Grounded in Maine

I was thrilled to get to talk to Jeremiah Jancik, because I've ALWAYS got questions about energy. Maybe too many?  Jeremiah is an Energy Consultant, and we're talking about installing solar panels, heat pumps, insulation and doing energy audits - all things home efficiency - which he has decades of experience in. In his 12 year career he's performed over 4000 energy assessments! Now...

Have you ever felt confused or conflicted about organic food labels? I know I've said something like if I have to choose between organic from far away and in plastic, or local, I'd choose local; and I'm sure I've had dirty looks. It's just gotten confusing. And it costs almost half as much as regular foods, so I've wondered if its really better... So this week I'...

I'm sneaking in an extra episode because it's summer, and this is about sunscreen, so hopefully it's not publishing too late for you-- Arielle Moody is the CEO/Founder of Mama Sol Sunscreen, and she said within 2 weeks of the launch, she was featured on Access Hollywood, which catapulted Mama Sol's sales. She has several awards and honors for best product! She says a tagline is...

Lauren Connolly is a person I relate to so much. She had me as a guest on her podcast Wildly Unplug, because we found out that we both recharge by being outside. Lauren has a very personal story about burnout, and how turning to nature brought her the fulfillment she was needing. She is an artist; she paints and is a photographer, a podcaster, and now she's added Author to the list of accompl...

Be Your Own Shaman is the title of Jane Barlow Christensen's book she co-authored with her son, teaching people how to identify, harvest and use the medicinal plants found all around us. It is beautiful, hard cover book, full of pictures to make identifying as easy as possible. Jane talks about how her own father taught her and her siblings to recognize and appreciate the plants that are ofte...

Friend of the podcast and host of A Tiny Homestead podcast Mary Lewis is back! Mary approached me as things started to feel out of hand for a lot of people, and  wanted to offer some tips to make things stretch farther and feel less scary that she's learned since starting her homestead journey.  We're talking about some easy stuff, but if we focus on it, will make life feel more smooth,...

I told Josh Dorfman when we started talking that I felt a little intimidated talking with him, because he is so accomplished in the sustainability field, but he has THE best stories from his life, getting him to where he is today - you're going to love this, I'm sure of it! Josh's story goes back to working for a bike company in China several years ago, but I'm not going to tel...

"Sustainable living is a celebration of creativity, kindness, and the natural world in every day life"  A quote from Lisa Allen of The Good Spark Shop in California, and (since we recorded this) is now rebranded as EverFar, focusing on sustainable travel essentials. She is just so inspiring when she talks about all things eco-friendly! First The Good Spark Shop, where she curated the bes...

Elizabeth has a gift for Grounded in Maine listeners - she's offering a free habit tracker here: http://createwellnessproject.com/gift/ Send me a message! Support the show Like this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsl...

I had so much fun, and learned a ton from this conversation with Greg Peterson of the Great American Seed Up and the Urban Farm Podcast! If you've been listening for a while, you know that podcasters are great conversationalists, and can be very entertaining - Greg is no exception! Greg's podcast has about 900 (nine hundred!) episodes since the end of 2015! Greg has been on a mission sin...

When Sam Baker approached me about talking about the product he represents, worm casting tea, and also mentioned that WiggleBrew has tested and discovered that earthworms can actually "EAT PLASTIC," it was a no-brainer- I couldn't wait to hear more about that! As a big fan of worm compost (vermicompost), I was very excited to promote the crap (pun intended) out of WiggleBrew, and Sa...

I totally cheated and used most of what I got in Diana's Bio, because I just couldn't even try to do better - she is just that varied and awesome! This conversation went deep, and I got a little uncomfortable when the questions turned to me... But she is SO easy to talk to, because she's REAL; she's BEEN THERE, and made it through. A luxury hotel, 15 best selling books and more...

It's been a while since I've done a solo episode, and there's a lot to catch up on!  I changed my last name, for one - literally the day I recorded this with Jen. I've got a weekly newsletter - it's not long, and it's not a sales pitch - literally just keeping in touch. Social media algorithms are wonky, and are not our own, and I would definitely miss people if we lo...

