0:00

Are you concerned about the air that you're

0:02

breathing, especially with increasing air pollution? We all

0:04

know how vital indoor air quality is, and

0:06

here's where Puro Air steps in to make

0:08

the difference. Did you know that indoor

0:10

air can be up to 100 times, 100

0:13

times dirtier than the air outside?

0:15

That's where Puro Air comes to

0:17

the rescue. In just 30 minutes,

0:19

this revolutionary device can transform the

0:21

air in your room by removing

0:23

allergens, dust, smoke, dander, and gases.

0:25

But what sets Puro Air apart

0:27

is its cutting-edge HEPA 14 filter,

0:29

a powerhouse that tackles pollutants at

0:32

a microscopic level. And

0:34

it's not just me saying that, Puro

0:36

Air is backed by scientists from both

0:38

Harvard and MIT. I personally loved having

0:40

a Puro Air purifier. I feel like

0:42

I can breathe again, especially after battling

0:45

congestion for like the last month. Winter

0:47

can be tough, but within an hour

0:49

it was crazy. I could feel my

0:51

sinuses beginning to open up. I slept

0:53

through the night without coughing, and I've

0:56

been sleeping so much better now that

0:58

we have a Puro Air running in

1:00

our bedroom. So check it out at

1:02

getpuroair.com. That's g-e-t-p-u-r-o-a-i-r.com. One more time.

1:04

getpuroair.com. If

1:07

you're planning to cut back on

1:09

alcohol this dry January, Recess Zero-Proof

1:11

Craft Mocktails are the perfect alcohol

1:14

replacement. Recess has meticulously crafted familiar

1:16

favorites such as Lime Margarita and

1:18

Grapefruit Paloma, allowing you to savor

1:20

the flavors and experience of these

1:23

cocktails without the alcohol content. Throughout

1:25

January, my listeners can take advantage

1:27

of a special offer and get

1:29

15% off the

1:32

Recess Mocktail Sampler Pack

1:34

at takearecess.com/Minimalist. Every can

1:36

of Recess boasts a lightly sparkling mocktail

1:38

infused with functional ingredients and a

1:41

calorie count of 25 or less.

1:43

It's a guilt-free option for winding

1:45

down during dry January. Again,

1:47

whether it's the end of a demanding day,

1:49

a dinner gathering, or simply a moment to

1:51

unwind, these mocktails are the perfect choice. You

1:54

won't miss the alcohol and you certainly won't

1:56

miss dealing with the hangover. Get 15% off

1:58

Recess Mocktails now! at takearecess.com/minimalist

2:01

so you can enjoy your

2:03

favorite cocktails without the consequences.

2:07

Whatever your kids are interested in, let

2:09

them lead the way, make it fun,

2:11

make it engaging and add a little

2:14

bit of a sustainability component to it.

2:17

Hello and welcome to the minimalist moms podcast.

2:19

Today I bring you my third

2:21

conversation with author and fellow podcaster

2:24

Stephanie Safarian. Stephanie hosts

2:26

the sustainable minimalist podcast and

2:28

speaks on topics such as

2:30

sustainability, zero waste living, decluttering,

2:32

parenting and conscious consumerism. Today

2:35

she's here to talk about engaging

2:38

our children in sustainable practices. We

2:40

talk about practical activities for kids.

2:42

We also address skepticism and fear

2:44

around sustainable living. We talk about

2:47

practical ways you can implement sustainability

2:49

in daily life, alternative gift ideas

2:52

and how to encourage our children's interest in

2:54

sustainability. It's a short and

2:56

sweet episode, but I'm sure you'll walk away having learned

2:58

something new. And

3:01

with that, let's get into this conversation with Stephanie. Hey,

3:04

Stephanie. Thanks

3:08

again for joining me today on the minimalist moms podcast.

