Sustainable Minimalists

“Hey Stephanie, I’m wondering what some of your tips are when it comes to preparing for a baby for the first time when you want to maintain a minimalist lifestyle. Thank you.”   Want to be a minimalist parent but don’t know where to start? This short-and-sweet bonus episode lays bare my down-and-dirty, not-so-socially-acceptable advice. Here’s a preview: [3;30] The bare minimum: Stephanie’s list of 7 (just 7!) essential items every infant needs [8:30] Why you shouldn’t have a baby...

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When discussing reducing toxin exposure, we often frame the conversation in terms of cleaning up our beauty and home products. But there are plenty of toxins in our food, and that’s why simple, clean eating is so darn important. My guest this week is Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist and author Tonya Harris. Tonya experienced the benefits of a healthier food firsthand when her son—who displayed tell-tale signs of ADHD—significantly reduced his symptoms after cutting the nasties from his diet. These days,...

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“I just moved to a small country town and for some reason they stopped accepting glass for recycling. I had purposely been buying more glass products to avoid plastic as much as possible … I don’t know what to do. Do you have any suggestions?”   US recycling is in chaos, and packaging materials that were once recyclable may likely be headed to your local landfill. What’s an eco-conscious consumer to do? On this short and sweet bonus episode, I’m...

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We women have been primed since we were young to be critical of our bodies. Even though we’re adults—and even though we know better!—it’s natural to revert to what society tells us about the connection between body shape and self-worth. A negative body image impacts us all (regardless of size!), and minimalism is here to help. My guest this week is Wavelength founder Sarah Stites. Sarah gained significant weight in high school; her self-esteem plummeted soon after. As she yo-yo...

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Perfectly manicured hands and feet are the norm in 2021, and many of us feel out of place when we choose to abandon what’s socially accepted. But there’s a “toxic trio” of chemicals in nail polish (toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate) and these chemicals leak through our nail beds and into our bloodstreams. What’s the true cost, then, of fitting in? Is fitting in worth it if doing so harms our health? This week, I speak with podcast host Megan...

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Uses for Essential Oils An essential oil is not quite a perfume and not exactly a medicine. Still, advocates promise the uses for essential oils are many, and their benefits include better sleep, reduced anxiety, improved overall well-being, to name a few. Are essential oils worth the hype, or are they just another product that makes oversized promises? On this short and sweet bonus episode, I’m answering a listener’s question all about whether essential oils fit into a sustainable minimalist...

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How to downsize your home (and help older relatives do the same)   Downsizing is physically and emotionally exhausting. The job becomes infinitely harder when you’re tasked with helping older relatives—your parents, perhaps—clear out their attics and basements overflowing with items they’ve accumulated throughout the decades. Should you consider downsizing and decluttering now so your kids don’t one day find themselves stuck with the job? When helping older relatives clear out their clutter, how can you empathically and responsibly disperse...

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I once aspired to design my home’s interior the way I saw design done in my favorite home decor catalogs, which is to say I chased an aesthetic that was white, pristine, and contemporary. But doubling down on what’s new and in style left little room for displaying trinkets with stories, passed-down but quality furniture, and antiques that infuse uniqueness. I had created a beautiful space, yes, but it was an impersonal one. Unimaginative, even. This week, I speak with...

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Curating a Healthy House What’s eco-friendly also tends to be non-toxic, and if you’re like most sustainable minimalists, you likely aspire to curate a healthy house that supports your eco-minimalist ideals. Yet non-toxic products can be difficult to find; they tend to be expensive, too. Today I’m speaking with the brains behind Shades of Green, Angela Wade and Ellen Strickland. Shades of Green is a sustainable shopping platform that’s committed to creating healthier living spaces by sourcing only non-toxic, environmentally-friendly...

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How to Host a (No Plastic) Party   Like to entertain but hate the overwhelm? Join the club. While it feels so right to open your home to your loved ones for dinner parties, barbecues, and holidays, being chained to the kitchen (and the dirty dishes!) feels oh, so wrong. The alternative is equally cringe-worthy: Heaps of plastic plates, cups, and cutlery in the trash? No thanks. This week, I speak with Repurpose founder Lauren Gropper. Lauren believes hosts and...

