The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

This episode initially aired on June 19th, 2021 We have a special bonus episode for you this week in celebration of our newest national holiday-- Juneteenth! Mary and Emma reunite with author, historian and farmer Tony Cohen for an exploration into the history of Juneteenth and the holiday’s complex folklore and origins. Tony takes us back in time to examine how this monumental declaration of free...

Jill Demers is the founder of ReWild Ranch in Montana, a one-of-a-kind regenerative farm, wellness destination, and educational space, rooted in the one question she's been asking for over two decades: Why are Americans so disconnected from their food — and at what cost? As a regenerative farmer and certified nutrition therapy practitioner, Jill has built ReWild as an answer to that question —...

This week, in honor of International Compost Awareness Week, we're joined by Ben Parry, CEO of Compost Crew — a small but mighty business in the DC metropolitan area helping thousands of households and businesses turn their food waste into something good for the soil. Ben's story is a quiet revolution in itself: a journey from renewable energy to regenerative soil, from powering the grid t...

Spring has a way of pulling us back to the soil — and this season, Mary sat down with someone who has made the health of the soil and the well being of the pollinators and wildlife in her local ecosystem her first priority. Melanie Cutillo is the self-described Plant Wrangler in Chief at Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm in Mexico, New York, a backyard nursery nestled just east of Lake Ontario, where she...

What happens when a listener writes in with the very questions your community is wrestling with? You invite her on the show. Emily Hillman has spent 14 years in the fashion industry — from the artisan workrooms of Midtown Manhattan to the fast fashion corporate world. After purchasing a 19th-century farmhouse in rural New Jersey and becoming a mother, she found that her priorities had quietly shif...

Mary and Emma return to the podcast after over a six-month hiatus, reflecting on the evolution of Lady Farmer as a brand and their own experiences within it. They discuss how the cultural context around sustainability has shifted, how they don't want to present themselves as experts or frame sustainability in moral terms, and how systemic forces limit individual impact even as daily habits sti...

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, Emma and Mary welcome back Janna Hockenjos, founder of We Are Earth Friends , an environmental education organization designed for children ages 3-8. Jana discusses the program’s impact on young learners' understanding of the interconnectedness of all of life on our planet and provides an update on the progress and expansion of the program. She also of...

This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2023 In this episode we're talking to Leah Webb, author of  The Seven Step Homestead  about how to turn any yard into a primary food source with vegetables, fruits, chickens, pollinator plants and medicinal herbs. A mother of two children with unique medical needs, Leah utilizes food grown in her own backyard garden as an important part of...

In this episode, Madison Murphy Barney, a two-Spirit Hoopa and Shoshone sister, author, doula, and public health storyteller, discusses the significance of the two-Spirit identity, historical roles, and the importance of maintaining cultural traditions. Madison delves into personal experiences growing up in North Dakota, the impact of indigenous boarding schools, and the generational transmission...

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on August 5, 2022 In this episode, Mary and Emma are talking to Julia Skinner of Root: Historic Food for the Modern World. Root was born from Julia's deep love for community and a belief in the power of food to tell stories, connect us to place and to each other, and to build a bridge to the past. Julia's work is all about food, history, food...

In this episode, Mary is talking with Eve Schaub, an internationally published author and humorist. Known for her year-long experiments, such as 'Year of No Sugar' and 'Year of No Clutter,' Eve’s latest endeavor is 'The Year of the Dress,' where she attempts to grow, harvest, spin, and weave flax into a wearable linen dress in her backyard. The conversation covers the chall...

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on July 7, 2023 In this episode, Emma and Mary sit down to talk to Smruti Aravind, who oversees fundraising, donor communications, and grants at the Story of Stuff Project. Smruti brings over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, with an emphasis on digital storytelling and network-building to drive systemic change. Prior to joining the Sto...

In this episode, Dr. Bill Schindler discusses the impact of modern diets on health and the importance of ancestral dietary practices. He shares the journey of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to using ancestral approaches to make nutritious and sustainable food accessible, and his family's personal evolution in food preparation and consumption. Dr. Schindler also highlights...

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on July 9, 2021 In this week’s episode, Mary and Emma dive deep into the world of plastic consumption and waste management with Lauren Olson, a Zero Waste Manager at World Centric, exploring the world of compostables and the use of plastic in our daily lives. The discussion covers several aspects of the topic, including the difficulties of “zero-wast...

In this episode, Corinna Wood, a visionary teacher of women's wisdom, discusses her thirty year career with herbalism, teaching, and community building--all while embracing an earth-based, woman-centered approach to women's inner growth and healing. Corinna reflects on her early influences in herbal medicine and wise woman ways, her experiences founding the Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conf...

This episode was originally published on June 23, 2023 Meet Maria Rodale, an author and advocate for organic regenerative farming. An explorer in search of the mysteries of the universe, Maria is the author of  "Love Nature Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden" , "Organic Manifesto", "Scratch", and is the author of a children's book series called written...

This bonus episode originally aired on June 19th, 2021 We have a special bonus episode for you this week in celebration of our newest national holiday-- Juneteenth! Mary and Emma reunite with author, historian and farmer Tony Cohen for an exploration into the history of Juneteenth and the holiday’s complex folklore and origins. Tony takes us back in time to examine how this monumental declaration...

This episode was originally published on June 25th, 2021 This week, Mary and Emma have a wonderful conversation with photographer, chef, cookbook author, educator and entrepreneur turned homesteader, Eva Kosmas Flores. Eva shares her journey to the slow living lifestyle, led by an ancestral pull and deep familial ties that have guided her back to a connection with home, the garden, food, family an...

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, we delve into the profound connections between spirituality, ecology, and our natural world with Leah Rampy and Beth Norcross, co-authors of 'Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees.' The discussion explores how trees can teach us about relationships, gratitude, reciprocity, and resilience. The authors share personal experiences and practices for...

This episode was originally published on June 2, 2022 Despite her life being as busy as ever, Bex Partridge tells us about the ways it feels full of better, more fulfilling things since she made the shift from a corporate job to working as a full-time flower farmer and floral designer. Bex is the founder of Botanical Tales, a dried flower installation business based in Devon, England, where she pr...

This episode delves into the journey of Paula Whyman, author of Bad Naturalist: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop . Paula discusses her transformation from a nature enthusiast to a dedicated ecological restorer. The conversation touches on the diverse challenges and rewarding experiences of managing invasive species, the necessity of well-considered ecological int...

This episode was originally published on May 6, 2022 Learn about individual actions you can take to mitigate climate change and make sustainability attainable for everyone, with Stephanie Miller, author of  Zero Waste Living the 80/20 Way  and founder of Zero Waste in DC. Stephanie left her job as a climate change specialist for the World Bank in order to simplify her own life, confront the discon...

This episode delves into the evolving art of ecological gardening and landscaping with Edwina von Gal, founder of the Perfect Earth Project. Edwina shares her journey from traditional landscape design to championing nature-based solutions, recounting her 'aha' moment with chemical-free gardening. The conversation broadens to discuss the cultural shifts in gardening aesthetics and the move...

This episode was originally aired on May 13th, 2022. Visit A Fiber Life for shop and updates! Fiber farmer Lisa Mitchell encourages listeners to embrace a beginner’s mindset and connect to the earth through handwork and making as she tells us the story of her major life shift, from striving for success as an art therapist in the suburbs, to slow living on a guanaco farm in the Pacific Northwest. G...

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, Mary & Emma discuss Fashion Revolution Week and its significance, referencing the Rana Plaza disaster as a catalyst for the movement. The episode features Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who discusses the impact of fast fashion on the environment, her advocacy for slow fashion, and the creation of the Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus. Chellie delves in...