Raising Eco Minimalists

Today I'm speaking with the incredibly Dr. Artika Tyner - the founder of the Minnesota-based organization 'Planting People, Growing Justice'. Its mission is to raise awareness about illiteracy in kids and how that contributes to the cradle to prison pipeline. They also work to increase representation in books and toys.


Full episode transcript

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In today's episode, I'm talking with fellow eco-minimalist parent Linda Yin. She's an enthusiastic minimalist (her words), and has found her sustainability land in the form of safe lawn advocacy for all kids and living beings.

In this episode, we have a fantastic conversation about what it means to be a minimalist as a parent, how it changes after having kids, how it looks different for everyone, and more.

Then, we jump into Linda's sustainability lane: safe lawns, where we talk about the work she's doing to bring awareness to pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that companies like TruGreen put on lawns. Linda shares the harmful effects these chemicals can have on us, and ways to make change through conversation with others.

This is a jam-packed episode, but Linda is so relatable, and I absolutely enjoyed our conversation together.


Where you can find Linda:

• Petition 
• Website

Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show 

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify 

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

Valentine's Day with kids can be hard to navigate, because on one hand, we want our kids to be able to participate in the card exchange and other activities at school or daycare. But, the traditional activities can cause a lot of waste. So what do we do?

This quick episode focuses mainly on the card exchanges that happen at schools, between friends, and at daycares. I share tips on how to rethink your Valentine's Day activities, as well as give specific, eco-friendly exchange options. 


Complete episode transcript. 



Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show 

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify 

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

Got food waste? Over 30-40% of all food is wasted. Yet, we have people in our own communities and elsewhere that are going hungry.

We know composting is important, but reducing food waste first is the goal.

However, when we throw kids into the mix, it can feel completely out of our control and overwhelming.

In this episode, I'm talking with Alison Mountford of ends & stems - a professional chef who has a focus on helping busy families get food on the table without the stress, drama, and overwhelm, with the added bonus of reducing food waste. Yes, even if you have CHOOSEY eaters!

Complete episode transcript.

Here are the questions we answer and topics covered:

• Issue with food waste
• How to tackle home-packed school lunches
• Ways we can talk to kids about food waste
• How to incorporate reducing food waste into your family values
• How to address food waste at home with choosy eaters
• How to avoid making separate meals for kids who don’t like what’s being served
• How to get dinner on the table for your family with less stress and less drama and less food waste

Resources mentioned in this episode (some links may contain affiliate links, which helps support our amazing guests and this podcast):

• Bento Box
• Episode 11 - How to compost at home with kids
• Family values episodes (Ep 17 with Lindsay & Episode 2 with Stephanie)
• Gardening with kids ep. 4

Where to find Alison & ends & stems:

• ends & stems
• recipe finder
• Instagram

Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show 

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

The pod is back for another season, and this episode is a quick recap of where we started and where we are going. It's also a mushy two minutes of gratitude and appreciation and excitement for you being here.

Subscribe to ensure you never miss and episode!

NEW for season two....TRANSCRIPTS!


Click here for the transcript for this episode.


Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show 
• Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify 

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

In this bonus episode - I review the top five episodes of 2021 (season one), and share four things you can do in 2022 to help you and your kids manage your mind, body, community, and planet. 

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

In this episode, I'm talking about a topic that everyone is talking about (just not to each other). And that topic is how to tell someone: "no gifts, please". 

As we move into the holiday season, many people are wondering how they can broach the topic of not exchanging gifts without offending their friends/family. 

The good news is that it can be easier than you think. 

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why some people may be insistent on gifts
• Why you may not want to exchange gifts
• 10 tips for how to say "no gifts, please" (or at least offer a compromise)

Resources:

• 10 ways to graciously tell someone: ‘no gifts, please’ (with actual examples)
• A Minimalist and Zero Waste Advent Calendar (with 58 Kindness, Traditions, and Activity-Based, Non-Candy Ideas)
• What is a fiver party and how to throw one (includes a party invitation wording guide)

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

Americans spend BILLIONs of dollars a year on Halloween celebrations. The amount of waste that goes into the items we buy is a lot. Not to mention, expensive! I even give lots of ideas to the common question: what do I hand out to trick or treaters that's eco-friendly and low waste?

