Daisy Culleton explores why Substack has become an important vehicle for communicating sustainability issues, and the best eco-newsletters that Substack has to offer.
If you are an avid writer, aspiring journalist or keen reader, you’ve probably stumbled across Substack. Substack is an American digital newsletter platform allowing independent writers to distribute their work directly to their audience and monetise via paid subscriptions. Since its launch in 2017, Substack has experienced immense growth and now boasts an impressive 35 million active subscriptions, including 3 million paid subscriptions, from around the globe. Celebrated writers such as Margaret Atwood and Stephen Fry have even joined the Substack community: relishing the opportunity to own their content and publish without the encumberment of editors.
Substack’s focus on journalistic freedom has steadily nurtured an emerging collective of sustainability writers on the app. But why has it, I hear you cry? Offering an alternative form of publishing free from the constraints typically imposed by conventional media outlets; this freedom enables writers to cultivate more honest discussions surrounding sustainability matters. Independence from political, corporate and commercial channels means that writers on Substack can address the subject of sustainability without having to conform to certain rules and regulations that might minimise the environmental issues at hand.
In fact, according to Media Matters for America (MMfA), a non-profit watchdog journalism organisation, mainstream broadcast news channels in 2022 (such as ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) only spent 1.3% of their time covering climate change. Meanwhile, an analysis by Carbon Brief of 354 editorials relating to energy and climate change published in UK newspapers in 2023 found that The Sun and The Daily Mail published a shocking 42 opinion pieces that opposed climate action. Substack’s autonomous mode of publishing therefore offers a solution to this issue, as by permitting writers to candidly discuss any and all areas of sustainability, readers are given access to large quantities of varying, nuanced, environmental journalism.
An example of environmental journalism. Image Credits: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
The editorial independence that Substack offers has also helped transform the platform into a groundswell for sustainability, simply because it grants writers the opportunity to craft entire newsletter publications dedicated to the specific sustainability niches that pique their interest such as sustainable fashion, renewable energy or recycling. Substack’s subscription model also aids writers in creating a community of readers who share a genuine passion for protecting the natural world. What’s more, as a digital newsletter platform, Substack also inadvertently resonates with the topic of sustainability by reducing the demand for print media and thus, paper and ink.
To give an insight into the breadth of ‘green’ writing available on the app, I’ve assembled a list of some of my favourite eco-newsletters on Substack.
HEATED by Arielle Samuelson
Since 2019, climate journalist Arielle Samuelson has been publishing HEATED, a newsletter which offers weekly reporting on the unfolding climate crisis. HEATED, which is accompanied by a podcast of the same name, opposes the narrative of mainstream news outlets by shifting the blame from the ordinary person to society's most powerful. Or, as Samuelson writes, our mission is to expose the people and entities enriching and empowering themselves at the expense of the planet, and to give voice to the folks most affected. Mentionable articles include The Climate Case against Elon Musk and Are Your Internet Habits Killing the Planet?
Paid Subscription: £7/month or £60/year. A free subscription plan is also available.
Chasing Nature by Bryan Pfeiffer
Boasting 6,000 subscribers, Chasing Nature offers weekly dispatches on wildlife, wild habitats and the human condition. Author Bryan Pfeiffer, a field biologist and part-time lecturer at the University of Vermont, developed Chasing Nature with the hope that it would encourage its readers to connect with the natural world, or as he writes Chasing Nature’s intent is to get you outside to enjoy and maybe make some sense of the world. Pfeiffer offers his paid subscribers access to Go Wild which comprises pre-recorded seminars, wildlife maps and additional community chats. Articles include The Butterfly of Doom and Light and The Gentle Rain of Songbirds.
Paid Subscription: £4/month or £40/year. A free subscription plan is also available.
The Crisps by Tanita Hecking and Lavinia Muth
The Crisps, a newsletter named after its concise reporting style, offers snackable briefing on anti-greenwashing and honest communication. Co-founders Tanita Hecking and Lavinia Muth crafted The Crisps to enable busy readers to stay up-to-date on the latest in sustainable fashion without having to spend time digging around for reliable sources. Articles include 7 Problems with the Term “Fast Fashion” and Did Someone Say Bamboo is Sustainable?
Paid Subscription: £6/month or £55/year. A free subscription plan is also available.
It’s Not Sustainable by Tiffanie Darke
Tiffanie Darke’s journey to becoming the publisher of a popular sustainable fashion newsletter is one of immense transformation. Working as a fashion editor her career was predicated on encouraging readers to buy the latest trends. After witnessing such incessant levels of consumerism however, Darke was left with a bad taste in her mouth. As a result, alongside her newsletter, she co-launched Agora, a sustainable fashion outlet available at the sustainable resort Six Senses Ibiza. Articles include The New Rule of Five and It’s a Consumer Implosion.
Paid Subscription: £5/month or £50/year. A free subscription plan is also available.
A little glimpse of what VNTG has to offer.
VNTG by Daisy Culleton
I couldn’t write about sustainable Substack’s without mentioning my very own newsletter VNTG, which uses popular culture and personal essays as an avenue to explore the sustainable fashion scene. Inspired by my studies of 90’s zine culture, VNTG adopts a ‘girly’, colloquial tone of voice to open up the discussion of sustainability to everyone and anyone, no matter their understanding of environmentalism. Articles include I Think Depop Might Be A Cult… and Saltburn: A Love Letter to The Fashion of 2006.
A free subscription plan is available.
About the author: Daisy Culleton is an American Studies and History graduate from the University of Nottingham. She has a keen interest in both Art and Environmental History. She also publishes, VNTG, a Substack newsletter that explores sustainable fashion.
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