Sustainable Minimalists

Why is it so hard to find clean beauty products?   Got clean beauty? If you’re like most American women, the answer is (probably) no. Each day, the average woman slathers on twelve beauty products (or over 100 unregulated chemicals!). Beauty brands use the term “clean” to highlight products without controversial ingredients. But without regulation, virtually any product can label itself clean without consequence. “Clean” therefore becomes just another marketing descriptor that corporations smack on product labels to catch consumers’ attention. On this week’s episode we identify the worst personal care product offenders then clean up our beauty regimens, once and for all. Here’s a preview of today’s episode:   [2:22] The toxic truth behind “clean” beauty products [5:40] Product labels and their misleading claims [11:11] How to become a non-toxic sleuth with clean beauty apps [14:55] The best non-toxic beauty products (some with sustainable packaging!) as rated by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database   The Best of the Best Beauty Products are:   Facial cleanser: ATTITUDE Blooming Belly face cleanser Bar soap: Opas 100% Natural Clementine Soap Body wash: ATTITUDE Super Leaves shower gel Toothpaste: Dr. Brite Berrylicious Antiplaque toothpaste  Shaving cream: Soap for Goodness Sake Shaving Bar Deodorant: Each & Every Natural Deodorant   Hair care:   Detangler: Boyzz Only No Nonsense detangler Hair spray: Qet Botanicals Shampoo & conditioner: Herbal Essences Bio: Renew Sulfate-Free Shampoo & Conditioner    Products for children:   Baby shampoo: ATTITUDE 2-in-1 baby shampoo  Bubble bath: Everyone 3-in-1 Shampoo, Body Wash & Bubble Bath Diaper cream: Thinkbaby Diaper Rash Ointment Baby lotion: ATTITUDE Natural Baby body lotion   Cosmetics:   Blush: Mineral Fusion 3-in-1 Color Stick Foundation: Mineral Fusion Pressed Powder Foundation Concealer: Mineral Fusion Compact Concealer Duo Lip gloss: Mineral Fusion Lip Gloss  Lipstick: Maia’s Mineral Galaxy

  Tackle Family Clutter with Heat Maps   Many tidying techniques promise to keep down family clutter. One of the simplest and most creative of these techniques is heat mapping, which identifies problem areas within the home. A heat map represents values with colors, and heat mapping for clutter works because the practice yields data. If you were to heat map your living space, which rooms would be labeled red? On this week’s episode I interview fellow blogger and podcaster Mia Danielle. Mia shows us how to sort possessions using heat mapping principles; she offers her favorite simple routines to keep down family clutter, too, including separating the weak from the herd, working left-to-right, and embracing delayed gratification.   * Want more episodes like this one? Check out #076:Declutter your Home with the Shoebox Method. * Learn more about about this week’s eco-tip here. * Social distancing is the *perfect* time to review your favorite podcasts! On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!) * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.  

You are likely inundated with Coronavirus chatter; you may have switched off media coverage to escape pandemic doom-and-gloom, too. But I believe in these moments before the storm it’s critical to get prepared. Best case scenario? It all blows over. Worst case scenario? We find ourselves ready for whatever lies on the horizon. On this special episode, I outline the ways I am preparing both my children and my household for the COVID-19 pandemic.   * Want more episodes like this one? Check out #096: Why Self-Sufficiency Matters. * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Sharing is caring! Have you left the show a review yet? On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!)

When Overspending on Luxury Backfires   Many financially-able consumers commit to overspending on designer purchases. Because luxury goods by nature are both pricey and in high-demand, such possessions communicate status and prestige. Then there’s our biology: evolution reinforces comparing and competing. In the age of social media we post fancy photos of ourselves doing fancy things as a way to prove we, too, are as worthy as our peers. But while consumers assume investing in designer items will result in confidence, overspending often backfires. On today’s show I discuss the paradox of luxury consumption with Dr. Dafna Goor and Dr. Nailya Ordabayeva, two researchers who analyze how designer purchases *actually* influence self-worth. We identify why overspending backfires; we outline reasons the why science suggests buying for your authentic self (and not your aspirational one), too. Enjoy!   * Want more episodes like this one? Check out #029: Is Sustainability Unmanly? * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Sharing is caring! Have you left the show a review yet? On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!)  

