The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

Start living more sustainably. The Good Dirt podcast explores all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle with healthy soil as the touchpoint and metaphor for the healing of our relationship with the planet. Mother and daughter team Mary & Emma bring you weekly interviews with farmers, artists, authors, and leaders in the regenerative and sustainable living space.

Home & Garden
How To
Society & Culture
1
224. Decluttering that Works For You with Dana ...
Mary & Emma discuss the common struggles of clutter and its impact on daily life with special guest Dana K. White, author of 'Decluttering at the Speed of Life.' Dana shares her unique five-step decluttering method tailored for creative minds who often find themselves overwhelmed by clutter.
65 min
2
Encore: Paul Hawken on Carbon, Climate and Conn...
Paul Hawken, a renowned environmentalist, writer, entrepreneur, and activist, shares how he views carbon and climate change through a lens of interconnectedness and flow rather than as isolated problems.
54 min
3
223. Rethinking Carbon: An Enlightening Convers...
Repeat guest Paul Hawken discusses his new book, 'Carbon, the Book of Life, and how shifting our perception of carbon can foster a deeper understanding of our relationship with where we live.
63 min
4
131. Rewilding Our Way Home to Ourselves with H...
This week we are talking to writer, creator and self proclaimed life-long learner, Hillarie Maddox, founder of Black Girl, Country Living. Hillarie preaches the idea that slow living in a lifestyle anyone can live, and focuses her encouragement specifically on the BIPOC community. She climbed the big tech corporate ladder, then ditched the city for slow living and finding her love of nature, and she found herself in the process.
69 min
5
An Ecological Civilization for All with Andrew ...
What does it mean for humans to live sustainably on the earth? Andrew Schwartz, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of The Institute for Ecological Civilization, a non-profit promoting long-term solutions for the wellbeing of people and the planet, helps us pull apart that question. Andrew is also the Executive Director of the Center for Process Studies and Assistant Professor of Process and Comparative Theology at Claremont School of Theology. In this conversation, we’re talking about fundamental shifts in many of our most basic assumptions about our relationship with each other and the environment, and the role each of us plays in the way forward towards a worldwide, life-supporting community.
61 min
6
145. Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen ...
Mo Moutoux discusses what a CSA is, how it has evolved over the years to reduce waste while providing a living wage for her family and team members, and the benefits of eating locally for both nutritional value and the environment as a whole.
74 min
7
"Lawns into Meadows" with Author Owen Wormser o...
Join Mary and Emma as they learn more about Owen's vision and experience, and how he weaves people and the natural world back together through his work.
60 min
8
130. It Starts in the Kitchen: Sustainable Livi...
Our guest today is someone who began her plastic-free journey in her kitchen, and has now become the renowned Zero Waste Chef, Anne-Marie Bonneau! Starting as a Zero Plastic Chef, she took the next step in her sustainability journey and became the Zero Waste Chef working towards producing zero waste in her own kitchen and inspiring others to do the same. She talks about how to shop differently, buy differently, and cook differently to reduce waste in the kitchen!
61 min
9
The History and Folklore of Brigid: Saint, Lege...
Brigid of Kildare: Saint, Legend and Lady Farmer with Kathy Spaar | Episode 27 Reprise
41 min
10
Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth with Asia ...
Asia brings us into the profound ecological history of the Appalachian mountains, the magic and healing potential of the natural world, and the interconnectedness of our healing with the healing of the whole world.
65 min
11
Being Old-Fashioned on Purpose with Jill Winger
Jill Winger shares her passion for living old fashioned on purpose in the midst of homesteading, family life, writing and running an online business.
54 min
12
Stories From Life Off the Grid with Poet Baron...
Our guest today is Baron Wormser, award winning poet, professor and author, sharing stories from his experience living and raising a family off the grid in rural Maine for 23 years, as well as his insight into connecting poetry with how we live, the value of simple living, and how we connect more deeply with the earth.
56 min
13
Ancestral Food Ways in Family Life and Business...
Christina Schindler shares the extraordinary journey of how she and her husband Bill have integrated the practice of ancestral food ways into their modern family life and business.
79 min
14
222. Intro to Slow Living | Part 4 | Reflecting...
In this episode, Mary & Emma conclude their 'Intro to Slow Living' series by reflecting on the evolution of the slow living concept in their experience over the past eight years.
35 min
15
Gathering Light: Winter Solstice Reflections & ...
In this special episode, we bring back two cherished holiday-themed discussions from our archives. Whether it’s the miracle of light, the birth of a Holy Child, or the warmth of family traditions, December celebrations connect us to a shared human experience rooted in vulnerability to nature’s rhythms.
34 min
16
221. Seeds of Connection: The People Behind Pin...
In today’s episode, we’re talking to Melissa and Jaci from Pinetree Garden Seeds, a family owned and operated business since 1979. Pinetree Garden Seeds was founded with the simple mission of offering low prices on quality seeds to the home gardener.
42 min
17
220. Restoring the Land Through Regenerative Fa...
In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, hosts Mary Kingsley and her daughter Emma talk with Florence Reed, founder of Sustainable Harvest International, a nonprofit that has worked with smallholder farmers in Central America for over 27 years to adopt regenerative farming practices.
57 min
18
Slow Friday Reprise: A Slow Living Perspective ...
In celebration of the holiday this week, and upcoming "Black Friday", we're re-airing our favorite slow-living take on the matter...Slow Friday!
38 min
19
219. Embracing Slow Style: Creating Beauty in Y...
In this episode, Zandra Zuraw founder of Slow Style Home, discusses the importance of creating a vision for your space, her step-by-step framework, and tips for decluttering and balancing aesthetics with functionality. Zandra emphasizes that anyone can create a beautiful home according to their values and desires.
57 min
20
218. Mulch Matters: Fostering Community and Con...
In this conversation, Casey and Brooke Oberg from Detroit Mulch Company share their journey of transforming tree waste into mulch in the urban landscape of Detroit, highlighting the community impact of their work repurposing organic materials into beneficial mulch,
43 min
21
217. Sustainability in Spirits with Harrison H...
In this episode of The Good Dirt, Mary & Emma explore sustainability in the spirits industry with Harrison Holditch of Half Shell Vodka.
48 min
22
216. A Sustainable Death: Rethinking End Of Li...
CEO of Endswell Cremation Hunter Beattie is our guest today, here to discuss the green burial movement, the problems with our current death rituals and practices and how the process of aquamation offered by his company is another choice over cremation or burial.
53 min
23
Mary and Emma Talk About Halloween: Less Waste,...
Join Mary and Emma as they discuss how you can embrace the special beauty and magic of nature during this time, letting go of much of the waste and frenzy but keeping all of the fun!
28 min
24
215. Exploring Holistic Homesteading: A Convers...
Tierra Soul is a homestead in Magdalena, New Mexico, that also offers online learning opportunities through their program 'Lazy Lady Living,' which covers topics such as soulful permaculture, sustainable economy, traditional food and more!
56 min
25
214. Intro to Slow Living | Part 3 | Thoughts o...
Mary & Emma discuss consumerism by reflecting on a recent social media trend dubbed "underconsumption, and how that idea overlaps with the fundamentals of slow living.
32 min