Synopsis
Brand new environment and sustainability podcast explaining the science behind whats going on in the world, and exploring the things that we can do to make a little bit of a big difference. Hosted by Emma Brisdion and Lloyd Hopkins.
Episodes
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Poisonous pets: keeping our best friends and the environment healthy
03/09/2025 Duration: 44minPet treatments and pesticides have been in the news this year for their polluting power. Join us to learn more about the ways that we interact with our beloved dogs and cats, which can lead to toxins reaching the wider environment. Can we be better pet owners and creature custodians? The answer is yes, and we'll find out how... Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us keep podding with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Minisode: Updates, bonus bits & events
01/09/2025 Duration: 11minWe've got a few exciting things coming up, so we've packaged some of them up into a teeny weeny episode of extra bits. Join us at British Science Festival for a Live Podcast Episode and a To Have or To Hold book Interview with Sophie. To access upcoming VIDEO episodes, clips, and exclusive content, you can support us through Ko-fi and help keep the show running! Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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[Listener Questions] Beekeeping, nature on the curriculum, and menstrual cups
27/08/2025 Duration: 31minIs beekeeping bad for the environment? They say menstrual cups last for just 10 years; is silicone bad for us or the planet? Do we need an emotionally engaged relationship with nature as an essential part of the early learning curriculum? All this and more in this week's episode! To have your eco-queries answered, send us your listener questions for our next episode! Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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On The Farm [Part 2] Dung beetles and organic dairy cows with Will Mayor, Yeo Valley
22/08/2025 Duration: 37minEver tried to podcast while surrounded by curious cows? It's as fun and chaotic as it sounds. Today we're still touring the organic farm, so make sure you've listened to part 1 first! Join us in the fields with Yeo Valley Organic's Farms Development Manager, Will Mayor, searching for dung beetles in the fresh cowpats and getting up close with the organic dairy cattle. Thanks to our friends at Yeo Valley Organic for supporting this series and to Will for a brilliant farm experience. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024). This episode was recorded on location by Mark Skinner.
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On The Farm [Part 1] Sniffing soil and going organic, with Will Mayor, YEO Valley
20/08/2025 Duration: 32minGoing organic is essential for combating the climate and nature crisis. But what does that look like for British farmers producing our food? Farm Development Manager and all-around soil guru, Will Mayor, took us out into the fields for a Yeo Valley Organic farm tour. Join us up to our knees in grasses to smell happy soil in the herbal lays, search for quinoa-shaped signals of healthy plant roots, and understand more about the impacts of the climate crisis on our farmers. And there's more... Join us on Friday for part 2, where we meet some very happy cows. Thanks to our friends at Yeo Valley Organic for supporting this series and to Will for a brilliant farm experience. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is
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[Listener Questions] Sustainable home improvements, and beauty Vs function in ecological spaces
13/08/2025 Duration: 41minWhen embarking on a kitchen extension (how exciting!), how can you make the process and build more sustainable? When looking at ecological landscapes, what’s more important, the way that something looks, or the way it works? And what career choices led us to start podcasting? To have your eco-queries answered, send us your listener questions for our next episode! Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Whales: Why conserving them IS climate action
06/08/2025 Duration: 57minMore whales have been spotted off the coast in the UK this year, including humpbacks off the coast of Cornwall. Exciting? Sure! But changes like this lead us to question what's bringing or driving these incredible marine mammals to waters they’re not usually found in. The whales & climate change conversation is not just one of distress, it's also one of hope; join us to find out how whales, though a climate victim, can actually offer powerful climate solutions. Orca whales using tools: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/23/killer-whales-kelp-grooming-tool-use Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Get access to BONUS content through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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[Listener Questions] Green gardening with Sarah Mead, Head Gardener at Yeo Valley Organic
30/07/2025 Duration: 42minSometimes, you've just got to take your eco-friendly growing questions to an expert. This episode was recorded in a stunning glasshouse at Yeo Valley Organic with the brilliant Head Gardener Sarah Mead (see it on Instagram). Think: keeping ants out of your compost bin without chemicals, sowing spectacular wildflower lawns, and empowering soil to love your seedlings. Oh, and water butts for all! Tickets for Yeo Valley's Organic Garden Festival: https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/events/yeo-valley-organic-garden-festival-2025 Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Invasive species: The good, the bad and the innocent(?)
23/07/2025 Duration: 45minInvasive non-native species have been called the silent threat to our ecosystems. They are a key driver of global biodiversity loss. We’re understanding what an INNS actually is, learning about issues these plants and animals can bring with them when they arrive and get comfortable in a new ecosystem, and we’re asking, can we actually blame invasive species for their damage? Or is there another direction to point the finger at? Hmm. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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[Listener Questions] Environmental benefits of space travel, guerilla rewilding, and hydroelectric dams
16/07/2025 Duration: 36minIn the first listener questions episode of series five, we do our best to answer, 'Are hydroelectric dams good or bad?' and, 'Can I move some plants around when I go for a walk and help rewild my town?' Plus, we even had help from the wonderful Jake Foster from the Royal Observatory Greenwich to find out, 'Is there any environmental benefit to space travel?' LIVE Show Get your free ticket to see us record an episode at the British Science Festival in Liverpool on Friday 11th September: https://britishscienceassociation-tickets.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173666323 Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Farming: Can farming feed us AND save species from extinction?
