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Want to waste less, save money, and make your home a little more eco-friendly? Sustainable in the Suburbs is your go-to podcast for practical, judgment-free tips and real-life stories to help you build sustainable habits that actually stick.
Hosted by Sarah Robertson-Barnes — a suburban soccer mum, sustainability educator, and founder of the blog Sustainable in the Suburbs — this weekly show brings doable advice, honest conversations, and actionable ideas to help you waste less, spend smarter, and live more sustainably at home.
Because sustainable living doesn’t have to be perfect to matter — and you don’t have to do it all to make a big impact.
Start where you are, use what you have, and live a little greener.
44 Episodes
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What does sustainable living actually look like in the suburbs — in places designed around cars, convenience, and big box shopping? Laura Newton is the founder of The Kind Matter Company, a Canadian eco-boutique and refill store focused on low waste living, eco friendly products, and non-toxic household essentials. What began as a personal search for safer products after her daughter developed severe allergies has grown into a retail business built around making sustainable living more access...
This episode originally aired in the very first month of Sustainable in the Suburbs. I’m revisiting it now because this idea remains one of the clearest ways to find your place in climate action — and sometimes returning to the foundation is exactly what helps us feel re-energized. Climate change feels HUGE — and it is. The problem is urgent and complex. And when you start looking for solutions, it can seem like there’s an endless list of things you should be doing. All of them are important,...
What does sustainability look like in a fast-moving industry like film and television? In this episode, Canadian actress Erin Karpluk shares how growing up in Jasper shaped her connection to nature, how the 2024 wildfires impacted her community, and how those experiences inform the way she approaches sustainability — both personally and professionally. We talk about eco-friendly habits, secondhand fashion, sustainable travel, and what waste and sustainability look like behind the scenes on fi...
I can’t be the only one who has complicated feelings about goody bags… right? Kids' birthday parties have quietly escalated. The venues. The décor. The goody bags. The expectation that every year has to be a little bigger than the last. But most kids don’t actually need all of that. In this episode, I’m sharing how we’ve kept birthday parties simple, low waste, and still genuinely fun — from smaller guest lists to reusable decorations, bulk food, experience gifts, and activities that don’t en...
We talk a lot on this show about the small daily habits inside our homes. But every so often, the choices get bigger. Renovations bring in materials, demolition, budgets, trades, and long-term decisions all at once. They shape how a home functions — and how it holds up — for years. In this episode, I’m joined by Brittany Steptoe Wright, Founder and Principal of BSW Design and COO of Steptoe Carpentry, for a practical and thoughtful conversation about what sustainable design actually looks lik...
Buying less is one of the most powerful forms of climate action we have. In this episode, I’m sharing some of the things I’ve stopped buying over the last ten years of sustainable living. This shift into eco-frugal living happened gradually, beginning with using up what I already had, doing periodic waste audits to see what we were consistently throwing way, and getting very clear on how and where to spend our money. Because truly, the most sustainable thing you can buy is nothing. Takeaways ...
Donation dumps are basically reverse shopping hauls. Decluttering is often framed as an end point — clear it out, drop it off, move on. But what if the way we let things go quietly trains how we bring new things in? In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, I’m exploring the relationship between decluttering, donation, and sustainable living — and why donation isn’t bad, but also isn’t neutral. We talk about mindful decluttering, overwhelmed donation systems, and how slowing down the let...
We all have clothes we don’t wear. Pieces that might fit again someday, that were expensive, or that feel too nice to just drop into a donation bin. When those clothes start piling up, donation often becomes the default solution. And once those bags are gone from the trunk, the buying cycle begins again. In this episode, I’m taking a closer look at that pattern, and at what it might look like to slow down not just how we buy clothes, but how we let them go. We’re talking about clothing swaps ...
This episode touches on sustainable fashion — but it’s not only about fashion. It’s a conversation about how we think about clothes, how we relate to what we already own, and how everyday decisions around getting dressed connect to consumption, care, and creativity. I’m joined by Sabs Katz, the creator of Sustainable Sabs and a cofounder of Intersectional Environmentalist, for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about personal style, overconsumption, and what it looks like to slow down wi...
