Latest news with #Ecolution
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Stuart Goldsmith: The stand-up comedian standing up to climate change
Climate change is no laughing matter. It's such a big, huge thing to talk about that most people wouldn't think it's good material for their comedy... But, Stuart Goldsmith is one comedian who thought - why not?! He's the host of the internationally renowned Comedian's Comedian Podcast and he is our special guest on the latest episode of Ecolution. Listen to the Ecolution podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify now. Over the years, Stuart has interviewed some superstars of comedy, including Jimmy Carr, Bo Burnham, Kathy Griffin, Sarah Millican and James Acaster to find out the habits and processes that help them to create - and cope. The podcast has had over 25 million downloads. In recent years he has turned his attention to the climate crisis. It is now the main topic of his stand-up and the core of his recent special - Spoilers. Stuart says: "Spoilers is about the climate crisis. It's a frank and funny look at how we can all do more to alleviate our own dread and combat inertia. You'd think it would make you feel worse, but it leaves you feeling impatient and full of energy. It won Best Show 2023 at Leicester Comedy Festival and was one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe." We spoke with Stuart about how to communicate your fears, help people be better informed about our environment, and create change from a very different perspective. While we are all in a good mood, this edition of the Ecolution Panel looks at some good news stories. It's very easy to think it's all bad, but there are so many amazing people doing great things to help our planet. Press play above as Evie and four young climate activists from the Irish Schools Sustainability Network (ISSN) tell us more.
RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Ecolution talks disinformation, fake news and fact vs opinion
In this episode of Ecolution, RTÉ's climate podcast for young people, we take on the scurge of disinformation. On the show your host Evy speaks to the organisations at the Voices International Festival of Journalism in Zagreb who are fighting fake news on all fronts. Plus, we talk lies and misinformation with our brain trust from 3rd class at Stepaside ETNS. Listen to the Ecolution podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify now. And, watch our panel discuss disinformation and fake news on RTÉ Kids YouTube up top. Once you're online there can be a big divide between what's a fact and what is nothing but opinion. A fact is backed up by research and science. An opinion is nothing but a feeling people have about a subject. And can be informed by other people. Or by only finding your news online. People say no news is good news. But over the past year it seems we've been bombarded with news that seems confusing, scary, hard to decipher and yet impossible to ignore. Information that claims the climate crisis is a hoax. Or that having a more sustainable place to live is a conspiracy built to control people. And lots of people want to listen. Because the bigger and louder the story, the more it spreads. Disinformation is false information. Information that is not true but that is being shared as if it's a fact. And these "alternative facts" are offered to intentionally mislead people. Sometimes by people in positions of real power. The rise of deepfake videos and AI generated images that seem totally real has made the line between fact and fiction even more blurry. Children and adults alike can be caught out. And when big social media companies are removing the people they once employed to check facts, that online space becomes a place where disinformation grows. When we're trying to work out if a statement is true or false we use lots of different senses. It depends on who is saying it. Their tone of voice. How they build their sentences, and then what kind of body language they use to help them explain. And, for all of that, there's still a chance that there is more behind what people say than we can know. And, when we see something online, even more of these signals are either missing, or impossible to read. Increasingly, we get most of our information about climate and news online. The key to making sense of it is to become more Media Literate. Media literacy is all about how we consume content - from TikTok to TV, to news articles online, and how we learn to ask the right questions of ourselves when we see something that doesn't seem right.
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ecolution talks fast fashion with Junk Kouture
Sustainability met creativity at the Junk Kouture Dublin City Finals, and Ecolution were at the Helix in Dublin to hear all about the amazing show, the message behind the movement and to meet the young people involved. Listen to the Ecolution podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify now! And, you can see the highlights on RTÉ2 this Monday at 7pm. We spoke to the teams who made it through to this year's showcase finale. And they brought high fashion costumes, all made from materials that would otherwise wind up in the bin. Because they know it's high time we change our attitude to clothing. An EPA study carried out by researchers at MTU in 2019 found that the per capita consumption of new textiles in Ireland is 53 kg per person per year – that's almost 1 kg per week of new textiles purchased by every citizen. On an international scale it's thought that one truckload of textile waste is dumped every second, ending up incinerated or in landfill. And less than 1% of the clothes we wear end up recycled into new products. The rise in fast fashion and low cost retailers online has seen massive growth in single wear clothing. Discarded textiles are often exported, with a huge volume of material arriving through the duty free ports of Chile in South America. So much of it is of such low quality that it is dumped illegally in the Atacama Desert with vast mountains of waste clothing left to rot. It's clear we need to change. And one way to change is to take action. And Junk Kouture lets young people make a very clear statement. Founded in 2010, Junk Kouture is a zero cost sustainable fashion event open to 12-19 year-olds that challenges young people to design, upcycle and create high end Kouture from recycled Junk, before showcasing their design and representing their school on stages across the world. Ecolution got behind the scenes to capture the excitement leading up to the final and met Co Westmeath student Clodagh Ramsey from Wilson's Hospital School. She walked away as the World Designer of the year in 2024 for her design 'Aquacultural'. The dress, made from discarded mussel shells weighed a whopping 32kg and championed sustainable food production and gender equality. We only got to speak to a fraction of the people behind the designs on show. Those we did see had made couture level costumes out of household rubbish. All with repurposing and reuse in mind, some of the central ideas of the circular economy. The outfits might be totally catwalk, but the message it carries let all the participants leave having learned ways to be more sustainable in their everyday lives, as well as strutting their stuff on stage.
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ecolution: Have you ever heard of forest bathing?
Ecolution is the Podcast that tries to learn all we can about nature and our environment so we can share it with our listeners. And in this episode we join one class as they go into the woods to try something new - forest bathing. Many young people discuss things with their parents, but for a lot of us, school is the place where we have the most meaningful conversations with our friends and teachers about the state of our planet. Throughout Series 5 of Ecolution, we're doing a number of episodes celebrating all that's happening in classrooms across the country. And the first stop on the journey is Stepaside Educate Together National School where we join them on a forest walk with a difference. Listen to the Podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify now! And press play up top to watch the Ecolution Vodcast on YouTube, where Evie and our panel dive deeper into what kids are learning in school about the climate crisis - and what more can be done. On the Podcast On a sunny morning in Fernhill, third class from Stepaside ETNS walked into the woods - not to hike, or to study trees, but to slow down, breathe deeply, and take part in something called forest bathing. Guided by the calm presence of Orlagh from Forest Bathing Wicklow and Cat from Danu Forest Bathing, the students explored nature in a whole new way - through their senses. Forest bathing, also known as shinrin-yoku, is a Japanese practice that was first named in the 1980s. It means consciously and mindfully immersing yourself in the natural environment, especially a forest, to take in all the health benefits it offers. It's about bathing your senses in the forest atmosphere, focusing on sights, sounds, smells, and textures to connect with nature and reduce stress. Nature connection is at the centre of environmental education. Because when we slow down, breathe and reflect, we start to notice what's there. And when we take notice of it, we connect, and really care that much more. And that is the first step we take in wanting to protect the world around us. Orlagh and Cat have their own podcast called Beneath the Canopy. If you'd like to hear more about what they do or just pick up some tips on how you too could have a go at Forest Bathing you can listen here. If you'd like to comment or just get in touch with us email junior@ We'd love to hear about your experiences of learning about nature at home or in school. Who or what inspires you? And please, do like/ subscribe/ follow or review wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps!
RTÉ News
22-04-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
Ecolution: Lights out and embrace the dark in Mayo!
Happy Earth Day! Since 1970, 22 April has been a date to celebrate the wonders of Mother Nature, while also recognising the fragility of our planet and its ecosystems. From rainforests to bogs, rivers to coral reefs we are looking at what is happening. That's why we are launching a new series of RTÉ's Climate Podcast for young people - Ecolution!! Coincidentally this week is International Dark Sky Week, so we decided to go two for the price of one. Listen to Ecolution on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify! Ecolution is the podcast that talks about the climate crisis, our environment and all of the people, young and old, who are trying to be the change that will make our future sustainable. For our first show back we wanted to turn out the lights and look up. Wild Nephin National Park in County Mayo is located in a stunning part of the country. And one that, due to its wild makeup, offers a natural habitat for all kinds of flora and fauna. It has been designated as an official Dark Sky Park. On the show Back in late January this year Ecolution arrived at the Visitor Centre one evening to find it packed with local scout and girl guide groups, all gathered to take a safely managed leap into darkness. And one group of young people who totally get the importance of embracing the dark is The night owls; a group of boys and girls from Sligo who, along with their forest leader Martina began a project to celebrate things that go bump, bark and squeak in the dark. Especially when we reduce levels of light pollution . Light pollution is the artificial light that we use to illuminate our homes, our gardens, our towns and roads. And of course we can't turn them all off. But by being more mindful of the kinds of light we use and when we turn them off, we can really help ourselves and nature return to a more balanced way of living, day and night. And it's something the night owls shared with us and the large group of kids and adults trekking along the path as the sun went down back in January. Seeing the stars spread out above us at Wild Nephin was an incredible experience and one I'd hope everyone could share. Very sadly, only a couple of weeks ago part of the walkway we hiked along was set on fire, causing really extensive damage to it and the habitat it wound through. It was a reminder of how humans can affect our environment in so many ways, of how fragile these ecosystems are and why it's so important we safeguard them. For the day and also for the night. The path will be mended and after time the landscape around will recover. But it is timely that one of the Night Owls, Lorcan, wanted to speak about the dangers of fire when camping or out in nature. Something New! We've been away for longer than intended but we're returning bigger and better than ever. Presented once again by Evie Kenny, we're back with a weekly Audio Podcast and we are on YouTube too! There we'll discuss the issues raised in the podcast with a panel of young people from the ISSN, An Taisce Climate Ambassadors and EcoUnesco - so they really know their stuff. Thank You! Sinead Gaughan , Georgia McMillan, Molly O'Grady, our Dark Sky guides at Wild Nephin National Park from the NPWS. They worked so hard to gather this amazing bunch of kids and adults to share in celebrating the night sky, the darkness and the space it offers nature. We wish them so much luck in getting the place back on track so as more people can enjoy it just as we did.
