The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

In Kate Kilmurray’s experience, weaving is one of the best practices for mindfulness, grounding ourselves in nature, and returning to who we really are. As our hands get involved with each thread, our mind is free to rest from our conscious stream. In this stillness, we are able to ground ourselves and find our inner center within our tumultuous and chaotic surroundings. Join us on today’s episode...

Growing flax and processing it into linen is one of the oldest methods of clothing manufacturing on the planet. Sandy Fisher and Durl Van Alstyne have prided themselves in reviving this old craft here in the United States through their company, The Chico Flax Project. Through their work, they are bringing a new industry and social enterprise for fiber production of flax to Northern California in c...

Separately, Dan Miller and Spike Gjerde knew that they needed to find a way to support regenerative farmers and producers using their own natural talents and expertise. Dan’s family had been farming in the Chesapeake Bay since the late 1800s, but he never understood how a region could have what appears to be a thriving agricultural system while also struggling economically. Meanwhile, Spike wanted...

The greatest secret to mastering the art of cooking? It's' not the recipes, but in using the freshest ingredients that are indigenous to the land. In France, this means buying locally grown, in-season fruits and vegetables from the nearest farmer's market. This is a long-held practice in Gascony, a rural province of southwestern France where "the good dirt" is prized and protected for the preserva...

Nature provides the greatest elixirs: sunshine, water, air, and plants. By harnessing that power and bringing these elements into our everyday beauty routines, we can embrace a simpler, more natural concept of beauty that is free from the questionable ingredients in many commercially available products, allowing these elements to revive the spirit and body.   Nadine Artemis has used plants as her...

Where can you find nearly one hundred thousand acres of land protected for food and outdoor recreation this close to a metropolitan area? Not many, except for Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve. It is the hidden gem of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, as it continues to provide economic services, food resilience networks, and environmental services for the region. It has also been herald...

Linen is a woven and durable fabric that gets pulled out of the closet when summer rolls around or spread across one’s bed as a soft blanket or duvet cover. But the big question remains: how sustainable is linen? We speak to Heidi Barr about how she has worked with reclaimed fabrics to reduce textile waste in the industry. She noticed the need for more sustainable solutions when she saw the urgenc...

In this week’s episode, Mary and Emma talk with Amanda Cather from The Million Acre Challenge, a nonprofit organization that helps Maryland farmers build soil health, increase farm profitability, and improve water quality – while making farms resilient and active in the face of climate change. Their farmer-focused collaborative uses soil health science, economics, education, and incentives to achi...

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-waste," how plastic sneaks into our homes even when we are conscious...

Mary and Emma have an enlightening conversation this week with grower and legal educator Eva Moss, discussing an aspect of the homestead dream that is too often overlooked. Knowing farm law and preparing for unexpected issues through healthy communication before they come up creates legal protection for all parties involved. Eva shares with us the story of how a life transition left her and her fa...

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 and community. Always leading with curiosity, Eva talks abo...

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 freedom spread in a variety of ways depending on the...

On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma have a conversation with artist, teacher and “sorceress of the stitch” Christi Johnson. Christi’s art reflects communion and connection with plants, revealing the hypnotic beauty of botanicals. Her work includes alchemy, herbalism, and images which are stitched slowly and methodically into fabric. Christi is dedicated to rejoining the art of embro...

In this episode, we talk with Lady Farmer and chef Michelle Aronson, creator of Farmbelly, an educational platform dedicated to sharing the love of growing, cooking, and eating wonderful food.  Although Michelle wasn't particularly interested in cooking while growing up in the suburbs of the Midwest, once she moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for college, she I discovered her love for...

On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma sit down with artist, writer and teacher Katrina Rodabaugh to discuss her slow fashion journey, sustainability as a process, embracing imperfection and mending as healing. Katrina dives into her own outlook on embracing a more sustainable lifestyle, a process that takes place over time and many small steps. The three discuss the importance of acce...

On today’s episode, Mary and Emma sit down to talk about what’s currently captivating their interest and the latest happenings on the farm. Mary shares her experience and knowledge gardening by the moon and encourages the use of the lunar cycle as a framework for the things we want to cultivate in our lives. The mother and daughter duo discuss the mesmerizing emergence of the seventeen-year cicada...

On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma talk with dancer, writer and quiltmaker Marlee Grace to consider the question, what are we practicing and showing up for in our day to day lives? Throughout the episode, Mary, Emma, and Marlee dig into the concept of “personal practice” as they reimagine art forms as a practice rather than a performance. Marlee shares why she stepped away from soc...

In today’s episode, Mary and Emma sit down with Lani Estill, founder of Lani’s Lana ~ Fine Rambouillet Wool; a commercial wool business and small yarn line based in Northern California. Alongside her family, Lani also owns and operates a vertically integrated diversified livestock ranch producing cattle, sheep, alfalfa and grass hay in the Northern California/Northern Nevada region. With the help...

1:30 - Mary and Emma catch up and talk fermentation around the farm!  8:20 - Introducing Kirsten Shockey of Ferment Works   Let’s get into the episode: 10:30 - Kirsten introduces herself  16:50 - What is fermentation?  19:40 - Bioavailability 22:40 - Fermentation vs Pickling  28:05 - The Wonderful World of Vinegar  34:50 - Fermentation School 38:35 - Fermenting dairy  39:50 - Fermenting safety &am...

Liz Kimball (MFA, CPC) is a creativity catalyst, writer, coach, speaker, and founder of The Collective, a network of women creators and thought leaders dedicated to fostering cultural change through creativity. Her work has been featured at TEDx, Oprah.com, the NBA, The Guggenheim, NYU, and at universities and institutions throughout the country. In today's episode, we talk about the creative proc...

1:30 - It’s Fashion Revolution week! 10:00 - Elizabeth introduces herself 11:00 - Has there been much change in the last two decades in the fashion industry? 20:00 - Why are corporations not paying their factories? 28:00 - The problems in your own closet 38:00 - The PayUp Campaign  42:00 - What does The Good Dirt mean to you? 50:00 - How Farmers in West Texas inspired Elizabeth Things Mentioned: F...

On this special live episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma talk with Rebecca Burgess, the founder of Fibershed, a non profit organization that develops regional fiber systems that build soil and protect the health of our biosphere. Fibershed envisions the emergence of regional textile communities that facilitate soil-to-soil textile processes, and create opportunities for localized clothing prod...

In this episode, Mary and Emma have a wonderful conversation with Eliza Blue, a singer/songwriter who lives and works on a regeneratively-managed ranch raising grass-fed cattle and fiber sheep with her husband and two children. She talks about going from the life of a touring musician to a teaching job in South Dakota, and the pivotal moment when she walked into a friend’s lambing barn at lambing...

Today's guest is Sharon Bailey of The Glow Emporium, a woman’s wellness education and empowerment community. As a homesteader, mother, entrepreneur, and educator living in a small mountain town, Sharon espouses a life lived in sync with nature, and helps other women connect with their own feminine rhythms for a happier and healthier lifestyle. Emphasizing the counter- cultural art of slowing down...

Cynthia Main @sunhousecraft is an artisan maker in Berea, Kentucky who has built a thriving business hand making home goods. Inspired by the timeless traditions of Appalachian crafts, her wooden wares are hand made, often hewn with axe and knife. Brooms are hand woven, with a non-electric process, with utmost attention given to the details of each piece. The materials are sourced and harvested fro...