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Why is it that, in times of fear, society reverts back to relying on single-use disposables? COVID-19 will have lasting effects on the environmental movement. While some of such effects—like embracing forced slowness, for example—took cars off the road and reduced worldwide carbon emissions in the short-term, our propensity toward fear-based buying over the past year has littered the planet. Indeed, communities that fought long and hard to ban single-use items embraced them during the pandemic; there’s the plastics problem,...

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Palm oil: Ever hear of it? Imports of the stuff to the United States have risen a whopping 263% in the last 15 years and, these days, it’s in our toothpaste, our shampoo, our pet’s food, our makeup, and more. Palm oil is in nearly everything, and its cultivation has dire consequences for our planet. This week, I speak with award-winning journalist and author Jocelyn Zuckerman. Jocelyn traveled to 4 continents to research the ripple effects of palm oil’s rise,...

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Sustainable toys provide countless benefits to both children and the planet yet, still, finding such toys can be difficult. What, exactly, makes a toy sustainable? Are wooden toys (ahem … Melissa & Doug) considered eco-friendly simply because they are made of wood? These days, most toys are made of plastics; stuffed animals and dolls are also made of artificial (read: plastic) fibers. Through a complex chemical process, plastic toys are made from fossil fuels and eventually break into many small pieces,...

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How To Be Happy In A Small Home   Choosing to live in a small home is one of the most basic ways we can both reduce our carbon footprints and curb unnecessary spending. Indeed, while living small (not necessarily tiny!) is the epitome of sustainable minimalism, it can be difficult to intentionally embrace less square footage in a culture that suggests bigger is best. It’s a real conundrum: We revere space, but we also revere eco-simplicity. Can we have...

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When humans solve problems, we often overlook an incredibly powerful option: Subtraction. We add baskets and bins to fix organizational issues within the home. We buy new clothes when we find ourselves frustrated with our wardrobes. In correspondence, we get loquacious in efforts of making our points. In design fields, we add elements to improve “flow”. In short, addition rules. But intentional subtraction is a powerful practice that’s rewarding, fun, and backed by science. And once we retrain our brains to...

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The Circular Economy’s Benefits for You and Me   ** Like this show? Want to help it grow? Please leave it a quick review on Apple Podcasts, and thank you! **    Our “take-make-waste” economy has cost consumers billions of dollars and has cheated us out of an inhabitable planet.  But it doesn’t have to be this way: embracing a circular economy will save taxpayer money, preserve resources, and lead to an estimated $4.5 trillion in economic growth. Even better?...

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Finding your Minimalist Mindset   It’s often the case that we are our own worst enemies. It’s easy to fall back into old habits and old ways of thinking—it’s too easy, in fact, to revert to what we’ve always done. Indeed, in my capacity as host of this podcast, I often hear the same struggle from you, my listeners: it’s really darn hard to both find and maintain your minimalist mindset for the long haul in a culture that glorifies...

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Tips for an organized home with kids   Staying on top of tidiness can be stress-inducing, time-sucking, and never-ending. If it seems as though your home never looks or feels the way you want it, know that maintaining an organized space with kids is hard work, but it’s possible. This week, I speak with professional organizer Elise Hay. Elise believes there’s only one way to have a tidy home with children, and that’s to have the support of each and...

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Pop Culture and the Environmental Movement Today   In recent years, pop culture has raised important questions about the environmental movement today, and people are listening. Because while it can be easy to dissociate from media coverage surrounding global warming, climate change, and environmental racism, it’s much harder to do so when pop culture pushes the narrative. The relationship between popular culture and popular opinion is circular, and so a great way to jumpstart conversations with children and other loved...

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Minimalist beauty for the conscious consumer   Toner, exfoliant, emulsion, eye cream, and that’s all before breakfast: The average woman uses 12 beauty products each and every day. But are these products actually necessary? What are the benefits to a minimalist beauty routine, and how do you start simplifying your existing one? On today’s show we are applying the tenets of sustainable minimalism to our skincare routines by minimizing the excess, simplifying the process, and replacing what’s essential with eco-conscious...

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It isn’t hyperbole: Technology is in many ways taking over our daily lives. Research has found that children spend 1200 hours per year on technological devices. And adults? We waste approximately 6200 hours a year—or up to a staggering equivalent of 44 years of our lives—staring at screens. In this era of technological-everything, is digital minimalism even possible?

