Sustainable Minimalists

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday, December 15 2023: [00:30] COP28: The good, the bad, and the ugly [9:15] Who gets the (limited) water in California? [13:30] Extreme weather and the cost of sugar   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Tips on Decluttering 6 Oft-Forgotten Areas You decluttered. You’ve tidied. You organized what’s left, and now you’re exhausted. But still – to your chagrin! – you realize the work’s not *quite* complete. It happens to the best of us: In the throes of decluttering, we overlook specific spaces that demand our attention. My guest this week is blogger, YouTuber, and decluttering expert Shannon Torrens. Shannon is on the show to identity the 6 areas we tend to overlook on our journeys... Read More Read More The post Tips on Decluttering 6 Oft-Forgotten Areas appeared first on Sustainable Minimalists. Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

Did you know? The average American kitchen holds a whopping 1,019 items. Yet professional chefs argue that fully functioning kitchens demand *just* 16 items. No need to spend an arm + a leg on top of the line models, either: you, too, can whip up delectable meals with just 16 items that cost under $300 total. This week, I’m dabbling in the concepts of minimalists kitchens + minimalist cooking with simplicity wellness coach Mirley Guerra Graf. Mirley believes that... Read More Read More The post 070: The Basics of Minimalist Kitchens + Minimalist Cooking appeared first on Sustainable Minimalists. Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

On April 22, 193 countries celebrate Earth Day. The premise of the holiday is great, right? It’s a day dedicated to planting trees. Picking up trash. Recycling. But there’s a big problem with Earth Day, and it’s this: It’s just one day out of 365, then it’s over. When it comes to the state of our planet, there’s not much to celebrate; that’s why I suggest we honor Mother Nature differently. This Earth Day, let’s NOT pick up trash. Let’s... Read More Read More The post 016: Earth Day, Every Day appeared first on Sustainable Minimalists. Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

More free time and less stress. Extra money in the bank. While minimalists often report such benefits of the lifestyle over and over, for many of us, it goes deeper. Indeed, a minimalist lifestyle may fundamentally change the way we interact with the world. As this podcast approaches its 500th episode I find myself curious about the ways in which adopting a minimalist or minimal-ish outlook has altered the ways in which we as community act and think. On today's show: A conversation with minimalist Elaina Jindra about just some of the ways her life is different these days.   Here's a preview of the minimalism-inspired habit changes we are discussing today: [8:00] Watching less television and turning away from mass media [14:00] Buying in bulk, no more [19:00] Storing it at the store? Sure. Plus: Storing it at Goodwill! [22:00] Eating healthier and drinking less alcohol [25:00] Stepping into the role of 'creator' while losing the identity of 'consumer'   Resources mentioned: Sign up for the Sustainable Minimalists newsletter (it's free!) here Hobby Hour (via Substack)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

If you enjoy current affairs, but would like it without the pessimism, I have a podcast suggestion for you - What Could Go Right? I have been listening to their new Friday Progress Report segments and hope you check it out too!

Just because a product is marketed to babies or kids doesn't mean it's safe, and new research published just last week has alarming things to say about the presence of phthalates in personal care products for children.  While minimalists know that excess stuff harms our emotional well-being and mental loads, *sustainable* minimalists understand that products can harm our physical health. On today's show: Applying the tenets of sustainable minimalism to the hair and skin products our children use each day.   Here's a preview: [7:00] If phthalates make plastics flexible and bendy, what on earth are they doing in personal care products? [10:00] Don't see the term 'phthalate' on a product's ingredients list? That doesn't mean it's phthalate-free! [13:00] Are phthalates the reason why our daughters are getting their periods younger and younger? [19:00] No 10-step skincare regimen to see here: Here's a 5-step cleanup regimen for your household [25:00] Musings on the tween and teen skincare beauty craze   Resources mentioned: Impact of Skin Care Products on Phthalates and Phthalate Replacements in Children: the ECHO-FGS Ultra-Processed Foods And Cardiovascular Disease: Analysis Of Three Large US Prospective Cohorts And A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Prospective Cohort Studies Episode #425: The Obesogens Yuka App   Products mentioned on today's show: Giovanni Eco Chic Golden Wheat Deep Cleanse Shampoo  Attitude Baby Leaves Hair And Body Wash Attitude Super Leaves Conditioner Kinship SPF 32 Sunscreen with Zinc Oxide David's Toothpaste Giovanni L.A. Hold Hair Spritz   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Meal planning and prepping, laundry, and taking out the trash: These non-negotiable household tasks are never truly "done". And because it's impossible to get ahead of these mundane chores, they are likely the reason you feel like you’re always busy but never accomplish anything. The bad news? Non-negotiables are a part of adulting. The good news? Streamlining such chores with a reduces the time and mental load associated with getting them done.  On today's show: How to streamline meal planning *for the rest of your life* in under an hour.   Here's a preview:  [6:30] Breaking down exactly how much extra you're paying for meal kits [12:00] How to create a 28-day meal plan so you never have to meal plan again [16:00] Take it a step further with one-and-done and done grocery lists    Resource mentioned: Episode #270: Desperation Dinners This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

American culture is heavily influenced by a “rise and grind” reverence for hustling, and many of us have adopted the belief that sleep is a waste of time. When we dismiss the importance of sleep, we have more time to work harder and longer. And when we have more money in our pockets, what we are really doing is keeping our capitalist engines turning. Contrary to what you've been told, sleep is not time wasted. On today's show: The Number One way to improve your health, wellness, and quality of life without spending any money at all (ahem ... prioritizing sleep).   Here's a preview: [3:00] Rise and grind culture promotes sleep deprivation! [9:00] What happens when we sleep? Hop on a metaphorical submarine and explore the Sleep Sea  [15:00] A laundry list of bad sleep's deleterious health and wellness effects [21:00] In your 40s or 50s? You especially need to prioritize sleep, and here's why [29:00] 6 research-backed ways to prioritize sleep every darn night   Resources mentioned: Episode #472: Breath Awareness Episode #465: Optimizing Your Walks Outlive: The Science And Art Of Longevity (by Dr. Peter Attia) Why We Sleep: Unlocking The Power Of Sleep And Dreams (by Dr. Matthew Walker) The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

We humans are evolutionarily primed to live in concert with the natural world, but these days Americans spend over 92% of time either indoors or inside a vehicle. The result? Stress, inflammation and — for some of us — a pervasive sense of malaise.  American culture is designed to keep us indoors because capitalist engines make money when we are distracted, and yet cutting-edge science supports the reality that life on this planet is radically interconnected. On today's show author Lyanda Lynn Haupt introduces the concept of rooted living to benefit of both humans and nature.   Here's a preview: [11:00] Nature provides connection, and yet 21st century life vilifies the outdoors [16:00] Exactly why our capitalist engines benefit when we live indoors lives  [22:00] Musings on our collected extractive mindset, plus: how roots are the antidote [28:00] Lyanda's Number One tip for re-rooting yourself and your children (It's a good one!)   Resources mentioned: Rooted: Life At The Crossroads Of Science, Nature, and Spirit Lyanda on Instagram Episode #384: Forest Bathing 101 This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

A product needs to fit into someone’s life seamlessly in order for it to be bought, and it’s the job of the advertiser to show exactly how the item in question will fit into a life. On today's show: 5 crucial insights advertisers know about us (that we perhaps don't know about ourselves).   Here's a preview: [1:00] Examining our clutter problem through metaphor (bathtub, baby!) [9:00] Selling isn't about emotion; it's about seduction [13:00] We humans are animals, and animals are evolutionarily primed to heed warnings [15:00] Curiosity versus urgency: Both emotional states convert! [21:00] How companies slowly but surely increase market share, plus: here's what happens when a product differentiates itself on eco-friendliness [26:00] Insider advertising works!   Resources mentioned: The Hidden Clutter Creator Right Under Your Nose (via Your House Machine on Substack)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

One football field's-worth of forest is lost every single second of every single day. Loss of forests means loss of species and loss of stored carbon; it also means an increased risk of pandemics. On today's show: Explaining the ways in which deforestation is linked to the pandemic prevalence, with tangible action steps for conscious consumers. Here's a preview: [5:00] It's not *just* about timber; it's about livestock, soy, and palm oil too [12:30] Exactly what happens when we raze forests and the generalists (ahem ... the rats, the mosquitos) march in [26:00] Breaking down the differences between the 3 Forest Stewardship Council certifications [29:00] Revisiting the palm oil problem  [32:00] The industrialized food system is broken, and it pays to shorten your personal food chain   Resources mentioned: Episode #447: No Topsoils, No Food Episode #187: Why Is Palm Oil Bad?   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Parenthood is awash with immense pressure to do right by our kids. We are told that children need certain (expensive) experiences to 'get ahead', and many of us observe our parenting peers investing in countless extracurriculars. But children need downtime, and recent research suggests that children should experience twice as much unstructured time as structured enrichment. On today's show podcaster Kathryn Garland and I discuss how to find the structured, extracurricular sweet spot for your family.    Here's a preview: [4:30] Scheduling rule #1: Family First (not Kid First!) [15:00] When dabblers don't fit into a world of specializers [22:00] Musings on extracurriculars, the 'rat race' and getting ahead [26:00] Start with the end in mind (and other tips for finding the extracurriculars sweet spot) [31:00] Words of encouragement for leaning into the quiet and into the slow   Resources mentioned: Don't Sign Your Child Up For That (Extra)Curricular Episode #478: Charting A Rich Life Homespun: Create The Life You Crave Podcast Kathryn on Instagram   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

‘Tis the season for back-to-school door busters, price slashes, and closeouts. On today’s re-air: How to reduce clutter, save money, and help the planet by shopping for back-to-school with greater intention.   Here's a preview: [6:00] Let’s pull back the curtain on back-to-school marketing, shall we? [11:00] Here’s what it actually means (and what it actually looks like!) to shop your own home [18:30] Revisiting the kids’ capsule conversation [26:00] Thoughts on teacher wishlists (from a former teacher)   Resources mentioned: Episode #391: Predictors Of Back To School Success Episode #006: The Ultimate Kids' Capsule Blueprint   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Welcome to Back To School Week 2024! In many homes, back to school season means back to packing lunchboxes. It's a stress-inducing chore, sure, as many parents find it difficult to think up new, creative lunch ideas that are actually healthy (and will actually get eaten!). On today's show registered dietician nutritionist Megan McNamee offers up her tried and true lunchbox formula; she also suggests simple lunch ideas that will make prepping lunches a breeze. Stay tuned for Thursday's Back To School episode about acquiring school supplies, clothes, and gear like a sustainable minimalist.    Here's a preview: [4:00] Is there anything "wrong" with school lunches? [8:00] Pack when your kitchen is open! (And other practical ways to make lunchbox packing easier) [13:00] Add balance and variety by following Megan's Lunch Formula [20:00] Lunchbox ideas you've never heard of before [26:00] Must lunchboxes have a dessert? [33:00] How to best use after school snack time as a sneaky way to supplement your child's diet   Resources mentioned: Feeding Littles Lunches: 75+ No-Stress Lunches Everyone Will Love Episode #391: Predictors Of Back To School Success   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Scientists have found unsettling details about the potential health risks of common household cleaning products. And yet Big Cleaning capitalizes on fear of germs, bacteria, and disease to sell us home cleansers with traditional chemical compounds on the regular. It behooves us to ask ourselves whether the ways things have always been done align with our own values. On today's show Zac Kieffer argues it's high-time we redefine what it means to clean.   Here's a preview: [3:00] Three reasons why it's important to perpetually question the way we clean and disinfect [8:00] Are you disinfecting correctly? (Answer: Probably not.) [16:00] Ammonia! 2-Butoxyethanol! BACs! Here's what cleaning companies don't want you to know about the (very powerful) chemical compounds in traditional cleansers [21:00] Big Cleaning and fear-based marketing [28:00] Does microfiber = microplastics?   Resources mentioned: Episode #417: How To Buy Soap  E-Cloth (Minimalists15 for 15% off site-wide) Cleaning Products Emit Hundreds of Hazardous Chemicals, New Study Finds (via EWG)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

