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Eco Chat with Laura Trotta Podcast

Join environmental engineer and eco-living expert Laura Trotta and special Eco Hero guests in this fun and thought-provoking podcast on sustainability. Laura's mission is to make green mainstream and ensure her listeners get all the inspiration and help they need to create an ecoceptional life they love.
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Eco Chat with Laura Trotta Podcast
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Jul 27, 2022

For most of us, our homes are the biggest investment we’ll make in our lifetime. Decisions we make in the home design process impact not only the durability and longevity of our home but also our home’s sustainability and cost to run.

In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined again by Janine Strachan. Janine explains what sustainable home design is and why it’s important. She also describes the main elements of sustainable home design and how they impact the sustainability of a home.

If you’re in the process of designing or building a home and would like it to be as sustainable and efficient as possible, this episode is a must listen!

 

Resources:

Green Design Solutions

Sustainable Design Expert Webinar Series

Sustainability in the Suburbs by Laura Trotta – the book! Pre-order now!

May 31, 2022
Tiny Houses are a low impact solution to both the housing crisis and high environmental impact of housing. According to the Australian Tiny House Association, Tiny Houses are moveable dwellings up to 50m2 that are suitable for residential use and can be largely grouped into three categories: on wheels, on skids or shipping containers.

In this episode, Janine Strachan, Founder of Tiny House Solutions, President of the Australian Tiny House Association (ATHA) and host of ‘Tips from the Tiny House Guru’ podcast shares what’s driving the growth in the Tiny House Movement, advantages and disadvantages of living in a tiny house, costs and legalities associated with building a tiny house and her best advice for those looking to build and live in a Tiny House.

Apr 30, 2022

Lola is a Year 9 student from Exeter in the Southern Highlands region of NSW. She marched as a Year 6 student in the large student climate strikes in 2019 and subsequently joined the School Strike 4 Climate movement. She now leads the School Strike 4 Climate group in her regional town and is actively meeting with her local candidates for the upcoming Federal election to ensure the voice of youth is heard loud and clear.

In this episode my son Matthew will interview Lola, uncovering the information he needs to include in his school assignment on someone who is using their voice for good, but also educating himself more in how students, not too much older than him, are making a really big impact in climate change awareness.

Lola will share what the School Strike 4 Climate movement is and why she decided to join, when and how it was founded, and the impact the movement is having.

Resources:

SchoolStrike4Climate.com

Apr 13, 2022

We all need a bank to help us manage our money. But what if “who” we banked with made a difference?

What if your everyday banking was yet another avenue to create a better future for humanity?

What if your everyday banking could create a better global environment in the future?

What if your bank poured its profits into social and environmental initiatives in the community it operated, rather than paying returns to shareholders?

WHO you bank with CAN make a difference. A big one!

In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by Sustainability Manager of Beyond Bank, Kate Carroll.

Beyond Bank Australia is a local customer-owned and B Corporation bank. Kate works across the business to help create positive impact for people and planet whilst also delivering value for the organisation.

Kate will share why she believes people should care about who they bank with, what it means for a bank to be customer-owned and a B Corporation, and what you should look out for when making the switch to a more ethical bank.

Resources:

B Corporation

Beyond Bank

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Disclaimer: Laura Trotta is not a financial planner. Any investment advice given by Laura Trotta (or by any other person through this Website) is based on that person’s opinion and their general experience, but not your specific case. A such, you should always seek independent financial advice for your particular circumstances before acting on information that is published or recommended on this Website.

Mar 15, 2022
Superannuation is incredibly important to ensure you’re comfortable financially in retirement. But what if superannuation had another purpose?

What if superannuation was an avenue for you to create a better future for humanity?

What if superannuation was an avenue for you to create a better global environment in the future?

What if could easily divest your superannuation investments away from fossil fuels, guns or gambling and instead invest in renewables, micro-finance for women-run businesses and social housing?

Well you can!

In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by co-founder and CEO of Verve Super, Christina Hobbs.

Christina is an experienced Board Director in the superannuation industry and a former Deloitte Management Consultant. Prior to founding Verve, Christina worked for over a decade as a humanitarian and financial inclusion expert for the United Nations. She is a former Board Director of the Global Women's Project and a published author on gender equality.

Christina will explain what ESG superannuation funds are, how you can make the switch to an ethical fund and why she co-founded Verve Super, Australia's first ethical superannuation fund tailored for women.

Disclaimer: Laura Trotta is not a financial planner. Any investment advice given by Laura Trotta (or by any other person through this Website) is based on that person’s opinion and their general experience, but not your specific case. A such, you should always seek independent financial advice for your particular circumstances before acting on information that is published or recommended on this Website.

Resources:

Verve Super

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Feb 15, 2022
Whether it’s eating organically grown food, avoiding fast fashion or divesting your financial investments from fossil fuels, tobacco or companies with a track record of modern slavery, conscious consumers and investors have long voted with their money and changed the world in the process.

Investing your money can be complex at the best of times. Investing your money ethically can be even more complicated, with social washing* and greenwashing* rife.

In this Eco Chat episode I’m joined by Christopher Zinn. Christopher is a personal finance expert and consumer campaigner at Life Sherpa. He is passionate about ethical investing and believes that empowering consumers with reliable and understandable advice and information they can implement now makes life’s goals more achievable.

Christopher will share the difference between ethical and conventional investing, how to get started with ethical investing and what to look for in an ESG superannuation fund.

*Social washing = a company making misleading claims about the social responsibility of its products or services to position itself in a better light for economic gains and public image.

*Greenwashing = a company making misleading claims about the sustainability credentials of its products or services to position itself in a better light for economic gains and public image.

 

Resources:

Follow Christopher Zinn on LinkedIn

Life Sherpa

Dec 15, 2021

The most wonderful time of the year is also the most wasteful, but that needn’t be the case! In this episode I share five ways you can reduce your food waste this Christmas so the season is lighter on your wallet, waistline and our precious planet.

Resources: Seasons Greenings e-guide

Nov 21, 2021

If you’ve been feeling down about the state of the global environment, particularly after COP26 in Glasgow, this episode is for you. I’m sharing a presentation I delivered to around 200 doctors last month at the Doctors for the Environment iDEA 2021 conference. I was invited by Dr Kate Wylie to share a message of innovation and progress so conference attendees could leave the conference with a feeling of hope. I hope the presentation has a similar impact on you too.

Nov 2, 2021

There’s plenty of factors to consider when investing in a home. Proximity to schools, shops, health services, family and public transport are some of the key considerations. Smart investors of today are factoring in another consideration – climate change risk – and for good reason.

Climate change risk is impacting the valuation and insurance cost of Australian residential properties and is expected to become more important as time marches on, and the impacts of climate change become more visible.  For this reason it make sense to obtain a climate risk report at the same time as you conduct your building and pest inspections.

In this episode, Karl Mallon from Climate Valuation shares how you can assess the climate risk to your home and steps you can take to ensure that your investment is physically and financially sound.

Resources:

Climate Valuation

Climate Valuation on LinkedIn

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Sep 3, 2021

If you’re looking to reduce your household carbon emissions, you really can’t go past installing a home solar photovoltaic system with battery storage. But with so many dealers and installers out there, and with such a high investment cost, where do you even start?

In Part 1 of this Home Energy feature, Bernie Kelly from bidmysolar shared how home solar photovoltaic systems work, their cost and their advantages and disadvantages.

In Part 2, Bernie kindly shares how home battery storage systems work, their cost, how long they last and traps you should be aware of before you make the investment.

 

Resources:

bidmysolar – Australia’s Solar Search Engine

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Aug 24, 2021

If you’re looking to reduce your household carbon emissions, you really can’t go past installing a home solar photovoltaic system with battery storage. But with so many dealers and installers out there, and with such a high investment cost, where do you even start?

In Part 1 of this Home Energy feature Bernie Kelly from bidmysolar shares how home solar photovoltaic systems work, their cost and their advantages and disadvantages.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where Bernie will share how home battery storage systems work, their cost, how long they last, and traps you should be aware of before you make the investment.

 

Resources:

bidmysolar – Australia’s Solar Search Engine

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Jul 9, 2021

Money does indeed make the world go round and the type of businesses that we invest in today creates the world of tomorrow. Notwithstanding, the corporate world has a huge role to play in shaping the kind of world we live in.

The traditional mindset of corporates to maximise returns for shareholders is redundant and these days, only companies that are sustainable in the true sense of the word will survive. Think sound environmental practices, a strong human rights record and an inclusive and diverse workforce where every employee can bring their best selves to work.

In this episode I’m chatting all things corporate sustainability with Dr Kaushik Sridhar.

