Sustainable in the Suburbs

Climate action begins at the kitchen table — and a more sustainable kitchen starts with knowing where to focus.
In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah talks with Naomi Hansen, author of Building a Sustainable Kitchen: A Practical Guide to Prioritizing the Planet from the Heart of Your Home, about what actually matters when it comes to food, waste, and climate action at home.
Together, they explore why the kitchen is such a powerful place to begin, how food waste connects to bigger climate solutions, and why the most sustainable choice is not always the one that looks the most sustainable from the outside.
Takeaways
Why the kitchen is a meaningful place to start with climate action
How food waste connects to sustainability and climate impact
Why some popular sustainable swaps only scratch the surface
How to think about trade-offs, like packaging versus wasted food
Why individual action still matters, especially when it spreads through families, friends, and communities
Connect with Naomi
Website
Instagram
Building a Sustainable Kitchen (book) 
Resources
Drawdown:The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming - Paul Hawken (book)
How to Prevent Food Waste With Kids (blog post)
11 Ways to Reuse Food Scraps (blog post)
10 Zero Waste Kitchen Swaps That Save You Money (blog post)
Related Episodes
Ep. 4 - How to Conduct a Household Waste Audit
Ep. 13 - Beeswax Wraps 101
Ep. 45 - How to Spend Less on Groceries by Reducing Food Waste
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Connect With Me
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Can you be sustainable in the suburbs? Well, yes and no.
Suburban life can make sustainable living complicated — especially when communities are built around cars, convenience, private space, and consumption. But the suburbs are also where so many of us live, raise families, volunteer, vote, garden, organize, and build community.
So what does climate action actually look like here?
This episode looks at sustainable living in the suburbs beyond eco swaps and bigger purchases, and asks what becomes possible when we start thinking about our neighbourhoods, local politics, shared resources, and community resilience.
Takeaways
Why suburban sustainability is complicated, but very doable
How car dependency shapes the landscape and our daily choices
Why the suburbs should not be written off in climate conversations
How sustainable living goes beyond buying greener products
Why free, inexpensive, and investment-level actions all matter
How community resilience and local politics shape what comes next
One Small Shift
Choose one free action that connects your household to your community.
Sustainability is something we practise, share, and build where we live — and sometimes that starts with one small step outside our own front door.
Related Episodes
Ep. 7 - Rethinking Zero Waste and Building Community Care
Ep. 12 - How to Quit Using Amazon (and Why You Should)
Ep. 24: 5 Sustainable Living Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)
Ep. 36: How to Host a Clothing Swap
Ep. 42: Overwhelmed by Climate Change? Start Here.
Ep. 45: How To Spend Less on Groceries by Reducing Food Waste
Blog Posts
50 Ways to Be More Sustainable
How to Drive Less in the Suburbs
How to Start Living Sustainably
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Back in 2020, I was a guest on the now inactive podcast Practical(ly) Zero Waste, hosted by Elsbeth Callaghan. At the time, my kids were little, the zero waste movement online was deep in its “trash jar” era, and many of us were trying to figure out what sustainable living looked like outside of perfectly curated Instagram squares.
Six years later, a lot has changed.
Kids are older, life looks different, and both of us have let go of a lot of the pressure and aesthetics that surrounded zero waste in those early online days. But underneath all of that, the values are still very much the same.
In this full-circle conversation for Episode 50 of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Elsbeth and I talk about what sustainable living looks like now: parenting teenagers and young kids, balancing low waste goals with real life, navigating burnout and social media, building community, and why consistency matters a whole lot more than perfection.
We also talk about what we’ve kept, what we’ve let go of, and how many of the “small shifts” we started years ago have quietly become lifelong habits.
Takeaways
Why sustainable living looks very different after years of actually living it
The shift from perfection and aesthetics toward values and consistency
Raising eco-conscious kids through everyday habits rather than pressure
How composting, secondhand shopping, and reusables became family routines
The connection between sustainability, community, and raising responsible citizens
Why slowing down is often the most sustainable choice
How “eco-frugal” living can save money while reducing waste
Navigating low waste living with celiac disease and accessibility needs
One Small Shift
You can always start again.
Even if you’ve fallen out of old habits, even if life looks completely different now, small intentional changes still matter. Start with one thing that feels manageable and build from there.
Resources
Practical(ly) Zero Waste
PZW - Ep. 69: Raising Eco Kids
Inkwood Print Shop
Related Episodes
4: How to Conduct a Household Waste Audit
11: Money, Enoughness, and Community Care with Women’s Personal Finance
12: How to Quit Using Amazon (and Why You Should)
Support the show
Connect With Me
Website
Newsletter
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Support the Show
Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

In this episode, I’m talking about what sustainable living with kids actually looks like in real life. Not the Instagram version — the real version. The conversations, the habits, the overwhelm, the convenience culture, and the small shifts that slowly become part of how your family moves through the world.
Takeaways
Kids learn consumption habits by watching us
Sustainable living with kids is about buying less, not buying “eco” products
Convenience culture is deeply connected to overwhelm and mental load
Small habits shape how kids think about waste, spending, and consumption
Involving kids in the “why” helps sustainability become a mindset
Sustainability conversations naturally deepen as kids grow
It’s never too late to start having these conversations as a family
One Small Shift
Have a family conversation about consumption, waste, or sustainability this week. Ask your kids what they notice, what they care about, and what ideas they have. You might be surprised by the answers.
Resources
10 Tips for Going Zero With Kids
How to Do a Trash Audit With Kids
Thrift Shopping for Kids
How to Prevent Food Waste With Kids
Becoming a Zero Waste Family
How to Pack a Zero Waste School Lunch
Related Episodes
Ep. 16: Sustainable Living with Kids — Save Money and Reduce Waste with Jessica Nakamura
Ep. 17: How to Raise Eco-Friendly Kids with Talayna Zacharias
Ep. 22: From Refills to Resilience — Simple, Real-Life Sustainable Living with Julie Darrell
Ep. 32: Overstimulation, Overconsumption, and the Pressure to Do More with Gillian Gabryluk
Ep. 40 – How to Host a Zero Waste Birthday Party for Kids 
Ep. 46: How to Talk to Kids About Climate Change with Brittany Jefferson
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Connect With Me
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Support the Show
Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Sustainability advice is everywhere — and even when you care, even when you’re trying to pay attention, it can be hard to know what actually matters.
In this episode, I’m joined by Alexa Pavan of Go Green With Alexa, a climate communicator and copywriter who’s focused on making sustainability more understandable, more approachable, and a lot more connected to real life.
We talk about what it looks like to move through all of that information — how to figure out what’s credible, what’s actually helpful, and how to take those bigger ideas and bring them into your day-to-day life.
From composting and food waste to media literacy and community action, this conversation is about finding your footing in a space that can feel overwhelming and remembering that sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated to matter.
Takeaways
Sustainability advice can feel overwhelming — slowing down and checking sources helps you build confidence in what you’re seeing and sharing.
Food waste is one of the most impactful places to start, both environmentally and financially.
Composting is a powerful way to reduce waste, especially when it’s supported at a larger, community level.
Sustainable living looks different in every household — it needs to fit your life to stick.
Small, everyday choices can extend beyond the home and shape communities and local systems.
Civic engagement is part of building greener communities.
Creativity and problem-solving are part of sustainable living.
One Small Shift
Start paying attention to what’s around you. Get curious about the life cycle of an object near you. Building awareness is the first step toward making more intentional choices.
Connect With Alexa
Website
Instagram
YouTube
Resources
Household Waste Audit Workbook (free resource)
How to Prevent Food Waste With Kids (blog post)
11 Ways to Reuse Food Scraps (blog post)
Related Episodes
24: 5 Sustainable Living Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)
45: Food Waste Is Costing You — How to Spend Less on Groceries with Chelsey Schmuland
46: How to Understand Climate Change (and Talk About It With Your Kids) with Brittany Jefferson
Support the show
Connect With Me
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Shop
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Support the Show
Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.