99. How Sustainable is Vanlife? with Dave Santillo

99. How Sustainable is Vanlife? with Dave Santillo

Episode 99 - can you believe that we are almost to 100?! I certainly can’t! And we have a special 100th episode next week featuring the rest of the Outdoor Minimalist team, Alex and Ethan. When I started the podcast, I was afraid I’d run out of ideas and wouldn’t have enough to discuss. I’ve been so blessed throughout my writing and podcasting journey to have met some amazing people and interviewed countless experts in the outdoor industry. Some of those people I met while I was traveling for four months living out of my van.

Van and car living have woven their way in and out of my life for the last decade. At times, I did it out of necessity, and at others, just because I wanted to travel. Social media has changed the vanlife landscape quite a bit, and what was once looked down upon as a lifestyle has become coveted and pursued by many, even if it is only for a short time. Because vanlife, overlanding, and RV travel are a big part of the outdoor industry, it only makes sense to discuss how and why this lifestyle may or may not be as sustainable as we think.

That’s why in episode 99, we are answering the question: how sustainable is vanlife? To help me dive into this topic, I was happy to host Dave Santillo.

Dave is a career environmental scientist with a Ph.D. in Environmental & Forest Biology. He lists his favorite things as traveling with any of his three kids, but he also loves wilderness expeditioning, sea kayaking, and hiking. He also spends a lot of time wrestling with issues like ecological footprint and sustainability as they relate to his interests, both in his profession and his recreation, which he recently linked together in his nonprofit initiative called the TerraTrek.

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

WEBSITE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ORDER THE BOOK: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VENMO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OutdoorMinimalist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---------------

Dave Santillo

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terratrekus/

YouTube: @TerraTrek

Website: https://terratrek.org/

---------------

Related Episodes

40. Becoming Minimalist: Downsizing for Life

76. Grow Where You Are

87. Using Minimalism to Reduce Stress

91. The Rise of Overlanding and Its Environmental Impact

Jaksot(282)

Building the Border Wall in Big Bend, Steve Pearce Stumbles During Hearing, and 2.1M Acres Open in Dalton Corridor - Public Land News (Feb 23-27)

Building the Border Wall in Big Bend, Steve Pearce Stumbles During Hearing, and 2.1M Acres Open in Dalton Corridor - Public Land News (Feb 23-27)

During this week’s public lands news briefing on the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we have three feature stories for you. And no, this is not all that’s happened with public lands this week. So, as alwa...

27 Helmi 28min

212. Is Zero-Waste Backpacking Possible? with Alisha McDarris

212. Is Zero-Waste Backpacking Possible? with Alisha McDarris

Is zero-waste backpacking possible?Well, in a lot of ways, yes, and in some ways, not really. We saw this play out when a previous guest of ours, one of our earliest guests, actually in episode 37. In...

23 Helmi 36min

Steve Pearce to Lead BLM and the Senate Awaits CRA Vote - Public Lands News (Feb 16-20)

Steve Pearce to Lead BLM and the Senate Awaits CRA Vote - Public Lands News (Feb 16-20)

I know I said that we would only be releasing Friday public lands news episodes every other week, but we have a special episode for you today covering two of the most pressing issues regarding public ...

20 Helmi 13min

211. We Can Solve the Plastic Pollution Crisis with Judith Enck

211. We Can Solve the Plastic Pollution Crisis with Judith Enck

By now, we know that our society has a problem with plastics. They seem to have made their way into every aspect of our lives. They’re inescapable, but this is a problem that doesn’t need to last fore...

16 Helmi 27min

Progress on the Ambler Road, Threats to the Tongass National Forest, and a Delayed CRA Vote in the Senate - Public Lands News

Progress on the Ambler Road, Threats to the Tongass National Forest, and a Delayed CRA Vote in the Senate - Public Lands News

We expected the Senate vote on H.J. Res. 140, which would overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting the BWCA, to occur this week, but it was postponed until after their upcoming recess. The vote coul...

13 Helmi 27min

210. The Pet Industry Has An Overconsumption Problem with Spencer Williams

210. The Pet Industry Has An Overconsumption Problem with Spencer Williams

You know full well that I am a dog lover, and I know that many of you are dog lovers, or just pet lovers in general. They are our family, and much like humans, our domesticated pets have a pretty big ...

9 Helmi 31min

209. We All Play a Role in the Resistance

209. We All Play a Role in the Resistance

Where do we go from here?Where are the leaders?Why does it feel like no one is doing anything?In this solo episode of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, we work to dismantle one of the most persistent my...

2 Helmi 24min

Congress is After Resource Management Plans in Minnesota and Utah, Sage Grouse Protections Changing - Public Lands News (January 2026)

Congress is After Resource Management Plans in Minnesota and Utah, Sage Grouse Protections Changing - Public Lands News (January 2026)

A lot has been happening this year already, and while many Americans are focused on ICE terrorizing US citizens in places like Minneapolis, attacks on public lands have not slowed down, they’re just g...

30 Tammi 30min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-sinivalkoinen-islam
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
aihe
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
rss-kovin-paikka
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset