Today's episode is with Julia Blandford, host of the Seeking Sustainability Podcast. Join us for this fun and refreshing conversation with one of the younger voices within our community.

In this episode, Mary and Emma discuss the meaning of January 6th as the Feast of Epiphany, and Mary tells the Legend of Old Befana.

Tune in as Mary and Emma each discuss and review their picks for the most impactful episodes from 2022. 

Tune in for this special winter episode, featuring a holiday reflection and a favorite traditional song, sent to you with love from Mary and Emma. Happy Holidays everyone! 

Our guest today is Christa Norman, a fine artist whose photographic medium is cyanotype. Her work reflects seasons and explores seasons of the human experience. Christa creates floral artwork with flowers grown in her own garden and conceptual collections inspired by her personal life seasons. 

Our discussion today is with Mary Ellen Dowd, a Communications Associate at TerraCycle, Inc. TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to rethink waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals, and has raised over $44 million for schools and nonprofits since its founding more than 15 years ago.

Our guest today is Jeremy Lang of Pela, the company that started with a product that you hold every day - the world’s first compostable phone case. Jeremy had the courage to spend years experimenting with new materials to try and find an alternative to plastic that could be used in everyday products.

Our guest today is Laurell Sims, Co-Founder & CEO of Urban Growers Collective in Chicago, here to talk about food accessibility and the development of community-based food systems. Urban Growers Collective (UGC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was co-founded by Laurell Sims and Erika Allen in the fall of 2017. Working closely with community partners, their approach is to demonstrate and to support communities in developing systems of their own where food is grown, prepared, and distributed within the community itself.

Welcome to this week’s episode of The Good Dirt Podcast where today we will be kicking off the holiday season with a special Slow Friday episode! Join us as we share a bit about our own experiences with gift giving as well as how we can be mindful with our spending and purchasing behaviours during the holiday season. We will also be taking a step back to shed light on the environmental and social damage of Black Friday. It is important that we find gifts that are not going to be harmful to the planet or yourself, your own health or anyone else involved in the supply chain or the production of it. It’s time to stop before you shop and ask yourself: Do I really need this? Is there a more sustainable option?

Today we're talking to Brandi Stanley, host of the podcast This Plus That. Brandi makes a living out of making connections.

Today our guest is Jenni Harris, daughter of Will Harris and 5th generation Harris family member at White Oak Pastures. In the mid-90s, her father Will Harris recognized the problems in late 20th-century agriculture and decided to take his whole operation back to the days of his great-grandfather. He gave up chemical inputs and animal confinement farming and began implementing regenerative farming before it was even a word. White Oak pasture-raises 10 species of livestock, eggs, organic vegetables, and honey on almost 5,000 acres of land and does it in what they call a “radically traditional way.” Jenni is here to talk to us about White Oak Pastures and how they have continued to evolve as an online source for high-quality meat while maintaining not only a commitment to land stewardship and sustainability but to their rural community as well.

Today's guest is Claire Dunn, here with us to dive deeply into the mysteries of nature and psyche through the pathways of deep nature connection.

Our guest today is Tom Harries, co-founder and CEO of Earth™, a sustainable funeral brand specializing in soil transformation. So what is soil transformation, and what does it have to do with death care and burial? What does it share in common with the green burial movement —and how is it different?

Join Mary and Emma as they discuss a slow living Halloween, the second largest consumer season in the US.

Today’s guest is Monique Allen, CEO and Creative Director of The Garden Continuum, a landscaping design company that brings the principles of regenerative agriculture to ornamental gardening. The central work of The Garden Continuum is to create outdoor living spaces, both public and private, that draw people out into those spaces and begin to build that reconnection with nature.

Today’s guest is Jessica Stokes, founder and owner of The Tiny Yellow Bungalow Shop. What started as an experimental blog in sustainability in the Spring of 2015 has become an online, eco-conscious one-stop source for natural and sustainably produced items for your daily needs. Jessica puts a lot of work and research into providing products that are free of plastics, pollutants, toxins, and wasteful packaging. In this conversation we talk about the conundrum of selling the idea of sustainability without promoting more consumerism, issues with greenwashing, the problem with buzzwords like "zero waste" and "plant-based", and the driving force of convenience as a selling point.