If you're like me, you're likely dealing with constant, low-grade clutter situations, and that's because once a purchase is made, the item is ours to maintain, manage, and store. Sadly, consumerism never talks about the negative wellness effects of buying (I'm looking at you, cortisol!). If clutter keeps piling up despite your best efforts, my guest today argues that it's time to dig deeper. Not deeper into the piles, of course. Deeper into yourSELF. On today's show professional organizer Jenny Albertini argues that decluttering is an act of self-care; it can also become a habit that enhances wellness. Put this episode on while you tackle an oft-forgotten space in your home and get to work!   Here's a preview: [4:00] Why do we clutter? [5:30] Breaking down the bidirectional exchange between clutter and wellness [12:00] Our personal thresholds for clutter tolerance ebb and flow throughout life (and that's totally normal) [24:00] Tangible ways to stop the many clutter streams coming into our homes [27:00] Thoughts on right-sizing other people's gifts and hand-me-downs with our own space confines [31:30] The quiet genius of the "Someday Maybe" technique   Resources mentioned: Decluttered: Mindful Organizing for Health, Home, and Beyond This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Thanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use my code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide: https://us.e-cloth.com/

In our hyper-capitalist society, it's often implied that the only things worth savoring are the really fancy, really shiny, really new, and really exotic. Let's push back against that narrative by finding the glimmers, also known as those simple moments of pleasure that pop up during our days. We minimalists already know that it's in the small things that beauty lies. On today's show: Research-backed ways to spot life's glimmers and reap the most joy possible from every instance.   Here's a preview: [8:00] Glimmers are all around us all the time. Are you paying attention? [16:00] Savoring offers many wellness benefits. One of them? It's an active way to fight back against our innate negativity bias [26:00] Introducing savoring's evil cousin, dampening (plus: how to stop it right this second) [32:00] Add in some effort! Determine a glimmer in your life and get optimizing [37:00] Downtime is a necessary part of life (it's also a time when we are most available to catch the glimmers) [42:00] Say it loud and say it proud! Verbalize the simple pleasures as a means of extending and expanding the pleasure   Resources mentioned: Episode #439: The Negativity Bias Aro   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! **If you're a financial supporter over on Apple Podcasts and want to join book club, please email me and let me know! For privacy reasons, Apple won't share your contact info with me. Just email me and I'll happily add you!** Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

We talk an awful lot about "climate science" and "what climate scientists predict" on this podcast. Today, I'm talking to one of them.  What exactly are the next 100 years likely going to look like for humans? What needs to happen for the US to mobilize for real? On today's show: A conversation with Michael Barnard about climate solutions, with an emphasis on that pesky air conditioning problem.    Here's a preview: [9:00] When it comes to cooling the planet, here's why my guest is "cautiously optimistic" despite the impending "ugly process" [14:00] Why climate change must first become impossible to ignore [20:00] The hotter it gets, the cooler we need our homes to be. And yet cooling our homes demands energy, which heats the planet more [27:00] Do we need to worry about mass electric grid failures in summer months? [32:00] Exactly why heat pumps are our collective heating and cooling future   Resources mentioned: The New Climate War: The Fight To Take Back Our Planet (by Michael E. Mann) Proven Climate Solutions: Leading Voices on How to Accelerate Change   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Thanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide: https://us.e-cloth.com/

When it comes to environmental concerns, there's certainly plenty to worry about at the moment. Whether you and your family is eating microplastics on the regular may not be your list of top concerns. But it’s an important topic to cover. While the health effects of microplastics on humans are not fully understood, common sense measures that reduce our exposures to both the plastic itself and also the endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are on and in such particles are certainly prudent. On today's show: How to eat, drink, and inhale fewer microplastics as you go about your days.   Here's a preview: [6:00] Synthesizing the latest research into the effects of microplastics on human health [11:00] Stop eating microplastics! 3 practical action steps in the kitchen [27:00] Inhalation and absorption matters: Why vacuuming and dusting helps [35:00] 3 (super easy) ways to reduce your plastics exposure when you're out and about   Resources mentioned: Episode #393: Single-Use Poison Episode #466: Toxic Fashion E-Cloth Numi Tea   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.