Sustainable in the Suburbs | Reduce Waste, Sustainable Habits & Intentional Living

So much of sustainable living is still presented to us as an individual project — something we are supposed to manage inside our own homes through how we shop, how much we throw away, and all the habits we build around those choices.
But what if sustainability is actually asking something bigger?
In this conversation, I’m joined by Laura Danger, author of No More Mediocre: A Call to Reimagine Our Relationships and Demand More, to talk about what changes when we start thinking about sustainability through the lens of care, community, and interdependence.
We begin with something seemingly simple: hand-me-downs. But circulating clothes, toys, bikes, and other resources requires labour, connection, and a willingness to participate in the life of a community. From there, we talk about why care work remains so deeply gendered and undervalued, and how those same patterns show up in environmental work and the systems behind what we buy, use, and throw away.
We also get into hyper-individualism, consumption, and the idea of weaponized incompetence on a cultural scale — what happens when we are taught not to know or care where things come from, where they go when we are finished with them, or who absorbs the costs along the way.
And we talk about what it means to build something different: sharing resources, participating in mutual aid, showing up for neighbours, and recognizing that interdependence is not a failure of independence. It is how healthy communities work.
If low waste living was your own doorway into questioning consumption, or if you’re trying to build a more intentional life that is less isolated and more connected to the people around you, this conversation asks a bigger question: what are we actually trying to sustain?
Takeaways
Why circulating hand-me-downs is radical care work
The connection between gendered labour and sustainable living
Why care work is essential infrastructure in our homes and communities
How hyper-individualism keeps us isolated and overburdened
What cultural “weaponized incompetence” can look like in sustainability
Why understanding systemic problems does not mean our individual choices stop mattering
Reciprocity, mutual aid, and the difference between community and transaction
Why sharing resources can strengthen both social connection and community resilience
Why sustainable communities cannot be built through individual self-sufficiency alone
What it means to be a villager, rather than simply wishing for a village
One Small Shift
This week, choose one small way to participate more actively in the community around you. That could mean joining or using your local Buy Nothing group, passing something along instead of throwing it away, checking in on a neighbour, sharing food or another resource, or simply noticing where you have the capacity to make someone else’s day a little easier.
Connect With Laura
No More Mediocre: A Call to Reimagine Our Relationships and Demand More (book)
Time to Lean (podcast)
Website
Instagram
Related Blog Posts
Climate Venn Diagram: A Simple Framework for Climate Action
How to Organize a Clothing Swap
10 Tips for Going Zero Waste with Kids
Related Podcast Episodes
Ep. 7: Rethinking Zero Waste and Building Community Care with April Dickinson
Ep. 11: Money, Enoughness, and Community Care with Women’s Personal Finance
Ep. 32: Overstimulation, Overconsumption, and the Pressure to Do More with Gillian Gabryluk
Ep. 36: How to Host a Clothing Swap — Sharing Clothes & Building Community
Ep. 42: Overwhelmed by Climate Change? The Climate Venn Diagram Can Help
Ep. 58: How to Quit Amazon, Buy Less & Break the Cycle of Overconsumption
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What if intentional living really begins with examining what we already have, what we consume, and how we relate to the world around us?
This episode is a different lens on many of the questions at the heart of sustainability: Why do we always want more? How do we know when we have enough? And what might change if we slowed down long enough to ask ourselves why?
This week, I’m joined by my yoga teacher, Aarti Inamdar, for a conversation about the connections between yoga and sustainable living. Aarti is a student and teacher of classical hatha yoga who has spent nearly 20 years studying and sharing these traditions.
We talk about yoga far beyond the physical practice, and what yogic teachings can offer us in a culture that is constantly encouraging us to want more, buy more, and do more. Aarti introduces the principles of ahimsa (non-harm), pratyahara (sensory withdrawal), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness), and we explore how they connect to overconsumption, enoughness, and the pull so many of us feel toward a slower, simpler way of living.
We also talk about connection to nature — and what changes when we stop thinking of nature as somewhere we go and begin recognizing ourselves as part of it. From the food we eat to the birds in our own backyards, this conversation explores what it might look like to pay closer attention to our relationships with the living world and to question some of the habits of modern life that keep us disconnected from it.
