Looking for a new podcast? Here’s a few to try…
Discovering a new podcast can sometimes feel a bit like dating – hours of searching followed by excitement, disappointment, and occasionally the right fit! Sometimes you know it isn’t going to work out right off the bat and other times it may be a slow start to a great relationship. Occasionally, if you’re really lucky, you’ll find a great podcast completely by accident.
In any case, finding a podcast that resonates with you isn’t as easy as it should be. With all the podcasts out there and not enough time to vet them, a good recommendation can go a long way. Whether you want to get serious with some actionable tips about being more sustainable, or you’re just looking for a good time and want to stay up on the latest eco news, the right sustainability podcast is out there waiting for you.
Think Sustainably is a new podcast that has started off strong. The Australian duo keeps the show moving at a fast pace and does a great job of packing in a lot of info into their weekly 30 minute show. Think Sustainably is produced very well which is why this podcast is at the top of our list. They clearly research each topic they discuss, bring on well informed guests, and the sound quality is top notch.
Their show line, “practical solutions for a better planet” is a surprisingly accurate description of the show. This podcast will make you re-think your everyday habits and how they fit into a sustainable world. In their latest episode they started with ethical supply chains and ended with a discussion on the question of which pets are most sustainable.
The issues they cover reveal the seriousness of some of the problems we face, but they also highlight the innovation individuals and groups are working on to solve them. There are some intense moments of the show when discussing the hard facts, but their use of pop culture references and sound effects provide creative comic relief.
This sustainability-related podcast is appropriately classified as a comedy. The hosts Dave and Ol work for environmental charities and come together weekly to joke about the environment, politics, and sustainability. With a vibe that resembles This Week Tonight, this pair of UK based environmentalists use a dry humor to highlight the reality of our environmental degradation and the lack of action taken to address it.
They are remarkably well informed in the politics of environmental issues and they do a great job of breaking down common misconceptions, greenwashing techniques, and generally misleading eco babble. To give you a taste of their style, one of their segments is titled “Inhofe Time” named after the American Senator Jim Inhofe who is a known climate change denier famous for proclaiming global warming is a hoax. In this segment they take an example of someone who has made an absurd statement, point out why it was so ridiculous, and poke fun at it.
Episodes are about 30 minutes and are released every Sunday which positions this podcast perfectly to help you kickoff the work week. It’s one of the few podcasts I’ve listened to that actually makes me lol. A few other segments in the show include “reasons to be cheerful”, intended to offer a break from the environmental cynicism, and of course, “sustainababble”, the core of the show that mocks fluffy sustainability talk around the world.
This podcast isn’t specifically environmental, but they’ve covered several environmental topics that are hot button items in the environmental field like organic food, fracking, and GMOs. The host does a great job of presenting the facts and sticking to scientific research to answer questions like “Is organic food really better for you?” and “Does fracking cause earthquakes?”.
Yes it’s science. No it’s not boring. The host does a great job of building a story as you follow her investigation into the depths of each topic. The production quality is top notch and I’m a fan of a few other podcasts from this group too (Gimlet Media).
Costing the Earth looks at how humans are impacting the environment. It questions our accepted truths and reports on progress toward improving the world. Episodes cover a wide range of topics like big oil, reducing our carbon footprint, litter, and acoustic ecology.