Kaushik shares how he went from being a professional tennis player to a corporate leader in sustainability, what the current state of play of sustainability is in the corporate world and tips and strategies for corporates to become more sustainable.

Resources:

Connect with Dr Kaushik Sridhar on LinkedIn

Follow Kaushik’s blog

Learn to live sustainably with Laura in Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Jun 22, 2021

Oliver is an award-winning author, is studying Communications’ Journalism at University of Technology, Sydney and lives in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australia, an area ravaged by the horrendous 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires.

Shocked and traumatised by the destruction he witnessed during the fires, and deeply concerned about the impact on wildlife, Oliver threw himself into writing an adventure novel to raise funds for environmental projects.

The result is FireWorks and the Fireworks Fund.

FireWorks is an adventure story about a koala named Iluka who explains how he and his friends survived the 2019-20 bushfires. All proceeds from the sale of FireWorks go to the Fireworks Fund to support environmental charities.

In this episode Oliver shares why he created FireWorks, what it’s like being a young adult in 2021 (spoiler alert – it doesn’t sound like much fun being overeducated and socially distanced!) and what advice he has for other young adults who are wanting to do something bigger to help the environment.

May 27, 2021

Dr Marji is a coral reef scientist who aims to teach kids around the world about the climate crisis through interactive play and art. Marji meets kids at their level with play dough and LEGO and isn’t afraid to dress up as a coral polyp or penguin to help get the important message of the climate crisis across to young inquisitive minds.

Dr Marji also runs an international drawing contest for kids at kidscareaboutclimate.org that brings kids around the world together to make their voices heard on this vital issue.

In this episode Dr Marji will share why she’s focussing on educating kids about the climate crisis rather than adults, how she ensures she doesn’t fuel any anxieties the children may already have about the state of our global environment, and how you can get the children in your life involved by drawing a picture of a tree and in turn have a real tree planted on their behalf.

Resources:

kidscareaboutclimate.org

Kids Care About Climate Facebook

Kids Care About Climate Instagram

Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs

Apr 27, 2021

Climate change has traditionally been viewed as an economic and environmental issue but it is fundamentally a human health issue. In this episode of Eco Chat I’m joined by Dr Kate Wylie from Climate Medicine to discuss the growing health risk to the human population from a warming climate.

 

Dr Kate Wylie is a GP, a mother and climate activist based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is also the founder of Climate Medicine, a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia and is a Climate Reality Leader. Dr Wylie educates the community and health professionals on the health impacts of climate change.

In this episode Dr Kate will share how the impact of climate change is already presenting in patients in her clinic, what key impacts to human health doctors are anticipating will become more common as our climate continues to change, and what led her to create Climate Medicine.

Resources:

www.climatemedicine.net

Mar 23, 2021

If you’re looking for educational sustainability books for the children in your life, you’re in the right place. I’m joined on Eco Chat by Patricia Newman, author of several educational books on environmental and social justice issues including Eavesdropping on Elephants; Sea Otter Heroes; Neema's Reason to Smile; Zoo Scientists to the Rescue; and Plastic, Ahoy!

Translating complicated scientific research into something the average fourth grader can understand is one of Patricia’s gifts. Every Newman title includes hours of research, location travel, and authentic voices sharing the latest scientific discoveries.

Patricia released her latest book, Planet Ocean with photographer Annie Crawley in early March 2021 to much acclaim. Planet Ocean is currently #1 on Amazon in Children’s Australia!

In this episode Patricia will share what led her to write Planet Ocean, how we need to stop thinking of ourselves as existing separate from the ocean and how to start taking better care of this precious resource.

Resources:

Patricia Newman website

Patricia Newman Facebook

5-day Plastic Free Challenge

Mar 14, 2021

If you’re looking for an internet search engine that gives back, look no further than Ecosia. Ecosia is quite literally, the search engine that plants trees. Ecosia donates 80% of its profits to non-profit organisations that focus on reforestation, considers itself a social business, is CO2-negative and supports full financial transparency and protect the privacy of its users. 

In this episode Hannah Wickes will share how Ecosia came about, how it works and how you can easily make the switch to ensure your web surfing is creating change for good.

Visit www.ecosia.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

And if you are growing an eco business check out the Eco Business Collective where I combine my extensive environmental engineering and business experience to support you. 

Feb 4, 2021

If you’re looking for commercial cleaning products that are toxin free, plastic free and are made in Australia by a social enterprise, look no further than Resparkle. Pearl Chan is on a mission to create a plastic free future for our families and she’s helping people get started in their homes. In this episode Pearl will share her journey from being a corporate banker to founding and growing an eco business that’s become a leader in toxin and plastic free home cleaning products.