Takeaways
How yoga extends far beyond the postures on your mat
What ahimsa, pratyahara, and aparigraha can teach us about sustainable habits and consumption
Why seeking fulfilment through more stuff can keep us wanting more
How enoughness connects to intentional living and a less consumption-driven life
Why slowing down can help us notice our existing connection to nature
What traditional ways of preparing, sharing, and eating food can teach us about waste and consumption
How questioning what we actually need can help us step outside the constant push toward more
One Small Shift
Notice where you feel connected — to yourself, another living being, or the natural world around you. Maybe that means taking your coffee outside and listening to the birds, paying closer attention to the food you're eating, or simply noticing the other living beings you share your neighbourhood with.
Connect With Aarti
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Related Blog Posts
A Simple Framework for Climate Action
25 Ways to Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle
Becoming a Zero Waste Family
Related Podcast Episodes
Ep. 5: How to Navigate Climate Emotions and Build Community Around You
Ep. 7: Rethinking Zero Waste and Building Community Care
Ep. 11: Money, Enoughness, and Community Care
Ep. 32: Overstimulation, Overconsumption, and the Pressure to Do More
Ep. 42: Overwhelmed by Climate Change? Start Here
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Overconsumption is built into the way we shop  and Amazon makes buying more, faster, almost frictionless.
This episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs originally aired in August 2025, but I wanted to bring it back now because the conversation feels even more relevant today.
I’m talking about how to quit Amazon (or at least drastically reduce your reliance on it) in a way that’s actually doable.
We look at the real cost of convenience, from plastic waste and overconsumption to the pressure Amazon’s business model puts on local and independent businesses. I also share how my family has mostly moved away from Amazon, what we do instead, and the few situations where we still use it.
We also talk about the power of boycott. One person choosing to spend differently might feel insignificant, but collectively, where we spend our money matters. Choosing to buy less, shop locally, support independent businesses, buy secondhand, borrow, or simply wait before purchasing are all ways to push back on a system designed to keep us consuming.
This isn’t about pretending everyone can completely avoid Amazon. It’s about finding the places where you do have some wiggle room and building sustainable habits that feel realistic for your life.
Because intentional living doesn’t have to mean overhauling everything overnight. Sometimes it starts with pausing before you click “buy.”
Takeaways
How Amazon’s business model encourages overconsumption and makes convenience hard to resist.
Quitting Amazon is about spending in ways that better reflect your values and support your community. 
The environmental cost of convenience, including packaging, plastic waste, and unnecessary purchases.
Why boycotts and collective consumer choices can have real power.
Practical ways to buy less without making your life harder.
How shopping local, choosing independent retailers, buying secondhand, borrowing, and using what you already have can reduce your reliance on Amazon.
The three mindset shifts that helped my family: Pause, Buy Local, and Shop Secondhand.
Why even reducing how often you order can be a meaningful step toward more intentional living.
One Small Shift
Try a “pause rule” for online shopping. Choose one day each week — or even each month — to place online orders, and let everything sit in your cart until then.
You may be surprised by how many things you no longer want or need by the time ordering day rolls around.
Resources
Buy Less, Buy Better: My Favourite Canadian Brands
Facebook Marketplace
Buy Nothing Project
Poshmark (invite code SUSTAINABLESRB)
DePop
ThreadUp
Kijiji 
LEND-IT.CA
Related Episodes
Ep. 11: Money, Enoughness, and Community Care with Women’s Personal Finance
Ep. 32: Overstimulation, Overconsumption, and the Pressure to Do More
Ep. 37: Sustainable Decluttering — Why Letting Go Isn’t Neutral
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Connecting with nature starts with understanding that we aren’t separate from the natural world — we are part of it.
This week, I’m joined by Tim Christophersen, author of Generation Restoration and a leading global voice on ecosystem restoration, to talk about ecological literacy, our relationship with nature, and what it means to restore that relationship in our everyday lives.
We talk about what it actually means to be ecologically literate — knowing where our food and water come from, understanding the role nature plays in our communities, recognizing the species we share those spaces with, and beginning to see ourselves as part of those systems rather than separate from them.
We also look at what this means closer to home, including the potential of suburban yards and neighbourhoods, nature as infrastructure, community restoration, regenerative agriculture, and how ordinary people can participate in restoring the ecosystems around them.
And while the challenges facing the natural world are enormous, this is ultimately a hopeful conversation about agency, reciprocity, and why rebuilding our relationship with nature can change the way we approach sustainable living.
Takeaways
What ecological literacy means and why we need to relearn it
How the language we use can unconsciously reflect how we see nature
What reciprocity can look like in our relationship with the natural world
Why trees, wetlands, soil and other ecosystems are essential infrastructure
How connecting with nature can begin right outside your own front door
The role suburban yards, native plants and citizen science can play in ecosystem restoration
Why community action and local policy matter
Our shared belief that there is still so much reason to hope
One Small Shift
Get curious about one part of the natural world you encounter every day. Ecological literacy grows through curiosity and observation — and simply paying closer attention can begin to change our relationship with the living world around us.
Connect with Tim
LinkedIn
Website
Generation Restoration: How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature
Related Blog Posts
Safe Nesting Materials for Birds
A Simple Framework for Climate Action
10 Sustainable Living Mistakes to Avoid
Related Episodes
Ep. 20: Wildlife Conservation, Birding, and Finding Hope in Nature
Ep. 51: Can You Be Sustainable in the Suburbs?
Ep. 54: Litter Prevention and Community Action with Keep America Beautiful
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

If you want to reduce food waste, save money on groceries, and learn about easy and practical food preservation, this conversation with Kris Bordessa is a great place to start.
In this episode, I’m joined by Kris Bordessa, author of Attainable Sustainable and Attainable Sustainable Pantry, to talk about ‘old-fashioned’ kitchen skills that are still incredibly useful in modern life. We talk about using what you already have before heading back to the grocery store, stocking a more useful pantry, preserving seasonal abundance, and why safe canning matters.
Kris also shares why these skills are not just for homesteaders or preppers. They are practical tools that can help ordinary households stretch food budgets, reduce waste, and feel more capable when life gets unpredictable.
This conversation is about building a more sustainable kitchen in a way that feels realistic, not overwhelming. You do not need to preserve everything, make every pantry staple from scratch, or completely change the way you cook. But learning a few simple sustainable habits in the kitchen can make low waste living feel more doable.
Takeaways
Starting with what you already have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry can help you reduce food waste, save money on groceries, and avoid unnecessary grocery runs.
A more useful pantry does not have to be complicated. Staples like beans, grains, broth, potatoes, onions, garlic, and oil can make flexible cooking easier.
Food preservation can start small. Freezing, quick pickling, dehydrating herbs, making herb salts, and preserving in salt or oil are all practical ways to use seasonal abundance.
Safe canning matters. Water bath canning and pressure canning are used for different foods, and trusted, tested recipes are important.
You do not need to make everything from scratch. Some things, like salad dressing, may be worth making at home, while others, like tomato paste, may not be worth the time.
Preparedness does not have to mean fear-based prepping. A stocked pantry and the skills to use it can help ordinary households feel more capable when routines, budgets, or supply chains are disrupted.
Self-reliance does not mean doing everything alone. Sharing food, recipes, tools, and skills is part of building more resilient communities.
One Small Shift
Before your next grocery shop, start with what you already have.
Take a few minutes to look through your fridge, freezer, and pantry, and choose one or two things that need to be used before you bring more food into the house. Maybe it’s leftover rice, soft fruit, wilting vegetables, or something you bought with good intentions and then forgot about.
If you want a little more guidance, my Simple Kitchen Audit is a good place to start. It’s a 10-page workbook that walks you through what’s working in your kitchen, where food and packaging waste are creeping in, and what small changes could help your kitchen feel more organized, lower-waste, and easier to use.
Connect With Kris
Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living (book)
Attainable Sustainable Pantry: A Back-to-Basics Guide to Stocking Your Kitchen (book)
Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Related Blog Posts
A Beginner’s Guide to a Sustainable Kitchen
How to Use Beeswax Wraps (Plastic Free Food Storage)
Plastic Free Pantry — How to Refill in Your Own Containers
Creating a Sustainable Kitchen: 11 Ways to Reuse Food Scraps
Related Podcast Episodes
Ep. 13: Plastic Free Food Storage with Hive to Home
Ep. 38: Things I Don’t Buy Anymore
Ep. 45: How to Spend Less on Groceries by Reducing Food Waste 
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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.