28: Grace Kuang on climate change, how it’s intertwined with social justice, and how we can help

Hi everybody, and thank you for tuning in to episode 28 of the Learn With Lels podcast!

On this episode, I spoke with Grace Kuang, who works for the Academic Sustainability Programs Office at McMaster University, my old stomping grounds. 

This episode with Grace was all about sustainability. In our conversation, we talked about:

• what we need to do to actually make an impact in fighting climate change;

• how climate change and social justice are tied together;

• the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion;

• the overpopulation myth and the fact that the richest countries actually generate the most waste; and

• how to not get overwhelmed when dealing with such a daunting topic.

One of the main takeaways that I got from this conversation is that I need to be conscious of the things I’m buying and really just try to consume less, which can be difficult right now with the holidays right around the corner. 

If you’re planning to gift clothes, Grace told me about this great app called Good On You, which basically tells you which brands have sustainable practices. I’ve found it to be really helpful in doing my Christmas shopping this year, and I definitely recommend it. And, going off this conversation, I also recommend just cutting back on buying new stuff in general wherever possible.

I sound like I’m preaching and I know I still have a long way to go as far as my sustainability journey. But this conversation was a great start for me, and I hope that you find it helpful as well.

Thank you for listening!

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