Paper towels are one of those everyday items most of us don’t think twice about — until we do. They’re convenient, familiar, and deeply embedded in our kitchen routines. But when you slow down and look at what goes into making something designed to be used once and thrown away, it becomes worth questioning. In this solo episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, I’m talking about how to quit (or significantly reduce) paper towel use in a way that’s practical, flexible, and rooted in real life. I ...
Our homes are full of things we barely notice until they start to feel heavy. Duplicate pantry items, forgotten gadgets, drawers that are full of junk... And suddenly, everyday life feels harder than it needs to be. In this episode, I’m joined by Sasha Mazzuca, founder of Disch and a professional organizer, for a thoughtful conversation about our relationship to stuff — and how choosing fewer, better things can make daily life feel calmer, more functional, and more sustainable. Sasha shares h...
If the week between Christmas and New Year’s leaves you feeling overstimulated, scattered, or unsure how to move forward without just adding more pressure, you’re not alone. After a season filled with noise, expectations, and stuff, it can be hard to find your footing — especially when the cultural message is already shifting toward doing more, fixing more, and buying more in January. This week, I’m joined by Gillian Gabryluk, founder of Sileo Health & Wellness and host of the Be Still an...
After releasing 31 episodes — something I am frankly amazed at — I wanted to take a few minutes to look back on this first year of Sustainable in the Suburbs. What’s worked, what’s been harder than expected, and what I’ve learned along the way. In this short solo episode, I reflect on how the podcast has shaped my own thinking around sustainable living, why some conversations have resonated more than others, and how this show has slowly become a deeper, more community-focused part of my work....
Every holiday season, those beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree inevitably results in a giant pile of very fancy garbage in five minutes flat. In this week’s episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah Robertson-Barnes looks at something most of us keep meaning to do better with next year… gift wrapping. From the confusing rules around what’s actually recyclable to the Pinterest pressure of “perfect” presentation, this episode explores why wrapping creates so much waste — and what we ca...
If the holidays seem to get louder and more overwhelming every year, you’re not imagining it. From endless ads to the pressure to make everything “magical,” it’s easy to get swept into a season that feels more stressful than joyful. And for parents trying to have a more sustainable holiday with kids, the noise can make it hard to stay grounded in what really matters. This week, I’m joined by Stephanie Seferian, host of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast and author of Sustainable Minimalism. ...
Some of the most meaningful gifts we give (and receive) aren’t new. They’re secondhand. And yet… so many of us still hesitate. In this week’s episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah Robertson-Barnes digs into the cultural stigma around secondhand gifts, why it lingers, and why it’s slowly shifting. This episode explores what makes a gift meaningful in the first place — and why secondhand gifts, whether thrifted, vintage, or passed down, often hold the most heart. Sarah shares listener st...
What if the things we already have — the scraps, the leaves, the little bits most people throw away — are exactly where creativity begins? This week, Sarah Robertson-Barnes talks with Sibia Torres Padilla, the artist and author behind @sibster and Charming Woodland Crafts: 50 Fun and Easy Projects Made from Natural and Recycled Materials. Sibia shares how her upbringing shaped her creativity and resourcefulness, and how those early lessons in “making do” evolved into a lifelong love of turnin...
Festive food and drink are an important part of celebrating the holidays, but food waste shouldn’t be. In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah Robertson-Barnes shares simple, sustainable ways to reduce food waste, save money, and plan mindful, eco-friendly holiday meals. From meal planning and low-waste hosting tips, to getting kids involved in the kitchen, you’ll learn how to plan for enough, use what you have, and enjoy the season without overspending or overbuying....
What happens when your life changes completely — but your commitment to living sustainably stays the same? This week, I’m joined by Kristy Halderman, whose sustainability journey has taken her from Washington, DC to Montana — touching nearly every part of sustainable living along the way. From going all-in on zero waste and launching an oat milk business, to working in sustainable investing, and now community-based environmental advocacy, Kristy’s story is a reminder that our definition of su...
Sustainable living isn’t a straight path — it’s a practice that shifts and changes as we do. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about what sustainable living really looks like. I’ve tried just about everything, and while some things worked beautifully (at least for a while), others were total disasters! This episode is a look back at a few of those lessons — the cutlery kits, the trash jars, the guilt, the burnout, and the pressure to both reduce waste and make it all look perfect online. Bec...
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