This week I'm talking with Mark Ellwood, Time Management Guru and Founder of Pace Productivity. Mark talks about his interest in productivity, stemming from his childhood paper route, and we explore his innovative time management device, the TimeCorder. Mark shares key insights from his 35 years of research, revealing that women tend to manage their time better than men in the workplace.  Mar...

I had a whole different idea of where this conversation would go with Geeta Sidhu-Robb, and I am thrilled to have been wrong about that! I was so happily surprised at the direction, talking about taking your power back, and how menopause is a GIFT to women, because for possibly the first time in our lives, we are forced to put our own needs first - and that was definitely not a thought I had about...

After speaking with Dr Marlene Siegel, more than ever, I want to clone her and help every caring pet parent get the best possible health care for their fur and feathered babies. If you're a pet parent like me, you've probably wondered from time to time if you're giving the best care to your pet. Dr Siegel will set things straight, from her 40 years of experience studying and treatin...

I loved meeting Brittany Hansen so much; it was such a gift spending time with her because she is a very well-rounded person! Brittany lives in Idaho with her spouse and children on 1/3 acre, and she is homesteading - or as she calls it Micro-homesteading, but it is totally effective! And some cool tips for city folks were shared, because she is using every inch of space, and has created a sharing...

I love so much that there are people in the fashion world who find fault with it, and have ideas how it could be made better - Victoria Scholz is that person, and her opinions feel so spot on to me - at least, a lot of the things she talks about are things I've noticed and wish someone would fix. Victoria's brand is called House of Dodos, and she just a couple of weeks ago completed her...

I briefly met Alyce Rose/AKA Ms Thrifty Rose/AKA Auntie Outside this January at Podfest, and I saw a post of hers where she advertised her 1st Wednesday Thrift Nic, and my podcaster radar alarm sounded - I had to hear more about this thrifting business - and boy did I! Alyce is CONNECTED, and she has an energy that you just want to be around - and she makes things happen! I just love Alyce's...

I found Clara Franken in a podcast newsletter, and started listening that morning to her podcast, Travel Devil, and the first episode I listened to was about the Trash Traveler; a man who travels and brings attention to himself by cleaning up the area, and I knew I wanted to hear all about what else she's learned hosting a podcast all about sustainable travel. Clara lives in Germany, but is f...

Y'all, this is very personal, and I'm so happy to have some of my closest friends join me to chat up our special place, Growing to Give. Growing to Give is a climate-friendly, volunteer-driven, nonprofit farming operation in Brunswick, Maine, that grows certified-organic vegetables for donation. I invited my friends Karin Sorensen, Robin Knight and Mary Aveno to help me to chat up our fa...

I have to say, I was so impressed with myself for getting through this conversation with sensation in my toes - I'm a total baby talking about blood and stuff, and I expected to have a hard time with it, but I was too interested to get queasy, I guess. Even the 2nd time listening to edit, it was still so fascinating! Feeling very lucky that Melissa Meadow crossed my Instagram feed. This opene...

Do you know about Solar Thermal energy?? I didn't, either; I've heard of solar panels, solar farms, Community Solar... but not solar thermal. Enter Dan Razumovski, of Sun Catch Solar Thermal, out of Colorado! This might be more of a business or farm purchase- they're pricy, and take up a good amount of space, but it's a newer technology- and it's very cool! It stores elect...

I met Christopher Reynolds through Podmatch, and, as I usually do, I followed him on Instagram and TikTok to see what he's about, and his message is so beautiful. His stories are meaningful and deep, and you can't help but be drawn in and want to support whatever he's putting out. Christopher is a high-end landscape designer, and he discovered for himself what a powerful addition na...

Crystal McLain and I go back a few years, and she's been a great source of much needed "woo" in my world, and that has saved my bacon what feels like a million times. So I'm sharing one of my personal sustainability resources here... Crystal is a licensed Massage Therapist slash podcaster - her podcast has the same title as this episode. Her episodes are easy to listen to and f...