We spoke to green guru Georgina Wilson-Powell about eco trends, innovative brands, and her new book – which sets out to solve all your everyday eco dilemmas.
What is pebble magazine?
pebble is your trusted guide to stylish sustainable living. The magazine has been running for 4 years and we cover everything from zero waste shops to eco-travel, food systems and farming to fashion, and must-have skincare that doesn’t harm the planet. We also run large annual in-person and virtual festivals.
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What eco trends are you seeing right now?
Right now eco friendly cleaning is massive and it’s great to see so many new brands coming through in this space with new solutions; from biodegradable sponges, to refillable direct-to-home cleaners.
Also we’re seeing a huge rise in the ways you can carbon offset your emissions through tree planting and other methods. However, we are also seeing a lot of greenwashing in terms of what’s being planted and the impact it has long term, which is frustrating!
What’s your favourite eco innovation we may not have heard of?
I’m a massive fan of Mud Jeans who make all recycled organic cotton jeans which you can lease, so you pay monthly and after one year you get to choose a new pair and return the ones you’ve been wearing so they can be made into something else. I think it’s a great example of imaginative circular fashion which helps bring the cost of sustainable clothes down.
I’m also a big fan of seaweed and algae’s potential. Inland Sea have just closed a successful Kickstarter to make T-shirts from fibres from a seaweed farm on the British south coast.
Is demand for sustainable alternatives increasing?
Yes, especially if you take in the massive rises in vegan and plant based food, drink and skincare options. We still need to be aware of the impact of things that we buy – ‘sustainable’ is definitely being used to sell products that when you dive into the details, aren’t as eco as they’re making out. Sustainable alternatives – from period products to cars, are becoming more mainstream but they’re still not accessible for a huge number of people.
How do you think the pandemic has affected consumer choices?
Sadly I think it’s polarised us even further. A percentage of people have less money, job security and financial freedom, so trying to make sure purchases are sustainable isn’t within reach. There’s also a huge number of people who have more disposable income, have had the time to think about what they’re buying (and don’t’ need to buy) and can spend more time and energy cooking, baking, sewing and so on. I hope that for those of us who can make different choices, we embrace that change and don’t go back to being driven by convenience and price. I think the summer of 2021 post lockdown will be a bit of a free for all though!
Tell us about your new book!
Is It Really Green? is a super handy new guide to over 140 everyday eco dilemmas, such as whether a shower is really greener than a bath, or what really happens to your recycling – that everyone faces at home. I’ve tried to find quick wins and topline info for everyone to make small changes that add up to big differences, and explained why it matters across every room in the house, plus work and travel. I rewrote a lot of it in 2020 before it came out so it’s as ‘new-normal’ as we can get. Plus the publisher went to great lengths to make this the most sustainable paperback book that’s possible. It’s also been helping people in lockdown solve household debates, which I love.