Sustainable Minimalists

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.

Fossil fuels power our modern lives, and yet fossil fuels are also powering global warming. Because many of us lack the self-sufficient skills necessary to survive an extended power outage event, we are one thing and one thing only: vulnerable.We have become over-reliant on the very thing that's destroying our planet. On today's show: Imagining the ways in which modern life, interpersonal connections, well-being and more would change in a hypothetical, fossil fuel-free world. Here's a preview:[6:00] We are so reliant on electricity that we are incapacitated without it. This is a problem![11:00] In the event of a 2-weeks plus outage, modernity would look a lot different[24:00] Is minimalism late stage capitalism personified?[28:00] Without fossil fuels, we'd be circular[30:00] What research says with regard to the wellness benefits of working with our hands Resources mentioned: Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath (by Ted Koppel) Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (via The New Yorker) Episode #096: Why Self-Sufficiency Matters (with Kelly Morris)  -- 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.

When it comes to furnishing and styling ours homes, we all deserve spaces that facilitate easeful living. But for those of us without an eye for design? Furniture and decor mistakes can happen (and they can be costly).On today's show best-selling author Myquillyn Smith reveals her signature house rules for homes of every size, style, and budget; she also shows us how to get the most amount of comfort from our space with the least amount of stuff.Here's a preview of the house rules we are discussing today:[16:30] Threes, please[21:00] Resourcefulness is the ultimate resource[25:00] Plan on the kids growing up [29:00] Timelessness is here to stay [34:00] The size of your house does not dictate the size of your hospitality Resources mentioned: Win Every Argument Episode #433: The Fast Furniture Trap  Climate Action Now Environmental Voter Project Postcards To Voters Vote Forward   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting its mission! 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 22 2024:[00:30] What you need to know about "the most significant climate regulation in US history" announced this week[6:15] It has never been cheaper to purchase an EV, and here's why[9:00] ... Speaking of EVs: enter mega mining[12:00] Hi, TIM! How to book a flight like a conscious consumer  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.