Did you know? Ikea beds, Wayfair desks, and other fast furniture items are designed to last about five years.

Fast furniture is mass-produced and relatively inexpensive; it's easy, then, to obtain and abandon. And fast decor? Low price points essentially render disposable those trendy but cheap pillows, artwork, and trinkets.

There's a better way, and it always starts with slowing down. Slow Style is Zandra Zuraw's framework for creating homes that nurture without breaking the bank, and today she shows us how to create havens that inspire and welcome without anything fast or cheap.

Here’s a preview:

[4:30] Why bother surrounding ourselves with beauty (and other big-picture musings)

[7:00] Mass production, economies of sale, and the environmental implications of fast decor

[17:00] Developing your eye for design means paying attention! 

[25:00] How to find the fine line between keeping stuff you hate versus hopping on the hamster wheel of buying

[30:00] Ethical furnishings companies DO exist! Here's where to find them once and for all

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The enviro-news you need to know for Friday, January 12 2024:

[00:45] Want to eat and drink less plastic? Don't drink bottled water ... 

[5:00] Vroom vroom! Clean yellow school buses are a-comin' nationwide

[10:00] Say it ain't so: Right now the US is producing more oil than any other country ... ever

[14:00] Help halt the fossil fuel industry's Liquified Natural Gas export expansion! Here's how

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You've likely been there. That moment when you look at your credit card statement and your heart sinks. Sometimes logic gives way to desire, and nothing's worse than realizing you overshopped on impulses. A lot.

It’s time to take a look at what happens in the moments *before* we impulse buy. On today's show: honing in our 5 shopping triggers so we can insert that crucial pause before buying.

Here's a preview:

[3:45] Advertisers shape our desires, and the credit industry makes these desires seem affordable. Yikes!

[9:30] Buyer, beware: when your mind becomes your own worst enemy. 

[15:00] The shopping trigger that's the most common and the most difficult to overcome

[23:00] Got parental guilt? Why you should stop buying stuff for your kids to compensate 

[29:00] Hankering to buy food when your kitchen is full? How to determine whether a physical trigger is colliding with an emotional one

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In some ways, our preponderance toward tech disposability is systemic. We consumers in the US are denied the right to repair: fixing a broken smartphone, then, is costly. It's simply more convenient to replace our broken item for the newest model.

When your device is broken you should have more options than a high-priced service or the landfill, and New York agrees. The Digital Fair Repair Act should make it easier to repair our smartphones and laptops at shops of *our* choosing. It's good news, because the law may ultimately bring down repair prices for all of us. And if repair is affordable? Fingers crossed, tech stays out of landfills.

On today's show: Nicholas De Leon from Consumer Reports breaks down this landmark grassroots consumer win.

Here's a preview:

[3:45] Need-to-know details about New Yorks' Digital Fair Repair Act

[9:00] Why aren't dishwashers, washing machines, and other "white goods" covered?

[19:30] What if any benefits from NY's new law will non-New Yorkers receive? 

[25:00] The bigger picture: Why repair what's designed to break?

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The enviro-news you need to know for Friday, January 5 2024:

[00:45] Is drinking toilet water in our future? (Answer: Yes.)

[3:45] Some flowers are evolving to pollinate themselves, and this is not good news

[7:15] Got climate trauma? Good luck finding professional support

[15:00] A lack of EPA oversight in Cancer Alley

Over the holidays my family and I staycationed for 9 glorious days. During this time of introspection I re-learned these 4 universally applicable lessons which we are discussing today:

[2:45] Appearance is EVERYthing (when shopping, at least).

[10:00] Explanations are unnecessary.

[18:00] No ones need to eat like royalty *every* night.

[27:00] Habit forming? Remember dosage. Repetition too! 

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Whether you boast a small windowsill herb garden, a thriving hydroponic system or something in between, growing your own food is great for your well-being. And when you grow what you eat? You also reduce the environmental harm that's incurred by industrial agricultural methods; you eliminate food miles, too.

Kevin Espiritu built a modern homestead on a very modest urban lot; he also happens to help millions of home growers take their gardening efforts to the next level. On today's show Kevin outlines the ways in which each of us — even those who can't keep anything alive! — can grow big(ger) in 2024.

Here's a preview:

[4:00] Why grow stuff? Food miles, nutrition, and industrialized food 

[15:00] The more you grow, the better you grow: Remembering the gardener's lesson

[19:00] Are those fancy-shmancy hydroponic garden towers worth it? Could you build one yourself?

[22:00] Can't keep anything alive? Start with sprouts!

[27:00] The Number One question expert home growers ask themselves, and often

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The holidays are all about overabundance. We buy too much, consume too much and despite our best efforts spend far too much money. But there is a solution, and it’s happening on January 1: A No Spend Reset. 

A practical first step toward adopting a lifestyle rooted in sustainable minimalism is to hop off the consumerist bandwagon, at least for a little while, and January is the perfect right time to tackle that project you've been meaning to get to in your home, explore the wonder of recreational activities that don’t cost a cent, and recenter yourself with gratitude for what you already have.

On today's re-air: Julie Winpisinger divulges the Why and How of a no spend/low spend month so you can confidently embark on intentionally NOT SPENDING for 31 days.

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A New Year's resolution is a tool that helps us become the best possible versions of ourselves. And yet research finds most people abandon their resolutions by February. 

Many New Year's resolutions fail because they're too broad, too lofty, and not at all time-sensitive. On today's show we set ourselves up for resolution success by applying the 5 components of SMART goals to our 2024 aspirations.

Here's a preview: 

[2:00] What do the statistics say? Here's just how many resolutions fail, and when

[4:30] How to use the SMART acronym to improve your own 2024 resolution 

[7:30] Taking 4 of the most common new years resolutions and making them better

[12:00] Got a sustainability goal on your mind? Stephanie's best thoughts

[19:00] 6 research-backed tips for making your resolution stick

The (only positive!) enviro-news you need to know for Friday, December 22 2023:

[3:30] Can microorganisms help in our plastics fight?

[6:00] Exactly how plants communicate with other plants (and why it's important in climate change conversations)

[9:00] 'Sustainable' Aviation Fuels: Is climate-friendly flying an oxymoron?