Sustainable Minimalists

Things are a-changin' around here. On today's show: Introducing new ways to support the show (with fun perks like ad-free shows, subscriber-only episodes and, yes, real life Book Club!)This is YOUR show. As always, thank you for your support! >> https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/ --Join our (free!) community here.Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube.Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Eating meals together is the ultimate parenting cheat code, and that's because in just one hour you can improve your kids' academic performance, self-esteem, and cardiovascular health while simultaneously reducing their risks of substance misuse, depression, and obesity.On today's show: author Annette Thurmon on making the kitchen the heart of the home once again. Here's a preview:[7:30] A laundry list of the nutritional benefits of regular family dinners, plus the developmental and mental health benefits for kids and teens[10:00] We parents should be including our children in the cooking process, and here's why (plus: easy lift how-tos)[20:00] Remember: It's not about the food! It's about the face-to-face, tech-free time[23:00] Practical dinnertime promptsResource mentioned:Simple Country Living: Techniques, Recipes, and Wisdom for the Garden, Kitchen, and Beyond Creative alternatives to "How was your day?" What's one thing you learned today? What's one thing that made you smile today? If you could change something about your day, what would it be? What's one thing you liked most about your day? What has made you feel loved recently? How did you help someone today? How did someone help you? What's it like to be a kid? To be a parent? What was your last thought before falling asleep last night? --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 15 2024:[00:30] The paradox that's holding back clean energy gains[7:15] You're not crazy: Spring is indeed arriving earlier[13:00] Breaking down the EU's new 'gold standard' deforestation law[12:00] A war on utes? Updates from Australia's emissions regulations Resources mentioned: Episode #187: Everything You Need To Know About Palm Oil Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Today's show is a series of 3 very diverse updates straight from developments in my own life: The first is about self-sufficiency, the second is sustainability-focused, and the final act dedicates itself to intentional living.Here's a preview:[3:00] Act 1: The hydroponic growing hype. (Stephanie's good, bad, and ugly experiences with her new grow tower)[16:00] Act 2: Electrify Everything? (Our boiler is leaking. Here's where we are at with regard to heat pumps: costs, struggles, etc.)[28:00] Act 3: More intention, please! (Here's what I'm working on to avoid the busy trap) Resources mentioned: Episode #429: Get Growing (with Kevin Espiritu) Magic Puzzle Company The 'Busy' Trap (via NY Times) --Join our (free!) community here.Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube.Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

There's convenience, and then there's *excessive* convenience. While some modern conveniences are indeed necessary and needed, the excessive ones can be detrimental to ourselves and society as a whole.Items and services of convenience are often substitutes for supportive culture and connection. On today's show historian Jennifer Newton and I discuss how culture - and specifically excessively convenient, disposable culture - perpetuates itself; we also muse on what to do if the prevailing culture no longer "fits". Here's a preview:[5:00] How'd we get here? A brief history of the Convenience Industrial Complex in America[10:00] Weak ties, strong ties, and 3 ways convenience culture reduces social connection[23:00] The average American watches 4 hours of TV a day. What are the cultural implications?[35:00] Passive and active ways to fight back against excessive convenience Resources mentioned:Sustain Initiative 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.

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday, March 8 2024:[00:30] SEC scales back its new pollution-disclosure rules[4:15] Apparently we're smuggling greenhouse gases now[9:00 It's no longer a debate! Our warm winter has human fingerprints all over it[12:00] Gray whales in the Atlantic? How is this possible? Resources mentioned:  Weirdly Warm Winter Has Climate Fingerprints All Over It, Study Says (via NY Times) Seasonal Attribution Report (via Climate Central) Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Yoga pants, baby! Athleisure is a fashion trend that features comfortable, flattering, and aesthetically pleasing athletic clothing designed to be worn all day. And while many of us turned to athleisure during the pandemic and never went back, athleisure has a dirty little secret: petroleum-based fibers.On today's show former Athleta senior fashion designer Nancy Taylor outlines what needs to happen systemically to make the the fashion industry circular; she also introduces bio-based textile innovations in the athleisure space we all should be paying attention to.  Here's a preview:[6:00] From a fashion designer's perspective, here's why athleisure is so darn amazing[12:00] What's the fashion industry's biggest problem: is it that too many products are being produced, or is that consumers simply consuming too much?[18:00] Bio-based synthetics, oh my! Here are some exciting innovations happening right now in the textile space[23:00] Are items made from recycled materials of lesser quality?[28:00] Don't forget about natural fibers and semi-synthetics when exercising! Here are the best Resources mentioned:  époque évolution Lolë Send me your eco-tips! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. 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.

Soil grows 95 percent of our food and sustains human life. But monocrops, pesticide reliance, and other modern farming methods have degraded soil health in lasting ways. Some scientists believe we have less than 60 harvests left. The way we are feeding ourselves is undermining the very ecology we’re dependent upon. The hope? Regenerative farming. On today's show Kiss The Ground's Chief Executive Officer Evan Harrison urges each of us to participate in the regenerative movement. Here's a preview:[6:00] A laundry list of all the consequences associated with degraded soil[10:00] The main reason why pesticides are a staple of the monocrop farming model, plus: what science says about degraded soil and a food's nutrient density[19:00] For people who buy and eat food (aka everyone), here's how you can support regenerative agriculture Resource mentioned:Kiss The Ground film--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 1 2024:[2:30] Air pollution and Alzheimer’s [5:00] Won't you be my neighbor? Supreme Court seems poised to halt EPA's 'good neighbor' rule [9:00] 150 Canadian 'zombie fires' just won't die[12:00] A breakdown on how air quality is measured, plus: How to find the best air quality apps   Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.   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.

“From the cradle to the grave … the [wo]man of modern times struggles through a maze of endless complication.”Although Charles Wagner penned these words over 125 years ago, they are more true today than ever before. On today’s show author Suzanne Johnson modernizes Wagner’s tenets of simple living for twenty-first century existence. Here’s a preview of the Wagner-isms we are revisiting today:[7:30] We suffer the consequences of a too artificial life[11:30] The more goods a woman has, the more she wants[18:00] Pleasure cannot be bought or sold[24:00] Obscurity is not a sign of disgrace[30:00] The realm of silence is vaster than the realm of noise[41:00] Simplicity is a state of mindResources mentioned: Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter by Elaine St. James The Simple Life by Charles Wagner —Join our (free!) community here.Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube.Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.