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Every week, we drag our trash bins to the curb, close the lid, and forget about them. But where does "away" actually go? And does the mere existence of waste "management" mean we can continue to consume more and more without major consequence?
On today's show, author and sanitation worker Simon Paré-Poupart discusses what he's learned in his 20 years on the back of a Montreal haul truck. He's here to pull back the curtain on the grueling yet essential work of waste collection. He's also here to offer a sociological reflection on modern consumerism, systemic waste, and the human cost of hiding our cultural detritus.
Here's a preview:
[5:00] We didn't always have all this trash, and we didn't always have a need for "waste management"
[12:00] A society's trash reveals an awful lot about a society. What does our trash reveal about us?
[19:00] Recycling might give us a boost of moral satisfaction, but that moral satisfaction is ultimately just fuel to buy more stuff
[22:00] On why waste management is integral to maintaining the status quo
[27:30] The mere existence waste management is a symptom of this much larger problem
Resources mentioned:
- Trash! A Garbageman's Story
- The Books Times Readers Are Most Excited About This Summer (via The New York Times)
- Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash (by Suzanne Strasser)
- Book Club! We're reading Beyond Decluttering: Forty Days to Simplicity Through Connection for our Wednesday, June 24 meeting at 7 pm EST. Join us! Details here.
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- Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.
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The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast is for women who want tidiness without trash.
Although minimalism has experienced a rebirth in recent years, the “less is more” movement has been around for centuries. Yet today’s minimalist influencers have resurrected minimalism with a decidedly consumerist spin, as modern minimalism is nearly synonymous with decluttering.
While there’s a lot of chatter about tidying, it’s radio silence and crickets when it comes to sustainability.
Stephanie Seferian is a stay-at-home/podcast-from-home mom and author who believes that minimalism and eco-friendliness are intrinsically intertwined. She’s here to explore the topics of conscious consumerism, sustainability, and environmentally-friendly parenting practices with like-minded women; she’s here, too, to show you how to curate eco-friendly, decluttered homes (without the extra work).
