Coffee

In this episode, Kyla and Kristen talk about everyone’s favourite work drug: coffee. Topics: how coffee is made; coffee history; the coffee industry; working conditions on coffee farms; what is a fair price for coffee; the environment and coffee growing, brewing, packaging, and accompaniments; what you can do.

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Cultured Meat

Would you buy lab-grown meat if you could? Cell-cultured meat is now being sold in Singapore, and it is coming soon everywhere else. In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by climate activist Robert Miller to discuss the promise and dilemmas of cell-cultured meat. Topics: how cultured meat works; the race to bring lab grown meat to market; justifications (animal welfare, climate change, hunger, antibiotic resistance); is cultured meat a good solution and can people get over the “weird” factor.

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Holiday Episode: Ethical Past, Present, and Future

“The Ghost of Christmas Present’s call to action is… yikes.”
In this special Christmas Carol-themed holiday episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Robert Miller to discuss ethical consumption’s past, present, and future. Kristen shares the story of Florence Kelley and the anti-sweatshop White Label Campaign; Kyla canvasses 2020 for good news (yikes); and Robert imagines alternative futures.

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Ethical Money

What do banks do with your money and how can you make it more ethical? In this episode, Kyla and Kristen talk about ethical money. Topics: ethical problems in banking and finance; environment, social, and governance campaigns targeted at banks; what is ethical finance; tips for approaching banking and finance ethically.

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COVID-19, Wildfires, and the Climate Crisis

“Does that include the people who think both of them are a hoax?” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by climate activist Robert Miller. Following another Global Climate Strike, they reflect on the California wildfires and climate activism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics: West Coast wildfires; the climate movement in 2020; impact of the pandemic on climate activism; racial justice and climate activism; will governments choose a green recovery?

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Ethical Tea

In this episode Kyla and Kristen spill the tea on tea production. Kristen tries to make chai and vows to leave future attempts to the experts. Kyla disses George Orwell’s formula for the perfect cup of tea. Topics: what is tea; how tea is produced; the tea supply chain; tea and the environment; tea and human rights; what to do about it.

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Palm Oil Part One

In this episode, Kyla and Kristen talk about palm oil and the environment. Kyla flummoxes two McDonald’s employees. Kristen can’t pronounce the palm derivatives in her makeup. Topics: what is palm oil; why is palm oil in everything; palm oil and deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.

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Wine

In this episode, Kyla and Kristen uncork the topic of ethics and wine. Topics: South African wine and Apartheid legacies; Fairtrade wine; migrant labour and wineries; pesticide use on vineyards; organic wine; biodynamic wine; salmon-safe vineyards; climate change and wine; boxed versus bottled; and animal welfare and wine.

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Seafood Part Two

In part two of this two-part seafood series, Kyla and Kristen explore questions about animal welfare and human rights in fishing and fish farming. Kristen talks about her seafood-alternative kitchen disaster. Kyla considers getting a monkfish as a pet. Topics: animal welfare and wild-caught versus farmed fish; human trafficking and the fishing industry; seafood sustainability labels; what to think about when choosing ethical seafood.

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Seafood Part One

In part one of this two-part seafood series, Kristen explains how fishing works and the problems behind the overfishing crisis. Kyla discovers what a monkfish looks like. Topics: overfishing; illegal, irregular, and unreported fishing; seafood fraud; different fishing methods; and the environmental impacts of fishing and aquaculture.

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Personal Behaviour Changes and the Climate Crisis

“Certainly that feeling of apocalypse is amplified when you wake up and it’s like 9:00am in the summer, the sun should be high in the sky, and you’re like, ‘It’s dark out.’” In this episode, Kristen and Kyla are joined by Robert Miller, a progressive activist and Extinction Rebellion organizer in the heart of oil country. The discussion is all about personal behaviour changes and where they fit in the global climate movement. Topics: the Wetsuweten solidarity blockades; protest and our relationship with public spaces; Robert’s climate crisis awakening; belief and the climate crisis; climate anxiety; the most important personal behaviour change for the climate; community-building as democracy; first steps to joining the climate movement.

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Zero Waste

“I mean I just smell like vinegar. I don’t know if that’s better.” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen fail at the ultimate sustainability challenge: going zero waste. Kyla and Kristen are not ready for handkerchiefs or reusable toilet paper. Topics: what is zero waste; the disposable society; single-use plastics and our oceans; the zero waste movement; zero waste principles (reduce, reuse, recycle, compost); how to go zero waste(ish); waste-free shops; Kristen and Kyla try DIY zero waste recipes while #socialdistancing.

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Veganuary

Veganuary — it’s what’s for dinner! (And breakfast, and lunch…) In this episode, Kristen and Kyla talk about veganism. This episode looks at the history of veganism and vegan activism, as well as vegan eating. Topics: Veganuary at the Golden Globes; veganism is getting more woke (but it hasn’t always been); there’s secret meat in everything; meat substitutes; and cultured meat. Kyla and Kristen also discuss their Veganuary successes and failures.

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Vegetarianism Part 2

“Convert it into a wetland! — that should be the new ‘burn it down’.” In the second part of our two-parter on vegetarianism, Kyla and Kristen look at the environmental impact of animal- versus plant-based protein. They also discuss their challenges. Topics: the new Canada food guide; environmental gains from eating less meat (emissions, land use, water use, air pollution, ocean dead zones); Kristen’s excellent vegan wine adventure; Kyla just wants a cheeseburger.

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Kyla and Kristen Ruin Christmas

In this episode, Kristen and Kyla ruin Christmas — but, you know, in a fun and practical way. This episode covers online shopping, artificial versus real Christmas trees, and solutions to reduce waste at Christmas. Kyla and Kristen also gift each other ethical presents (carbon emissions from cross-country shipping not included, yikes). Tune in as Kristen tortures listeners with misophonia by eating the world’s crunchiest cookie.

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Alternative Milks

In this episode, Kristen and Kyla tackle the question on every millennial’s mind: will I be sent to the Bad Place for drinking almond milk? TL;DL: no. Topics: alternative milks and their amazing rise; the alt-milk OGs; and which alt-milk is best for people, animals, and planet. We also provide amateur-tips on making your own alternative milk, so you can avoid our mistakes. No dogs were milked in the making of this episode.

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What Is Ethical Consumption?

In this introductory episode, we explain what the Pullback podcast is all about. To illustrate how difficult it is to know what the right thing to do is, Kristen quizzes Kyla on the world of ethical consumption. If you are interested in trying the quiz, you can access it here.

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