This episode talks about how to have an eco-friendly Halloween with kids.

Here are the questions I answer and topics covered:

• -frightening Halloween statistics
• -what to give trick-or-treaters (non-candy and candy ideas)
• -the Teal Pumpkin Project
• -what to do with all those candy wrappers
• -what to do with leftover Halloween candy
• -eco friendly Halloween costumes
• -where to rent Halloween costumes
• -how to keep pumpkin carving eco-friendly
• -what to do with your pumpkin after Halloween

Resources mentioned in this episode (some links may contain affiliate links, which helps support our amazing guests and this podcast):

• -teal pumpkin map
• -terra cycle candy wrapper recycling box
• -Kidizen App
• -ToyCycle
• -Rent-a-Romper
• -HalloweenCostumes.com
• -Episode Six with Addie on Thrifting Kids Items
• -Episode 11 with Jen on Composting with Kids
• -ShareWaste
• Buy Nothing Project Group
• Freecycle.org
• Nextdoor 
• Facebook Marketplace

Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)

Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)

Facebook Raising Eco Minimalist Community Group

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

In this episode, I'm talking with Lindsay Short of Simply Sustainable Parenting. Lindsay and I cover a variety of topics, but the meat of the episode is focused on something I think many of us struggle with - setting boundaries. 


Here are the questions we answer and topics covered:

• Lindsay’s definition of sustainability (and how it’s different than the traditional meaning)
• How mindfulness and mental health play into the sustainability movement
• How we can incorporate mindfulness, mental health, and sustainability into our family
• How to create a family mission statement (and what it is)
• How we can set boundaries for ourselves
• How we can set boundaries for our kids 
• How we can teach our kids to set boundaries for themselves 
• How to address pushback from others in regards to boundaries 
• What a simple playroom is and how to maintain it
• Some benefits of having fewer toys for kids

Resources mentioned in this episode (some links may contain affiliate links, which helps support our amazing guests and this podcast):

• Mission statement worksheet
• Episode 2 with Stephanie Sefarian 
• Boundary setting around gift giving workshop
• Conscious parenting book club

Where to find Lindsay:

• Instagram
• Blog

Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)

Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)

Facebook Raising Eco Minimalist Community Group

Become a podcast member (and help support the show!)

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify

Research shows that kids who are overscheduled don't eat as well, sleep as well, or make friends as well as kids who aren't overscheduled. Additionally, overscheduling kids when they're younger can lead to things like anxiety, depression, and hamper their ability to solve problems and make good decisions.

As parents/guardians, we are probably well-intentioned by signing our kids up for all the things. But it can not only be detrimental to their wellbeing, but ours too.


Here are the questions we answer and topics covered:

• How overscheduling can be a detriment to our kids (and us)
• What research shows about this topic
• Why we may overschedule
• Five ways to stop overscheduling 

Resources mentioned in this episode (some links may contain affiliate links, which helps support our amazing guests and this podcast):

• Free workshop: Seeds for change
• Episode 2: Eco Minimalism and Kids with Stephanie Sefarian 
• The Overscheduled Child by Alvin Rosenfeld, MD
• The Hurried Child by David Elkind 

Let's connect!

Email me: [email protected]

Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)

Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)

Facebook Raising Eco Minimalist Community Group

Become a podcast member (and help support the show!)

Support the show

Let's connect!

Sign up and receive the eco-activity book with over 15 activities for kids.

Email me: [email protected]

• Blog (Reduce, Reuse, Renew)
• Instagram (@raisingecominimalistspodcast or @reducereuserenewblog)
• Support the Show

Leave a review on Apple and/or Spotify