3:10

Thanks for having me, Diane. So excited to see

3:13

you again. Talk to you. I love it. Before

3:15

we get into the conversation, why don't you go ahead and

3:17

reintroduce yourself for listeners that may not have heard those past

3:19

two episodes, but I'll be sure to link those in the

3:21

show notes. My name is

3:23

Stephanie Safarian. I am the host

3:26

of the sustainable minimalist podcast. I'm

3:28

also the author

3:30

of a nonfiction book by the

3:32

same name, sustainable minimalism. I live

3:34

outside of Boston where it is

3:37

really darn cold right now with

3:39

my two daughters, my husband, and

3:41

yeah, I'm just a mom trying

3:43

to live a minimalist life

3:45

that is easy on the planet. And

3:48

so we're going to be talking about how we can

3:50

get our kids more engaged with sustainability. I think for

3:53

maybe just the average listener, how

3:55

do we even begin that conversation

3:57

with our kids? Yeah. I

4:00

want to say first and

4:02

foremost to all the minimalist

4:04

listening, step one is to

4:07

not do anything different. Minimalism,

4:09

a minimalist lifestyle, a minimalist

4:11

home that already provides the

4:13

perfect backdrop for talking

4:15

about sustainability with our kids

4:17

because if we're not

4:19

buying let's say like the cheap plastic

4:22

junk because you don't want the clutter,

4:24

that simple choice to keep the cheap

4:26

plastic junk culture out of your home

4:28

that can pivot so easily into a

4:31

conversation about how that

4:33

plastic pop it, how it's made from

4:35

fossil fuels and fossil fuels are a

4:37

non-renewable resource that's pulled from the earth

4:39

and when we burn the fossil fuel

4:41

like crude oil to create the pop

4:44

it, the burning of the fossil fuel

4:46

warms up our atmosphere, enter global warming.

4:48

So I want to say that for

4:50

the minimalist living all you have to

4:52

do step one instead of adding something

4:55

onto your plate like oh now I

4:57

got to teach my kids about sustainability

4:59

too, just do what you're already doing

5:01

and connect your minimalist efforts to issues

5:03

surrounding the planet and climate change it's

5:06

almost effortless. I also think too like

5:08

explaining the why behind why we don't

5:10

buy plastic pop it let's say or

5:13

plastic junk or those trinkets. Yes we

5:15

stay away from them because of the

5:17

clutter issue but we also stay away

5:19

from these junk culture items right because

5:22

we care about the planet and we

5:24

care about the animals and we care

5:26

about our neighbors we care about other

5:28

people so doing what we're

5:31

already doing and connecting it to the

5:33

planetary piece I think is step one

5:35

and step one just happens to be

5:37

effortless. And I will say there are

5:39

areas of sustainable living that I'm stronger

5:41

in and I want to say to

5:43

people listening maybe they don't believe in

5:46

some of the things that you and

5:48

I believe or they aren't that sustainable.

5:50

I think that some of these practical

5:52

tips you're going to share today are

5:54

just healthy habits to cultivate for reducing

5:56

just waste in general just not to

5:59

be so wasteful. to prioritize quality over

6:01

quantity. I know a lot of people like

6:03

to go to the store Five Below or

6:05

the dollar store, and maybe there's a place

6:07

for that, but I think if we're consistently

6:09

buying these things that just break or end

6:11

up in the landfill, it just is wasteful

6:14

of our funds. Maybe it's a generational thing,

6:16

but I think that I have a lot

6:18

of family members that this conversation, they might

6:20

roll their eyes at. They might be like,

6:22

oh, we don't need to worry about that.

6:24

Like it's all just conspiracy or it's not

6:27

that big of a deal. The earth is

6:29

always changing and evolving. So I always

6:31

come at it from like a Christian perspective

6:33

too, where I feel like if you are

6:35

someone that says you believe in any type

6:38

of faith, that we are given this world

6:40

to take care of, and so that's a

6:42

huge motivator for me too. But

6:44

I don't know, do you have any thoughts

6:47

with skepticism or just like how we can

6:49

make this applicable if you pick someone off

6:51

the street that they would want to listen

6:53

to this? I mean, I guess I would

6:55

say to any skeptics who are listening, I

6:57

would just say that being wasteful isn't

7:00

a quality that any human being

7:02

aspires to. We don't say I'm

7:04

kind and creative and I'm wasteful.

