Greenscore - A Sustainability Podcast

The Internet is everywhere - on our phones, our laptops, our cars, and even our refrigerators! But have you ever stopped to think about how the Internet actually works and what environmental impact it has?
Well now is your chance - join co-hosts Jake and Taylor as they discuss the physical infrastructure behind the Internet and how its enormous energy use results in 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. We'll also cover some simple switches you can make to your web surfing to lower your carbon footprint.
Further reading:
- Internet statistics ,from Our World in Data
- How data centers work, from HowStuffWorks
- Environmental impacts of the Internet, from the BBC and Sphera
- Water use of the Internet, from the Washington Post and Nature
- Eco-conscious search engines, from Sustainable Jungle

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Beef accounts for 20% of all meat production and makes up an important part of many people's diets. Yet this dinner staple also causes 26% of global methane emissions and 80% of all deforestation.
In this episode, we explore the environmental impact of the humble hamburger (or beef burger) and highlight some of the innovative meat-free alternatives that can make our diets more eco-friendly without compromising on flavor.
Further reading:
https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/the-environmental-impact-of-veggie-patties-vs-meat-burgers/https://www.mashed.com/192631/what-youre-really-eating-when-you-eat-a-beyond-burger/
https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impact-of-meat-vs-plant-based-meat/

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Exercising more is often towards the top of our to-do lists, and running shoes are an essential piece of equipment for most forms of fitness. But with 90% of all shoes ending up in landfills or incinerators, how can we reduce the environmental toll of our exercise habits?
Find out in this episode, where we'll discuss how running shoes are made and disposed, what "greener" options are out there, and how we can protect the planet while staying fit.
To learn more:
https://www.sneakerfactory.net/2016/07/running-shoe-made/
https://runrepeat.com/eco-sneakers-research
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/mar/21/some-soles-last-1000-years-in-landfill-the-truth-about-the-sneaker-mountain

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The holiday season has become synonymous with wrapping paper: all of those beautiful, glittery and bow-laden packages being passed from giver to giftee. But with 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used each year in the UK alone, what is the environmental impact of this particular holiday tradition?
Find out in our special Christmas episode, where we discuss how wrapping paper is made and disposed of, and suggest some festive "greener" alternatives.
References: https://oecd-environment-focus.blog/2019/12/24/what-is-the-environmental-footprint-of-christmas/, https://www.allthingssupplychain.com/the-wrapping-paper-waste-problem-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/, https://www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with/wrapping-paper-1

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Look down: chances are fairly high that you're wearing a pair of jeans! With 2 billion pairs of jeans manufactured each year, denim is a stylish and comfortable staple of many people's closets. Yet jeans also have a dark side: their production uses enormous quantities of water and synthetic dyes, and raises both environmental and human rights concerns.
Learn more about the impacts of your favorite pair of jeans in this episode with Laura Vicaria from MUD Jeans, the world's first circular denim brand. We'll discuss how jeans are made, their environmental repercussions, and the steps that we can take to ensure our next denim purchase is more sustainable.
Check out MUD Jeans here: https://mudjeans.eu/
Other references: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle, https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/jeans-environmental-impact, https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-jeans-redesign

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