn this world around?

'Til we find our place on the path unwinding, we chat with Dana Sianghio on how the Circular Economy is really just a way for us to get back in the Circle of Life. This episode features Dana on her  journey from growing GCash Forest to taking her Masters in Sustainability in ESCP Business School, Paris. Click play to hear about Dana's take on revolutionizing waste through tech, making conscious decisions, and loving items beyond their sale tags!

TIMESTAMPS:

(01:45) - What has impacted Dana this week?

(07:00) - The Genesis of GCash Forest

(11:15) - What is Circular Economy?

(12:53) - So does that make recycling just "green-ing" the linear model?

(15:05) - What are some promising innovations that will soon become a necessity?

(25:00) - What are the most difficult types of waste to repurpose?

(28:15) - What policies will support the Circular Economic Model?

(30:55) - How can we motivate people to think more about waste?

(34:45) - How can we turn this world around?

Global temperatures are rising and so are the youth! This episode features Tara Santos as she navigates her way through the digital playbook of 21st century activism through her work with Extinction Rebellion and her personal journey with shifting to a more eco-friendly lifestyle!

Tune in to hear about all taking all this sustainability content out there with a grain of salt and a whole lotta passion!

(1:38) - What has impacted Tara this week?

(6:36) - How can we spot Greenwashers?

(11:13) - What's Tara's take on recycling plastics?

(14:32) - What is Extinction Rebellion? 

(20:30) - What is Environmental Racism? 

(27:15) - How do children perceive plastic pollution?

(33:01) - How did Tara turn this world around? How did she fit a year's worth of waste in a Lulu Lemon bag too!?

To turn this world around, the complete shift to renewable energy is crucial!  This episode features Johnny Altomonte, founder of Verne Solutions, a sustainable solutions consultancy, and a part-time consultant for the Philippine Senate.

Click play to breakdown the basics of renewable energy and learn more about the Philippine landscape.

TIMESTAMPS

(2:20) - What has impacted Johnny this week?

(3:30) - What is the difference between renewable and sustainable energy?

(10:20) - Where is the Philippines now on renewable energy and where are they headed?

(16:13) - Is renewable energy the end all be all?

(27:34) - Can renewable energy power the whole world?

(30:50) - Is the Philippines ready for Renewable Energy?

(34:50) - How can we turn this world around? 

Sir David Attenborough's moving witness statement, A Life on Our Planet, was the catalyst for the formation of Earth Friends. In this episode, we dive into our 5 key takeaways and some of the adjustments we made to our lifestyle to help ease the effects of the climate crisis.

Overwhelmed with all the info surrounding climate change and environmental degradation? Us too. Tune in to Earth Friends to see how we can turn this world around! Stay hopeful and get curious with this sneak peak.