7:07

Like nobody wants to be wasteful.

7:09

And so wastefulness is something that whoever

7:12

you are, whatever you believe in, we

7:14

should actively be trying to step away

7:16

from. Yes, absolutely. Okay, so I wanna

7:19

talk about engaging activities that parents could

7:21

do with their children to introduce them

7:23

to the concept of sustainability. Again, you

7:26

said if we're already pursuing a minimalist

7:28

lifestyle or a life where we're prioritizing,

7:30

just not being wasteful, but what have

7:33

you done with your kids to get

7:35

them more actively engaged with sustainability? Well,

7:37

so for me as a minimalist, I

7:39

try to almost never buy new things.

7:41

Step one would be, of course, go

7:43

to your library, get some books. There

7:46

are so many great books that are

7:48

tailored to your child's age to discuss

7:50

issues about sustainability. You choose the issue,

7:52

there's a book for it. I just

7:54

read one with my six year old

7:56

last night about what happens to a

7:59

plastic straw. after we use it that one

8:01

time. If you care about gardening,

8:03

if you care about bees, there's a book

8:05

for it. So head to your library, borrow

8:07

a book, ask your librarian, and then read

8:09

it with your child and chat about it.

8:11

I think that's step two, no

8:14

money wasted using your community

8:16

resources. And hopefully you can

8:18

have some inspiring conversations with your child after

8:20

you read. One thing that's been really helpful

8:22

to me, my daughter really wanted

8:24

a Toy Story doll of Bo Peep. And

8:27

we were at Target. She's like, let me

8:29

just look at it. And I told her, hold

8:31

on, let's just check Facebook Marketplace because you may

8:33

be able to save some of the money that

8:35

you have saved up for this. Let's

8:37

check and see if there's a more, again,

8:40

sustainable, but also a more thrifty way to

8:42

purchase this thing that's already out existing, but

8:44

we don't have to buy it from the

8:46

store. And so we were able to do

8:48

that. So I think even just introducing them

8:50

to the idea of secondhand and being thrifty

8:52

and being resourceful is really important. Again, just

8:55

even from a frugality standpoint. But I think

8:57

another really big thing for us, we love

8:59

to be outside. And

9:01

I think getting your kids outside experiencing

9:03

nature, it just, I don't know, it

9:05

just opens a door of wanting to

9:08

preserve the land because they're engaged in

9:10

nature. I think it's easier to be

9:12

dismissive and or just like turning your

9:14

back to it when you're not regularly

9:17

experiencing it. Yeah, so just to go

9:19

back to what you said about buying

9:21

this doll secondhand, I know for a

9:23

lot of people, finances are tight, right?

9:26

So if you are acquiring things secondhand,

9:29

maybe you're going to your local

9:31

buy nothing group to find that

9:33

doll or snow pants or whatever,

9:35

or maybe you're purchasing it on

9:37

Facebook Marketplace. There's just like an

9:39

one added step there. And then

9:41

you've incorporated sustainability, which is explaining

9:43

the why. So you

9:45

could say money's tight and I need

9:48

to buy these snow pants for a

9:50

little bit less than Target selling them.

9:52

And also when we take something secondhand

9:54

that another family no longer has used

9:56

for, but we can use it, we're

9:58

keeping it out of land. and that is

10:01

a great way to help the planet.

10:03

It's really just that simple, connecting it

10:05

to the why. You mentioned also going

10:07

outside. I totally agree. Like I live

10:10

outside of Boston. It's so cold, but

10:12

a thing that we do in my

10:14

family is we go outside in all

10:17

weather. We're outside as much as possible.