09/07/2025 Duration: 56minTo start the series, we're taking a closer look at nature-friendly farming. Can changing farming practices and land management methods offer a helping hand for biodiversity, as well as support farmers in producing nutrient-dense, good local food? We explore some of the brilliant, innovative and old-school ways that wildlife, soil and water are being looked after on farms, to ensure a healthier future for nature and us. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Season 5 Trailer
02/07/2025 Duration: 54sDo you need more hopeful climate conversations in your week? Well, you’re in luck, because we’re back with a brand new series of For What It’s Earth!
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To Have or To Hold: Between the pages of Sophie Pavelle's new book, plus an audiobook extract!
07/05/2025 Duration: 44minSophie's only gone and written another brilliant book (and no, she's not writing this episode description). In To Have or To Hold, she unearths and marvells at some of nature's strangest symbioses and oddest relationships. In this bonus episode of For What It's Earth, Sophie and Emma sit down to chat about the book, dig into the story of a truly mysterious freshwater parasite, and share with you why Emma asked (politely) for a specific word to be removed from an early draft. PLUS, enjoy a sneak peak at the audiobook! Thank you to Bloomsbury for allowing us to share an extract of the book, for your listening delight. Order your hardback copy of To Have or To Hold or join Sophie on tour! Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For
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Bonus: Wild Cities with Chris Fitch
23/04/2025 Duration: 39minHow green is your city? And what can we learn from the international urban metropolises that are bringing inviting nature back? Last week, Wild Cities was published, and Emma was invited to join author Chris Fitch at Stanfords bookstore in Bristol to chat about the book. We chatted about fast-tracking ancient forests, gardens in skyscrapers, beavers, birdwatching and, of course, asked, 'What one good thing have you done for the planet this week?' Send us a voice note listener question (via Instagram @forwhatitsearthpodcast or email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com) for your chance to win a Wild Cities seed bomb packet! Thank you to Chris, Stanfords, and Harper Collins for putting the event on and for letting us record the evening for a bonus episode of the podcast. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an
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[Listener Questions] Solar roads in the UK, water use in airports and cleaning up the North Sea oil tanker crash
02/04/2025 Duration: 41minWe've got three absolutely corking listener questions on the show this week, including one from the wonderful Gillian Burke! We're answering: A South Korean motorway has a solar panel-covered bike lane in its central reservation - can we do this in the UK? How much water and waste accumulates at airport security, and can we reduce it? What's the env. impact of the north sea oil tanker crash, and how do we clean jet fuel/nurdles out of the ocean? Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi. Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Moss: the quiet (but very cool) climate ally
26/03/2025 Duration: 51minWe’re plunging our hands into the soft green bits you find in woodlands, and shining a spotlight on moss. Can the many life-giving, pollution-gobbling, and carbon-storing species of moss on earth be the quiet antidote to climate change? Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi. Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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[Listener Questions] Boycotts, sustainable tea and coffee, and Wild deodorant
19/03/2025 Duration: 29minThis week we're answering your questions! First, we explore whether environmental boycotts actually work, and ask whether we should all stop buying Wild deodorant since the news that Unliver are purchasing the brand. Finally, we settle down with a steaming mug to find out whether our teas and coffees can be more sustainable. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi. Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Scrubbing up: What's the MAKE UP of make up, SPF, and personal care items?
12/03/2025 Duration: 52minThis week we’re talking about make-up - or more specifically - the make-up of it, alongside other personal care products, and what that means for our environment. Shampoo, eye cream, and SPF, we're coming for ya. Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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[Listener Questions] Book sustainability, wildflower lawns, and rats
05/03/2025 Duration: 38minAre wildflower lawns the best thing to do with your garden? Do rats deserve their bad rep? Can books be more sustainable, and am I still allowed to buy new ones sometimes? This week we're answering your big green listener questions, and we're introducing two new members of the For What It's Earth team! Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).
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Wildfires: How ready are we for extreme climate events?
26/02/2025 Duration: 56minThings are hotting up. As global temperatures increase, so too does extreme fire risk. Parts of LA are still burning, and this week we’re exploring all things wildfire in a changing climate. As we watch fires erupt on our TV screens, we ask: In the UK, are we really as sheltered from wildfires as we might think? More info: State of Wildfires Report: https://tyndall.ac.uk/news/state-of-wildfires-report-2023-2024/ Beavers and fires Fairfax stop-motion animation: https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/research/firebeavers/ Met Office’s Fire Severity Index https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/#?tab=map Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet. Support the show: Organic cotton FWIE tees & merch Help us cover our running costs with a one-off donation or sign up for monthly support through Ko-fi. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It’s Earth i