Extreme heat, wildfires, flash floods, and poor air quality are no longer abstract future projections—they form the backdrop of our kids' childhoods. Right now, extreme weather and their subsequent environmental factors are directly impacting our children's physical health, brain development, and outdoor play.

On today's show, national climate advisor Dr. Laura Schifter [https://www.aspeninstitute.org/people/laura-schifter/] offers urgent, practical advice for protecting our children, fostering resilience, and moving from climate anxiety into meaningful family action.

Here's a preview:

[11:00] Should we send our kids to summer camp during a heat wave? Play outdoor sports?

[16:00] Every school district should have plans in place for both extreme heat and extreme weather. Here are the questions to ask

[15:00] Moving beyond "stop, drop, and roll" to age-appropriate responses for flash floods, poor air quality days, and extreme heat

[24:00] For the sports moms and dads: Three things to keep in mind

[26:00] Exactly how to explain climate change to your children, word-for-word

[38:00] We really need to be talking about climate change more, and here's why

Resources mentioned:

 * EPA Releases Report Showing Health Impacts of Climate Change on Children in the United States [https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-report-showing-health-impacts-climate-change-children-united-states]
 * Floods are Becoming More Common. Here’s What I Tell my Daughters [https://time.com/7302203/floods-are-becoming-more-common/] (via Time Magazine)
 * Students, Schools, and Our Climate Moment: Acting Now to Secure Our Future [https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682539484/students-schools-and-our-climate-moment/]

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com


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Climate-Conscious Parenting

In a world dominated by digital noise, reclaiming our peace has become one of the most urgent challenges of modern life. For parents, the stakes are even higher. How do we set healthy screen boundaries for our tech-obsessed kids? Where do we draw the line as artificial intelligence inserts itself in our homes and routines?

On today's show writer, father, and dumb phone user Andrew Broman [https://frugalmatic.com/] explores what it really takes to disengage from the smartphone ecosystem and cultivate an intentional approach to emerging technology for both ourselves and our families.

 

Here's a preview:

[6:00] Is the tech serving you, or are you serving the tech?

[11:00] On the importance of taking your attention span and stretching it like a rubber band

[15:00] Advice for parents with tech-obsessed kids

[26:00] Bring back the landline! Seriously!

[33:00] What 18 pints of Ben & Jerry's taught Stephanie about self-control

[38:00] From attention to affection and attachment: When it comes to AI, where's the line?

 

Resources mentioned:

 * The Resisters [https://amzn.to/3Sl6ei8] by Gish Jen
 * Frugalmatic.com [https://frugalmatic.com/]
 * The Social Dilemma [https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224]
 * The Light Phone [https://www.thelightphone.com/]
 * Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World [https://amzn.to/4q557zt] by Cal Newport

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com


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Low_Tech Living

Ever wonder where your bags of donated clothes actually end up?

Most of us treat dropping off a bag at a donation bin like a magic trick. We hand it over, walk away, and assume it finds a good home.

But very often, away is Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, where 15 million secondhand garments arrive every single week.

On today’s show, contemporary artist Emmanuel “DoTT” Kunfaa [https://www.trashoffame.com/] pulls back the curtain on the dark side of donating and highlights they ways in which the illusion of charity is feeding waste colonialism.

 

Here's a preview:

[6:30] What really happens to your donated clothes once they leave your hands

[11:00] Kantamanto used to be a success story in circularity. What changed? (Hint: fast fashion.)

[15:00] Musings on expensive handbags. What purpose do they actually serve?

[22:00] Five things we can all do better when it comes to buying and donating clothes

 

Resources mentioned:

 * Trash of Fame [https://www.trashoffame.com/]
 * DoTT on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/groovy_dott/]

 
 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com
 * Book Club! Wed. Sept 23. 7:30pm EST. Birding to Change the World [https://bookshop.org/p/books/birding-to-change-the-world-a-memoir-trish-o-kane/71da4e49a1586318?ean=9780063223165] (by Trish O'Kane)


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The "Away" Illusion

When the world is burning, finding joy can feel impossible—or worse, selfish. How do we make space for celebration without turning a blind eye to reality? Why would we even want to?

While it can feel like a heavy lift, practicing joy is, in fact, an act of resistance. Joy prevents burnout, moves energy, builds solidarity, and promotes resilience.

On today’s show, author Cheryl Leutjen [https://cherylleutjen.com/] dives into the idea that choosing delight counters the oppressive systems that thrive on our exhaustion, isolation, and apathy.

Here’s a preview:

[5:30] Are we dancing while the Titanic sinks?

[10:00] Grief and anger are essential catalysts for change, but they’re terrible long-term fuels

[15:00] We’re so much more than consumers! Here’s how joy helps us reclaim our full humanity which has been lost under capitalism

[18:00] Community is medicine. We aren’t meant to carry the weight of the world alone!

Resources mentioned:

 * Party on Purpose: Your Complete Guide to Eco-Chic Entertaining [https://cherylleutjen.com/party-on-purpose]
 * Chloë Meyer, graphic designer and book designer [https://www.chloe-meyer.com/]
 * The Eco-Worrier on Substack [https://substack.com/@loveearthnow]

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joy is Resistance

Are we treating the symptoms of modern life while simultaneously ignoring our habitat?

The average American now spends 93% of their life indoors. But humans evolved for millennia alongside the natural world, and research suggests that our indoor lifestyle is disrupting our sleep, focus and long-term health.

You don’t need a gym membership or expensive workout gear to get your health back on track. On today’s show, Dr. John La Puma [https://www.drjohnlapuma.com/] argues that all you need is a 17-minute dose of nature, every single day.

Here’s a preview:

[4:00] Modern medicine tends to prioritize intervention over prevention. But why?

[7:30] We’re taught to fear the outdoors, but indoor living can be directly harmful in ways we’re only beginning to understand

[11:30] Why it’s time to view “screen time” as “ultra-processed time”

[16:00] Exactly how a daily dose of morning sunlight resets insulin sensitivity, hunger timing, and prefrontal cortex function

[30:00] Outside exercise is better for you than inside exercise, so take your movement outdoors!

Resources mentioned:

 * Indoor Epidemic: 93% Inside Steals Sleep, Focus & Years—The 7% Outdoor Rx Restores Them [https://bookshop.org/p/books/indoor-epidemic-93-inside-steals-sleep-focus-years-the-7-outdoor-rx-restores-them-dr-john-la-puma-md/bed9377a37a7c920?ean=9798993510903]
 * The Summer Challenge: Touch Grass [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/04/well/summer-challenge-touch-grass-outdoors-benefits.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nlA.4Rrz.0yVxB_uTftMP] (via The NY Times)
 * 7-Day Outdoor Reset [https://www.drjohnlapuma.com/7-days-to-reset-your-biology/] (via IndoorEpidemic.com)
 * Birding to Change the World [https://bookshop.org/p/books/birding-to-change-the-world-a-memoir-trish-o-kane/71da4e49a1586318?ean=9780063223165] (by Trish O’Kane)

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


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Nature As Medicine

What started in 2011 with just one woman and a small local government has exploded into a worldwide movement of over 174 million people. That movement is Plastic Free July.

Yet 15 years after the challenge’s inception, plastic production continues to exponentially grow. It’s all-too easy to dismiss the challenge as little more than an opportunity to post a picture of a bamboo toothbrush on social media.

But we aren’t just facing a litter problem anymore; we’re facing climate and health crises. A July that’s free of plastic is about building permanent habits, changing your relationship with “stuff,” and sending a clear message to corporations that you don’t want all this plastic junk.

On today’s show, challenge leader Emily Emond joins us to share her top tips for cutting through the overwhelm and setting yourself up for success during Plastic Free July.

 

Here's a preview:

[6:15] Is Plastic-Free July beneficial, or purely performative?

[9:00] On why using less plastic is supports your family’s health

[13:30] Set yourself up for success: Five things you can do right now

[23:00] Nothing changes if nothing changes!

Resources mentioned:
 * Plastic Free July [https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/]
 * Emily's challenge [https://www.zerowasteunicorn.com/reduceplastic]
 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plastic Free July

Every week, we drag our trash bins to the curb, close the lid, and forget about them. But where does "away" actually go? And does the mere existence of waste "management" mean we can continue to consume more and more without major consequence?

On today's show, author and sanitation worker Simon Paré-Poupart discusses what he's learned in his 20 years on the back of a Montreal haul truck. He's here to pull back the curtain on the grueling yet essential work of waste collection. He's also here to offer a  sociological reflection on modern consumerism, systemic waste, and the human cost of hiding our cultural detritus.

Here's a preview:

[5:00] We didn't always have all this trash, and we didn't always have a need for "waste management"

[12:00] A society's trash reveals an awful lot about a society. What does our trash reveal about us?

[19:00] Recycling might give us a boost of moral satisfaction, but that moral satisfaction is ultimately just fuel to buy more stuff

[22:00] On why waste management is integral to maintaining the status quo

[27:30] The mere existence waste management is a symptom of this much larger problem

Resources mentioned:

 * Trash! A Garbageman's Story [https://amzn.to/4aihulg]
 * The Books Times Readers Are Most Excited About This Summer [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/books/most-saved-books-summer.html] (via The New York Times)
 * Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash [https://amzn.to/4wadbRz] (by Suzanne Strasser)
 * Book Club! We're reading Beyond Decluttering: Forty Days to Simplicity Through Connection [https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-decluttering-40-days-to-experiencing-simplicity-through-connection-suzanne-searcy-johnson/76e89959cccf0506?ean=9798994335703&next=t] for our Wednesday, June 24 meeting at 7 pm EST. Join us! Details here. [https://open.substack.com/pub/sustainableminimalists/p/book-club-this-wednesday-june-24?r=2mk48a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web]

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What We Leave Behind

New things are everywhere—and they’re causing us to disconnect from what we value most.

In a world that constantly tells us that new is better, our relentless pursuit of material wealth is costing us money, time and happiness. Worse, when we define ourselves by what we own rather than who we are, we reduce our lives to a single, superficial dimension.

On today’s show, New York Times journalist Eric Athas [https://ericathas.com/] offers advice for stepping away from the cycle of constant buying, saying no to shallowness, and discovering the right kind of “new” in our lives.

Here's a preview:

[8:00] We're wired to become bored the familiar, and other truths to newness

[16:00] Consumption has costs! (In fact, it robs us of our finite attention, dilutes our capacity for genuine enjoyment, and misaligns our pursuit of happiness.)

[26:00] Musings on the ways in which overconsumption leads to superficiality

[37:00] Put down the trinket! Redefining what it means to experience novelty, growth, and freshness without relying on a transaction

Resources mentioned:
 * Saying No to New: Why New Things Are Stealing Your Time, Money, and Happiness―And How to Take Back Your Life [https://amzn.to/49GL3wz]
 * This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance [https://fearlessfinance.com/]. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.
 * Book Club! We're reading Beyond Decluttering: Forty Days to Simplicity Through Connection [https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-decluttering-40-days-to-experiencing-simplicity-through-connection-suzanne-searcy-johnson/76e89959cccf0506?ean=9798994335703&next=t] for our Wednesday, June 24 meeting at 7 pm EST. Join us!

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Saying No To New

The plastic-drenched, disposable world we live in didn’t happen by accident. It was slowly, methodically built by Big Oil.

They’re doing everything in their power to get people to use as much plastic as possible, all so they can make money from every single molecule they extract from the ground. And right now, they’re pouring billions of dollars into plans to double, or even triple, plastic production by 2050.

This week, award-winning environmental journalist Beth Gardiner [https://www.bethgardiner.com/] joins us to pull back the curtain on who’s behind all this plastic and why. We explore why production is skyrocketing despite consumer pushback, how the myth of recycling keeps us distracted, and why naming the real culprits is the first step toward true systemic change.

Resources mentioned:

 * Plastic Inc: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil’s Biggest Bet [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747797/plastic-inc-by-beth-gardiner/]
 * Beyond Plastics [https://www.beyondplastics.org/]
 * This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance [https://fearlessfinance.com/]. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.

 
 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere

Why aren't we talking about the elephant in the room?

Broaching the topic of climate change can be socially awkward at best and polarizing at worst. In fact, psychology, evolutionary biology and modern day tribalism keep many of us tongue-tied.

But staying quiet isn't an option. Breaking the silence around our warming planet is one of the most powerful tools we have for systemic change. On today's show, author and climate scientist Norm Leo [https://normleo.com/] offers a formula for unlocking more deeply human, empathetic, and impactful conversations about climate change.

Resources mentioned:

 * This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance [https://fearlessfinance.com/]. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.
 * Look At It This Way: Climate Solutions that will Benefit your Health and Wealth [https://bookshop.org/p/books/look-at-it-this-way-climate-change-solutions-will-benefit-your-health-and-wealth-norm-leo/7e8b3214922b5c7f?ean=9781665786218&next=t]
 * Book Club! We're reading Beyond Decluttering: Forty Days to Simplicity Through Connection [https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-decluttering-40-days-to-experiencing-simplicity-through-connection-suzanne-searcy-johnson/76e89959cccf0506?ean=9798994335703&next=t] for our Wednesday, June 24 meeting at 7 pm EST. Join us!

 * This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! [https://sustainableminimalists.substack.com/]
 * Join our (free!) Facebook community here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/134165317219800/].
 * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/SustainableMinimalists/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainableminimalists/] + Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEjOfANT67KkwTTp3pgSOg] @sustainableminimalists
 * Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sustainable Minimalists