10:20

I mean, it's like three degrees here

10:22

today. So in the efforts of safety,

10:24

maybe not today, but if we want

10:26

kids to care about the natural environment,

10:29

we need to show them why it

10:31

matters. And so even when it's precipitating,

10:33

we still need to get outside. And

10:35

for me, like I'll be honest, like

10:37

I don't love winter. It's not my

10:39

favorite season, but I do believe that

10:42

we need to find things that we

10:44

love about every season outdoors, because otherwise,

10:46

at least for me, winter is like

10:48

half the year here. So

10:50

does that mean putting on our snow

10:52

shoes as a family and going for

10:54

a hike, we're big skiers, getting outside

10:56

and then making observations about what we're

10:59

seeing. Like we've had a string of

11:01

an amazing sunrises. So

11:03

I walk the kids to the bus

11:05

stop and the sun is coming up,

11:08

like making observations about the ways that

11:10

the pink and orange sunrise is hitting

11:12

the snow. We can combine that with

11:15

a Christian-based statement about how beautiful this

11:17

world is that God has given us

11:19

and we need to take care of

11:21

it. And so just doing what we're

11:24

already doing and adding in a little

11:26

bit of conversation is really the special

11:28

sauce there. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. So it's

11:31

my perception that there is a

11:33

sect of people that care about sustainability

11:35

in the planet that are using more

11:37

fear-based methods to scare our kids. And

11:39

I wanna give them an opportunity to

11:41

not be so afraid, but to see

11:44

that there is an opportunity here to

11:46

again, protect and I don't think fear

11:48

is ever a good motivator. People will

11:50

be like, the world's gonna end in

11:53

10 years. Maybe

11:55

the world might look slightly different, but also if the world

11:57

is going to end in 10 years, I don't

11:59

need to put. that on my children. I

12:01

need to just allow them to take the

12:03

parts that they can play and then I

12:05

can hold that information as a grown-up. So

12:07

how do you strike a balance of encouraging

12:10

kids without going down that path? Certainly.

12:12

I would never tell anybody that the

12:14

world is ending in 10 years because

12:17

the science doesn't back that up. So

12:19

for people using fear-based tactics that are

12:21

just coming out of thin air, I

12:24

would suggest to them to again read

12:26

science first. I would also suggest for

12:28

parents listening they don't want to scare

12:31

their kids. A common phrase that I

12:33

say in my household is, yes our

12:35

planet is facing some challenges but the

12:38

good news is there are a lot

12:40

of really smart people working on it.

12:42

That's a great place to start. So

12:45

pivot it and make it positive. And

12:47

if the planet and saving it and

12:49

helping it and helping the bees is

12:52

something that matters to you, that's

12:54

a career path that we can work

12:56

towards for you if that interests

12:58

you. I think the doom and gloom talk

13:00

has no place in a child's childhood and

13:03

so I definitely agree with you on that

13:05

point. It's just hard to not attach our

13:07

emotions to this thing that we're so passionate

13:09

about. We are missing people because of the

13:11

way that we're communicating. So that's why I

13:13

do think it's so important to just, I

13:15

don't want to say dumb it down, but

13:18

make this topic accessible to people. And like

13:20

you said we are already behaving in a

13:22

lot of these ways so maybe just take

13:24

convenience out of it of, oh I'm gonna

13:26

go to Target and buy my daughter this

13:28

toy. It's like, okay that's convenient for me.

