Sustainable Minimalists

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 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

Floods are Becoming More Common. Here’s What I Tell my Daughters (via Time Magazine)

Students, Schools, and Our Climate Moment: Acting Now to Secure Our Future

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Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com

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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 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 by Gish Jen

Frugalmatic.com

The Social Dilemma

The Light Phone

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

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

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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 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

DoTT on Instagram

 

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

Book Club! Wed. Sept 23. 7:30pm EST. Birding to Change the World (by Trish O'Kane)

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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 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

Chloë Meyer, graphic designer and book designer

The Eco-Worrier on 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

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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 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

The Summer Challenge: Touch Grass (via The NY Times)

7-Day Outdoor Reset (via IndoorEpidemic.com)

Birding to Change the World (by Trish O’Kane)

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.

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