Today we're talking to Becky Cole of Broughgammon Farm, which she runs with her husband Charlie in Northern Ireland. Becky is a regenerative farmer, gardener, folk herbalist, forager and mother.

Today we are talking to Aaron Deacon, creator of BIOS Nutrients, a natural plant fertilizer that provides natural alternatives to chemical fertilizers & pesticides for indoor plants, gardens, and farms. Aaron’s story is truly one of curiosity, passion, and drive to find a solution to something he cares very much about, which is soil health and thriving plants. His fertilizers and pesticides are made with all-natural, organic ingredients to keep your soil & plants free of harmful chemicals, handmade with love and care. All batches are lab tested to ensure you're getting the best for your indoor plants, gardens, or farms. In this conversation, we talk not only about soil science but also about the spiritual and metaphorical aspects of our human relationship to healthy soil and how good dirt is key to all life on the planet.

Our guest today is Stephanie O’Dea, a New York Times best-selling author, a certified life coach, and the host of The Slow Living Podcast. Stephanie specializes in long-term goal planning for her clients to live out the life they’ve always wanted — the one they’ve always dreamt about. She asks, what if you could truly “have it all?” What if you could design the life of your dreams and then live it out, in Real Time? What started as an idea for a way to stay home with her kids became her blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, a website and TV appearances, book contracts, life coaching, and more recently, The Slow Living Podcast. Tune in to hear how Stephanie has evolved a life that remains true to her core desires in her life, and how she is guiding others in doing the same.

Our guests today are Janessa Leone, founder of the sustainable luxury brand Janessa Leoné, and Rachel Cantu, supply chain and sustainability advisor, and founder of Simplify and Grow Business Consulting. The Janessa Leone brand is bringing the healing potential of regenerative agriculture and rethinking our global textile supply chain. Janessa Leoné makes beautiful, thoughtful products with impact in mind–hats, accessories and knits. Since launching in 2013– the company has emerged as a leader in sustainability, releasing earlier this year, the first collection of carbon-negative sweaters to be made entirely in the USA

Our guest today is April Jones, founder of the Pinehurst farmer's market in Columbia, South Carolina and an advocate for the food justice and food sovereignty movement. April is a writer, a public speaker, a blogger, a recipe developer book reviewer, and is passionate about community gardens and farmer's markets. She contributes content to her blog, Frolicking Americana, and to numerous publications, including Mother Earth News, Country Lore, The Natural Farmer, The Agrarian Trust, Cornucopia Institute, and Farmer's Market Coalition. April's work is in creating a resilient food system, farmer's markets and creating community change around food.Some of the topics covered in this conversation include food apartheid as opposed to food justice and food sovereignty, the value of farmer's markets in community and culture, soil mitigation, bringing civility into our communities, and how food reflects value systems.Listen to the episode onhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-dirt/id1492217846 ( Apple Podcasts),https://open.spotify.com/show/2lpelAmHPGbMVdOOpxhxTo ( Spotify),https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-good-dirt-981565 ( Podchaser),https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-good-dirt/ ( Podtail), https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvDK7OzPMsJUXQDwqF7LN2pBTUBThKFim (Youtube), or on your favorite podcast platform. Topics Covered:Beginning of Pinehurst Farmer's MarketFood Apartheid/ food desertsFood Justice and Food SovereigntyHow the farmer's market benefits the communityFarmer's Markets as a reflection of local cultureSoil mitigationBringing resources to communitiesEducating for food sovereigntyCivility in our communitiesValue systems reflected through foodResources Mentioned:https://www.rareseeds.com/ (Baker Creek Seed Company)https://www.king.senate.gov/ (Angus King)https://www.npr.org/people/2101154/ari-shapiro (Ari Shapiro (NPR))https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder (Laura Ingalls Wilder)Agrarian Trust (VA)Native Indigenous Conference (MN)Connect with April:https://www.facebook.com/pinehurstfarmersmarket (@pinehurstfarmersmarket on Facebook)April's Blog, http://frolickingamericana.blogspot.com/ (Frolicking Americana)About Lady Farmer:Lady Farmer is a sustainable apparel and lifestyle brand, with education around sustainability and sustainable living at the forefront of our mission. Lady Farmer is proud to produce The Good Dirt podcast. https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (Our Website)@weareladyfarmer on https://www.instagram.com/thegooddirtph/ (Instagram)Join http://almanac.lady-farmer.com/ (The Lady Farmer ALMANAC)Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or tell us what the good dirt means to you.Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.comSupport your Good Dirt at home with https://biosnutrients.ca/collections/all?sca_ref=2454216.qvXDBufqTP (BIOS Nutrients)! Listeners of The Good Dirt podcast can enjoy 15% off BIOS Nutrients organic, natural fertilizers using the codehttps://biosnutrients.ca/collections/all?sca_ref=2454216.qvXDBufqTP ( LADYFARMER15) at checkout. Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well being.