13:31

But what is one more step to again

13:33

save money and to be sustainable if that's

13:35

something that you're curious of getting your feet

13:37

wet with? I totally agree and I would

13:40

just say to the passion and

13:42

the apocalyptic statements that you may hear

13:44

and may be referring to, I don't

13:46

agree with them. I don't think it

13:49

has any place in a childhood like

13:51

I said. I also just want to

13:53

say though that the people making them,

13:55

it almost always if you get

13:57

to the bottom of it all, it's a

14:00

fear for our children, right? So

14:02

it's based in like a fear of

14:04

wanting our children to be able to

14:07

grow up and fully self-actualize. In any

14:09

of those situations, I think if we

14:11

can get rid of the apocalyptic talk

14:13

and just get to the fact that

14:15

we all want, we're all united in

14:18

wanting to have an inhabitable planet for

14:20

our children to thrive on at the

14:22

end of the day, that's what it

14:24

comes down to. Yes, absolutely. I've

14:31

said it before, but even though I'm a

14:33

minimalist, I still love clothes. That

14:36

said, I prefer to shop quality over

14:38

quantity, but I can't always afford to

14:40

shop that way until I

14:42

discovered Quince. Quince offers a

14:44

range of high quality items at prices

14:46

within your budget, like 100% Mongolian

14:49

cashmere sweaters starting from $50, washable

14:52

silk tops and dresses, organic cotton

14:54

sweaters, and 14 karat gold

14:56

jewelry. And the best part is that all

14:58

Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less

15:01

than similar brands, and they're able to do

15:03

this because they partner directly with the top

15:05

factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman

15:07

and passing the savings onto us. So

15:09

I do own a couple of their flannels and their

15:11

sweaters, and I'm telling you, every time that

15:14

I wear these pieces out, I'm asked about the

15:16

brand. Do a quick Google search for

15:18

Quince, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

15:20

So give yourself the luxury that you deserve

15:22

with Quince, and go to quince.com/minimalist for free

15:24

shipping on your order and 365 day returns.

15:28

That's q-u-i-n-c-e.com/minimalist to get free

15:30

shipping and 365 days returns.

15:34

quince.com/minimalist. One

15:38

of the things I appreciate about social media

15:40

is the ability to gather information and helpful

15:42

tips from other parents. As my

15:44

kids are getting older, one of the big things

15:46

I wanna try to instill in them is financial

15:48

responsibility. And while some of

15:50

the parenting hacks on social media can be impressive

15:53

and helpful, it's missing the

15:55

application. So that's why

15:57

I was intrigued by the app Greenlight. Greenlight

15:59

is a... debit card and money app made

16:01

for families. It gives kids and teens

16:03

an easy and fun way to gain

16:05

financial literacy while giving parents peace of

16:08

mind. I remember getting my first debit

16:10

card at 15 and my

16:12

mom always had to take me to the

16:14

bank to put my allowance into my account.

16:16

But with green light you can send instant

16:18

money transfers, automate allowance, and keep an eye

16:20

on kids spending with real-time notifications. I

16:23

also love that the app includes a

16:25

chores feature where you can set up

16:27

reoccurring or one-time chores customized to your

16:30

family's needs and reward your kids for

16:32

a job well done. So sign up

16:34

for green light today and get your

16:37

first month free when you go to

16:39

greenlight.com/minimalist. That's greenlight.com/minimalist to try green light

16:41

for free greenlight.com/minimalist.

16:48

Are you tired of clothing that wears down after just

16:50

a few uses? Well look no

16:52

further than Caiden Lane's bamboo pajamas.