Have you ever wondered what seasoned minimalists do on the weekend? Here’s a top-secret minimalist tip: It isn’t all rest and relaxation. While minimalists believe simplicity is important – and while Sunday is indeed *the* day to rest – minimalists also know it’s prudent to spend weekends quietly preparing for the upcoming week. On this week’s show I’m thrilled to offer 8 minimalist tips that mitigate weekday mania and usher in easy-breezy simplicity during the workweek. My suggestions aren’t overly taxing or burdensome, either: after completion, you can get right back into Weekend Mode in 20 minutes or less. Enjoy!   * Access this week’s Show Notes here. * Join our (free!) community here. * Want more episodes like this? Check out #108: 6 Minimalist Lifestyle Tips for Overarching Simplicity.  

Microplastic Pollution: Everything you Need to Know   These days, microplastic pollution is everywhere. It isn’t hyperbole: Scientists find plastic everywhere they look for it. Microplastics pollute our oceans; they reside in the bellies of animals, too. And plastics are also in humans: A 2019 study concluded that we consume a credit card’s-worth of plastic each week, on average. When we examine the scope of the microplastics problem – when we understand fully that plastic has invaded every nook and cranny of our planet – it’s natural to feel hopeless. My guest this week is Erika Bernal, a founder of The Plastic Wave Project. Erika is on the show to help us understand why, exactly, we should be concerned about microplastic pollution; she offers common-sense strategies for navigating a world in which plastic is everywhere, too. Enjoy!   * Want more episodes like this one? Check out #062: 5 Ways to Take Home Less Plastic from the Supermarket.  * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Sharing is caring! Have you left the show a review yet? On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!)  

5 Tricks to Help You Buy Less Stuff   If you often make impulse purchases you end up regretting later, you can thank The Itch. The Itch is that feeling that blinds our better judgement when we see an item we really, really want. The Itch is cunning: It goads us into throwing caution to the wind and buying whatever the fancy item may be. Despite all we know about conscious consumerism, it’s natural for you and me to experience The Itch when we spy goods that are new, shiny, and attractive. But buying hurts our wallets; the planet takes a hit, too. The answer is not to buy now and worry about the consequences later. The answer is to buy less. On this week’s episode I offer 5 smart strategies to halt impulse purchases and buy less stuff. Enjoy!   * Access this week’s Show Notes here. * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Sharing is caring! Have you left the show a review yet? On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all my episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. Thank you!  

Tips on Decluttering 6 Oft-Forgotten Areas You decluttered. You’ve tidied. You organized what’s left, and now you’re exhausted. But still – to your chagrin! – you realize the work’s not *quite* complete. It happens to the best of us: In the throes of decluttering, we overlook specific spaces that demand our attention. My guest this week is blogger, YouTuber, and decluttering expert Shannon Torrens. Shannon is on the show to identity the 6 areas we tend to overlook on our journeys toward minimalism. Even better? She offers tips on decluttering these spaces sustainably, too. Love a good ol’ show filled with tips on decluttering and tidying up? If so, this one’s for you. Get ready to be inspired!   * Get more decluttering inspo on Shannon’s YouTube channel. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Want more episodes like this? Try #061: 5 Steps to Staying Motivated when Decluttering Gets Hard.     Stay in-the-know! Sign up for monthly eco-friendly inspiration. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:1998px;} /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Email First Name (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);  

In order to make fabric, you need thread. And to make thread? You need fibers. But what are eco friendly fibers, exactly, and why are they important? Textile corporations intentionally shadow their manufacturing processes from the public; they obscure their garment labels with hard-to-understand terms, too. I believe this obfuscation is intentional: Because we consumers are confused, we give up on attempting to comprehend the ins and outs of one of the most environmentally destructive industries in the world. On today’s show I distinguish between natural, eco friendly fibers and their synthetic and semi-synthetic counterparts. (We get into the nitty-gritty behind Viscose, TENCEL and Modal, too.) Finally, I offer up 4 key takeaways to inform our future clothing purchases. Enjoy! * Access this week’s Show Notes here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.

Less is more, and not just with possessions: A minimalist lifestyle decreases stress and increases peace of mind. Many of us could benefit from intentional lifestyle tweaks that prioritize free time, reduce financial stress and curate fulfilling relationships. The single-best way to accomplish all these (lofty) tasks? Simplify wherever possible. On today’s show I’m thrilled to offer 6 minimalist lifestyle tips that emphasize time management, tweak finances and manage interpersonal relationships with simplicity in mind. I explain the 50-50 approach to showing up for friends, why having just one credit card is smart, how to tackle dreaded tasks first and much more. Enjoy! * Access this week’s Show Notes here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.

Are you concerned you have an unhealthy attachment to stuff? Do you worry for a loved one who has trouble letting possessions go? Hoarding Disorder isn’t necessarily all piles and pathways; in real life, hoarding can look much different than the extremes highlighted on television. There’s a fine line between a cluttered household versus a hoarding household and – for many of us – pinning down the difference feels slippery. On this week’s show I’m speaking with social worker, hoarding expert and Conquer the Clutter co-author Elaine Birchall. Elaine identifies hoarding’s 5 red flags; she offers practical steps we can all employ to help our struggling loved ones, too. Enjoy! * Want more episodes like this one? Try #073: 30 Items to Declutter Today That You Won’t Miss Tomorrow. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.  

Greenwashing Examples: Have you Been Duped?   Eco-friendliness is hot right now. It’s in. But marketing teams have their fingers on the pulse and know that consumers increasingly demand green products. So they tout misleading claims to sound more eco-friendly than they actually are to – you guessed it! – make a profit. It’s called greenwashing, and consumers are being duped by greenwashing examples including innuendos, imagery and outright lies Every. Single. Day. Corporations want us to believe we can buy our way out of the environmental crisis we’ve made for ourselves, but we can’t. So how do we avoid greenwashed products? On this week’s episode I expose marketers’ dirty secrets with greenwashing examples including how, exactly, marketing teams greenwash to make sales. I’m also offering 4 solid tricks (and plenty of real-life examples) to spot greenwashing in real life, too. Enjoy! * Access this week’s Show Notes here. * Like what you hear? Please leave a review! On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!) * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.  

Ever wondered where Goodwill donations really go? Our society craves what’s shiny and what’s new. We toss broken stuff without bothering to repair it; we donate perfectly good stuff to make room in our homes for newer, sleeker models, too. Between 1967 and 2017, the amount Americans spent annually on stuff increased nearly twenty-fold. And while some items will be recycled into new goods or given to others in need, the vast majority of our unwanted stuff is destined for landfills. Today I’m interviewing Adam Minter, journalist and author of the new book, Secondhand: Adventures in the New Global Garage Sale. Adam pulls back the curtain on where our Goodwill donations actually go; he raises some big points about the dark side of consumerism, too.   * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Want more episodes like this one? Try #095: Planned Obsolescence: What It Is and What to Do About It.   

Eco-friendly communities drive big ideas   Few would object: Kinship is important. Humans are evolutionarily designed to live alongside others; eco-friendly communities facilitate the sharing of resources, too. Still, many of us have minimal – (if any!) – contact with our neighbors. And although we may quite physically live within a community, so many of us feel isolated. My guest today argues that close-knit groups are important for another reason: When it comes to sustainability, eco-friendly communities share ideas, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and drive innovation. Today’s guest is Waylon Jepsen. Waylon grew up in an off-the-grid environment that offered a unique perspective on why, exactly, humans need each other. He’s on the show to explain how community matters; he offers ideas for engaging green-leaning neighbors, too.   * Want to use less plastic in 2020? Here’s why I love Humble Shapes Beeswax Wraps. * Social distancing is the *perfect* time to review your favorite podcasts! On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!) * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.

Green buying and Overconsumption Ever buy on impulse? If so, you know those feel-good endorphins after handing over your credit card are real.Is it safe to assume, then, that shopping makes us happier? Where does green buying fit in? On today’s episode my guest and I explore the connections between materialism, green buying and lasting life satisfaction. Dr. Sabrina Helm is an associate professor at the University of Arizona whose research interests include climate change and overconsumption. Her recent study into the ways in which materialist values and well-being interact offers insight into the purchasing decisions that reliably improve happiness. Enjoy! * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest. * Like what you hear? Please leave a review! Here’s how: – On the Apple Podcasts App: On the “Library” tab, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page until you see the “Ratings & Reviews” section. – On your desktop: Click here, then click on “Write a Review” in the “Ratings & Reviews” tab in iTunes. – Not on an Apple device? Reviews on your favorite podcast players are equally important, and thank you!