Resources:

Resparkle Website

Resparkle Instagram

Resparkle Facebook

Brunswick Industries

Laura’s Home Detox Cheat Sheet

Laura’s 5-day Green Cleaning Challenge

Eco Business Collective

Jan 12, 2021

While 2020 saw Covid-19 ravage human populations and communities around the world, there were many positives throughout the year for our local, regional and global environments.

This New Year, as many of us continue to struggle to process the year that was 2020, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight five positive environmental news stories. It’s my intention that they give you some hope for 2021 and beyond.

Resources:

Eco Business Collective

 

Dec 29, 2020

If your business, company or organisation wishes to become carbon neutral to reduce their environmental impact and demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Polly Hemming from Climate Active to discuss steps business or organisations need to take to become certified carbon neutral and the associated costs and auditing requirements.

This episode follows on from episode 155: How to Offest Your Carbon Emissions with Louise Tarrier from Carbon Positive Australia which also discussed carbon neutrality, but for individuals and organisations not seeking certification. In contrast, this episode is for businesses seeking carbon neutral certification.

Resources:

Climate Active Australia

Eco Business Collective

Dec 16, 2020

This past month I presented at the online Ecopreneur Summit, sharing tips and strategies for how to how to make your business more sustainable. It’s this presentation on How to Grow a Green Business that I share with you in this podcast episode.

I also share details of my new Eco Business Collective, a major focus for me for 2021 and beyond. Eco Business Collective will become the premier online membership community for ecopreneurs and eco business builders. Members receive personalized coaching support and a network of connections to help them grow a thriving and profitable eco business online.

If you’re growing an eco business and would like the support of an experienced environmental engineer and eco business coach (that’s me!) plus the support of a growing community of eco business builders, click HERE for more information on the Eco Business Collective.

For a limited time you can take advantage of a FREE 30-day trial and lock in foundation member rates for the duration of your membership!

Click HERE to join the Eco Business Collective

Nov 28, 2020

This year I was invited to join the judging panel for the Australian Non Toxic Awards, a role that involved testing and critiquing a large range of zero waste products for the home. The full list of winners can be found on the Australia Non-Toxic Awards website, but I wanted to take the opportunity to showcase a few of my favourite zero waste products. I encourage you to support these eco businesses so you can reduce your environmental impact and in turn, help them make a bigger impact.

For strategies and support to ditch single-use plastics, join my FREE 5-day Plastic Free Challenge. In just five minutes a day for five days you’ll learn how to break up with single-use plastics in and around your home and while out and about.

Nov 11, 2020

If you’re keen to reduce your toxin load AND you love cooking, this episode is for you. And if you use non-stick pans and your lining is damaged or you’ve accidentally overheated your pan and created fumes, this episode is especially for you. I’m discussing toxins you need to be aware of in traditional non-stick cookware and share some safer alternatives for you.

Click HERE to download my Home Detox Cheat Sheet

Click HERE to join my Home Detox Bootcamp

Oct 28, 2020

If you’ve changed some of your habits and have embraced a sustainable lifestyle, but you want to go one step further by offsetting your carbon emissions this podcast episode is for you.

I’m joined by Louise Tarrier, CEO of Carbon Positive Australia. Louise will share how individuals and organisations can easily offset their carbon emissions to become carbon neutral and create a better future for us all.

Follow Carbon Positive Australia on:

Instagram

Facebook 

LinkedIn

 

Sep 29, 2020

Electric vehicles are slowing making their way into the marketplace across Australia and overseas with companies such as Nissan and Telsa offering affordable entry level electric family car options. 

In this episode we are joined by Dan Deleur, Vice Chair of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association South Australian branch to discuss the pros and cons of electric vehicles. 

Dan's interest in EVs originated in Auto Racing 10 years ago and is augmented by his desire to reduce his environmental impact. His most recent endeavour is Designing and Building an Independently Constructed Vehicle (ICV) which is predominantly constructed utilising second-hand parts from several manufactures. The most relevant of which is the Electric Motor and Drive train sourced from a 2013 Tesla Model S.

Progress on the EV Project nicknamed ‘Short Black’ and the associated Distractions and Creations that life with so many hobbies provides, can now be seen on Dan’s YouTube Channel

Australian Electric Vehicle Association

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