16:54

With innovative features like roll down

16:56

ankles they're designed to grow with

16:58

your little one, saving you money

17:00

on constant replacements. I'm loving

17:02

these pajamas for my growing four-year-old. Founded

17:05

in 2005 by a single mom with a vision for

17:08

better, cuter children's clothing, Caiden Lane

17:10

is dedicated to making mom's lives

17:12

easier. From their color me

17:14

pajamas that turn bedtime into a fun

17:17

adventure to outfits with hidden zips and

17:19

snaps for hassle-free dressing. Every detail is

17:21

crafted with care and if you're already

17:23

dreaming of summer days Caiden Lane's swim

17:25

collection has you covered. Plus with matching

17:27

swimsuits for the whole family you can

17:29

make a splash and fall. Even

17:32

if you don't have a baby or toddler these

17:34

swimsuits make perfect gifts. I'm gifting

17:36

my sister-in-law matching suits for summer and

17:38

I've already received the package and the

17:40

quality is wonderful. I can't wait to

17:42

see how they look at the pool this summer. Caiden

17:44

Lane is your one-stop shop for

17:46

all your newborn infant and toddler

17:49

apparel. Head to caidenlane.com/minimalist and use

17:51

code minimalist for 20% off

17:53

your order. Once again

17:55

that's cadenlane.com back slash

17:58

minimalist for 20%

18:00

off and make sure you use my promo code minimalist so

18:02

they know that I sent you. Just

18:06

curious about a few other practicals that you're doing

18:08

in your household and implementing how old are your

18:10

kids again? Six and nine. Okay,

18:12

so they're able to help out a lot

18:14

more than maybe my four year old, but

18:16

even I think the four year old is

18:18

adaptable with some of these topics. So what

18:21

does it actually look like in the day

18:23

to day, a week to week of how

18:25

your kids are being more hands on and

18:27

they're helping you be more sustainable as a

18:29

family? So my kids have chores. They're quite

18:31

simple. They're tailored to their age. My six

18:33

year old, one of her chores is to

18:35

set the table for dinner. And

18:37

just actually last week she was setting the

18:39

table and she said something like, mom, why

18:41

do we use cloth napkins? And we actually

18:43

don't even use cloth napkins. We use rags,

18:45

but that's a whole nother story. And

18:48

so that opened up like her

18:50

curiosity opened up a topic about

18:52

why in our family we do

18:55

the best we can without killing

18:57

ourselves to step away from the

18:59

single use disposables, the paper products

19:02

in particular, you know, there's deforestation

19:04

concerns with that. I don't think

19:06

anybody would argue that cutting down trees to

19:08

make a single use product. I mean, we

19:11

all do it. Certainly it's what we do

19:13

as a culture. However, we choose not to

19:15

because we care about forests and we care

19:17

about trees. And so that

19:20

opened up a whole nother conversation

19:22

about what's a single use product?

19:24

What's a reusable? Why do we

19:26

use reusable? The key here was

19:28

I really tried to ask her,

19:30

do you think that when we

19:32

use a reusable, it works worse

19:34

than a single use item or

19:36

the same or better? And she said,

19:38

I think it's about the same. I

19:40

think using a cloth napkin as opposed

19:42

to a paper napkin, there's no difference

19:44

in its wiping capabilities. And so

19:47

I really wanted her to come to that conclusion

19:49

on her own. I did not want to be

19:51

the one saying we use reusables because they're better,

19:53

better, better for this, better for you, better for

19:55

the planet. I wanted her to come to that

19:57

on her own and I think she did. So

20:00

taking what I do and

20:02

letting them lead the conversation,

20:05

letting them and their questions

20:07

and their curiosity open up

20:09

more conversations as they become

20:11

more interested and more developmentally

20:14

ready. Yeah. Is

20:16

there something that you're trying to get your

20:18

kids on board with that has just maybe

20:20

struggled to work out? Yeah, I would say

20:23

the junk culture, the plastic junk. I

20:26

mean, the minimalist listening, they know too. You

20:28

go to a birthday party, you try to

20:30

sneak out without the goodie bag.

20:32

It's impossible. And then this

20:34

stuff comes in and then it clutters up

20:36

the house and they play with it for

20:39

five seconds and they like weirdly love the

20:41

stuff, even though they know it's junk. I'm

20:43

really struggling with how to break out of

20:45

that pattern of, I mean, I don't buy

20:48

it, but I still get it in my

20:50

house and the

20:52

kids want it. That's a balancing act

20:54

between letting them be children and be

20:57

happy with all their trinkets. Versus me

20:59

having mortal issues with these

21:01

single use plastic problems. I

21:04

had a, I think her name was Stephanie

21:06

Miller and she wrote something about 80, 20

21:08

sustainability. I've had a few episodes on sustainable

21:10

living. Someone said, if you're going

21:12

to do the gift bags at birthdays, maybe this

21:14

is a word of encouragement to the women listening.