Our guest for this episode is Kris Bordessa, a long-time gardener, certified Master Food Preserver, and award-winning book author. Kris lives in Hawaii, and is learning to grow food in a climate that’s vastly different from where she grew up. She loves helping people learn that they can provide for themselves, from producing food to cooking at home. Kris's most recent book is Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living (National Geographic). She’s the founder of the site by the same name, Attainable Sustainable (attainable-sustainable.net), where she writes about food from the ground up, covering gardening, recipes, food preservation, and green(er) living. In this conversation, we talk about the food supply in Hawaii, growing food in small spaces and food preservation, regional foods (the strawberry guava, for example) and the benefits of a front yard garden. We even get a sneak peek at Kris's next book on how to make your own staples. Be the first to hear about it here!

Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau are the co-authors of A Culinary History of Montgomery County, Maryland. This is the second book in which they have explored the food heritage of Montgomery County, the first being Bread and Beauty: A Year in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve, which is full of beautiful photographs and wonderful recipes representing our region. Their current book is all about how the history of our area is tied in with food. In terms of where you live, looking at food history is a way of looking at how your culture and community have evolved over time. During this conversation, we hear lots of stories about the people and foodways of this region. We also talk about the history of Montgomery County and the Agricultural Preserve, the heritage of indigenous people in the region, development and land use planning, supply chain issues, and more.

What aspects of the back-to-school season are tapping into core memory making, and how much is just consumer hype? Listen in as Mary and Emma peel away the marketing from the emotion, and discuss ideas for reframing this season in a more sustainable way for kids AND parents. Things Mentioned:Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifestohttps://lady-farmer.com/collections/all (Lady Farmer Marketplace)https://lady-farmer.com/products/wool-insulated-plastic-free-lunchbox?_pos=1and_sid=b0cdd1038and_ss=r (Wool Lunchbox)https://lady-farmer.com/products/plastic-free-snack-sandwich-bags?pr_prod_strat=descriptionandpr_rec_id=416706295andpr_rec_pid=6619477803168andpr_ref_pid=6619402436768andpr_seq=uniform (Jute Sandwich Bag)https://lady-farmer.com/collections/kids (Jackalo Clothing)About Lady Farmer:Lady Farmer is a sustainable apparel and lifestyle brand, with education around sustainability and sustainable living at the forefront of our mission. Lady Farmer is proud to produce The Good Dirt podcast. https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (Our Website)@weareladyfarmer on https://www.instagram.com/thegooddirtph/ (Instagram)Join http://almanac.lady-farmer.com/ (The Lady Farmer ALMANAC)Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or tell us what the good dirt means to you.Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.comSupport your Good Dirt at home with https://biosnutrients.ca/collections/all?sca_ref=2454216.qvXDBufqTP (BIOS Nutrients)! Listeners of The Good Dirt podcast can enjoy 15% off BIOS Nutrients organic, natural fertilizers using the codehttps://biosnutrients.ca/collections/all?sca_ref=2454216.qvXDBufqTP ( LADYFARMER15) at checkout. Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well being.

Sara Buscaglia is a textile artist and organic farmer who lives in southern Colorado. She’s the creator of Farm and Folk, which is a fusion of her work as both sustainable farmer and folk artist. Sara believes that the magic and alchemy of farming and art are one and the same, and her passion for transferring natural color to natural fibers is a fascination that only grows stronger as the years roll by.In this conversation we talk about how Sara came to be an organic farmer, her evolution as an artist, her quilting practice and shared thoughts on social media and consumerism. Join us to hear the inspiring story of Sara's slow living journey and the decisions that have influenced her family's intentional lifestyle.