Sustainable Minimalists

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 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

Beyond Plastics

This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.

 

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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 offers a formula for unlocking more deeply human, empathetic, and impactful conversations about climate change.

Resources mentioned:

This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.

Look At It This Way: Climate Solutions that will Benefit your Health and Wealth

Book Club! We're reading Beyond Decluttering: Forty Days to Simplicity Through Connection for our Wednesday, June 24 meeting at 7 pm EST. Join us!

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! [email protected].

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We've come a long way. But not necessarily in the right direction.

From the the nostalgic days of AOL Instant Messenger to 2026's high-stakes, algorithmic landscape, constant connectivity has fundamentally shifted our attention spans, our peace of mind, and the way we show up for our families.

Worse, the desire to show up online often takes us directly out of real life. It's no surprise, then, that we're feeling the mental and emotional weight of the "scroll".

We don't have to throw our phones in a lake to find the reprieve we desperately need. On today's show author Emily Feldpausch argues that it isn’t about rejecting technology. It’s about reclaiming the intentionality that the algorithms try to take away.

Here's a preview:

[5:00] Reflections on the shift from the early days of AIM and MySpace to the current user experience that often feels designed against us

[8:45] How being always on has eroded our collective sense of peace and altered the dynamics of modern family life

[18:00] How to stop checking in and start being present

[23:00] A candid look at 2026 internet culture, from shopping hauls to harmful beauty standards. Can we still find corners of the web that align with our true values?

[27:00] Emily's personal strategies for maintaining phone boundaries to protect her mental space

 
Resources mentioned:

This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.

Technology Is Getting Worse

The Unfollow Effect: Intentional Living in a Digital Age

Book Club

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Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

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In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, emerging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.

To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss  the "dumb phone" movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us

[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here's why the tools and tricks don't work for the vast majority of us

[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide

[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more "friction"

[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!

Resources mentioned:

How an old-school flip phone changed my life (via Consumer Reports)

This detox may erase 10 years of social media brain damage, researchers say (via The Washington Post)

The Brick phone access blocker device

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

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In a world obsessed with consumption, we may try to buy our way into a sense of belonging. But a true feeling of “home” isn’t found in the latest trends or newest decor. It’s actually built by aligning our spaces with our deepest, core needs.

The link between our environment and our well-being goes far beyond aesthetics. On today’s show, author Leidy Klotz offers research-backed strategies for designing spaces that move beyond what’s “on-trend” and instead meet our core human needs of agency, growth, and connection.
Resources mentioned:

Episode #184: In Defense of Subtraction

In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive (via Bookshop.org)

 

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! [email protected].

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