Three Canadian Podcasts to Up Your Sustainability Knowledge
By Lauren McMullen
A foundational pillar of sustainability is all about making genuine connections with your community and the rest of the world. If you’re passionate about sustainability and learning new things, podcasts are a great way to get up-to-date information while also interacting with others who share your interests. In fact, just knowing that other people in your community are committed to building sustainable lives is a great way to stay motivated during your sustainability journey. Here are three sustainability-focused podcasts produced right here in Canada.
The Common Ground | Edmonton, AB
If you didn’t know that MacEwan University has its own podcast, you do now! This podcast was produced by the Office of Human Rights, Diversity, and Equity (OHRDE) at MacEwan with hosts Irfan Chaudhry, the Director of OHRDE, and Iman Bukhari, the founder of the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation.
The Common Ground explores a lesser-known facet of sustainability—social sustainability. In a short, 5-episode run, this podcast gives listeners a thorough rundown of the origin, effects, and state of hate in Alberta, and a glimpse into what we can do to combat toxic culture in the province.
Each episode is about 30 minutes long, making it the perfect length to tune in to during your morning commute. Although the hosts cover heavy topics, they maintain a hopeful and cautiously optimistic tone about Alberta’s future. Trust us…you don’t want to miss this.
Listen to The Common Ground on Spotify.
Becoming Less | Edmonton, AB
Have you ever seen those pictures of trash mountains piled up on beaches? Or the floating islands of litter accumulating in the oceans? Yeah, it’s pretty bleak. The Becoming Less podcast explores ways to live a life with “less waste, less impact, less consumption, and less clutter.”
Host Bizz McKilligan from Waste Free Edmonton is joined by various guests and co-hosts to discuss many different topics including sustainable grocery shopping, sustainable book habits, eco-grief, minimalism, toilet paper, and more. Since Becoming Less has been in production since 2019, there are plenty of episodes for you to explore. Each episode in this show is an average of 40 minutes.
Listen to Becoming Less on Spotify.
Listen to Becoming Less on Apple Podcasts.
Sustainable Fashion by Gaia & Dubos | Quebec, QC
Did you know that the amount of water it takes to make one pair of jeans is almost equivalent to how much water a single person will drink in a year? Fast fashion is a serious threat to our path toward a sustainable future. That’s why many people are trying to bring awareness to a quality-over-quantity mentality when it comes to our wardrobes.
One such person is Leonie, host of Sustainable Fashion by Gaia & Dubos and founder of the sustainable fashion brand Gaia et Dubos. Her podcast “is all about sustainable fashion, with a twist of compassionate mindfulness” (quote source). Not only does Leonie provide insight into the problem with fast fashion, but she also gives listeners practical advice on how to improve their fashion habits. Sustainable Fashion by Gaia & Dubos explores topics such as recycled plastic fabrics, the finality of second-hand clothing, how to escape the trap of fast fashion, and more in digestible 5–15 minute episodes.
