The Sustainable Jungle Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

We’re continuing our new chapter of the Sustainable Jungle Podcast—where we dive into the real stories behind the brands we’ve rated on their sustainability efforts.

In this episode, we’re joined by Jennifer Roberge, co-founder of The Kind Pet— the first online marketplace devoted exclusively to sustainable pet products—and co-owner of Boba & Vespa - a plastic-free, zero-waste pet toy brand made in the USA that was recently Top Rated by Sustainable Jungle. Jennifer shares how her passion for conscious consumerism and animal welfare led her to launch The Kind Pet. We explore her journey from founding the retail platform to acquiring Boba & Vespa.

We talk about:

• What makes a more sustainable pet brand
• Why circularity and end-of-life design matter
• How to build trust in an industry full of greenwashing
• The challenges—and rewards—of staying true to your mission

🎧 Members-only bonus: In our extended conversation, Jennifer opens up about the personal challenges of running a mission-driven business, tough trade-offs, and what it really takes to keep moving forward. Stay tuned for details on how to access this exclusive content or register your interest here: https://forms.gle/cJEE2Q1vAxW6yYpdA

Important Links

• See The Kind Pet Rating: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/brand-ratings/the-kind-pet/
• Visit The Kind Pet: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/the-kind-pet-brand-rating-review/
• Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/newsletter
• Show notes: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/podcast/episode-74/
• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hwFIi3V_Jtg

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• Follow or subscribe wherever you listen
• Leave us a review on your favorite platform
• Share it with someone who cares about conscious consumption

Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚

We’re back! In this relaunch episode, we introduce the new direction for the Sustainable Jungle Podcast—one that dives into the real stories behind the brands we rate for their sustainability efforts.

Joining us is Sara Redmond-Neal, founder of Small Mighty CSR, a sustainability consultancy that helps small and medium sized businesses build practical, credible, and values-driven sustainability strategies. With nearly two decades of experience, Sara makes sustainability accessible to every business with low-cost resources and practical training.

Through Small Mighty CSR, she offers services such as sustainability strategy development, ESG maturity assessments, coaching for internal teams, and communication support to help avoid greenwashing and build trust. Sara also provides practical free resources including her Quick Start Checklist, CSR Check-up and Sustainability Strategy DIY Guide.

Sara provided valuable feedback in shaping our sustainability rating framework. We talk about Sara's career path, what she sees as critical for more sustainable brands, what businesses often get wrong, and why credible sustainability claims are more important than ever.

Sara also shares actionable advice for brands working to improve their impact and thoughts on how the industry can shift toward real change.

🎧 Members-only bonus: In our extended conversation, Sara shares some of the emotional challenges of working in sustainability—including eco-overwhelm—and shares practical strategies for staying grounded and optimistic in the face of slow progress... along with even more advice for brands and consumers. Stay tuned for guidance on how to join!

💚 Learn more about our brand ratings 📹 Watch on YouTube 🔒 Member content coming soon – stay tuned or register expression of interest here 👩‍💼 Connect with Sara ✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter 📝 Show notes

How To Support The Podcast

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• Follow or subscribe!
• Leave us a review on your favorite platform
• Share it with someone who cares about sustainability

Your support helps us keep the conversations going 💚

Sam Le Roux is the Canadian co-founder of SOLIOS Watches. “SOLIOS Watches is a Canadian company based in Montreal. [Their] main purpose is to disrupt the Watch and Fashion industry by offering high quality, elegant and eco-friendly solar powered timepieces. [They] want to give people the option to consume sustainable goods without having to sacrifice on design, attractive price or durable quality. [They] believe [they] can influence a new way to live and consume as a society and together create a real change in the way the world perceives fashion.”

We cover how this affordable luxury watch brand is driving innovation and change in a very traditional industry that is very much associated with fast fashion and negative environmental and social impact.  We go deep in particular on the material choices Solios has made and their dedication to constant improvement.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

“Gautam Shah is the founder of Internet of Elephants, a social enterprise that develops groundbreaking digital tools to engage people with wildlife. For most of his life, living in the United States, India, Argentina and Kenya, he’s had incredible experiences with wildlife around the world, but no positive impact on that wildlife. In 2014, Shah decided to change that and quit his job of 20 years as an IT consultant at Accenture to pursue new ways that technology could be used towards wildlife conservation.