On today’s show I speak with Bill Brady, CEO of Troomi. As a father of five, Bill offers up his best tips for creating a culture within our homes that prioritize in-person time as opposed to screen time; he suggests action steps for adults looking to achieve digital minimalism, too.

Here’s a preview:

[4:15] Beyond cyberbullying: The wide-ranging effects of technology on kids

[8:30] 3 House Rules that prioritize real-life relationships over virtual ones

[13:30] The importance of technological time-outs for working professionals

[20:15] How to know when your child is ready for a cell phone

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Upchoose.com

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Becoming a Zero Waste Chef   The daily habits zero waste chefs rely on to reduce food and packaging waste can seem daunting to the rest of us, to say the least. But in the era of meal delivery kits and takeout culture, cooking from scratch and ensuring nothing gets wasted may indeed be self-sufficient skills that consumers are in danger of losing. On today’s episode, Anne-Marie Bonneau, better known as The Zero Waste Chef, and I discuss cooking as...

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The benefits of 1000 hours outside   Most of us understand intuitively that spending time outdoors – 1000 hours outside, in fact! –  is important. But what does science say about the role of nature in our lives? How can we make the outdoors a staple of our children’s childhoods without tears? The 1000 Hours Outside campaign seeks to match nature time with screen time, and that’s because kids spend approximately 1200 hours per year in front of electronic devices....

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Sustainable Consumption for you and me Sustainable Minimalism (the book!) is available as an e-book, audiobook, and paperback now, and it dives *far deeper* into the topics we discuss on this podcast. Thank you for supporting my work!   Sustainable consumption is confusing. What does it mean to be an intentional eco-consumer, exactly, and how does the identity differ from being a conscious one? There are problems associated with greenwashing, too. Assuming you want to be more sustainable in your...

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Environmentally Friendly Parenting that’s Good Enough   Parents are tired. So tired, in fact, that adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle may seem impossible. But the goal is progress—not perfection!—and so this week’s show is dedicated to parents who want to do better but don’t want to completely upend their lives. Today I am speaking with Stace Dixon and Taylor Shearer of DYPER. Together we outline low-waste parenting strategies that are *good enough* in that they don’t require lots of time or...

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How to simplify picky eating   It’s the bane of parents’ existences: Picky eating. And while some children are certainly pickier than most, most moms and dads worry whether their kids regularly consume a variety of nutrients – and in the right quantities! – for optimal growth and development. What kids eat matters, and so this week I’m speaking with a certified nutritionist to help us both understand and simplify all the intricacies around feeding our children. My guest is Kaitlin...

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Minimalist tips to manage time   Time: There never seems to be enough of it. And while the internet flows with tips to manage time, minimalists understand that we can gain more time by having less stuff. Today I’m speaking with my friend and fellow podcaster Diane Boden. Diane is the host of the Minimalist Moms Podcast; she also has a new book by the same name. Today Diane and I discuss tangible ways in which we can pare down our...

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What’s Really Important When Learning at Home   Many minimalists correctly view their homes as havens. But because critical learning happens within the home during pandemics and always, our living spaces also provide daily opportunities to nurture lasting loves of learning in our children. On today’s show my guests and I explore the ways in which parents can both facilitate and simplify learning at home, 365 days per year. First I bring you an interview with educational consultant Hillary Einboden, who...

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Routines and Rituals For Housework Help   Sustainable Minimalism (the book!) is available as an e-book, audiobook, and paperback now, and it dives *far deeper* into the topics we discuss on this podcast. Thank you for supporting my work!   Have 4 walls and a roof? If so, you probably have housework. And if you are fortunate to have a family? You’re likely burdened by household chores every single day. Today I’m speaking with author and cleaning guru Becky Rapinchuk,...

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How To Use Cloth Diapers   Cloth diapers have a reputation as the time-consuming and stressful way to diaper a baby. Yet parents who proudly embrace reusables report that the opposite is true: after you learn how to successfully use cloth diapers, the practice provides daily opportunities to connect with your child. Cloth diapering ushers in a unique joy, too. On today’s show I speak with Gaëlle Wizenberg, founder and Chief of Commerce of Charlie Banana. First, Gaëlle debunks 3...

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Intentional Living at Home Intentional living is all the rage right now, as it’s about letting your purpose guide your actions as they relate to your family, your work, your finances, your environmental impact, your spirituality, and more. That said, it’s easy to revert to living on autopilot. It’s too easy, in fact, to be blown off track by snags in the plan. On today’s show I speak with Desirae Endres, host of the With Intention podcast. If you’ve ever...

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Impactful Eco Friendly Changes   We’ve all been there: The awkward moment when we realize that, when it comes to eco friendly living, we could be doing more. On this week’s bonus episode, I speak with Marie Ève Gaudreau Lamarre. Marie Ève walks us through the moment she realized that she wasn’t eco friendly simply because she recycled; soon after, she knew she could – and therefore must – do more. In our conversation today, Marie Ève makes clear the...

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8 Minimalist Style Principles   It happens to the best of us: despite our best intentions, we fall for trends. We assume that if a new style looks great on a model it will also look great on us. But wardrobe simplicity is about employing select minimalist style tricks that save money, reduce clothing waste, and empower you to look your best. On today’s show I speak with style coach Kim Hancher. Kim is a huge advocate for NOT running...

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Difficult Sustainability Conversations   If you are passionate about sustainability, you may often find yourself in the middle of thorny interpersonal interactions. Here are just a few statements I’ve heard over the years in which I’ve tried – but miserably failed! – to bridge the gap between my opinions and the persons’ sitting in front of me: “Environmental policies kill jobs.” “God is omnipotent. He’ll take care of climate change.” “Recycling is pointless. Why bother?” Today I’m speaking with fellow...

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** Sustainable Minimalism (the book based on THIS podcast!) is out now! Get your paperback or e-book copy here.**   Your Minimalist Play Room: Why Basic is Best & Less is More Got kids? If so, you’ve also got toys. If you’re like me, you may also have a play room that’s bursting at the seams with active, plastic toys. Parents want to provide novel play experiences for their children, as no one wants their kids to be deprived. But...

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** Sustainable Minimalism (the book based on THIS podcast!) is out now! Get your paperback or e-book copy here.** Intentional Living and Personal Development   Prioritizing personal development is a staple of an intentional life, yet listeners overwhelmingly report that they have neither the time nor the energy to pursue good habits. The result? We tend to focus on our personal development only when a problem occurs. But by then, it’s too late to proactively make a change. Today I...

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Eco Friendly Living and Gen Z   Meet Murielle from Michigan. Murielle is a Generation Z-er who found herself interested in eco friendly living in high school. Fast forward 5 years: Murielle has dedicated her professional life to solving environmental problems as she strives to change her everyday actions so that they best align with her values. In our conversation today, Murielle imparts some practical tips (how to compost with worms!) as well as some abstract ideas, too (how to...

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Healthy Children & The Problems with “Natural” Products   Parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance, and more: In 2021, raising healthy children starts by reducing exposures to common toxins. It continues by giving the side eye to products marketed to babies and kids as “natural”, too. Potentially hazardous chemicals reside in plastic toys, food packaging, personal care products, and even food. But because babies and young children do not have fully developed immune systems, they may be even *more* susceptible to their negative...

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Mindful Parenting Tips for Overwhelmed Moms   If parenting under normal circumstances is demanding, parenting during a pandemic is downright exhausting. And if you’re like me, you may have found yourself scouring the internet for parenting tips that make pandemic mothering manageable. But because we have such little (if any!) free time—and because we are downright exhausted—Google’s algorithm falls short. Mothers overwhelmingly report that their mental health is struggling amidst increased mental loads, erosion of work-life boundaries, and general daily monotony. And...

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Eco Conscious Christianity with Lisa M.   Meet Lisa from Adelaide, Australia. Lisa is a long-time podcast listener who believes that eco conscious living is the ultimate expression of her Christian faith. She excels at reducing carbon emissions from transportation (her family only has one vehicle, and it’s an electric car), but she has trouble cutting down on soft plastics. In our conversation today, Lisa imparts the hopeful truth that one person has the power to change the trajectory of...

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Feng Shui, Meet Modern Minimalism   Modern minimalism is all about clean lines, clear countertops, tidy spaces, and houseplants. (Lots of houseplants.) But feng shui, too, has a lot to say about whether or not your living space feels peaceful, and that’s why the modern minimalist movement would do well to take a few cues from this ancient Chinese philosophy. Indeed, combining old design ideals with new ones is a powerful way to amplify minimalist principles in your home. This...

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When Living Green Gets Exhausting   I’ll just go ahead and say it: eco-friendly lifestyles can leave us feeling weary, and that’s because living green requires extra time, patience, energy, and—sometimes—financial means. But the heaviness associated with choosing sustainable choices day in and day out stems from experiencing a trifecta of difficult emotions, too, including confusion, hopelessness, and anger. Today I bring you a conversation with Cheryl Leutjen. Cheryl is the author of Love Earth Now, a collection of essays...

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Eco Friendly Laundry Products and Routines   While bathrooms boast zero-waste swaps and kitchens can overflow with sustainable alternatives, the laundry room is considered the final frontier for offering eco friendly products. Indeed, Americans continue to discard nearly 1 billion plastic detergent jugs each year, and just one third of them are recycled. Laundry products have remained staunchly un-environmental over the past 6 decades. And thanks to the monopolies CPG companies have on the market, ethical and eco alternatives to...

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New Year’s Resolutions for All   It’s mid-December and you know what that means: It’s time to start thinking about your 2021 new year’s resolution. Resolutions tend to be self-serving. Humans as a species are often centered around the self, and so it’s no surprise, then, that when we plan our resolutions for the coming year many choose ones that benefit the individual. But my guest today argues that perhaps the reason why resolutions are notorious for failure is because...

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Sustainable Fashion: Where It’s Been & Where it’s Going   Although sustainable fashion has come a long way in the past 3 decades, ethical clothing continues to suffer from some quite-common misconceptions: It’s boring. It’s expensive. It’s beige. Is it possible to find affordable, transparent, and sustainable fashion in today’s world, or are we not *quite* there yet? Today I bring you an interview with internationally recognized lifestyle visionary, Marci Zaroff. Marci has been in the sustainable fashion game for nearly...

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  How to organize your way Many times, we organize our homes the way we see organization done on television. But if you’ve ever looked to the gurus for tips on how, exactly, to organize, you may have felt disappointed when your efforts didn’t translate into long-term success. When your home is organized in a way that’s in alignment with your unique personality, you work less and relax more. That’s why organizing isn’t about having an Instagram-worthy space for a...

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How to Live Below Your Means (Without Feeling Deprived)   There are only two ways to live below your means: One is to earn more; the other is to spend less. Living below your means boasts obvious benefits including increased financial security and decreased financial stress. Having a savings net is also a critical step toward self-sufficiency because it provides a buffer against setback, too. This week, I offer 10 tricks to help you live below your means without leaving you feeling...

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How Minimalists Combat the Symptoms of Burnout   The symptoms of burnout include fatigue, hopelessness, and diminished motivation. And while Western cultures revere busyness, simplifying schedules and paring down To-Do Lists benefit our health, our happiness, and our sanity. Minimalism at its most fundamental level is an experiment in intentional living, and so on today’s episode we explore how a life rooted in intentionality can combat burnout. This week, I speak with Delanie Fischer. Delanie is a simplicity coach who...

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Sustainable gifts for everyone on your list They’re nearly here: The holidays. As consumers, we have a collective responsibility to support companies that have ethical and eco-friendly practices at the center of their missions. Still, greenwashing runs rampant, and it can be difficult (if not downright impossible!) to discern sustainable gifts from no-so-sustainable ones as we give to loved ones. ::Enter the 2020 Green Gift Guide!:: My hope is that this year’s Green Guide provides you with the motivation to...

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The Case for Part-Time Plant-Based It’s likely no surprise that plant-based diets are better for the planet than carnivorous ones, as shifting food production from meat to vegan proteins could remove up to 16 years’ worth of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions (source). Vegan diets support animal rights and holistic health, too. But despite the countless benefits of going plant-based, my guest this week argues that Ride-Or-Die veganism is impractical for many people. She argues, too, that shaming imperfect vegans...

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