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...

Finding ways to travel on your terms can be a challenge. We’ve become fans of the Zero To Travel podcast and hope you check it out too.

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...

Finding ways to travel on your terms can be a challenge. We’ve become fans of the Zero To Travel podcast and hope you check it out too.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.  * This show is listener-supported, and we are about halfway to goal. Thank you for considering!  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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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! >> sustainableminimalists.substack.com/ -- Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Say hello! [email protected]. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to Equilibria!...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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!)...

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...

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...

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...

“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...