Through unique mobile games, augmented reality and data visualizations that use GPS and other data gathered about individual animals, Internet of Elephants tells the stories of individual animals studied by conservation organizations and individuals all over the world. In doing so, Shah hopes to catalyze whole new approaches to engaging the public with wildlife.

He is still ruining his back and his eyesight behind a desk and a laptop, but at least he is using his background and experience towards what is most important. Shah lives in Nairobi with his wife and newborn daughter.” - National Geographic

We cover Gautam's transition to working in conservation and the innovative work Internet of Elephants is doing to build an army of urban conservationists. 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Adam founded Move For Hunger in the summer of 2009. Adam’s family has owned a moving company in New Jersey for nearly 100 years (dating back to Great Grandpa Lowy). After years of seeing so much food wasted when people move, Adam decided to take action.

Move for Hunger is a network of socially-responsible relocation companies providing their customers, clients, and residents with the opportunity to donate their food when they move. Members of Move For Hunger also volunteer to host/assist with community food drives, participate in cause marketing campaigns, and create employee giving programs. Since 2009, they have delivered more than 22 million pounds of food to food banks across the United States and Canada.

We cover Adam's family history in the moving business, the incredible work Move for Hunger  is doing and his thoughts on tackling social and sustainability issues at scale. 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Noel Kok is a storyteller specialising in wildlife and conservation filmmaking. He is passionate about telling African conservation stories and both enabling and building black talent in the industry. He is also the Co-Founder & Programmes Director at Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers Congress (NEWF). He is a recipient of the National Geographic Society COVID-19 Emergency Fund for his inspiring project in St Lucia, South Africa.

NEWF is a “platform in Africa aimed at bringing together nature, environment and wildlife filmmakers, scientists, conservationists and broadcast media to engage, contribute and connect whilst creating a path to conservation through film by amplifying the challenges faced by the natural world and driving solutions through impactful creative science communication. Through an integrated slate of programmes NEWF is inspiring and incubating emerging science, nature, wildlife and conservation storytellers in digital media in africa. Dedicated to discovering the next generation of filmmakers.”

We discuss Noel’s winding career path, the challenge of finding black filmmakers and the importance of enabling the next generation of storytellers to positively shape our natural world through film. 

Fundamentally, Noel answers the question we’re all asking - How do you change the story? 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Simon Griffiths is the Co-founder and Head Honcho of Who Gives a Crap, a mission based company that sells “good looking, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues direct-to-consumer and donate 50% of [their] profits to help build toilets for those in need”. Simon co-founded the business with the big hairy goal of having a huge impact on the world’s global problems - and they’re doing it! Since 2013, they’ve donated $8M to water, sanitation and hygiene projects and initiatives around the world!

We discuss all this and more including advice for other aspiring mission based entrepreneurs. 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

Meera Jain is a teacher, a close friend of Sustainable Jungle and The Green Mum! The Green Mum’s Instagram account is an incredibly honest, authentic and non-judgemental space to learn about living a greener life, especially with kids. Meera focuses on low impact living including zero waste, plant based and vegan food and everyday eco choices and trade offs.

In this episode, we cover Meera’s reflections on her own journey and some of her top tips for mums and others. We also cover conscious consumerism and her thoughts on making the holiday season that much more thoughtful.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Georgina is on a mission to reduce overconsumption by using positive storytelling to shift social attitudes. As the founder of pebble, she has inspired consumer change through her much-loved magazine, events and online community for the last 3.5 years. She has 17 years experience as a magazine publisher and editor, has worked with corporations and charities as an editorial and comms strategist.

Pebble is a sustainable lifestyle magazine covering ethical fashion, design, food and travel. #pebblesmakeripples.

In this episode we talk about the impressive projects pebblemag has covered over the last year including their very own pebble forest!  We also cover Georgina’s two books that are coming up for release early next year and the upcoming futurefest pebblemag will be hosting in November which we at Sustainable Jungle are super excited to be part of.  

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Carlee is a co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization dedicated to amplifying the minority voices in the field of shark science. Originally from Detroit, MI, she moved to south Florida and received her B.S. in biology from Florida Atlantic University in 2016. She currently works as a marine turtle specialist, helping to protect sea turtles in Florida. This past summer she received her M.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University. Carlee’s master’s research examined how provisioning (feeding) tourism affects the behavior, habituation and abundance of nurse sharks in Belize. She continues to work in the field of shark science, working to increase diversity in this field.

We cover all of this fascinating and important work and much more! 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Find the show notes here

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

*** SOCIALIZE WITH US ***

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube