Sustainable Minimalists

Surprise, surprise: Our culture reveres youth. Getting older, then, becomes a dreaded rite of passage that many of us feel we must outrun. And although dyeing our graying hair is one way in which we can turn back the clock for at least a little while, conventional dyes are full of toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, ammonia, and titanium dioxide, to name a few. This week, guest Megan Mikkelson...

“I’m desperate for tips about staying organized in a two bed townhouse. My husband and I have a 13 month old and are thinking of adding another to our family soon.  Our son shares the spare room with some storage and furniture while my husband is working from home from a desk in our bedroom. We don’t have heaps of toys, but there are some sentimental items like furniture, essential woodworking and...

The global pandemic may have reduced the scope of your social circle. And while pandemics can indeed lead to isolation and loneliness, they may also usher in clarity about what—or in this case, who—is truly important. There are deep friendships and there are not-so-deep ones: are there benefits to intentionally nurturing fewer friendships while simultaneously giving your soul-level connections you...

“Hi Stephanie, One topic I’d like covered is the ways in which trying to live a low impact lifestyle can actually contradict each other. Secondhand polyester, or eco-friendly fibers but new? Plant-based but packaged food, or animal-based and package-free? Thanks for any help you can offer. – Heather”   We’ve all been there: we want to do better, but eco-contradictions trip us up. Even worse, in mo...

Ready to embrace pre-loved clothing but hate that thrift stores and online marketplaces sell last season’s fast fashion discards? If so, secondhand vintage may be for you. Vintage items by definition are made from quality materials with skilled craftsmanship. Incorporating select vintage pieces into your wardrobe, then, is an intentional to prioritize quality over quantity. I believe it’s importan...

“Hey Stephanie, I’m wondering what some of your tips are when it comes to preparing for a baby for the first time when you want to maintain a minimalist lifestyle. Thank you.”   Want to be a minimalist parent but don’t know where to start? This short-and-sweet bonus episode lays bare my down-and-dirty, not-so-socially-acceptable advice. Here’s a preview: [3;30] The bare minimum: Stephanie’s list o...

When discussing reducing toxin exposure, we often frame the conversation in terms of cleaning up our beauty and home products. But there are plenty of toxins in our food, and that’s why simple, clean eating is so darn important. My guest this week is Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist and author Tonya Harris. Tonya experienced the benefits of a healthier food firsthand when her son—who displaye...

“I just moved to a small country town and for some reason they stopped accepting glass for recycling. I had purposely been buying more glass products to avoid plastic as much as possible … I don’t know what to do. Do you have any suggestions?”   US recycling is in chaos, and packaging materials that were once recyclable may likely be headed to your local landfill. What’s an eco-conscious consumer...

We women have been primed since we were young to be critical of our bodies. Even though we’re adults—and even though we know better!—it’s natural to revert to what society tells us about the connection between body shape and self-worth. A negative body image impacts us all (regardless of size!), and minimalism is here to help. My guest this week is Wavelength founder Sarah Stites. Sarah gained sig...

Perfectly manicured hands and feet are the norm in 2021, and many of us feel out of place when we choose to abandon what’s socially accepted. But there’s a “toxic trio” of chemicals in nail polish (toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate) and these chemicals leak through our nail beds and into our bloodstreams. What’s the true cost, then, of fitting in? Is fitting in worth it if doing so harms...

Uses for Essential Oils An essential oil is not quite a perfume and not exactly a medicine. Still, advocates promise the uses for essential oils are many, and their benefits include better sleep, reduced anxiety, improved overall well-being, to name a few. Are essential oils worth the hype, or are they just another product that makes oversized promises? On this short and sweet bonus episode, I’m a...

How to downsize your home (and help older relatives do the same)   Downsizing is physically and emotionally exhausting. The job becomes infinitely harder when you’re tasked with helping older relatives—your parents, perhaps—clear out their attics and basements overflowing with items they’ve accumulated throughout the decades. Should you consider downsizing and decluttering now so your kids don’t o...

I once aspired to design my home’s interior the way I saw design done in my favorite home decor catalogs, which is to say I chased an aesthetic that was white, pristine, and contemporary. But doubling down on what’s new and in style left little room for displaying trinkets with stories, passed-down but quality furniture, and antiques that infuse uniqueness. I had created a beautiful space, yes, bu...

Curating a Healthy House What’s eco-friendly also tends to be non-toxic, and if you’re like most sustainable minimalists, you likely aspire to curate a healthy house that supports your eco-minimalist ideals. Yet non-toxic products can be difficult to find; they tend to be expensive, too. Today I’m speaking with the brains behind Shades of Green, Angela Wade and Ellen Strickland. Shades of Green is...

How to Host a (No Plastic) Party   Like to entertain but hate the overwhelm? Join the club. While it feels so right to open your home to your loved ones for dinner parties, barbecues, and holidays, being chained to the kitchen (and the dirty dishes!) feels oh, so wrong. The alternative is equally cringe-worthy: Heaps of plastic plates, cups, and cutlery in the trash? No thanks. This week, I speak...

Why is it that, in times of fear, society reverts back to relying on single-use disposables? COVID-19 will have lasting effects on the environmental movement. While some of such effects—like embracing forced slowness, for example—took cars off the road and reduced worldwide carbon emissions in the short-term, our propensity toward fear-based buying over the past year has littered the planet. Indee...

Palm oil: Ever hear of it? Imports of the stuff to the United States have risen a whopping 263% in the last 15 years and, these days, it’s in our toothpaste, our shampoo, our pet’s food, our makeup, and more. Palm oil is in nearly everything, and its cultivation has dire consequences for our planet. This week, I speak with award-winning journalist and author Jocelyn Zuckerman. Jocelyn traveled to...

Sustainable toys provide countless benefits to both children and the planet yet, still, finding such toys can be difficult. What, exactly, makes a toy sustainable? Are wooden toys (ahem … Melissa & Doug) considered eco-friendly simply because they are made of wood? These days, most toys are made of plastics; stuffed animals and dolls are also made of artificial (read: plastic) fibers. Through a co...

How To Be Happy In A Small Home   Choosing to live in a small home is one of the most basic ways we can both reduce our carbon footprints and curb unnecessary spending. Indeed, while living small (not necessarily tiny!) is the epitome of sustainable minimalism, it can be difficult to intentionally embrace less square footage in a culture that suggests bigger is best. It’s a real conundrum: We reve...

When humans solve problems, we often overlook an incredibly powerful option: Subtraction. We add baskets and bins to fix organizational issues within the home. We buy new clothes when we find ourselves frustrated with our wardrobes. In correspondence, we get loquacious in efforts of making our points. In design fields, we add elements to improve “flow”. In short, addition rules. But intentional su...

The Circular Economy’s Benefits for You and Me   ** Like this show? Want to help it grow? Please leave it a quick review on Apple Podcasts, and thank you! **    Our “take-make-waste” economy has cost consumers billions of dollars and has cheated us out of an inhabitable planet.  But it doesn’t have to be this way: embracing a circular economy will save taxpayer money, preserve resources, and lead...

Finding your Minimalist Mindset   It’s often the case that we are our own worst enemies. It’s easy to fall back into old habits and old ways of thinking—it’s too easy, in fact, to revert to what we’ve always done. Indeed, in my capacity as host of this podcast, I often hear the same struggle from you, my listeners: it’s really darn hard to both find and maintain your minimalist mindset for the lon...

Tips for an organized home with kids   Staying on top of tidiness can be stress-inducing, time-sucking, and never-ending. If it seems as though your home never looks or feels the way you want it, know that maintaining an organized space with kids is hard work, but it’s possible. This week, I speak with professional organizer Elise Hay. Elise believes there’s only one way to have a tidy home with c...

Pop Culture and the Environmental Movement Today   In recent years, pop culture has raised important questions about the environmental movement today, and people are listening. Because while it can be easy to dissociate from media coverage surrounding global warming, climate change, and environmental racism, it’s much harder to do so when pop culture pushes the narrative. The relationship between...

Minimalist beauty for the conscious consumer   Toner, exfoliant, emulsion, eye cream, and that’s all before breakfast: The average woman uses 12 beauty products each and every day. But are these products actually necessary? What are the benefits to a minimalist beauty routine, and how do you start simplifying your existing one? On today’s show we are applying the tenets of sustainable minimalism t...