Environmental headlines are discussed, including the world's biggest plastic polluters, Biden's oil drilling limits in Alaska, coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, unhealthy air in America, and the potential role of cloning in species extinction.

We Homo Sapiens are notorious for avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. In fact, we have transformed the planet from a place of scarcity to a place of overwhelming abundance, with ample opportunities to flood our brains with dopamine at every turn.But over-consuming has consequences: Exposure to prolonged and repeated pleasurable stimuli decreases our capacity to tolerate pain and increases our threshold for experiencing pleasure. On today's show: Resetting your neural set point to make dopamine work FOR you, not against you.Here's a preview:[3:00] Here's exactly why our brains aren't designed to work optimally in our 2024 world of pleasure[7:00] Measuring the dopamine-induced addictive potential of various foods, habits, and drugs[10:00] What goes up must come down: Here's what opponent process theory means for you and your brain[14:00] Quantifying leisure time from the Civil War to present day[24:00] Dopamine fasts work! Here's how to recalibrate your brain[28:00] How to best lean into a bit of pain (and why you may want to) Resources mentioned: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance In The Age Of Indulgence (by Dr. Anna Lembke) Episode #316: Moderation In All Things Episode #299: Future-Conscious Thinking   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Last year was the hottest year on record, so it's safe to say that Earth Day as we traditionally celebrate isn't working.On today's show I suggest what I believe is the antidote to the climate crisis (and I'm willing to bet you won't be able to guess what it is!). Here's a preview:[3:45] The Big 5: We know what we should do environment-wise, so why aren't we doing it?[7:15] Communal care is anti-capitalist, and that's really darn important[16:30] Here's what research finds re: the relationship between collectivist culture and pro-environmental behaviors[24:00] If the problem is disconnection, is the solution as simple as authentic reconnection?[34:00] It's actually not hard at all to pivot from the conventional, negative feedback loop we find ourselves currently in This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Reminder! Our hands can do more than type and text. In fact, they can grow things.On today's show — and in honor of National Gardening Day! — permaculture expert Kareen Erbe lists countless tangible and intangible benefits associated with active participation in your local growing community; she also offers practical suggestions for getting off our screens and reengaging with the natural world. Here's a preview:[8:00] Industrializing our food systems has benefits, sure. But in doing so, what have we sacrificed?[19:00] Industrial agriculture is the problem, but agriculture is also the solution[23:00] Don't want to grow anything? You don't have to! Here's how to best invest in your *local* food systems[27:00] It's not that local, organic food is so expensive; it's that corporate, industrialized food is too cheap[31:00] The 5 S-es: Scalable tips for newbie growers[35:00] Kids who grow kale eat kale! Resources mentioned: Episode #447: No Topsoils, No Food Kareen on Instagram   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Identifying 5 expensive and downright impractical geoengineering ideas designed to curb global warming:[5:30] 2 direct carbon capture projects (one of which plans to drill more oil)[8:30] A gigantic umbrella in space?[10:00] Adding iron to the ocean in hopes of spurring algae blooms[13:00] Sending sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere in weather balloons, oh my Resources mentioned: This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Take stealth wealth and reverse it: Stealth frugality is what happens when a person lives big without spending lots of money. On today's show: A laundry list of the ways in which we can each live a rich life but do so frugally. *A note from Stephanie: I mention a ridiculous amount of companies in today's show. None of them are sponsored! Here's a preview:[6:00] Home is where the heart is, so open up your home![10:30] Pizza? Cocktails? Manicures? Learn how make/do what you love but better[14:30] #selfcare culture is a capitalist construct (and you should never have to pay to care for your SELF)[19:00] How to enjoy your hobbies without going all-in with the extras[23:00] Want to eat like royalty? Learn how to cook[30:00] Get yo' hands on some great reading material (without overspending!) Resources mentioned: Living The Good Life, Just Cheaper? (via The Frugal Girl) The Buffalo Wool Company Episode #194: Safer Nail Polish  Dazzle Dry nail polish Lego Replay -- This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Work emails. Social media notifications. Weather alerts. The constant news cycle.In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it's easy to get lost in the chaos of endless distractions. Yet research has shown that information overload can lead to mental exhaustion, reduced cognitive function, and an inability to make sound decisions. On the other hand, intentional disconnection has the power to enhance creativity and productivity. It improves overall well-being, too.On today's show podcaster Diane Boden and I discuss exactly why it's so important to disconnect from modern distractions at least once in awhile; we also brainstorm how to best unplug. Here's a preview:[12:00] Are we becoming a culture that can't sit with negative emotions? With boredom?[16:30] Blue laws once encouraged rest; these days stores are open 7 days a week (thanks, capitalism!)[23:00] Stephanie's Number One tip for mindfulness newbies[26:00] Hurry culture, busy-ness, and setting professional boundaries[30:00] Do you watch TV while scrolling on your phone? Theres a name for that! Outlining the (numerous) consequences associated with 'continuous partial attention' Resources mentioned: Diane on Instagram 10% Happier: How I Tamed The Voice In My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works — A True Story (by Dan Harris) Waking Up App The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World (by John Mark Comer) -- This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Can a white couch and a toddler coexist? Research finds that environment impacts well-being, and we shouldn't have to wait 18 years to enjoy our homes. On today's show we address the age-old question: Can we have kids and nice things? The answer is yes; here's how. Here's a preview:[6:00] Hey you. (Yes, you!) You don't have to wait 18 years to enjoy your home[21:00] Don't invest in expensive accents and accessories! Go big on the timeless staples, instead [25:00] Making a case for proudly using and displaying heirlooms[35:00] Exactly how to reframe accidents into teachable opportunities Resources mentioned: The Magnolia Story Episode #452: House Rules Episode #454: The Low-Tox Life -- This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Living the low-tox life can seem expensive and out of reach. But it doesn’t have to be.On today's show podcaster Regan Nelson suggests 7 research-backed ways to reduce your exposure to toxins that just so happen to *also* be free. Here's a preview:[10:00] Lead! Pesticides! Here's what's on the bottom of your shoes [14:00] Sure, this household staple is convenient (but it's also bisphenol- and phthalate-laden)[19:00] Be wary of these "regrettable substitutions"[26:00] Are you still using products with synthetic fragrance? (Stop!)[34:00] Teens, tweens, and beauty products: How to best present the "less is more" message Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday, March 29 2024:[00:30] Here's why Americans pay the most after a natural disaster[6:00] New laws against intentional methane release, plus: why this new law is a money maker [9:00] Throwing $$ at the industrial carbon emissions problem[12:00] Introducing radar gaps (a.k.a. another thing to worry about) Resources mentioned: Radar gaps threaten millions as severe weather season ramps up in U.S. (via WaPo) This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.