A Sustainable Mind - environment & sustainability podcast

Latest Episodes:

012: What Should I Eat and Other Food for Thought with Food, Health & Wellness Educator Lauren Nixon Oct 27, 2015

Show notes

Lauren Nixon is a food and wellness educator giving workshops in and around D.C. Philadelphia and New York. She has a passion for creating spaces where people feel empowered to combine healthy food and self-care practices to gain a well-rounded understanding of how to nourish themselves.

011: Ending Food Waste One Ugly Apple at a Time with Jordan Figueiredo Oct 19, 2015

Show notes

Jordan is a Food Waste Superhero. He is the founder of the organization End Food Waste and the brains behind the Ugly Fruit and Veg campaign that recently took the food waste fight to the steps of Walmart! He's been teaming up with people and organizations from around the world, from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to The National Resource Defense Fund to combat this major issue. Lucky for us the good thing about food waste is that just about everyone, no matter your circumstances, can help solve the problem.

010: Getting Real About What Kind of Action Really Improves the Planet with Colin Beavan Oct 13, 2015

Show notes

Dr. Colin Beavan is among the world's foremost spokespeople on environmental issues and consumerism. He was called the Best Green Ambassador by TreeHugger and his blog was selected as one of the top 15 green blogs by Time magazine. He has spoken and consulted with brands such as eBay and Cliff Bars and has traveled the world speaking to audiences from California to the Czech Republic. When his film No Impact Man hit the environmental documentary scene it changed the landscape forever.

009: Saving the Rainforest One Cell Phone at a Time with Topher White Oct 08, 2015

Show notes

Topher White is an engineer with a background in physics and kinetic sculptor. Little did he know that visiting the rainforest as a tourist would spark an idea as to how to help save it. Since 2013 Topher has been working around the clock designing a device out of used cell phones to thwart deforestation in real time. This interview offers a TON of great tips for anyone in tech or science looking to contribute to real world problems and for entrepreneurs in general.

008: ASM Unplugged - Intentional Communities and Responding to Western Privilege with Ma'ikwe Ludwig Oct 06, 2015

Show notes

Ma'ikwe Ludwig is the Executive Director of Dancing Rabbit Eco Village in Northern Missouri and also sits on the Board of the Directors for the Fellowship for Intentional Community. With a long history of being involved in this work she is well-known for candidly discussing the blessings and challenges of living in an intentional community.

Just a few of my favorite takeaways from this episode:

"Do you really give a shit about other people enough to be having it determine your decision making?"

Tweet This: "There is a lot of choice here about how exactly you embody sustainability."

"We need to actually have a culture that supports people in living their values rather than having their values as something that is an afterthought in their lives. or that is the secondary thing. It really needs to become the primary thing. Living in a community like Dancing Rabbit allows you to do that."

A New Concept:

Materialized empathy

Life changing advice:

Always follow your intuition, your life could depend on it.

You don't buy a lot of stuff but what is one item you've chosen to buy new that has drastically improved you life:

Toaster over, perfect for cooking meals for 1!

Books

How to Love and Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber
Naomi Kline's This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova

Resource list

Commonomicsusa.org (Matt Stannard, Founder)
Public Banking Institute
Fellowship for Intentional Community

Who are the people that you have found play an integral role in getting projects off the ground?

Chong Kee Tan of San Francisco's Bay Bucks

Interview links:

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

007: There's BPA in My What? Jay Sinha Talks Plastics and Running an Earth Conscious Business Oct 01, 2015

Show notes

Jay Sinha has a unique background in biochemistry, law, ecotoxicology and environmental research. In this interview, he reveals a lot about the true nature of what is in the products we use on a day-to-day basis and then gives us an amazing resource list to do some research on our own. Get a pen and paper kids, you're going to need it for this interview!

Most versatile item for a plastic-free life:

The mason jar – it can become a water bottle, is good for storing bulk food items, makes great freezer and leftover storage and even a lunch container

Long-standing habit that's contributed to personal and business success:

Eating well – it provides clarity of mind, increased energy, decreasing stress, better sleep and promotes healthy living overall

A cool new toy he just ordered in the mail:

A Pela iPhone case made out of bioplastic from plant fibers

LOTS of resources!