21:16

Hey, that's okay to want to do that for

21:18

your children because we want to create these experiences

21:21

for our kids and we want them to feel

21:23

special and we're not trying to take things from

21:25

their childhood, but maybe use a consumable in a

21:27

gift fee way. Go to Pinterest, Google it. There

21:29

are things that you can gift in those ways

21:31

or just don't do it because you're not the

21:34

first person that has said that. I feel the same way.

21:36

Most of my friends feel the same way. So why don't

21:38

we just take the pressure off ourselves to say, this birthday

21:40

is going to be great. We don't

21:42

have to have something. The memory is what we're

21:44

taking away. It's not this little trinket. Yeah. So

21:46

I've spent so much of my brain power trying

21:49

to figure this out. And yes, when my kids

21:51

are younger, I asked everybody

21:53

on the invitation, I said, instead

21:55

of a gift for my child,

21:58

please bring a wrapped. children's

22:00

book. And so then when everybody

22:02

left, they took a wrapped book that

22:04

they didn't bring. So everybody goes home

22:06

with a new book. That was a

22:08

gift. And then last year I changed

22:10

it up a bit and I gave

22:12

$5 gift

22:14

certificate to our local ice cream parlor.

22:16

And that worked really well. I

22:19

love that. I think my cousin's son's

22:21

first birthday, she did give little honey

22:23

jars to everyone that came because the

22:25

party was B themed. I

22:27

love the idea of the book exchange, if

22:29

you will, I think that's great. I really

22:31

just want conversations like this to encourage people

22:33

that most of us are feeling the same

22:35

exact way. For our our nature group moms

22:37

night, we did a gift exchange, but it

22:39

had to be something either homemade or something

22:41

from your home. But I thought that was

22:44

kind of a fun way to at least

22:46

exchange something. Most people did do homemade gifts,

22:48

but I just thought that was a cool

22:50

thing. So you can even write that

22:52

on your birthday card for your kid,

22:54

like secondhand gifts are totally welcome. No

22:56

judgment. I love that because my kids

22:58

don't care if something's new or not.

23:00

No, definitely not. Do you have any

23:02

other words of wisdom you want to

23:04

leave with the listeners before we wrap

23:06

this up? Yeah, as with anything and

23:08

kids, right, if we want to instill

23:10

in them a love of puzzle, pets,

23:12

whatever it is, right, whenever we're dealing

23:14

with kids, I'm a former teacher, I

23:16

believe we have to make it fun

23:18

and engaging and child

23:21

led. Think about, you know, what

23:23

lights your kids up and then

23:25

run with it. So my six

23:27

year old, she loves art.

23:29

She's extremely creative. So for her,

23:31

it's a child led activity making

23:33

artwork. So I have to plug

23:35

this book. She got it for

23:37

Christmas from her mother-in-law. It's called

23:39

Art Making with MoMA, MoMA Museum

23:41

of Modern Art. And each page

23:43

gives you a different thing to

23:45

make. And it's largely using

23:48

stuff from your recycle bin. So

23:50

that is like perfect for her.

23:52

We sit on the floor the

23:54

other day, we used old Amazon

23:56

boxes to create models of houses.

23:58

And so a great conversation. about repurposing

24:01

boxes and making something amazing

24:03

or using old wire and

24:05

shaping it into faces like

24:07

Alexander Calder. Child-led fun with

24:09

a little bit of an

24:11

extra twist and conversation with

24:13

me. My other daughter, so a

24:15

couple years ago I decided to

24:17

grow microgreens and if anybody doesn't know

24:20

what a microgreen is it's like the

24:22

second stage of all the plants right

24:24

after a sprout. You just stick the

24:26

seeds on and then they grow and

24:28

in five to ten days maybe

24:30

even last you have microgreens to

24:32

sprinkle on your food. Salad super

24:34

healthy and there was something about

24:36

the growing of the microgreens that

24:38

my older daughter like her face

24:40

just lit up you could tell

24:42

something about growing clicked with her

24:45

and so these days it's maybe four or

24:47

five years later now we have a hydroponic

24:49

garden indoors during the winter months and it's

24:51

largely my nine year old who's taking care

24:53

of it. So I just say all that

24:56

to make the point like whatever your kids

24:58

are interested in let them lead the way

25:00

make it fun make it engaging and add

25:02

a little bit of a sustainability component to

25:04

it. Yeah no I love that and microgreens

25:06

they're pretty easy to take care of so

25:09

that would be a great thing for a

25:11

kid to take over. Well Stephanie where can

25:13

listeners connect with you online and find you

25:15

if they want to connect? I am on

25:17

social media at Sustainable Minimalists and again my

25:20

podcast is called the Sustainable Minimalist podcast you

25:22

can find it everywhere. Great well as we

25:24

got things up here I usually ask guests

25:26

two questions but I was just thinking I

25:28

want to do just a few rapid fire

25:31

of some of your favorite things. So

25:33

what would you say your favorite

25:35

sustainable clothing brand is for adults?

25:37

Tentry. Tentry okay I haven't heard of

25:39

it. What has been one of your

25:42

favorite books that you've read on sustainability?

25:44

On the topic of clothes the

25:47

conscious closet is a really good

25:49

one so how to make your

25:51

wardrobe more ethical and more intentional.

25:53

Okay favorite sustainable makeup?

25:56

I'll go with Burt's Bees I

25:58

wouldn't call it sustainable but there

26:00

are some less toxic ingredients inside.

26:02

Okay, my last rapid fire question

26:04

for you is, what is

26:07

the easiest change that someone could make?

26:09

So I think that there are easy

26:11

changes that we can make that

26:13

actually don't change anything, like they don't

26:16

do much. So a great example of

26:18

that would be like bringing your

26:20

cup to Starbucks, like, yeah, it's a

26:22

change. And yeah, it's not all

26:24

that hard. But also the benefit to

26:27

the planet isn't all that

26:29

great either. So I'm going

26:31

to take your question and I'm going

26:33

to tweak it a little bit. And

26:35

I'm going to say what is one

26:37

easy ish, but also profoundly impactful change

26:39

that people could make. And

26:41

I will say that for that, eat a

26:43

meat free meal once a week. Just

26:46

like one meal breakfast, lunch or dinner? I

26:49

mean, I would prefer a dinner, like

26:51

maybe a meatless Monday dinner. That is

26:53

a great way to lower your carbon footprint. Cool.

26:56

Well, Stephanie, thanks for joining me today. I

26:58

love these little questions at the end, getting

27:00

to know you better. So I appreciate you

27:02

joining me and thanks for all the helpful

27:04

information. Thanks for having me, Diane. It was

27:06

fun as always. What

27:08

did you think of the episode? I hope you enjoyed

27:10

the conversation. To learn more

27:12

about today's guests, including links, resources

27:15

related to everything discussed today, visit

27:17

the episode page at minimalistmomspodcast.com where

27:19

you can find the entire podcast

27:21

archives as well as my book,

27:24

Minimalist Moms, Living and Parenting with

27:26

Simplicity, or other ways to

27:28

connect or work with me online. If

27:30

you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and

27:33

most impactful thing you can do is subscribe to

27:35

the show on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube,

27:37

or wherever you listen to podcasts, and

27:39

leave a rating or review of your favorite

27:41

episode. Lastly, sharing the show

27:44

or your favorite episodes with friends and

27:46

social media is very helpful.