When the climate narrative is all doom and gloom, many of us find it difficult to rally. It's the Snooze Button Effect in real-time: the barrage of "climate apocalypse" headlines lose their urgency, their potency. If you're desensitized to environmental news, know that you're not alone. Today I speak with angry-activist-turned-climate optimist Anne Therese Gennari about becoming more resilient and motivated when confronting the climate crisis –  and why optimism is key when it comes to rethinking how we live in this world. Welcome to Climate Optimism Week! Today’s show is the first in a two-part series outlining reasons to be hopeful in the climate fight. Here's a preview:  [5:00] How can we be climate optimists when the planet’s future looks so dire? [11:30] 2 benefits to toning down the urgency  [20:00] Can capitalism be our ally in the climate fight? [25:00] What it really means to maximize your positive footprint Resources mentioned:  What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming: Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action by Per Espen Stoknes Upchoose -- Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday June 13, 2023.

If you're dedicated to leaving the world a better place than you found it, you're ready to become an advocate.

How to create a marketplace that puts consumers — not mega corporations! — first. 

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday June 16, 2023: [00:30] German homeowners and financial sacrifice (heat pumps are expensive!) [04:00] Should we sacrifice the Great American landscape in the name of clean energy?  [11:00] Here's how South Koreans are making eco-sacrifices in real time Resources mentioned: Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

How to flip 6 common cognitive distortions for greater happiness and well-being.

Drama-free decluttering with kids is possible! Here's how.

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday June 9, 2023.

5 steps to bare-bones home maintenance that will get your home back to functioning in 20 minutes or less.

It's 2023 and upgrade culture is fierce. For many of us, wanting something is as good a reason as any to go out and buy it. And wanting a newer model of an item you already have? Just another excuse to splurge. Today's show is less of an interview and more of a conversation with the anti-upgrade king (a.k.a. my husband) about how we attempt to keep upgrade culture at bay in our own home. Here's a preview: [5:30] Don't forget utility! [7:30] Thoughts on the connection between upgrade culture and performative wealth [9:00] Why we don't buy stuff for our daughters "just because" [15:00] Tech-free homes as a sneaky anti-upgrade power move [18:00] The quiet power embedded within simply saying nothing [23:00] Why and how to steer clear of the parenting path of least resistance, plus: How to teach your kids to care for their stuff Resources Mentioned: National Crayon Recycling Program -- Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday June 2, 2023.

Do we *really* need to swap out these 8 household items with newer models?

Sustainability chatter often centers around the importance of being selfless: Do better for waterways and ecosystems. Do better for endangered animals and, of course, do better for future generations, won't you? But humans tend to be self-centered as a species, and expert marketing has trained us to prioritize our personal whims over the collective. The result? Many tend to help others only if their needs and wants first feel fully fulfilled. Self-centeredness has a universal benefit: planetary wellness *always* starts with personal wellness. On today's show Brienne Derosier introduces her concept of the Wellness Onion as a means of explaining how caring for ourselves is a smart and sneaky means of learning to care for all things everywhere. Here's a preview: [5:30] Layer One: What are you consuming? [10:00] It's less about how you look and more about how you feel. Here's why [12:00] Layer Two: What are you putting on your body? [22:00] Layer Three: What are you putting in your home? [32:00] Layer Four: What is your long-term legacy? Resources mentioned: The International Living Future Institute -- Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday May 25, 2023: [00:30] The future of plastic [3:00] The relationship between heat and a poor night's sleep [5:00] Yay or nay: Should we relocate species endangered by climate change? [10:00] The Colorado River's woes Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

It's almost always advisable to refrain from rash actions when emotionally charged, and rage decluttering is no exception. While filling that trash bag may feel great in the moment, enter guilt and shame shortly after. Often feel the impulse to rage clean and declutter? Today I speak with coach Leslie Alder about what to do instead. Here's a preview: [3:00] Rage decluttering isn't about stuff; it's about control [9:00] Getting to the root of the trigger, plus: shame and guilt's consequences [21:00] Exactly how to process our big adult feelings without grabbing the trash bag [27:00] Getting out of the house to refresh your perspective (Srsly, just leave!) [32:00] The antidote to periodic rage declutters? The quarantine box Resources mentioned: Leslie on Instagram Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday May 18, 2023.

Maintaining a balanced life isn’t effortless. It takes constant adjustment and re-adjustment to remain steady. The good news? When our health, wellness, or happiness feels a little off, the solution is often as simple as a few tweaks to our mostly-working routines. It pays to take time to re-focus on the basics, and that's what we're doing today. Here's a preview: [6:30] Are you a Toyota, or are you a Lamborghini? (hint: you're a Lamborghini.) [10:30] The 30-second daily practice that promises to transform your life [16:00] Meaningful connections with other humans are worth the effort. Here's why [21:00] Why it's important to be bored Resources mentioned: Episode #365: Old Fashioned On Purpose Episode #300: The Golden Triangle Episode #369: The Commercialization Of Kids David's toothpaste -- Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The ways in which technology exploits children (and what we can do about it at home).

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday May 12, 2023: [00:30] An Alberta wildfires update [2:00] Unplugged and offshore: The risks associated with 14,000 unplugged oil and gas wells in the Gulf [6:30] Renewable energy and 266,410 square miles [13:00] A sneak peek into our electric vehicle future Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

Are you consuming the news, or is the news consuming you?

Fancy possessions isn't the way: How to find fulfillment by silencing your mental and emotional clutter.

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday May 5, 2023: [00:30] Dear gas stoves, Buh-bye! Love, New York [2:00] Move over, Arabica: Why Liberica excelsa coffee may soon be in your mug [5:00] Harnessing the knowledge of indigenous communities to curb global warming [11:00] The world's leaders are looking to solar geo-engineering for quick, easy warming wins. Here's why Resources mentioned: Episode #230: A Better Cup Of (Ethical) Coffee Join our (free!) community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Our Sponsors: * Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The tools you need to find an environmental nonprofit that speaks to your heart and treats your money right.

In the name of convenience, manufacturers sold us the promise that their products make life easier. And while such gadgets, appliances, and electronics have indeed taken over much of the physical labor associated with living, they have also eliminated many of the core competencies that once grounded us, connected us, and made us whole.It's no surprise that many of us feel like something's missing.It's a time of unprecedented technology and ease, sure, but still: many of us find ourselves craving a simpler way. If you've ever wondered whether you're working far too hard at all the wrong endeavors, today's conversation with podcaster Jill Winger is here to help. Here's a preview: [8:00] Uncovering our collective 'modern malaise'[12:00] The good, bag, and ugly: 3 ways in which industrialization has impacted our quality of life[18:00] Want to be very slightly more self-sufficient? Here are some suggestions for where to start[25:00] 2 steps to adopting an old-fashioned mindset right where you are Resources mentioned:Jill on Instagram--Join our (free!) community here.Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube.Email me and say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

The enviro-news you need to know for Friday April 28, 2023.