Klean Kanteen (company)
Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
Trash is for Tossers (blog)
Toxin Toxout: Getting Harmful Chemicals Out of Our Bodies and Our World
Weck canning jars & accessories
Programmed to be Fat (part of the The Nature of Things series)

Parting piece of guidance:

Don't be overwhelmed, start by simply getting out into nature. Get a sense of its importance and that will inspire you to make changes in your life

Interview links:

Life Without Plastic

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

006: Living a Zero-Waste Lifestyle with Bea Johnson Sep 28, 2015

Show notes

Bea Johnson is one of today's foremost experts in the area of zero-waste living and voluntary simplicity. She is most well-known for being able to fit her family of four's trash for an entire year into a quart-sized jar. She has helped people all over the world achieve various levels of voluntary simplicity and eco-friendly living through her blog ZeroWasteHome.com and her book by the same name. She continues to spread the zero-waste message through talks which she gives all over the world.

The turning point

By living with less we all of a sudden had more time to do the things we enjoyed doing

How she got started

Eliminated plastic bags
Bought all dry goods in bulk
Made reusable bags out of an old sheet

Resources

Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste by Bea Johnson

Patagonia 3-way Jacket
Bulk app, for finding stores that sell items in bulk, populated by members of the voluntary simplicity and zero waste community
vrbo.com and airbnb.com for renting out your home
relayrides.com for renting out your car
eliminating junk mail

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

005: Team Dynamics and Giving Back to the Community with Denzel Austin Thompson Sep 24, 2015

Show notes

Denzel Austin Thompson grew up in North Philly. During a service trip to New Orleans he got the idea to plant urban gardens in empty lots in his neighborhood back home. He is the co-creator of the Philadelphia Urban Creators and has since received multiple awards for his continued commitment to the community and his neighbors.

One purchase for $100 or less that's drastically impacted your life

Small backyard greenhouse (pictured below)

Sustainable Mindset Book

The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen

Parting piece of guidance

Think more like a plant, they've been around far longer than we have and we have a lot we can learn from them.

Interview Links

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

004: Fermentation and Other Kitchen DIY with Anne-Marie Bonneau of ZeroWasteChef.com Sep 21, 2015

Show notes

Anne-Marie grew up learning the DIY mentality from her father. She now puts it to use in the kitchen making all her food from scratch, from sourdough to kombucha and everything in between. She also hosts webinars to empower others to do the same. In this fun episode we discuss talking the talk and walking the walk in regards to sustainable living.

What is one question your younger self would ask you?

How can I get to where you are sooner? How can I start now?

Tip for those hoping to spread their knowledge within the community.

Attend lectures, learn something new and meet new people

Environmental Resource

My Plastic Free Life

Books

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Bufford
The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz

Interview Links

ZeroWasteChef.com (including webinar calendar)
Fermentation vs. Canning

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

003: Consumer Culture and Resilient & Sustainable Communities with Laird Christensen of Green Mountain College Sep 17, 2015

Show notes

Laird Christensen has dedicated his life to environmental activism and finding ways to create more sustainable communities. He has been an author, activist and educator during his career and that is how I came to know Laird, through his courses at Green Mountain College, where received my Masters in Environmental Studies. Laird is the Director of GMC's latest masters program in Resilient and Sustainable Communities and in this episode we discuss his upbringing and his inspiration for developing the program.

Long-standing Habit

Mindfulness, learned from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, which focused on awareness and compassion

Most Unexpected Gift in Developing MRSC

Laird learned from his students what it means to build community in different places all around the country.

Environmental Resource

Post Carbon Institute – Empowers people to live healthier lives by covering research and education to change consumer habits.

Sustainable Mindset Book

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold

Interview Links

-----

Do you like A Sustainable Mind? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and rate & review.

Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization? Become one of our donors with a tax-deductible donation on https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

A Sustainable Mind – environment & sustainability podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected