With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, how can we make sure our votes reflect our values?

In this episode, we explore why civic engagement matters and how understanding climate science, environmental policy, and candidates’ records can help us make more informed decisions at the ballot box.

Featured guests:

Alex Lee, Director of Science and Education at Protect Our Winters

Lindsey Halvorson, Senior Director of Campaigns and Advocacy at the Protect Our Winters Action Fund

As we head into the 2026 midterms, this episode is a reminder that the decisions made by our elected officials shape our environmental future and that participating in our democracy is one way we can help shape it, too.

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Protect Our Winters Action Fund

Website: https://powactionfund.org/

Voter Guide: https://powactionfund.org/our-work/election-work

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pow_action_fund/⁠

Protect Our Winters: https://protectourwinters.org/

Open Secrets: https://www.opensecrets.org/

In 2024, the world generated an estimated 120 million metric tons of textile waste.

That's the equivalent of every person on Earth throwing away about 33 pounds of clothing and other textiles in a single year.

If it’s easier to picture, 33 pounds- that's equivalent to roughly 30 to 50 pieces of clothing per person in a single year.

And the vast majority of those textiles will never become new textiles. Most ultimately end up in landfills or are incinerated.

But, like I just did a few moments ago, we often talk about textile waste through the lens of fashion. Strictly the clothes we wear every day.

The problem is that this textile problem extends far beyond our closets. It includes textiles used in furniture, carpets, cars, footwear—and yes, that includes outdoor gear and even our pet products like our dog’s harness.

It's easy to hear this and think the solution is simply to buy less.

And while our purchasing decisions do matter, the bigger issue is one of design and production. If products are built to fail, impossible to repair, or quickly replaced by new versions, waste is baked into the system from the start.

So what happens when a company takes the opposite approach?

What if, when designing a product, it isn't just about selling more of it, but about keeping it in use for years?

In episode 227 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I sat down with Monica Broder, Product Design Manager, and Pete Kearns, Head of Product at Ruffwear. The brand we know and love for designing equipment to help us and our dogs explore the outdoors together.

Together, we discuss how they designed their Front Range Flex Harness for performance, to reduce manufacturing waste, and to extend its post-consumer life.

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Ruffwear

Website: https://ruffwear.com/products/front-range-flex-harness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruffwear/

Episode Sources:

https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/management-of-used-and-waste-textiles-in-europes-circular-economy

https://www.unep.org/technical-highlight/sustainable-fashion-take-centre-stage-zero-waste-day

This week in the Outdoor Minimalist public lands news briefing, we're unpacking three stories:

1. At the end of June, the Forest Service proposed a rule that could limit when the public has a say in Forest Service decisions.

Article that inspired the first segment: ⁠https://ourpubliclandsandwaters.substack.com/p/forest-service-moves-to-reduce-public⁠

2. New pressures form to develop the Copperwood Mine in Northern Michigan, and we cover what it could mean for Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains with Tom Grotewohl, founder of Protect the Porkies.

3. Bears Ears & Grand Staircase-Escalante are threatened once again with upcoming Executive Orders, featuring Steve Bloch, Legal Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Subscribe to the Outdoor Minimalist newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠

Links and Sources:

U.S. Forest Service. Forest Service publishes proposed rule to redefine, streamline guidance. https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/newsroom/releases/forest-service-publishes-proposed-rule-redefine-streamline-guidance

Federal Register. Organization Functions and Procedures; Public Notice and Comment for Standards, Criteria, and Guidance. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/01/2026-13281/organization-functions-and-procedures-public-notice-and-comment-for-standards-criteria-and-guidance

Public Inspection Copy of Proposed Rule. https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-13281.pdf

The Heritage Foundation. Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership. https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

ProPublica. How Proposed Changes to Grazing Rules Could Limit Public Oversight. https://www.propublica.org/article/public-land-livestock-grazing-ranching-access

Protect the Porkies Campaign. https://protecttheporkies.com/

Iron Mountain Daily News. EGLE extends comment period on Copperwood Mine permit. https://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/news/local-news/2026/05/egle-extends-comment-period-on-copperwood-mine-permit/

ABC4 Utah. President Trump is expected to issue an executive order affecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/inside-utah-politics/president-trump-executive-order-grand-staircase-bears-ears/

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. https://suwa.org/

Dr. Bronner's has long been considered the gold standard of sustainable soap. It's a staple in outdoor kits, zero-waste homes, and camping gear lists thanks to its versatility, plant-based ingredients, and reputation for environmental responsibility.

But how much of that reputation actually holds up under closer scrutiny?

In this collaborative episode with the hosts of Greening Up My Act, we take a deep dive into one of the most recognizable sustainability brands on the market.

Today's guests are Tiffany Verbeck and Kat Cox, the co-hosts and co-producers of Greening Up My Act, a podcast that dissects everyday products and sustainability claims to expose greenwashing and help consumers make more informed choices. Together, they bring curiosity, research, and plenty of humor to conversations about sustainability, making complex environmental topics more accessible for everyone.

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Resources & Links

Greening Up My Act podcast: https://www.greeningupmyact.com/

Dr. Bronner's: https://www.drbronner.com/

Dr. Bronner's: Leave No Trace Guide to Using Soap Outdoors: https://www.drbronner.com/pages/camping-with-dr-bronners

Leave No Trace Seven Principles: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

Dirty Labs: https://dirtylabs.com/

Camp Suds: https://www.rei.com/product/407166/campsuds-biodegradable-concentrated-soap-2-oz

• Freeze-dried meals are a backpacking staple, but their story began long before they landed in outdoor gear stores.

  In this episode, we explore how freeze-dried food evolved from an innovative preservation technology into one of the most recognizable categories of backpacking food.

  We trace the history of Oregon Freeze Dry, the company behind Mountain House, and examine how military contracts, space exploration, and a growing outdoor recreation market helped bring lightweight, just-add-water meals to backpackers.

  This episode kicks off Season 2 of Would Eat Again, a made-for-YouTube show where we're taking a closer look at one backpacking meal brand at a time.

  This season, we're putting Mountain House under the microscope, exploring its history and testing its newest releases and best-selling meals to see whether they live up to the brand's legendary reputation.

  Would we eat it again? Follow along this season to find out.

  Revisit Season 1 of Would Eat Again, where we blind taste-tested backpacking meals and put popular trail food to the test: https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLevAczyyeDKY?sbp=QAE%253D

  Read OPB's reporting on freeze-dried food and its Oregon roots: https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/23/freeze-drying-food-oregon-backpacking-meals-prepping/

Last week, I attended the annual Outdoor Media Summit in Asheville, NC. It is the largest gathering of outdoor media professionals in the country, and during the show, I asked media, brands, PR, and others in the industry a range of questions.

One of the main questions I asked journalists and other media was:

What do you think is missing from outdoor media today, and how do you think we can fix it?

In this episode, you'll get a taste of what many of them and I think about where outdoor media is failing and what we can do better.

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Episode Sources:

Darby State of Media Report - https://www.canva.com/design/DAHUDsEmj2M/tWWphaveu-oIle4UE6nfxw/view?utm_content=DAHUDsEmj2M&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/07/16/how-americans-are-engaged-with-news-politics-religion-and-civic-life/

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/dnr-executive-summary