

Sustainable Minimalists
Stephanie Seferian
Creating eco-minimalist, non-toxic homes (without the extra work). Although minimalism has experienced a rebirth in recent years, the "less is more" movement has been around for centuries. Yet today's minimalist influencers have resurrected minimalism with a decidedly consumerist spin, as modern minimalism is nearly synonymous with decluttering. While there's a lot of chatter about tidying, it's radio silence and crickets when it comes to sustainability. The result? Aspiring minimalists find themselves on an endless hamster wheel of buying, decluttering, buying more, and purging again. Overemphasizing decluttering and underemphasizing the reasons why we overbuy in the first place is thoroughly inconsistent with slow living as a movement; consumption without intention is terrible for the planet, too. Your host, Stephanie Seferian, is a stay-at-home/podcast-from-home mom and author who believes that minimalism, eco-friendliness, and non-toxic living are intrinsically intertwined. She's here to explore the topics of conscious consumerism, sustainability, and environmentally-friendly parenting practices with like-minded women; she's here, too, to show you how to curate eco-friendly, decluttered homes (without the extra work).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 28, 2020 • 38min
Fair Trade, Certified B and More: The 3rd Party Labels You Need to Know
Fair Trade, Certified B and More Ever wonder what the Fair Trade label on products *really* means? How about that elusive Certified B Corp distinction? “All-natural”, “fat-free”, and “non-toxic” are blanket marketing statements that have no real meaning. But third party certifications? Their distinct logos distinguish the best from the rest. Yet while certifications are meant to give consumers confidence, it can be difficult to understand what all the different labels stand for. On today’s show I break down...
Read More Read More
The post Fair Trade, Certified B and More: The 3rd Party Labels You Need to Know 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

Apr 21, 2020 • 26min
Your Sustainability Questions, Answered
Your Sustainability Questions, Answered Many listeners write to me with compliments and criticisms; occasionally, listeners reach out with questions, too. I collected some of the most pressing queries from both personal messages and public ones in the show’s closed Facebook group. On this week’s episode I answer 5 of the most common sustainability questions you listeners have asked me. Here’s a preview of today’s show: [1:40] Why are silicone products preferable to plastic ones? [4:11] Why has plastic become so popular?...
Read More Read More
The post Your Sustainability Questions, Answered 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

Apr 14, 2020 • 19min
9 Zero Waste Lifestyle Tips During Quarantine
Los Angeles boasts clear, smog-free skies. Passerby on New York City’s busiest avenues enjoy the sounds of chirping birds. And in Venice? Fish are visible in the city’s once-murky canals. In some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has done wonders for the health of our planet. But in others? For many of us, sticking to our zero waste lifestyle goals feels nearly impossible. The reason is twofold. First, many of us experience the tug and pull of purchasing more than we...
Read More Read More
The post 9 Zero Waste Lifestyle Tips During Quarantine 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

Apr 7, 2020 • 42min
What’s a Menstrual Cup? (& Other ZW Period Queries)
What’s a menstrual cup? (And other zero-waste period queries) Ever find yourself wondering what a menstrual cup is, exactly? Want to zero-wastify your monthly cycle but don’t know how? The average woman uses 22 disposable tampons or pads per cycle, or 264 products per year. Assuming a woman menstruates for 35 years, she will throw away a whopping 9,240 single-use menstrual products in her lifetime. On this week’s episode I identify six (amazing) reusable menstrual products on the market...
Read More Read More
The post What’s a Menstrual Cup? (& Other ZW Period Queries) 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

Mar 31, 2020 • 25min
Slow Homes, Climate Change, and Coronavirus
Slow Homes, Climate Change, and Coronavirus Cornoavirus has forced one in four people worldwide into social isolation; indeed, slow homes have replaced on-the-go living for weeks to come. But what are the implications of forced slowness on reluctant mothers, and how is social isolation impacting the planet? On this week’s episode we examine Coronavirus’s implications by considering long-term effects. Although online content covers small picture issues – like how to keep children entertained despite social distancing and how to become...
Read More Read More
The post Slow Homes, Climate Change, and Coronavirus 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

Mar 24, 2020 • 25min
Your Conclusive Clean Beauty Guide
Why is it so hard to find clean beauty products? Got clean beauty? If you’re like most American women, the answer is (probably) no. Each day, the average woman slathers on twelve beauty products (or over 100 unregulated chemicals!). Beauty brands use the term “clean” to highlight products without controversial ingredients. But without regulation, virtually any product can label itself clean without consequence. “Clean” therefore becomes just another marketing descriptor that corporations smack on product labels to catch consumers’...
Read More Read More
The post Your Conclusive Clean Beauty Guide 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

Mar 17, 2020 • 24min
How to Tackle Family Clutter by Heat Mapping
Tackle Family Clutter with Heat Maps Many tidying techniques promise to keep down family clutter. One of the simplest and most creative of these techniques is heat mapping, which identifies problem areas within the home. A heat map represents values with colors, and heat mapping for clutter works because the practice yields data. If you were to heat map your living space, which rooms would be labeled red? On this week’s episode I interview fellow blogger and podcaster...
Read More Read More
The post How to Tackle Family Clutter by Heat Mapping 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

Mar 10, 2020 • 27min
When Overspending Backfires
When Overspending on Luxury Backfires Many financially-able consumers commit to overspending on designer purchases. Because luxury goods by nature are both pricey and in high-demand, such possessions communicate status and prestige. Then there’s our biology: evolution reinforces comparing and competing. In the age of social media we post fancy photos of ourselves doing fancy things as a way to prove we, too, are as worthy as our peers. But while consumers assume investing in designer items will result in...
Read More Read More
The post When Overspending Backfires 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

Mar 3, 2020 • 22min
How Minimalists Spend their Sundays: 8 Tips
Have you ever wondered what seasoned minimalists do on the weekend? Here’s a top-secret minimalist tip: It isn’t all rest and relaxation. While minimalists believe simplicity is important – and while Sunday is indeed *the* day to rest – minimalists also know it’s prudent to spend weekends quietly preparing for the upcoming week. On this week’s show I’m thrilled to offer 8 minimalist tips that mitigate weekday mania and usher in easy-breezy simplicity during the workweek. My suggestions aren’t overly...
Read More Read More
The post How Minimalists Spend their Sundays: 8 Tips 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

Feb 25, 2020 • 27min
The Nitty-Gritty Behind Microplastic Pollution
Microplastic Pollution: Everything you Need to Know These days, microplastic pollution is everywhere. It isn’t hyperbole: Scientists find plastic everywhere they look for it. Microplastics pollute our oceans; they reside in the bellies of animals, too. And plastics are also in humans: A 2019 study concluded that we consume a credit card’s-worth of plastic each week, on average. When we examine the scope of the microplastics problem – when we understand fully that plastic has invaded every nook and...
Read More Read More
The post The Nitty-Gritty Behind Microplastic Pollution 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